and occasionally in the background
(( Early Hematite 259: Jaxler wants to join the reserves. ))
Jaxler had spent an entire mundane day making worthless wooden crud. He really was stressed out more than usual, on account of the fact that he really shouldn't be allowed to have his crossbow anymore and the lack of excitement during that day, but he had a plan on adding some more into his life. After work and dinner, Jaxler walks over to Indigo's room, knocks and says “YO Indigo!”
Indigo is going over some papers. "Jaxler?"
What could that drunk want from me? Eh, better get it out of the way. He is as annoying as he is persistent. "Wait, I'll open the door." Indigo looks at Jaxler through the door. "Well, what is it?"
Jaxler laughs a little bit and responds "Straight to the point now, aren't you? Well Indigo, I was hopping, I could join the reserve."
"What?! Why?" Indigo is quite taken aback by this to the point where he literally steps back.
Jaxler's decent mood is effectively dented by Indigo's little display "I'm going to keep my crossbow and if I'm part of the reserves, I can. Also, I hate the idea of the military reserve
not having any half decent fighters in it."
Indigo's face looks, as if he swallowed a bug. He retreats deeper into his room. "Come in and close the door."
Jaxler hesitates before stepping in. The look on Indigo's face was worth a thousand words. "So, are you gonna let me join?"
Indigo sits on his rump and sighs.
It is official. My squad is a penal colony. "If Halberd and Partisan agree to this, then yes, but first do you understand what the reserves are all about?"
"I have an idea, but feel free to enlighten me." answers Jaxler.
"Basically we are civilians, getting ready to fight, if there ever is sudden a need for more soldiers. We all work normal jobs most of the time and train together for only a few months each year. We can be mobilised or drafted into other squads when needed."
Indigo pauses and looks at Jaxler's crossbow. "As to you keeping that rotten old thing: I assume it has some sentimental value. You could remove the string and put it on the wall, or maybe join Longshot or something like that. If keeping it is your main reason to join the reserves, I'll have to disappoint you. We are only allowed to keep weapons and armour in our rooms, when we have scheduled training and Halberd gets fed up with giving it to us each day. Otherwise the equipment is locked in the armoury. Though none of us owns any weapons or armour, save for some boots, so you may be able to clear that up with Halberd. One more thing, we are getting paid only when we train as a squad, and little at that, so you will want some kind of civilian job anyway."
"If you knew it was of personal importance to me then why did you insult it? Also, one shouldn't be disrespectful enough to just let something that's saved their life be tacked up on a wall and be forgotten." says Jaxler.
"If it still works, then do what you will. Reservists choose their own weapons, and a Crossbow is one of the recommended choices.” Indigo shrugs. “The way I see it, nothing lasts forever. I had some good tools in my life, but eventually they all broke and were replaced. I learned to not attach myself to objects too much. Anyway, I'm trailing off."
Indigo sighs. "If Halberd and Partisan agree, then yes, you can join the reserves. I wouldn't mind having a competent soldier with us.”
But I do mind having you. “I make due with what help I can get from Glaive and others, but they only train with us occasionally. It is just that... whatever I say seems to piss you off, and I'm not sure, if I can handle you being in my squad."
And if the rumours are true, you are a convicted criminal... This isn't going to end well. Halberd will probably agree to Jaxler being in my squad out of spite, then yell at me, every time he does something bad. When I ask for Jaxler to be removed from the reserves, Halberd will laugh at me for not being able to handle him. Partisan will agree, just to get rid of the problem, and Virtue will agree for the same reason. Is there no way out? Must I suffer through this? I suppose I brought it on myself, when I told Halberd about the reserves. Not... one of my better notions. Jaxler is going to turn the reserves into some kind of goons if he gets his way, and I'll be the scapegoat for whatever he does. Ugh... "Okay... Well I guess that means you'd have a problem, if I asked to be made second in command."
