open Expedition into Uncharted Land

[Unicorncob 5,689]

@

 

A small squeak sounded from Tyra as an excitement welled up inside her. If there was one thing she really enjoyed, aside from fighting, it was sharing stories of her travels. Especially over a fire and with a good drink. Taverns and inns were some of her favourite places mostly just for that reason!

 

"A great idea!" She cried, a wide grin on her face, "I could tell you of how I battled a gang of griffin bandits, or how I captured a minotaur longship, or...!"

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

@@Unicorncob,

Chronos 

 

"Griffon bandits, that is nothing. Try fighting a group of Griffon Hurscarls; The backbone of the Griffon Royal Army. " He said.  He looked at his right shoulder, there was faint scar where a Griffon hand ax was thrown into his shoulder, right between the plates of his armor. It was one of 3 scars that had not healed completely, making them still visible on his body. He then began thinking about minotaurs on a longboat, he chuckled at the thought of it. 

[Unicorncob 5,689]

@

 

Tyra leaned over to look at the scar, and nodded slowly. It was indeed an impressive mark.

"Not bad," she grinned, and began to wonder; what did this pony do to incur the fury of the royal army?

 

Thinking naught more of it, she presented her left foreleg, a sizeable scar showing just under her shoulder that was hidden by her tunic.

"I got this from battling those minotaurs," she explained, her voice practically dripping with pride, and folded her forelegs with a nod, "there had to be at least a dozen of them!"

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

@@Unicorncob

 

"That is quite the scar, and... how big was that boat. Minotaurs are huge compared to the common pony and I would be shock to see one get on a boat without sinking it." He said as he looked at her scar. "You should see some of the scars on some of my old mates, One of them has a scar that almost completely circles his torso..." Chronos began thinking about his friends back in Equestria "I wonder how they are doing..." He said quietly

[Unicorncob 5,689]

@

 

"Oh, it was a huge ship!" Tyra smirked, spreading her forelegs wide for emphasis, "at least half a dozen of 'em on board! I bumped into their ship on my travels and wanted to ride with them, because a small sail-boat can only do so much in the water. They attempted to take me prisoner, but..." She glanced over to her axe. "I managed to convince them otherwise!

 

"I did let them all live, of course," she grinned brightly, "after all, such a ship cannot be sailed by just one pony!"

 

(She may or may not be exaggerating )

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

@@Unicorncob,

 

"You got to be exaggerating... You could have beaten 6 minotaurs, not even Celestia's personal guard can take down that many, and they are the only royal guards that can actually fight and the few ponies on this planet who could probably fight better then me" He said "Unless you took the boat without much of a fight, because you said they all got away alive."

[Unicorncob 5,689]

@

 

"You dare doubt my tale?!" Tyra suddenly scowled, more over how her feats were being challenged than anything, "it was well over six, and I let them live out of kindness! ...and to sail the boat."

 

She pointed a hoof to Chronos. "I will be more than happy to prove my strength, right here and now! Give me any challenge you wish, I shall meet it!"

[HunterTSN 1,444]

@@Unicorncob, 

@, 

 

"Challenge?" Nymphaea asked, emerging from the shadows like a ghost. "You wish to throw your ax against  a basilisk? Perhaps an Uutfor drage?" The kelpie turned to regard both ponies at once before speaking firmly, "your achievements are impressive, do not become cocky. There are things in this land that will smite the greatest of your warriors with a glance."

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

@@HunterTSN, @@Unicorncob, 

 

"I am sure I can take on anything that is on this Island, I am a Dial... Fate is on my side" He said as he got out of the water and shook himself dry "I am the tenth to bare the name Chronos, and I will not disgrace the name by dying on this island..." He said to the Kelpie He took his blade out of it's sheath and pulled a whet stone out of the pouch next to the rock and began sharpening his blade. "Also I refuse to die before I have a son..." He said under his breath.

