Years after arriving at the Erberus Islands, Spike begins his path of growing stronger alongside new friends while facing new dangers. All while being secretly manipulated to his destiny that will decide the face of the world
Oh boy, this is going to be so epic! Now the team gets to show off their fighting skills again. I really hope that Loveshot dies during this attack. The world will be a better place without her.
Now we can see this den of filth get destroyed. However I feel that a majority of the major players her will escape and just start this all up again somewhere else. We know at least one group that will want this thing to continue.
I just finished reading this and Path of the Tyrant. Great stories so far, I can't wait to see where this all leads to. Mistress Loveshot is a pretty great villain. I think she might be killed off in the next chapter or so, but either way, she's definitely a stand out character.
“Wait, the Fumentari are real?” Aquilina asked, eyes wide. “Ruck, no wonder I got my butt handed to me.”
Yeah...not your best moment.
“So, you’re a spy?” Spike asked, crossing his arms.
“Spy. Sabotager. Assassin. Scout. Infiltrator. I do it all,” Sir Marshall replied, or Rexius as he was revealed to be, as he put his medal away. “You’d be surprised who we are and how many. Information is power, and the Legion does its best to keep track of its allies and enemies. When we need an insider for a special mission, they send us.”
“So, did you know we were coming as well, or was this just a coincidence?” Spike asked, keeping his eyes on the grinning Diamond Dog. If rumors of the dangers of a Funmentari were even half true, then Spike had to make sure he could finish the dog off before he could even do anything.
“Honestly, we knew that the Red Lightnings were hired to deal with a mission here on the island, but I didn’t know it would be Marc’s apprentice and his merry gang of misfits,” Rexius admitted before walking closer to Spike who narrowed his eyes. “I only know you personally by reputation. You’re not bad, but still not in the big leagues compared to others. Regardless, you being here is to my fortune.”
So...another route in Spike being shaped in his destiny.
“How?” Spike asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Like I said, I’m here to save my comrades from becoming slaves,” Rexius answered, his tone becoming more serious. “We had a battle with Ars Arcadum and we lost. Some of our soldiers were captured and were sent here to wait ships from the Great Chain Reef. No doubt to make them part of the vast Slave Army they have to protect them. My goal is to prevent that from happening by freeing our men. I already have Legion ships waiting to arrive and take over the place, but you can guess what the problem is.”
“The island is invisible,” Spike guessed.
“How is it able to do that? I thought invisible spells of that length and power required at least a dozen unicorns to maintain it?” Aquilina asked, getting up and into the conversation.
In lands like Equestria maybe, but here....
“Loveshot has a magical crystal from the Crystal Empire that powers the spell. From what I heard, she got it on the Black Market at a pretty good deal,” Rexius answered, before continuing. “Like I said, I got ships with Legionnaires ready to take over the place, but they don’t know where it is. If we can destroy the crystal, the island will be seen as plain as day.”
“Why didn’t you just attack when our ship was coming in? The island was visible then,” Spike asked.
“Because the entire island was on alert, and we would have taken worse casualties. Plus, if they saw the Legion ships, they might have killed our men in retaliation. My hope is to catch them off guard when they least expect it.”
Attack them when they feel they won't be attacked.
“And how? No offence, but I don’t see any ships on the water,” Aquilina pointed out, looking out the window nearby just to be sure.
Offense.
Rexius only chuckled. “Who says it’s on the water?” He ignored the confused looks before turning to Spike. “Look, this works out for both of us. You get your girl for the old captain, and we get our men. Plus, we get to get rid of a slave trade post. Everyone wins.”
Spike bit his lip. The deal almost seemed too good to be true. There was something the Diamond Dog wasn’t telling him, or something that he was hiding at the very least. Still, his team didn’t have any options. “Alright, I agree, but first you free Aquilina.”
With a quick slash of a knife, the griffin was freed from her bonds. She glared at the Diamond Dog before asking Spike, “You sure this is a good idea?”
