//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: ...So Roll for Initiative! [EDITED] // Story: Death's Claw // by Hunter Redflame //------------------------------// Chapter 2:...So Roll for Initiative! (\PoV: John/) ...In hindsight, that was likely the worst idea I've had thus far. "Really? And here I thought that antagonizing an Author was a good idea..." For those of you just catching up, here's the deal. I made a bad call last chapter and decided to prank the Author in charge of this particular subverse. In case you don't get the big deal, they control when Murphy gets to screw you ten ways to Sunday. I scared the guy out of his wits, and even though it hasn't even been a second here... Well, time whosiwatsits and all that. Anywho... Luna's still up against a cave wall, Celly's still shellshocked and I still don't know their names at the moment from their perspective. "And why haven't we asked them yet?" Because I was getting to that, Umbra! I coughed-a sound like a stuttering earthquake-and they looked back over to me. "I believe common courtesy is giving one's name in return for another's?" Luna rubs the back of her neck with a cheeky smile on her face. Celestia snapped out of her bluescreen moment and looked back to me with slight disdain. "Hehe, sorry about that Claws. The name's Nightshade! Glad to not be on the dinner plate!" Hmm, intriguing... And a fitting (if unimaginative,) nickname. I looked expectedly over at Celestia. She simply continues the 'Holier Than Thou' look, and adds in some 'Petulant Noble' by turning her nose up and away from me. "I am Solaria, Paladin of the Ember Seekers Order. Know that whatever defences thou hath placed around thyself shall not last forever, demon." Rude. Very, very ru-...Did anyone else..? "OI, WHAT DAT SOUND?!" It sounds like... Creaking wood? And-OH GOD IN HEAVEN WHAT IS THAT STENCH? Wait... Wood, stench... Timberwoves? I pop the question to the not-yet-confirmed royals. "Does anyone else hear or smell that?" Cel-Solaria, scoffs. "Do not bother with such an obvious-" Luna-Nightshade, interrupts her. "No, I hear it too," Her face contorts into a confused expression. "But why the Hay..." She sniffs, then suddenly recoils. "Blech, that's a foul smell if I've... Ever..." Her eyes widen and shoot to the nearby paladin. "GET BACK!" Solaria looks confused for a moment, but realization strikes a bit too late as a wooden wolf smaller than me, (but at least twice as tall as Alicorn Celestia,) bowls her over from a poorly-calculated leap. Wait, is it-OH COME ON! I realize too late that the undoubtedly young wolf is headed straight for me in it's tumble and it crashes into me! And once more, fracking OWWW. Of course, all it does to me is stumble me backward and-CRACK! ...The tablet... My only multi-mile longshot at any communication from home... There's silence in the cave as the reformed timberwolf shakes off it's dizziness. It takes one look at me, then one look at the tablet with a now-cracked screen, then back to me. I look slowly from the hopefully still functioning device to the Wolf with my jaw slightly opened in temporary shock. That.... That..! The moving piece of firewood seems to recognize the fact that it is very, very screwed. It whimpers, tucks it's tail between it's legs and its ears flush to it's face. I growl. The dark, thunder-like sound filling the entire cave. The wolf yips, and dashes toward the exit instantly. Oh, it's not getting away! "GET BACK HERE YOU COWARDLY PIECE OF FIREWOOD!" (\PoV: Timberwolf pack/) The Timberwolf hunting pack had scented the two ponies earlier, and had been waiting for them to rest. The older wolves had decided to let the sapling get his first kills as they waited outside the Treerock Den. They stood waiting for the sound of claws rending flesh. They heard the plant-earth-shadow one shout, too late to warn it's companion. They became mildly concerned when they heard the sapling crash and reform. However, they then noticed a new scent. It was not the sea-mana-light one, no. This one was different, this one smelled of oddstone, shadows, and... star-pack? The hunt-alpha grew tense, it had never smelled such a creature before... What could-Suddenly, there was a sound like sky-shakes. Some of the hunt-pack looked to the sky to see not a single cloud in the sky. The hunt-alpha narrowed it's eyes and continued to stare into the Treerock Den. It knew the sky-shake came from there... But why? The sapling suddenly dashed out, scared by something greatly. Just as the hunt-alpha was about to ask the sapling of it's retreat, a terrifying roar shook the earth around it, and pushed back a hunter that had been close to the den's mouth. Out of the den came something that would haunt the dreams of Timberwolf pups for generations. It was a great beast, not unlike the fire-sky-death that lived nearby. It stood tall enough to just barely fit inside the Treerock Den. It's fangs, claws and horns promised a swift trip to the Sky-Forest. Suddenly the hunt-alpha understood. This creature was not prey-creature, but danger-creature like the mana-star-danger and it's mother. And it's eyes were locked on the sapling in rage. (\3rd Person/) {Suggested Listening: Hell to Pay by