MLP - Age of Exploration (D&D 5e Custom System)

[GeneralTyrus]

Dreamweaver Dumbledoof Shadeofshade

Applebloom realised she'd made a mistake, but she couldn't get a word in for a moment to try and help fix the situation, but it seemed that Midnight was actually doing a decent job of defusing the situation. Applebloom stood in silence as she looked at the group of adventurers. She wasn't entirely sure they could really fight this fight. Not without taking a serious beating maybe. She didn't know these people, or their skills. So, Applebloom remained quiet, watching and listening to the conversation.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
"I guess you're right. Wouldn't really be fair to send a bunch of adventurers out against the guards, even if I do have a liiittle bit of a grudge against the one..." They hurt Spitfire, cutting her eyes out and damn near permanently blinding her marefriend. That's enough for Rainbow to have a bit of a vindictive bias against them. Still... whether or not she thinks they deserve to die for that, doesn't mean they actually, truly do. The pony was just doing his job. He sucks at his job, but still doing it.

She wasn't really sure that she actually wanted to speak up about what they planned to ask the dragon about. There wasn't enough trust here to tell this random group of nobodies about the dragon egg, that it had probably been stolen by them. Not that it would really serve to persuade anybody, really. While she and her friends may have forgiven their fair share of villains, other ponies... not so much. It may just egg them on to killing the dragon, going back to Saddle Arabia, stealing the egg, and then disappearing into the night. Not exactly a good thing for anybody. Rainbow may not care too much for the dragon, but minimizing the amount of bloodshed feels like a better alternative.

So Rainbow stayed out of it for now, chilling out next to Spitfire. "Not really sure what to do here... do we just bluff and say we're going to ask the dragon to leave, why it's attacking ponies left and right, instead of saying we're going to talk to it about the egg? If we can actually get the blue to hold a conversation, and these guys actually listen as well... maybe we'll get somewhere without spilling sensitive information. If them to let us talk to the dragon first, if they're all bad and stuff, then we'll team up and split the loot like they said before. I'd just... rather not spill more blood than I have to."

 

[Dreamweaver]

Avedon Cyan Hide
Devotion did not really know any better and kind of just went along with it! "Yes, indeed! Two problems gone with a single bird. I would recommend not selling me, though. The dragon might use me as a toothpick or something, and just... ugh..." the sword physically shuddered, which came out as it just shaking in its scabbard.

Dumbledoof GeneralTyrus Shadeofshade
Persuasion check: 8. Intimidation check: 23.
Spitfire still had no idea why she was the leader of the group, but she was more than willing to roll with it. She was pretty good under high stress situations, it was kind of her entire job. Still, she didn't exactly like where this whole situation was going. She felt like it was unlikely this group would just leave the dragon alone while they spoke to it... but at least no spells had been thrown yet. Spitfire definitely felt like her and this Sky mare were about to come to a head.

Rather than have Midnight answer it, Spitfire apparently got the bright idea to start speaking. Bad idea. She was already in a bad mood and came off as rather aggressive. "Listen, Sky. That's your name, right? Great. Really pretty name. I love it. It's pretty like, uh... the sky. So listen, I don't really think any of our group wants to get into a fight..."

That was a lie. Spitfire could tell just by looking at the other group that they were itching for a fight. Several of them were toying with the hilts of their weapons, and her own words were coming off strained as well. A fight was certainly brewing, especially after her own accidentally passive-aggressive words. Sky did not look happy.

Spitfire sighed and gave up trying to be nice at all. "Okay, so here's the thing. I want you to look around. Over in our corner we have; an earth pony who can crush boulders, an Element of Harmony, the descendant of an ancient vampire, the sister of an Element of Harmony who can also break boulders, some weird angel in a sword, a literal devil, and me the weird primordial possessed pegasus. If you pick this fight, the only thing left afterwards is going to be a burning hellscape littered with the cracked bones of your group while Valentine over there sends your souls to Hell."

She hiked a hoof over at Valentine. "And if you do kill us, then you have to deal with the Elements of Harmony tracking you down. Probably the Empresses, too. I highly suggest you walk away with your tail between your legs."

Sky was sputtering right now. Her face was beat red with anger, but she looked incredibly uneasy as well. She kept looking at Valentine, who was the most terrifying of the group for her. Because devil. "How... How d-dare you threaten me! M-My grandmother is L-Lady Goldstream, nobility of Saddle Arabia! She will have your heads for this!"

