A look of surprise crossed the orange cat's eyes. His paw froze midway to grabbing for another handful of coin. "W-wow wow. You can't be serious?!". Even the dealer's eyes seemed to widen a bit. The medical mask hid most of the tabby's expression but he seemed recover quickly, he eyed the pile before meticulously compiling a stack of ten copper colored coins, pushing it towards Flynn. "F-for a rock. That should be enough...". Though his voice still quivered, it sounded more forceful.

As Ian continued along the tunnel he noticed a small blue bright light at the end. Trip was still nowhere to be seen. Was it a way out? Was it a passage that led outside of this labrinth of caves?

Scraps was met with silence. All he could hear were the footsteps of his feet and the sound of his breath. There was no one chasing...surprising. But maybe because they already caught someone...maybe. The road path Scraps trekked on seemed endless. The familiar cold stone floor met his feet with every step. His eyes were beginning to adjust.

--- North (change directions)
--- South (change directions)
--- West (keep going)
--- East (go back)

And in fact, no genie swooshed out of a secret crevice in the rock. It remained mysterious and bright. As Scratch scratched the glowing crystal she found its surface was smooth and glossy, somewhat like ice (with the absence of coldness and meltingness). It was pretty solid stuff. If she threw it on the ground it probably wouldn't break. But maybe if she took a hammer to it...

The tunnel soon came to an end. Opening up into a wide expanse. Whether they were outside or not they could not tell. The sky still a desolate black. But the scenery around them resembled that of a modest town. The ground under them became a cobblestone road. Around them old fashion street lamps lit up the road and buildings nearby, shining with a mysterious blue light (similar to that of the stone Scratch was holding). Most builingd were further up the road, but one was relatively close. A large tavern looking building. It's wooden shell looked worn and old and when they spotted the flickering neon sign, it almost looked out of place. It read "Wasting Time". The muffled sound of music and the smell of drinks was distinctly coming from that direction.

"Well..." The cat scratched his chin.

" I mean...since it's 'suppose' to be magic and all..." He stacked a few more coins and passed them over to the cat. Now totaling thirty. The black bombay gave the orange a raised eyebrow, the cat responded with a shrug.

As Scraps approached the door he could hear...

"...ou alright? Hey! Geoff! Dangit...C'mon, get it together." It was the voice of the GSD, apparently calling to his comrade. It didn't sound like there was a struggle ensuing. Besides the GSD's insistent calls to "Geoff!", nothing else could be be heard. Which was weird.

If Scraps had taken a look inside, he would have seen an interesting sight. The shepherd was kneeling next to a GSD, who happened to be lying on the floor, knocked out. The shepherd, jerking the unconscious dog's shoulder, trying to wake him up (the shepherd's back was facing Scraps). The dog that was attending to the door was nowhere to be found.

And finally, probably about....halfway to the door, was the black fox, sprawled facedown on the ground, chin resting on the wooden floor and clearly down for the count. A fight had clearly ensued, and a match with three against one, the black fox was certainly outnumbered. Well...at least he took out one of them.

The black bombay gave him a professionally coy smile that only a dealer could make. "And if I don't, please do come back." She purred, in a sweet, persuasive tone. Once Flynn's reached the door the cat returned her attention to the orange tabby.
"You know, that's not really ma-"
"Yes, I know..."

Outside in the main room, Claire was still talking to the tall black wolf. He could see her laughing, elbows leaning on the table as the wolf talked about something (probably telling her a funny story). She seemed to be having a good time.

The band was back at it again, singing a tune that Flynn didn't recognize.

The hooded canine was still sitting in the corner, keeping to herself.

Rom seemed to have accumulated a slightly larger bunch, listening to him rant with a mug in his left hand. Whether all the animals were his friends or not, it was clear he was a charismatic weasel, or at least well known.

The spitz that was previously occupying a seat at the bar had left, and in her place was a Siberian husky girl. A beret on her head, wearing a smock, stained with an assortment of paint colors (such as red, yellow, blue, green, etc etc). She seemed to have a bright spirit about her as she enjoyed a drink at the bar, swinging her feet from side to side.

--- Exit
--- Backroom

The husky turned around to see who was talking to her. A small smile on her face. "Me?" The canine looked at the transparent glass cup she was holding in her hands, as if she was embarrased. The cup was a long cylinder shape. "Just enjoying a few minutes before I have to get back to work." She rubbed the side of the glass with her thumb as she talked. She had light greyish fur, her eyes were a deep blue. The fur on her muzzle had a whiter tone than the rest of her fur, and the subtle smile on it seemed natural, as if she was always happy about something. "What about you?" Glancing at Flynn. "Haven't seen you around here before."

