//------------------------------// // Mission 7, Part 11: New Roads // Story: Semper Pie // by deathtap //------------------------------// “They’re turning back, Static!” Sonic shouted. “Static! They’re turning back!” A feeling of annoyance welled up in his gut. “Okay! They must know we’re trying to get them away from the Caldera.” “Shouldn’t we head back?” “Yes,” Static replied and looked behind them. The skimmers had taken a U-turn and were heading back the way they had come. Once he felt that they were far enough away, Static released his force-field, feeling the light-yellow ball pop as he let go. Instantly he felt relief from the strain. Sonic also relaxed lowering his wings and folding them across his back. “That was worse than PT with Glitter!” Static couldn’t help but chuckle briefly at that. “Indeed.” To say that they were grateful to Glitter would be a massive understatement; without her aggressive and tenacious training, they would not have had the stamina to do what they had just done. She had trained them to be warriors and she had trained them to survive. Static started sailing in a diagonal direction back towards the downed tower, making to keep his distance from the last of the Cultists’ skimmers. He was trying to get them to vanish over the horizon, as he did he took note of how far they had come in such a short span of time. It was further proof that these skimmers could definitely move when required. Static had purposely looped them around a wide circle keeping the sun behind them as much as possible. He had hopefully bought them some time by getting a few of the skimmers lost in the process of heading back. It was a long shot, but it was worth the risk. He hoped that the sand from the storm might contribute to disguising the path they had taken and allow them more time before their pursuers could regroup. A plan that he had relayed to Sonic. “How long do you think we bought them?” “Not long enough. Maybe half an hour.” “We need to head back there!” “Yeah, I know. But we need a plan.” “To Tartarus with plans! We don’t have time to think of one. We need to act! If we don’t, Raze and the others are gonna get hurt!” Sonic looked in the distance. “We go, and we go now!” “Relax, Sonic. I’ll think of something along the way. I’m not going to let your new fillyfriend get killed out here, not if it’s within my power.” “F-fillyfriend?” Sonic thought about it and a faint color rose in his cheeks. “Well, I… we…” “I am proud of you, Sonic. Even with her… condition, you still manage to see her for something more. That’s amazing. And I really, really respect you for that. I can’t. No offense, but I can’t not see those scars nor past the fact she looks more like a living corpse than a pony. The fact that I can see pieces of her skull really disturbs me. Yet you can see beyond that.” Sonic stuck out his lower jaw. “I don’t care about how she looks. I just… care about her.” “And, like I said, I admire you for that. Really. I do. I wish I could, but I can’t. You’ve got a gift, Sonic. A real gift. You’re really a good pony. You have a real pure heart.” Static turned the skimmer again. “Maybe to compensate for that empty head.” “Whatta-what-now?” “Never mind. We head straight to the tip of the peninsula. Nonstop. Come what may, we’re in this together.” “Together,” Sonic echoed. Static looked out at the sand, his expression fearless and resolute. “For Equestria.” They bumped hooves. The pegasus nodded, his face the same. “For Equestria.” A sensation. That was the only way to describe it. It grew out of the space within and without her. It steadily increased and, in any normal circumstance, it might have been subtle. But when one has not had the chance to feel anything, any changes are welcome. Any at all. Slowly, steadily, it grew stronger and stronger. Not much, but it was indeed growing. And it felt magnificent. Not like before. Not like that night. This was different. Before she could see and understand. This time it was tangible. She felt it. Felt the movement and the ripples bend and warp around her; felt reality itself bend and warp around her. It was being pushed and pulled in ways that could not be described. Like being caught in a tide moving in all directions at once and in varying power, then suddenly changing directions and pushing back towards her. But the ‘image’ she saw remained steady. Like the physical world, the representation of her situation was more for her own mind’s comprehension of things rather than what actually was. And it showed her that the chains still held fast, and try as she might, they still would not give, though the ripples and vibrations were changing that. Imperceptible to most, tiny fissures formed in those very chains, but when one was staring at the same thing for months every detail was etched deep into the mind; a