Now would be a very good time for somebody else to chime in, either to intimidate the group further or persuade them to pack up and go.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver GeneralTyrus Shadeofshade
Intimidation Check: NAT 20!

Rainbow opened her mouth to immediately try and reprimand Spitfire for saying such shit, but... she was actually kind of right. All of them were more than capable ponies. Hell, whatever is inside of Spitfire is pretty capable in of itself. She could pretty much assumed that if Spitfire dies, the thing may die as well, so... in a life or death situation, it may be on their side actually. Besides the fact that they kicked it's ass literally a few hours ago. Bet it is still feeling that one!

And... fuck it. She's kind of tired of trying to reason with these guys. If they won't listen, time to make them listen.

Stepping forward, Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "Look, I bet you're all lookin' for a quick buck, right? How about a trade—you fuck off and leave the dragon to us, and I don't break your spines over my knee. That sound pretty good to you all?" There was a dangerous edge to her voice. It was partially being so annoyed with this, coupled with the heat, and the fact that she kind of felt obligated to back Spitfire up. All rolled up into one unholy ball of angry Rainbow Dash.

She literally put her hoof right to their nose, leaning forward, her voice dropping low. "Your Lady Goldstream can't do a damn thing. I've got five other friends who can put you within an inch of your life; hell, they will if you do touch me and my friends here. My friend Fluttershy can ask Discord to snap your lives away for killing me. Princess Twilight Sparkle will come teleporting over here in a flash just from me calling her name. Her marefriend is the Goddess of Magic, Aurora, and you can bet that she'd probably help her marefriend deal with a bunch of nobodies. Aurora's family is the Empresses, Luna and Celestia. Hell, ain't nothing to protect you all either! Adventurers don't get laws like that."

A grin spread across Rainbow's face. A devilish one. "But having friends in high places goes a looong way. I've got friends in real high places. You won't beat us and you certainly aren't going to escaped a couple pissed off alicorns. I've faced down death. Saved this sorry excuse for a place more times than I even remember at this point; what are you compared to the God of Chaos, Storm King, Tirek, King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis? Nothing. You're nobody. Go back home and cry to your grandmother before we get tired of talking with our mouths and turn you all into bloody smears across the sand."

She stepped back, pointing with her hoof back in the general direction of Saddle Arabia. "Home is that-a-way. Move it or lose it."

 

[GeneralTyrus]

Dreamweaver Dumbledoof Shadeofshade

Applebloom had been listening closely to all the words being spoken, but her jaw nearly hit the floor when Spitfire just stopped caring. She'd wince, not entirely sure how well it would go over. Then. Oh god, then Rainbow started speaking. Applebloom stood there, staring at the mare that she'd known since she was a foal, currently saying the most insanely clever and just terrifying things. She'd watch the mare, listening to everything she'd said, before looking at the other group.

Literally everything she'd just heard would have made Applebloom change her mind about any kinds of combat. She never really thought about just how screwed someone would be for killing them, especially other adventurers. She'd stay quiet, just watching the other group, making sure no one did anything stupid, as doubtful it was to happen.

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver Avedon


Mud listened to Devotion and Valentine, but also kept an ear on the conversation with the other group. Rainbow Dash sure was something. Mud was glad they were on the same side. Then again, Pinkie Pie's niece fighting Dash did not seem very likely and Mud couldn't imagine how Pinkie would feel about that. She turned her attention back to the sword and the devil.

"Good news, we won't have to do any selling, and the other group might leave if we're lucky. Bad news. We're probably about to get into a fight."

 

[Dreamweaver]

Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof GeneralTyrus Shadeofshade
It seemed like the combined intimidation factors of Spitfire and Rainbow Dash were working. Sky suddenly looked a lot less sure about picking this fight, as did all of her companions behind her. Everypony was fidgeting a bit uncomfortably. Spitfire and Rainbow Dash had both brought up a rather solid point; this fight would probably end in several ponies dead on either side. However, it was not quite as straight forward as everypony seemed to think.