Yeah, how about first in command? Indigo scratches his horn. "There is no second in command. I administer the squad and talk to Halberd."
And I don't think I need to explain to you, how much fun that is. "Apart from that, I coordinate the training and give orders, but there is no hierarchy. Whoever seems to have the most idea about the subject, leads the demonstrations. That puts you in charge of crossbow training, if we get any bolts. You can do individual training when you want, provided the barracks aren't occupied by soldiers. And I want you sober and present during scheduled training session. You can drink in the evening, if you must.
If you want any other responsibility, you have to prove that I can trust you.”
Which I quite obviously can't. “Any other questions?"
Jaxler shrugs "Could you organize a group sparing on my first day? I kinda wanna get back at those ponies for waking me up and laughing at me. Also, do you have a problem if I show up with anything other than a crossbow during training? Also, on my first day as a reservist I plan on sparring with you."
Indigo's eyes narrow.
What?! You insolent... "I already organized a demonstration on our next training session tomorrow, but we have sparring on our third day. Sparring is
not about you getting some kind of revenge, it is about learning what to aim for and what to expect in a real fight. That is another problem with you: you start random fights, seek them, even. If you hurt somepony, I'd get to be responsible for it and I don't want to. You may choose your own weapon, but Axes, Crossbows or Maces are highly recommended. As to you planning on sparring with me, are you trying to prove something? Because in this case my plans are the ones that matter. You can only make suggestions."
"I don't look for fights. I only pick a fight when somepony does something, I find to be grossly offensive to my morals. And yes, I do wish to prove something. Those ponies insulted me, and if I'm going to be working with them, I need them to know, that I don't take that kind of shit from anypony." answers Jaxler.
Indigo grits his teeth. "Well, I refuse to take that kind of shit from you, and you are expected to obey your captain, it that clear?” Indigo frowns. “But just out of curiosity: what exactly did me, Zearoth and Oil Macepony do to you? And what do you mean by 'offensive to your morals'?"
"Last I remember, those ponies laughed at me, when you were raiding my room for barrels, and if somepony does an act, that I see as amoral and that act affects me. I won't sit by and let it happen, regardless of how much harm may come to me, because of my choice to stand up and refusing to be treated with such disrespect."
Indigo facehoofs, then looks at Jaxler with pure bewilderment. "You find laughter... amoral?"
How the hay am I supposed to work with this aggressive cretin? And they say about me, that I hold grudges. "Laughter isn't a crime, but using it to show, that you are superior to another, is." Answers Jaxler.
What about those, who are superior in some respect? "So this is about... disrespect?"
Sekashi! "That at least I can understand, I suppose,
but respect is earned, and you haven't earned mine. Maybe I should have come to your room in the evening the day before, but I didn't expect a shortage of barrels in the first place. Besides, you laughed at us too, don't you think that makes us even?"
And you laughed at me today for even starting a conversation with you. I really should just tell you to get out of my sight. "They laughed at me first, out of foalish pride. I only retaliated."
"You retaliated and we went our way and almost forgot about it by now, yet you insist on beating them up, to show them whose boss.”
and me too! “This is unacceptable and exactly the kind of behaviour that gets you into trouble and earns you disrespect in the first place. I simply cannot allow it.”
Well, it does force ponies to treat you seriously, but I find it hard to respect a bully and a ruffian, even one who could beat me up. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Says Jaxler as he walks out of Indigo’s room. He needs to drink more than his usual intake that day.
“You should seriously consider your attitude, if you want to be in my squad at all!” shouts Indigo after him. While Jaxler pissed Indigo off, he still can join the reserves with Halberd's, Partisan's and Virtue's approval.
**************************************
(( Hematite 259: Sparring with Jaxler ))
((In the 261 save Telgin set the reserves to train in Hematite and Timber.))