tiny fracture was a monumental change. She stopped. It didn’t matter what she did, the inevitable would come soon. She could feel it within her soul. Soon she would finally break away from this infernal prison. Soon she would return and all the world would feel her wrath. She would pay visit to her ‘beloved sister’ and make the punishment slow so the pain and humiliation felt would be tenfold. Soon it would be time to go back home. “Keep going!” Raze shouted as she fired her loaded crossbow backwards at their pursuers. Bolts sang as they flew past and littered the way forwards. They had been spotted by a patrol and the word had gone out. They had severely underestimated their numbers. It wasn’t a ‘small force’ at all. It was a full-blown, all-out army out there. It was stupid of them not to consider it. Their numbers were enough to let them hijack a manna airship. Realistically, none of them could have predicted their true strength. Static and Sonic couldn’t have known they were transporting this many. It wasn’t impossible, she supposed that they could have this many; manna airships were used for heavy transport after all. If you let go of all the cargo, then you could bring an entire battalion with you. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Raze wondered how many more would there be if the wyrm hadn’t brought down the vessel from the sky. Perhaps they owed the huge creature a small bit of thanks. “Onslaught!” The giant stopped, turned and heaved his great hammer from his back and slammed it into the sand. It kicked up a significant wave that helped provide cover. The Cultist fired their bolts blindly into the makeshift sand wall and waited. A moment later, as the sand cleared a little, two bolts from both Elites sang out and claimed their victims. Experience and practice go a long way. “Go!” Raze ordered again, pushing Samidra with her head. “You have to keep running!” “But…” Samidra began. “Go, or die!” Raze yelled as a group of Cultists behind those killed lowered themselves into shooting position. Onslaught hovered over the ground, it would’ve been a comical sight if the situation wasn’t so dire. Samidra wheeled around and slammed her staff into the ground as the volley was released. She grunted and a large white, transparent bubble formed around her as the others rushed past. The bolts hit the shield and bounced off wildly, a few exploding in an array of strange explosions as the imbued spells ignited. “Air magic?” Onslaught asked as he loaded a crossbow. “Can you cast anything else?” “Not really!” Samidra said gasping for air. “I’ve had practice with this…” “On the skimmer?” Onslaught asked, pausing for a moment to stare at the filly. “You can cast an air shield that large with just that much practice?” “Y-yes? Is that good?” Samidra asked, still panting. “Very. Now go.” The giant pegasus fired an explosive quarrel into the downed tower’s side, the smoke from the explosion creating a wall in front of the pursuing Cultists. Raze then fired another quarrel into the smoke blindly, before turning and running close behind the retreating camel. They all ran as hard as they could towards the end of the peninsula. “Go! Go! Go!” Raze shouted. She then let out a strangled gasp, stopped and turned around against her will as fire roared through her shoulder. A bolt punched through the muscle there. She grunted in agony and took a step back. She raised a crossbow but remembered it wasn’t loaded. Another bolt sang through the air and a sharp pain in her lower leg made her fall to her side in agony. She looked up and saw a group of armored ponies joining in the chase. These were not like the others from before. These newcomers knew how to use their weapons and use them well. Onslaught was next to her in seconds. He lifted her onto his back and charged on. Despite his large bulk and his overwhelming strength, she was slowing him down. She looked at him through the corner of her eye. “W-what are you doing?” Raze asked. “Saving you.” “But… why?” “Because it is the right thing to do.” “Ugh, don’t tell me those two are getting to you,” Raze replied and loaded another bolt in pain. She aimed and fired, the quarrel exploding against the side of the tower again providing them with more cover. She started to reload, but the pain was too much for her to bear with just her forehooves alone. The pegasus said nothing for a moment. “Every bit of me is screaming to drop you and run, but another part of me wants to do this. It says you must not be left behind.” Raze smiled. “Onslaught. Listen to me. I’m going to be a very, very bad burden on you and the others. You have to leave me behind.” There was nothing said as he ran onwards. A bolt whizzed over their heads and hit the sand in front of them. It exploded into a red ball of fire as Onslaight rushed straight