“This place just keeps going and going,” Josho muttered as the two of them approached the dim light at the top of a sloping ascent. “I'm worried that I've forgotten most of the twists and turns.”
“I haven't,” Eagle Eye said. “I've got an impeccable memory.”
“You would, ya little pecker wood.”
Eagle sighed. “Must you? I mean, I'd understand if this was the Noble Jury's mess hall... but here?” He shuddered, glancing aside at the cave walls plastered all over in black tar and dead changeling shells. “In Slime Central?”
“You've got a better idea for keeping sane?”
“Well, how about a happy little story to pass the time?”
“This one time, on the northern edge of Franzington, I stopped by a bordello and got drunk with—like—six smoking hot mares—”
“Okay, stop it right there.” Eagle Eye grumbled. “I said happy, not nauseating.”
Josho smirked to himself. “...the punchline is that I'm secretly your real dad.”
“That's not even remotely funny.”
“Come onnnnnnnn.” Josho glanced back, wagging his eyebrows. “Part of you had to have tittered inwardly at that.”
“I'm not sure what frightens me more,” Eagle muttered. “The fact that it's remotely possible or that I kind of wish it was true.”
“See? Happy happy!”
“Nnnngh...” Eagle Eye strolled past him, squinting at the next turn. “Hey, I think it opens up here.”
“Feel the warm air?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Maybe the cave's exposed to the skystone fields.”
“Only one way to find out.”
“I'll take point.” Josho strolled ahead of him, levitating his shotgun as he peered left and right. At last, he ascended a final incline of stone, stepping over the crumpled remains of hollowed-out changelings. When finally he was level with the enormous chamber beyond, he stood dead-still, his muzzle agape. “Peaches'n'cream...”
“What?” Eagle Eye scrambled up and stood beside him. “What is it—?” His violet eyes widened.
A large cavern stretched before them. The ceiling was made out of patchwork nodes of skystone that dipped down, glowing with red and yellow energy. Sparks of electricity danced between the bulbous stalactites, gradually forking their way down the furthest wall—where they all converged into what appeared to be round platform constructed out of translucent jade. The green material was translucent, and had the texture of petrified sap.
“It's... organic,” Josho muttered.
“Almost looks like...” Eagle blinked. He turned to look at the discarded shells of dead changelings behind him. Looking back, he fought the urge to vomit. “Changeling blood.”
“I think it's more than that,” Josho said, slowly strolling forward. “It's probably what they build their hives'n'crap with. Maybe the very fabric of their soul-suckingness.”
“The same stuff we saw along the way in?”
“Yes. But... I dunno... fresh.”
“Fresh?”
“I mean, look at the stuff!” Josho pointed. “It's still bright and... gooey... or some crap.”
“Seems like the skystone energy is keeping it fluid.”
“Yeah, but for what?”
Eagle Eye was squinting again. “Is that... no.”
“Hmmm?”
Eagle gritted his teeth. “Something's inside the substance. A body.”
“A body?” Ch-Chtung! Josho cocked his shotgun. “Chrysalis?!”
“No... no no no wait.” Eagle rested a hoof on Josho's shoulder. “I see two of them.”
“Two?”
Eagle nodded. Silently, he strolled forward, levitating his sword and shield alongside. More bolts of electricity forked across the ceiling. The cavern crackled as if with thunder while the two stallions approached the platform. They ascended a patch of rock, brushing past dead changelings and jagged slash marks set within the polished black stone. Coming around towards the broad side of the organic structure, they suddenly froze in place.
There were two deer wedged inside the slimy material—a doe and a buck.
“What... the hell?” Josho slurred.
Eagle flashed Josho a look, then approached the two bodies. They both hung, suspended in the viscous solution, their eyes shut. The doe's legs were curled up towards her grimacing face. The buck's antlers poked out the very edge of the slime, but the rest of his body was just as dormant as the other creature's.
“This whole place...” Josho thought aloud. “...was set up just to keep these two here?” He glanced back at the dead metamorphs once again. “But... what for? It doesn't make any sense.”
“Chrysalis must want something with them.” Eagle Eye reached forward, lightly tapping the edge of the buck's antlers. “Are they even alive—?”
The buck's eyes flew open.
Eagle jumped back with a gasp.
Teeth gnashing, the buck thrashed and writhed in the slimy prison. His mouth opened wide, gargling slime in dull green bubbles.
“Get...” Eagle grimaced. “Get him out!” Schiiing! He slashed his sword into the mess, cutting a deep swath. Josho used the butt of his shotgun as leverage, prying the thing open as Eagle cut his way to the deer.