 

(Fun fact: Chronos does not pronounce his name Kr-oh-no-s, He pronounces it Kr-oh-nu-s)

[Unicorncob 5,689]

@

@@HunterTSN

 

"I can take on any challenge this island may present to me," Tyra nodded with unmoveable certainty, as she climbed out of the water next to Chronos and vigorously shook herself dry like a dog, "I've already had a taste of the beasts living here, and I want to battle as many as I can before moving forward!"

 

She trotted to her possessions, dressing herself and glancing over to Chronos.

"As a Shatterhoof, I too refuse to let this island defeat me," she grinned, attaching her axe to its harness, "lest I disgrace myself and my whole clan."

 

(On the subject, Tyra pronounces her name as 'Tie-ra' )

[HunterTSN 1,444]

@@Unicorncob,

@,

((I guess if we're all doing it; 'Nim-fi-a'))

 

"Then you are both fools" the kelpie stated simply. Spinning quickly, Nymphaea began to walk away from the ponies. "You will need sleep" she said passively as she stopped a short distance from her companions in a clear spot on the riverbank, "we will bed here for the night. Tomorrow we leave the forest, assuming there are no... interruptions." 

Edited February 25, 2015 by HunterTSN

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

@@HunterTSN, @@Unicorncob,

 

 

Chronos looked at the kelpie "You have not seen my full capabilities, so you are the fool for judging me before seeing what I can do." He said before pulling a small flower out from the ground and began to use his magic, the flower began to age rapidly and it began to wither away until it was nothing... He smirked and dropped the flower, which turned into soil once it hit the ground. "A thousand years of training and learning spells, all through my ancestors. Can you believe it came in a book only about 60 pages thick..." He said, speaking about a book that his father had given him that had been written by Chronos I, and it was added to by all of his ancestors since then. Sadly Chronos could not use some of these spells too much or it could have bad effects. Just withering that small flower started to tire him but he tried to hide it.

Edited February 25, 2015 by Chronos Dial X

[Unicorncob 5,689]

@

@@HunterTSN

 

"Did you not hear my tale earlier?" Tyra huffed at the Kelpie, lowering an ear, "I may not be the biggest pony, but I am by no means the weakest! I can give any beast or pony on this island a good fight!"

 

She watched as the flower rapidly aged in Chronos' magic, then turned into soil once it hit the ground.

"So, you can make flowers grow old?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, a hint of scepticism in her voice. Though she was glad such a power was on her side, considering the Shatterhoof bloodline's amazing strength and durability came at the cost of an abnormal weakness to magic.

[HunterTSN 1,444]

@@Unicorncob,

@,  

 

Nymphaea scowled and stalked towards the knight with an austere expression, unfazed by his display of magic.

 

"You misunderstand me, there are beings on this island with power that makes your spellweaving seem as though it were cast by a foal, beings that can shrug off the most powerful of magic as though it were merely a gust of wind, beings that cannot be killed by anything less than a god." The kelpie stopped, her face less than a foot from Chronos' own, her pale eyes glared angrily into his. With a quick jerk she rounded on the cocky mare.

 

"Both of your feats are impressive, though that is no reason to let yourselves become conceited. This world is very different from the one you are used to, underestimating it will only leave you more unprepared for its horrors." 

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

@@HunterTSN, @@Unicorncob,

 

Chronos got up and began cleaning his armor in the stream. "Like I said I have fate on my side... My family may have been dishonored by my father, but that doesn't mean that the goddesses have stopped watching over me." He said as he cleaned his sur-coat and looked at the sun symbol on it. He ringed it out and set it on the rock before cleaning the muck off of his chest plate. He simply had to dip the piece and scrape the mud off. He looked back at the Kelpie and said "but... I guess you're right, we have yet to see what all is on this island, so I will try not to underestimate it..." He continued to clean the rest of his armor.

