//------------------------------// // chapter 8 // Story: The marked warrior // by Dark lord //------------------------------// "Nii Alkir Naus Laan Faal Dovah Junaar Wah Grind Voth Nihi, Dii Drog" (It appears they requested the Dragon kingdom to meet with them, my lord) said a guard with black armor as he bowed to the dark figure in the shadows. "Lun Naus Kos...Mu Kolv Mort Kotin Taar Wah Hirt Wah " (Leave them be...We have more important things to attend to) he said dismissing the guard with a wave of his hand. "Los Hi Ni Zein Se Daar, Dii Drog?" (Are you not worried of this, my lord?) Asked Siegfreid in the distance "Nau Faal Naaky..." (On the contrary...) chuckled the figure. "Enook Lo Gogli avh Pindaar..." (Everything is going as planed...) * * * * * "How does it feel?" asked Demetre locking the belts of the armor. "It feels a bit light...but I guess it will do” answered Dante moving his arms around and doing a few squats. Light!? That’s almost seventy pounds! Thought the boy, letting out a forced laughed "Well...its best if we start heading to the sparing room. Apparently there's a big crowed waiting for us to arrive." Dante let out a light sigh. "Yeah I guess your right" he said following Demetre out and into the hallway. "So how long have you been a guard for?" Dante asked breaking the silence. Demetre looked at him. “Well...I'm not really a royal guard yet..." he said with a sigh "I haven't been able to pass the test exams that are required to become a guard..." " That's because the people who grade the exams are a bunch of frauds..." a female voice called out behind them, causing Demetre to flinch. Her long red hair touched a few inches below her shoulders and her light blue eyes sparkled with the sun light. "Vel don't say that so loud..." said Demetre trying to shush her and soon let out a soft sigh.”Vel this is Dante Sumner" he said "Dante this is first lieutenant Velvet". Dante stared at her and noticed her silver steel chest plate with a golden sun in the center. "Why do you say that?" he asked curiously. "It doesn't matter." Demetre answered in a heavy tone "I just need to become stronger that's all that matters, so lets’ not worry about it and hurry to the sparing room..." he said storming off down the hallways. As the trio walked through the large doors a loud crowed could be heard cheering once they stepped in. Dante looked around and noticed the walls created a large circle, and a crowed of happy going spectators as he watch them drink from an iron mug. "This looks more like a coliseum than a sparing room..." He murmured under his breath, as he walked past several guards cheered and waited for the entertainment to start. As he walked towards the circular space, he noticed five guards across from where he stood. Four of them stood tall, each having a different weapon clutched in their hands, and wearing bright golden chest plates while one stood behind wearing dark red robe and holding what seemed to be a staff. "The rules are simple..." said Iron Sword flying in the center, silencing the crowed of men and women.”...Once the dome is set up the match ends when ether side surrenders or is unable to battle any further, these weapons are not lethal but they with do severe damage if you are not careful...each team has one minute before we begin..." Dante looked at the five men and narrowed his eyes, focusing on the man who covered his face with the shadow of his hood. . "That one is magic casters" said Velvet getting the boy's attention. "It's going to be pretty hard to be focus on those guys with that one watching their backs." she said. "Have anything in mind?" Dante turned and smiled. "I have a few things in mind" he said turning to examine the four men in full armor. They appeared to be protecting the hooded man in what seemed like a diamond formation around the man. A young man with short light red hair stood behind him holding a sword and shield, a tall man, who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with brown hair stood to his left holding a long sword. To his right was a short, yet buff looking man with long blond hair and light blue eyes holding a mace with a heavy looking chained, spiked ball at the end. The last man was standing in front of him, his dark brown eyes were focused on Dante and did not have any intent to look away. He was wearing a golden helmet with a white plume, similar to what a roman guard would wear, he carried a shield and spear while having a sword in its sheath on the left side of his hip. "Is everyone ready?" Shouted Iron Sword receiving a nod form the guard’s side. Turning to Dante's side he noticed him rejecting the sword that was being offered and let out a small smirk as he raised his right hand and quickly dropping it back down after shouting "Begin!” Instantly the two men on the sides dashed towards the boy with all their might closing in on him and with full intent to finish it quickly. As the blond man slammed his mace hard only to have Dante dogged it without any effort and quickly moved further to his right as the second guard jabbed at him with his double edged sword. The man kept trying to jab with the sharp blade while keeping his steady composure. Dante ducked left and right staying just out of reach of the guard’s blade. He noticed a sharp object flying towards him with the corner of his eye. Without hesitation he