Sky tried to retort. She really did! She spoke confidently, but the ponies in her group were all nervous and fidgeting which overall brought her intimidation factor down. "... Didn't you use ancient artifacts to defeat most of those enemies, rather than your own power...?" Sky asked with a slight smirk. "You're a powerful group, but you're not that powerful."

This time Sky was speaking directly to Rainbow and Spitfire, who had been the ones threatening her to begin with. "I am nobility of Saddle Arabia, you foolish little peasants. We may be under the banner of the Empire of Equestria, but we retain our laws and heritage. Do you truly think the Empresses would punish me, or allow your friends to punish me? The Equestrian law clearly states that adventuring groups who come into conflict in the wilderness shall not be persecuted by the law. Hunting me down would merely be an execution, and my nation would not accept that. The last thing the Crown wants is for Saddle Arabia to attempt to break free from the Empire and cause a massive war."

She had a point. Saddle Arabia was a lot like Griffonstone... only less populated and much better equipped. A war between Saddle Arabia and Equestria would be catastrophic. Not to mention, the Saddle Arabians had their own ancient beings to join the war.

Sky looked back at her group and noted that they were all looking distraught. She let out a short sigh and simply frowned. "You may have the dragon. This is all far more trouble than it is actually worth. However." Her horn glowed and a card appeared, which she handed to Rainbow Dash. "If any of your group is capable of magic, incinerate this card if you wish for my group to come join you. I am doubtful the dragon will be receptive to your... talk. Spoils will be shared."

As Sky and her group walked away she muttered something about 'damn Equestrians' and 'always wanting to talk'.

 

[GeneralTyrus]

Dreamweaver Dumbledoof Shadeofshade Cyan Hide Avedon

Applebloom remained quiet as the mare started spewing something about being a princess, and that they'd have to be careful or something along those lines. So they couldn't throw their own weight around, but the other group could? Applebloom scoffed, watching as they left, before shaking her head. She didn't really dislike the other group, but she didn't trust them that much either. She'd look to the card that Rainbow had received, "Well... If'n sumthin' happens, we can jus' use tha' there, an' get some s'port!" She'd say, grinning, her accent slipping heavily.

She'd look towards their own little camp sight, and saw the Valentine was still sitting over there, talking to Devotion. She'd sigh, and look at her companions, "Midnight, can ya use yer shower magic?" She'd ask him, now that they were relatively safe again.

 

[Avedon]

Dreamweaver
"I mean, I doubt the dragon would use you as a sex-toy so is it really that bad? Being a dragon's toothpick has to be less disgusting than being a pirate's sword..."
Valentine's ears went down
"Aww...I miss the Hat Mortal that we started this with. I wish she wasn't dead. Not like...literally wish. If I had three wishes that would not be on - but in the spirit of wishing I wish she wasn't dead."

 

[Shadeofshade]

Dreamweaver Dumbledoof GeneralTyrus Avedon Cyan Hide

As Sky went back over to her group, Midnight heard something about Equestrians always wanting to talk. He could not help but laugh to himself as he walked back with everyone to the others. When they got there Applebloom asked for a shower, so Midnight responded “Certainly Miss Applebloom, but it’s not an actual shower spell. It’s just the spell Mage Hoof along with my waterskin being a makeshift shower head.” With that he cast Mage Hoof again and prepared the shower again. “There we go. It’s now ready when you are Miss Applebloom.”

With that set up, Midnight then turned his attention to Spitfire and Rainbow Dash. “Miss Spitfire, Miss Rainbow Dash, can I take a moment of your time.” He did not want to seem rude but felt that if he did not ask then he would not be of any use later. “I just wish to become more informed on what you plan to accomplish as I don’t know all the details.” Then remembering what had just happened, he added, “I would also like to know how many enemies you would like to make while your outside of Equestria? I don’t know much about Equestria but I do know that if you are not careful with what you say, outside of Equestria, then that can leave you in a world of pain.” Now he knew that what he just said can be taken as rude. “I don’t wish to be rude but I feel like if I stay in the dark then the group that I have grown fond of will all end up dying, and I don’t want that to happen.”

 

[Dreamweaver]

Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof GeneralTyrus Shadeofshade
Time skip to get to the fucking dragon.

After explaining to Midnight about why exactly they were here, it was time to once again set off towards the dragons lair. The small adventuring party had no more encounters on the way over there. As Mud and Applebloom had figured out, there was an underground cave entrance near here only a few hours away. Rainbow Dash and Spitfire scouted ahead of the group and eventually found the cave entrance, with Mud and Applebloom's guidance.

