I can't claim to be an expert when it comes to the Dogs of War. Truth is I don’t really know much myself. I've only met them once, and by that, I mean I delivered a package to one Delta and that's about it. Delta himself didn’t seem too outstanding. He mostly maintained a serious/bored look on his face. Barely talked, didn’t seem to care much for me or anypony else around. He reminded me a bit of Grace, actually, all apathetic and whatnot. Of course, after that, I chose to do some research into the Dogs, see what I could find.
The Dogs of War mercenary company is a group comprised almost entirely of Diamond Dogs—big surprise there—with a pension for guerrilla tactics when it comes to fighting. Not being their only style, they're quick to adapt to a situation and can be quite the sly foxes when need be. They're not opposed to fighting dirty, as they’ve been known to use their teeth and claws in close quarters combat.
They seem to have a hierarchy resembling that of feral wolves with an alpha leading the pack. Their exact numbers tend to change, however, so keeping track of those much further down the chain of command can be troublesome. Interestingly enough, unlike how wolves challenge each other for pack dominance, the Dogs tend to prefer more diplomatic solutions by voting in their leader based on a variety of standards.
The Dogs of War are not particularly expensive and are a pretty good way to go when it comes to urban or unconventional warfare. Not to mention they're very loyal to whoever holds their contract and will not betray for any amount of coin.
Everything else I've found tends to be either speculation or conflicting data. What an interesting bunch…
~~~
A distant boom from somewhere to the east, a flock of exotic birds actually got rattled off their branches and took off for a more tranquil setting. The war was getting close. A civil war was erupting in some nearby regions causing one hell of a stirrup, and though it was our plan to avoid that whole mess altogether, there was a real chance that we may have to get involved if The Guardians took the weapons crate into it.
I sucked my teeth just in time to have Firecracker pull my attention to a clearing up ahead. There they were.
They stood tall among the trees, weapons brandished and at the ready. There was a small group gathered out front with more up in the trees. They wore dark green armor to blend in with the rest of the foliage, but the glow of their eyes was unmistakable. The Dogs of War, we'd found them.
Among those in front was a Dog that seemed much slimmer than the others. She had a frosty white coat with icy blue eyes to match. She had a rifle strapped to her back with a long, slim barrel almost grazing the floor. A sidearm that looked like an oversized revolver strapped to one leg, a knife to the other.
A sniper, no doubt.
It didn’t seem like it was crystal optimized, but I was too far to be sure.
Regardless of the weapon type, she looked like she could command a whole battalion completely unarmed. She wasn’t scarred or disfigured. She wasn’t monstrously tall nor did she have any truly outstanding features other than her eyes an coat softly swaying in the gentle breeze. Yet somehow she had an air of strong confidence that became more apparent as we got closer. Her body language demanded order and respect; her eyes were merciless and calculative.
Alpha.
I'd never seen her before this and no one's ever told me about her before, but that didn’t matter. Immediately it was apparent.
I'm rarely impressed by others, but, damn…
My small group slowed our pace as Talon and the rest of the Dogs peeled off to join the pack.
Firecracker let out a whistle as we stopped.
"Wow! She seems like one badass chick!" she commented, pointing at Alpha. "She looks like she can take a punch and give it back too, with interest!"
Typical Firecracker.
Talon began exchanging formalities with Alpha as I took the time to scan the rest of the Dogs until—wait! Is that him?
Let's see… Mud brown coat? Check. Half chewed left ear? Got that. Bored looking green eyes? Yup.
That's Delta.
With a shotgun across his back and a smaller sawn off by his side, he looks just like I remember him. Its funny, with his lack of talking or emotions, those three long scars covering the left side of his muzzle may as well be giant stitches. But I don't think I'll tell him that, he'd probably blow my head off. Certainly looks the type.
Never seen him fight though, and with a lack of long ranged weapons, I'm genuinely interested to see how he uses those things.
"Looks like the boss is done talking." Moon Runner nodded.
Talon came back with Alpha and a couple of Dogs. We stood at attention as he addressed us all.
"Team, I'd like you to meet Alpha, leader of the Dogs of War and our ally in this retrieval mission. I expect you all to show her the same respect you show me, is that understood?"
"YES SIR!"
Alright then," Talon gestured over at Alpha, "would you like to?"
Alpha immediately stepped forward and began to examine us like an enchanter would a cracked crystal. She pulled back a minute later without any sign of displeasure or approval.
"As you are all well aware by now," her voice was silky, seductive but still carried an edge to it, "we are currently working under the same contractor to retrieve an object of significant value. The current holders of said item, The Guardians, are trying to make their way towards one of the warring regions, possibly to seek aid and shelter from companions in fortified camps.
"If we allow the weapons crate to be taken into the war, then not only will we fail this mission, we will likely have to face down an army just to escape. It is imperative that we retrieve that crate before they cross over. At the moment, my scouts have reported locating the tribals up ahead resting at a makeshift camp with said crate. This will be our opportunity to strike while they are resting and take the objective before this drags on any longer.