kicked the guard to the floor as his foot made contact with the man’s chest and dogged the spear with a slight spinning motion. He noticed the first with the mace come charging once again and quickly moved his head out the way as the spiked ball on a chain slammed into the ground with incredible force. The ball made a large dent on the floor before it was yanked out by its owner. Dante eyed the four guards, now standing in front of the hooded man, who stood ready for him not trying to show the shock they felt inside as they regrouped with their team. “Okay,” Dante took in a deep breath and exhaled as clenched his fist “my turn.” With a sudden burst of speed, he charged at the four guards. The long sword guard went in first and tried to knock him off balance with his blade. The boy dodged the blow easily and got in close to the guard. With one perfect step, Dante backed away as the guard lifted the large sword swung at him. Dante spun out of the way and slammed his fist into the guard’s jaw, stunning him but did enough to drop the sword. Quickly the boy grabbed the sword and went for the jab, but the blade was launched from his hand as the flying spiked ball caught the blade’s edge. To save his hand, Dante let the blade fall and took a few steps back. "I knew it..." he murmured under his breath right before dogging the spiked ball and landing a heavy kick to the man's knee sending out a loud crack as it broke inwards. Before the man could cry in pain, the boy's knee made contact with his chin which caused him to fall on his back unconscious. Not saying another word Dante instantly sprinted towards the man with the large sword ,analyzing his path, grabbed the mans' wrist, and before the man knew it he received a stomp to his left ankle, followed by a blow to the face that caused him to fall hard to the floor. Quickly, the boy turned to the sound of boots rushing towards him. "Don't get so cocky!" shouted the man with the helmet, swinging his short sword with anger. Dante side stepped out of the way, disarmed him and slammed the butt of the handle to his jaw, the guard cursed as he fought the pain and felt a hand grip his hair and yank his head forward into side of the shield. Once, twice, and on the third time he started to see stars. He felt a firm fist find its home in his cheek and the man toppled over blood flowing from his nose and mouth. Dante turned to look at the hooded man and young man, who now seemed younger up close. "Had enough..." he asked noticing the young one's sword and shield shaking in his hands. "We forfeit this battle..." A calm yet firm female voice called out from underneath the hood. Everyone in the room seemed shocked to hear her voice instead of a man's, except for Dante. Soon the two turned a calmly walked passed the magic barrier leaving a crowed of shocked silenced spectators. "B...but how?" stuttered Iron Sword not sure what he had witnessed was real. He quickly turned to the princess, who stood up from her chair, letting out a disappointed sigh. "I was expecting it to be a bit longer than this..." she said before stretching her arms in the air "...it's impressive that he was able to move so freely while being restrained with such heavy armor..." she turned, took a small bag of coins that was on the table and began heading towards the doors. "Still..." she said in a cold fearful tone "...I would like to have an explanation on why real weapons were used instead of the training ones...but in the meantime make sure they are taken to the infirmary room, they were lucky enough to just have some broken bones." she said murmuring the last part as she left the room. Dante let out a soft sigh and looked at his hands and clenched them into a fist. As he walked along the hallways, he heard his name being called out to from behind and saw Demetre and Velvet trying to catch up to him. "How did you do that?" asked Velvet trying to catch her breath. "What do you mean?" questioned Dante pretending not to understand. "I mean how were you able to beat them?" asked the girl again "They’re top ranked guards who could become the Elite. And yet you took them out like it was nothing!" "Indeed..." said Luna walking from behind them "...I am also curious on why you didn't finish them off when you knew your life was in danger..." Dante looked at her and raised an eye brow. "So you also knew the weapons were also real?" he asked with smirk. "Only after you took out the man with the mace and began to immobilize them..." she answered. Dante looked at her and let out a sigh, feeling their eyes on him. "To put it simply...my father began training me when I five, he was more like a mentor than a father figure. While his training was strict, he was a good man. After he pasted, my mother had me attending school but even still I began train myself and was able to pick up a few things along my way... plus their formation was a dead giveaway...." he paused as a guard quickly made his way towards them. "Forgive my interruption your grace..." he said bowing to the Princess and whispered something into her ear. Luna stared at the man for a few seconds then gave him a slight nod of understanding and turned back to the trio. "It seems my sister has called for my presence for court meeting so I'll be taking my leave...oh and Dante..." she said before turning around and tossing him a small dark blue