into it. “Tell Sonic that… it was fun while it lasted…” Raze whispered as they pushed into the ball of flames. Then he felt her grip let go. He was running too fast to stop and came out in front of the smoke, he paused for a brief moment, turned his head to look back. He growled inwardly and ran on all the while wondering why he had tried to save her in the first place if she was just going to commit suicide. It was strange, but he did it against his own instinct. Perhaps it was indeed the Guard’s influence over him, or maybe it was Providence’s. Whatever the case, she was gone now and he had to get that map to its destination – no matter what the cost. The Cultists approached her slowly. Cautiously. Every one of them aimed a loaded crossbow at her with their shields covering them. They were right to be scared. This one had claimed the lives of several of their own. One walked over and pushed her with the back of his spear to turn the body over, his shield out in front of him. “She’s alive,” he said and turned the spear around with the point facing her chest. “Shall I do the honors?” “And give her a quick and easy death after all she’s done?” another asked. “Not likely. Give me your crossbow.” The first complied without hesitation. “This is for our brothers and sisters whom you so viciously murdered,” he said with pure venom. He aimed at her rear leg nearest to him and fired. Raze bit back the scream, but groaned out loud in pure agony. “Another bolt, if you please,” the leader asked. The other Cultists were laughing at this point. Raze watched with hatred, agony, and, much to her regret, fear, as the second bolt was loaded. She watched as he aimed it for her other hind leg. She willed herself to block out the incoming agony she knew was coming. She willed herself to prepare for the inevitable. She willed herself not to give them the satisfaction of hearing her scream. She willed herself to close out the pain. She willed herself with everything she had. She disappointed herself as the bolt nailed her leg into the sand. The scream made Onslaught stop for a brief moment along with the others. He cursed under his breath and ran up to the others shoving them. “Don’t stop! Go! Don’t let her sacrifice be in vain!” he muttered and willed himself not to turn around to see what was happening. Even if she bought them a few seconds, it would be worth it to get to the peninsula. They had to get there. They had to deliver the map. Nothing else mattered. Nothing. “Static!” Sonic shouted. “I see them!” Static replied and moved the skimmer slightly. The Cultists had known they would double-back and had positioned themselves on an intercept course. It was now inevitable. They would cross paths. They both knew when they turned around that there was no possibility of avoiding it, but Static had wanted a little more time to recover his magic. He felt his internal reserves and they were dangerously low, but in battle you rarely had a chance to let things play out the way you wanted or intended. He needed to focus on recovering. “Sonic, we’re going to have to get as close as we can.” “I know.” “You understand that that puts us in a very bad place, right?” “I know.” “You know that we could die.” “I know.” “You don’t seem phased by that.” “I know.” Static looked at the stallion. He knew deep inside what was bothering him, but he didn’t have the heart to bring it up. He was worried about Raze, and with good reason. It was clear that their distraction attempt had only attracted a small part of a much, much larger whole. This was going to get really messy really quickly, and an all-out battle between the Watu and Cultists was imminent. They were alone. Even if the Elites technically were on their side, how far can one trust a band of murderers? Even if they did, they were too far away. “Sonic, I’m sorry, but I need you here and now. Stop thinking about things you can’t help. We need to focus on what’s in front of us before we can go and help them. You understand?” “I know.” Sonic turned his head slightly so that their eyes met. “I know! I know that duty comes first. Don’t worry. I’ll do what I have to.” The unicorn truly felt sorry for his friend. “Okay. Here they come!” The first salvo littered the sand in front of them. Static turned and almost tipped the skimmer over with the sudden jerk. He swerved directly towards the Cultists as Sonic pumped his wings hard thrusting the vessel forwards even faster. The gap narrowed considerably. Letting go of the tiller, Static pulled out his crossbow loaded with an explosive quarrel and fired it into the air over the enemy skimmers were. It was a good thing that the Cultists were not properly trained on how to keep formation. They were like a pack of wild, untamed wolves, all moving in for the kill at the same time. And that would prove to be