"Is..." Tiny clawed footsteps. Jacko had walked across the store to run his grimy palm across Wildcard's neckcrest. "Are those feathers real, as?"
"... ... ...?!" Wildcard's beaked swiveled spun towards him like an owl's.
"Sh-shit!" Jacko hopped backwards with a flounce of his necklace. "Sear me ears! What mangy rubbish pile did ya crawl eet of?"
Wildcard sighed, he turned towards the three goblins behind the counter and flexed his metal digits, showing off the prosthesis' articulation.
The three Fur-Blooders cooed, their large eyes glittering like gemstones. "Starbeeeeeams."
Campo pointed, smiling with razor-sharp teeth beneath his pointed jaw. "How many strips for it?"
"What?!" Rainbow frowned. "It's not on sale! It's his friggin' arm!"
"Righ, and it's me friggin' money!" Campo gestured. "Twenty strips for the mutated bird-o's love-makin' arm and I'll throw een a complimentary box of crackahs, aye?"
"He ain't no crackah munchin' featha dustah, Campo!!" Jacko growled. "Look et thet beak! That's made for rippin' flesh! Only ever seen them bitahs poppin' off of patrollin' change-o's!"
Rainbow leaned aside. "Twilight, are you taking notes?" she murmured.
"I'm certainly trying," Twilight whispered back.
"Guys...?" Ariel trotted in, followed by Kepler and Seraphimus. "What's taking you so lo—?!" She blinked. "... ... ...is this for real?"
Seraphimus sighed lethargically at the awkward scene. "Unfortunately so..."
"Ach! What is happening?" Kepler sniffed the air. "And why do my nostrrils detect fungus?"
"Shard-o's shitholes!" Dyno reacted. "More of 'em!
"Oi!" Jiro pointed at Seraphimus' beak. "Look the pointy end on that'n!"
Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "All the more to deflate you with."
"Hah!" Jiro chuckled. "I do love me a sassy bird! Even if she's half pussy!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Hahahaha..."
Ariel grimaced. "Is this some kind of cruel joke?"
Campo bowed even lower. "Fur-Blood's trade hole, love. Cruelest joke this end of the Blob."
Flynn arched an eyebrow. "Blob?"
Campo merely continued. "The Steel-Bloodah's and Star-Bloodahs get the uppah spokes of Petra, but Fur-Bloodahs hafta play babysittahs for naked horse meat!"
Dyno smirked across the shop. "And Tail-Bloodahs get to live in the wastes, makin' strips outta foot-fondlin'! Haha!"
"Up yours ya drongo," Jacko growled. "At least I don't have to cheat thoughtless droolahs for a livin'!"
"Yeah! Then you'd have richah blood!" Campo looked at Wildcard again. "Thirty strips! That my final offah!" He gestured vaguely out the door. "Ya don't need two pairs of digits out there in the wastes! Just find a failure and make 'em your extra set of limbs! Just look around and listen for sobbin'! You're bound to find one!"
"... ... ..." Wildcard stared at him.
"Not much for yabbin', are ya?" Campo's ears pulled back, and the green of his skin darkened slightly beyond the penumbra of the amberlight. "How do we know them feathahs are real? Or the metal for that matter."
"It's sure as Hell real, bub," Flynn spat. "I made it myself!"
"Campo..." Jiro leaned in, eyes locked on Wildcard and the others. "...they sure as Hell ain't actin' like normal travelahs."
"That's because we're not!" Ariel exclaimed.
"You..." Jiro scratched his pointy chin. "You don't think—"
"Thees far out beyond the Blob?" Jacko grimaced. "In Dihmah town? They wouldn't have anything worth suckin' on."
Rainbow's eyes darted left... then right. "...you think we're changelings?"
"Wouldn't be the first time they've tried somethin' this desperate," Campo snorted. "Wastes are gettin' thin, I reckon."
"You would all be dead by now if we were allied with the Keepers of the Flux," Seraphimus said.
"Sera..." Rainbow sighed.
"'Keepahs of the Flux!'" Campo once again filled the store with laughter. "Hah hah hah hah! Them's Spindlah words! You haven't been sleepin' with any eight-legged minstrels in your travels, aye?"
"And what if we have?" Ariel asked. Rainbow smacked her rear fetlock. "Er... I mean... no."
"Ya best be careful! Might ketch yaself a case of the widow willies! Hah! Worst way to die out heah is to do so pissin' fire from silk-os, cobbah."
Flynn looked at Rainbow Dash. "Remind me why we're in here again?"
Rainbow droned. "We're trying to get information about this place and beyond."
"Do we have to?"
"Ah!" Campo seemingly woke up to the matter at hand. "If it's info you're hankerin' for, then youse gotta pay up! Strips for tips, aye?"
