private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Drago Ryder

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

Midnight would slowly ease himself onto Gale's back once she had lowered herself, carefully scooting himself forward to get his forelegs ahead of her wing joints to hold somewhat securely.  """As long as you stay low, I'll be fine if you have to drop me. There's no need to hurt yourself for my sake, I've survived much worse."

In all, while he was still somewhat heavier than he had appeared, it seemed like an ideal distribution of weight, almost like a backpack if she had ever worn one. Despite the limited area he seemed to be gripping her quite well, almost as if his hooves were stuck to her.

[Drago Ryder 641]

Gale nodded in understanding, hoping that the dorsal ridges on her back weren’t digging into his chest. It honestly felt like a large, thick blanket had been placed over her, though she tried to not think about that too much. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I had in mind. The air gets a bit thinner the higher up you go, and it can have some nasty side effects if you aren’t used to it.” Granted, flying low would also make her more vulnerable to any being that might want to chance catching a dragon, especially since they were about to start investigating a potential slaver operation.

Trying to push that thought to the side, the dragoness took to the sky with a beat of her wings and leveled off just a few meters above the tree line. She wasn’t exactly at her top speed, though that was mainly a result of Midnight’s weight upon her back. Aside from that everything she associated with flying was still there: the wind rushing over her scales and a feeling of freedom that allowed her to not care about whatever might be occurring on the ground below.

Edited December 2, 2019 by Drago Ryder

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

"Whoooah"

Midnight somehow managed to grip her tighter as she took to the sky. "I, uh, didn't realize you could get up to speed so quickly. You really are stronger than you look, or better suited to speed than those  I studied with."

He was silent for a moment, taking in the experience of it all, until his head jerked to one side as he noticed something. "You haven't been to Trottingham before have you? Because we seem to be going the opposite way."

(You can feel free to throw in an encounter before they get to Trottingham, and I'll think up something for when they get there.)

[Drago Ryder 641]

(Right. I’ll try to do that in my next post.)

Gale paused in thought at Midnight’s observation, simply gliding in a straight line for a few moments before pulling into a gentle U-turn. “Yeah, I probably should’ve asked which way we were heading before taking off like that. Thankfully, you’re a bit more familiar with Equestrian cities than I am.” Honestly, she couldn’t even remember the last time she had looked at a map, so it would certainly be best if she left navigation to someone with a bit more world experience.

Either way, she did notice the stronger grip he had on her upper chest and shoulders and figured it would be best to at least help him relax to some extent. If this was his first time doing this, she wanted him to at least enjoy it. “I suppose it might be a bit of both, though I do apologize if it was a bit rough. Thankfully, the hard part should be over, so it should be a smooth glide from here on out.” Assuming that the weather didn’t go south, she would certainly try to land in some inconspicuous location within walking distance of their destination, if only to avoid drawing too much attention to them.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

Midnight seemed hesitant to relax his grip, but over time she would notice the pressure of his grip lessening so long as the glide was indeed smooth.

"I'll keep an eye out for Trottingham. I haven't been there recently mind you, but if it's still where it was it should be on the other side of a lake with some mountains to the west. Knowing slavers their main camp would either be on this side of the river, ferrying them over, or in the mountains."

[Drago Ryder 641]

“The mountain caves would be a good location for storage or hiding if their practice is looked down upon by a majority of Equestrian society, though that wasn’t exactly the impression I got from our earlier conversation. If we’re lucky, they’ll be out in the open.” It would be good if the slaves weren’t already being transported, though she could certainly provide air support while he took whatever boat they were on.

Before the dragoness could continue with the conversation, an object that could best be summarized as two weighted spheres connected by a thick cord shot past her, one of the balls missing her face by a few inches. More of the same type of object came from the forest below, though she tried to avoid them without throwing Midnight off her back. The projectiles seemed to be meant for immobilization, though the cord itself wasn’t long enough to wrap around her midsection with her wings extended. That didn’t mean they couldn’t do some damage or force her tail fins closed. “Whoever’s throwing those things either has a good bit of strength or their using magic.”

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

Midnight had been about to respond when the ball whipped past the pair, his grip tensing back up again, when he spoke it wasn't in fear, but cold fury. "Well then, sounds like someone has the balls to try and take down a dragon, literally in this case. I'd almost hate the disappoint them. Circle back around, but carefully. Don't want them to hit when they try again." He'd maintain his grip with three legs, using the fourth to put his helmet on.

The enchantment in his helmet allowed him to see magic as it flowed through creatures, similar typically to thermal vision, but it allowed him to also see when things were enchanted or otherwise affected by magic. He would look down at the forest below to see if he could see who or what had tried to take them down. "Fly low, the more trees in the way the less likely they hit, and the closer the ground if we do fall."