Right now the group were all camped behind some bushes, about 50 feet away from the entrance to the underground cave. Outside of the cave appeared to be the dragons guards. One was a swirling mass of air, contained within a shimmering set of full plate armour. Dangling at its side was a flail which sparked with electricity. This seems familiar, doesn't it Applebloom?

Beside the air elemental was a pair of nightmarish creatures. The large beasts in front of them each have a pair of grasping pincers and scuttle along the terrain on eight legs. Their long, narrow, and segmented tails are carried forward in a curve over their backs, and end in a terrifying stinger dripping with acidic poison.

These giant scorpions were each about the size of Princess Celestia.

"... So yeah, I think I want to go home." was all Spitfire had to say about this encounter from behind their bush.

 

[Shadeofshade]

Dreamweaver Dumbledoof GeneralTyrus Avedon Cyan Hide

Midnight was glad to now know why they were going to talk to the Dragon. He felt that he might be able to at least talk to the Dragon and maybe be of some help with negotiations. As they approached where the entrance to the Blue Dragon’s Nest was supposed to be Spitfire and Rainbow Dash went to scout ahead. When they came back, they told everyone what they found and it could spell trouble.

As they got to their spot that was not too far from the entrance, a shiver went down Midnight’s spine when he saw the giant scorpions. He remembered the Tlincalli piercing him in the back. “Why does it have to be giant scorpions?” thought Midnight. Spitfire’s comment did not help.

Midnight thought through the parties options. As he did, he thought that it might be a good idea to tell everyone what he was thinking, “The way I see things, we have two options. We could try talking our way in or we could fight our way in.” Midnight was now sat down and holding his chin as he thought. “If we fight our way in then we will have a hard time negotiating with the dragon. Talking our way in might result in us having to fight our way in if all goes ploin shaped and we would have a hard time negotiating, though not as much of a hard time as if we just straight up attacked.” When he finished speaking that thought, he got another idea, “Wait...could we…”

Sneaking in could also be an option but something didn’t feel right about that. “No, that wouldn’t work. We could sneak in but the risk is stupidly high, to the point that we would almost be guaranteed to be killed and have the entire nest come down on us.” Midnight then just threw up his hooves in frustration. “Well, those are my thoughts. Make of them as you wish.”

HP 44/44
AC 15
-2 to-hit because of Desert Heat 1/3
Spell Slots
Novice 3/4
Apprentice 1/1

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver Shadeofshade


"The way I see it," Mud spoke quietly, "Is we go up and we talk to those guards and ask them to see the Dragon. If they refuse and we fight, we can just tell the Dragon that there was no reasoning with them and we're very sorry and mean no harm really. We just want to talk. He can't really argue with us and we won't be lying. If he attacks us after that, we were never going to be able to talk with him."


HP: 73/73
AC: 16

 

[GeneralTyrus]

Dreamweaver Cyan Hide Avedon Dumbledoof Shadeofshade

Applebloom looked at the sight ahead of them, rubbing her head, and felt nothign but want to leave at the moment. When Mud suggested that they tried to talk, she'd grimace, looking at the others, "Talking could be a possibility." She'd finally say after a few moment, shifting her weight from hoof to hoof, not really sure how to feel about all of this.

 

[Dreamweaver]

Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof GeneralTyrus Shadeofshade
"... So let me get this straight. You insane ponies want to go over and speak with the elemental? I assume you don't mean speak with the scorpions. Can anypony here actually speak with animals? Do elementals even speak our language..." Spitfire had a lot of questions, but no real answers. She also just realized something very important and something that made her feel a large amount of dread; she was the charismatic one. If anypony could talk their way into the dragons lair, it's her.

She really didn't want to deal with those Celestia-sized scorpions, though. Their pincers were large enough to outright grab her while they ate her. That was a horrifying thought. However, at the end of the day, this was probably their best option. She let out a deep sigh and shrugged her shoulders. "... Should I go speak with them? Going as a group just looks combative and they'll probably attack on sight, or be more cautious. I wouldn't be opposed to somepony else going... but I will if it's what we need."