“No, but I honestly can’t think of another option. I’ll send you back to the boat so you can tell everyone else what the new plan is. Hopefully, we’ll get out of this in one piece. As soon as the Legion attacks, you get the captain’s daughter and kill anyone in your way,” Spike ordered.
“Does that include the Loveshot bitch?” Aquilina asked, grinning.
“Yeah, first drink is on me for whoever kills her,” Spike answered.
Let the bloodshed soon begin.
“Good, cause I need some whiskey when we get back. So am I going to fly or...” She paused before realization struck her. “Wait! No! Not again!”
“Sorry,” Spike whispered before taking a deep breath and engulfing her with his mystical green flame. Only instead of ash and bones, her very being was teleported away just like that fateful night so many years ago.
Nice one Spike.
Back on the ship, the rest of the group was waiting for their leader to return when a burst of green fire appeared on the ship followed by cursing Aquilina. Dusting off the ash on her feathers and fur, she grumbled, “I hate it when he does that.”
“Oh, hey. She’s alive,” Azura announced with a smirk. She turned to a glaring Windward and smirked. “I think we agreed seven percent of your share this time?”
“Do you want to see me homeless?” Windward sighed before smiling at her. “Maybe I’ll move into your place if I can’t afford rent anymore.”
“And maybe you’d like to see my staff shoved up your plothole before I cast an ice spell the size of a glacier from it.”
Us men are not meant to be spread from the back!!!
“Oi, honeymooners, focus!” Aquilina yelled as everyone looked at her. “Okay, so good news. I am alive.” There was a moment of silence. “A little enthusiasm would be nice...”
Yasahiro slowly clapped his paws three times before putting them away.
“Ugh, whatever. Okay, more good news. Spike and that Diamond Dog guy worked out a deal, and he’s going to help us,” Aquilina said with a thumbs up. “Even better, once we the shit hits the fan, we’ll be able to slaughter every slaver on his Grandus forsaken island with prejudice!”
“What’s the bad news?” the captain asked.
Rubbing the back of her head, Aquilina answered, “Well, you know those rumors of the Legion having a secret spy ring...”
...and the truth will soon becoming out.
“Well, the real Sir Marshall is a Diamond Dog who was sent by the backers of this island to keep an eye on their investment. Fortunately, Loveshot and the others here didn’t know what he looks like, so it was a simple task of just replace him without them knowing,” Rexius answered.
“And the real Marshall?” Spike asked.
“Fish food.”
They didn’t speak until they managed to arrive near a bunker where two armored minotaurs were standing in place of a large metal door. The two held their axes up as the two approached with the left one addressing them. “Sir Marshall, who is this dragon?”
“Oh, he's an old friend of mine. Needs a new job after his old contract ended,” Rexius answered, grinning as he walked over to the two. “Just thought I’d show him around the place. No need to worry.”
“Does the Mistress know of this?” the right one asked.
I'd rather she not.
“You think I’d risk her wraith by going behind her back?” Rexius asked, looking shocked. “You remember what happened to the last guards she got angry at? Frankly, I’ve never seen such screaming in my life.” He put his paws over their shoulders. “No, you see I-”
Faster then Spike could see, a set of knives exited out of the sleeves of Rexius’s uniform and dug their way deep into the necks of the two minotaurs who were dead before they could even register what had happened. Blood sprayed from their necks as they collapsed onto the ground, clutching their fatal wounds. Retreating his wrist knives, Rexius grabbed one of the bodies and motioned for Spike to do the same.
“Impressive,” Spike admitted as the two dragged the bodies to a nearby set of bushes and set them down. “But what if someone notices the two of them missing?”
“By the time that happens, the Legion will be tearing down the walls of this place,” Rexius stated as he pointed to the door. “Here is where you come in. This door only opens with a key that the Mistress has around her neck. It’s got a spell so that it teleports back to her side should it ever leave five feet of her. I was running out of options until you came along.”
Yeah, kind of knew you needed Spike.
“Why?” Spike asked, scratching his head.