When at last they had the buck's muzzle free, the creature lunged forward, gasping and sputtering. He vomited a bucketful of viscous ooze, then tilted his face up—seething—to look at Eagle Eye in the face. “Grkkkk... unicornssss...” His eyes flared. “Alafreons?”
“Uhm... n-not exactly.” Eagle Eye chipped chipped away. “Just stay calm. We'll have you out—”
“Snkkkt... no... NO!” The buck writhed and ripped a hoof out. “Her first!” He seized Eagle's shoulder, snarling. “Her first! Damn you!”
“Uhhhhhh...” Eagle glanced aside at Josho.
“I heard 'em!” Josho was already ripping and punching his way into the other half of the slimy structure. Within a minute, he was pulling the doe's dainty body out. Eagle Eye reached in, helping the larger stallion set her on the ground. Suddenly, she writhed on the rocky floor, sputtering up slime and saliva.
“Azira!” The buck wheezed from where he still dangled in the mess of ooze. “Azira, my love! Are you alright?! Speak to me!”
“Grkkkt... hckkkt...” The doe writhed, curling up in a fetal position as she trembled all over. “So... s-so cold...” She wept. “My poor little fawn... wh-what have they done to him?”
Eagle Eye leaned in, burning his horn bright in order to warm the trembling deer. He glanced up at Josho. “I don't understand! What were you both doing here?”
“Just get me out of this! I need to be with her!” the buck stammered. Josho trotted up and gave the buck a telekinetic tug. At last, he and his antlers burst free with a splash of green muck. Josho tried helping him stand, but the deer merely shrugged him off with a grunt. He rushed over and cradled his mate, nuzzling her close. “It's okay, Azira. We've been found, my love. We're no longer prisoners to that monster.”
“So long... been so long...” The doe wept, burying her face in his chest. “What have th-they done with him? I can't bear to think of it...”
The buck clenched his eyes shut. Slowly, with a seething expression, he glared at the two stallions. “Speak the truth, unicorns. Does Prince Eine still live?”
“Prince Eine...?” Eagle murmured.
The deer frowned. “Is my son still alive?! Answer me!”
“Yes! I mean, from what we know—absolutely!” Eagle Eye nodded. “The Prince still lives! But... but wait.” He leaned forward. “Who are...?”
“I am King Lunarius of the House of Evo!” The buck's eyes flickered as his antlers glowed angrily at the very tips. “And I want that bastard Sharp Quill's head on a platter!”
Oh shit.
OHHHHHH! SNAP! I didn't see this one coming!
Congratulations, Prince Eine. You are no longer destined to become Batman.
On the other hand... no Prince Eine on the Noble Jury.
Joy Joy!
Gulp.
Prince Eine, it seems you won't become King today. On the other
handhoof, it turns out your parents are somewhat less dead than you thought. Though now I have to wonder, why are they still alive? It would have been far safer for Chrissy to simply kill them and thus prevent a rescue just like this one.Why keep them alive, though? And why here, of all places? There has to be another angle to this.
Plot twist!
Well, I did not see this coming. Did anyone?
5395955 If Eine doesn't need to stay and rule Val Roa, then he's free to adventure with the Jury! And he'll even stay a Prince!
5395985 And why not have drones take their place? This implies the Big Three are not drones after all. Still leaves the question of their motivation.
Hah I knew it! Kinda...
5395985
Food, probably.
Thanks for not doing exactly what people predict in the comments
well holy shit.....
THE KING LIVES!
and he seems a mite bit pissed
(Is it any surprise that Hamlet was the first thing that came to mind?)
Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.
Murder!
Murder most foul, as in the best it is;
But this most foul, strange and unnatural.
Sharp Quill...
th09.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2013/060/5/0/sword_master_by_colored_socks-d5wl5h5.png
I'mma coming for yer head.
Wow, I though the shit had stopped hitting the fan, but it just keeps coming. Now we just need a Xonan Battleship to show up and we have a party. A Civil War Party.
Well, that was an unexpected positive development.
Turtles and unicorns - easy to confuse :)
Twists and turns. This is a good turn but how are they gonna get back. Whizball is to small. Hmm.
We've speculated about everyone else, so: One of them is Chrysalis, the other a changeling. The whole thing's a Batman gambit based on her knowledge of the Noble Jury.
Azira and I shall smite our enemies and take back Val Roa! No harm must come to my son!
5395990
He's way too weak to be of any use. The Noble Jury is like 50 levels stronger than he is.
Oh shit. Nice!
5395967
Sounds delicious!
Anyway, OMG! What a twist!
