Chapters Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
You look at the map spread between your hooves and grimace. There's only half of the map here, and it's the wrong half. You need to find the other half, and fast.
You've been hearing rumours lately about a group of thieves and their plans to steal an ancient artefact. If they get their hooves on the artefact, which is rumoured to be the legendary Obsidian Feather, then who knows what they'll be able to accomplish. There's nothing for it. You, Daring Do, treasure hunter extraordinaire, must get to the Feather first and stop their inevitably evil plans.
There's just one snag. You don't have the half of the map that tells you where the Feather is. You have a starting point, and that's it. How are you going to find the other half?
"I can help you find the other half of that map, if you've got the coin to pay me for my services," says a voice.
You jump, it's almost as if the speaker has read your mind. You whip around and see a battle-scarred griffin standing behind you.
"How did you get into my house?" you ask him.
"Your door was unlocked," he answers.
"Who are you?" you ask. "And how did you know I wanted to get the other half of the map?"
"Call me Bloodhound," he says. "Best tracker in the business. And, as for your second question, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you're lookin' for the other half of that map."
"Why are you offering to help me, Bloodhound? I've never seen you before, and you basically just broke into my house. Why should I trust you?"
"We share a common enemy," he says. "See this?" He points to a scar across his right eye. "I got into a scuffle with a group of thieves. Said they wanted me to tell 'em where the map to the Obsidian Feather was. Told 'em I didn't know, they didn't like my answer. I took 'em down, but not before one of 'em got me good with his sword. I ain't gonna forgive 'em any time soon, and I'm lookin' for revenge. If I help you to find this treasure thing, then I figure I'll run into 'em sooner or later, and then I can get 'em back for ruining my gorgeous face."
"How did you know I was looking for the Feather?" you ask, still suspicious.
"You're Daring Do . The first name that comes to mind when I think of treasure huntin'," says Bloodhound dryly.
"Wait. How did you know I was a real pony?" you ask, now more confused than suspicious.
"I've heard rumours. Anyway, enough chitchat. Are you gonna let me help you find the other half of the map, and then the treasure, or are you gonna just sit there pretendin' like you got something to do?"
You aren't sure if you can trust him. On one hoof, having the help of a tracker who is also a griffin might be handy, but on the other hoof, he seems a bit suspicious. He knows too much about you and your intentions, and he chalks it all up to rumours. Plus, you usually work alone. That thing with Rainbow Dash was a once-off thing.
What do you do?
Accept his help, his skills could prove useful.
Refuse his help, I don't trust him.
Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
"No. I don't trust you. Get out of my house before I make you get out," you say.
"Your loss, lady," says Bloodhound, walking out the door with his wings flared.
You snort, and return to the map. You're still no closer to unravelling its secrets. How will you find the other half? You could hire a professional investigator. You could hang around with the local band of gossips. You can ask around in town. You could even try to catch Bloodhound again. Really, the possibilities are endless.
What do you do?
Hire an investigator.
Listen to gossip.
Ask around.
Chase after Bloodhound.
Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
"We should ask around," you say. "It'll be much faster, and the quicker we get to that map, the quicker we can get to the treasure. That feather is bad news, and we can't let those thieves get to it first."
"Askin' around it is, then," says Bloodhound. "Know any good spots for gossip?"
"There's a tavern near here where all the travellers stop for a drink. There's also a market where merchants gather to sell their wares," you say.
"Which one do you think is best?" asks Bloodhound.
Another good question. Which location is best to hear about a treasure map?
Tavern
Market
Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
Maybe refusing Bloodhound's help wasn't such a good idea. You gallop outside to see if he's still here, but he's gone. You look around, but there's no sign of him anywhere. You spread your wings and take to the sky. After a moment of hovering, you spot him in the distance.
You approach him, only barely catching up to him.
"Come to your senses?" he asks.
Well, have you?
I accept his help
On second thought...
Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
You eventually decide to hire a professional investigator. Whether or not they know as much about archaeology or treasure hunting as you doesn't matter—you just need a sharp mind and a second opinion.
