A veteran Oldschool Runescape player unlocks a brand-new continent: Equestria.
It was just another Saturday. He was playing Oldschool Runescape to do some skill training, then call it a day. Maybe a quest tomorrow, since he doesn't have that cape yet. Not a max account. Not a noob either. Just someone who enjoys playing once in a while.
For many years.
It's a good thing though, because his next challenge as an adventurer will require all the skill and knowledge he has collected...
In the magical land of Equestria.
Oldschool Runescape x MLP:FiM Crossover. The Prologue is mostly related to Runescape, but it is necessary for the story.
I'm... pretty sure I was... somewhere. Yeah. Somewhere doing... something.
Oh yeah! I was in my room. I was... playing Runescape, yes. Training... fishing? I think I was fishing south of Edgeville, right next to Barbarian Village.
And then...
...
Then what?
...
Hold on.
This doesn't feel like the floor of my room. It's kinda cold, and it's not flat. Wait. Did I... pass out? Really? I don't remember being THAT tired.
Oh my God. What if I...
Am I dead? Did I have a freaking heart attack or something!?
"I see you are awake."
I heard a female voice. Somehow it feels gentle and even soothing. How odd...
Wait. Why do I have my eyes closed? Damm, I'm not working properly right now...
...
There we go! Much better. Now I see that the floor is definitely not the one from my room. In fact, I should call it 'ground' because it's mostly dirt and stone. It's also very dark, but I can still see a bit, even if there are no torches or any kind of light source.
It seems I'm in a... cave?
"Come here, Lord Euris."
Huh? That's my... Runescape username. The same I've been using since the beginning. For the voice to call me that... maybe this is a dream? Wow. It would be a first to experience a lucid dream. Let's just hope I remember about it once I wake up. Looking at my body now... I see that I have the same gear when I was playing the game: the Firemaking skillcape, an Amulet of glory, and a Ring of dueling. I can't see enough to know if my current body is my real one, or my avatar's.
"Where Am I?" I asked. Yeah. It's a cave, but that's pretty much it. I don't know anything else. I'm still not sure if this is a dream or not, but I'll take this chance to act like my Runescape avatar.
Wait. This cave actually looks familiar. For some reason, it feels like I've seen it before. But where?
"Don't you remember this place? How strange. You come here every week to receive the blessing of my master."
Every week? Hang on... this sounds like... oh.
Oh!
Of course, I get it now! No wonder it was a cave. It's the place where the Tears of Guthix minigame is located! So that means the gentle voice must be...
Looking further ahead, I manage to get my own answer: I can see the giant snake looking at me and... smiling? Man, this dream is very... detailed. Like Runescape in VR.
And hey! I can hear music! It's like I'm playing the game!
"Indeed. It is a pleasure to see you again."
Well. I'm pretty sure this is a dream now, so I'll keep acting like my avatar. Now that I'm paying attention, It seems like the cave, while it looks like the minigame cave, it's not the same. I don't see those floating energy orbs around the place or the big chasm in the center. I also don't see the... well, tears in the walls.
"Ok. I'll ask again. Where exactly are we?"
"A hidden area in the caves of my master. You are now the third being in all of Gielinor that has seen it."
So it's like an instanced area, then? Interesting. This dream looks promising so far. Let's see how much I can make of it. Maybe it will be an enjoyable experience.
"Did you bring me here Juna? I was fishing in Barbarian Village and the next thing I remember is waking up here."
"My apologies for bringing you here without notice." said the snake of Guthix, getting a bit closer. "But it was an order from my master."
Oh?
"From Guthix?" I ask as I start to remember the quests related to Juna. "Is this about the Dorgeshuun goblins? Is Zanik in danger Again?"
"Not at all. My master knows she is safe for the moment. Sigmund of Lumbridge will not be a threat for a long time."
"If you say so..."
Well, she's not wrong. Unless Jagex decides to make a new quest about Zanik and the cave goblins, or that 'Land of the Goblins' quest, they are officially safe now. Also, this is a dream. It just works.
"However, we do require your assistance, Lord Euris." she got serious again. "My master has been watching your endless journey through Gielinor. Every action, and every word."
"I hope he's not disappointed."
This is just me, but out of all the gods in Runescape, Guthix is the one I like the most. Saradomin and Zamorak are basically the 'Christian God' and 'the Devil' of this game. While I think Zaros is an interesting one, he really needs more lore outside of minor quests and the Desert Treasure quest. As for Armadyl and Bandos, most players only know their names because they are interested in the God Wars Dungeon, or just the Godswords.
"Fear not." Juna was smiling again. "My master knows about your many skills, and how you use them to improve yourself and help others. It is because of this that you are the best candidate."
This sounds like the beginning of a quest! At least this means that my brain is trying to give me an honest Oldschool Runescape experience.
"Well, this sounds like you need me for something. You have my attention."
"Before we continue, we must contact someone else."
Ok? that's a first. But this is a dream so I can't complain. Juna started to move her tail. She also closed her eyes for a moment. For a few seconds, she stood perfectly still. I was about to ask what was going on, but suddenly, a white sphere of energy formed in front of her, with 4 energy 'lines' moving up and down, but never touching one another. There was a particular sound. One that I've heard many times before.
It took me a second to figure it out: Juna was using NPC Contact! Screw the rules, it's a dream. Honestly, since the Lunar Spellbook is the one with the most non-combat spells, it would suit her.
"It is time."
"I'll be there soon."
That was a male voice. I don't know who he was because... well, it's Oldschool Runescape. No voices during dialogue.
Not even five seconds passed, and some kind of black energy with a similar texture to water started to materialize itself next to the giant snake. It started to grow and increase in height.
"Ahh... Lord Euris. So you are master Guthix's choice." said the same male voice Juna was talking with.
Suddenly, the dark energy started to change to another form. It resembled a human, but it was a bit taller than me. When the transformation was complete...
I saw death.
As in, the man with the scythe.
"Grim Reaper!?"
"In the bone and cloth." was the answer from the being that I've seen during many Halloween events, and recently in his lair when you are unfortunate enough to lose your items with the new death mechanics.
"It is good to see you again, Harold." Juna said. Harold? Was that his previous name before being Death or what?
"I wish I could visit you more often, but in order to regulate life in Gielinor, I need to watch this land at all times. If this was not an emergency..."
"Am I missing something?" was the only thing I could ask. I'm honestly confused. I can't remember any information about these two in the official wiki.
"We had the honor of being chosen by Guthix himself during what you mortals often call 'The Third Age'." said Death. I'm missing some lore... or I can't remember it, and my brain is giving me hints. "We started as eight, but now... only Juna and I remain. Guardians of his philosophy and important locations, such as these caves."
I definitely like where this is going.
"We, the Guardians of Guthix... require your help, Lord Euris."
I knew it! This is totally a quest! I wanted to answer immediately, but I took a few seconds to look like I was thinking about it.
"Well... if the God of Balance and his guardians need my help, then count me in." I've played Runescape enough to know this is the point where the name of the quest changes to yellow, indicating that it has been started or it's incomplete.
Death got closer to me, raising his left skeletal hand a bit, almost like... a handshake?
"We are glad to hear that. You are indeed worthy to be one of us."
What? One of them? What is he saying? I don't...
...
Wait what?
WHAT?
Juna must have seen my face because she was chuckling... somehow. I tend to forget that 'dream > anything'.
"Congratulations Lord Euris. You are now a Guardian of Guthix." Oh, man. She's serious about this. "For a long time, we were looking for a human adventurer to be a Guardian. As much as I hate to admit it, we needed proof. If at least one human could understand the true value of balance, then our efforts were not in vain."
"And you just proved it, Lord... no. Guardian Euris." And now Death is praising me. What a dream!
"I am... feeling many things right now, but I'm also a bit confused. It sounds like you don't trust any veteran adventurer to help you."
"You are right. We do not." Wow. That was fast, Juna. "My master chose you not only because you have many talents, but also a powerful, yet kind soul."
"Can you tell me why so many adventurers murder every Falador guard?" asked Death, with a very convincing tone of curiosity. "I don't say this every day, but my job would be at least a bit easier if I knew why."
I'm sorry Death. I do know the answer but I don't know what would you say if I tell you that it has to do with something called 'Treasure Trails'.
"Now that you are a Guardian of Guthix, we can finally discuss the reason you were summoned here." Juna did a quick movement with her tail, and an orb of pure energy suddenly appeared. This one was bigger than the last one, so it's not the same lunar spell. The orb is transparent, but soon it started to show an unknown figure. I'm assuming it's a monster. Judging by the shape, it's definitely not in the game. I can't even begin to describe it, because it's like looking at a weird photoshop project with a thousand layers in it. It's purple though.
"A few hours ago, we discovered a... unique being. Quite troublesome too." Death said, looking at the orb, just like me. "We discovered something both phenomenal and unnerving: It is an otherwordly being."
"You mean it's not from this world?" Great. Now we're adding aliens to the mix. "You mean like another plane like the Gorak's plane? Or maybe the Cosmic entity's plane?"
"I'm afraid not." Juna was the one to answer. "This particular being is from... very far away."
Jesus. Is she saying it's from another universe entirely?
"So it's an outsider in every sense of the word. What about it?" I guess this is the part where I get the whole info about the quest.
"We studied the unknown being for a bit. We obtained some valuable information in return." said Death. "The first thing we discovered is that the being can mimic other creatures and monsters. We are not sure if it acquires the power and abilities of those he transforms into."
"A shapeshifter, huh? I remember dealing with something like that in a quest." I still remember that quest in Taverley. "I had to kill the weird experiment of a witch. That thing shapeshifted into six different beings."
"We also discovered that it uses magic never seen before in Gielinor." added Juna. "It's only natural since it's an otherwordly being. The problem is... shapeshifting is not its only ability."
Of course, this is not going to be an easy quest.
"This creature... can also create a variant of those it copies." said the Grim Reaper. "What is worse is that these creations follow the creature as a soldier follows its leader."
Oh. Now I see what's the problem.
"I'll take a guess and say you need me to take care of the unknown creature and its followers."
"Precisely," said Juna. "We do not know how many monsters this creature has mimicked, but it needs to be stopped."
"Alright. I'll get to it." I said. This is getting exciting! "Any ideas on where I can find the creature?"
"We know where it is right now... and that's the problem." said Death. "It is the reason why you are the only one who can help us."
"The creature came to our world thanks to a magic portal from its own dimension. We saw the creature return to its dimension a few minutes ago." Juna got closer to me. "As ancient guardians, we cannot leave Gielinor... but you can."
"You need someone who can move freely." It makes sense once you think about it. "An adventurer."
"That's right. This is why we need you, and only you... Guardian Euris." Death was completely serious now. "Among all the adventurers in Gielinor... you are the one chosen by our master. We need you to go into the creature's dimension, and contact their sovereigns."
"Lord Euris." Juna used my avatar's name instead of 'Guardian'. This is really important. "We want to establish a friendly relationship with the sovereigns of that dimension. Show them that we want to help them."
"You want to build trust." Oh, yeah. It's all coming together. "And you don't need a bloodthirsty warrior for that."
"Like we said before, Guardian Euris." Death offered me one of his skeleton hands. "Our master values you because you are strong in body, mind, and soul."
"Alright. I get it. Now... Do we know anything about the creature's dimension?"
"We were only able to see a very small portion of this land. We saw a forest, a town, and a city in the distance. The city is up in a mountain. Most intriguing!" It's kinda weird to see Death itself being interested in something regarding the mortal realm.
"But the most fascinating fact about this land is that there are no humans at all. It seems that the dominant species are equines." added Juna.
...Ok? Is this the portion of the dream where my brain mixes everything I know and makes it as weird as possible? Of all the things I've seen in my life... and I choose horses? Why? It's because of the running joke that there are unicorns but not horses in Runescape?
"Well, that is... different. Considering that I've seen demons, fanatics and many monsters. Horses sound like a break."
"We have managed to move the portal to a nearby chamber." said the big snake. "An acquaintance of yours is there waiting for you."
Huh. I didn't see that door to the west. Obviously, a door made of stone, with many decorations depicting the 'tears' of this place.
Out of nowhere, an image manifested in my head, and it seemed to show me something very similar to what I saw when I was going to start certain quests in the game.
Start the Gielinor's Visitor quest?
What kind of question is that? The answer is obvious!
"Juna. Death. Just leave it to me. I'll make sure to stop the creature, and create a friendly relationship with the new land."
Both ancient guardians looked at each other for a moment, both nodding at the same time.
"Good luck, Guardian Euris. Do not worry about your items and belongings. Everything you need is in the portal room." said Death, moving his skeletal arm to show the door.
With a nod of acknowledgment, I made my way to the portal room.
When I entered the room and closed the stone door, the first thing I saw was a square, purple thing in the wall. No doubt that's the portal. In the center of the room, there was a big round stone that looked like a table, as if only the chairs were missing.
And on top of the 'table' was a small spider.
One that I know and love. The only free-to-play pet of the game.
"Eek!"
I can't believe Eek is here too! But even weirder is the fact that I saw his name in my mind. The same way it shows in the game. He even has a combat level now!
[walk here Eek (level-30)]
"Hey, pal!" Aaaww, what a cute voice. Definitely a young kid. "I was guarding your bank items just like you asked me to!"
Well... that was my 'excuse' when I put you in the bank. Once again, a proof that I'm dreaming and my brain is using my own bit of lore. Eek was in my inventory during the many quests I completed. It was one wasted inventory space, but I didn't care. I felt like the pal my avatar promised to be.
"But then the snake lady and the big skeleton in black brought me here! They said you needed my help again!"
"That's right. I'm about to travel to a whole new dimension! And it seems they thought you would be the perfect companion for me."
"Wow! Another dimension? That's so cool!" Eek literally did a backflip. Heh, I remember that animation. "No wonder they gave me that ability."
"What ability?" Truth be told, even if I bring Eek with me, I still need my items.
"You see, the first thing I told to that Guthix fellows is that I have the important mission of guarding all your items in the bank. They told me that you would need your items later, so they did this 'blessing' thing, and now I have a neat ability that you'll like a lot!"
Alright, now I'm very curious.
Suddenly, Eek started to glow, like he had a small green aura around him, but what does that-
[The Bank of Gielinor 794/816]
No way...
I can see the bank interface in my mind!
It's a bit weird but also pleasant! It's weird because I see the image in my mind, and pleasant because it doesn't obstruct my actual vision like some VR menu.
"Now I'm THE guardian of your bank items, pal!" Eek sounded proud. "Now that you're going to a new dimension with no banks of Gielinor, I'll help you with that. Just say the word, and I'll let you access your bank account."
"Eek... this is amazing! You have no idea how powerful this ability is, and it's no exaggeration to say this is every adventurer's dream!"
"Only the best for my pal." was Eek's response. "So, take everything you need, because hero Lord Euris and his sidekick, Eek of the Spider Realm, are going to a new dimension!"
The cheerful spider did a surprising jump and landed on my right shoulder. I wonder if Eek counts as an item in this dream...
I hope not.
Let's see... if the interface is in my mind, then maybe if I think about moving the tabs and the actions...
[Tab 2]
Yes! It worked! The tab with all the melee gear. It's a good thing that I have combat gear for all combat styles. And since I don't know what kind of enemies there'll be on the other dimension...
[Take] Void melee helm Void knight top Void knight robe Void knight gloves Dragon boots Dragon scimitar Dragon sq shield Ring of wealth
[Inventory]
Oh? Is that my inventory? I didn't notice before. And it seems that Eek is not considered an item. Even better! And if the interface is working, then I should be able to...
[Equipment]
Nice! Let's equip everything.
Wow...
I almost didn't feel it, and it took less than a second. The equipment looks so... real. It's honestly wonderful. Heh. Using void knight equipment for a mission in the name of Guthix. Kinda fitting.
I'll equip the broad bolts... there! Now I have half inventory space free. The fact that my inventory is in some pocket limbo is a bonus. I only feel the weight of the equipment, and even then, it still feels quite light. Maybe it's because of my skill levels?
"This equipment looks awesome." said Eek, who is still on my right shoulder.
"And guess what? We are ready to go." I added with what I believe is my happiest smile yet.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Indeed.
As we cross the portal, a single thought crosses my mind...
When Juna and 'Harold' told me that the dominant species in this dimension were equines, I was expecting some happy-go-lucky land with rainbows, sunshine, and very bright colors.
After we passed through the portal, Eek and I arrived at what I think is an old throne room. A very old throne room. This place is a mess: Broken windows, vines everywhere, some walls and part of the ceiling are broken, and you could see the layers of dust. Not to mention the number of spiders crawling in the corners, and the number of spiderwebs they have created. Curiously, some of them had a star symbol on their backs.
"Ah! My brethren." Eek saw the spiders around. "Maybe they can tell us about this place."
"That... would be very helpful." I mean it's not strange that he can speak with other spiders. "Want to try your luck?"
"Just wait here, pal."
Eek jumped to the floor, and then made a strange noise. This got the attention of the other spiders, and then they started to gather. In a few seconds, a good amount of spiders were in front of my partner.
And now they are making some noises. I guess they're talking. While they were at it, I took a second look at the place. The most interesting detail was definitely the two torn banners near the throne: A yellow banner with the drawing of the sun and a dark blue banner with a drawing of the moon.
"Lord Euris! You won't believe this!"
Oh. Eek is done talking, and it seems that the other spiders are... doing a salute?
"This place belonged to the two sovereigns of this land, but it was abandoned after they fought each other!"
"That would explain why this place is a mess."
"But get this: The fight was like a thousand years ago!"
Excuse me?
"Eek... are you saying the sovereigns are over a thousand years old now?"
"Maybe even more. The spiders saw them again. Like, recently. They know of this fight because their ancestors saw it, and it became a popular story that is always told to the younger generations."
Wow... It's almost as if Eek was describing a human legacy. So the sovereigns of this land have a longer life span than elves, or, they found a way to not die of old age. This also means that they must be very well-versed in combat.
"I wonder if both of them are on good terms now..."
"The spiders saw them hugging, so they believe they are." said Eek. "Anyway, what's our move? We stay for a bit to investigate or we leave now?"
Normally I'd leave now, but there's something I need to check first.
If the bank interface works, then what about the other interfaces? Maybe I can check my skills and the quest menu.
"We'll explore the place, then we leave."
"This forest actually reminds me of Morytania. That doesn't mean it's not dangerous. Stay alert, Eek."
"Right back at ya, pal."
This looks very promising so far.
Every tab worked like the bank interface: An image in my mind that doesn't obstruct my actual vision.
My combat style tab was ok, showing my combat level which is 104, the attack styles, and even the special attack bar. The quest tab was exactly the same. I even managed to look for the Gielinor's Visitor quest and found it with yellow letters which means it's incomplete. The Achievement Diary also had a new zone added, but it was listed as '?????????' for now.
I also saw the equipment tab, the prayers tab, and the spellbook tab. Everything was in order. I can equip and remove my gear at will, and it's honestly very easy and quick to do because the change is almost instantaneous. I activated a few prayers and all of them worked correctly. The spellbook was also working perfectly. I equipped my Smoke battlestaff and the Fire bolt spell was available to use. I'll try to use it later.
It seems that the logout, account management, and settings tag don't work. I couldn't access them.
Surprisingly, I was able to access the music tab, and according to the 'game', the music playing is called 'Spooky?'. I noticed the music changed the second we arrived at the old throne room, and it's an interesting variant of Draynor Manor's music. The emotes tab was also available, and I tried using the 'lean' emote from the mime random event.
It actually worked, and it felt a bit odd because my body moved on its own for a bit. Even weirder was that I was able to maintain balance while doing it.
The friends and ignore list were also there, but there were no player names in either of them. The same happened in the clan chat tab. No names, nor chat groups were there.
There was no map to look at, and while it's a bit of a letdown, everything else is incredible, so I can't complain.
While I was discovering all of this, Eek and I explored the abandoned castle (since it has a throne room) for a bit, and told him about our current quest. I was worried that something from this dimension may pass through the portal and reach Gielinor, but Eek told me that Juna and Death used their powers, so no being from this dimension can pass through it anymore.
I'm fairly sure this castle was beautiful when it was inhabited. While the castle had some broken walls and ceiling, a good amount of furniture was in relatively good condition, albeit with a thick layer of dust: Chandeliers, paintings, stone figures, rugs, even things like books, toys, and I'm pretty sure that I saw a pipe organ.
Even if it was an abandoned castle, it was still quite big. It took a while the explore most of it. If there was a fight or invasion, there's no sign of it anymore. During the exploration, I found out that I have the 'mouse' function because I was able to examine many objects. Among everything we saw, there was an item that I took with me. The item had a proper name: Home Necklace (uncharged).
[A magical necklace that needs to be charged in order to be fully functional.]
