Errand Boys

This location in the jungle was strange, for sure. Deerlegs hummed as she approached the steel walls. They had long been built by man, and soon after reclaimed by the underwater jungle they had seen fit to make. The dotted pachycephalosaurus noted the two Euoplocephalus standing guard at the gate, but felt no stress- they had already gotten past several on their quest.

Embargo stood back and to the side, purposely half hiding his glowing body among the leaves and vines. The jungle made him nervous, extremely so- and it didn't help that every other creature they had come across had treated him like a monster. Instead, he focused on the two guards. They seemed a fair bit less friendly than the others they had encountered so far, deep scowls on their faces as they glared at the trio. Something told him getting in would be a little bit harder.

It was the third member of their omnivorous trio that finally approached, landing onto the dirt and mud to hop forward. The black and white tapejara chirped, hopping forward. “Greetings! I am Oboe.” She fluttered her wings, speaking in what she hoped was her most charming voice. “We have come from the above to meet with your queen. Won’t you let us in?”

The two Euoplocephalus shared a glance, before one banged its tail on the gate behind it. The sound rang out loud and clear before being opened, and… something stepped through.

Oboe squeaked and hopped back, Deerlegs mimicking the action as Embargo simply stared. It was a huge herbivore similar to a parasaur, but much, much larger and lacking the head crest. Instead it possessed sharp looking thumbs on its powerful forelegs. Black stripes covered its green scales, a red stripe going right down its back. Red eyes glared at them from above a hooked beak- maybe coming here had been a mistake.

“You come here for the queen?” A voice boomed, the herbivore dropping into its front legs and shaking the ground. The long neck moved forward, observing them. Deerlegs stood firm as the herbivore's head drew uncomfortably close to her, daring to look him in the face. “The court does not wish to see you. Why should we let you in, outsiders?”

“That's not fair!” Oboe burst out, only to shriek as Embargo gently nipped her wingtip in warning. The bioluminescent pachycephalosaurus quickly took over, clearing his throat.

“We came all this way throughout the dangerous jungle to be able to meet with you and your court- is there not anything we can do to gain entry?” Deerlegs shot him an encouraging look from behind the large herbivore.

“Hm…” The herbivore sat back, looking the three up and down as Deerlegs came to rejoin them. He seemed to find use for them, as a small grin lit up his beak. “Yes. Perhaps you can be of some use. If you wish to gain entry into the palace, you must do this one thing.” The mystery dinosaur raised one of his large forelegs, causing Oboe to flinch- but he was simply pointing in a direction. “That way leads to an abandoned human facility. Go there, and fetch us some of the armor and weapons that had been left behind. Should you succeed, return and ask for Mantell- and I will let you in. Understood?”

Embargo almost bristled- not human structures again- but Deerlegs was quick to interject. “Yep! Understood. Let's go.” She nudged the glowing omnivore before quickly taking off in the offered direction, Oboe jumping into the air behind them.

The run over was spent in near silence, Oboe in the air above them leading the way. Embargo sent the occasional glance at Deerlegs as they ran, marveling to himself. How could she be so confident? She took up this quest without a second thought, rushing fearlessly into danger. Just the thought of potentially returning to the dark world of a human facility had his quills bristling- but Deerlegs was unshaken in the face of danger. Embargo swore to be more like her.

Oboe screeched above them, announcing their arrival to the site. Deerlegs quickly pushed back a broken down fence, staring around at the facility. It was a very small one, a simple building about the size of a barn. The door had long since been broken down, likely smashed by one of the large herbivores that had seen earlier. “Let's go.” Deerlegs led the way inside, shoving past broken down materials. The other two followed silently.

Inside, it was clear why the area would have been inaccessible by the inhabitants of the jungle. The floor had long since caved in, the wooden floor rotting away in places and exposing a dark pit that must have gone to some kind of basement. Across the room lay tables draped in what Deerlegs assumed was the armor- small enough to fit the living rocks. They ranged from metal spikes to leather straps. Deerlegs briefly wondered if there was any armor made for her kind before pushing it from her mind. They were not here to focus on that. 

Oboe was quick to fly across, landing on the table and poking at an armor piece. “Something tells me I'm not going to be able to carry this across.” The tapejara spoke dryly, before scanning the room. “That path should be safe.” She gestured with a wing to the side of the room, where a thin passage was present- if they could make the jump. Luckily, pachycephalosaurus were great jumpers.

“Let's do this.” Deerlegs flashed a grin towards Embargo before leaping into the air, quickly finding her footing on the uneven terrain. It was fairly simple for her to cross, and Embargo had little issue simply following her moves. 

The duo joined Oboe at the table, sniffing at the armor pieces. “I suppose we just take one each.” Embargo grunted, grabbing a leather bridle in his mouth. The taste was moldy and disgusting, and he had to refrain from spitting it out. Deerlegs grabbed the chainmail one, and Oboe… did her best by grabbing a hammer that had been on the table as well (and she could barely manage to fly across with it.) Deerlegs and Embargo had a bit of an easier time with it, managing to hop across with minimal difficulty even as the long straps tangled around their legs. 

Deerlegs hissed as they made their way back outside. “That grass eater better appreciate all this. “ She muttered around the chains in her mouth. Embargo huffed. That was one way to put it.

By the time they made it back to the base, the fake sun was low in the fake sky. Oboe had long ago given up on flying, instead landing on Embargos back- forcing the herbivore to carry the combined weight of the armor, tapejara, and hammer. Safe to say, he was tired. Deerlegs wasn't doing much better- her brow feathers were drooping low across her head, and the metal in her mouth was trailing across the mud. 

Mantell was waiting for them when they arrived, his brow raised as he looked over their little group. Deerlegs gritted her teeth. If he dared say anything! However, after a moment, the large herbivore sighed and stepped back. “The court is waiting for you.”