"I was thinking we could do an exchange of information," Rainbow Dash said. She slapped on a bright smile. "Wouldn't your society want to know what lies beyond Penumbra? On the other side of the world?"
"Pfffft!" Campo rolled his eyes while his ears curled. "Penumbra's a myth! All that burns beyond the edge is unkethchable starbeams! Petra is the only fire that mattahs, love."
"I... thought Petra was a city," Flynn remarked.
"Hah!" Jiro scoffed. "They really were shat out yesterday!"
"I still think they're change-o's," Dyno said.
Rainbow groaned. "What do we gotta do to prove that we're not changelings—"
"Here." Seraphimus stepped up, talons barred. Chiiing!
"Wait, Sera—don't—" Rainbow protested. "Nonono—youdon'thaveto—!"
Sliiiiiiiink! She made a shallow cut across her forelimb and exposed the glowing blood before the goblins.
Rainbow sighed, shutting her eyes.
"Sweet meats!" Jiro wheezed. "The bloody ostrich has got petrol for blood!"
Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "I beg your pardon?"
"Oi!" Campo pointed at Wildcard with a grin. "Cut 'em next! See if he oozes gold!"
Ariel face-hoofed.
Rainbow glared at Seraphimus. "See what I mean? If they're anything like the ones from Val Roa, they only speak in money."
"Strips, love!" Campo pointed at the petite pegasus. "Streeeps. How many times do I gotta say eet?!"
Jacko tugged on Rainbow's left wing. She looked down at him, and the grayish imp murmured, "Are ya really from Penumbra?"
Rainbow opened her muzzle to respond—
"Just what is a strip?" Logan asked after a patient wait.
Campo flung him a look. "What, are ya bloat, lard-o?" He gripped the metal rectangle dangling around his neck and held it out at the chain's length. "Thees is what makes trade go around, aye?" The silver sheen of the strip flickered into Rainbow's eyes.
In the following blink, all of her marefriends vanished. A wave of dizziness overwhelmed Rainbow, and she stumbled backwards—nearly stepping over Jacko. In her peripheral vision, Discord stood, fully materialized.
"Oooh... I get it..." He scratched his furry chin. "...we are living underneath your homeland, after all."
Just as quickly as he appeared, the dargonequus vanished. Twilight Sparkle and the rest reappeared, visibly disturbed.
"What the...?" Pinkie squeaked.
"Uhm..." Applejack looked around.
"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy looked at their anchor. "...did we just disappear a moment ago?"
"I..." Rainbow grimaced. She looked at the metal strip in Campo's hand, bearing the insignia of the Fur-Blooders in red etching. "...that metal..."
"You okay, sheila?" Jacko reached a four-fingered hand out to steady the mare. His Tail-Blood pendant dangled, swinging in her direction.
The ghostly mares vanished again. Discord appeared, chuckling.
"You could eat ice cream out of those ears of theirs! Those poor naked heavy metal fans outside don't know what they're missing!"
This time—when he vanished—Rainbow Dash was left teetering in a cold sweat. Panting.
Wildcard and Ariel gaped at her with concern.
"Is everything okay...?" Ariel asked.
Campo nodded. "What she on about?"
"I..." Rainbow shook all over. "...I-I have to step outside!" And with a flick of her tail, she hurried out the door.
"Rainbow—!" Confused, Twilight and the rest of the companions flailed after her.
Chaos.
Strips.
Okay, now that’s crazy. Are you telling me that Red Barge slang got picked up by goblins at some point centuries ago and then taken to the Dark Side? Cause that would be friggin’ amazing.
of course. chaos metal.
...maybe these yobos are why the bloodwings leave the dihmers alone, they know how to forge armour and weapons with chaos metal.
Bloody nora.
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
Chaos metal is money?
Wow. Holy shit, wow.
Hopefully it isn't too common. Rainbow needs her ghost buddies going forward.
What is with people and making stuff out of chaos metal?
If they want to trade information, the herald could tell them about where they got their chaos metal for the wagon. That place was ripe for mining and was probably worth more than its weight in gold.
Well, this complicates things.
They use Chaos metal as money. That is going to be very bad for the team.
That's one way to discourage carrying around a lot of money. On the other hand, Dash survived a trip with a chaos-fueled sled. A couple strips shouldn't hurt too much.
Also, last time we saw goblins on this side of the plains is that chaos crater. I'll say goblins are attracted to chaos in general? Or just shinies.
God DAMN that's a lot of sequels!
Of course it can't be silver strips over here.
It's kinda hard to trade when the money tries to kill you. And this is just a commerce outpost. Try to imagine what their main hub looks like and what that means for Rainbow.