As soon as I wanted to put this item in my inventory, it disappeared from my hand and appeared in the 'items' tab. Once we get to speak with the sovereigns of this land, I'll investigate this item.
Now... we have to get out of this forest.
Now I definitely wish there was a map to look at.
We have been walking for a while, and this forest looks endless. We noticed that certain areas have a 'clear trail', so we decided to follow one. At least we haven't encountered any creature so far. I've also noticed that there are certain herbs on the ground that have proper names. I assume they can be used to make potions, but that will have to wait. We are in the middle of a quest.
"This forest is huge!" said Eek, watching the endless trees. "How did the sovereigns of this land live here before?"
"If they are over one thousand years old, then I'm pretty sure this forest must have been a huge city or something like that, and now only nature remains. Any past glory must be gone by now."
I'm starting to think that the equines of this land avoid this forest for a reason. The last living beings we saw were that group of spiders on the abandoned castle.
Seriously, this is starting to-
Wait.
I see something moving towards us and fast. Maybe if I focus my vision...
Flesh crawler? As in, the bugs from the Stronghold of Security? But this one looks bigger, and its entire body is purplish now, with a curious glittering effect.
And seriously. It moves way faster than the other ones.
"Get ready Eek!"
It's weird. Before I even thought about it, I started to run, preparing to swing my dragon scimitar. This is not the original experience.
This is even better.
And yet... I don't feel any fear, nor do I feel nervous about trying to kill that thing to stay alive. Lord Euris is the veteran adventurer, not me. If I had to guess, I would say the dream is trying to make this experience as pleasant as possible. Maybe.
Only one way to find out.
Once the 'Nightmarish flesh crawler' was close enough, it did a sudden jump, gaining more speed, and quickly reached us. Don't think I didn't see the way those mandibles moved! I'm not going to let you attack me just like that!
I used my shield to block the attack, then pushed the shield forward, managing to ward off the creature. Oh, yes! I saw that zero in my shield! This time it did show up like in VR games. So that's how the dream shows damage. Maybe it's because my strength level is quite high, but It wasn't hard to push that thing away.
Now it's my turn.
I activated the dragon scimitar's special attack. [Sever] increases my accuracy by 25%. Sadly the second effect doesn't work on non-player foes, but this is a test so it's not a big deal.
The moment I attacked, the dragon scimitar left a small red trail of its movement. Yup. That is the special attack, and 55% of the special bar's energy was used.
Also, something else caught my attention.
[37/50] [Nightmarish Flesh Crawler]
It's my foe's HP! That is a Runelite function! Good to know that my brain knows what is good for this dream. Honestly, I don't regret using Runelite to play Runescape. It's way more enjoyable that way.
The creature didn't bleed, but there was a wound in the area where I attacked. Instead of blood, there is a weird purple mist leaking from its body. Fortunately, it's not poison or some status effect because the mist disappears almost instantly.
"Good strike, pal!"
"But it's not over yet."
Once again I blocked the crawler's attack. And now...
I think I'm getting used to this!
Since this is not exactly the game, let's try moving and attacking at the same time. I need to find all my possible advantages in combat. Aaaand...
Yes! It works if I move fast enough! This gives me so many possibilities! Maybe my agility level is a factor for this. This feels like a VR hack-n-slash with Runescape's system.
Even after failing twice, the flesh crawler keeps attacking in the same way. Well, most enemies in Gielinor do the same.
I really want to get out of this forest and find the two sovereigns, so let's finish this.
Using [Sever] a second time left my special bar's energy at 5%. Normally I try to avoid using all the energy, but I got lucky again so it was worth it.
This special attack is not fast enough for me to attack again. Good to know.
And there we go! The Nightmarish flesh crawler is shaking a lot now, and- Ah! That was not pleasant to hear. Maybe it was screaming? And now... wow. It's like it's melting. That looks really painful and-
Oh! A drop!
[take Nightmare stellar shard]
Color differentiation on items according to how expensive they are is also a Runelite function, but since it doesn't show the Grand Exchange's price or High-level alchemy conversion, I can only assume it's important. The item is a very small crystal with similar colors as the 'nightmarish' thing I just defeated.
[A dark power is sealed within the crystal...]
"Our first victory in this dimension." I said while picking up the shard. "I've never seen that kind of flesh crawler before. What about you, Eek?"
"Nope. Never seen that one before." said my tiny spider friend. "Do you think this has something to do with the creature you are looking for?"
"Considering what Death and Juna told me, it's possible."
In fact. Maybe this stellar shard is a unique drop from the mimicked creatures from Gielinor. Now that I think about it, I was never told the exact number of 'mimics' that came with the creature. Well, it's a dream so I can't expect everything to be perfect.
"That was fun, but we must keep going."
We still have to get out of this forest. Seriously, a map would be nice.
"Hey pal! There's a door in that tree!"
"Huh. You're right."
Now, about this tree... It's pretty big, honestly. Now that we are closer, I see that there are some bottles hanging in the branches. We also saw some unusual masks with happy and serious expressions. They kinda remind me of the masks I've seen in Karamja. When I examined both of them...
[Hello.] [Welcome.]
A bit weird, but acceptable.
We've been walking for a while now. If someone lives here, then this is our best chance of getting out of here. Whoever lives here has to know his or her way around here.
Let's knock a few times. Runescape is one of those games that let you barge in many houses and buildings, but I'm not going to test my luck now. Dream or not, I have manners.
"Hello? I'm pretty sure you must not get many visits, but I need some help."
A couple of seconds passed, and then someone opened the door.
Specifically, a zebra. Not very tall, considering my height.
[Examine Zecora (Level-25)] [If potions are what you seek, her knowledge about them is unique.]
Yup. Equine enough. This 'Zecora' uses many neck rings, and big earrings, and also... that mohawk looks surprisingly good on her. I'm not even going to question how she opened the door without hands. It's a dream. That's the answer.
"Hello there! I'm afraid I'm lost. Do you know how to get out of this forest?"
The zebra observed me for several seconds. Maybe my equipment is too intimidating? And even in a dream, it was a mistake to think that she would act as an NPC. I'll have to keep that in mind from now on. Until I wake up, that is.
"Hello, warrior from far away. To travel in this forest for me is like foal's play." Ok, that was super weird, but I understood that. She knows this forest way better than me. "It's best if you come inside. Safety and comfort I can provide."
Not going to say no to that! After all, she didn't get frightened by my appearance.
Man, that door is a bit small for me, I had to crouch for a moment to enter her treehouse. Zecora is definitely a 'herblore pure'. There are potions everywhere. All of them have proper names, like 'Anti petrify potion(4)', 'Cure disease(4)', 'Speedster potion(4)', just to name a few. There are even potions from the game! I see many 'Antidote+' scattered around the house. Whatever furniture Zecora lacks from a common house, she makes up for it with tables, desks, and shelves filled with potions.
"I take it you are an expert." I feel like I had to start this conversation.
"Every potion that I brew will work in the way that it best suits you." I'm still confused about the way she speaks, but at least I can understand it. Maybe it's some traditional stuff the zebras have in this world? She lives in this mysterious forest rich in ingredients, judging by the number of potions around. I wonder if she is skilled enough to be a 'Herblore master' like Kaqemeex?
"I'll definitely ask about your potions in the future, but for now, I need to find a way out of this forest. Can you help me please?"
The zebra simply smiled while moving to a nearby cauldron.
"A way out of the Everfree Forest you want to know, and the answer to you I can definitely show."
BGM -OFF-
"Pal! We're finally out!"
"Thank Guthix for that. I have to say, this view is way better. Especially because I can see buildings in the distance. Maybe it's the town Juna and Death mentioned?"
I don't know about everyone else, but sometimes I love to just walk and look around. When I was still a F2P, every time I had to go to the Asgarnian Ice Dungeon I just walked from Falador, passing through Port Sarim, and enjoying both the landscape and the music.
"For now let's enjoy the walk, Eek."
I've discovered a few interesting things while talking with Zecora.
The moment she said 'Everfree Forest', a new icon was available for me. One that I really, really wanted: The World map.
I still don't have the minimap function, but when I checked the world map, it did show me the area I was currently in: The Everfree Forest. It was shown in the same way Runescape does it. Thing is, It was only the forest area. Everything around that was outside the forest was just black. Kinda like an instanced area.
Not gonna lie. It was bigger than what I expected it to be.
After that, Zecora gave me a hand... hoof-made map of the forest. Even if it was now pointless, I still accepted her kindness because she was helping me. It's also thanks to her that I know a bit more about this unknown realm. Well, not unknown anymore.
This continent is called 'Equestria'.
It's mostly inhabited by ponies instead of horses, but there are other species living both inside and outside this territory. Some examples would be zebras, griffins, and even dragons. There are others that I never heard before, or at least I never saw them in Gielinor, like diamond dogs, changelings, and breezies.
Ponies themselves also have some variations. There are earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. Earth ponies are physically stronger. Pegasi can fly. Unicorns can use magic, and they are not like the unicorns of Gielinor. There is also a very rare variation called 'Alicorn'. These ponies have all the advantages of the other ponies, meaning that they are stronger, can fly and use magic.
The two princesses of Equestria are alicorns, and their names are Celestia and Luna. These two fought so many years ago inside that old castle...
Sadly, knowing the name of this continent didn't give me the entire map of it. Well, that would have been too easy. I'll need to investigate how to unlock the maps in the world map later.
"Did you see that house? The rooftop was made of bushes and leaves!" Eek was in a good mood now that we're out of the Forest. Truth to be told, so am I. After all, I'm exploring something entirely new!
"A very interesting house." I replied to my little pal. "There's also a farm near. It's full of apple trees. They must really like apples."
And I just confirmed that there's a town near! And I know it's a town for a very good reason...
Ponies.
Yup. I see them. Many of them. With a surprising amount of different colors, and some of them are even using clothes! Wow... It's like they are humans.
Well... that, and Zecora told me about this 'Ponyville'. Seriously, it's a very 'straight to the point' kind of name for a town.
"They are like smaller unicorns! Very interesting indeed." said Eek, obviously happy. "We already had our first fight, and now we'll visit the first town of this realm!"
"Remember Eek. Our priority is to speak with the sovereigns of Equestria. We need more information about them. Specifically, where do they live. Also, maybe this is a rare sight for us, but for them, it's pretty normal. We are the rare beings in this scenario, and as such, we need to be careful. The last thing I want is to make them think I'm some sort of monster."
"Got it, pal." Eek did what I think it's a military salute with two of his tiny legs.
And soon enough, we reached the outskirts of the town. Now that I think about it... maybe I should change my equipment a bit. They may freak out just with the dragon scimitar, so...
[Equipment]
First, I'll remove my Void melee helm, the Dragon scimitar, and the Dragon sq shield. I think it will be better if they can see my face.
"Eek, can you give me access to my bank account?"
"Sure thing, pal!"
[Take]
Book of balance.
And now...
[Equipment]
Let's equip the Book of balance and the Mud battlestaff. I think that's more friendly than a red curved sword and a shield. In Runescape, you don't have to worry about it since it's a game, but this is more of a real-life experience, so I really don't want to scare these ponies. The town looks peaceful and since I can check a few of them at this distance, I know that all of them are very low level, like level-15 or level-17, so that means they are weaker than Zecora.
I find it a bit funny that they are cataloged as 'mare/stallion' just like the 'man/woman' in the game. Their descriptions are pretty similar, too.
[One of Equestria's many citizens.]
I really, really hope this is not like the werewolves of Canifis, or worse...
That goddamn rabbit from Prifddinas.
"Now that we are getting close to town... What's your plan?" asked Eek, looking at me with his tiny spider eyes. It's amazing how I can actually see them...
"Since everything around us is new, we'll have to ask the nearby ponies about the town. It would be helpful if we can find someone with authority so we can tell them about our quest. We can also ask if there's been any sight of creatures like the one we fought recently. That nightmarish thingie."
"Well, that sounds reasonable." answered my pal.
"Hey! Wait!"
An unknown voice got our attention. The weird thing is that it came from behind us. It sounded like a male kid, but rather than afraid, it was like he was surprised. When we turned around, we saw a small, purple lizard-like creature running, and when he managed to catch up to us, he took a few seconds to recover. Looks like he was running.
[Examine Spike (level-9)] [A very small dragon with very big dreams]
"Is there anything I can help you with? As you can see, I'm not exactly from around here." I say with a smile and a good attitude. Gotta show that I'm friendly.
"Yeah... I can see that." said 'Spike', now feeling better. "But I'm really curious about you, and your clothes! Honestly, I don't even know what you are! No offense, but the only thing I know for certain is that you are really tall."
"None taken." I said, knowing he didn't say it with bad intentions. "My name is Euris." I moved my left arm to show my pal. "And this is Eek from the Spider Realm."
For a moment, Spike was confused that I was showing a spider, but then...
"Hey! Nice to meet you!" said Eek.
"Woah! He talks!" exclaimed the little dragon.
"Of course I do!" said Eek, as he did a quick backflip.
"Is it that weird?" I asked.
"Well, it's the first time I meet a spider that can talk. Anyways, my name is Spike, and I'm a dragon!"
Oh! So he really is a dragon! Good to know that the descriptions are telling the truth. If he's this small, he must be very young. But the fact that he is a friendly dragon says a lot. He can be a mighty protector in the future.
"Nice to meet you Spike. I didn't see you when we were walking earlier. Perhaps you were following us?"
"Kinda? I saw you guys when I was leaving Fluttershy's home." answered Spike. "She's a friend, by the way."
"Ah! The house with bushes and leaves!" said Eek.
"Yep. That's her cottage." added Spike.
"Well, I'm actually glad that you wanted to speak with us because right now we need some help."
"It seems like this is your first visit to Ponyville." said Spike, looking like he was thinking about something. "Hey! How about I bring you to my house? I'm sure Twilight can help you."
"Twilight?"
"Twilight Sparkle. She takes care of me, and we live together. She's pretty much my big sister now."
"Is she a dragon too?" I ask out of curiosity.
"Nah. She's a unicorn, and she loves keeping things organized." Spike said. "But she reads a lot and knows a lot! I'm sure she can help you with any problem you have."
Honestly, that sounds like a good plan! What I need right now is knowledge. A lot of knowledge. This Twilight Sparkle sounds like the kind of pony that can help me with that, and if she is Spike's caretaker, then she must have some privileges, considering that this is a pony society.
"Then it's decided. We'll follow you to your house. Lead the way, Spike." I said with respect.
"We'll be in your care, dude." added Eek.
"Leave it to me!" said the little dragon. It seems that our positive attitude is making him feel more comfortable with us. That's good. I honestly want to be on good terms with him. Who knows? Maybe we can be friends in the future.
As he started walking towards the town, we quickly followed him.
"Let me be the first to say it to you guys: Welcome to Ponyville!"
I'm glad this Equestria is not full of rainbows and a sun with a smiley face. As this is a pony society, I really don't know what to expect. The Everfree Forest was a good introduction. A mystery forest with both wonders and dangers. Something tells me that it's one of those areas that both mid and high-level players can return to for bigger challenges. Who knows?
It looks like a peaceful town. It kinda reminds me of East Ardougne in the sense that it has a bit of everything: Many houses, a central area with a fountain and a Town Hall, a lot of food and items to buy and sell in the market area, and so on.
Like, seriously, there are even pubs and restaurants that resemble the modern ones! There are also many specialized shops. From furniture to everyday necessities. For a medieval-looking town, it sure has a lot of resources.
How do I know all of this? Simple.
Spike is giving me a tour. He's doing a good job as a guide. Surprisingly friendly for a little dragon that just met me a few minutes ago.
"I'm Impressed, Spike. It's like you know the entire town."
"Yeah! that's cool!" added Eek.
"Thanks!" was his friendly response. "Since I'm also Twilight's assistant, I tend to buy things from a lot of places."
"Is Twilight Sparkle some kind of inventor?" Honestly, she sounds like a mage with an endless hunger for knowledge.
"I'm not sure..." Oh? That's an unusual reaction. "She does try new things and she has created a few objects before, but she's not officially an inventor."
"But magic is her field of expertise, right?."
"Yeah! Definitely." said Spike, showing how proud he feels about it. "She is Princess Celestia's faithful student after all."
I knew it!
I knew this Twilight Sparkle was a pony with a certain level of authority, but this also means that I have to be careful when I meet her. First Impressions are fundamental, and I still need to meet the two Princesses of this land.
"Wait. Is Twilight Sparkle a noble? She sounds like one."
"Noble? No way!" was the little dragon's answer. "I mean, we used to live in Canterlot, but Twilight's family is normal. Her parents and big brother are famous, though."
A family of prodigies, huh? This just makes me think that 'Twilight Sparkle' could be an important pony for future progress in my quest! But right now something else is getting my attention...
"Canterlot?" now that's a name that interests me. Especially considering how similar it sounds to 'Camelot'. "That sounds like the name of a city."
"It is!" was Spike's cheerful reply. "You can see it from here."
The little dragon used his left hand and pointed in a certain direction. When I followed it, I saw a very interesting sight: A massive construction up in a mountain. So this is the city that Juna and death told me about. This completes their vision. The forest is the Everfree Forest. The town is Ponyville, and the city on the mountain is Canterlot.
"Man... the ponies are staring in a 'not-so-friendly' way." said Eek who was looking around.
"Are visitors not trusted here?" I asked respectfully. To be honest, it was bothering me too. I don't know if they are scared or confused. At least no one is running away, screaming, or something like that. I assume it's because Spike is with me.
"Sorry about that. They have been like this since that strange visitor from the Everfree Forest came." said the little dragon. "I only know that her name is Zecora."
"Are you talking about Zecora the apothecary?" it would be beneficial for her to visit this town without any kind of trouble. "From what I saw in her house, she has many high-quality potions."
"Wait. You were in her house?" asked a curious Spike.
"Yep. Her house is in the Everfree Forest. She even gave me a map to safely traverse the forest. That's how I managed to reach Ponyville."
Zecora is by no means a bad pony, If for some reason they fear her, then I will try to fix this wrong impression they have of her. Seriously, her potions can be a big help if they get injured or something like that. I have no idea why they fear her, but it seems that Eek is right. Maybe they distrust non-pony races. Can't blame them, though.
"So... Is Twilight going to, I don't know, freak out when she sees me?"
"Maybe?" Spike was unsure about his answer. "I mean, your size makes you look a bit dangerous, but since you are with me, maybe she will reconsider."
"I can vouch for my partner that he's not a bad person!" said Eek. "He is a trustworthy adventurer!"
"Adventurer?" this got Spike's attention, and his eyes widened. "You go on adventures!?"
"I do. I can tell you more about me later. There is something I need to discuss with your big sister, and trust me, it's important."
"Well, I think I showed you most of Ponyville. Let's go see Twilight!"
Spike's tour was really helpful. At some point during his guidance, my world map got updated, and now Ponyville is on it. There are many food stalls, a crafting shop, a clothing shop, a 'jewelry' spot, a general store, and many more, including an anvil, although that last one is located on the northeast border.
After a few minutes, I saw a very particular tree, because it had a door and many windows. If I didn't know about the gnome houses back in Gielinor, I would be very surprised right now. Nonetheless, it's a nice view.
"There! That's our home." said Spike, pointing at the tree-looking house I was seeing.
"I was wondering about that tree. So it really is a house."
"And it's also Ponyville's only library." said Spike proudly. "Sometimes I have to help Twilight arrange the books."
This is going better than I expected. Maybe I'll stay here for a while to get some useful information about Equestria. I need every advantage I can get if I want to find the creature and its followers.
When we arrived at the treehouse, I got surprised because Spike didn't knock at the door. He just opened it. It took me a second to realize that since it's a public library, ponies can enter anytime while it's available.
"Twilight! I'm back! I brought a guest that wants to speak with you."
Spike and I waited for an answer, but it never came.
BGM -OFF-
"Huh. Seems like she is not here." said Spike, a bit let down. "Sorry about that Euris. I think you'll have to wait for her to come back."
"It's no problem. I can wait for her." this actually gives me time to explore the library and see what kind of information I can find. "Do you mind if I look around?"
"Not at all." replied Spike, who then smiled, like he got a nice idea. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions while you are at it?"
Well, looks like I'll have to read later.
"Sure. ask away."
His interest in me increased when Eek told him that I'm an adventurer, so I'm not surprised that he wants to know more. Maybe he'll ask about my equipment or my combat abilities.
"What exactly are you?" was his first question. "You have the height of a minotaur, but you don't look like one."
"I am a human, and it seems that I am the first one you see."
"And where you come from?"
"I come from the Land of Gielinor, my little friend."
"Gielinor?" Spike was a bit confused. "I never heard of that place before."