Spitfire was willing to take one for the team. The only issue was if things went south, Spitfire would get attacked before the group could get there to intervene. She may not take it a well as other members of the party. Mud and Rainbow could handle the attack, but would have a much harder time talking their way into the lair. Midnight had a lower chance than Spitfire of talking his way in and probably wouldn't survive the attacks either.

... So what did they want to do?

 

[Avedon]

Dreamweaver
"...why don't we just hit Spitfire on the head until she turns into a fire-monster again. Fire can talk to fire probably."

 

[Shadeofshade]

Dreamweaver Dumbledoof GeneralTyrus Avedon Cyan Hide

What came out of Valentine’s mouth made Midnight wonder if she was trying to get everyone killed. He started to open his mouth to try and explain what a bad idea it was...but then stopped and thought about it for a moment. The thing inside Spitfire was clearly some kind of elemental and was able to speak too.

There were a few problems that could happen if things went badly but… “That...might work, however.” Midnight turned to Spitfire and asked, “Miss Spitfire, how much do you know about the entity that lives inside you and are you able to communicate with it? If you know enough about it and or you can communicate with it then we might just have a way to get in without fighting.”

HP 44/44
AC 15
-2 to-hit because of Desert Heat 1/3
Spell Slots
Novice 3/4
Apprentice 1/1

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver Avedon Shadeofshade

"The last time it came out, we had to fight it," Mud spoke aloud. "Just thought I should remind you all. I don't think we should make Spitfire do anything she's not comfortable doing. Maybe I should go out and talk to them. I can be charismatic...enough."

 

[Dreamweaver]

Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof GeneralTyrus Shadeofshade
"Hit me on the head, Valentine, and I'll summon a demon to have its way with you. I've heard demons and devils hate one another." Spitfire said with a little narrowing of her eyes at the devil in their party. She didn't trust Valentine an overly large amount... especially not when Valentine was so happy to just clobber her unconscious. She kept her eyes on Valentine for a moment before just sighing and shaking her head.

She turned back to Midnight with a little shrug. "I know nothing about it. I didn't even know its name until recently. It's always been there, taunting me and forcing its will on me, but I've never grown to know it at all. I only know that it's evil, and wants out. I fight to keep it under control, lest it regularly be released like what happened when I fell unconscious."

Cyan Hide
While all this was being said, a voice echoed out in Mud's head. ".... I'm booooored. Can we go do something?" Devotion said in the mostly nasally, whiny voice imaginable. "Go talk to the elemental. I dare you. I double devil dare you. You're very charming."

 

[Shadeofshade]

Dreamweaver Dumbledoof GeneralTyrus Avedon Cyan Hide

Midnight was glad that Spitfire seemed to be able to get what he was aiming for, or at least to some extent. The little that Spitfire knew might prove useful in a roundabout way. With that now confirmed, he nodded to Spitfire and said, “Thank you. I might be able to come up with a plan if you give me a few seconds.”

Midnight then closed his eyes and began to think for a few seconds. They needed to get in, talk with the Blue Dragon, negotiate with it about the eggs and maybe find out more about the Elemental that Spitfire had ‘Locked’ inside her. With that he nodded his head, opened his eyes, looked at the ponies that he had started to trust and said, “I have a plan, but it involves some risk and we will all need to be exposed to the guards over there” He motioned with his head towards the two Giant Scorpions and the Elemental.

“To put it simply we will need to approach as a group, in clear view as so to not arouse suspicion. We will talk with the guards to try and establish a basic line of communication and explain why we are here.” Midnight paused for a moment to let what he had said sink in, then adding, “We will also add that one of us has a being locked inside of them and we are currently on a journey with them to find out what the creature is exactly.” He looked at Spitfire when he said the last part. ”Now, let’s say that they are not in the mood to talk and just attack us. We will have to defend ourselves and hope that the Dragon can understand that we had no choice. So I will leave it up to everyone what position they want to be in as we approach.”

With his plan all laid out for everyone to think over, along with the back-up plan, Midnight wondered what everyone thought of it. “If anyone has any objections or potential improvements then please tell me. After all, I don’t want to force anyone to do anything that they want to do.”