And in fact, Trip was eagerly waiting for him at the entrance (or...exit) of the cave. His tail wagging. "Come onn Ian! You gotta see this, its so cool!" His enthusiasm clearly shown by the way he jumped up and down, tail wagging.
Once Ian made it to the exit (or...entrance). He was met with a grand sight. The ceiling seemed to have disappeared, giving way to a blank sky. What was more outstanding was that there seemed to be a large community set up in the vicinity. Cobblestone roads were paved under their feet, buildings (some were long, but none were tall) lined the streets, all illuminated by old fashioned street lamps, all giving out a ominous blue glow. Most of the buildings were further down the road, but one stood nearby, they were now positioned to the side of it. It was a large old wooden tavern looking building. And maybe if Ian looked to his right, he could see two figures, just walking out of an adjacent cave. It was hard to tell what they were from this distance.

It was still unlocked from the last time he barged through it. as he turned the knob, the door made a quiet *click*. No one seemed to notice.

The husky giggled/laughed. "Well, you've come to the right place then. Pretty much everyone who lives here swings by sooner or later." THe husky turned back around and leaned over the counter. Her arms disappearing behind it, a few seconds later coming into view with a bottle of...something in one hand (it was a black, unlabeled bottle), and a glass in the other. She patted the seat next to her before pouring the contents of the bottle into her glass, it was a dark blue color. "So what brings you to our little paradise?" She asked over her shoulder. "Are you a merchant? A soldier? Or maybe a wanderer? Our town just another stop on your trip across the Ridge."

The door creaked once, but only for a split second. His eyes took in stuff he didn't notice as he as rushing out. It was a small room (standard for a lobby), a front desk with what appeared to be a microphone on it was stationed next to the north door (where the buzzer thing was). A long bench was rested on the west wall next to a coat rack. The walls and floor were made of old wood, some of it splintered from age. An open door was also located to the East.
The shepherd didn't seem to notice as he stood up from his crouching position. "Probably gonna have to call Sarge for this..." He sighed as he walked east of the room and through a door, disappearing from sight, a electric stick in his hand. Now, as far as Scraps could tell, he was the only conscious animal in the room. The third shepherd was still nowhere to be found.

--- South Door (Exit)
--- East Door (???)
--- North Door (Hallway)

She glanced over to where he was pointing, Claire was still talking to the wolf. "Cool.". She commented as she took another sip of her drink. The husky looked down at the counter. "Must be fun traveling around..." Rubbing the side of her glass again, her eyes seemed to drift for a second before she regained her composure. She set her glass down and filling the one next to it. "So... what are your plans now? You gonna stick for awhile." The husky passed the glass down the table to Flynn.

"...es Sarge. Right. I just need two more at m-" It was a smaller room than the last, probably only 6x6 in length and height. And most of it was occupied by a desk. On top of it was some type of machine. The shepherd was holding a headset up to his ear and talking through a large mic on the table. There was a long silent pause (probably because the other end was talking). All the while the shepherd's ears lowered and twitched. When...
A loud *creak* sounded behind Scraps, alerting the dog that a door opened. The canine that was attending the front desk walked in through the entrance, there was a flashlight in his hand, still turned on. A bright blue glow shining dimly from it. "sIR, I didN'T fiNd H-" He froze as he spotted Scraps.

Harrison froze in place the moment he realized what that building was.
"That place looks like an Inn or Tavern, whichever ye like ta call it." he narrowed "Whatever ye'd like ta call it, I'm not too fond of goin' in."

"Too bad." Scratch said dryly, "I'm WAY too sober to deal with this anymore." An with that, she walked up to the door to go inside...

Whatever it was it tasted cold. Which was weird, because the glass wasn't. The liquid tasted sweet on his tongue, but burned as it went down his throat. The husky was watching him with some anticipation as he drank it.
Behind him, Flynn heard the entrance door open.

And with a "Grrkk!" The canine collapsed on the floor. The flashlight dropped to the ground and rolled across the wooden floor.

Loud cheers, music and merry drinkers filled the pub with a positively drunken atmosphere. The place was actually a lot bigger than it appeared from the outside. Round wooden tables filled the right side of the building most were occupied by unsober happygoers. A band played in the back. The song resonating throughout the pub. The animals who were playing were too far in the back to see what species they were. But a dog looked to be in the command of the mic. There were a few people sitting at the U shaped bar table. A figure in a modern brown hoodie occupied a corner to his/herself. In the middle a white furred cat was talking to the barmen, they seemed to be having fun. And a few seats over was another cat, black fur though, chatting with a Siberian Husky. And finally sitting in the middle among a mass of animals in the tables section, was a ferret wearing a cowboy hat. Who seemed as of right now, to be the epicenter of attention.