"Trust me when I say that's ok. Gielinor is very, very far away from Equestria."
"And I come from the Spider Realm!" added Eek. "Seeing the world of the humans has been very exciting, and now I get to see this faraway land!"
"That's so cool!" It seems that Spike is happy with my answers so far. "I've always wondered how it feels to go on an adventure! You know: Travel a lot, meet new ponies or even other races, and help somepony else when they are in trouble."
"Don't forget that you also need to defend yourself. Combat is also important, like melee and ranged weapons. Magic as well. My equipment is not just for show. Even this book and staff I'm holding help me when it comes to magic."
"Wait. You can use magic?" Spike moved right next to me.
"Yes, I can. Unicorns can also use magic, right?"
"Yeah, but they mostly use it to levitate stuff and sometimes to shoot magic projectiles for self-defense." Spike was looking at my equipment while explaining. "They can teleport too, but aside from Twilight and the Princesses, I haven't seen other unicorns do that. I know Twilight can do a lot more with magic!"
"Now that's interesting. Magic in Gielinor is a bit different. There are some species that are born with the ability to use magic, but humans need a bit of help. You see, in order to use magic, we need the energy of what we call 'rune stones'. By using certain rune stones, we can perform a variety of magic spells."
"Yeah!" Spike didn't bother to hide his excitement.
"All right. Let's see..." I can use this opportunity to check if magic is limited by the game mechanics or if it's more 'free'.
I took one law rune and one air rune from the Rune pouch. Spike noticed the small round stones, and he also managed to see a different symbol on each one.
"That book over there." I pointed at a rather big book that was on the other side of the house, in the opposite direction from where I am. "Look at it."
Spike focused on the book. Good. I unequip my Book of balance, and I cast a spell: Telekinetic Grab.
A series of purple rings made of magical energy appeared and formed a strange-looking purple sphere. This sphere quickly passed right next to Spike.
"What-" Spike saw the sphere for just a moment, but quickly followed its movement. the purple magical sphere reached the location where the book was. The sphere then got bigger, successfully 'trapping' the book. Just a moment later, both the sphere and book were gone.
"The book! It's gone! Where is-"
Spike turned to see Euris, and that's when he realized that Euris now had the book in his left hand.
"Neat trick, huh?"
"You grabbed the book from far away! That's so cool!" Spike was impressed. I thought his reaction would not be as positive as that because he sees her sister use magic every day.
"That was a level thirty-three spell called 'Telekinetic Grab'. It allows me to grab an object that I can see, but cannot reach."
"Woa... wait. Your magic has 'levels'? How does that work?" asked a very curious Spike.
"Well, it is a system established in Gielinor. The higher the level of the spell, the more complex it is. The minimum is level one, and the highest is ninety-nine." I said while laying the book on a nearby table.
"Does all of your equipment help with your magic?" Spike once again focused on my equipment, noticing that the Book of balance was in my hand again.
"Not only with magic. I can use all three forms of combat. The gear I use depends on the situation. Of course, I also have clothes that are just for everyday life."
"Man... I wish I could do magic like that." said Spike, getting a bit frustrated. "The only magical thing I can do is send letters with my fire breath."
"That is a nice ability to have, you know?"
"But that magic of yours was so cool! I wish I could do that." said Spike while taking the book grabbed with my magic, and placing it on the bookcase where it originally was.
You know... I would like to know that as well.
"Say... Why don't we make a little test?" I started to walk toward Spike. "Eek. You know what to do."
"Right away!" said my little partner.
I accessed the bank and took a few mind runes, as well as some elemental runes. This is a wonderful opportunity to try this. If I can use Runescape's magic... Then what about the citizens of this land? If I go by the logic that everyone must be at least level one, then that means Spike should be able to at least use Wind Strike. Only way to find out is...
"Here." I gave Spike a mind rune and an air rune. "For now, don't worry about what each rune does. The level one spell 'Wind Strike' is the most basic combat spell we have in Gielinor. It's the spell that everyone uses at the very beginning. Why don't you try it?"
"All right!" Spike looked around for a moment until he found a wall to use as practice. "So, what do I do?"
"First, try to concentrate. Since this is your first time trying to use this kind of magic, it may not work at first, so you need to clear any other thoughts and focus on trying to create a ball of magical energy. In this case, a ball of air. Once you have that ball of air, you need to move your hands as if you were launching it."
The little dragon began to concentrate and, while holding the runes, he moved his hands to the front. For various seconds, nothing happened, but Spike was not going to give up that easy. You can do it, buddy! I also think it would be cool if you can use Gielinor's magic.
"H-hey!"
The air began to gather in front of Spike, but he was unable to create a ball. Seems like the runes are working, so why can't he create the ball of magical energy?
"You certainly are doing it right, but for some reason, it's not working..."
Wait...
In the game, forming the magical energy ball is the way to do it because that's what the animation does, but maybe that's not the case here. This dream right now is like some mix of VR with Oldschool Runescape mechanics. Maybe this way of creating the ball of air is not suited for him.
"Spike. A question. If you were to imagine how you create the ball of air... How would you do it?"
"Me?" Spike thought about it for a few moments, then focused his vision on me. "Well, I would form a fist and keep it ready for a punch." while spike was saying that, he instinctively closed the hand where he had the two runes. "I would gather the magical energy around my fist." he hasn't realized. He's gathering the air around his closed hand. He's doing it so well that the air is not making any sound yet. "And I would punch to the front to-"
Spike punched to the front, and in doing so, he finally released the magical energy, launching the air spell forward and successfully hitting the wall.
"Launch the spell..." the little dragon finished his sentence and remained there for a few seconds. Slowly he began to smile. "I did it..."
"It seems that everyone has their own way of gathering the magical energy inside the runes. I was trying to teach you the way I do it, but then I realized that maybe my way would not work for you. That's why I asked you how you would do it."
Yup. Gielinor's magic is compatible with him.
"And you even did it instinctively. That alone tells me that your affinity with magic is higher than what you think."
"Good job, Spike!" Eek did a backflip on my shoulder. "Seems like you have the knack for it!"
"I did it!" Spike ran to the wall where the spell hit, then looked at Euris. "That was awesome! It's like I threw some kind of air punch!"
"Try to remember that sensation. That's how you gather the energy from the runes."
"Huh?" Spike looked at the hand where he had the two runes, only to find nothing. "The runes! They're gone!"
"Runes are consumed once you cast the spell. Wind Strike requires a mind rune and an air rune. Each spell requires different runes in order to be cast."
"Is there any other spell I can try?" asked a very eager Spike. I mean, his face says it all.
"We could try the other strike spells to know what your magic level is, but since they involve water, earth, and fire, I think it would be dangerous to use them here."
"Oh. Right." I managed to see a sad spike, but just for a moment, aa he quickly recovered. "You think we could try after you speak with Twilight?"
"Sure, but it may take a while, considering what I want to speak with her. So, since your sister is not here yet, do you have any other questions?"
"I don't see you wearing a backpack or anything like that. Did you come here with just that?" Man, he is asking the right questions.
"I don't need a backpack. Trust me." I can't help but smirk while I answer his question. "Let's just say that I was granted a blessing back in Gielinor that allows me to store and take objects without needing a backpack."
"Really?" Spike was a bit doubtful. "Just like that?"
I decided to unequip my Book of balance. When the book disappeared, Spike's eyes widened in surprise. Then, I equipped the Dragon sq shield. And just like that, it appeared in my hand.
"Yeah. Just like that."
I unequipped the shield and equipped the Book of balance again. Spike watched the whole thing still amazed by how fast I changed items.
"Dude... Is there anything you can't do?" asked Spike, almost as a joke.
"To be fair, even with all my knowledge, there are still many things I can't do. For instance, I can't breathe fire."
It was then, that the doors of the library opened again.
"Spike? Are you home?"
I heard an unknown female voice. When both Spike and I saw the entrance, there was a purple unicorn mare there. I can safely say it's a mare because she has the hairstyle of a woman and even the looks of a woman. I wonder how would she look like if she was a human?
"Twilight!"
Spike went to greet her sister, while I stayed where I was. So she is Twilight Sparkle. And she... has some kind of tattoo. Huh. Did the other ponies have one as well? I didn't notice.
[Examine Twilight Sparkle (level-48)] [She probably studies more than me.]
That's probably true.
"I thought you were still helping Fluttershy with her bird houses." said Twilight. Bird houses, huh? That reminds me that I left the bird houses in Fossil Island unchecked...
"And I did! We finished sooner than we thought. She even gave me some cookies before I left." said Spike, who then looked at me. "We have a guest that wants to talk to you."
"A guest?"
Aaand she finally saw me. And her face changed. She looks confused. I should say something before it gets worse.
"Hello there! You must be Twilight Sparkle."
"Oh! H-hello. Sorry about that, I was lost in thought." said the mare. "For a moment I thought you were a rare variant of a minotaur, but..."
"You don't recognize my species. That's ok. Spike also didn't know about me when he saw me." I guess now is the best moment to approach them. "My name is Euris. As you may guess, I am not from these lands. Spike was kind enough to give me a tour of Ponyville and guide me here."
"Well, nice to meet you Euris. You already know it, but my name is Twilight Sparkle. I am the Owner of Golden Oak Library."
"Hello, Twilight Sparkle! I'm Eek from the Spider Realm" Eek is energetic as always.
"The spider can talk?" Twilight's eyes widened. "I was wondering why it was with you. It's nice to meet you too, Eek! This is my first time seeing a spider that can talk!"
"That's me! I'm helping my partner here!" you really are, and it's a huge help, little buddy.
"I would introduce Spike, but I think you already know each other." said Twilight, looking at his little assistant.
"Yeah. Once he told me about you, I knew I needed to talk to you."
"With me?" asked Twilight a bit intrigued.
"Spike told me that you are Princess Celestia's faithful student. That means you have a way to contact her, right?"
"Sorry, but why do need to know that?" asked Twilight, more curious this time. "Do you need something from her?"
"Yes, and I'm afraid it's something serious. You see, I come from a land called Gielinor. I'm an adventurer that came here because there is a situation that involves both Equestria and Gielinor, and It would be for the best if the sovereigns of Equestria knew about me, and the purpose of my visit."
"He's a good guy, Twilight. I can vouch for him." said Spike.
"I can also vouch for him!" added Eek. "You wouldn't believe the busy life he has back in Gielinor!"
"Well, I am an adventurer." I don't want to scare them or make them suspicious of me.
Twilight seemed to ponder it for a moment. I don't blame her. Even if I proved my good intentions to Spike, Twilight may think that I'm just trying to get her trust so I can get closer to the Princess and hurt her. I mean, even in a happy-looking world like this, they must have some public enemies or something like that.
"All right. I'll help you." was Twilight's answer. Nice. We are getting some progress. "But I'm coming with you. As Princess Celestia's student, this is also relevant to me. I'll help her in any way I can."
"Works for me. I don't even know where they live, so your help is very appreciated."
"Oh, they live in Canterlot." said Spike. "Sometimes the Princess comes to Ponyville for some public events, but Twilight can use the train to go to Canterlot at any time."
So they live there! Well, I expected the Princesses to live in some fancy city, kinda like Ardougne, or even Prifddinas. I think A city like Prifddinas would fit perfectly in this Land. It's just that I thought they would be far away from here, but considering the distance between Ponyville and Canterlot, it's not that much.
"Do you have any unfinished business in Ponyville?" asked Twilight. "We can go to Canterlot right now if you want."
"Then if it's alright with you, I want to go now."
"Can I go too? I wanna say hi to the Princess!" asked Spike.
"Of course you can come with us." said Twilight, as if it was obvious. "Just let me close the library and we'll go."
"But we are still inside. How are you going to..."
Oh. Right.
Spike said that she can use her magic to teleport.
BGM -OFF-
That was... diferent.
Spike's words were an absolute truth. I asked Twilight if she was going to teleport all three of us to Canterlot, and she said I was right. Well, Spike also said Twilight was an expert when it comes to Equestria's magic. She charged her horn with some kind of purple aura that I assume is the manifestation of her magic. Next thing I know...
"Wow that was... something." I feel like my vision is still moving a bit. Kinda like when you are a bit dizzy. "It's been a while since I felt like this."
"That was cool!" added Eek. He certainly enjoyed it.
"I-I'm sorry!" Twilight was quick to apologize. "Is this your first time experiencing a teleport?"
"Not the first with teleports, but yours is definitely different."
"Wait. Different?"
"Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you Twilight: Euris can use magic." Spike said calmly. "He even taught me a combat spell! Pretty cool, huh?" That went from calmly to happy.
"What?"
"It's the most basic one, Twilight. I will explain it to you later, but first I would like to speak to the Princesses."
"Yes. I will guide you to them, but you have some explaining to do later, mister."
Oh man, she called me 'mister'. She is a bit mad, that's for sure. Well, I'll probably have to explain my magic to her as well. I still need to check Spike's magic level. Heh, I'm very happy with this whole situation. I don't know how much of this dream I'll remember, but I'll make sure to make the most of it.
All right. Back to the quest.
"Ok. I know this must be Canterlot, but that's all."
"This is Canterlot castle's royal garden." said Twilight. Now that I take good look, 'royal garden' is a good way to describe it. It's full of vibrant trees, flowers of many colors and shapes, and there's also some well-designed fountains. Obviously, they had a 'pony' theme. There are some birds and other small animals around, too. Both on the ground and on the trees.
"Why here?" asked Spike, a bit confused. "You always teleport in the main hall or even in their throne room."
"But this time we have a very unusual guest." answered Twilight while looking at me. "If he suddenly appears in the castle, the guards would have the wrong idea."
"She's right you know? I appreciate that you two are friendly with me, but guards need to be neutral and even a bit cautious about everyone."
Following Twilight's idea, we moved from the royal gardens and then entered the castle. It was then that my world map updated, showing the entire main floor of the castle. Man, this castle is beautiful. The floor looks like its shining, the walls look perfectly clean, and the rugs decorating the hallways are brightly-colored and appear to be of high quality. After getting to the main hall, I was able to see the guards.
Many of them.
[Examine Royal guard (level-37)] [He tries to keep order around the castle. Is that armor made of gold?]
There are some level-45 and level-55 guards, too. Some of them have wings and a few of them have horns. It's a bit unsettling that they all look almost identical to one another. Maybe there's some magic involved? That armor is also interesting because it looks like it's made of gold. Maybe there is plenty of gold ore in Equestria. Who knows?
And now the guards noticed me. Well, it's pretty easy to spot me considering my height. I know this is another world and all that, but still... How can they wield those spears with their hooves? I can understand the unicorns because they 'take' it with their magic, but what about the pegasi and earth ponies?
"Exploring the castle can be confusing if it's your first time coming, so stay close to us." said Twilight in a neutral tone. Good thing the world map is working.
As I follow Twilight and Spike in a long hall, I notice that the number of guards is increasing. Now there are only level-55 guards around. After a few seconds, I finally saw a big door ahead of us, and two level-60 guards were... well, guarding it. One on each side.
When the two guards saw me, their eyes reacted for just a moment.
"Twilight Sparkle. Spike the dragon. Welcome." said the guard on the left in a polite, but neutral tone.
"It seems that you brought a very interesting guest today." said the other on the right. "Do you wish to see the Princess?"
"Indeed. He's an adventurer from a foreign land." said Twilight, who then looked at me. "He's requesting an audience with Princess Celestia. You have my word that he will not cause trouble." that last bit was a tiny bit harsh, but I know it's necessary.
"Very well. Please wait for a moment." said the guard on the left, who opened the door and went inside. It only took him a few seconds to come back. "The Princess is ready to see you."
"Thank you." Oh, we said it at the same time.
The doors opened once again, and the three of us went in.
I wonder how NPCs like Duke Horacio from Lumbridge, Kind Roald from Varrock, and Sir Amik Varze from Falador would react if they were here right now. What would their voices be like? And now this Princess Celestia... I promised Juna and Death that I would create a friendly relationship between this land and Gielinor. I didn't ask Twilight about her. Is she friendly? Is she always in a bad mood? Is she interested in power? Or maybe she really is a good ruler?
I can't even ask about her parents or why there's no mention of a King or a Queen. I don't want to risk this opportunity.
Oh! There she...
...
Holy crap.
[Examine Princess Celestia (Level-546)] [The Princess of the Sun, and co-ruler of Equestria.]
She is tall. Almost as tall as me! I'm not sure if she's a pony or a horse, but she is without a doubt an alicorn. The big wings and the larger-than-average horn prove that. A white alicorn with a mane of multiple colors. She definitely has the appearance of a Princess. The second Princess is not here, but for now, let's focus on Princess Celestia.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight ran to the Princess and hugged her almost as if they were family.
"Twilight! It is so good to see you. This visit has certainly brightened my day." Wow... her voice is so... soothing.
"Hello, Princess!" Spike followed Twilight and did a quick wave.
"Hello, Spike. You look healthy and strong." said the Princess.
"You bet! I discovered a new trick I can do thanks to Euris!" said Spike with a good measure of happiness. Oh, and he skipped a few steps to my introduction...
"Euris?" That's when the Princess focused on me. There's no malice or hatred in her eyes. At least that's what I think. She's just inspecting me. It seems like humans don't live in Equestria. "Am I correct to believe Spike refers to you?"
"Indeed." I gently approached the group. She's one of the rulers of this land. I need to be careful. I'll kneel just in case. "It is an honor to meet you, Princess Celestia. I am Lord Euris. A human adventurer hailing from the land of Gielinor, and member of the Guardians of Guthix."
"Y-you are a Lord?" Twilight sure was surprised to hear that. Not that I am really a Lord. It's just my full nickname in Runescape. Spike didn't say anything, but he did let out a whistle of admiration.
"And I am Eek from the Spider Realm!" Eek also introduced himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Celestia."
"A pleasure to meet you too, Eek. It's the first time I speak with a spider." The Princess then focused on me. "My guard told me that you requested an audience with me, Euris of Gielinor." Celestia activated the magic from her horn. So the color of the magic depends on the pony using it. Celestia's magic revealed a yellow, almost golden-colored energy. Soon, a yellow and almost transparent barrier appeared, and all of us were inside.
"A soundproof spell." said Twilight. Soundproof? Now that's cool.
"I have never heard of Gielinor. That alone is a surprise for sure." said the Princess. "This is also the first time I encounter your species. You are quite the enigma, Euris. Believe me when I say that it is very unusual for me to say that, considering what I've seen in my life."
"And I will probably surprise you even more because there is something I need to discuss with you. It's really important, and I think Twilight should listen as well."
There was a lot to say. I told them that Gielinor is actually a Land from another dimension, a bit about me as an adventurer that travels and offers to help others from time to time. I told them about the mysterious creature that came from here and mimicked an unknown amount of creatures and monsters from Gielinor, and about this creature's abilities. I told them that I was sent as a Guardian of Guthix to track down and defeat the creatures and help the land of Equestria, as we want a friendly relationship. I also had to explain a bit about the Guardians, and their role in Gielinor.
When I finished, Twilight and Spike were shocked, and Princess Celestia was deep in thought.
"To think something like this was happening..." Celestia focused on me. "I cannot thank you enough for bringing this information to me, Euris. Thanks to you, we may be able to act before this escalates further. As Princess of Equestria, I will give you my full support in your mission, and I will also recognize you as Gielinor's official ambassador. May our friendship be prosperous."
"I'll do my best, Princess Celestia."
"That said, we do not have any way to track the creature and his minions. Do you have any ideas, Euris?"
"Well, before I met Zecora in the Everfree Forest, I encountered a very particular monster. I believe it was one of the variants the creature created because it was a monster from Gielinor." Oh, right! the shard! "When I defeated it, the creature vanished and left behind this crystal shard."
When Princess Celestia saw the small shard, her eyes widened a bit.
"I see..." Celestia examined the crystal shard for a moment. "Maybe this is something that we should discuss with my sister Luna. Can I ask for all of you to stay today in the castle?"
Well now, that is an offer I cannot refuse.
"It would be a pleasure."
"Hey! Maybe now we can practice the other spells!" Spike was definitely waiting for that.
"Spells?" this got the attention of the Princess.
"This is news to me as well." said Twilight in a rather neutral voice. "Euris was going to explain to me about that. Right?"
"I can do something better. I can show you. Is there any place we can use to practice? Somewhere with sturdy walls and also with non-flammable objects."
"There is." said the Princess. "Your mention of magic has picked my interest. If you are going to do a demonstration, I wish to see it too."
"Sure. The more the merrier."
Princess Celestia started to walk towards the door that leads to the hallway.
"Does this room suit your needs?" asked Princess Celestia.
"This is perfect! Thank you Princess."
When we followed Princess Celestia, I didn't expect her to guide us to her royal bedroom in the highest floor of the castle. I'm surprised that it didn't take a lot of time to get there. Proof that Princess Celestia knows everything about her home.
