//------------------------------// // Trial Three: Defence // Story: Born In Light, Forged In Darkness // by Jest //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash cackled at the top of her lungs, the demon rolling around on the floor and generally being so loud that Kanathara had to stop what she was doing and smack her familiar upside the head. “Be silent, I’m trying to concentrate, and Mistmane is making this hard enough already.” “Sorry dear, I’ll stay in one spot now,” Mistmane remarked, plunking her butt down on a pillow and remaining stationary, rather than pacing back and forth like she had been for the last few minutes. What in the endless hells is she laughing about anyway? Sisyphus asked. I can just about hear her from here. “Augh, her stupid nut buster trap worked,” Kanathara remarked dryly. “It worked perfectly!” Rainbow Dash announced, pointing to the floating grey orb, where a pit fiend was crumpled into a fetal position, both of his hands clamped between his legs. “I think I heard them pop!” Though Sissyphus said nothing, Kanathara could tell he was wincing right now, along with Rockhoof, who had a strained expression on his face, his back legs pressed a little tighter together. Refocusing her magic, Kanathara pulled at one of the last strings that still bound Mistmane to Starswirl, only for her magic to sputter out a second later. With a growl building in her throat, Kanathara popped another mana potion and downed it before tossing it aside where it joined a small pile of similar bottles. “Yo boss, you should watch it with those things, you are going to get a mana hangover again,” Rainbow Dash remarked while wiping a tear from her eye. “I don't have much of a choice, now do I?” Kanathara growled, her magic glowing brightly once more. “Now give me a status report.” Rainbow Dash nodded, all of her joviality vanishing in an instant. “The imps have been rendered more or less irrelevant, and three out of four pit fiends are either down for the count, or dead.” Good thinking with those pressure plates by the way. I must say, I’m impressed, Sisyphus added, making Rainbow Dash smirk proudly. “They will likely enforce order once more and begin working their way down under the shield,” Kanathara remarked idly, her attention focused on the task at hoof. “Be ready to begin harrying them the moment that happens, provided you remembered to bring along the heart seekers.” “Of course I did,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I even brought along the foot seekers too!” Kanathara sighed as Rainbow Dash laughed. “That wasn't funny the first ten times, and it's not funny now. What are the enemy numbers looking like?” Rainbow Dash leaned forward, peering intently into the orb. “One pit fiend, three lesser war demons, a sloth demon, an anarchy demon, two hatred demons and the commander, none of whom are injured save for the pit fiend.” “They will send in the hatred demons first with the sloth as a backup. You know what to do, Rainbow Dash,” Kanathara replied in an even, monotone voice, the thread she had been working on disappearing the second she gave the order. Rainbow Dash saluted. “Right, I’m on it, boss.” Don't get too blood-drunk this time, Kanathara thought at the familiar, shooting the flame-headed demon a sly smirk. Rainbow Dash grumbled silently, glaring at her mistress as she pulled a spear from their pocket dimension. You are lucky, you are so cute when you are focused. The two shared a brief laugh before Rainbow Dash clacked the butt of the spear against the ground. “Right, I’m off,” she announced, before her body, and the spear she was holding, melted into smoke and slipped through the cracks in the floor. The two towering hate demons slowly walked down the hall, their shields raised before them, a glowing red magic wrapping around their sides and coating the floor, protecting them from anything that their nearly seven foot tall tower shields could not. The demons themselves were absolutely covered in armor, though their twisted, and malformed bodies resulted in some plates being strapped to them at weird angles. Still, the eight foot tall demons were an imposing sight, and despite their armor looked shabby, it was still layered well, and was protected by demonic magic, reinforcing it and keeping it in place as the twin hulks of red demonic muscle walked down the hall. Behind them the floor gave out suddenly, revealing a spike trap that the hate demons didn't even bother to glance at, as they were too focused on a strange smoke that now gathered at the end of the hall, right near the stairs up to the second floor. The two demons reacted instantly, raising their shields and locking formation just as the smoke coalesced into the form of a vengant, spear already raised. “Hey dumbshits, catch!” Rainbow Dash yelled before winding up and whipping the spear down the hall. The hate demons braced themselves, one foot going back in order to stop any of the excess force that may bleed through their shields, yet none came and before they even had a chance to look around in confusion, they fell. Spears pierced straight through armor, the weight of the great demons being used against them, driving spear points through their plate mail, and the squishy organs beneath. Behind them, their backup clutched wildly at his midsection, grabbing at the spear that had pierced all the way through him and destroyed both of his lungs, and took out a good chunk of his heart as well. Blood gurgled out of his throat, before cascading down his face and finally his chest, joining the great river of red that flowed from his gaping chest wound. A second later and he toppled forward, dead before he even hit the ground, his magic fizzling and stopping the healing spell he had begun to attempt. “Yes!” Rainbow Dash pumped a hoof in the air. “I knew all that practice was going to come in clutch.” Yes, I am quite impressed that you managed to make it ethereal when it passed through the hate demons, they were standing quite close together, Kanathara remarked, drawing a grin of pride from the vengant. “Heh, like there was ever any doubt? I am a beast!