Indigo really didn't want Jaxler in his squad, but instead of telling him “No”, he preferred erecting bureaucratic barriers. It was only somewhat less difficult for Zaeroth and Oil Macepony when the reserves were formed. Indigo complained to Virtue, Partisan and Halberd, but they all agreed to Jaxler being in the reserves for one reason or another.
To even join the damned reserves, Jaxler had to talk to a few ponies, he would rather not, and sign some papers with crap like. “I will protect Dawnpick, obey my commanders, take part in trainings, take good care of my equipment. I agree to be called to arms at any time. Blah... blah... blah... Lots of words on paper.” It was nauseating and almost made him regret ditching Partisan, but if it meant keeping his crossbow, he went through with it.
Jaxler didn't exactly get what he wanted. He was allowed to keep his crossbow, but didn't get to spar on his first day. For two days there were some demonstrations, he wasn't really interested in. The first sparring session was on the third day. It only took a moment for Zaeroth and Oil Macepony to choose to face each other, while Indigo was still talking. This left him and Jaxler for the second pair.
They face each other and Jaxler smiles menacingly. “Let's begin,” says Indigo.
Jaxler charges the blue pony and swings his hoof toward his gut, and then throws his other hoof toward his opponent's forehead.
Indigo gets hit before he has time to react, retreats in pain and covers his head.
Jaxler sees an opening and hits Indigo in the chest. Then again and again, while Indigo just groans, and tries to avoid or parry the blows. Jaxler can scarcely believe that the poor unicorn isn't even hitting back, just taking it. While Jaxler is holding back, he still puts enough force behind his punches to cause a lot of pain, and hopefully make Indigo realize, that Jaxler is the best soldier in the reserves.
Indigo curls on the floor and groans. “Stop! Get him off!”
Zaeroth and Oil Macepony just look and do nothing, while Jaxler backs off with a happy expression on his face. “I win!”
Indigo stands up and groans in pain. “What the buck was that? Were you trying to kill me?”
Jaxler tilts his head in confusion. “No no no no, if I was trying to kill you, I would have probably killed you in one shot.“
“This was supposed to be a sparring session, one of many today. Do you understand? Sparring. You're not supposed to hurt me for real. Just mark your hits.“
“Yeah and maybe I wouldn't have hurt you, if you could dodge. And maybe it would do you some good to actually learn how to take a freaking hit, instead of curling up into a ball and begging your attacker to walk away.”
Indigo groans in pain again, barely standing up. “You can train individually for the rest of the day. You're dismissed. You two, continue sparring. I'm off to see Panacea.”
Jaxler does some useless training for the rest of the day and takes note of the other two ponies' novice fighting styles.
Indigo comes back later that day to clean up, collect equipment, report to Halberd and so on.
-----------------------------
Next day Indigo enters the barracks with grim look on his face. He looks at his squad. “You know, I was thinking about what happened yesterday and I was wrong. Just marking the blows is good to begin with, but it is far from a real fight. We need to learn to make quick, strong blows and to take them as well. There is a reason, why we get armour and blunted weapons. We also must familiarize ourselves with pain. You saw me retreating from Jaxler's flurry of blows yesterday and it gained me defeat. Once you get hit thousands of times, you'll get some resistance to pain, and won't be so afraid to get beaten up. Besides, Jaxler's... tactics mimics something we can expect from those bandits.” Indigo sighs. “I also remembered something my old captain told me. 'There will always be somepony stronger and faster in the barracks. That is the one you want to spar with, before you meet his equal on the battlefield.' I've decided that every month we train together, each of us is going to spar with Jaxler for at least for a few days. Starting with me.”
Indigo looks at Jaxler and frowns: “As for you, I still want you to hold back. Some pain, bruises and small cuts are fine, but no permanent injury, and obviously if you knock one of us out, that's the end of the lesson, and not much good. We are here to learn. Is this clear?”
Jaxler sighs “Fine.”
Indigo stands in front of Jaxler, training axe and shield ready. The other two ponies just watch: “Let's begin.”