their undoing. The explosive quarrel detonated over the skimmers, the sudden burst disturbing the air in their sails for a only moment. But a moment was all the Guards needed. Sonic had launched himself seconds after releasing the bolt and was upon the first skimmer in seconds. He had stayed as close to the sand as possible, the explosion serving as a distraction. He twisted himself around, narrowly missing the sail of the first and fired a quarrel of ice into the side of the leading skimmer. He had purposefully aimed for the far side of the craft, the ice exploding into spikes which shifted the weight suddenly causing it to flip over. It broke apart, the extended arms of the craft unable to compensate for the sudden shift in weight as the vessel twisted around. The ponies aboard were flung off. At those speeds, it was unlikely that they would survive. A pegasus tried to recover, but did not see the rear of the skimmer rising up to meet him. The dull thud was fatal. The body smashing through the hull. If that didn’t kill him, then the velocity with which he hit the sand did. Another skimmer traveling alongside to the attacked craft had several prongs of the icicles penetrate through the sails and hull. Then, as the first skimmer twisted, the icicles pierced through the heart of the pony piloting the second. The body slumped over the tiller and the craft turned sharply to the right, twisting around sideways and capsizing. The skimmer behind that -- the pilot unable to compensate at those speeds -- swerved hard and it flipped over as well. Because it had no ice to slow it down it was caught up quickly and crashed hard into the two in front of it. The craft behind that one swerved in the opposite direction, but the debris from the crash caught one of the wings and the craft dipped at a strange angle that turned it edge on edge, making is cartwheel along before slamming downwards, the sail rapidly sinking into the sand. Both skimmers had pegasi that abandoned their non-winged compatriots to their fate and had managed to catch themselves in the air. But Static was not idle during this moment, and using the chaos, had positioned himself inside the crashing debris pile. He fired an electric quarrel over the tangled mess and at the nearest confused floating pegasi before escaping sideways as fast and as low as he dared. One can never be idle in a combat situation. The electrical spell exploded in a ball of energy that found the nearest pegasi and arced over to the next and the next in a chain. The chain got weaker as it continued to bounce off of them in sequence and only the first three went down in a smoldering heap of seared flesh, but the others were stunned to varying degrees. It was close. Too close, Sonic knew. Had he been any slower the bolt of magic would have caught him too. Landing next to the upturned skimmer, he used it as cover and positioned himself with his crossbow just another skimmer approached. He waited for a moment before firing a bolt at the pilot as it tried to race past. The shot was clean and punctured the neck of the Cultist. He or she twisted around and landed hard on the tiller forcing the skimmer to turn away. That, in turn, forced other skimmers trying to avoid the crash to swing further away and out of range. Sonic nodded to himself. As he thought might happen, the Cultists had focused too much on their own maneuvers and did not take note of what Static was doing. He quickly hovered over the debris and headed the opposite direction the Skimmers were going. The Cultists turned to see the Guards’ skimmer was now cutting behind them all. The had used the crash as a distraction and the dust and sand to hide their intention. Sonic had destroyed four vessels, managed to avoid the rest, and allowed Static to get behind the advance and now they were heading, unobstructed, straight for the peninsula. As Sonic landed on the deck and rested his aching wings, he took note on how the Cultists tried to turn around to continue their pursuit. They were far too disorganized to give proper chase, a few of them having near-misses. Their antics allowed the Guards some much needed respite as the Cultists were quickly getting too far behind to cause any concern. A sadistic smiled crept on Sonic’s lips as landed in front of the sail and spread open his wings and pushed with all his effort. The Cultists watched in raw hatred as the Guards quickly receded into the distance. They had been utterly and completely outmaneuvered. “No.” Onslaught sighed with his eyes closed as the words from the camel came out in a small whimper. “No!” Samidra screamed and slammed her forelegs into the sand. “W-w-w-w-what are we gonnna do?” Tessa asked staring at the rubble. The entrance, or what had at some point been the entrance, loomed in front of them. “No. No, no, no!” Samidra