You wander into town dressed as A.K Yearling to look for your investigator. There's a group of detectives who hang around in the police station who may prove useful. You approach the police station, there's a group of investigators outside, just as you thought there would be.
"Hello, Miss Yearling," says one of them, a real gentlecolt.
"'Sup," says his friend.
The third investigator grunts while the fourth remains silent.
"Hello boys. I was wondering if any of you four might spare a little time to help a lady out? I promise I'll make it worth your while..." you say, slightly seductively. Just because your disguised persona is a little on the reclusive side doesn't mean she can't be a little bit sultry sometimes.
"Were you robbed or something, Miss Yearling?" asks the gentlecolt, concern flashing in his eyes.
"No, I'm fine. But I am looking for something I simply can't find by myself, and I would love the help of one of you four wonderfully intelligent young stallions," you say, your voice laced with flattery.
The silent investigator speaks up. "I don't have any cases at the moment and I'm on break. I'll give you a helping hoof," he says.
Your eyes narrow a little—he accepted it far too quickly for your liking. "Oh, but let's see if anypony else wants to help," you say quickly.
"Sorry, Miss Y," says the second investigator. "But I'm working on a case right now with my pal—" he gestures to the investigator who grunted when you approached "—and I really can't spare any time for you."
The gentlecolt looks apologetic. "I'm afraid I'm in much the same situation as him, ma'am. I really can't get distracted from it."
"I already said I'd do it," says the formerly silent investigator. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go already."
Reluctantly, you accept his offer. You are still a little suspicious, but you're Daring Do. If he tries anything, you can probably take him. You lead him to your house and open the door for him. You approach the map and hide it from his view.
"Alright," he says. "What is it you're looking for?"
You're having doubts. Should you show him the map?
Show him
Don't show him
Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
"Let's take the right," you say. "I'd rather not deal with the desert right now."
Bloodhound nods. "Alright, missy, follow along behind me," he says.
You follow Bloodhound into the forest. The light fades quickly as you enter, and soon almost all visibility is gone. You can only tell that Bloodhound is still in front of you from the flicking of his tail in your face. At first, the whoops and calls of the forest's residents fill the air, but soon they fade and you walk in complete silence. It's unnerving, to say the least.
"I'm gettin' a bit nervous," says Bloodhound, shattering the silence around you.
"Keep going. We can't afford to get cold hooves...er talons, paws, whatever you griffons say," you answer.
You hear Bloodhound's feathers ruffle as he shrugs and lowers his head once more. His tail whips you in the face, and you can't help but wonder if it was deliberate.
Suddenly, the tail in your face is pulled away. There's a shriek, and then silence.
"Bloodhound?" you call quietly.
Suddenly, something sharp and heavy presses down on your back. You feel claws dig into you and you hear something snap as the weight crushes your spine. Your hind legs rendered useless, all you can do is cry out and try to catch a glimpse of your attacker.
The grinning face of a hungry manticore is the last thing you see before the world fades to black.
Game Over
Try Again?
Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
You know from experience that local ponies often know more about what you're seeking than they think they do. You decide to ask around in town and see if anypony knows about the map, or the Feather itself. You slip into your A.K Yearling disguise, fabricate a cover story of looking for new inspiration and head out towards the town.
When you get there, there's two places you know where you might find the information you need. One is a tavern, where all the travellers passing through town stop for a drink. You've heard a lot of good stories from them that have started a lot of adventures. Another is the market, where merchants gather to sell exotics wares. You've found many an antique or quest starter among them, and they are an equally good option.
Where do you go?
Tavern
Market
Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
"I suppose the tavern would be best. If you've read my books, you'll know that I get a lot of tips from those people. And besides, it's easier to pass off my curiosity as looking for inspiration with them. It's harder with the merchants," you say. "They want to know everything about everything, and they're quite good at spotting lies. The travellers tend to be too drunk to care."