The Princess managed to surprise me a second time when she revealed a secret door that was hidden with magic. She said that it would require a true expert to be able to unlock this door. I want to think that with my magic level I could do it.
Seeing the world map, I know this place looks like an instanced area, and this room... is really suited for combat training. It's larger than Celestia's room, and there are several combat dummies. Some of them are the same that I know, while others are pony-shaped. There are also bullseyes and many objects shaped like basic figures like cubes and spheres. Since the sizes vary, I assume they are used to train that levitation spell the ponies do.
And the room in general looks sturdy. It doesn't have any expensive-looking material on the walls, floor, and ceiling. In fact, for some reason, it makes me think that the room is made of steel or even silver.
"I never knew about this place." said Twilight, still looking around.
"It was Luna's idea to build this training room." said Celestia. "As you may imagine, we can't use the royal guard's training grounds. When we feel like it, we come here and train for a while."
"As I said before: It's perfect." I wish the training rooms in cities like Varrock were like this.
"Hey Euris! Can I show them now?" asked an eager Spike.
"Sure."
I gave him one air and one mind rune, while Twilight and Princess Celestia focus their attention on the little dragon.
"Here we go!" in less than two seconds, Spike already had the magical energy gathered around his hand. Twilight was about to say something and get closer, but Celestia used one of her wings to stop her.
Spike saw one of the training dummies, and...
With a swift movement of his hand, Spike punched in front of him, sending the magical projectile forward, finally hitting the dummy.
"It really is like a punch." said Spike as an observation. "I like it!"
"That's the best way to describe it. Since it's the weakest offensive spell in our land, it won't be stronger than that. Keep in mind that a punch still hurts. Especially to the face."
"Did you see that Twilight?" asked Spike, as if waiting for a compliment. "I can use Gielinor's magic!"
"That was pretty cool, Spike." said Twilight, approaching the little dragon. "It's my first time I seeing something like that!"
"That, my dear Twilight, was elemental magic." said Celestia, joining the group. "A special type of magic that focuses on the elements of nature."
"How come I never heard of it?" asked a curious Twilight. Maybe even a liiitle jealous, too.
"That is because it's a lost art." was Princess Celestia's answer. She then looked at me. "At least in Equestria."
"In Gielinor, magic is a very valuable skill. Many humans practice it. Depending on their level, they can use a few spells, or become a powerful mage."
I looked at Spike, with a confident smile that when he saw it, he knew meant more training.
"The combat spells have four main elements: Air, water, earth, and fire. Air being the weakest, and fire the strongest."
With Eek's help, I took a bunch of elemental runes and mind runes from my bank.
"Let's find out your magic level, Spike."
"Excuse me. What do you mean by that?" asked Twilight. She is holding a small notebook and a feather with a bit of ink to use as a pencil. Both objects are floating right in front of her thanks to her magic. Not going to lie, that's cool. The thing with the aura is a nice touch.
"You see, in Gielinor we have a way to judge the many different skills of someone. From your combat to your everyday activities. We use a level system. The lowest being one, and the highest being ninety-nine."
"A whole different system to judge the abilities of an individual? This is very interesting!" said Twilight, as she was writing in her notebook. "And you can know Spike's magic level?"
"Well... not his exact magic level, but if he's able to use the level five spell Water Strike, it means that he is at least level five."
"Then let's find out!" said Spike, who was eager to try.
I gave him a mind rune, an air rune, and a water rune.
"You know what to do, young Spike."
"So I need three for this one." said the little dragon, who then focused on gathering the magical energy around his hand. This time, instead of air, a small amount of water was gathered around his fist. This also surprised Twilight, while Princess Celestia was looking at it as if she was a young kid at school, with a radiant smile on her face.
"Whoa!" Just like before, Spike hurled the magic projectile in the dummy's direction. This time, everyone saw that the spell's hit was harder than before, and the dummy was now partially wet.
"See? It was stronger than the previous one. Since you managed to cast Water Strike, you must be at least level five. Let's see if you can cast Earth Strike and Fire Strike."
And so, Spike tried to cast the other two spells of the 'Strike combat spells', while Twilight and Princess Celestia were both watching with a mix of curiosity and fascination. The results were better than what I expected: Not only was he able to cast both spells, but I also discovered that he doesn't need fire runes! When he managed to cast Fire Strike, he still had the fire runes in his hand.
"To think you can even cast the level thirteen spell Fire Strike. You really have a strong affinity with magic."
"You are super cool, Spike!" added Eek.
"Thank you guys." said Spike, obviously happy with our praises. "So what's next?"
"Sorry buddy, but this is where we'll stop. Too many spells for today."
"Oh... but I was getting fired up..." said a slightly disappointed Spike.
"I know it feels amazing Spike, but remember: They're called combat spells for a reason. Think of them as tools to hurt someone or to protect yourself. The choice is up to you."
If there was some sort of morality system in Runescape, everyone would be considered evil and dangerous. No doubt about it.
"The words of Lord Euris are wise, Spike." said Celestia, getting the little dragon's attention. "To have the power to do something can be a good thing, but too much power, rather than a blessing, it can be a weight too heavy to carry, and in worst cases... it clouds your judgment."
"Besides, Lord Euris must be tired." said Twilight. "He came from another land, and he did travel the Everfree Forest to reach Ponyville."
"Oh. Right..." Spike then focused on me. "I'm sorry for not thinking about that."
"Don't worry about it. I was prepared to travel a lot in order to meet the Princesses. Besides, I'm the only human of Gielinor that has visited this new Land. I say luck is on my side."
"We'll prepare a guest room for you." said the Princess. "We can go right now if you want."
That's an offer I will definitely not refuse.
"By all means, lead the way."
BGM -OFF-
"Man... what a view!"
"The stars! They are so bright! The nights in Equestria sure are beautiful."
"So, how was this first day in Equestria for you, Eek?"
"Amazing! We explored an abandoned castle, a mysterious forest, you fought one of those weird creatures that we have to find, and met Zecora! Then you arrived at Ponyville, where we met Spike and Twilight, and she teleported us to Canterlot, and then we met Princess Celestia! What a first day!"
"Indeed, and it's not over yet."
The night arrived in Equestria, and the view is unbelievable. Not only I can see most of Canterlot on this balcony, but I'm also blessed with such a magnificent night sky! By default, Runescape has no sky. Just a pitch-black ceiling. It's not a bad thing since we focus on what's on the ground rather than the air, but these stars...
'Beautiful' would be an understatement.
When the Princess, along with Twilight and Spike showed me this room, they told me to relax and even sleep if I wanted to, and that they would come for me to meet the other Princess. While I'm grateful for their kindness and consideration, I decided to use that free time to keep checking the options related to the game.
I was curious about the skillcape emote, and decided to use it. To my surprise, the emote itself was different: Instead of just creating a fireball, I did a movement mimicking a fighting stance, and then a literal aura made of fire surrounded me, but oddly enough, with enough transparency to not obstruct my vision. Maybe I see it like that while those around me see it as normal fire. The aura of fire is not disappearing. I'll not move to anything that may catch fire, just to be sure.
I went to the equipment menu to check the skillcape and see if I could boost my firemaking level to 100, and that's when I noticed something: The name changed to 'Firemaking cape (eq)'. Huh. Maybe that's why the emote is different. Let's examine it.
[The cape worn by master firelighters. The magic of Equestria has blessed this cape.]
Wait what?
Let's use the 'Boost' option.
And that's when I noticed another option: 'Blessing'. Let's use this one first.
The natural magic of Equestria has blessed your cape of accomplishment: As master firelighter, no fire will be able to harm you. While wearing the Firemaking cape, Fire prodigy will be active. This updates the combat options tab and your current skillcape emote.
Fire prodigy? What's that? It says that it changed something to the combat tab and the emote. So that's why it's different! I went to the emotes interface again, and now the skillcape emote also had a short description. I used it so fast earlier that I didn't notice!
'Skillcape (Fire prodigy): When used, a barrier of fire is created. Allies will not be hurt by it, and enemies may receive damage from burns. Fire runes will not be consumed when casting spells. Lasts for five minutes, requiring thirty minutes in order to be used again.'
Ooooohhhh...
A new feature worthy of a dream!
And what about the combat options? What's the change? Let's find out!
Oh! There's a small Firemaking icon right next to the weapon's name. Let's see...
'Fire prodigy: Every successful hit will have a 10% chance to inflict extra damage based on your magic level. One damage for every ten levels.'
So, if this activates, I'll do the attack damage plus eight bonus damage, since my magic level is 80. If my magic level is lowered below 80, I'll do seven bonus damage. Wow, this is nice. I'll definitely take it. Now, moving on...
The friends and ignore list are still the same. There are no names on them. It seems that my dream considers the citizens of this land as 'NPCs' so I can't add them. At least not yet. It seems that I can create a clan, but I'll check that later.
I wanted to see the details of my quest again. Maybe there was an update in the 'journal'.
I need to find a way to localize the creatures. I spoke with Princess Celestia, and she suggested speaking with her sister, Princess Luna.
I have to remember that in order to finish this quest, I also need to complete the following quests:
-Astral Diplomacy. -Astral Grounds. -Bob's Favor. -Breeze of the Breezies. -Canterlot Dilemma. -Chaos Containment. -Deer's Duty. -The Fairy Dragon's Trial. -Fashionscape! -The First Dragon. -Forest Potion. -Harmony's Plea. -Royal Tournament. -Runes of Harmony. -Sights of Nightmare. -The Town of Shadows. -Volcano Quest.
Excuse me WHAT?
What's with all of these quests? When did they appear? Is... is 'Gielinor's Visitor' a grandmaster quest? Just how long it is? Is this dream going to last long enough to finish it? I hope so. I mean this is amazing. It's just surprising because I don't know when this was updated. Also, some of the names of these quests are related to Gielinor. 'Bob's Favor' definitely must be about Bob the cat. I mean it has to be. I know 'fashionscape' is a term used by players when they use certain equipment to look cool or... well, fashionable. Never cared too much about that. Forest Potion sounds like a Jungle Potion: Equestria Edition. I have to say, I like the names of these quests. Are they in the quest tab?
...
Oh man, they are!
Right below the miniquests! There's another section called 'Equestria's quests'. Eighteen quests in total. Gielinor's visitor plus all the other quests that were mentioned in the journal. Wow, I really need to complete all of them before finishing Gielinor's Visitor.
And now the achievement diary tab changed too. There are no question marks anymore. Now it says 'Equestria'. So it's taking the land as a whole? Then it's like Great Kourend.
I looked at my hands, still having the fire barrier around my body. Since the floor in the room is unscathed, the emote's description is true.
"I wish I had another skill at 99. That way I could try different blessings. Oh well, gotta play with the cards I was given. Very generous cards to be honest."
To try these new abilities, I used a few high-level alchemy spells, as well as superheating to make some mithril bars.
And...
It works! I Didn't need any fire runes for that. It's like using a fire staff, but with this, I don't need to equip one. I'm sure it will be useful.
The world map shows the castle, and all the floors it has. Wow, this is a big castle. It even has an underground cave entrance.
Now, aside from the Everfree Forest, every music I've heard is from the game. It's nice that I can hear the music sometimes and it's not loud, so I can hear everything else just fine. I wonder if I'll ever hear some original music? It's my mind after all.
What else can I check?
...
Wait.
I just realized!
Money!
Gold coins and platinum tokens are the currency in Gielinor, but here? I don't know! That alchemy spell from earlier transformed the items I used into gold coins, but all of my money means nothing in this land! I don't even know the name of their currency. I'll have to ask later.
Looks like I'll have to earn money the ironman way: By making my own items and selling them in other stores.
"Eek. I'm going to need some items."
"Got it, pal!"
"Hey Euris!"
"Is that you Spike?"
"Yeah. Are you ready?"
"In a moment."
After a few seconds, I opened the door. When Spike saw me, he got surprised for a moment, and I definitely can't blame him.
"That... looks like something nobles would use." said the little dragon. "Just how much stuff are you carrying?"
"Enough to adventure. Eek is doing me a huge favor, though."
"It's only natural. We're pals!" was the happy response from my spider buddy.
I changed all of my equipment. I stored the void knight armor on my bank, and... well, you can't take off your 'base clothes' in Runescape, but that doesn't mean I can't use one of those 'purely cosmetic' equipment. Such as the 'elegant outfit' that you can acquire from doing treasure trails.
I have to say, this looks way better than what you see in the game. I kept my amulet of glory, and decided to change the firemaking skillcape for a simple green cape. It seems that this castle is safe, but I'll keep a few weapons and runes just in case. I wonder if Princess Luna also has a very high combat level?
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" said Spike as we walked through a corridor. Well, he is actually guiding me. I saw more guards now, and even a few maids and butlers. Unsurprisingly, most of them gave me curious looks, with a mix of confusion in between.
"Sure. What is it?"
"Can you teach me about other magic spells? I mean, not the combat ones, like the one you did in the library."
"Ah. You mean Telekinetick Grab? I think we can try other spells in the future, but for that, I need to explain to you a bit more about our magic."
"Nice!" Spike was obviously happy with this. I can understand his excitement. If I was him, I'll do the same. Especially because I come from a world where magic doesn't exist. Or at least we don't have any solid proof that it existed. Yet.
"But you'll have to wait because I need to focus on my current job. Hopefully, my meeting with Princess Luna will give us a clue about the creatures."
"Are those creatures that dangerous?" asked the little dragon.
"I fought one in the Everfree Forest. It had the form of a 'flesh crawler', an insect-like creature from Gielinor. Compared to the original, the one I fought was more aggressive, and faster too."
"Did you fight with magic?"
"Nope. I had a scimitar and a shield at that moment. I guess I didn't say anything earlier because we focused so much on the combat spells, but I can fight using magic, ranged weapons, and melee weapons."
"Dude, that's amazing!" I swear I see some sparks in Spike's eyes. "Are you a hero?"
I just smiled.
"Let's just say that I've helped people back in my land. Some villagers know me. Some kings know me, and even other races do. I just like to explore and help if possible."
We continued talking for a few minutes while he was guiding me to the throne room again. I spoke about some of the f2p quests like Sheep Shearer, Goblin Diplomacy, The Knight's Sword, Black Knights' Fortress, etc. The point was to tell him that I've done many things, from simple tasks to fighting enemies who only seek to hurt others. I spoke a bit about Gielinor itself. About Lumbridge, Varrock, Falador, and the island of Karamja. I also mentioned the Barbarian Village, Edgeville, the Grand Exchange, and the Wilderness. Spike said that the last one sounds a lot like the 'Badlands' from this realm.
When we reached the throne room's entrance, the same two guards were there. I know it was them because they recognized me.
"Ah. Our guest is back." said one of the guards.
"Be ready. Both Princesses are inside." said the other.
I did a simple nod in approval, then, the guards slowly opened the door.
"Princess Celestia. Princess Luna. Lord Euris the human and Spike the dragon have arrived." said the first guard.
The first thing that I noticed when I entered the room was...
[Examine Princess Luna (Level-572)] [The Princess of the Moon, and co-ruler of Equestria.]
I can definitely see the 'Princess of the Moon' thing. Unlike her sister, she was a dark-blue pony, with a flowing mane and tail similar to her sister, but instead of a color pattern, hers was like... like if I was looking at the night sky, matching her dark colors. It caught me off guard, and I stared at her for a few seconds just to admire her.
She was also an alicorn, proven by her wings and horn. She was a bit smaller compared to Celestia, but both have the same height as a horse.
One thing is for sure: These two alicorns can easily defeat me anytime. I would give a fight, but I would lose in the end, especially if both used different combat styles. It's a good thing we are on good terms.
Twilight was also there. When she saw me, she waved with one of her hooves. I waved back and so did Spike. Princess Luna took notice of this. I also noticed that just like earlier, there were no guards in the room.
"Thank you for bringing our guest here, Spike." said Princess Celestia, who then extended her left-wing, and I could swear that she was pointing at her sister with it. "Lord Euris. Let me introduce you to my younger sister: Princess Luna."
Before Spike could move, I kneeled in front of the group. First impressions are important.
"It is an honor to meet you, Princess Luna. As you may already know, I am Lord Euris, an adventurer who came from a very faraway land called Gielinor, and a proud member of the Guardians of Guthix. I came to this land to help regarding a situation that involves both Gielinor and Equestria."
"I can see why my sister woke me up a bit earlier. This is a very unusual occasion," said Princess Luna. Her voice is also soothing. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Euris. I cannot recognize your species, and that alone intrigues me. I have also heard that you are capable of elemental magic. That is something we would like to see in the future."
"His magic is very cool!" Eek's voice took Luna's attention, and she finally saw him in my shoulder. "Hello Princess Luna! I'm Eek of the Spider Realm. It's nice to meet ya!"
"Spider Realm? Another land we don't know about." said Princess Luna, getting closer to me in order to see Eek from up close. "It is nice to meet you, Eek the spider. So you say that your partner's magic is worthy of praise?"
"You can bet on it!" was my little buddy's answer.
"You will be surprised Luna, but for now, I believe we need to discuss the situation he mentioned." said Celestia, focusing on her sister. "You need to hear this."
It seems that the elegant outfit worked because before I started to talk, Luna asked me about it. She took it as a sign of respect, considering that it was our first meeting. Celestia was trying to figure out where is the rest of my equipment. Spike was looking at a rather confused Celestia, proud that he actually knows the reason.
Promising that I'd tell her about my 'inventory' later, we told Princess Luna about my previous meeting with her sister, and about me. She was fascinated, saying that I remind her of the 'stallions of old'. Hard workers with a strong will that challenged life itself for the sake of discovery and progress. Finally, I told her about my arrival, and about the creature that I fought in the forest.
"When the creature vanished, I found this crystal shard." Yup. Just like Celestia, she recognized it too. "Your sister told me that you could help us with the creature."
Seeing the crystal shard changed Princess Luna's mood completely, and everyone was able to notice it.
"What do you think, Luna?" said Celestia. Her sister kept looking at the crystal shard, until finally...
"There is no doubt, sister." was her answer. "This crystal proves it."
"It seems that you have a clue." there we go. Quest progress.
"I'm afraid that's true." said Celestia. "I had my doubts at first, but now that Luna saw the crystal shard you have..."
"It has her power..." said Luna, almost in a bitter tone. "Her corruption."
Corruption? Her? Looks like they already know who is responsible for this whole situation. Considering that they have been alive for a long time, they have seen and fought many enemies and evil creatures. And this is fantasy. It's a given that death is not always the end.
"This... is a fragment of Nightmare Moon's essence."
"Nightmare Moon?" asked Twilight, apparently surprised. "But we defeated her months ago!"
"Sounds like you had your fair share of troubles, too. Is she an old enemy?"
Oh.
Their faces tell me that it's a touchy subject.
"I only need to know what's relevant to me. If there's any sensitive information that you don't want me to know..."
"I appreciate your consideration, Lord Euris... but in order to know what you are dealing with, we need to tell you about her, and how she and I... share a connection." said Princess Luna, not really happy saying that.
Oh.
Oh.
This is going to be a touchy subject.
And so, I got a brief summary of this 'Nightmare Moon' enemy: The first thing they told me was that they (the Princesses) can move the sun and the moon at will.
Excuse me?
Are they really just over level 500? If Princess Celestia can move the sun, and her sister the moon, they are way more powerful than that! Easily over level 1000 or even higher. Enemies like Jad, the Inferno, or the Great Olm can't do that!
It was a bit of a shock, but hey, this is not Gielinor.
Then, they told me about the story. A peculiar story about two sisters, and how the younger one started to get jealous and resentful. While their subjects enjoyed and played during the day, they slept and ignored the beauty of the night. As the days passed, this jealousy grew, and the older sister was not aware of this. She truly believed that everything was fine, but the younger sister decided to hide all of it. Finally, this jealousy soon became rage, hate, and despair.
All that negativity, in a land filled to the brim with magic...
The younger sister was not honest, while the older sister continued to believe that their lives were free of troubles.
All of that led to that negativity taking control of the younger sister. All that hatred and jealousy exploded, and it manifested in the form of Nightmare Moon.
And now, the story that the spiders of the abandoned castle told to Eek makes sense. That was the battle from centuries ago. The battle where Princess Celestia had to use 'The Elements of Harmony', a set of powerful items that are Equestria's best weapon against anything that threatens peace in this land. Thanks to them, Princess Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon, but since it was still her younger sister's body, she decided to banish her to the moon.
Wow.
When they told me that she stayed on the moon for one thousand years...
How do you... survive that? I mean how do you remain sane?
She has all of my respect now.
Finally, they told me about that prophecy. About 'the mare on the moon', her return, and how Twilight and her friends defeated her for good. Or at least that's what they thought.