miracleofsound} John obseved the hunting pack. There were eight of them, including the first one. He didn't care, they broke his one possible link to his home. They were as good as sawdust. He leapt at the first, who was trying to hide behind the largest wolf there, (up to John's elbows.) The large timberwolf blocked his path, but just for a second before he smashed through and his claws began to spark. As he struck the younger wolf, the sparking turned rapidly into electricity jumping along and between his claws; a brutal Storm Claw. It did not kill the timberwolf, but it did cause it to shatter quite spectacularly. John swiftly moved on to the other members of the pack, this time fire surrounds his claws, (making the classic Flame Claw.) The next timberwolf was not so lucky as the previous, the strike hitting home and cutting it cleanly in half. More than that, the embers left from the claw started a fire on the timberwolf's bark. It weakly yelped before being consumed by magical fire. The other timberwolves got their act together and began cirling John. John didn't bother keeping them in sight, there was no way they could peirce his hide with wood! As one would expect from such thinking, he was understandably shocked when a timberwolf leapt onto his back, bit him, and drew blood. It was a shallow cut, not anything serious, but it surprised him enough to make the mistake of barring his throat. Seeing a wolf leap for him, he quickly jabbed forward and stabbed it where a normal wolf's heart world be before tearing it in half. The burning halves are instantly consumed by fire, killing the timberwolf. Feeling the wolf on his back try-and fail this time-to bite through his scales again, he swipes his tail and swiftly removes it. On a hunch, roars loudly, the blast wave of sound visible from the morning mist as it stumbled the entire surviving, (and not rezzing,) pack. He then lunges toward the one closest to the cave, his flaming claws tearing through half of the wolf before setting the rest of it ablaze. He then turned, and caught a leaping timberwolf on his horns by accident. Breifly he panics and swipes randomly at it's underbelly, before just stabbing upward and pulling it off, leaving its corpse burning on the ground. Suddenly, the fire fades from his claws. John swears before sidestepping another pouncing timberwolf. He stabs the timberwolf clean through before picking it up and throwing it out of the clearing. Suddenly, there's a sharp and short 'bark'. The surviving timberwolves back off as the larger timberwolf puts the still-sparking smaller one on its back. It barks again and the timberwolves retreat, deeming the hunt too costly to continue. John stands there and pants for a moment before resting against the rocky entrance to the cave... (\PoV: John/) {Song End} That... T-that was... "A propa gud fight..!" "...Far better than it could have been, at least..." "Ho-lee-shit. THAT was a rush." Will... Will you all quiet down, please..? My head feels like I just got hit in the face by an AT rocket... Is that why we don't just leave spells active during battle..? "Yes." I hear Nightshade whistle behind me. "Damn, guessed that messing with you was bad, but..." I turn my head to see her looking around appreciatively. "Just... Damn!" She looks... Near my face, if not in the eye. "Glad you're on our side!" I grunt. "My head isn't. Used too much magic too quickly, I think. Bad headache." Sol (Now her official nickname!) walks out of the cave and looks at the carnage with a knowing eye. "I must admit, for a demon you fight with surprsing control." Bah, not as much as I'd like. I tell her such word for word before feeling some pan in my back. Right, the lucky SOB that got me. Shade (New nickname: assigned.) gasps. "You're hurt!" I chuckle. "He got lucky. Not even that bad." Sol huffs. "Perhaps not, but even trivial wounds become infected..." She scowls, and her horn lights up. Suddenly, I feel that same warm feeling from before course through my body and my headache significantly decreases... Magic absorbtion? ...It would explain it well... Solaria blinks and shuts her horn off before restarting it. This time, the spell works as intended and the small wound on my back seals up with an odd scratchy feeling. Huh. So... I have the Atronach sign, then? Still doesn't answer why that damn piece of firewood managed to actually hurt me... And another thing... "Why?" An innocent enough question, but in this case very important. Sol's obviously a paladin/cleric, so why in the world would she heal something that she had just called a demon? Night also seems to question this, as she looks at Sol with a unspoken question in her eyes. Sol freezes up for a moment before looking at the cave's mouth in-between Night and I. "I... Know not why. Perhaps..." Her hardened exterior reforms and she sets her face as the stoic paladin once more. "It matters not. I know I saw the object of my pilgrimage in there. Come, if a thief and a demon must be my witnesses to confirm that I reached this holy site, then I shall have them." And with Night spouting indignantly about how rogues are different from theives, and myself once more rolling my eyes, we go back into the cave...