Bloodhound gives a hearty guffaw. "Now you're speakin' my language, lady. Where's the tavern at?"
"It's in town, but I don't think you should come in with me. They'll want to know who you are, and a griffon is a bit harder to wave off as looking for inspiration."
"Alright. I suppose I'll hang around and wait for you, will I?" he asks.
"Yes. You can wait at the bar and pretend to be just another traveller. Have a few drinks, invent a few stories. Let me know if there's anything suspicious. You go ahead, and I'll join you soon," you say.
"Alright. Gimme some directions and I'll scope the place out for you."
You give him directions to the tavern, and sling some saddlebags on him to further add to the disguise he has as a traveller. He strides out and towards the town. While you wait for him to get there so as not to arouse suspicion, you busy yourself with tidying your house a bit. It's still in a slight state after your last adventure.
After about half an hour, you decide that Bloodhound is probably far enough ahead of you that you'll arrive significantly later than him. You set off towards town in your A.K Yearling disguise armed with a bag of bits just in case you need to bribe somepony.
When you get to the tavern, named The Buzzed 'Ling , you push open the door. The warm and intoxicating smell of ale hits you full in the face as you trot in. Glancing around, you see Bloodhound sitting at the bar, a tankard of cider clutched firmly in his talon and a thestral mare who'd clearly had too much to drink leaning on him. You roll your eyes. You haven't known him for very long, but somehow, chatting up a mare of a completely different species seems like something he would do.
He catches your eyes and nods his head slightly. You flick an ear in response and continue up to the bar. You hear a drunken brawl erupt somewhere behind you, but you ignore it and continue on your journey. You hop onto a barstool and bang your hoof on the counter. The bartender approaches you, levitating a bottle of spirits and cleaning a glass at the same time with his magic.
"Hello, 'Miss Yearling', and welcome. I haven't seen you with a donkey's age," he said. He winks as he says the name of your alter-ego. The bartender is one of the few ponies who knows your true identity and doesn't want to kill you.
You smile; the townsfolk here have always treated you with respect, even before they realised you were the author of the Daring Do books. You drop a few bits on the counter.
"Could I have a shot of whiskey please?" you ask.
"Of course! I'm sure that's not all you're here for, so look around. I'm sure you'll find one of the 'characters' you need to speak to," says the bartender. "See that fellow over there?" He points to a bulky minotaur with one eye who is challenging a nearby griffon to a brawl. "He's seen some things that may help you. Just as a suggestion." The bartender walks off to fetch your drink.
You decide to take the bartender's advice. Cautiously, you approach the minotaur.
"Hello," you say. "My name is A.K Yearling and—"
"Can it, little filly," says the minotaur, cutting you off. "Can'tcha see I'm in the middle o' somethin'?"
You roll your eyes—big, macho brawler types like him tend to be valuable sources of information, but they can just as easily be drunken braggarts who fabricate stories.
"Yes, I see that," you say, "but I'd like to hear some of your stories. I can embellish you, if you'd like," you say, waving the bag of bits.
The minotaur snorts. "I already said I'm busy. Go away before I do somethin' you regret."
You sigh, this isn't going anywhere. There's only one way you know of getting through to these types of people. You shift into an aggressive stance.
The Minotaur scoffs. "You pickin' a fight, lil' filly?"
Well, are you?
Pick a fight
Don't pick a fight
Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
"Alright, Bloodhound, I accept your help. Name your price, and we'll begin," you say, extending a hoof.
Bloodhound grasps it in his talon and gives it a hearty shake. "Smart answer. My price is a mere fifty bits, but I might lower it if I get my revenge."
"Make it forty, and you've got a deal," you say.
"Deal," he says. He moves to the map. He picks it up and carefully feels it with his talons. "Yeah, I think I can work with this. We griffons have sharp senses of smell. If I can get the unique scent of this map, I can probably track the other half of it, but it won't be easy. We might have to ask around first to get a lead on its general direction. But of course, that could draw unwanted attention to ourselves. What do you think we should do?"
Good question. What should you do?