"I don't get it. When we used the Elements of Harmony on her, she disappeared and Princess Luna regained control over her body." Twilight was slowly moving back and forth.
"You said that when you used the elements, a big rainbow-colored magical blast attacked Nightmare Moon, and that you and your friends were unable to see for a few moments due to the blinding light. Maybe that's when Nightmare Moon used her remaining strength to escape."
"But without a body?" asked Twilight.
"Twilight. Princess Luna had all that negative energy for a thousand years. That's a long, long time. All that time to think. To ponder. To try and to understand. What if she learned to steal Princess Luna's energy? What if she saw her knowledge? What if she discovered something new on her own?"
"I hate to admit it, but Lord Euris has a point." said Celestia. "She was sealed, but still alive. With one thousand years of preparation, it was foolish of me to not consider that maybe she had a way to escape."
"How much time has passed since you defeated her?"
"As I said before, many months ago. Eight months if my memory serves right." said Twilight. That's also a lot of time to rest.
"I hate to say it, but eight months is enough time to escape, lay low, slowly recover without drawing attention, and even find a new body if she needs one."
"For now, we have to assume that she is still alive." said Celestia. "And that she is somehow involved with the creature you are hunting, as they share the same essence."
"For what it's worth, I can help you defeat Nightmare Moon for good, or at least try."
"If the time comes, your help will be really appreciated, Lord Euris." said Princess Celestia, who then focused on her sister. "Luna. Now that we know Nightmare Moon is still alive, we need to prepare ourselves, and help Lord Euris hunt the creature and its minions. Time is on our side. This creature has just returned to Equestria. The faster we deal with them, the fewer victims we'll have."
"May I borrow that crystal shard for a moment, Lord Euris?" asked Luna.
"Sure. Something tells me it's more useful to you."
"Indeed. With this, we may have a way to locate the creature and the mimics." said the Princess of the Night. "If Nightmare Moon learned about me, then it also works the other way around. I am the only one that can identify and understand this energy. I will use that against her."
"Princess Celestia." said Twilight, getting the attention of her mentor. "I want to help Lord Euris. He is going to need all the help he can get. I want to introduce him to my friends and see if they can help him, too."
"Are they fighters or know how to use a weapon?" Twilight denied with her head. "These creatures can be dangerous, Twilight. I would rather not risk their lives, and certainly not your life."
"We may not be adventurers like you, but we have something that you don't: Knowledge of Equestria." said Twilight. "As I said before, you'll need all the help you can get, and while my friends live in Ponyville, they have traveled many times to different parts of our land. Their knowledge can be very useful, and they may even know things that books don't have."
Well, I have to admit that she is right. Any kind of help during this whole quest will be useful.
"I will inform the royal guard about this situation. We need to be more cautious from now on." said Celestia. "I think I'll inform Shining Armor and Cadance in the Crystal Empire, too."
Crystal Empire? That sound cool. Maybe I'll be able to visit that place if I spend enough time in this dream. Also, Twilight had a bit of a reaction when she heard those names.
"I think this concludes our reunion." said Princess Celestia, who then looked at me. "You should get some rest, Euris."
"Alright. We'll talk tomorrow, then."
After that, Twilight and Spike guided me back to my room and wished me a good night. I decided to look at the mesmerizing night sky for a while before going to bed. It took me a while to actually fall asleep because I was thinking of many things. What else will I find here? There are new quests and even an achievement diary. Maybe new items? More allies and new enemies? Will I see anyone from Gielinor here?
Yes!
I'm still here! The dream continues!
I was scared for a moment. I thought I would wake up in my room or something, but I'm still in my avatar's body! And of course, still in Canterlot.
"Wake up, Eek. A new day has begun."
"Oh!" My little pal, who was sleeping right next to me, woke up and quickly moved to my left arm. "That bed was so comfy!"
I used the bathroom to wash my face, but even if I wanted to, I wasn't able to use the shower because the thing is just too small for me. Not that I smell, because there are no showers in Runescape (or at least I don't remember seeing one), and technically, avatars never smell bad unless it is mentioned in a quest or something like that. Not a single piece of my equipment is stained or in bad shape. Only a few pieces of equipment in Runescape require a reparation after being used for a certain amount of time, and even then, they don't smell.
Let's change back to the void knight set minus the helmet. We are not going to be in this castle for much longer. Let's keep the amulet of glory, add the Barrow gloves, and the dragon boots. The firemaking skillcape too of course, and just to be safe, my explorer's ring 3 in case I need to run a lot. I'll stick to magic for now. The book of Balance and the dust battlestaff will do.
I see mostly maids and butlers around now. Looks like the Princesses told the castle staff about me because now they do a simple nod as a greeting when seeing me. I wonder if I woke up too early? Let's see the world map...
Huh?
I didn't notice before, but this castle has... many interesting spots. looking at each floor again, I can see many cooking spots, a few farming patches in the gardens, an entire area with many anvils as well as a few furnaces, and what took my attention the most: A jewelry shop!
Maybe I can try selling jewelry items. I made a few while waiting for Spike yesterday.
Third floor, northwest section.
Oh, there's a sign right next to the door. Instead of text, there's a symbol of a ring on it. Kinda like the ones you expect to see in some RPG game.
"Hello?" this place looks like the guest room they provided me, but it's larger, and a good portion of the room is being used for jewelry display. There are also four level-45 royal guards. All of them are unicorns. It seems that this shop is a mix of a gem shop and a jewelry shop. There are many different gems, both from Gielinor and exclusive to this land. All of the gemstones are already cut. There is also a fair amount of jewelry like rings, amulets, bracelets, and necklaces.
"Oh. What an unusual customer!" the voice came from what I assume is the shop owner.
[Examine Shine Grandioso] [The master of gems and expensive jewelry.]
Middle age, gentleman's voice, unicorn, the monocle... Yeah. I can trust this guy. Pretty sure he loves his gemstones.
"Maybe you are the guest that everypony in the castle is talking about." said the stallion. "The traveler from far away."
"Indeed I am. I'm surprised to see this many gemstones and jewelry in one place, where everyone can admire them and even buy them if they want."
"There is a reason for that, my curious customer." said Shine. "I have an agreement with the Princesses. If they desire a piece of jewelry, they come to me. After all, the best gemstones come to me. If they desire something unique, then it becomes my duty to provide them with what they desire."
"Sounds like you know your gemstones. I am Lord Euris of Gielinor. A pleasure."
"I am known as Shine Grandioso. Founder of the 'Radiant Fortune Company'. I offer only the finest. I'm a bit surprised that you came to visit this part of the castle so early. Did you know I would be here?"
"Nope. I arrived just yesterday. I'm afraid I'm ignorant of your reputation in Equestria, and I apologize for that."
"Please, there's no need for that." said the owner. "Fate or luck, it matters not. What can I do for you?"
"Well... I've come to bargain."
"I see." he got a bit more serious now. "Even as a stranger, it was a bold move to say that. My company obtains and receives only the best. I am proud to say that we offer finely crafted jewelry of the best quality."
"First, take a look at this."
My first item was not jewelry.
It was a bar. A gorgeous light-blue bar.
"I know, not jewelry. Shocker. However, this may interest you: This is a blurite bar."
"Blurite? I've never heard of it. Is it ore from Gielinor?"
"Indeed. There is only one place in the whole land of Gielinor where you can acquire blurite: The Asgarnian Ice dungeon. As the name suggests, it is a very cold dungeon and a dangerous place for those who are not prepared to deal with the ice warriors and ice giants within."
I extended my hand for him to see it, and understanding my intentions, he took it with his magic.
"I am not an expert when it comes to metals, but this shine... and its weight! it's so light!" good. Seems like he understands the value of the blurite bar. Also, since his name is 'Shine', that was a little weird.
"I can show you how it looks on a finished product." now this got his attention. "It's not a piece of jewelry, but I'm sure you could make some fine works with it."
"Then what is it?" asked Shine.
"A ceremonial weapon. Eek, if you were so kind..."
Thanks to my buddy, I took my desired item from the bank, and I made it appear in my left hand, surprising both the owner and the guards. An item made by the greatest smith in Gielinor: Thurgo.
"By Celestia..." Shine Grandioso put the blurite bar down on his main desk and got closer to my item. "What a magnificent sword! Both the blade and the hilt show the care and craftsmanship of a true expert."
"This is a blurite sword. Made with a chunk of blurite ore and two iron bars. If the ore itself can be used like this, imagine what you could do with a bar. I think your company would benefit from making jewelry with such a beautiful material."
"And you are certainly right." his answer was almost immediate. "This blurite offers an appeal that's only comparable to the exclusive materials the Crystal Empire uses for their buildings and items! I must have it!"
"As I said before, I've come to bargain." There is something I have to know before doing business with him: I need to know about their currency. Sure, I see a lot of prices here, but that's not going to give me any information if I don't know anything about their currency. Considering that this store is in the castle of Canterlot, it must be one of the fancy & expensive type. "It is early in the morning, so I think you can spare a bit of your time. Right?"
And now Shine Grandioso had a different smile. The smile of business and opportunities.
Bingo.
"I would be a fool to refuse such an offer." was his answer. "Let's talk business."
"At first, I said that it was luck or fate that guided you here, Lord Euris. Now I believe it's definitely fate. To think that you would be such a great business partner..."
"I'm just happy that the two of us are getting benefits from our trade."
"Nonsense. You did me a huge favor, and I hope to repay it soon, as I feel this trade was not enough."
Bits.
That is the currency of this land. It's not that different from the gold in Gielinor, but Grandioso told me that despite looking like gold, the coins are made of a different material. He also told me that there are a few special coins that work as currency, too. Those are only used when dealing with very large quantities of products.
Just like he promised, he told me about the prices, and how I could haggle depending on the situation. Of course, when it comes to expensive or special items, that's out of the question. The only exception to this would be an auction.
As he was very interested in blurite, I offered him both ores and bars.
As a reference, fruits are generally cheap, needing only a few bits to buy a bunch. Ten bits for a dozen apples, for example.
Now, I saw cut gems with price tags of 70, 150, and even 250 bits. Unsurprisingly, the finished jewelry had a notorious increase, ranging from 750 bits to even four-digit numbers like 2500 bits. I assume the weird icon on the left of the numbers is the currency's symbol.
I offered 100 blurite ores and 100 blurite bars
I did gather a lot of resources while playing Runescape. I have a bit of everything. Well, I don't have any kind of 'endgame' stuff, like the Scythe of Vitur, but I think I'm good.
Grandioso offered me 7500 bits for the ores and 12000 bits for the bars.
So that's 75 bits per ore and 120 bits per bar.
A grand total of 19500 bits. It will definitely be useful if my stay gets extended.
I was tempted to offer gemstones, but I decided not to. It seems that the items I crafted and enchanted yesterday will have to wait.
"I have to say. That 'inventory magic' of yours is quite useful." said Grandioso.
"It has its perks." and it's true. I still think it's quite OP. "Thank you for your time, Grandioso."
"No, Lord Euris. Thank you for bringing such wonderful materials to me." said Grandioso after laughing a bit. "Give me a couple of days, and I'll shake the world of jewelry and luxury once more. I will make sure that your contribution is shown to everypony."
"Let's hope to see each other again, then." I was just about to leave, but...
"Please, wait a moment." as I stopped and turned back to see him again, Shine Grandioso used his magic to take something out from one of the pockets of his suit. "Please, take this with you."
It was a... blue coin?
[Sapphire Coin] [A special coin made of sapphire. One of the Coins of Trust.]
"A Coin of Trust?" I was not able to keep quiet this time. It's one of those unique items that really get my attention. The guards in the room were even more surprised than me.
"My, it seems that I underestimated you. Lord Euris." said Shine Grandioso, activating his magic again. The coin started to glow for a few seconds, then stopped. "Indeed, this is one of the 'Coins of Trust'. I am the only one who creates these special sapphire coins. By giving one to you, I acknowledge you as somepony I can trust. The Radiant Fortune Company is now your ally."
"Are you sure?" I was honestly surprised. "This was just a transaction. A good one, but still..."
"Once again, nonsense." replied Grandioso. "Only a fool would fail to see and understand how valuable you are as a partner and even a friend. I'm sure Princess Celestia knows this, too."
Well, for now, I will accept his kindness. The more allies the better. You never know, I may need his help in a future quest.
"Then I will accept your gift. Thank you very much, Grandioso."
"I hope to see you in the future, Lord Euris." said the unicorn owner as I was leaving.
"Only time will tell." was my answer, as I closed the door.
"I heard that you met Mr. Grandioso, Lord Euris."
"That's right, Princess. How did you know? That was just twenty minutes ago."
"I'm afraid not all of my guards are aware of your presence. One of the guards in Grandioso's jewelry exchange was very quick in giving me a report about you."
"Well, he is just doing his job."
"I'm surprised you knew where to look for, Lord Euris." said Twilight Sparkle. "It's literally your first visit, yet you managed to find his store."
"Let's just say that I tend to have interesting discoveries while exploring the unknown."
Honestly, I don't know if what the Princess told me is true. Maybe she is keeping an eye on me. Either way, I don't mind. I want to be friends with her, and everyone knows that trust is not earned right away.
"I was ready to give you some funds for your stay in Equestria." said the Solar Princess, giving her pancake a bite. "But it seems that you were faster."
"I hope you don't mind, Princess. While I appreciate your intentions, I refuse to be a burden. That's why Mr. Grandioso provided me with a good opportunity to trade goods and know a bit more about the currency of your land."
"Very well." aaaand now she looks more serious. "Now, regarding what we discussed yesterday, Luna created an item that might help you. She apologizes for not being here right now, but she awakes mostly when it's night time, and goes to sleep during the day."
Oh! So that's why I met her so late yesterday.
Princess Celestia activated her magic, and an object appeared right next to her, floating with a golden aura around it.
It was a small orb. The color of it reminded me a little of the crystal shard I gave Luna yesterday. Celestia made it float to me, and I took it with my left hand.
[Examine Nightmare Seeker] [A device crafted by Princess Luna to help me locate other nightmarish creatures.]
"According to my sister, this orb will react when a creature matching Nightmare Moon's essence is near. She also apologizes for not being able to craft a better detection spell, but this was everything she was able to do before the crystal shard shattered." said Princess Celestia with a hint of regret.
"This is more than enough. I'll have to say thanks to her the next time I see her." this is indeed a good start. Of course, it was not going to be easy since this is a long quest.
Wait...
I think I'm forgetting something. Something about the old castle. Something-
"Oh! That´s right!"
It seems my reaction got the two ponies curious. Well, the nearby maids and butlers, too.
"What is it?" asked Twilight.
"I almost forgot!" I took a certain item from my inventory.
The 'Home Necklace (uncharged)'.
"Hey! That's the necklace we found in that castle when we were in the Everfree Forest!" Eek moved through my arm to get a better look.
"Indeed. We found this while exploring the old castle." I can see that the Princess recognizes it. "It was just a hunch, but I think this necklace could be important or useful, so I brought it with me. Do you know anything about it, Princess?"
"..." Okay. For her to be this surprised, it has to be important. At least to her.
"Princess? What's wrong?" Twilight is a bit worried now. However, Celestia quickly recovered.
"I am sorry. It's just that..." she focused on the necklace. "Can I see it?"
"Of course." I was about to get up and bring it to her, but I saw the golden aura around the necklace, so I let her take it.
"This... is a gift. I gave it to Luna a few years before she... transformed into Nightmare Moon. After the battle, I tried to find it but..." Celestia sighed like she was remembering everything. "So much happened... and I never found it."
"Then I'm glad we found it. You should give it back to your sister. It was your gift to her, after all."
"I thought I would need to bargain for it." admitted the Princess, a bit ashamed. "You are an adventurer, after all."
"It was originally yours, and it became a gift for your sister. Even if it's in ruins, that castle in the Everfree Forest is still yours." I'm a bit surprised she believed that I was going to 'sell' it to her. I'm trying to form a friendship bond between Gielinor and Equestria!
"Words are not enough to describe how grateful I am for this. Nevertheless, I can try: This means the world to me, Euris. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Hey! She said my name without honorifics!
"I'm just doing my job as an adventurer. It's not the first time I find important objects during my journey."
Now, this breakfast was delicious and no one can say otherwise, but it's time to make some progress, and that means...
"Alright. Duty calls." now I focus on the Princess. "It was a wonderful breakfast, Princess Celestia. I thank you for everything during my stay in the castle, but I need to go."
"I believe this is farewell." said Princess Celestia with a wonderful smile. "At least for now. You are welcome to our Castle anytime, Lord Euris of Gielinor. I'm sure Luna will love to hear stories of your travels and see your elemental magic in action."
"Of course! It's a promise."
It's time to return to Ponyville. Seems like Twilight is also ready to go, so...
"Now, Twilight Sparkle... let's go meet your friends."
BGM -OFF-
"Hey! Welcome back you two!"
So that's why Spike was not with us during breakfast. He was already in Ponyville. I guess he is more than capable of watching over the library if he is Twilight's assistant. She must have teleported him back here a few hours ago.
"Good morning Spike. Did you have any problems opening the library?" asked Twilight.
"Nope. Everything is ok." was the little dragon's answer. Yup. I was right.
"Hello there, Spike." he looks happy to see both of us.
"Hi Euris!" his response makes me think that he still has our little talk about spells on his mind.
"Thanks for bringing me back to Ponyville with your teleport spell, Twilight."
Seriously, I know how it feels to be able to travel to other cities in an instant. I'm starting to miss it already.
"I often teleport to Canterlot and teleport back to Ponyville with Spike." said Twilight, smiling at me. "So it's no problem at all."
I was about to ask Twilight about her friends, but...
"Spike. Did you send the letters?"
Oh?
"Yup! Just a while ago."
"Letters?" I was just too curious. I had to ask.
"I figured that instead of looking for each one separately, we should call everypony here! That way we save time and effort. That's why I asked Spike to send a letter to our friends explaining that I need to talk to them."
Well, I can't argue with that. It's the truth. But how did he...
"Oh! I get it. The special properties of your fire breath." I said while looking at Spike. I almost forgot about that.
"Now we just have to wait." said Twilight, getting closer to me. "But that's better than wasting an entire day just to meet them. Right?"
"Definitely."
"So, do you mind if I ask you a few questions while we wait?" asked the unicorn, a little eager. Well, I can't blame her, considering this whole situation.
"You mentioned that your species has a 'level system' that considers many skills. What skills are those?" asked Twilight. She used her magic to take a quill, a small bottle of ink, and some paper. Is that a scroll?
"Well, there are twenty-three skills that are considered in this 'level system' we use, but some of them may never get over level 2, depending on your profession or your lifestyle. I could tell you about each one in detail, but I'll try to keep it short."
I mean, I can go into detail, but it's not like I can explain it properly. I just know the basics and what I can remember from the wiki, so everything I'll say now might be interpreted as an absolute truth to Twilight and Spike.
"Six of the twenty-three are combat related: Attack, strength, defense, ranged, magic, and hitpoints. I think ranged and magic are self-explanatory. It's our ability to use equipment such as bows, crossbows, darts, and other particular weapons, while magic is our ability to cast different spells and use certain magical equipment, such as elemental staves, magic books, and other unique items."
"What about the other four?" asked Spike. Twilight was taking notes, and by the look on her face, she is very interested.
"Those are a bit tricky to understand. Our hitpoints skill is basically a way to know how healthy we are, and how much damage we can endure. The attack skill shows our accuracy to hit our opponents, as well as our mastery of certain weapons. The defense skill is a way to know how well we can defend ourselves, and the strength skill is basically a way to know how strong we are, and how much damage we can inflict on our opponent. The combat skills determine your combat level."
"Combat level?" Twilight stopped writing and focused on me. "Is that a way to understand how dangerous you are?"
"In a way, yes. If someone has a high combat level, it means that they are a very skilled warrior. A lower combat level means that they don't have much experience."
"I wonder what our combat levels are..." said Spike with a bit of curiosity in his voice.
"I am a bit curious too." added Twilight. "I've studied magic for years, and while I'm not a soldier, I know a few combat spells."
"You are level 9, Spike. Twilight is level 48."
"Wait. How do you know?" Twilight was the first one to react.
"Let's just say that I have a blessing from my master, Guthix, that allows me to know the combat level of those around me." I can't tell her that as players we can see it all the time. I'm not going to risk this dream trying to explain fourth-wall stuff.
"9, huh?" Spike gave it a bit of thought. "Well, can't say that is wrong. I hardly fight at all."
"48? That's not bad. I think." said Twilight, then she looked at me. "Is that good or bad?"
"Well, you obviously don't fight with swords, lances, or any kind of melee weapon, and I don't think you own a bow or crossbow, so your combat level must be entirely based on your magic and hitpoints level. Level 48 is pretty good if you ask me."