[Unicorncob 5,689]

@

@@HunterTSN

 

Tyra was probably meant to be filled with dread at the Kelpie's words, but a monster that'd take practically a god to take down? She'd love to challenge that rumour if she could!

But she did not speak about it, lest she upset her any further. And she supposed she was right; there were probably many kinds of creatures on this island.

 

Possibly even magic ones, she shuddered to think. In her mind, magical creatures like alicorns and such were the only things capable of defeating her...or worse.

 

"You need not worry so much about me," she smiled, her confidence returning, and patted her chest with a hoof, "I will be prepared for anything this island wants to let out!"

 

She bows her head respectfully to the Kelpie. "Though, your concern is appreciated."

[HunterTSN 1,444]

@@Unicorncob,

@,  

 

Nymphaea growled at her companion's seeming incompetence.

 

"It is your decision to heed my warning or not" she said, her mood once again returning to passive. "You may set your camp here, I will return after I have fed." As the kelpie departed into the woods for her hunt, she silently hoped the ponies could cover food for themselves; chances were they wouldn't be fond of whatever she brought back.

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

@@HunterTSN, @@Unicorncob,

 

Chronos continued to clean his armor, quietly singing the war song he was singing earlier before running into Tyra and the creature. "Axes flash, broadswords swing, shining armor piercing ring. Horses run with polished shield, fight those bastards til' they yield.  Midnight mare and blood red roan, fight to keep this land your own. sound the horn and call the cry , how many of them can we make die..." He was cleaning his shield as he sang quietly, trying not to sing it to loud. 

 

Now that he was out of the water, the two other scars could also be seen, one on his side from Nightmare Moon striking him and one on his back left leg from a changeling bite.

[Unicorncob 5,689]

@

@@HunterTSN

 

Tyra watched the Kelpie make her leave once again, and turned to see Chronos cleaning his armour while singing what sounded like a song from war time. He obviously had a lot of regard for his outfit, considering it seemed to command his priorities.

 

It seemed the duties of fire, and food, were on her shoulders. Her own food at least; this stallion could feed himself, surely.

"I will go prepare our fire then, shall I?" She muttered toward Chronos.

 

Without waiting for a response she trotted off and began gathering large rocks, twigs and branches. The rocks she used to create a small circle in a clearing between them and the river, the twigs and branches set inside it. Once she had a sizeable pile, she removed her axe and began striking it against one of the rocks, the clang of the steel echoing a good bit and sending hot sparks into the twigs.

 

Hopefully, with one good swing, she'd have a fire going...

[HunterTSN 1,444]

@@Unicorncob,

@,  

 

Nymphaea stalked quietly through the dark forest, her eye's glowing softly in the dim light shining through the thick canopy above. Keeping her body close to the ground as she creeped slowly after her unsuspecting prey. The small rabbit remained completely oblivious as it hopped through the underbrush, stopping periodically to chew at the tough grass shoots that grew along the forest floor. Suddenly there was an almost invisible flash of movement as the kelpie's viscous fangs closed around the small animal's neck, killing it instantaneously. Flipping back her head Nymphaea tossed the coney into the air, catching it in the back of her gullet and swallowing whole. She shuddered slightly at the unsatisfactory taste, it was the third time that night. Briefly wishing there was something more satisfying around, something like pony. The kelpie decided that was a sign that it was time to stop dwelling on food. She began to make her way back to where Tyra and Chronos were staying.

[Eternal Night 61]

@@Firehearted,

 

The sun was setting rapidly as I followed Atlas into the woods. I couldn't believe how suddenly this day came to a close, it felt like moments ago I was just stepping off the ship. This entire day was completely insane, trudging through the woods, and especially that fight at the ruins. Talk about an exciting day, I wonder if this was how I was going to spend the rest of my days on the island?

 

As we made our way through the woods, we came upon a nice clearing. Seeing how the sun was setting rapidly, I thought it would be a good idea to settle down for the day.

 

"Hey Atlas," I called to him "You wanna set up camp here? I doubt any of those things would follow us out this far."