Ask around, it's faster.
Play it safe and go by scent.
Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
"I don't think asking around is a good idea. The less ponies who know about this, the better. We'll go entirely off of your sense of smell. That is, if you're confident enough to put it to the test?" you say.
"Confidence is my game, missy. I can track it even without a lead, no problem. Lets go outside," says Bloodhound, walking outside.
You follow him, flipping your pith helmet onto your head as you go. This is the start of a bold new adventure for you. You smile at the thought of Rainbow Dash unwrapping the first edition of the book you'll write about it.
When you're outside, Bloodhound raises the map to his face and inhales deeply. You snicker slightly at the comical sight of a griffon smelling a map, but sober up at a glare from him. After a moment of concentration, Bloodhound says, "I've got it."
He lowers his head to the ground and begins sniffing it, looking very much like his namesake. You follow him as he begins to follow a path. His path is unclear, weaving from side to side and occasionally walking in circles, but you slowly begin to carve a path along.
Eventually, you come to a fork in the road. Bloodhound stands up straight. "I can't tell where to go," he says. "The scent is just as strong on the left as it is on the right. Which way do you think we should go?"
You look at the two roads. The road on the right leads into a dark forest, and you can see golden eyes flickering in the dense vegetation. The fork on the left leads into land which gradually becomes more and more desolate as you cross into the desert.
Which road do you take?
Left
Right
Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
You eventually decide on listening to the local gossips. The ponies around here always have their nose buried in something that doesn't concern them. You don your A.K Yearling disguise and trot into town. You know all the best places to hear gossip. You buy a snack and take a seat on the fountain's edge while you eat it. As ponies pass by, you overhear all sorts of rumours, ranging from simple matters of appearance to accusations of cheating.
After almost an hour of sitting pretending to be enjoying lunch by the fountain, you finally hear something worth paying attention to.
"...in the desert..." you hear a mare say. You strain your ears to make out the rest of her conversation.
"I hear it leads to something really valuable," says her friend.
"Oh, but isn't there only half of it? How's anyone supposed to work with that?" replies the first mare.
"Torn in half...sounds like something out of a Daring Do book, doesn't it?" says her friend. The pair share a laugh before their topic of conversation shifts to something that doesn't concern you.
Now you have a lead. But you need more information. The desert is huge, and you can't be sure if it's even the treasure map that the two mares were talking about. For all you know, it could be something completely different. You're faced with a choice. You can interrogate the two mares, you can shadow them and see if they talk about it any more, or you can go straight to the desert and hope for the best.
What do you do?
Interrogate the mares.
Shadow the mares.
Go to the desert.
Daring Do and The Obsidian Feather
"As a matter of fact, I am," you snarl, preparing for what is to come.
The Minotaur guffaws with laughter. "You, filly? I suppose I needed a good punching bag." He cracks his knuckles. "Let's go."
The bartender gives a worried glance at you, and you flick an ear to assure him that it's ok. He smiles fakely and stares at the Minotaur. Bloodhound watches with interest, pushing the unconscious mare off of himself. The whole bar has stopped to watch the spectacle of a seemingly small and fragile mare challenging a large and imposing minotaur.
The minotaur swings at you but you dodge with ease, leaping back with your wings aiding your balance. The minotaur snorts and throws another punch at you, but you step to one side gracefully. You forcefully counterattack with a viscious right hook, catching the minotaur off guard. He puts a hand to his jaw briefly as blood trickles from his mouth. He growls.
"Before I was going easy on you, filly. Now I'm serious!"
He gives a mighty battle roar and charges at you, fists swinging in a flurry of movement. For a pegasus, evasion is simply a matter of going up, which is exactly what you do. You gracefully glide down and land behind him.
Unfortunately, he anticipated that. He whips around suddenly and catches you off card with a swift punch to the face. You rear up attempting to dodge and it connects with your gut instead, winding you and causing you to retch.
The minotaur laughs. "Give up?"
Do you?
Back down
Stand and fight