"What about you, Euris?" asked Spike with a hint of curiosity. "What's your level?"
"My combat level? It's 104."
...
I think that saying it so casually was not a good idea.
"104!? I thought 99 was the highest!" exclaimed Twilight.
"Dude that's so cool!" added Spike. Looks like he is not worried at all.
"Well, combat levels can go higher than 99. Way higher, actually. Thing is, humans like me have a limit. The highest combat level we can achieve is level 126. Well, there's one human I know that is level 146, and he is a combat tutor."
"But... that means you are very powerful!" said Twilight. "Do you have experience with all of the combat skills?"
"Yup. I can fight with all three combat styles. Remember that I am a guardian of Guthix. They wouldn't pick some random adventurer, right? I've been traveling Gielinor for a while, and I have seen many things. I've also helped a lot of people from different races. I'm proud to say that I'm one of the good guys. You know, doing good deeds instead of trying to take over the world or some dumb thing like that."
"But the gap between 104 and 126 is relatively small." said Twilight. "You must be one of the best fighters in Gielinor."
"I like to think that I can defend myself from the dangers of Gielinor, and hopefully from this land too. Don't be fooled though. While 126 is the highest combat level for humans, there are many other beings out there with combat levels higher than that. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are perfect examples. To be honest, I was a bit nervous when I met them."
"Why? They are very kind ponies." said Spike.
"Because they can easily defeat me, and even kill me."
"They would never do that!" Twilight looked concerned. "How can you say that so casually?"
"I say that because Princess Celestia is level 546. Her sister, Princess Luna, is level 572."
"Woah..." was all that Spike managed to say.
"They are... very, very powerful." added Twilight, thinking about this interesting fact. "They have the experience and knowledge of hundreds and hundreds of years. In a way, it's not that surprising, but it's still incredible..."
"Alright. Enough about combat skills. Let's talk about the other skills. Most of these are not related to combat, but rather, they are related to our everyday lives: Mining, agility, smithing, herblore, fishing, thieving-"
"Thieving!?" Oh. Right... how do I explain this to her? I know thieving is bad in real life, but...
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it, Twilight: In a world where spies and tricksters abound, thieving is considered a skill. Also, the thieving skill is not only proved by stealing, but also by your ability to open locked doors and chests, and by disabling traps. As long as there is poverty and injustice, thieving will exist."
Twilight was still looking at me with a certain level of doubt, but she slowly nodded, hopefully understanding my point.
"Ok. As I was saying, after thieving, there is cooking, prayer, crafting, firemaking, fletching, woodcutting, runecrafting, slayer, farming, construction, and finally hunter."
"That's a lot of skills to consider." said Twilight, once again writing on the paper. "A few of them sound very interesting."
"Can you talk about the other skills later?" said Spike, getting our attention with his choice of words. "I wanna know more about magic!"
"Well, I did promise you to talk about it after my visit to the castle. Very well, my eager little dragon. Let's talk a bit more about magic. I guess you want to hear about it too, Twilight."
"Of course!" was her obvious answer. "Please do!"
"The main combat spells have five different levels: Strike spells, bolt spells, blast spells, wave spells, and surge spells. Spike is able to cast all the strike spells and he is ready to try the bolt spells. However, combat spells are not everything we have."
"Magic is full of wonders!" said Eek, who allowed me to access my bank before I even ask him to do it! He must know that I need some runes, and for this, I'm going to need...
Wait. If they got surprised when I said 'thieving', then I can't say the word 'curse', too. So, let's go with...
"We also have 'status' spells. These spells are used to lower the attack, defense, or strength of your foes. You can also prevent their movement."
"Interesting..." Twilight was still taking notes. She is diligent, I'll give her that. "Lowering the 'attack' skill would cause your foes to hit you with less accuracy. Lowering the 'defense' skill would cause them to receive more damage when they get hurt, and lowering the 'strength' skill would cause them to deal less damage. Is that correct?"
"Wow. Spot on, Twilight." She understood pretty quickly. I'm not going to tell her about the 5-10%. They don't have to know about that.
"And what about the spell that prevents movement?" asked Spike.
"I'll show you."
One 'bind' coming up.
Before they were able to say something, I cast the spell on Spike. I saw the whole animation, too. Cool!
"Woah!" Spike was surprised, judging by his voice because he didn't move at all.
"What was that?" Twilight barely noticed the spell.
And that's when Spike noticed.
"I-I can't move!"
"Easy Spike. Don't worry. In a few seconds, you will be able to move again."
And after 4.8 seconds, he was able to move.
"I'm really sorry for doing that, Spike, but that was the best way to show you two the level twenty spell 'Bind'. It makes the target unable to move for a few seconds. Depending on the situation, it can be very helpful, for example, when you are running from a strong foe or an unknown monster, or when you don't want your opponent to flee. Keep in mind that every spell that targets someone has a chance to miss, and this applies to combat spells, too. Of course, with a higher magic level, your chances to miss are lower."
"Got it. Higher magic level means higher accuracy." said Spike, looking motivated. "Then I have to train a lot in order to improve!"
"That's the spirit, buddy. I think you have the makings of a good dragon mage. That's something you don't hear every day."
"Yeah! Not many dragons are capable of magic even in Gielinor!" added my little spider pal.
"You heard that, Twilight? I can be a mage too!" Spike was really happy right now. Again, I can't blame him. Being able to use magic feels wonderful. Even to me.
"But only if you work hard and act like a responsible dragon." said Twilight, smiling at him while still writing in the paper.
She then looked at me.
"Does that cape help you with your spells? I'm curious about the campfire icon. Maybe it has some magical properties?"
Well, would you look at that! Someone finally asked about it.
And it's a good thing that I discovered another small detail about skillcapes after visiting Shine Grandioso.
"Well, it is no ordinary cape, and it does have some magical properties. You see, this is a cape known as 'cape of acomplishment'. However, we often refer to it as a 'skillcape'. These capes are very special. There is one for each skill, and it's proof that you have reached the highest level possible in a certain skill. This one is the firemaking skillcape. Only those who have reached level 99 firemaking can wear this. It's proof that I am a master firelighter."
"So... you are an expert at making fire. As in, campfires or torches?" asked Twilight. I know most people would laugh or feel that she is mocking me, but Twilight's face tells me that her question was out of pure curiosity.
"Well, in a way you are right."
And that's when I did my neat trick: The normal skillcape emote. I discovered that you can choose between the normal skillcape emote, and the new one unlocked here in Equestria. Kinda like a 'right click' option.
I created a small fireball that started to float on my left hand, then I started to do my thing.
"If there is magic, then surely you guys know that there are also different kinds of fire. Each one has its own properties and ways to handle them. Fire is dangerous when it's not under control."
They are so focused on the fireball that I almost want to laugh. It's like a dog seeing a toy.
"And you are moving a fireball just like that..." said a rather surprised Twilight.
"Like I said..." and now the fireball disappears. "Master firelighter. Now Spike, you want to try that 'Bind' spell from before?"
"Yes sir!"
Man...
I underestimated Spike.
It took several minutes, but he managed to successfully cast 'Bind' on me, and once he did, he stopped missing! He definitely has potential. I wish I could use 'Stat spy on him. That way I would know his exact magic level.
But I'm a bit curious about Twilight. There is no doubt that her magic level must be good, and she must be a very diligent pupil of Princess Celestia.
So why is she struggling with Gielinor's magic?
She can do many unicorn spells that are akin to the standard spellbok, like, teleports and grabbing objects from afar, without the use of runes! In a way, she doesn't benefit that much from learning Gielinor's magic, aside from the combat spells, but those are exactly the ones she is struggling with.
"I don't get it." said the unicorn, looking slightly annoyed. "I use magic all the time! How can this be so hard?"
Oh, wait! I've seen this in a few fantasy novels and books. Maybe...
"This is just a theory, but maybe it's because you are used to your magic. Equestria's magic. Spike doesn't use it. Well, almost doesn't use it, so I think that's the reason his body and mind adapted so quickly to Gielinor's magic."
"You may have a point." said Twilight, understanding my words. "I'm still interested in Gielinor's magic, so I'm not giving up!"
"Practice makes perfect. I know you will succeed, Twilight. You just need more time."
"Hey Euris! Is there another spell I can learn?" asked Spike, ready for more.
"Well..."
And that's when the library's door opened.
"Twilight? We're here!"
I don't recognize that voice, but it seems that both Twilight and Spike do. She is the first one to react, walking to the door to greet the new ponies that I assume are their friends.
Let's see...
BGM -OFF-
[Examine Applejack (level-51)] [Honesty is her best policy.]
[Examine Rarity (level-32)] [She may not look like it, but she is actually generous.]
[Examine Pinkie Pie (Level-64)] [Party planner extraordinaire. Maybe she's related to Party Pete?]
[Examine Rainbow Dash (Level-43)] [Think you are the fastest around here? Not anymore, you're not.]
[Examine Fluttershy (Level-15)] [Probably the kindest and shyest being in the whole land of Equestria. Don't be rude with her.]
Now those are some interesting descriptions! And it's a bit weird how the pink one has the highest combat level.
"It looks like we'll have to continue later, Spike. The good thing is that now we are sure that your magic level is at least twenty."
"Sweet!" well, it looks like he is happy. I admit that it would be very interesting if he can actually increase his magic level.
"If we manage to find a safe place to practice, we could try the bolt spells, but only if you listen to me and be a good pupil. Ok?" that last bit was just to tease him.
"You got it!" said Spike. It's good to see that he's having fun with this.
Now then... Twilight and her friends are walking in this direction. Rainbow Dash is looking at me with a bit of doubt. Applejack looks a bit surprised. Pinkie Pie looks happy. I think Rarity is focusing on my void knight gear, and it seems that Fluttershy is the only one focused on Eek. I also noticed that including Twilight, their group is composed of two earth ponies, two pegasi, and two unicorns. Guthix would be happy. Perfectly balanced.
"Thank you for coming, girls." said Twilight, who now was presenting me with one of her front hooves. "I called you here because there's somepo-" Twilight stopped talking for a second, then... "There's a guest I want you to meet."
I simply waved with my left hand to show a friendly attitude. The dust battlestaff disappeared for a moment, and then returned when I stopped using my hand. Pretty neat, just like in the game.
"Hello there! You must be Twilight Sparkle's friends. My name is Euris." cue the bow emote. "A human adventurer hailing from the land of Gielinor. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh my! Such a gentlecolt." Rarity was the first to speak. "My name is Rarity Belle, darling, and I have to say that your clothes are a bit intriguing."
"Can't blame you for that." If I had to explain the whole story about the Void Knights and their purpose, it would take a while...
"Rarity is Ponyville's only Seamstress. If you are ever curious about our clothing, you can visit her boutique." said Twilight.
"Her clothes are super top quality!" added Spike, doing a thumbs up with his left hand. Is he blushing a little?
"Hiya!" seems like Pinkie Pie is next, and she is hopping like a rabbit while approaching me. "I'm Pinkie Pie! I love parties and planning parties! Do you want a drop party?"
Did she just-
"Woah there, sugarcube!" Applejack interrupted her friend. "We just met him. Let's not get that far ahead yet." she then looked at me. "Howdy! Mah name's Applejack. A pleasure."
"The Apple family is well known across Equestria." said Twilight. "They grow the most delicious apples I've ever tasted."
"We even won a few of them fancy prizes." added a proud Applejack.
"Guess I'll have to try an apple pie from your farm in the future." I'm curious about Pinkie and what she just said, so... "And your drop party offer intrigues me. We have drop parties in Gielinor too, but I don't know if it works the same way here."
"Sure! You can ask me anytime while you're in Sugarcube Corner. That's where I work!" said Pinkie Pie.
"And I'll make sure to bake you the best apple pie we can offer." added Applejack.
"Sup, dude!" said Rainbow Dash flying a bit to get closer to me. "The name's Rainbow Dash. Equestria's fastest flyer. A pleasure." she then focused a bit on my staff and book. "What's with the weird stick and the book?"
Weird stick. That's cute.
"Well, the 'weird stick' is a magical staff, and this book possesses magical properties that enhance my magic attack."
"Wait. Magic?" this caught rainbow and the others off guard. "You can use magic?"
"Yup. Not Equestria's magic, though. We have our own kind of magic in Gielinor. I've been teaching a bit of it to Spike, too."
"Yeah! I can use magic now!" added the little dragon, obviously happy and proud.
"Remember that you still need runes to cast our spells, Spike."
"I can't wait to try more spells!" yup. He's totally hooked. I'll be more careful from now on.
It seems that Fluttershy is still not ready to speak. Man, she is shy. She's even doing some imaginary circles on the floor with one of her hooves. That's kinda adorable.
"Hey. Why are you so silent, partner? You haven't introduced yourself yet."
Twilight's friends tilted their heads a bit almost at the same time. Obviously, they got a bit confused with that, but...
"Sorry! I was waiting for the right moment."
Eek swiftly moved to the dust battlestaff and reached the top. That's impossible in the game but screw the rules, this is a dream.
"My name is Eek! I come from the Spider Realm! And I'm helping my pal with a very important mission!"
Cue the backflip.
"He can talk?"
Well, I saw that one coming. Aaand now Fluttershy is in front of me, possibly looking at Eek.
"Hello Eek. May I ask how old are you?"
Huh. I don't know that. Or I can't remember right now.
"I'm not sure." said my little partner. "I was just there, being a good spider for my Queen, and then I was ordered to follow my pal here. At the time I was just curious about the human realm, but now? I'm grateful and proud to be friends with Euris!"
"Sounds like you are proud of him." said the pegasus.
"Yes! He's a hero!" said Eek, looking at me. "You wouldn't believe how much he has done for the good of Gielinor! He has helped the common folk, nobility, and even kings!"
"Just an adventurer doing adventurer stuff." For someone playing, it's just a bunch of unlocks and improvements to the QoL in the game, but lorewise, it is a lot."
Seems like Fluttershy is better now, and she focused her eyes on me.
"I'm so sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Fluttershy. It's nice to meet you." said the shy mare with a smile. "I appreciate the trust and care that you have with your friend Eek."
"I traveled to many places with him. He even cheered me on while fighting some powerful foes. He wanted to see our world, and since I travel a lot, I was happy to oblige."
"Now girls, we need to discuss a certain topic." said Twilight. "Namely, the reason Euris is here in Equestria."
Well, here we go again. Explanation time.
"And that's why I'm here."
"..."
Well, once again, I can't blame them for being silent. It is an important mission after all. It's the kind of thing that makes you think about how important it is.
"So you want to know what we know about Equestria?" asked Rainbow Dash. "How does that help?"
"When facing the unknown? It helps a lot." I wonder... back when Runescape was not that well known, and when there was no wiki... Did everyone try the quests and just hope for the best? Some of the puzzles and fights in certain quests are very unforgiving. "I'm sure that I'll have to leave Ponyville and travel to other places. Maybe very faraway places, so every bit of information I can get about Equestria will be useful. If the locator reacts, I'll go to where it leads me."
"You'll leave soon?" asked Pinkie, as if she was sad already. These ponies can be very adorable sometimes. "But I have to plan a 'Welcome to Equestria' party for you!"
"Well, not now. I'll stay a few days. Before leaving Ponyville, I want to look around to make sure there are no other nightmarish creatures nearby."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that!" said Applejack. "As much As I want to help you sugarcube, I still have some work to do at the farm, so I can't stay for too long."
"Yeah. I have some errands to do at Cloudsdale, too." added Rainbow Dash, looking a bit troubled. "You don't mind, right?"
"Of course not. I'm curious about this 'Cloudsdale' you mentioned, but there's no rush. This meeting was mostly to let you girls know about me and what I'm doing. I also need to talk with Zecora about this."
"Zecora?" asked all the mares, including Twilight.
"Oh yeah, you girls don't know her. She's a zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest. She's also an apothecary, and I'm sure her potions will be useful in the future."
"WHAT?"
Well, I didn't expect that.
"Here we are, darling! My 'belle maison!"
"Wow... I have to admit it Rarity. This place looks stunning."
After explaining my meeting with Zecora, and the circumstances of my arrival to Equestria, I asked Twilight's friends if I could accompany one of them. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were out of the question because they had work to do. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy had no problems, so I chose to go with Rarity first.
Fluttershy lives on the outskirts of the Everfree forest, so she will be the last one. As for Pinkie Pie, she surprised me with the drop party thingie, so I guess I will go to Sugarcube Corner after this.
Part of the reason I started with Rarity is that I'm curious about pony clothes. I mean, almost no one in Ponyville uses clothes. A total opposite of what I saw in Canterlot. The other reason is...
"So it's true!" I saw the pony-shaped mannequins, specifically the ones that had clothes on them. "You use gems in your designs."
"Of course, darling!" was her answer. "Gems are always a nice addition to clothes if you know where to place them."
"Are gems common in Equestria?" I'm curious now. If the guards in the castle use gold for their armor and weapons...
"You do need to find a good spot, but once you do, they appear in large amounts." was Rarity's answer. "How it is in Gielinor?"
"We sometimes find a gem while mining ores. It's up to your luck I guess. There is a certain mine that offers plenty of gems, but you need certain requirements to enter."
"Then I take it that gems are more valuable there?" asked a curious Rarity.
"Definitely. Even more, if you offer cut gems. We don't use them in clothes, though. Most gems are used to craft accessories and more advanced jewelry."
"Now that interests me, darling." said Rarity, getting closer to me. "I've noticed the amulet you are wearing, and I'm curious now. Do you have any other accessory you can show me?"
"Well, I have a few I can show you. Eek, you know what to do."
"Sure thing, pal!"
And I took several 'samples' to show Rarity: An entire set of sapphire, jade, opal, and red topaz jewelry (ring, necklace, bracelet, and amulet.), and I also showed her a tiara, along with a holy symbol. And now her eyes are sparkling, so I think she's happy now. She was also holding everything with her magic.
"Euris! This is divine! I am sure that many nobles would love to get one of these."
"I'm sure Equestria also makes good jewelry. Shine Grandioso comes to my mind."
"Hold on." Rarity was a bit confused now. "How do you know about Mr. Grandioso?"
"I met him this morning at the castle in Canterlot. You see, yesterday I stayed on the castle, and let's just say that we did a bit of business this morning. I offered some goods, and he paid for them."
"You what?"
For some reason Rarity looks like she's going to pass out.
"Shine Grandioso is the owner and president of the Radiant Fortune Company. He only works with the best. Only. The. Best. And you say you managed to make a deal with him just like that!?"
"Well, he did say something along the lines of 'shake the world of jewelry and luxury once more', and something about the same quality as the Crystal Empire, I think. I sincerely wish him the best of luck on that."
Rarity was now deep in thought. She stayed like this for several seconds. As I was admiring her home and workplace, I heard a very particular sound. A sound that now I know it signals the activation of a unicorn's magic, or when they move objects with said magic.
"Euris. I have a request. I know your mission comes first, but... Can you give me a few minutes of your time?"
And that's when it appeared.
Start the Fashionscape! quest?
Huh. I honestly thought 'Jungle Potion' would be the first, but...
Rarity's eyes had some sort of spark effects inside. How does she do that?
"Oh thank you so much, darling!" said Rarity, with eyes full of hope. She then focused on the jewelry I took out earlier. "These accessories are perfect! It's the inspiration I need for my next project."
"Do you really like Gielinor's jewelry that much?"
"But of course, darling. They are exquisite!" was Rarity's answer. "Truth be told, I would like to know how they are made. The amount of details of each piece is stunning."
Well, I have to admit that every item of the game looks way better now.
"Well, I could show you how I do them, but I require a few things, like a furnace to smelt ores."
Rarity's focus changed to me, and she looks more surprised than ever.
"Is that true? You created all of this?" asked her, obviously referring to the jewelry that she is still holding with her magic.
"That's right. I tend to create my own jewelry from time to time." you never know when you're going to need another amulet or ring. It's a shame that I never got the amulet of eternal glory.
"My pal is good at doing many different things, miss Rarity!" added Eek as praise.
"That is even better!" said Rarity in a happy tone. "I guess I should explain myself: There is a fashion design contest next month in Manehattan, and now, thanks to your jewelry, I have the perfect idea. Normally I would ask Spike to assist me, but what I need for this project requires somepony able to protect me from potential danger."
Ah, so I need to act as a bodyguard.
"Well, that got me curious if you think you need protection."
"I know of a certain spot that lies west of Ponyville. There are some unique gemstones there, but lately, there have been rumors about merchants being attacked, and now everypony tends to avoid that place at all costs."
"And so you need someone to protect you while you look for gems."
"Exactly. Although now that I know of your crafting skills, I would like to ask for your help with my idea as well. Of course, you will be rewarded for all the effort."