“Gee, I don’t know. Dragon. Fire breathing. Really hot. Melting metal. Getting the picture?” Rexius pointed out, rolling his eyes.
.
“Ah, say no more,” Spike said as he stepped forward and took in a deep breath. Unleashing his green flames, the metal door soon melted into a small pile of goo that was smoking by the time Spike was done. “You realize the moment they see this they’ll be rushing inside to get us.”
“Then we better move fast,” Rexius said, jumping in with Spike right behind him.
The only thing inside the room was a wooden elevator that lead downwards. Getting inside, Rexius turned the handle that started the devices slow movement down below. “Any more guards below?” Spike asked.
“Nah, I’m pretty certain that the crystal is pretty much unguarded by this point,” Rexius said as the elevator opened up upon hitting the bottom. The room was large with only a few torches to light it, mostly because the biggest amount of light was coming from the giant crystal hovering over a magical circle with energy lines connecting it. It was cylinder shaped with a mixture of blue and green coloring as sparks of white light erupted from it. If it wasn’t for the fact that Spike was distracted by the five heavily armored unicorn guards holding their swords at them, he’d find it intriguing. “Of course, I have been wrong before.”
When have you not?
“Who are you! We were told nobody was coming here today!” the center pony said, glaring at the two.
“Hey, woah! Woah! Don’t you see the uniform? I’m one of you!” Rexius replied, spreading his arms wide with a smile.
“And yet you should know that only the five of us, our second squad, and Mistress Loveshot are only allowed into this room. All others are forbidden,” the center pony responded.
“Ah, well I guess this isn’t going to work then. Plan B time!” Rexius then drew one of his wrist knives and flicked it forward. The knife found its way right into the eye socket of the center guard, killing him instantly.
“Kill them!” the one to the right shouted as the four charged.
They'll slaughter you.
Spike quickly summoned his flames to his hands and feet and charged forward with Rexius by his side. The two split up to take the four on evenly. Jumping to his right, Spike avoided a slash before using his tail knock the guard back with a spinning blow to his chest, but he found himself dodging the blows of his second opponent. Unfortunately, this wasn’t some common guard he often found himself facing, as each strike was handled for precision and control. The guard also know what he was doing, as most of the mortal strikes were aimed at locations where Spike’s scales were weak, like his stomach, neck, and limb joints.
If this had been ten years ago, Spike would have found himself joining Twilight in the afterlife, but he didn’t spend a decade in Erebus for nothing. Focusing on his opponent’s horn, Spike quickly ducked when an overheaded slash nearly nicked him in the ears. Shooting his hand out, he grabbed the unicorn’s horn and started burning it with the flames in his fists. One of the weaknesses of any unicorn was how the horn was, especially, another bone of the body that could feel pain just like any other. The guard screamed and cut the control of his magic, the pain of his horn being burned in flames making him cry out in agony to the point of tears.
This is definitely not like the old Spike back in Equestria, that's for sure..
His comrade, thinking this was his chance, tried to attack Spike from behind, but didn’t expect the young dragon to kick in the air and unleash a burst of flame from it. He barely had time to dodge it before lifting his sword to cut another fireball from Spike’s hand.
By now, the burned horn guard was begging Spike to let him go and he complied, by throwing him straight at his comrade. The standing unicorn teleported out of the way while his compatriot slammed face first into the wall with a sickening crunch. Seeing that close range was useless, Spike’s remaining opponent instead started shooting out lightning bolts from his horn.
Holding his arms in a guard formation, Spike felt the magical lighting hit his arms and spread around his body. Gritting his teeth, Spike did his best to stand still while focusing on his inner fire. Hoping the new technique that Marc taught him would work, Spike breathed his fire which ended up shaping into a tornado cone. Combining his flame and wind of his breath, it ended up being powerful enough to cancel the lighting bolts in its path, but also engulf the second guard in flames. He screamed in agony while wailing his limbs around until Spike punched him in the face to silence him.
Such brutality.