started to breathe harder. Onslaught slammed his hammer down and felt weak in his knees, but he didn’t want to show that to the girls. They were not used to this and he needed to be the one to stand firm despite the very harsh reality that their time was almost up. Using his hammer, he held himself upright. Tessa was shaking as she looked at the entrance that was supposed to be their salvation. It was blocked. Completely and utterly blocked. There was nothing they could do. With the Cultists hot on their tail, they were trapped. They could run into the desert, but then what? To be picked off by skimmers? To die of thirst or starvation? They had no choice now. It was to be a fight to the death. She knew it. She knew it the moment Samidra dropped onto the sand and started screaming. “What do we do? What do we do?” Tessa looked over at the large Elite. “We fight. We die.” “Y-you’re giving up!” Tessa retorted. “There’s something we can do! There has to be something! Anything!” “If you fight hard and well, it will be quick,” Onslaught replied reassuringly. The mare blinked. “You can’t be serious. We are not like you! I want to live!” “Sometimes you have to do what you have to. If we die, we die. But if we fight hard and survive a little longer, something might happen. But doing nothing is not going to help us. We either fight and hope, or we standby and commit to our fate. Running isn’t an option.” “I… I don’t have a weapon,” the mare replied staring at the incoming line of Cultists. With her eyes, similar to those of a pegasus, Tessa could see some of them smiling maliciously, others were even laughing. It was blatantly clear that the Cultists had started to realize that their group was making for the entrance of the peninsula and had waited for them to trap themselves. They had been baited right into a trap of their own choosing. “Take this,” Onslaught took out a dagger and threw it into the sand in front of her. “We don’t have a shield. They’ll keep their distance and use their crossbows.” It was then that Samidra walked past the giant and placed herself in front of him. “I will be our shield.” Onslaught suddenly felt proud of the camel in front of him. “Very well. I don’t know much about magic, but I can advise you. Keep the shield as close and small as possible. It might help us maintain our defenses for a time. The moment the bolts hit the shield, if they have not fired another salvo, let it down and rest your body for those few short seconds. It might buy us time.” “Time for what?” Tessa asked picking up the dagger and staring at it as if it were the last thing she would ever see. “Hope,” Onslaught replied, “that is something you ponies do in situations like this, right?” There wasn’t anything Tessa could say to that. “Maybe the others will see us and come to our aid. Maybe the Guards will come back and help. But, right now, this is our only option is to fight and hold out.” “I need something to help me help you,” Tessa placed the dagger in her saddlebag. “I need to be able to shoot something!” “I have only one crossbow. Raze had the other. Since you cannot fight, then perhaps you can find a way through the debris?” Onslaught suggested. “Maybe there is a passage through.” Tessa was off before his words were finished. In the distance, the Cultists watched her go. Some were curious and pointing, others were laughing harder and a few took aim and fired. The bolts hit the sand, but none came close to the mare. “Experience does indeed go a long way. They have given away their range. We have at least another thirty steps before we are in danger of their main firing body. We are going to move towards the peninsula slowly and hope that we can buy time as we retreat. Being this close to the tower might help them hit us with quarrels from our flank. We will move away from the tower and towards the peninsula as slowly and steadily as possible.” “You don’t want to use the tower for cover?” “No. It would go against us. We don’t know what’s on the other side. In the open we’ll be harder targets to hit and the sand will help diffuse some of the power of the spells.” Onslaught looked at the camel. “How quickly can you form a barrier?” “I don’t know.” “The only thing we can do now is to play the waiting game. Our advantage is that they have already decided that we are doomed and are going to try and keep us at a distance. I am not the best with the crossbow, but I don’t have to be. With our reputation, they will be overly cautious. That will work to our advantage. We need to prolong that sentiment for as long as possible.” “How?” “By being careful. And by killing them one by one so they know if they come closer, they will die.” Samidra gulped, swallowed her fear, and held her staff in front of her. Thirty paces were now down to twenty, and as they stepped