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed, stomping her hoof triumphantly. Well beast, don't look now but you got some fliers coming at you, Kanathara pointed out before the connection closed once more. Rainbow Dash yelped and dodged out of the way of a bolt of red magic, using the central pillar of the spiral stairs as cover while she reached into the shadow pocket and grabbed a special spear she had been saving for a moment just like this. Gripping the familiar spear tight in her hoof, Rainbow Dash waited patiently, counting down the seconds until the fliers had over committed themselves before hopping out of cover, hoof raised. “This is almost too easy,” Rainbow Dash remarked as she threw the spear with all the might she could muster. A winged imp at the forefront of the pack paused in mid air, wondering why the strange pony thing had only thrown a single spear, yet still wore such a triumphant look on her face. A triumphant look that made much more sense when the spear split apart in mid air, becoming dozens upon dozens of tinier ones in the blink of an eye. The demon didn't have time to dodge, or enough time to so much as consider its life choices before said life was over, its body turned to shreds in an instant. Behind him dozens of other demons met similar fates, with only one or two managing to get away from the deadly hail of spears unscathed. Those few who had gotten hit, yet still survived, didn't live much longer, as Rainbow Dash had already begun to throw smaller, more precise spears down the hall, killing the survivors before they could so much as twitch. The singular demon who survived did the smart thing and remained in the hole he had found himself in, standing on the heads of two dead hate demons and doing his absolute best to hide his breathing. Not like that helped much, as Rainbow Dash knew exactly where he was, though there wasn't much she could do about it at the time. Instead of going after him she sat down on the stairs and reached up, clopping her hoof twice on each stair, making it sound like she had left the floor entirely. Sure enough the demon poked its horned head up from the hole and found that he had been tricked a second before a spear pierced his skull and blew the entire top half of his head off. The force of the strike sent brain matter splattering across the ground, the body falling with a thump to the spear pit below, no doubt impaling the already dead demon. “Idiot,” Rainbow Dash muttered. The vengant didn't need to summon her orb to know what was coming, as she could hear the shouting from her current position, the demon unable to pick out the actual words, but understanding enough from inflection alone. “Oh, he is pissed!” Rainbow Dash remarked, snickering as she heard more shouting from outside. Nearly a minute later, and the shouting stopped and two large armored demons filed into the room. The one at the front appeared to be another hate demon, while the one in the back was a true armor demon, the joints of his armor emanating an off-blue smoke. “Hello there, where did he find you two?” Rainbow Dash remarked, only to shrug. “Not like it matters, as this changes nothing.” As she hefted a spear, she noticed that the first demon had activated a gem of some kind, and then lifted the massive black tower shield. Rainbow Dash hardly even had time to wonder what the gem did before the demon sprinted over the pitfall trap, unbothered by gravity. Grinding her teeth together angrily, Rainbow Dash threw the spear she had at the ready, putting all the strength she could into the throw. The explosion and rain of demon body parts she had expected to see never came, and instead the spear deflected off his shield and went wide, embedding itself deep in the stone wall. The vengant’s mane and tail glowed brightly, waving in an angry, unseen wind as the demon hefted another spear. “Come on, just die already!