"Oh no ye won't!" Harrison protested "We have ta be as sober as we can if we're ta end this, okay?" he headed after the raccoon "I'm comin' with ya!"

The husky grinned and shrugged. "Don't really know." She put her hand to her cheek and thought for a moment. "Hmm... I guess never really thought about it before. He just gives you a bottle of stuff. And somehow, it usually end up being what you want to drink.... most of the time." She gave another cute smile and shrugged again.

The shepherd raised an eyebrow. "Aaaand, you think I'd listen to you? Wha-" He paused as a muffled voice sounded for the headset. "N-no sir. I wasn't talking to you. Just... hold on a sec sir." He took the headset off with one hand and reached for his own zappy stick (that was on a holster on his waist) with his other. The shepherd took a defensive stand, poised to react to whatever Scraps was going to do.

Clinking onto tables, jingling in pockets. As Scratch looked around, sorting through the chaos she saw snippets and glances of what she was looking for. The passing of silver coins, The sound of a small pouch, clearly containing small pieces of rounded metal. The attentive barman took notice of her and her companion, and after dismissing himself from his conversation with the cat he walked over, a barman's grin on his face. "Welcome to Wasting Time. What can I get ya?" The problem was, all of the bottles on display were unmarked. All kept in a uniformly brown tall glass bottles. If there were any distinctions between them, Scratch couldn't tell.

The husky smiled and shrugged yet again. "Well I mean... i didn't really think of it at the time y'know? When i first came here I just wanted a place to hang out for bit. I asked for a drink, but Rem never asked me what I wanted. When he came back and gave one to me, I just, drank it." She smirked and raised her hands her hands, palms up as if to say "what are ya gonna do?". "And since them, I usually nowadays since I'm such a regular I just pick one from behind the counter and leave change when I leave."
She bit her lip. Trying to think of another way to explain it. "Okay, here, lemme ask you this. When you walked into here and asked Rem for a drink. Did you specify? Or did you just...find yourself with a glass in your hand?"

"I'm sorry. I don't think you heard me." The shepherd growled back. "I. Dont. Listen. To. You." Enunciating every word for emphasis. "And besides. I don't care what you think. All I know is that your a criminal that doesn't have the decency to do his time."
And that's when he lunged. The end of the zappy stick flickering with electricity.

The husky giggled and poured herself another cup. "Thought so." After she put the bottle down the husky took another sip. "I don't know why. I guess he's just a charismatic person. He's always calm, friendly. Everyone I know is friends with him. And if things get too out of control in here he's usually the one to stop it.... I guess, that's what makes him a good bartender."

Scraps was successfully able to dodge the end of the zappy stick. Only to be met by a quick jab to the chest with the hand, (he had dropped the headset to the ground), leaving the terrier winded [-10 health].

And.. *Crash!* the shepherd's forward inertia was too great and after landing a blow on Scraps, flailed for a second, tripped, and fell on the floor.

The blow happened to land on the shepherd's left rib as he fell, promptly putting him to sleep.

And then there was one.
(A previous post will show that Scraps is already aware of the fox's location)

And then there was one.
(A previous post will show that Scraps is already aware of the fox's location)

And with a groan the fox moved. His eyes were still closed but he was clearly conscious now, mainly due to fact he spoke.
"Ahhh... earthquake..." He said weakly.

The husky smiled back. "Hey, with all the problems goin on, we need more friendly faces" She drained another cup of the drink and picked up the bottle again, shaking it. "Hmm..." She peered into the opening. "Empty."

"Mmmkay." The fox said sluggishly, clearly still out of it. He somehow found his footing and stood up, heavily supporting himself with Scraps shoulder. As they walked out the fox looked at Scraps as if he just registered who was actually next to him. He opened his mouth but seemed to think for a few seconds before asking what he was gonna ask. "Why you come back?" After that he muttered incoherently. Some words that stood out were "end game..." and something about chess pieces.

Scratch nodded, scanning over the inhabitants of the bar: no humans. She felt like she was back in one of the more developed coyote settlements back home as she walked into the crowded bar, keeping Harrison close at her back. She approached the bar, glancing at the various things she might order. She glanced about to see what kind of currency was being used, planning to just ask anyway...