bag. As the boy caught it he began shaking it only to hear the sound of coins rattling against each other then gave her a confused look. “It’s the two-thousand bits that Iron Sword and I betted on" she smiled and walked off with the guard. "I had a feeling she would do that..." sighed Dante placing the small bag in his back pocket, soon realizing it felt very uncomfortable. "Well I better get going..." said Velvet stretching her arms in the air. “I need to pick up a few things from the store in Canterlot..." "Do you need any help?" Asked Demetre trying not to stutter. Velvet nodded. "Thanks but I'll be fine. It's only going to be a few things." Dante looked at her and then to Demetre only to have a hidden smirk in his lips. "You know I am in need for a pouch, so I don't have to carry around much in my pockets." He said, getting both of their attention "...And sense I'm not from around here I was thinking maybe we could look around. You know kill two birds with one stone... or maybe three birds." He explained murmuring the last part under his breath just enough for Demetre to understand. "Well when you put it that way..." said Velvet looking down to think "I guess you have a point. Alright then let’s go." she said walking in front to lead the way towards the main gates. * * * * * * "This is unacceptable!" shouted a man wearing a red robe. "This cannot be allowed !" everyone argued with one another. "How can you be so certain he can be trusted?" another man shouted. " Are you implying that I am in the wrong ?" said Celestia causing heavy silence to fall into the room as she stood up, passed Cadence and began to walk around the oval shaped table. “It is true we have no idea who he really is but his intention is not to hurt us-" "It's true..." Luna interrupted as she walked past the golden doors. "If that was his reason we would have all been dead the first day he came here..." she said taking a set in an empty chair next to her niece.”...most likely he must have done some intensive training" Celestia looked at her sister and gave her a smile. "We'll speak of this matter further, once our guest arrives..." she said looking out the large window that showed a perfect view of her city. * * * * * * Dante and Demetre began to look around the shop as they waited for Velvet to finish negotiating with the shopkeeper. "Okay look..." whispered Dante not turning to Demetre while looking at a couple of swords.”...Once we leave I'll split from you guys and you take her out to eat..." he reached in back pocket, pulled out the small bag and handed him a few of the coins. "It's on me." Demetre looked at him trying to hide his red cheeks "Velvet and I are just friends. We've been friend’s sense we were kids-" he stopped mid-sentence after fixating this eyes on the amount Dante was giving him. "Do you even know how much you're giving me?" Dante gave him an innocent smile causing Demetre to let out a long sigh " Look..." he said showing the boy several coins from this own hand "This one's thirty bits, this one's twenty-five and this golden one is a hundred..." he stopped and began to count in his head. "You were about to literally give me four-hundred and seventy-eight bits in total." Dante poured the coins the boy's hand while nodding his head "it doesn't matter, just take her some to eat and -" "But she's the first lieutenant, a high officer of the royal guard...what if she doesn't-" he shut himself up, after noticing Velvet walking in their direction he quickly placed the bits in his left pocket. "Sorry about that guys" she said tying a pendent behind her neck. It was the shaped of a small star with a bright red stone in the center of it. "You still have that?" asked Demetre staring at the pendent. Velvet gave him a slight nod. "You gave it to me when everyone forgot my birthday...of course I would still have it." she said showing a part of the pendent. "I accidentally broke the chain a while ago, but I was told this man was the best jewel smith in Canterlot. I told him it was important to me, and so he said he would fix it for free. I guess it’s my lucky charm " her smile caused Demetre to blush just enough for Dante to notice it. The two stood silent for a few seconds until Demetre finally cleared his throat. "Um...Vel..." he said trying to calm his nervous tone. "Would you...I...I mean if you want...would you like to get something-" "WATCH WHERE YOU"RE GOING YOU STUPID BITCH!" a loud voice ordered followed by a cry of pain. Quickly the trio rushed out to see what was going on and upon what he saw made Dante's blood start to boil. A large man with short green hair and full armor stood over Amber as she cried placing her hand on a red spot on her cheek and being helped by a strong man with a black apron. "What the hell are they doing here?" Velvet questioned not sure what to do. Soon a little girl with long bright blond hair stepped forward, throwing a small pebble at the man's armor, not even leaving a single scratch on it. "Leave my mommy alone!" she shouted with fear and anger in her voice. The man slowly turned to her with a threatening look. "Just who the hell do you think you are you brat!" he said raising his voice and lifting his hand, causing the girl to flinch. "Crap, we have to stop this-" said Demetre before being cut off by Dante sprinting towards the man with all his might. "NO DON"T!" he shouted