forward, Onslaught and her took a step back. They would keep as safe a distance away for as long as possible. “What is that? ...Is that a thestral?” “Looks like.” Slasher peered harder at the figure darting across the sand. The sandstorm had managed to calm itself considerably, but it was still hard to make out details. The tower was only a looming, dark, shadowed shape in the distance, but they could see the line of Cultists marching slowly behind the pursued group taking their time, keeping their distance. “Those Cultist crazies are really after them,” Crusher responded laughing slightly. “I think that’s Onslaught. Shame. I liked him. His hammer was useful in field combat. Either he is refusing to believe that the entrance is blocked, they’ve found another way inside, or…” “Orders, sir?” Slasher asked the Guard. “Take positions.” Semper stared at the distance and seemed to contemplate something before turning back to us. “Prepare for battle.” “Yes, sir!” we all replied as one. I looked down at my hooves and then back up at Semper, but he had already turned away from me and was gazing far into the distance once again. I wished that I could see what he saw. As I drew closer to him, I stood basking in his presence. A part of me wished that he looked at me. That he would know that I was there. But I am a Ghost. I am only here to serve Providence before it is my time. Silent, I will wait for the final fight. But if I do go, if I have to leave this life, will He at least remember me? Probably not. Because I am a ghost. No. I am Ghost. Rarity felt the magic suddenly slow down. She tried to undo it, to turn it off, but it just was not listening to her. She clucked her tongue in annoyance. There had to be something she could do. She had ventured quite far from her home, and a part of her grew more than a little annoyed at her mother’s somewhat callous farewell as she was yanked out the door of her home. Then again, her mother was someone who, for the life of her, seemed to never be fully there. She was always distracted, and despite their father loving her to bits, there was always just a hint of something. Something that she did not miss. It was something along the lines of pity, if Rarity were to put words to it. Her father pitied her mother. “Goodness,” Rarity muttered to herself, “what has come over me? Why am I thinking of such depressing things when my dresses are still half done back at home!” Again, she tried to cut the power flowing through her horn by concentrating at the base where she could feel the power welling up from within her being. She willed what could be compared to a tap, or faucet, and started to turn it off. She needed to get back to work. She needed to finish her designs. Ponies were depending on her. Then she felt something like a metaphorical smack on her fetlock as her will was brushed aside and the ambient magic from within her surged through her horn with renewed vigor. It was as if she awoke whatever was pulling her along. “Oh bother.” Tessa stared. It was blocked. She saw a small opening and threw herself into it. She pushed herself through, her fear slowly giving way to panic. Then she felt something wet, and warm. Her nocturnal eyes adjusted to see the remains of masked pony staring in her direction. She let out a bloodcurdling scream before regaining her composure. A dead Elite. She stared and stared at the body, and closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “No need to panic, Tessy. If you do, you’re going to die. Relax. Think.” She pulled herself out of the hole, turned and saw the line of Cultists closer than she expected and once again her panic spread through every inch of her being. Unconsciously, she spread her wings and knelt down to launch herself into the sky. To try and scale up the side of the side of the mountain. Right now, that was the only thing she could do. At least she might survive. Better than letting herself be slaughtered by the Cultists. She did a small hop getting some altitude, but in her confused state, she miscalculated and the timing of her wings in her state did not catch the wind in the right way. She ‘slipped’ and slammed headfirst into the sand. At that instant, something threw itself out of a small hole and slid to a halt not far from where she was a moment ago, a loud snap from its mandibles made her spin around on the ground and watch in horror at what nearly killed her. The creature’s head was held up by a powerful body as it reached straight out of the side of the peninsula’s walls. The creature turned its head downward, but it was clear that the angle was not biologically possible for the creature and it slowly started to retract itself. In that instant, from somewhere to her left, a larger creature aimed and bit the head of the smaller animal. The larger wyrm receded quickly, pulling