Jaxler smiles and puts his hoof on his crossbow. “Try to dodge.” Jaxler flings his crossbow's but toward Indigo's head. It gets blocked by unicorn's shield, but then Jaxler throws his free hoof toward Indigo’s gut, knocking him off balance. Then Jaxler marks a hit with his crossbow to Indigo's head. “You're dead.”
Indigo gets up, groans and recomposes himself. “You two, don't just look, your turn will come soon enough. Keep sparring.” He says to Zaeroth and Oil Macepony.
Indigo spars with Jaxler again and again, loosing badly. The unicorn scores a few hits; some of them might be serious wounds, if they used real weapons, but Jaxler barely notices being hit with a training axe, and wins one fight after another. He is having the most fun he's had in years, as he is beating the crap out of Indigo. The markspony doesn't even feel compelled to use his wings to block the unicorn's blows, as his way of fighting is much too clumsy, defensive and slow. Jaxler holds back enough to make the fun last longer, but is practically using Indigo as a living punching bag. To his credit, the unicorn doesn't give up, even after constantly getting beaten up.
After the sparring session Indigo is all sore, but still makes sure everything is in order with the others and their equipment and reports to Halberd, who doesn't neglect to mock his bruises. Then he goes to the hospital to get something for the bruises and pain, but before leaving the barracks, Indigo informs Zaeroth that the next day it is his turn. On the third day, it is Oil Macepony's.
After that Jaxler gets to spar all three of them for a day. Fighting is never fair, and apparently none of the other reservists is enough for Jaxler, so why not let him have it. This however, leads to him holding back less, flying over their heads, while throwing things at them and doing similar tricks. The unicorns learn, that combining their telekinetic powers can keep Jaxler in place long enough to get some hits on him, which would be useful in a real fight if they outnumbered the enemy.
By the time Jaxler learns to train the reservists instead of just going all out on them, Hematite is over and so are their scheduled trainings. They all go back to doing civilian jobs. Still, they all learned something about combat, so their time together wasn't wasted. Indigo decided that Jaxler is useful for something at least. Jaxler established himself as the most competent and tough fighter in the squad.
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(( Hematite, 259: Jaxler oversleeps ))
The reserves have another day of scheduled training and as usual meet at the barracks after breakfast. Except Jaxler doesn't show up. There is going to be a demonstration shortly, and Indigo grows impatient. If he at least saw Jaxler by the wall or in the dining hall earlier that day, he would just wait, but he began to suspect that Jaxler overslept again. “Have you seen Jaxler?” he asks his squad. They didn't, so decides, that they should go look for him. They find him sleeping in a pile of rocks.
“Jaxler, wake up! We have a training session momentarily!”
Jaxler wasn't happy to be awoken by his annoying captain. The pile of rocks was surprisingly more comfortable than one might think. “Ug… Go away Indigo…”
“You're in my squad now, and we train today. Get up and come!”
“Uh… I'm taking a nap, come back in like an hour.”
Oh, I'll wake you up. Indigo grits his teeth, runs towards the well, returns with a bucket of water and spills it on Jaxler's head.
Getting soaked with cold water wakes Jaxler up. “DA’ BUCKING HELL”
It's not like I pissed on him to wake him up. “Oh, compared to the crap I have to take from you, I'd say this is pretty mild. You are awake, bathed and there is some water left in the bucket if you want to drink. Now let's go to the barracks.”
There is another demonstration that day, but hey, in the months they train as squad, another sparring session is always but a few days away, so Jaxler looks forward to an opportunity to get back at Indigo. From then on Jaxler knows, that he is required to attend training (or find a really good hiding spot and listen to a reprimand later).