Ah, yes. The feeling of curiosity and that little bit of anxiousness when you begin a new quest...
"Well, that sounds like a job for me. When do we start?"
"Well, I need to prepare the cart to bring the gems back here, then we can leave." said Rarity, starting to move.
Wait.
Maybe we don't need that. I need to check something first.
"Well... at least I can see why travelers avoid this specific area."
Honestly, I thought it would take a bit more to reach the 'mining spot', but it seems I was wrong. We are not that far away from Ponyville. I can also see Canterlot from here, and a very long waterfall just beneath it. I might check that spot later.
This is indeed a 'mining spot'. At least according to the minimap. On the way, Rarity told me about her ability to use her magic in order to discover gems buried in the ground or even inside some large rocks.
And boy, there are a lot of large rocks around here. Rarity also told me that most of the gemstones are buried, but the unique ones she needs are inside the rocks.
Specifically, kunzite.
I admit I'm not an expert when it comes to gems, but I think kunzite does exist in real life. I have no clue how Jagex decides the 'tier list' of gems, but it took me by surprise when I saw a section called 'Equestria' in the crafting guide. Most of the list involves jewelry of new gemstones. 35 Crafting is needed to cut kunzite, and 50 to craft everything involving kunzite.
This place reminds me a lot of that mining spot near Rimmington.
Except for the holes.
There are many holes around, but from the looks of it, the holes were made from beneath the ground. Maybe I'll have to deal with a giant mole or something. Also, these holes are not small. Each one is big enough to the point that both Rarity and I could fall down.
"The rumors did not say anything about holes in the ground." said Rarity while looking around. "I am glad that I asked for your help, Euris."
"Remember to get behind me if anything unusual happens."
"Will do, darling. For now, we have to find some kunzite!" said the fashionista, who then activated her magic. She walked a few steps guided by her horn, and I began to follow her.
A gem detector spell, huh? I know she told me about it already, but that would be an interesting mechanic to add in Runescape. They could add a few special rocks on certain mining spots that would be unique for every player. Depending on the player's magic and mining level you could have a chance to obtain certain gems, with at least a guaranteed uncut sapphire. F2P players would love that.
"Aha! This rock."
Rarity stopped in front of a rock that almost look like a pillar. There are holes around here, too...
What exactly happened here? I don't see any npc or enemy on the minimap. I need to be careful.
"Alright. Let's get to work."
With Eek's help, I unequipped the dust battlestaff and equipped everyone's favorite mining tool.
The dragon pickaxe.
Because to hell with you, crystal pickaxe.
"What kind of pickaxe is that?" asked Rarity with a mix of surprise and curiosity. "It has a strong red color."
"This is a dragon pickaxe. One of the strongest pickaxes available in the land of Gielinor. Now, let's smash some rocks."
It's funny. My body is doing the exact movements a player does when they begin mining. I did the three small hits, and then the two big ones. That was enough to break through the pillar-looking rock and see the shining gemstones inside.
"Do you mind if I keep the gems you don't need?"
"Not at all, darling." was Rarity's answer. "I have plenty of those back home. I have to say... you are strong. To break so easily through that rock with a pickaxe... Are you a former miner?"
"Mining is one of my hobbies. I'm kind of an expert, too."
There is only one kunzite, but there are also two sapphires and one emerald. Even after I explained it to Rarity, she is still a bit skeptical about my 'inventory'. Well... now comes the magic trick.
I took out a certain item. A reward you can get in Falador's Motherlode Mine. Not many players tend to use it, but I do.
"A small silver bag?" asked a curious Rarity. Oh! It's actually silver! And the thread to open and close it is almost golden.
"This is not just any silver bag, Rarity. This is a gem bag. It holds up to 60 uncut gems of certain types. Specifically: Sapphire, emerald, ruby, diamond, and dragonstone. However..."
It's worth a shot. If I can't store the kunzite in the bag, then I'll have it in my inventory space.
And...
[You add the gems to your bag.]
Yes! Not only it stored the sapphires and the emerald, but also the kunzite!
"The gemstones disappeared!" said Rarity, looking at the bag with a pleasant smile on her face. "What an amazing item!"
"Now let's keep going. How many kunzite gemstones do you need?"
"We already have one, so I require nine more, darling." answered the fashionista.
"Got it, boss."
Well, there's still the matter of the holes, but nothing has happened while searching for kunzite. Thanks to Rarity, I obtained a good amount of uncut sapphires and rubies. It seems like emeralds and diamonds are harder to find. I also found other gems that Rarity allowed me to take. I don't have the time to examine all of them since I'm acting as a bodyguard too, so I'll check them later.
"Can I ask you something Euris?"
"Sure. Ask away."
"How is it that you are capable of such diverse activities? You practice the magic of your homeland, and you can also mine rocks as if they were made out of paper. Not to mention your crafting abilities!"
"Well, I like to do a bit of everything. You could say I'm a 'jack-of-all-trades'."
It's the absolute truth. I like to do a bit of everything. Combat training, mining in the Motherlode Mine for mining xp, mining in the gem mine under Shilo Village to obtain gemstones and practice crafting. Well, I made a lot of glass, too. And let's not forget cutting trees, playing the Wintertodt minigame, using the ZMI altar for runecrafting, although I like to make just nature runes from time to time because I use high level alchemy a lot. Mahogany Homes for construction, Pest Control sometimes to test a few things related to combat, and the extra money is not bad. Ah, and smithing. A lot of smithing. And cooking. And fishing. And farming. And bird nests.
And I'm probably forgetting a few things!
"That sounds amazing, darling!" said Rarity while handing me the last kunzite she needs so I can store it in the gem bag. "What else can you do?"
Well, that's a good question.
"Let's see: I know different combat styles using melee weapons, ranged weapons, and also combat spells. I can mine and also smith weapons and armor. I can craft accessories and jewelry. I can cook sometimes, and I even made some furniture for my house back in Gielinor. I'm probably missing a few other things, but as you can see... I do a lot of different activities and practices as an adventurer."
Rarity stood there for a few seconds looking at me. She seems in awe. Seriously, she's looking at me like I'm a savior or something.
"Euris... Are you some kind of hero?" asked Rarity. "Everything you have told me matches the description of a wandering hero! Just like a novel!"
Well, that was unexpected. She must love fantasy novels judging by that reaction.
"Maybe. Who knows?" was my answer. Always give an ambiguous answer if you want to add some mystery.
"Yes! He is!" added Eek. Seriously, Eek is like the perfect motivational partner. I'm so glad he is in this dream with me.
"But this is not Gielinor. It's Equestria. Hero or not, in this land I am merely an adventurer. A traveler."
"The traveler, darling" said Rarity. "Wisdom, experience, and magical artifacts. You are a box full of surprises!"
"I'm just doing my job." Pretty sure I said this with a smile plastered on my face.
I remember this feeling. The praise. Not praise from other players because their priorities are completely different, no. The praise from NPCs is what gives me a certain feeling of progress. You start helping the royal cook on Lumbridge, and helping Fred the farmer. Just a good samaritan.
And the next thing you know, you help the gnomes, the elves, entire kingdoms, different races, and all the important beings of Gielinor know of you.
The mysterious adventurer. Wandering around the land of Gielinor, Great Kourend, Zanaris, and a few more special places.
And of course, being an adventurer means the unexpected is always likely to happen.
We stopped moving because we felt a strong movement on the ground.
"A tremor?" asked the fashionista.
"Rarity. Get behind me."
I didn't hesitate and prepared the dust battlestaff, with the Earth Blast spell ready. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, another tremor occurred, this time it was stronger than the last one.
"Faster! The surface is close!"
W-wait! Text! The chatbox suddenly opened! It's like a dialogue from a cutscene!
"Hurry! It's getting closer!"
"Darling? Did you hear something?" asked Rarity.
"Be careful Rarity! Something is coming!"
"What? Where?"
While Rarity was still looking around, the answer revealed itself. Literally.
Three figures emerged from one of the nearby holes. I almost mistook them for humans, but then I saw their faces, arms, and claws. They kinda look like dogs, and two of them have spears, as well as some light armor. Iron, maybe? The third one is... using some fancy dress? I guess it's made of-
"You two! Pony and the other being! You must escape!" shouted the one in the dress as they got away from the hole. By the voice, she was clearly a female. Thank goodness.
"Diamond dogs?" said Rarity, almost as if she was exclaiming. "Are you responsible for digging all these holes?"
So they are called diamond dogs. Well, their faces certainly remind me of a dog.
[Examine Diamond dog guard (level-55)]
[Examine Diamond dog guard (level-53)]
[Examine Princess Richessa Diamandis VI (level-30)]
Hold on! A Princess? Why? What's going on? And-
"It's coming!" shouted one of the two guards. Our attention went back to the hole where they appeared from.
Another being appeared.
"By Celestia!" Rarity was the first to react. I can't blame her for reacting like that.
This new guest is definitely a monster. Totally hostile and aggressive. No doubt about it, because I've seen this one before! Big, green, and a nasty dog-like face. But how? Why is this thing here?
[Examine Terror dog (level-75)] [A terrifying dog beast.]
"I remember that monster!" said Eek, focusing on the terror dog. "They were guarding that guy! What was his name again? Tan Razor?"
"Tarn Razolor, and you are right..."
Its level is lower than usual, but even then, those three might not be prepared to deal with that. Guess it's time to be useful!
"Do not leave my side, Rarity."
"I wouldn't even dream of it, darling." said Rarity, still looking at the monster.
"You won't touch her, inferior dog!" shouted one of the guards. I applaud your bravado and loyalty to your Princess, but you're going to need more than that to defeat it.
So...
Here's one Earth Blast on the house!
With a swift move of my staff, I launched the earth projectile, and at a higher speed compared to the game! Just when the terror dog started to move in the trio's direction...
[50/65] [Terror dog]
Now that's some good damage! But still not enough. Aaand now the terror dog is looking at me.
Oh crap, he's charging at me!
"Oh no you don't!"
I was prepared for this. Combat spells are not everything, you know? Let's see if this spell works properly too!
[45/65] [Terror dog]
Sometimes I forget that the more advanced spells that restrict a foe's movement can inflict damage too. Good to see that the Entangle spell is working properly! I got lucky with a max hit, too.
"Nice shot!" said my little arachnid friend.
"Euris!" said Rarity, still behind me while looking at the creature. "What is that?"
"Answers later! I'll deal with this first!"
Let's hope your chase was worth it, you green dog. I have 10 more seconds of free hits!
[33/65]
[24/65]
[14/65]
Man, each spell sounded like a small explosion. Looks painful, and sounds painful. I really need to be careful from now on when teaching Spike about the other spells.
"It's over."
"But how do you know, darling?" well, the monster is still on its 'death animation', but yeah. It's dead.
With a final, agonizing, and very twisted howl, the terror dog fell to the ground, and after two seconds, it disappeared.
[take Uncut emerald] [take Adamantite ore]
Decent loot, considering this is not even Gielinor.
"Euris... what a powerful mage you are!" said Rarity with glee. "Thank you very much for protecting me."
"It's no problem at all. Gielinor's magic is not useful in every single situation, but I'm glad it helped us here."
"You should see him using melee weapons!" added Eek as praise. "It's his forte!"
I moved to where the terror dog died, and Rarity followed me.
"Did that creature carry those things?" asked a now curious Rarity.
"Even if they are terrifying, monsters can also be curious creatures."
Now, I believe I should introduce myself to these diamond dogs, maybe they can help me understand how a terror dog ended up here. Also... there's a Princess with them, so I need to be-
"Thank you for saving us, stranger."
Aaaand she's kneeling. Her two guards are doing it, too. Looks like the Princess took the initiative. Well, let's see where this leads us to.
"Please, stand up. I did what everyone else would do: Defend myself and my friend."
"And what a flawless display of magic that was. Different from what I know, for sure." said the Princess, who then smiled gently. "May I know the name of our savior?"
"My name is Euris. I wish we could have met under better circumstances."
"And I'm Eek!" added my little friend, doing a backflip.
"What an unusual companion." said the Princess, smiling at Eek.
I used my left hand to show Rarity.
"And she is my friend: Rarity."
"As Euris said. Nice to meet you." said the fashionista in a respectful, yet neutral voice.
It seems like the Princess is deep in thought. If I had to take a guess...
"It's nice to meet you, mage Euris and pony Rarity. I am Princess Richessa Diamandis VI of the diamond dogs."
She even did the whole 'noble lady greeting' with her dress. Impressive.
"Princess!?" I understand your surprise, Rarity. "I didn't know the diamond dogs had a Princess!"
"That... is our fault." admitted the Princess. "We usually don't interact that much with the surface. I'm sure most species don't know that much about us."
"What do you know about diamond dogs, Rarity?"
My question made Rarity think for a moment.
"Well... I do know that diamond dogs can make holes like that." she said while pointing at one of the many holes around with one of her front hooves. "They like to collect gems, and the rumors among merchants say that they sometimes kidnap others and force them to work in underground mines." she immediately looked at the Princess. "I-I repeat, just rumors among merchants."
"I... can't say anything about that, too." said Richessa. "It's complicated. My mother can explain this better."
"I don't mean to stop your thoughts there, Princess, but we need to talk about what happened."
"That's right!" Rarity recovered her usual attitude. "Why are there so many holes around? And I know you were running from that monster, but... What is going on?"
"We are in a dangerous situation." said the Princess, with a hint of frustration showing on her face. "Our capital is facing a monster crisis, and we are in desperate need of help."
"Can you summarize it?"
"That fiend you destroyed is only one among the many roaming our capital right now." said Richessa. "Mother gave me the mission of requesting help from the surface. I need to speak with Princess Celestia, ruler of all Equestria. Our citizens are being sheltered in our castle, but our defenses will not last for too long, and those creatures keep coming. It's like they never get tired. They never end..."
"Then it's a good thing I am friends with her." this took the diamond dogs by surprise, and Rarity must be wondering why I said that, judging by her face. "That castle in the mountains is where Princess Celestia is right now."
Yup. I can see the growing despair on her face.
"It is as you think: You won't make it in time. I bet you don't even have time for a formal meeting. However..."
I'm starting to like this whole 'adventurer mode' talk.
"Rarity happens to know Princess Celestia's faithful student, who lives in the town over there." I used my left thumb to point at Ponyville. Now I focused on Rarity. Let's hope she agrees with me here.
"I'm sorry Rarity, but our gem hunt will have to wait."
To my surprise, she smiled at me rather tenderly.
"What are you apologizing for, darling? Obviously, this situation is far more important! And I can see in that face of yours that you have an idea."
"Indeed. I need to ask you a favor: Can you look for Twilight and Spike? If you explain the situation to her, I'm sure she will contact Princess Celestia."
"But what about you?" asked the fashionista.
"I believe you know the answer already, but..." I focused on Princess Richessa. "I'll follow Princess Richessa and her guards back to their capital and help them."
"Mage Euris!" looks like the Princess is surprised, and so are her guards. "We truly appreciate your help with the monster, but... Are you sure about this? I do not question your ability and power, but I believe you underestimate the number of creatures we are facing back in the capital."
"There is only one thing I care about right now: You need all the help you can get."
Judging by the way she is looking down right now, I bet she understands that I'm right. She's also a Princess, so she knows what's best for her subjects.
"So... What are we waiting for?"
"Be careful down there, Euris." said Rarity. "I know you are strong, but don't push your luck."
"Got it. Be sure to explain the whole situation to Twilight."
"Will do, darling." with that, Rarity left the place.
With grace, of course.
Now...
"Once again, thank you very much mage Euris."
"You can thank me once this whole situation is solved. My question now is... Which hole do we use to go back to your castle?"
"So the cape is enchanted?" asked the first guard, whose name is Shobel.
"You might say that. It's true that the cape I am wearing acts as a light source when necessary."
"You sure have some interesting toys, mage Euris." said the second guard, whose name is Roger.
Very friendly fellows once you get to know them.
"You two! Don't be rude to him! He is our savior and deserves respect." said Richessa, a bit angry.
"Don't worry Princess. Rest assured that your guards have done nothing wrong."
These tunnels...
We have been walking for a while. It is possible that we are following a specific path. I'm not sure yet, but if I had to take a guess, then I bet the answer is gems.
Every so often, I've seen specific spots with a few gems. The thing is, every time I see them, the gems are the exact same: Two blue gems, one green gem, and three orange gems.
This whole thing reminds me of the caves below Lumbridge. The Dorgeshuun Mine, but this time there is no cutscene to act as a shortcut.
"I assume this can be considered a labyrinth if you don't know the right path."
"Indeed." said the Princess while looking at me with pride. Must be good to talk about your defenses against intruders. "Even our citizens would have a hard time in this situation. Only the royal family and a few of our guards know of this specific path."
"And yet that monster managed to follow you."
"I think it was sheer luck." said Shobel, with a face that perfectly tells me he wanted to punch the terror dog. "Or maybe he has a good sense of smell. Who knows?"
"I'm just glad it's dead." added Roger. "I was prepared to fight, but I knew we would not win without... consequences. Maybe an arm or an eye."
"A rather grim thought, but not a wrong one. That monster is indeed powerful, and their attacks are rather accurate."
"What? You know that creature?" asked Shobel, a bit surprised. Roger and the Princess got curious, too.
"Yes. I know them. They are called 'terror dogs', and they should not be here. That is another reason I decided to help you. I need to know what's going on."
"Are these terror dogs from your homeland, mage Euris?"
"Indeed. They are from Gielinor, and from a hostile area."
Seriously, What is a creature from Morytania doing here? If it was one of the nightmarish creatures I would understand, but that terror dog from before, even if its level was lower than usual, was truly a terror dog.
"Mage Euris. If you don't mind me asking... What are you?" asked the Princess. "If you had a helmet with you, I would have thought you were a diamond dog."
"I am a human. Many kingdoms in Gielinor are ruled by humans. Of course, there are other races as well."
"Must be an interesting place if there are mages like you around." said Roger with a smile.
Heh...
"You have no idea..."
Oh boy, I'm enjoying this so far, but to see Gielinor like this... would be the adventure of a lifetime.
However...
This is only the beginning. Who knows how many places I'll see here in Equestria?
"Here it is."
This... Looks like a dead end. At least at first glance. Once again, the same gem pattern from before is also here. It doesn't take a genius to know there must be some secret entrance or 'magical mechanism' here.
Princess Richessa is looking for something. Ah! An amulet she has around her neck. Didn't see it before. The amulet seems to have a small light blue jewel in the center.
"Shine like a diamond, our riches remain underground." said the Princess.
As soon as she said the last word, her amulet began to glow, and soon, the wall on the dead end did as well.
"Are you sure you want me to hear that secret password?" I think it's a valid question.
"Do not worry. Even if you had my amulet, only the diamond dog royal lineage can use it." said Richessa.
So it must be one of those 'royal-only' treasures. Good to know. That information will be useful in the future. Maybe. You never know.
"So, the wall is glowing. What does this mean?"
Oh, wait. Interface to the rescue.
[Go through jewel portal]
Oh.
Instead of giving me an answer, Richessa smiled at me and then moved forward. As soon as her hand touched the wall... surprise, surprise! It passed through. Aaaaand she disappeared. I mean, she must be on the other side now. And now her guards are passing through.
Well, it's not a teleport from the spellbook, but in the game is just a skip. A transition. But here?
Let's find out.
BGM -OFF-
"Princess Richessa!"
Now that was a magical portal alright! Why use drugs or weird mushrooms when you can simply step through a magic portal? As the name suggests, what I saw was magical. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was enough.
"Welcome to the city of Threshure, mage Euris." said the Princess while looking at me. "And specifically, to our castle."
The floor, the walls, the ceiling, and even some furniture. Everything is made of stone, or at least it looks like stone. Like, wow. It certainly looks beautiful. I bet the diamond dogs must have some kind of special crafting method to do this. There are gems, too. Some are being used as decorations, such as the chandeliers above us, using gems instead of a fire or lightbulb. I also see a few gems attached to the walls. I wonder if the diamond dogs use them as buttons and activate some magical mechanism with them.
It would not surprise me, considering what I saw a few seconds ago.
But I have to say, it's like an underground version of Canterlot's castle. Both places have their own charm, and this is just a room! What about the rest of the castle? And outside!
"Princess... Who is this visitor?"
Hearing that unknown voice brought me back to the current situation. There are many diamond dog guards in front of the Princess. All of them have different levels, ranging from level-35 to level-42. So Shobel and Roger are the strongest. For now.
"His name is Euris, and he saved my life when we reached the surface." was Richessa's answer. "He has decided to lend us his power in order to deal with our monster crisis."