on the body of the smaller one, but stopped when the body grew taught. Tessa noted the smallish looking hole in the said where a large stone boulder had been moments before. The dead creature still held fast. Moments later, another creature burst out of the ground and attached itself to the dead. And another. And another. Soon, nearly five creatures were tugging on the dead creature’s body trying to pull it down into their hole. With this display of brutality occurring over her head, she watched as the Cultists had backed away. Onslaught and Samidra were slowly backing their way towards her, but had stopped with the Cultists, the Elite’s eyes trying to monitor both threats. Finally, unable to resist the power of the downward plunge of the larger predators any longer, body was pulled from the rock it was hiding in and the body torn into pieces with a surprising lack of blood as each creature took their piece and slipped into the ground with barely a whisper, with the exception of the last one that pulled the bottom-most and largest part of the dead animal. A pithy knock was all that could be heard as the end of the dead’s tail, a ball-shaped object covered in hooked spikes, plopped into the ground. The anchor that these creatures used to remain in their burrows. “W-well, maybe flying isn’t such a good idea,” Tessa told herself. She turned her head to look at the group of Cultists. They had resumed their forward march, and Onslaught and the camel were keeping pace ahead of them. She turned and looked at the expanse of sand behind her. She could make a run for it. Try to get away from the conflict, but she knew that it would only delay the inevitable. Either the heat and thirst would claim her, or the Cultists on skimmers would hunt her down. She would not survive out there. In fact, in some strange way, she was safer where she was. The area was littered with boulders and stones which she recognized to be the eyes of the wyrms. She turned back to look at the Cultists again and forced herself to relax. To think things through. To analyze the situation. To understand. It was then she noticed it. Noticed what the others seemingly hadn’t yet. A small smiled formed on her lips, and she jogged to Onslaught and Samidra. “And?” The Elite asked when she was close. “No way in. Entrance is really blocked. There’s no way we use it. I thought about flying, but you saw what happened. The place is surrounded by those thingys.” “This is their breeding ground,” Samidra spoke serenely, “there are a lot more, and larger ones, hidden under the rocks.” Tessa leaned in closer, as if she was afraid the Cultists would hear her next words. “What rocks?” Samidra looked around with her eyes as did Onslaught. On this side, within the fading sandstorm, there were no boulders or rocks. There were no eyes watching the skies. Nothing jutting from the sands around them at all. The attack had come from the other side of the peninsula. The side where the sandstorm wasn’t. “Maybe… maybe they’re hiding?” A flitter of hope shuddered through their bodies. “Okay. We get closer to the cliff, then we make a break for it. If it’s true, then we can fly up and out of here. It’s a chance we have to take before they get any closer.” “But they’ll follow,” Samidra whispered harshly. “It’s a chance we have to take. We Watu are not soldiers. If we fight in the open like this, it is they who will have the advantage,” Onslaught whispered back. “If they follow, they will know why we are thusly feared.” Tessa stepped away from the Elite when he said those words. The three moved quickly, but steadily, back towards the cliff’s side. Tessa, with Onslaught, kept an eye out for the tell-tale sign of the wyrms. Nothing. Not a single boulder or rock poked out from the sands. Why had they not noticed this before? “We can’t get too close. The wyrms in the rocks will attack too,” Tessa murmured. “I know. I think we’re close enough. Get ready, once we fly they will give chase. We don’t know how long they will wait before they will chase. I’ll carry Samidra-” “No. I will. We’ll need you to fight them off. I can’t do that.” Tessa looked at the camel. “Hop on. Let’s get out of here.” The camel hesitated for a moment but did as she was asked. Tessa waited until she was comfortably sitting on her back before suddenly pushed up and into the air, hurrying upwards as close to the cliff as she dared. Samidra was heavy, and Tessa struggled with her weight. The thestral hadn’t realized just how tired she was from all that running. But she couldn’t give up. She had to push on. Their very lives depended on it. It was only a short way up, she told herself. She could do it, she just needed to put her mind to it. The Cultists immediately saw them, but were stunned. After their initial attack when the wyrms had picked off so many of