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(( Malachite 259: Indigo finds sleeping Jaxler ))
Indigo wakes up, washes in a bowl of water, spills it outside his window, gets dressed and walks towards the dining hall to prepare for another day of work. On his way there, he sees Jaxler sleeping in the middle of the street. He sighs. A few months back he would just ignore him, or maybe take the crossbow to a safe place before some foal finds it, but Jaxler is part of Indigo's squad now. They don't have a training session that day, so there is little point to wake the unpleasant drunk up. After only a moment's hesitation, Indigo puts Jaxler's crossbow in his saddlebag, checks that the nearby barrel is empty, lifts Jaxler with telekinesis and carries him to his room. The unicorn places the pegasus on his bed, puts the crossbow somewhere close and turns to leave.
As Jaxler starts to wake up, he notices a stallion in the middle of his room. “Wha… what are you doing in my room Indigo?”
“You were asleep in the middle of the road. You are now in my squad and therefore my responsibility. Since we don't train this month, I didn't have to wake you up, so I took you to your room instead.”
Jaxler was slightly groggy. “You know, I don't like it when ponies worry about me, I also feel a bit disrespected.”
“Getting drunk and sleeping in random places and sometimes pissing or vomiting all over yourself certainly won't earn you any respect. You are now in my squad, I'm responsible for you, and I don't want ponies to laugh at you. I'm leaving now, you wasted enough of my time.”
“Don't let the door hit you on the way out.”
Indigo leaves, closes the door and goes to the dining hall, which is now crowded, so he needs to wait for his turn. Another annoyance, but at least he can listen to ponies chatting in the line. The dining hall is getting too small and will need to be expanded.
From then on Indigo doesn't specifically look for Jaxler each morning, but if he stumbles upon him, he brings him to his room, and is usually reasonably gentle about it. It still annoys him, though. This is not exactly caring, but a substitute for it is better than nothing.
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(( Timber, 259: Misc object user ))
Jaxler was training with a dummy. Throwing hits and bucks was fun and all, but it was starting to get rather boring. He was not a believer in “training a kick a thousand times to make it natural.” The last thing the pegasus wanted was for training to get to mundane, so Jaxler figured that he might as well 'demonstrate' some 'skills' to the other squad mates. He walks over, picks up a *shale chair* and swings it at his target. The chair leaves a huge gash in the diamond dog sized training device. The strike would have easily disembowelled a medium sized stallion and made a sickening sound that reverberated throughout the training area. “That's how you win a fight!”
Indigo is stunned for a moment. “Jaxler, what the hay was that?”
Jaxler shrugged “I thought I was getting rusty at using furniture as weapons and wanted to see if I was still competent at killing stuff with a chair”
Indigo: “Next time you want to do something like this, okay it with me first, understood?”
Jaxler “Meh, Fine”
“Well, I'd pick a real weapon over a chair any day, but I guess this could be useful in a bar fight and having an improvised weapon is much better than none at all.” Indigo looks at the damaged dummy and fortunately whole chair, rising his brow. ”Humph, don't underestimate a determined enemy, no matter what he uses for a weapon. Now, can you fix it Jaxler? Because If not, I'll have to report it to Halberd. We're not supposed to be breaking equipment.”
“I'm a wood crafter, if I couldn't fix a dent or two, I wouldn't be breaking it.” answers Jaxler.
“Well, go about it then. I'd rather not have to explain this to Halberd.”
The amount of work to fix something is always more than to break it, so maybe you'll think twice before doing something like that again. “The rest of squad: back to training basic swings.”
From then on Jaxler sometimes brings random items, like chains and chair legs for sparring sessions, so the other recruits can familiarise themselves with them, but for the most part they still use training weapons.
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(( 259: Jaxler brings a fixed crossbow. ))
(( The dates don't quite work out for this scene. The caravan from Coupledye comes in Obsidian, while the reserves train in Hematite and Timber. Since we used those, maybe this scene should be in 260 or Indigo should randomly stumble upon Jaxler when they don't train. Anyway, here it is: ))
Jaxler walks into the barracks with his now fixed crossbow for another training session with the reserves. Indigo notices the restored weapon and stares at it. After a moment he regains his speech. “Wow... where did you get that?”