He gave her a light squeeze, almost like a hug, "Again, don't be afraid to drop me if you have to, I can survive a fall from here just fine."

[Drago Ryder 641]

While Gale was a bit surprised by the pseudo-hug, she had to admit that it did feel rather nice, though it was probably best if she remained focused on the task at hand. “Right. I’ll fly low, but you might have to jump off. Be careful, please.” The dragoness then angled her body downward and tried to get as much speed as possible before leveling off a meter or two above the ground. She had a few close calls with whatever those projectiles were , the chain of one grazing the edge of her wing. It stung a bit, but she would work through it. 

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

(Congrats on 5000 posts!)

While Midnight was fine with vertical stopping, he was less sure about his ability to slow himself horizontally. Nonetheless, he prepared himself to jump as soon as the moment presented itself.

Given they were still being fired upon it was clear they were getting closer. Midnight's helmet would let him see exactly where the creatures controlling the trap were, or the magic running it if it were automated. He would jump off about a dozen meters before the closest point to the trap, twisting his body to point his hooves in the direction he was moving, somehow slowing his forward momentum to land somewhat gracefully, but still slide a few lengths across the ground before rolling into a crouched position, he'd evaluate his surroundings before moving forward, seeing where the potential threats were before engaging. Just because they had attacked didn't mean they needed to die, it could be a simple misunderstanding after all.

He would seek out someone standing by themselves, drag them away from the group by force or diversion, then either question them as to the nature of the operation, or hold them hostage a la bladed horseshoe until some other member explained themselves.

(You don't have to advance the scene that far if you don't feel it natural, just describing the scene once he rolls into a crouch is enough.)

[Drago Ryder 641]

(Fair enough)

Once Midnight has dismounted, Gale continued forward, swerving between the trees. With that in mind, the projectiles seemed to stop targeting her, so that allowed her to at least land on the ground and catch her breath. Were they only targeting anything within a certain radius? Slowly, the dragoness moved back to where she had dropped off the pony,

Either way, it seemed that their new target was Midnight, though only one came at him at a time. There were certainly enough trees to provide decent cover, though how long such a thing might last was unknown.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

(If "They" refers to their assailants)

Midnight would be able to make use of the cover to take advantage of their foolish decision to come at him one at a time, overpowering the first one that came close enough to grab and hoisting them up via grip on their neck, holding their back to his chest with a bladed gauntlet to their throat as he spun to face any others headed towards him. "So, how's this going to go down?"

(Midnight is standing, leaning against a tree for stability, the pony he's holding covers all of his front, and is held in a way that would make most strikes against him ineffectual.)

(If "They" refers to projectiles)

Midnight would take advantage of the trees to avoid the projectiles, then throw another smoke bomb to further obscure his position in an effort to better approach their assailants.

[Drago Ryder 641]

(Sorry for the delay. Holidays kept me busy, Either way, I’ll go with the first option.)

For now, the projectiles stopped, though whether this was due to the fact that one of their own had been captured or a lack of bolas was up for debate. Upon closer inspection, Midnight could potentially notice the swords that had yet to be drawn and light armor that shielded their body from harm.

Of course, the ponies also took this time to study Midnight and the weapon he held to their companion’s throat. The craftsmanship was unlike anything they had seen before and also made them wary of doing anything too drastic. In a world of magic, a weapon could easily sheer a mountain in two if the correct enchantments were applied, though such skill was nonexistent at the time. Of course, one just couldn’t keep his mouth shut, specifically the one closest to certain death. “Heh, and here we figured someone like you would’ve used the dragon to just burn the whole forest down.”

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

(No worries, I was also occupied with the holidays.)

Midnight would simply stare down whoever spoke, "I still might, but first I need answers. Provide them and I might let you live, refuse them and you're not worth keeping alive. What are you doing out here? Why did you attack us?"

[Drago Ryder 641]

The pony seemed to merely roll their eyes at the threat, though one of the older members that stood opposite of Midnight, an earth pony with a heavy build and a dark brown coat, spoke before he could carry such a thing out. “Please forgive him for his manners, or lack thereof. The youth today can be quite brash at the most inopportune moments. We saw you riding the dragon and heading in the general direction of a popular trade hub, even if the wares are something some would shy away from. I take it you are not from around here?”

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

Midnight didn't look to impressed by their casualness given he literally had one of them by the throat, so he decided to whisper in his captive's ear before responding to the on comers. "I know what you're thinking, 'Oh he's bluffing, he'd never actually kill somepony, nopony does that' well I've got news for you pony. I've killed before, I've killed and buried five stallions just this morning, would have been six but the last got away. Now if you don't take this seriously I might just get my sixth kill today."