[Firehearted 120]

@,

 

I gave a good once over of the site. "I see why not. Hope you don't mind sleeping under the stars 'cause I only brought a sleeping mat.

 

...

 

Night fell on us the moon not yet peeking over the treetops. By now I had a nice little fire going from branches on the clear's edge. 

 

I was lying on the ground, my pack as my pillow. I threw my sleeping mat to Cosmo. "All yours. I'm fine with the ground" I dug into my bag and pulled out an apple which would be my whole dinner. "Word of advice: wait to eat until breakfast. You don't want to waste calories in your sleep. If you eat now that food will sit in your stomach and keep you awake thus resulting in burnt calories that could be used the next day of travel" I'd learned that the hard way before.

 

"Change of topic" I swapped gears fast. "You, right now, must swear to me an outh of secrecy. And I'm taking this dead serious. I'm about to tell you key importances of the network, which may I add that I don't know if I'll let you into the inner circles, and along with those key facts a few names and places. If I learn you have said ANYTHING...

 

I will hunt you... I will have my friends hunt you... I can have hitmen on your flank in days, no hours... I can have every Royal Guard in Equestria know your name... I can have almost every border in the world be looking for you... No where will be safe for you... But I won't kill you... You'll be safe and sound with one of my friends under guard for the rest of your days. Every piece of evidence of your existence will be erased. Your family and friends will be told you died in a tragic timber wolf attack and your body was never found. You will have never existed... I may seem like an adventure who seems a bit too giddy at times and come up with crazy ideas but my little adventures have given me the wealth and power of kings... I will know if you talked. I have ears in every corner of the world and each one of them leads back to me."

 

All cheer and fun had flushed from my face. This was not the time to joke. For me I was dealing with lives now. And I meant every word of what I said. Every single word.

 

"Before you think I've dropped of the deep end we're not playing around. Lives depend on this network and its secrecy. And I'm not talking about mine. Now then... Before I go any farther do you, Cosmo, swear to never speak to anyone except those in the network about what I am about to tell you?

 

I'm not going to lie to you... What I am about to tell you is sought after information. This information will put you in mortal danger and I don't mean from me. If you don't want part in this just say and I'll never speak of the network again"

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

@@HunterTSN, @@Unicorncob,

 

When night had set, Chronos had finished cleaning his armor and fixing all the dents. He was wearing it once more.

 

He slipped on his surcoat and attacked all the pouches and his weapon's sheath onto his belt. He sheathed his sword and but his shield on his back. He was sitting on the edge of the stream, his helmet next to him. He was thinking as he looked into the stream, he was eating an apple that was in his pouch on his belt, luckily it was clean. He hadn't said anything since the sun had set completely and the sky went dark. 

[Unicorncob 5,689]

@

@@HunterTSN

 

With one lucky swing, Tyra finally made big enough sparks to light the fire. Just in time too, since the sky had gone completely dark with night.

Smirking proudly, she put away her axe and began to wonder what she'd have to eat. Hopefully she could hunt something down nearby. Big or small, it mattered not, she needed something.

 

She then spotted Chronos sitting on his own by the stream. She figured he just wanted some time alone to think. Her companions weren't exactly the most sociable ponies, were they?

 

Nonetheless, she walked over to him, deciding to give him company until the Kelpie returned.

"You seem troubled, friend," she began, looking up at the towering stallion, "is something plaguing you?"

 

(Fun fact; Tyra is more an omnivore, enjoying meat as well as fruit and veg )

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

@@Unicorncob,

 

(Chronos prefers vegies but he has eaten meat)

 

Chronos looked at Tyra "I'm just thinking about my fiancee back in Equestrian..." He said. He looked back at the stream and saw a couple fish swim by in the stream. He sighed, before taking another apple from the pouch on his belt and offered it to Tyra. He gave a slight smile which was mostly just a mask for the real emotion he had at the moment, sad.