HP 44/44
AC 15
-2 to-hit because of Desert Heat 1/3
Spell Slots
Novice 3/4
Apprentice 1/1

 

[Avedon]

Dreamweaver Shadeofshade
"Well I mean...it's a dragon. If it's guards die then clearly they were terrible guards. I don't think it'll care too much as long as we can offer it some form of compensation. Same for talking with it. It's all about finding the balance of: we have things it wants but are slightly too annoying to try to kill compared to making a deal."
Valentine knew how this worked. She lived alongside plenty of greed devils!
"I say we give his plan a shot. Otherwise I mean...we're just going to have to fight out way in anyways right?"

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver Shadeofshade

Mud honestly considered Devotion's words. After all, Midnight's plan would give the group more safety while at the same time almost guaranteeing a fight. Mud's would put her at risk but they'd have much more plausible deniability and could more easily claim to the Dragon that they had nothing but peaceful intentions, but the differences in denability were negligible and the differences in her safety were vast, so Mud decided to stick to Midnight's plan.

"I'm in," she sad to him, before focusing attention back to Devotion and once more talking to her sword in public. "Don't worry, Devotion. You won't be bored for long."

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver GeneralTyrus Avedon Cyan Hide Shadeofshade
"Not... sure that trying to talk with an elemental is the best idea. Most I've seen of them is that they're kinda unstable. Or just plain hostile." Rainbow said bluntly, glancing in that direction. "Does anybody here also speak scorpion, by any chance? 'Cause you'd have to talk to them as well. I don't exactly wanna be stung by them but, y'know, the last giant scorpion thing we came across was kinda tough to take down."

She specifically tapped her elbow against Spitfire's side. "They nearly killed you, too. I really don't want you going out there, if at all, without a better plan than just trying to talk to 'em." Her head turned to Midnight. "Not really sure telling them about the primordial stuck inside Spitfire is actually going to do much at all. Wouldn't we get more mileage over saying directly that we're here to talk about the dragon egg?"

It wasn't all that unexpected to find guards sitting at the dragon's lair, but she was not expecting scorpions and an elemental. Neither were all that great. Elemental that could at least speak with, if they would even listen at all. The scorpions, on the other hoof, are far more trifling. None of them know how to really talk to animals. If only Fluttershy were here, this would be a piece of cake! They're fantastic would creatures of all sorts.

Her skepticism mainly was derived from the fact that it would put Spitfire in danger. Spitfire in danger meant that she would obviously be walking into it as well.

 

[Dreamweaver]

Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof GeneralTyrus Shadeofshade
Devotion was actually agreeing with Valentine for once, which Mud would be able to sense due to being linked to the blade. Or rather, linked to the angel inside the blade. Valentine was right; it was just a fucking dragon. An evil one at that. It probably wouldn't be overly mad if you killed its guards... it would just get better guards. However, Rainbow mentioned something quite interesting; approaching the guards with knowledge of the dragons lost egg may have a very different reaction.

Spitfire was just glad that she didn't have to walk towards the damn guards. The elemental she wasn't scared of, if need be she could probably harness a bit of her primordial power and intimidate that little air elemental. The scorpions were something else entirely. They weren't intelligent or craft of any sort... they were just scorpions. Really, really big scorpions. Eugh.

She shuddered at the thought of being stung by one of those barbed stingers.

"Well, Mud. If you're going out there, at least take this." Spitfire came forward and laid her forehooves on Mud's shoulder. A warmth began to spread through Mud's body, and embers appeared on the tips of her fur. It was harmless, but would not be so harmless for enemies. She usually put this on Rainbow, but for now it looked like Mud needed it more. Sorry Rainbow.

Enemies attacking Mud take 1d4 fire damage, and Mud has resistance to cold damage.

Next Action

So... What are the characters going to do now?

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver

Mud nodded as she felt the warmth from Spitfire flow through her. It made her feel stronger and more confident. Perhaps this was the power of friendship people were always going on about. "Thank you Spitfire. Hopefully this goes well but I'm not counting on it. I hope you've all got my back and I won't look back to see you peeking out from behind a rock of things go south."

With that said, Mud, Devotion sheathed, ventured out into the open and approached the Elemental and the Scorpions.

"Excuse me. I'm here to speak to the Blue Dragon, regarding an egg that may have been stolen? Can you let him know we've found where it is and we're willing to help? Or you could let me through and I could tell him."

As per usual, Mud's face and voice betrayed no emotion. If they tried to read her intentions from her face, they'f fail.