Soft threat issued he turned his eyes and voice to the others, "Awful brave of you to not answer my questions, especially considering you saw me ride a dragon in here, I can count how many ponies I know who've done that on one hoof, and personally I wouldn't open by attacking them. But because I'm feeling generous, I have been through here before yes, but it's been quite a while. Don't think any of you were born yet when I last strolled through here. But to reiterate my question, why were you lot so idiotic as to attack someone riding a dragon, and what are you idiots doing out here? If the next thing out of your mouths isn't an answer to one or both of those questions well." he shifted his grip on his captive so that he could easily stick his knife into the pony's mouth rather than slit their throat, "Then his one won't be answering any questions either, ever again."

Midnight was almost certain that, if they were much smarter than they seemed, they were planning some sort of ambush, biding their time or calling his bluff. Honestly he didn't want to hurt his captive until he could determine whether they deserved it, being slavers for instance, but it it came down to it he wouldn't hesitate to cut and run, literally.

[Drago Ryder 641]

After a few minutes of trekking through the forest, Gale eventually caught sight of the group of ponies, along with Midnight, and figured that it would be best if she simply watched from the shadows of the tree line. If they tried anything, she would easily be able to respond in kind, though given how the situation had yet to escalate into an all out brawl, that might not have been needed.

The stallion merely gave a light sigh as he simply shook his head. If subtlety wouldn’t do the trick, then perhaps being a tad more blunt would do the trick. “Yes, and that is precisely why we thought you might have been one of those slavers, and a particularly skilled one at that. The unicorn among our party would have used her own magic to levitate the dragon safely to the ground, though apparently that was not necessary.” It wasn’t hard to guess what might have happened to Midnight if such a thing was actually successful, even if the dragoness he was with would’ve gone free. “I suppose you could say an old legend inspired us to try and change the way things worked around here.”

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

Midnight briefly considered that it might still be a trap, but they seemed genuine enough. He threw his captive forward as he lowered himself back down to the ground. If it were a trap, there'd be at least one not able to immediately attack him. "Apologies, it appears we're fighting for the same side, despite the misunderstanding. We had just broken up a caravan which was headed this way, perhaps if we joined forces we'd be more successful at bringing down the operation?"

He wouldn't bring his guard all the way down, but seeing Gale across the clearing allowed him to relax a bit at least.

"If I may, might I hear about this legend of yours?"

[Drago Ryder 641]

It didn’t take long for the pony that midnight had once used as a hostage to rejoin their comrades, though he would most certainly be bitter about this whole ordeal, if only from the embarrassment of it all. Either way, the perceived leader of the group didn’t seem to notice, instead opting to continue the conversation. “I don’t see why not. It’s not like we’re gettin’ a reward for this.” A smile then graced his lips as he moved on to Midnight’s second question. “As for the legend, it’s just one that’s been circulating around the zebra tribes concerning a lone wanderer hailed as a hero for the deeds he accomplished in life. We just tend to focus on the ones involving the liberation of those taken from their homes by force. Granted, some sources say he had a companion or two, though those instances are rare.”

Figuring that hostilities had ceased for the time being, Gale exited the tree line and moved to stand next to Midnight. While she still didn’t trust these ponies, she would at least make them think she did for the time being. For now, it would probably be best if the talking was left to him.

Edited February 26, 2020 by Drago Ryder

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

Midnight simply smiled and nodded, "Well then, perhaps we will yet make him proud, if he's still around to hear of it that is." He would look over the group to quickly get a sense of their organization and capabilities. They weren't likely to be true professionals, but perhaps a few of them were reformed slavers or similar. He would motion to their camp, "Do you have somewhere where we could discuss strategy? I'd like to see what plans you have, and how we might be able to improve your chances of success."

[Drago Ryder 641]

(Sorry for the delay. I kind of lost track of time.)

The leader of the group gave a light nod as he motioned towards a tent that seemed a bit larger than the others. “It’s not much, but that should provide all the privacy and convenience we need to discuss such matters. Granted, it might be a bit of a tight fit with your friend.” A few other tents could be seen in a loose circle, though no campfire was lit with the sun at its current height. There was no reason to potentially give themselves away with the rising smoke. Within their destination lay a small oaken table, most likely reappropriated from some slaver, covered by a map of the local area. Markings could be seen of potential and checked locations, along with a variety of side notes and ink stains.

After a moment of thought, the stallion continued on, figuring that now would be a good a time as any to get introductions out of the way. “I apologize for taking so long to provide my name, though I figured saving one of my own from his own foolishness was more of a priority. You can call me Rorik, and the hostage you had taken is Liam. Foal can be a bit headstrong, but who isn’t at their age.” Glancing at the other members of his groups within the general vicinity, he simply nodded. “At ease, the lot of you. These two are friendly.”