The strips might still be Silver. Remember, goblins wear talismans of "metal from Tartarus" with their clan-blood designation on it, classically in SS&E goblin lore, (we're going back to EOP goblins) so it becoming Chaos Metal makes sense for Austraeoh.
Brings a new meaning to 'deadly trade'
Sup nerds. Been a while since I’d last been caught up. Feels weird to be perched at the tip of the spear again.
8870007
So, whos being shipped at this point?
Side note, we now also know what those drums are.
Who was it many years ago proposed an April Fools method of solving money problems by making coins out of nuclear waste?
What if Flynn dded a Chaos spike or blade or even projector to wildecards arm?
Symptoms may include headache, nausea, feinting, bloody spots on forehead, Discord, and... err...
Kinda sorta turning into a living death machine.
Just bring out the map. Offer them a copy and help them with the annotations.
8870047
A better question would be, who ISN'T?
That aside, using Chaos metal as currency, I can see some sense in it, hard to duplicate something like that. It is however going to be a problem for Rainbow and her friends. I also have to wonder what they are going to think of Kepler if they are impressed by Wildcard and Seraphimus.
8869727
It's the default currency... As in every sentient person besides the emotionless ones, are probably going to be carrying it, to trade with each others and traders.
8870007
Oh hey, nice, I just caught up too! Hopefully I can stay with it this time.
Seems that the goblins might be a problem to fight in close quarters for Dash. Just the fact that the Goblins are using Chaos metal as a currency seems pretty dangerous.
I love me and my accent.
The pieces of the hoverplank may be salvagable? Its not too far away.
8870007
Well what's up is in the game I'm playing. you pop up as a giant Mechanical duck. It has guns for wings
8870047
Absolutely fucking no one, and it's driving me insane. I'm tempted to just pick a random Dihmer and ask if they have a brother.
8870530
If you need a duck, talk to my roommate.
8870503
Welcome to the club, and congrats!
Ah chaos currency, yeah that could be a problem
Chaos money
8870515
I love you and your accent too.
8870458
Wrong reference man, it's not Scarborough fair, it's the Australian national anthem, Advance Australia Fair.
I'm loving these goblins.
Hoo boy....
Well, at least Jacko seems nice/friendly.
Im guessing larger denominations of currency are made of enriched uranium?
Further confirmation goblins are ORKY.
8870515
Honestly, it might be worse for the goblins if Dash is forced to fight in CQC. Remember Red Barge. Dash-conequus is way deadlier than the petite Rainbow.
8872039
We're flying blind without information - we've never seen Chaos Rainbow in the Dark Side.
Celestia knows what happens if the Element is not strong enough to protect Rainbow against these strips.
Strips of metal have been used as currency once before. Somewhere between the lewd Pegasus crater and Val Roa. I don't think they were chaos metal that time though.
Well, at least they know what griffons are.
Found the foals.
A HA! These "failure" dhimers are ones who still possess emotion, and they can't handle what's going on around them. We might finally be getting somewhere.
8870515
Congratz on being named
I'm betting that Lexxic got goggles coated in the strips at the very least, if its not made with the damn things.
8873847
The Australian national anthem, Advance Australia Fair is the reference in the chapter title, not Scarborough Fair.
8872424
That's not entirely true. We've seen her in her non-equine form back in chapter 103 ("A Grain of Mustard").
Her appearance at chapter start:
Working towards her pendant:
Recovering Loyalty's Element:
Though MattReverse, I will agree that we've haven't seen Rainbow's chaotic side in any kind of conflict since Red Barge. The goblins
shouldwill understand the opportunity cost of truly angering RD.8872993
I'm both eager and horrified at the thought of meeting foals around here. The same with any 'failures.' I'm banking on the Herald picking up an awesome Dihmer failure as a traveling companion.
A Dihmer Kera would be ultra clutch.
This seems very significant.
And that was definitely an image I didn't need.
Chaos strips. Just like Windthrow. Also, I'm getting Flashbacks to EoP on Harmony's airship.
Currency is chaos it seems.
Getting a Last Tears in Tartarus vibe from the strips as currency thing.
Monstrosities in five chapters.
Alright, finally to catch up again because of a mix of holding off on chapters to ingest more at once, fluctuating priorities, and because F$CKING REAL LIFE ISSUES preventing me from reading sets uninterrupted.
So, X-Blood clans still a thing for Petra-goblins (unless I've forgotten a mention from the Val Roan gobs). Good/important to know.
"starbeams" vs. "frostbeams"
Uhhh...okay. Kinda didn't see that coming. So instead of the strips being silver, they're using the chaos metal. Makes since, I guess. The ore is definitely around in abundance.
I wonder if it has the same properties as the strips used on the other side, though. (i.e. SUDDENLY CHAOS BEASTS)