Did you steal it from the caravan? They had a decent bowyer with them. Jaxler is as happy as he could be, to have his crossbow repaired. His best and most beloved possession is finally restored to its former glory and even Indigo's annoying questions couldn't possibly kill his good mood. “It's my old crossbow”
“What do you mean, it's your old crossbow? Do you take me for a fool?”
Even Jaxler is usually not this shameless about lying. Jaxler is now slightly pissed off. How could somepony dare assume that Jaxler is a liar? “I had it fixed.”
“What do you mean fixed? That thing was beyond fixing, unless you spent a fortune on it.” Indigo comes closer and takes a better look. There are a lot of similarities between this crossbow and the old one, but many parts look new.
“Flux paid for it, he sold his piccolo, If you think I'm lying then just go ask him about it.”
Falcata said, Flux was playing a piccolo, but a single instrument couldn't possibly pay for it. I make them, so I know the prices. “Flux? I highly doubt he would have enough bits... unless.” Indigo gives a snort. “Stiletto, she is rich and Flux is her plaything. She must have paid for it. I just wonder what she will have Flux ask of you in return. Now that you owe him.”
“I saved that pony's life, and we're good friends. I don't owe Flux anything and if you talk shit about Flux, I'll make sure to be a bit more 'rough' next time we spar.” answers Jaxler.
Indigo's eyes narrow. “True, enough. You saved his life and he owed you, but that is no reason to make threats.” He looks at the crossbow again and notices studs made of strange, blue metal. “And what is this? It doesn't look like silver or steel.“
Jaxler takes note of the pony's question. “It's nether silver, steel nor platinum. It's something far too insidious for me to dare speak aloud.”
Indigo gives it a quizzical look. “Insidious? A metal? Star iron makes for very good steel, but I wouldn't call it insidious. And it isn't deep blue...”
“The metal is something to rare for any normal pony to know what it is. ” answers Jaxler.
Normal pony? “So... where would you get a rare and expensive alloy and why use it for something as flamboyant as a decoration?”
“It's not like I had enough of the metal to use it on something more practical and I was sorta obliged to restore my crossbow to its original condition.” answers Jaxler.
“Obliged by who?”
“You don't willingly let something that saved your life fall apart. It's morally incorrect to let something that you owe your life to rot.”
Indigo rises his brow “You have a moral code?”
“Yeah, I do…”
“It would me morally incorrect to let down someopny you owe, but an object? Things fall apart, that's just the way it is. I take care of my tools, but they all eventually have to be replaced anyway.”
“Ponies fall apart a lot easier than inanimate objects and you don't just let something that's saved you from getting destroyed, be destroyed. It's bucking disrespectful, and prideful.”
Indigo shrugs. “If you feel this strongly about it, fine.”
But I'm really surprised Flux would do something like this. “And since you now have such a great weapon, do try to take proper care of it, unless you want to ruin in in a few years by hitting ponies with it and leaving it in the morning dew to get wet. Now that would surely go against your moral code, wouldn't it?”
“Fine”
"Well, since you have a newly repaired weapon, lets change our schedule, get more crossbows and go to the shooting range. Partisan's squad isn't training, its been a while since out last target practice and we have some wooden bolts."
Indigo didn't bug Jaxler about the crossbow again, but he asked Cinder and Billows about the blue metal. They dismissed it as some clever metallurgy trick. There are some ways to change a metal's hue (to make a green pattern on steel breastplate for example) and some metals, such as aluminium, are pretty light. If Adamantine existed, it would be way above Jaxler's ability to own it, so he must have been sold a fake. Still, it looked nice and Indigo decided not to bring up the subject with Jaxler.