—and then Chrysie comes in to play...
5396217
Erm... That's a good question.
This is meant to be a hope spot.
I can feel it.
This isn't going to go as well as everyone thinks it will.
Interesting development is interesting. But why keep them alive at all? I don't like it, not one bit.
Long Live the King,
Because no one else has said it.
God save the Queen!
When they found two deer, I already said in my mind "The king and queen!". But the title makes one think that's Cheesy's lair.
Long live the king!
IT'S POSSIBLE
Don't worry, King. Your son is in the company of a young Princess and is currently in the middle of cave exploring with her.
New theory; the three deer actually control Chrysalis now, and are the ones behind this. Chrissy might have had a hoof in things earlier on, before Stratopolis, but when that when tits up, she was revealed and Sharp Quill/Fishberry/Saikano 'captured' her.
They took over her plot and got added benefits of getting faster soul sentries.... They may be doing it with 'good intentions' though, to defend themselves from the coming goblin onslaught - engineering these attacks so they can wipe them out for good.
Cavern setup. Check. Mana Link, check. Not using Soul Sentries to modulate the mana flow link, very intresting.
As for the two occupants in the material, with that much mana flowin through it?
Hmm, possible? the soul sentries origionally went though months of training to be bonded to the monarchy, So, if these deer are the monarchy, thats why the soul sentries are following the control? Its the feel, the bond of the monarchy, overlaid by th Changeling mana control, links, and the Generals orders?
5396282 Booster Spice was also pretty weak when he joined, and he works great as tech support. Eine can be the diplomat, passing Speech checks and giving the Jury some legitimacy.
Now we're talking!
PS: It's now been precisely 200 chapters since I caught up!
YES! *Bounces up and down* I bet they were kept alive as part of the Soul Sentry control matrix. But how in Equestria are they going to escape the Skystone fields? Long distance teleport? Repeated Wizzballing? Surfboards?
Eine is gonna be SO happy!
5395985
5395991
5396045
5396732
... I'm surprised no one has said this yet, but maybe, just maybe, Saikano, Sharp Quill, and Fishberry were working with Chrysalis willingly because they knew the only way to get the king and queen back was to go through with her plot and they, being closest to the king and queen aside from Eine, were willing to go to any lengths to get them back?
That's the theory I'm running with, anyways. It sounds like what IC would do to us, and would continue the trend of bad-guys-with-good-motives thing we've seen a lot of with Jax. Might be part of a theme.
5396933 Problem is, the King blames Sharp Quill for his current situation--not Chrysalis.
Sharp Quill is in for a rude awakening.
I have a feeling this is not a Hope Spot.
Oh, fuck.
5396986 They've been locked in changeling goo. We know it helps the others maintain a link. I'd reckon even odds that while he's been trapped he's aware of what's been going on.
I mean, if I were a ruler, kidnapped, and my best friend gave in to the kidnappers, was abusing my son, and destroying my kingdom, you'd bet your sweet tattooed flank I'd want his head on a platter.
5396986
Better use that sharp quill of yours to start on your last will and testament.
Hell's about to break loose for you, bub.
Hmm, isn't this right around the time that IC reminds us that spelunking is a bad idea in this series? Because whatever killed those changelings probably is still out there. Although now the question is, why did it/they leave the Royals alive?
5397561 Unfortunately, I wore it down on another project. Maybe I can get one from my alter ego in Appledashery. (Or maybe start using one of those new-fangled mana-powered word processors.)
cache.g4tv.com/ImageDb3/312998_S/ubisoft-announces-assassins-creed-3-the-tyranny-of-king-washington-dlc-season-pass.jpg
Long live the King, motherbuckers.
Oh, holy son of a nutcracker! This is one hell of a doozy!
5396880 It is good to see back!
5397764
I'm not exactly "back" – I've never really fallen behind. I just don't comment as frequently or as early as some of the others.
YES.
Translucent material is translucent.
The possibilities opened up by this. I think I have a new theory for the plan old Chryssie might have had involving these two. It's possible that our old plan ideas of Eine taking the throne and the goblin invasion causing the misery to power Chrysalis is still a major part, but then while Eine is hidden from goblins these two are released to the palace and one of two things happen. They are captured, tortured, and murdered by goblins while Eine watches from afar, his misery feeding Chrysalis. Or, Eine is found by goblins causing his newly reunited parents to watch their son die, then blaming themselves and the 3 conspirators for his death leading to a civil war while goblins ravage the area. Both cause massive amounts of misery for Chryssie to feed on and grow a new changeling army with. Just a theory, but who knows what Chryssie planned before.