"Him? Alone?" asked another guard, and the group started to murmur. "But Princess, thanks to the jewel artifacts and our numbers, we have been holding off. What can he do alone?"
The murmurs increased. Not that I blame him for thinking like that.
A loud noise was heard. That took me by surprise! And it seems the guards are surprised, too. Richessa has powerful legs, judging by the stomp she did just now.
"I will not allow any kind of slander towards my savior! Next time, think about your next words very carefully. That goes for all of you."
As expected of a Princess. All of her guards nodded without hesitation.
"Is my mother in the throne room?" asked Richessa.
"Yes!" one of the guards answered while doing a military salute. "Queen Grandhessa is helping the volunteers who are looking out for the citizens."
"And father?"
"Still fighting the monsters on the castle's entrance along with main troops." this time another guard gave the answer.
"I see..." I can see she is worried about her father. If I see him later, I'll make sure to keep him safe. "Mage Euris. Let's go talk to my mother. She can fill you in detail about this whole mess."
"Very well. I need to ask her some questions, too."
The guards moved in order for us to have a clear path. We left the room, which I assume is a special, designated room for that emergency portal from before, and now we are in a hallway. The minimap is working here, so that's good.
"Please do not lose sight of me. This your first time visiting our castle, after all."
"Roger that."
"What?" asked Roger, and with that, Shobel and Richessa couldn't suppress their laugh. Not entirely at least. "Seriously. What?"
She was not kidding when she said their citizens are being guarded inside the castle. The minimap is filled with yellow dots, and as for me, I can see so many diamond dogs that instead of wearing combat equipment, are wearing normal clothes.
[Examine Diamond dog citizen (level-20)] [A citizen of Threshure. They sure have big hands]
[Examine Diamond dog child (level-10)] [Still reading comics about the surface.]
There are more guards as well. Their levels are still below those of Shobel and Roger. Some of them are patrolling, while others seem to be helping the citizens.
One thing is for sure...
They are all looking at us now. First to the Princess, and then to me. I feel like I'm Obi-wan when he was in Otoh Gunga. Maybe they know that Princess Richessa went to the surface for help and came back with just me?
The walk to the throne room took a few more minutes, and I was able to see pretty much the same situation. Citizens and guards. A few of them were looking out the window, probably to see what was going on outside. I want to see it too, but talking to the Queen is the top priority right now.
We finally arrived at the doors leading to the throne room. The two guards there noticed Richessa and immediately opened them.
"Announcing Princess Richessa's arrival!" shouted both guards at the same time.
As we entered the throne room, I saw once again, a lot of diamond dogs. Most of them were guards, with only a few citizens. I also saw a lot of weapons with some very interesting names.
And those are just a few. There's a bunch of boxes around, filled with some familiar weapons, as well as some surprises like the jewel weapons and those '(e)' ones. Following the game's logic, those must be 'enchanted' weapons. 'sa' must be sapphire, while 'em' must be emerald. I mean, the weapons have blue and green decorations. I think I'm right.
"My daughter!"
"Mother!"
So she's the Queen.
[Examine Queen Grandhessa Diamandis V (Level-50)]
Huh. So she's stronger than most guards. That's a bit unusual. Then again, diamond dogs look like a warrior species, with their big hands and claws. Well, most royals don't have a combat level in Runescape, so this is a nice change. Her clothes do not differ much from her daughter's.
Also, the regnal numbers must work differently here because it doesn't make sense. At least to me.
"What happened Richessa?" asked the Queen. "I didn't expect you to return so soon!"
"Please don't worry Mother. I'm ok." said Richessa, reassuring her mother. "One of those fiends managed to follow us while going to the surface. Fortunately, I was saved by a brave mage."
And now Princess Richessa is using her hand to show me to her mother. Of course, the other diamond dogs in the room also stopped their activities and started to look at us. Well, specifically, at me. I'm not worried though. This is just what I was looking for! Who could have thought that a quest about collecting gems would turn out like this?
"I suppose this is the part where I introduce myself." I kneeled and bowed as a sign of respect. They may not be Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but they are the highest authorities on diamond dog territory. A territory that is unknown to me. Better be friends than enemies. "I am Lord Euris. An adventurer from the faraway land of Gielinor. As much as the circumstances are dire, it is an honor to meet not only Princess Richessa, but also her mother, the Queen."
"You didn't tell me you were a Lord!" said a rather surprised Richessa.
"I may be a Lord in Gielinor, but right now I am in the land of Equestria. Here, I am merely an adventurer." then I used my left hand to show my little buddy on my shoulder. "And this is Eek. My companion."
"Hello, Queen Grandhessa! I'm Eek from the Spider Realm! Nice to meet you!"
"Well met, adventurer Euris and little Eek." said Queen Grandhessa, getting a little closer to me. "My daughter would never lie to me, and so I must thank you for saving her life. Tell me, what brings you to our capital?"
"To put it simply: I want to help you."
A few seconds of silence. Seems like she is thinking about what to say.
"I appreciate you coming all the way here to help us, Lord Euris. However, this is not a job you can accomplish on your own. 'Strength in numbers' is the keyword here." said the Queen. Honestly, I know where she is coming from, but...
"When Princess Richessa told me about her mission on the surface, I knew she wouldn't make it in time. From where we met, she needed to reach a nearby town known as Ponyville and use one of the trains in the train station in order to reach Canterlot, Equestria's capital. Since Canterlot is a city up in the mountains, the ride would take at least a few hours. Next, she would need to reach the castle and request a meeting with the Princess in order to ask for help. All while trying to not look like a hostile being in the eyes of every pony there, and judging by what a friend of mine told me earlier, diamond dogs are not very known in Equestria."
Both Richessa and her mother seem to realize what I'm trying to say. Good. Now...
"I don't know how's the situation right now, but from what Princess Richessa told me, it sounds like the terror dogs are constantly trying to enter the castle. How long have you been protecting the castle?"
Now it was the Queen's turn to show a bit of frustration on her face.
"It's been half a day." she said.
"Father... has he been fighting this whole time?" asked Richessa to her mother. The guards around me are looking a bit sad. Seems like her father is a good King.
"Yes. He is still outside." was her mother's answer. "Defending the castle's main entrance along with his best guards."
"Your troops will get tired at one point. I may just be one single human, but I have plenty of experience when it comes to monsters."
"Earlier, you said 'terror dogs' to refer to these creatures." said the Queen. "Have you fought them before?"
"Yes. These monsters are from Gielinor. They should not be here. I need to investigate this as an adventurer of Gielinor. It is part of the reason I wanted to help here."
"And the rest of that reason?" asked the Queen.
Let's give her an adventurer's answer.
"Because your daughter asked nicely." I said, including a wink. Ooooh, now that took Richessa by surprise! "I should also mention that I am friends with Princess Celestia, and also with her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, who happens to live in Ponyville. If Rarity, a pony who was with me when Princess Richessa was attacked, followed my instructions, then Twilight will send a letter to Princess Celestia explaining this whole situation. You can consider me part of Princess Celestia's help."
Now for the final touch. I focused on Eek for a moment.
"Eek. You know what to do, buddy."
"Yes sir!"
Let's enter the bank, and take...
Yeah. This will do.
My dust battlestaff disappeared, surprising everyone around me, and then something else appeared in my hand: My dragon mace.
"Did my words offer at least a little peace of mind?"
The Queen... sighed.
"Yes. They do." and now she smiled.
Good. Glad that I was able to convince her. But seriously, why terror dogs? Is this just my dream being weird? Because this whole place is gorgeous, and terror dogs are a weird combination.
"Well then! I guess my only question now is... Where is the castle's main entrance?"
BGM -OFF-
"Don't let them in!"
"Keep your wits about you!"
"Watch out!"
"Keep it together!"
"You ok?"
"Yeah don't worry!"
"The next group must be ready in a minute!"
Woah.
"Woah!" my thoughts exactly, Eek.
I can see the hitsplats from here! I know it's normal to hear the screams too, but I also see them as if they were talking on the game. Kinda like when an npc says something. It shows the yellow text but it's not shown on the player's chat.
And I'm not even outside! I am at the castle's entrance, but still inside. The doors are closed for obvious reasons. At the same time, the entrance has become some kind of base of operations. I see injured soldiers who are resting along with doctors treating their wounds, other diamond dogs giving out food, and a bunch of diamond dogs restocking weapons, and judging by the number of broken weapons laying on the stone floor, they have used a lot.
"You two. Are you sure you want to go out there with me?"
"Of course we are!" said Shobel with a grin on his face. "We are part of our King's personal guards!"
"We were assigned to protect Princess Richessa during her mission." added Roger. "But you stole the spotlight, so now it's our turn. We have to join the fight with our comrades!"
Looks like these two made up their mind. Nothing more to say I guess.
"And what about you?" asked Shobel. "I thought you were a mage."
"Yeah. Took me by surprise, too." added Roger.
Well, I changed my gear, so it's obvious they would ask me about it. My gear is now focused on melee. Queen Grandhessa is right about the 'strength in numbers' thing. There are a lot of terror dogs out there and is amazing that the guards have managed to last this long.
But Gielinor's powers should not be underestimated. My current gear is proof of that.
Proselyte sallet, proselyte hauberk, proselyte cuisse, Guthix d'hide boots, Guthix bracers, Ardougne cloak 3, the dragon mace, Falador shield 3, amulet of glory, explorer's ring 3, and a peaceful blessing.
Melee gear focused on prayer. This setup gives me a grand total of +39 prayer bonus. I could use my book of balance instead of the Falador shield, but using a book in one hand and a weapon in the other would look weird to the diamond dogs. I could use a holy symbol too, but nothing beats the overall usefulness of the amulet of glory. Wish I had an amulet of fury though...
"I told you guys that I'm an adventurer."
"You look more like a knight right now." said a rather curious Shobel. "That magic of yours to change your gear so quickly sure is useful."
That's a rather interesting choice of words, considering the fact that I'm using the temple knight equipment. Now, thanks to Eek, I have the items I need in my inventory. Very useful items, courtesy of Gielinor.
"If you two are ready, then let's go help your King."
"Open the doors!" shouted Shobel.
"And close them once we go outside." added Roger.
This is it. It's getting a bit annoying to try to ignore all those hitsplats, but I must focus now. I know I'm well prepared, but this will be a battle of stamina and quick wits. I don't know how many terror dogs are out there. I don't know how they arrived, and I don't know if my plan will work.
But hey...
That's the adventurer's life!
"Let's go!" shouted Shobel, as the door began to open.
"We'll protect our home!" shouted Roger.
"It's showtime!"
I thought those two would run first, but surprisingly, they waited for me to go first! For diamond dogs that complained about me stealing the spotlight, they sure are nice dudes.
As we go outside, I realized that there was simply too much to look at! I can see the fight now, and there are at least 20 terror dogs, and I also see the diamond dog guards that are protecting the castle's entrance with their shields, and more to the point, with their lives. A few magic projectiles were fired from the upper floors of the castle. For a moment, I looked back and I saw several diamond dogs with interesting robes, holding staves that had large gems attached to them. I knew it! They have their own magic, revolving around gemstones.
Jesus, He looks bigger than Shobel and Roger, and those two are slightly bigger than me! And that two-handed hammer he is using as a weapon it's like one of Torag's hammers on steroids! It has a red gem attached to the center. No doubt that weapon has some magical properties.
I'd love to look around for a moment and appreciate the city, but there's no time for that! First, we need to clear up the area a bit. The terror dogs here are all level-80.
Let's activate Protect from Melee!
And drink a dose of super strength potion!
[Strength 103/86]
"Hold on tight, Eek!"
"Will do, pal!" said my little buddy, inside my helmet. He's practically in my hair.
This is just like in the game. I'm wearing some heavy equipment, yet I feel light as a feather! I wonder... my agility and strength levels are high, so maybe...
"Shobel! Roger! Protect your King! I'll attract the terror dogs attention!"
"H-hey wait!"
Don't worry you two. I'm not planning to lose here.
You can't jump in Runescape unless it's a click action for a shortcut. This, however, does not apply to this dream. I have freedom of movement after all.
I always wondered how it would be to jump and attack.
"He's jumping with all that armor on!?" pretty sure that was Shobel talking.
Oh man, this feels so cool! You could never jump at will on Runescape! And I jumped pretty high, too! Enough to pass above the diamond dog's line of defense.
I see my first terror dog target. The first of many. Time to start my battle! Let's equip the ancient mace for just a moment.
And now for the special attack!
I remember reading about these monsters on the wiki because of that miniquest. I know they have low defense, and their threat comes from their accuracy and the fact that they are in a room where your prayer points are slowly drained.
[Prayer 99/76]
Well, that room is not here. Basically...
Good luck trying to hurt me.
Let's equip the dragon mace again. Now, we need to get the aggro of every terror dog in here.
Starting with you!
"Euris! Get back here!" I think that was Roger.
"That fool! I knew he wanted to help, but this is too much!" that's Shobel again.
I think I hear the other guards, too.
"He is getting the attention of the other creatures!"
"It's weird. Don't you see something around him?"
"See? I only see that the creatures are trying to tear him apart!"
"It's working! Oh geez, that must hurt!"
"He doesn't even flinch!"
"And his armor doesn't have any sign of damage! What kind of metal is that?"
Ah... Runescape at its finest. I have prayer points to spare. Please keep attacking, green doggies.
It's no use.
"Don't just stand there like a bunch of helpless puppies! Help the warrior while keeping our defense!" that was definitely King Rhastros. What a commanding voice... "Jewel mages! Focus on the distracted creatures!"
"You heard our King, guys!"
This reminds me a bit of that battlefield where the gnomes were fighting the forces of that General Khazard guy.
Bring it on!
"I'm here to report on the current situation!"
The guard who opened the door was smiling, and everyone in the throne room noticed it. Especially Princess Richessa and Queen Grandhessa. An ominous silence filled the room. All the eyes focusing on the messenger.
"Speak." was the Queen's order.
"The monsters that were attacking the castle entrance have been eliminated!"
"What!?"
Nobody in the throne room was able to remain silent. Whispers, sighs of relief, and even happiness replaced the uncertain atmosphere from before.
"Let him finish!" this time, it was Princess Richessa who spoke. The silence reigned once more.
"There are still some monsters attacking other areas around the castle, but their numbers are low compared to the big number of monsters that were in the entrance. Our troops were even able to rest for a moment."
"And father? Is he injured?"
The messenger didn't stop smiling.
"Aside from a few scratches, our King is safe. That warrior Euris managed to defeat a large number of them while the jewel mages assisted him, and the main troops kept defending their position."
"Magic and close combat..." Queen Grandhessa was deep in thought. "His confidence gave me some doubts at first, but it looks like he proved me wrong."
"My Queen. It was more than that." said the guard, still smiling. "It was a one-sided battle. He charged at the creatures to get their attention, and even when they attacked him mercilessly, he... was unscathed. Even his armor and shield were in perfect condition as if he was not hit at all!"
"Is that so? A shame I was not able to witness such a feat." said the Queen, finally smiling. "What are they going to do now?"
"The warrior Euris offered himself to go further into the city in order to eliminate the remaining monsters."
"And he went alone?" Princess Richessa stopped smiling.
"No, my Princess. King Rhastros didn't like that as well, so the high-ranking guards Shobel, Roger, and Silvan were chosen to accompany him."
"Lord Euris knows that our priority is to defend the castle and keep our citizens safe." said Queen Grandhessa. "Such confidence and recklessness... He is either a fool or someone not to be messed with."
"Be safe, Euris..." the Princess was truly worried. Strong or not, she feels responsible for bringing him to this problem.
"That's the last one!"
Man, this was a real workout! I don't have the time to see this city yet, but Threshure reminds me a lot of Dorgesh-Kaan. This city is huge! There are so many interesting spots here! While slaying the other terror dogs around the city, I saw a lot of shop icons, along with anvils and mining spots. Lots and lots of mining spots. There is a big building with the gem stall icon. Since they live underground, they must have some special gems that no other city has. The farming patch took me by surprise, and there has to be a reason for this. Plants and fruits that do not require sunlight, perhaps?
Well, for now, I have to focus on the current task.
"Are you really sure you are not tired?" asked Shobel. "By the King's might, maybe you are the monster."
"To think you were such a high-caliber warrior..." added Roger. "Would love to spar with you later!"
"Shovel, Roger. Focus." said a third diamond dog. Unlike Shovel and Roger, he is wearing what I would call 'mage robes: Threshure variant' instead of armor, and a particular staff as a weapon. Unlike the other staff weapons that I saw earlier, this one has four gemstones attached to the tip, mimicking a round shape. I can't see the name of the weapon since he is using it.
"Diligent as always, Silvan." said Shobel with a sigh. "Yeah. Let's keep going."
"We've been around the whole city though." said Roger, looking around. "This is the only area we have yet to investigate."
"I do have to admit that warrior Euris did most of the job. We were just backup." said Silvan, showing a bit of a bitter smile on his face. "It makes me feel a little jealous of his strength."
"It's not like I was born with everything right off the bat. I fought for it. I earned it."
It took hours, and hours, and hours of grinding. It was not easy, especially for skills like slayer and construction.
"No doubt about that." said Silvan, getting serious again. "Now, let's search for anything unusual."
There are two objectives right now.
One: To slay any monster we find during the inspection. Since this is the last area we have to inspect, King Rhastros should be able to bring more troops later and recover his capital.
Two: To discover how these terror dogs managed to reach Equestria. I could argue that it's just my mind being weird, but I refuse to believe that. I would create a logical situation, or at least try to make it believable lore-wise.
But... we haven't seen anything weird or unusual aside from the monsters. Let's think for a moment...
Another portal connecting Gielinor and Equestria? Maybe. You never know, but we haven't discovered anything yet.
Are the terror dogs a summon? That's possible too. An enemy able to summon other monsters is not out of the question. That Malignius Mortifer dude near Port Sarim can summon undead monsters. And fungi.
"Hey, Euris! Look at this!"
That was Shobel. Did he find something? Roger and Silvan are with him, too. Let's see what he found...
[Examine hole] [This is a hole made with violence...]
"Bingo."
"Indeed. This is definitely what we were looking for." added Silvan. "An illegal dig hole."
"Illegal? Sounds like you guys have laws for these. Well, considering you guys live underground..."
"We always stress out the importance of both authorized and illegal dig holes at all times." said Silvan. "One wrong hole and the ground would crumble. Even worse, if it's a hole in the ceiling, debris can fall and hurt us, or even damage our buildings."
"We have a very strict policy regarding construction works." added Shobel. "Every building must be safe, and every construction plan is carefully studied before it can be authorized."
"And I recognize when a diamond dog is responsible for making one of these." said Roger. "I'm not liking this at all."
"If a diamond dog is responsible for this hole, then we must be careful about our next move."
Looks like it's solo time.
"Shobel. Can you do me a favor?"
"What is it?" asked the guard, getting the attention of the other two.
"I need you to go and tell your King about this area. You guys need to make some sort of guard post here."
"Sounds like a good move. What about us?" asked Roger.
"Silvan and you will both guard this area while Shobel goes back to King Rhastros. As for me... I'll go down there and take a look."
"What!?"
"Think about it: It's better if I go down there because I have a way to protect myself even if a horde of terror dogs attack me. Also, it has 'trap' written all over, so it's better to keep you guys safe. You will be more useful here, in case more terror dogs appear."
"I hate to say this... but Euris is right." said the mage. "We have a clear advantage now, and staying here is the best way to make use of it."
"Well, if our clever Silvan says so, then I guess we stay." said Roger, although I could tell he is a bit disappointed. "I wanted to slay more of those green fiends though."
"All right, I'll go with our King." said Shobel, starting to move already. "Have a nice hunt, warrior Euris." there we go again with the rpg class title.
Well then, judging by the rock right next to the hole, I guess I'll have to use a rope here.
"Let's go Eek. We'll need a rope for this."
"You got it, pal!"
Now...
[You are entering an instanced area! Are you sure you want to climb down?]
Of course it's an instanced area. Typical quest stuff. This is definitely the place.
I used my shield to block the attack, then pushed the shield forward, managing to ward off the creature. Oh, yes! I saw that zero in my shield! This time it did show up like in VR games. So that's how the dream shows damage. Maybe it's because my strength level is quite high, but It wasn't hard to push that thing away.
The moment I attacked, the dragon scimitar left a small red trail of its movement. Yup. That is the special attack, and 55% of the special bar's energy was used. 
I think I'm getting used to this! 
I remember reading about these monsters on the wiki because of that miniquest. I know they have low defense, and their threat comes from their accuracy and the fact that they are in a room where your prayer points are slowly drained.
"It's weird. Don't you see something around him?"
"It's working! Oh geez, that must hurt!"
"And his armor doesn't have any sign of damage! What kind of metal is that?"
It's no use.
Bring it on!