He turned around to see how Rexius was doing only to find the Diamond Dog spy wiping blood off his knife while the two other guards laid in a pool of their own blood. “Well, that was a bit of fun sport now wasn’t it?”
Spike didn’t reply, he just focused on the crystal and asked, “How do we destroy it?”
“Like this,” Rexius replied as he pulled out a pistol and fired it at the crystal. One quickly shot and it was scattered into many pieces. Flipping it in his paws, he turned to Spike and said, “Well, that was easier than I expected.”
“So now what?” Spike asked.
“Now you see the Legion in action.”
I feel like that was a bit too easy, but oh well.
After Aquilina told everyone the plan, they decided to wait on deck to charge forward and join in the assault. Even Captain Razorwing took out a saber, despite their attempts to let them do the dirty work. “I waited years to see my daughter again in my arms, and I’m not going to let anything stop me,” he replied.
The team waited as time went on with the waves splashing against the rocks of the pier. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but they kept their guard up for anything. Suddenly, Peewee started chirping about something from up above and the group looked at him as he circled around them. “What’s got his feathers in a tussle?” Windward asked, raising an eyebrow.
He can sense something happening.
Yasahiro narrowed his eyes at the phoenix before looking to the sea. Holding onto the railing, he narrowed his eyes before, much to the surprise of everyone, he drew all four of his blades with his tails. They looked in the same direction as the ronin. At first, there was nothing, but then something began moving towards the island from the water. Or rather, something from under the water.
“No way...” Azura muttered in awe. Wooden blocks from the water began to rise like a sea monster from down in the depths. Following it came a bigger and rounder figure also made of wood, but was almost as big as the ship they were on. In fact, if looked a lot like a ship but one that was designed to sail underwater. And it wasn’t just one, but there seemed to be a small army of them rising from the depths and making their way to the island. “How is this possible...?”
“I heard rumors that the minotaurs invented a way to sail underwater, but I didn’t believe it was true...” Captain Razorwing whispered, his eyes wide open.
Well, there it is!!!
Hatches began to open from the top of the underwater ships as canons appeared from the opening. Like a series of thunder cracks, they fired upon the fortress in unison. The team held their ears as explosions echoed across the fortress, burst of flame erupting as towers and walls began to crumble. Cries of shock and pain were silenced from the continuous fire, but an alarm could be heard from every point of the island.
While the ships were firing, others were making their way towards land, where the upper front opened up, folding into a ramp. Upon reaching the shores, the group could see soldiers from a distance coming out and charging forward.
Aquilina, seeing that this was their chance, grabbed her daggers and took to the air. “Well, I’m not waiting around to let them have all the fun! Charge!”
The others drew their weapons and jumped off the ship, landing on the pier as they rushed back towards the fortress with the intent of destroying it once and for all.
Oh boy, this is going to be so epic! Now the team gets to show off their fighting skills again. I really hope that Loveshot dies during this attack. The world will be a better place without her.
Now we can see this den of filth get destroyed. However I feel that a majority of the major players her will escape and just start this all up again somewhere else. We know at least one group that will want this thing to continue.
I just finished reading this and Path of the Tyrant. Great stories so far, I can't wait to see where this all leads to. Mistress Loveshot is a pretty great villain. I think she might be killed off in the next chapter or so, but either way, she's definitely a stand out character.
Yeah...not your best moment
.
So...another route in Spike being shaped in his destiny
.
In lands like Equestria maybe, but here...
.
Attack them when they feel they won't be attacked
.
Offense
.
Let the bloodshed soon begin
.
Nice one Spike
.
Us men are not meant to be spread from the back
!!!
...and the truth will soon becoming out
.
I'd rather she not
.
Yeah, kind of knew you needed Spike
.
When have you not
?
They'll slaughter you
.
This is definitely not like the old Spike back in Equestria, that's for sure
..
Such brutality
.
I feel like that was a bit too easy, but oh well
.
He can sense something happening
.
Well, there it is
!!!
Kill them all
!!!