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(( Summer 260: Exploring the caverns ))
(( In-game Naginata's and Indigo's squads were doing it, but the other reservists were asleep or otherwise busy. ))
A few months after the massacre and some time after Amor asked Jaxler to defend Indigo, the military is finally sent to the caverns. Just as Indigo suggested earlier, Naginata's squad leads the exploration, although without the now-absent Stiletto, which made the choice moot. Contrary to what Indigo wanted, the reservists were told to go down there as well, but he and Jaxler are the only ones to show up at the airlock. Indigo complains that life would be much simpler if ponies did their duty, but can't shake the feeling that the rest of his squad were the smart ones.
These caverns are dangerous. Better to face a disciplinary punishment than a possibility of death. The caverns are like a strange, alien world to the ponies, and they feel as if the surface is a thousand kilometres away. Lit by multiple lamps and light spells, the cave is magnificent, a vast underground expanse of exotic and wonderful sights. Wet walls glisten in the dimness, almost as if gems were embedded in the rock. There are a few occasional stalactites, hanging like small daggers from the cave roof, but with no flux layers above the caverns there isn't enough calcium for there to be lots of them. The floor is muddy and slippery, though covered in some kind of mushrooms and other vegetation. Some of the plants and fungi are as big as trees. A few of them look as if they are bleeding, but upon closer inspection, it turns out to be just a viscous, sticky red sap. Unfortunately, without Stiletto the ponies find it hard to tell which of these plants may be useful. Here and there are a few smooth, valuable spider-webs, usable for making exotic spider silk cloth. Some brightly coloured insects, spiders and other little beasties are occasionally disturbed from their resting places and scurry away from the ponies, but there isn't anything dangerous this time around.
Admiring the sights is not what what they are here for, though, so after a short break to acclimatise themselves to the caves, the soldiers move out. They all walk together in one big group, to quickly overwhelm any possible opposition that may be lurking about. While the caverns seem to stretch on forever, and some strange sounds can occasionally be heard, nothing really troubles the expedition.
A big area around the airlock is explored and a map of it drawn, with ore veins and other potentially useful resources marked clearly. The unicorns set up their alarm spells to make an early warning system and hopefully prevent any more incursions by the monsters that have plagued the town from below. Being the only competent mason in the group, Indigo looks around for narrow passages to wall off a large section of the cavern, but finds no worthwhile choke-points. If the ponies are going to carve a piece of this strange world for themselves, he thinks, it is going to take months of work and a semi-permanent camp down here.
The expedition takes several days to complete their goals ((months in-game, but that would be too long)). Drawing an accurate map, checking every hole and casting multiple spells all take considerable time. The ponies have all the food and drink and other needed provisions, but sleeping in the caverns is still a rather strange and unsettling experience, even when posting guards. To Indigo the caverns are full of eerie beauty, though mysterious and best approached with caution.
When Jaxler learned about being sent to the carerns with Naginata's squad, he made sure to bring good quality metal bolts and filled his flask with strong alcohol. Down there, he drank just enough not to face the caverns sober, but otherwise stayed focused. While some of the expedition stared at everything with wide-eyed stupor or busied themselves with their tasks, not really paying much attention to their surroundings, Jaxler stayed vigilant. Last time he went to the caverns, he almost died horribly, so the place made him edgy. This time he had a squad of competent soldiers on his side, but the knowledge, that some unfathomable abominations, that could jump out of the dark and kill him at any moment, live in the dark places of the earth, made him keep his guard at all times and sleep with proverbial one eye open. While some of the others were exploring, drawing a map, taking samples and casting spells, Jaxler focused on the task at hoof: keeping his eyes and ears open and being paranoid about any potential danger. When they finally returned to the surface, he was happy to be alive and went for a drink.
Finally, when they are done, the group returns to the airlock and are let back into the mines. They return to the surface in the middle of the night, thankful for the dim moonlight above rather than harsh, glaring sunlight after so long underground. For Indigo, it is good to be home, take a bath and sleep in a real bed. He reports the absent reservists to Halberd and demands a disciplinary punishment for them.
Author
Topic: Dawnpick (My Little Fortress) (Read 236434 times)