only to have him jump into the air and come down directly over the man. With a quick movement the man leaped out of the way of the boy's fist and watched as it hit the ground, making a small crater. Without hesitation Dante grabbed the little girl, put her over his shoulders and jumped back to Velvet and Demetre. "I didn't even sense his presence..." thought the man pulling out his sword form it sheath. "That's enough Draco. We are not here to suture any problems “a firm voice called from the large golden chariot. There, stood a tall strong man with golden armor and small golden crown on his head. With a low growl Draco did as he was told and stood at attention "I apologize on behalf of my solider...he isn't known for his, manners. I can assure you I was going to stop him." he said with an innocent smile. Dante placed the girl down, not taking his eyes off of the man. "If you excuse us...We have business at castle" with a quick nod the man's chariot continued to move towards the castle. Draco followed behind, glaring towards the boy. Dante looked at the girl, her bright hazel eyes stared straight at him with a few tears building up. "That was very brave what you did kid..." he said kneeling down and patting the girls head "...but I don't think your mommy would be happy if you got hurt." he said looking up to find Amber rushing to the little girl with all her might. "Lilly!" she said with tears in her eyes "Thank Celestia you're okay!” "What the hell were you thinking?!" shouted Velvet as soon they the chariot was far enough. Dante stood up "That was Lord Alduin. King of the dragons!" Dante looked back at her with an eyebrow raised "Our kingdom and the Dragons have always had tension. What if a war were to begin because of this?!" The boy clenched his fist. "And what kind of lieutenant are you if you would have allowed that prick to hit her?!" he asked in an angry tone. Velvet stood in shock her face was more like an open book, it was easy to read, and she had no answer. Dante turned back to Amber and Lilly. "Are you okay?” Amber sniffed and wiped the tears away. "Yes...I'm fine" she said not acknowledging the red spot on her cheek. "Thank you for your help..." said a the man with the black leather apron "...she was just leaving my shop when out of nowhere their horses nearly hit Amber and Lilly" his voice was deep but welcoming when he spoke ”Name's Fearon Morris." he said stretching his hand towards Dante. Without hesitation Dante clapped his hand and shook it firmly. “Dante..." he said with a friendly smile "...Sumner" "So you're the famous Dante Amber was talking about..." said Fearon putting his hands on his hips ”Wait here there's something I want to give you." he turned and rushed back to his store. Before Dante could question, he felt a light tug. He looked down to find Lilly pulling his black jacket. "Thank you for helping my mommy..." she said quietly as Dante crouched once again to her level and let out a smile. "There's no need to thank me Goldie." he said patting her bright blond hair ” I just did what anyone else would do." she smiled to the nickname that he gave her. Not long after, Fearon rushed back to Dante with a something large, wrapped in a black cloth. "Here..." said Fearon handing it to Dante "I made it out of the toughest ore in all of Equestria." he explained as Dante unwrapped it reviling a black sword with a matching handle, with an extremely sharp looking edge. After examining it, the man handed Dante a black leather sheath with a black strap. "It may not look like much but I wanted to show you my gratitude for taking care of Amber." "I...I don't know what to say..." replied Dante placing the blade on the sheath and putting it on his back ”Thanks...but you don't have to give this to me." he said with a smile. As the three walked back to the castle a long awkward silence surrounded them. Velvet looked back at Demetre, who gave her a confident look. "I'm sorry..." she said "I should have stepped in...But I...I just froze up" Dante stopped not long after but didn't turn to face the girl. "I don't desierve to be a high ranked officer if I can't protect-" " It's okay...I shouldn't have yelled at you..." he interrupted "...it's just seeing that man about to hit that little girl for defending her mother...reminded me of how unfair my life was..." he looked to her and smiled. "You were thinking about your country's safety but I know your heart was telling you to protect her...I think you and Demetre would make an excellent pair" he blurted out, and with a smile from Velvet, Demetre's face began to glow bright red that matched the evening sky. As the trio walked into the castle, they were greeted with Luna, Iron sword, Shining, Cadance, Spike, carring the young child, Twilight, Celestia, and Alduin looking at them in front of the newly fixed stairs. "Ah Dante..." said Celestia with a smile " we were just talking about you..." she said walking to him "the magic council and I have come to a decision but it's up to you if think you're up for the task." Dante looked at her and gave her a confused expression "From this point on you have the task of protecting Princess Flurry Heart and Princess Twilight Sparkle with your life." she explained. "HUH?!" cried Twilight, Spike, Velvet, Demetre, and Shining, in chorus, followed by an innocent laugh from the infant in Spike's arms.