"Be aware that evidence of Black Forest has been spotted. Stay on high alert. I don’t think I have to tell you that being ambushed by them is the last thing we want happening. I'll have Beta fill you in along the way as to our current plans of attack and how you can supplement them. For now, let's go!"
~~~
The camp was nothing special. Looking like something that was hastily thrown together, it was nothing more than a couple of logs with a small, unlit fire pit in the middle and a small river behind. There were ten ponies; seven were standing guard in a crappy little circle, armed with some bows and blades, while the other three rested on the logs—just chatting with each other—with the weapons crate no further than two meters away.
Bingo!
We didn't just rush in though, oh no.
No, we made sure to stay nice and hidden among the trees and foliage. Firecracker and I, along with a couple of Dogs, had actually secured ourselves a little spot high in the tree tops where the leaves were more clustered. With our weapons ready, it gave us a nice vantage point.
We clearly outnumbered them, that was a fact, but seeing only a small force moving such a valuable item? It's more than enough to make one suspicious.
They couldn’t possibly be alone, right? I mean, they had to have had some help moving and guarding that thing, right? So where the hell was everyone else?
Normally we would have Source Code fill in the small gaps, let us know who else was hiding out here. But with the prolonged radio silence, we were on our own. It's not all bad though. We didn't have eyes in the sky, but we had the next best thing.
"Hey," I turned to a Dog—"Lambda," I think, "can you smell anything from up here?"
With a nod, he took in a deep and silent breathe and held it for a moment.
"Whoo," he said, "I don’t think these guys bathe. I've got their scents."
"Can you smell anyone other than these Guardians?" Firecracker asked. "Anyone that may be hiding nearby or something?"
Another sniff.
"I can… I can smell… something. It's not these guys, I smell oil and ash. But I can't find the source." He started moving his nose around in small circles. "I—damn, I think that whatever left that scent probably went into the river and had it washed off."
"You sure," I pressed, "can anyone else smell anything?"
We searched the team for any signs of success, only to see their looks of frustration.
There was movement in the camp. The squatting stallions were getting up and moving to the crate, the other seven started moving too. They were getting ready to leave. Two of them pulled out some rope and began to tie it to some hooks on the crate.
Couldn’t help but wonder how they managed to move that thing all the way here by themselves. That thing was easily more than twice their height and width, not to mention loaded with guns. I mean, I know Earth Ponies are strong, but—
And then two of the ponies in the back disappeared. Just straight up swallowed by the ground. Soon, another two followed, then five.
The last one got pulled down up to his neck, looking completely bewildered and panicked. Before he could say anything, a paw broke through the surface before him which pulled out the rest of the Diamond Dog's torso. The Dog looked straight at the hapless Guardian and started talking, putting a revolver up to his head.
Looks like they went with Plan A: bury all but one and interrogate the survivor.
Problem was that the Dog didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. He kept growling, rubbing his eyes and pressing the barrel more forceful into the pony's head.
Then the pony's head just… exploded.
The back of his skull sprayed its contents all over the ground in a cone of blood and gray matter. The Diamond Dog slowly looked down, letting his grip on the gun slip, and found a large cavity right where his center should have been. He slumped forward and instantly left this world.
We were all immediately on high alert. For the longest time, nobody moved. Nobody dared so much as breathe.
Based on the shape of the splatter, it was clear that the shot had originated form the other side of the river.
But from where?
And was the shooter still looking our way? Was the barrel now locked on our position—on my position—just waiting for a small slip in judgment? The slightest movement could give me away, and then I would join the bodies down below as fertilizer.
The leaves kept swaying in the light breeze, occasionally obstructing my vision. Even so, I kept my eyes peeled and mobile, but I couldn’t see anything. Nothing stood out or gave the slightest hint of housing a markspony or anything. Looking around, it seemed like no one else was faring much better.
Huh? Grace?
I could see her and Talon both staring straight ahead at something. And I don’t mean they were sweeping around, I mean that they had their eyes locked on something—or someone—up ahead! Talon even turned to Alpha and made a claw motion. Alpha seemed to nod and had another Diamond Dog start digging quietly.
I looked over at Grace and her stone cold stare, and traced it to a spot in between a couple of bushes.
What the hell is she looking at?
I just kept staring and staring, willing something to appear, to make itself known. Eventually it did.
A scuffle and violent shaking of the bushes followed by a pony crashing into the clearing; behind said pony was the same Dog that Alpha made dig.
The pony was clad in tropical camouflage armor and without a weapon, it being dragged by the Dog, and laid across its back. The gun was large and slim, a giant scope rested on the mount and a cylinder at the barrel's end. A silencer. How did that shot have so much power with a silencer at the end? Was it enchanted or cursed?
Hoisting up the rifle, the canine added the pony's own skull contents into the river, dirtying it with streaks of red and floating pink chunks. Satisfied, he tossed the gun aside and came back.
A deafening crack, and the Dog's right arm was now on the ground. A second shot and he had lost the lower half of his left leg. The third put a hole in his throat that turned it into a lopsided fountain, further polluting the river. He hit the ground in time for the area behind him to explode into a wall of gunfire.