Gale looked around and was a bit surprised at how quickly the mood could shift. One moment, they were ready for a fight, and the next they were a bit more relaxed than one might expect. “I can wait outside or help around here if need be. My name is Gale” The dragoness wasn’t too sure about giving her own name to these ponies, but the least she could do was give them the benefit of the doubt. 

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

Midnight nodded at each of the introductions, looking over the pair of ponies as they were introduced. "Fully understandable, protecting your fellow fighters is often a top priority. You can call me Midnight." He would proceed to examine the map, "I see you've been working for quite some time, do you have a plan as to where they are? How you're going to attack? Or is that where you need help?"

[Drago Ryder 641]

Rorik thought for a moment before pointing to a few marked areas that seemed to be around the base of the mountain, give or take a few meters to accommodate for hills and other such terrain. “The slavers seem to be using the cave systems for easy storage before their captives are moved to their next destination.  After that, they’ll most likely be sold or moved again until death or a master takes them.” It honestly made the earth pony sick that such was the case, though perhaps these sorts of things would diminish in time. “We’ve done a few raids on them already, though we rely more on stealth and small groups rather than brute force. Tends to catch them off guard when new blood joins in on the action, however rare that might be.”

While the two conversed over what was to be done about the slavers, Gale began to look around the camp, figuring that it might be nice to at least know her way around. That, and conversing with the other ponies within the camp would certainly help her get a sense of what they were like. The dragoness was a still bit hesitant to trust them after their initial reaction to her and Midnight, though that could be forgiven in time.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

Midnight nodded, "Smart ones these, provided the cave system doesn't have other exits they need to only guard the entrance as few would be foolish enough to wander the unexplored caves looking for a way out that may not exist. If anyone got in they'd be similarly trapped. If they got routed they could themselves fall back into the caves, bottle-necking any attackers."

A gleam entered his eye, "Ah, there's how we do it. What's the ratio of slaves to slavers? 4:1? 5:1? I'd even take 3:2, better that way as the slavers will be more desperate." Midnight started diagramming a plan. "Provided my assumptions are correct, we sent a small group, heavily armed, to sneak in to where they keep the slaves. If you have any zebra with you that'll make blending in easier, they distribute the weapons to the slaves. Once the slaves are mostly armed we attack on the outside, force the slavers to fall back into their defenses in the caves, right into the waiting blades of the now armed slaves. Then instead of us getting necked, they get squeezed. Forcing them to surrender, or die."

He looked up at Rorik, "How does that sound? These are your ponies after all."

[Drago Ryder 641]

(Probably should have mentioned this earlier, but feel free to have one of the ponies in Rorik’s group interact with Gale. It wouldn’t be fair if I had control of all of them.)

Rorik narrowed his eyes in thought, though he did have to admit that it was indeed a good plan, even if there were a few kinks that needed to be worked out. “Assuming they haven’t made any additional tunnels to the cave network, there should only be one, maybe two entrances that we can expect them to use, though both are on this side of the mountain. As for those within the caves, it fluctuates at times, though I’d say the average is around four slaves per one overseer.“

Now came the more difficult aspect in the plan itself. “While we do have a few zebras volunteer after their free, most tend to want to head back to their homeland, not that I blame them for such a sentiment. If it were possible, a few of the unicorns here might be able to escort them in with a few small weapons, if only to add their own magic into the mix as well, but they might need something a bit more substantial than that if something goes wrong on their side. Do you think your friend might be able to be placed within the caves, along with my own?” If she were here, he’d honestly ask her himself, but he’d have to go for the next best thing at this point. Of course, their initial encounter made him wary of asking such a thing, if only for fear of upsetting either unintentionally.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Drago Ryder

(Well, I controlled all the zebra and slavers in the last group, but if you insist...)

Midnight nodded, "Even so, unless their spare exits don't require they go through the slaves they'd still be trapped, and even if that is the case: our goal should be the liberation of the slaves first, the capture and slaughter of the slavers second. If they escape we'll still have freed the slaves and broken their fort."

1 hour ago, Drago Ryder said:

Do you think your friend might be able to be placed within the caves, along with my own?

Midnight looked a bit incredulous, "I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't fit in the caves, much less Gale. Besides, she'd be a might bit more conspicuous and difficult to sneak into the caves. I think she'd be best suited as an outside pressure to force them into the caves, that way fewer of your ponies get in harms way in the frontal assault and we can focus on fighting them at the mouths of the caves."

Midnight pondered, "Getting some unicorns on the inside could help, but would also be risky. I suggested zebra as if they were spotted they could easily blend in with the others, if a unicorn were spotted they'd stick out like a broken hoof."

-Outside

Gale might become aware that she was being watched from the edge of the clearing, if she looked closely she'd see it was a zebra, looking a bit ragged, watching her and the group from the outskirts. When they saw they had been spotted by Gale they'd motion for her to come over.