[Unyasi] The Castle of Calamity (Trailblazer and Foxglove)

[Imagination]

 

This was going to turn out to be a more interesting contract of Trailblazer's.

 

Not only was he, out of the blue, contacted by the one and only Miss Foxglove, the renowned horror writer, but she wanted to go to Unyasi!

Of course, who was Trailblazer to deny a pretty lady a tour of some cursed ruin somewhere? That was the specifics of it anyway, someplace cursed or haunted. Lucky enough, he had a lead on another temple that needed picking. Though this was probably going to be another 'Cuirass of the Creator' situation where he'd have to drag some cursefodder from a local village with him. Eh, he'd find out when he got there. Curses are funny sometimes. 

 

They had to take a small ferry down a river to get to where they needed to go, but that was alright. It gave him some time to go over some basic with his pretty client... If it came to anything technical he'd obviously take care of it, but... Well, clients on trips tend to like to wander off. Away from him. Normally wouldn't trouble him, but when they're paying, it certainly does. "So, Miss Foxglove... What exactly are you hoping to find out here, again? I mean, it's not everyday I bring ponies on this expeditions of mine. Not that I don't appreciate the company... And have you ever done anything like this before...?"

 

If not, well that just meant he'd have to take care of her and make sure nothing bad happened. Unless something bad happened to him. Then he was going to be priority #1. What was bothering him most was that this was an 'unknown curse' scenario. Not that the locals didn't think the place was cursed. Boy, was it. The stories of what the curse was just seemed different from zebra to zebra. So, for now, Trailblazer considered it an unknown.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"Some inspiration mostly." she said with a coy chuckle before looking back at the stallion who posed her the question, "and in regards to your second query; Yes, in a sense" The ivory coated earth pony stated with a subtle smirk as she calmly sauntered a few paces down the deck of the ship, enjoying the scenery passing by.

 

"I typically do a bit of hunting of haunts in my hunts for a new muse. Every now and then a mare who knows how to handle herself around the stranger occurences knows she needs the help of a strong and equally capable stallion." Foxglove had always been very good at finding her way out sticky situations she found herself in. Her usual wit, cool head, calm nerves, and creativity managed to help her get out of more a trying situation than she'd care to recall but now she was in need of a guide, such a Trailblazer. She'd heard many interesting stories about this region of Unyasi. This land always seemed to have some strange hint of mysticism in the air that only those who were acquainted with such things could tell. 

 

"Some of the stories of this particular region managed to pull me in... I heard stories of a mysterious cult worshiping a forgotten deity from Unyasi's ancient past and couldn't help but feel like I needed to learn about this no matter the cost." The mare took out a notebook from one of her bags and cracked it open, "I couldn't find any information on the entity's name but... it was a fascinating story that I wouldn't mind learning about from the locals but I heard they live in a secluded area in the jungle that would need someone experienced to lead one to." her violet irises drifted over to Trailblazer and rested upon him again, a sly smile creasing the mare's lips.

[Imagination]

 

Strong and equally capable stallion? Well, if she wanted to stroke his ego that much.

 

Trailblazer certainly took the hint, grinning right back. "Don't you worry, Miss, you won't find anypony more experienced with these ruins than I am!" A little boasting with certinly in character for him, and well-earned! "In fact, I really ought to show you my collection sometime. I have a wide assortment of relics from all kinds of places, each with a story of their own! None of them were easy to get, but that's part of the fun"

 

He joined her after a short inspection of the one-zebra crew, currently keeping a stern eye on the river. "So, a mysterious cult? Wouldn't surprise me. A lot of the ruins around here are from indigenous tribes of Zebras from hundreds, or even thousands of years ago. Of course, larger tribes would often find some higher power to base their authority off of, and those with more baser instincts than others often formed these cults you may have heard of..." He nodded to himself, recalling having a few ceremonial knives and even an old robe on display in his island home. Places like that gave him the heebie-jeebies most of the time, but usually hid the best loot... He had no doubts that she would find whatever inspiration she needed from there.

 

"Whatever we run into, however, don't you worry about a thing. It takes more than some angry gods and rotting traps to keep me away!"

 

A call from the ferry driver got Trailblazer's attention, looking down the bow to the boat to see a couple of smokestacks on a not-so-distant shore.

 

"Ah, this must be where we're being dropped off... We should be there in a few minutes if you need to make any final preparations, Miss Foxglove"