their own, their hesitation was understandable. A great many had been slaughtered and yet this small group was taking to the air. Many just waited, wondering when the inevitable was going to happen, but after a while it was clear that something wasn’t right. A few took to the skies, tentatively, looking around in fear. Nothing. More and more soon followed, until, when about six of them were airborne, the others that could took-off as well. But the delay worked and by the time they gave chase, it was a little too late. Tessa and Onslaught made it over the lip and on the plateau. Instantly, Samidra launched herself off of the thestral’s back and was galloping at full tilt towards the encampment together. There was no one there. The camp was abandoned. They would be cut to ribbons with just the three of them there. Just as panic was about to set it, Tessa heard a noise. “Over here!” a shout echoed from the Caldera’s base. They turned to see a large cave and a not insubstantial number of Elites inside. “Run!” They bolted as quickly as they could for the entrance. The familiar sound of a bolt hitting the ground echoed and Tessa turned to look into the sky to see that the Cultists were high in the air and using that to their advantage to give them extra range. So close. So, so close. Then something was off. The Elites came out of the cave and stared. Some were laughing, others were slapping each other on the back. “What’s going on?” Tessa asked. Onslaught grinned. “We’re safe for now. Move. We need to get inside.” “W-what? How can you tell we’re safe?” “Experience,” Onslaught slowed to a jog and trotted. Samidra, not taking any chances, was still sprinting towards the entrance. When Tessa arrived at the entrance, she turned around to see the Cultists hanging back. They were definitely flying high, but they had not moved in closer. Just then she spotted a group of pegasi trotting towards her. Another batch of Elites. Where had they comes from? “The others?” Onslaught asked as the first of the group reached them. “They are staying behind to delay them. We’re here to lend whatever help we can, but a small number of us will return to Semper Sir with fresh bolts.” Onslaught nodded. He moved out of the way as the pegasus he talked to rushed inside. On his way out, he stopped and looked at Onslaught. “You wish to come?” “No. I have to ensure that a map gets to Providence as quickly as possible.” “A map? So, he was right after all. He said that you might have something important to give to her,” the Elite laughed and slid his mask over his head. “If you see her, tell her thank you from me. I’ll probably die in this skirmish.” “I shall.” Tessa watched in amazement as half the pegasi that had come were galloping back towards the edge of the peninsula. She was shocked. While Raze’s and Onslaught’s faces were frightening, the pony she saw was beyond terrifying. There was more missing them just skin on his head, and she wondered how a pony could live with what she saw. She felt eyes on her and turned to see Onslaught staring. “Grotesque, wasn’t he?” “Y-yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.” “He used to be quite handsome, I’m told,” Onslaught began and gestured for her to enter the cave before him, “but a jealous mare who had been vying for the affections of another did not take kindly to that and poured acid over him.” “That’s horrible,” Tessa replied, stunned and gratefully took a cup of water and inhaled its contents. She thanked the Elite who served it and asked for more. They were all staring at her, some with curiosity, others with suspicion, and a few with something between hate and anger. “Why are they looking at me?” “Remember what we are. Some want to kill you, others to use your body, and others are honestly just curious.” “I… see…” “Do not worry. Nothing will happen. You’re here for Providence, after all,” Onslaught said loudly so that all could hear. It was a lie. She didn’t know who this Providence was, just that she was very important, but the effect was instant. Almost every Elite turned away and resumed their business. “What do we do now?” “Get the map into Providence’s hooves. After that, we’ll see.” “And the others? Outside?” “Not our business. We have what we have to do; they will do what they need to.” “But… they could die.” Onslaught nodded. “Yes. They most likely will, but they’re ready to accept their fate. It is our way. We’re already dead.” At that, Tessa could only nod. She was grateful that she was given this chance, she should be grateful that they let her come along. Now it was time to meet the mare in charge. Now it was time to meet this Providence. What terrifying mare must she be to control all these warriors with such obedience, she didn’t know. She gulped and followed Onslaught as he followed another deeper into the cave.