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she loosed another, aiming for the demon’s head, only for it to go high when the demon ducked at the last possible second. He had already managed to clear nearly half the hall by then, the armor demon no doubt right behind him. With few options left to her, Rainbow Dash grumbled and drew forth a much larger, much thicker spear. “I was hoping to save you for later, but this would be a pain in the ass to deal with,” she muttered, taking position and aiming for the dead middle of the demon’s shield. With a grunt of exertion the spear took flight, flying straight and true the entire way down the hall before hitting the shield with such force that it temporarily deafened the vengant. The demon’s shield exploded into splinters, its enchantments not even able to flare before the gem at the middle evaporated under the sheer force of the blow. The hate demon himself also didn't even have a moment to react and wonder where his shield went before he too exploded, his top and bottom half having been separated, organs spilling out of his tumbling torso. Somehow, the armor demon behind him had seen this coming, and had jumped over the spear that even now flew straight and true. More surprising still was the fact that he had not only dodged it, but leapt off the confused face of his former ally as the top half of his body tumbled to the ground, using the hate demon as a springboard to launch himself at the vengant. A move that fortunately for Rainbow Dash, she knew how to deal with, having been taught by far better than even her current opponent. The spear she had been ready to throw had been dropped and braced against the stair, the tip angled at the armor demon’s chest. Despite this apparent advantage against him, the armor demon knew that his chest plate was the strongest point of his defences and even if it was braced, it would still snap against the diamond-hard metal. Or at least, that's what he assumed would happen. His assumption proved wrong as the tip slid straight through his chest plate, only to resolidify once it had entered the seemingly empty void within the armor. An empty void that Rainbow Dash knew actually housed the creature’s essence and life force. The shock of her trick was once again unable to be appreciated by her opponent, as he was dead before the spear even burst from his back, the armor falling apart the second it no longer had an alien will to hold it together. “Boo yeah, another one down!” Rainbow Dash declared, kicking the ornate and now inanimate metal helmet down the hall and into one of her pitfall traps. “Oh shit,” the vengant muttered before leaping into the air and dodging a bolt of midnight magic that had sprung forth from one of the many hands of the anarchy demon that now stood at the end of the hall. Dodging out of the way of the second, third, and fourth shot proved easy for the lightning fast demon, and she raised her next spear triumphantly, ready to end this next threat before it even had a chance of firing again. Her weapon flew through the air, its tip pointed at the creature’s throat and ready to remove his head from his body. Such a thing never happened though, as the spear shattered in mid air, impacting an unseen shield that rippled under the strain. Growling to herself, Rainbow Dash ducked, dodged and weaved around the flurry of bolts that rained down around her. “Gods dammit,” she muttered. “Now you come out and play, sheesh.” Behind the many limbed dark blue demon stood the sloth demon, hands raised and horns glowing as now visible shield coalesced before his ally. “You probably figured out my little trick, but let's just test that little theory and see if you are as dumb as your buddies were.” Hefting another one of her special spears, Rainbow Dash ducked and weaved until an opening revealed itself. The spear was thrown, and it streaked across the hall, becoming smoke a second before hitting the shield, only to dissipate like vapour against water. “Dammit, you aren't as dumb as they were.” She sighed, watching as the now solidified bits of her spear rained down all over the floor. “Fuck.” Taking to the air, Rainbow Dash was forced to watch as the two demons strode forward, the rest of their fellows close at their heels, one of whom was wielding an arm-load of boards that were long enough to bridge her pit traps. “Well shit, haven't you just thought of everything, eh?” she murmured, falling back further into the staircase and occasionally peeking around the corner. “Let’s see if you really did think of everything, hmm?” she whispered, her hoof dissolving into smoke before slipping between the cracks of the wall. The attacking demons, now without anyone to oppose them, strode forward confidently, with the anarchy demon keeping his many hands up and ready should the need arise. Like his cohorts, he also walked over the pit traps, trusting only in the wall of force summoned by an ally. Only for it to once more fizzle when a hoof reached up from the ground and punched the sloth demon in the groin, making his spell falter. Rather than die like the rest though, the anarchy demon was caught by the demon behind him, who swiftly put his own shield between him and the spear that would have ended his life. Back at the stairs, Rainbow Dash cursed to herself, knowing full well that they had learned all they would need to know in order to get past her traps, at least for this level anyway. Smirking to herself, the vengant fell back, slipping up the stairs and leaving the demons to their work, chuckling evilly to herself all the while. Kanathara watched the orb out of the corner of her eye, noting the demon’s slow progress and the equally slow whittling Rainbow Dash was managing to accomplish with only spears and her wits. A combination that worked surprisingly well, as demon after demon fell to her tricks, until at last she ran completely out of projectiles. Watching the scene unfold a floor beneath her was not the only thing the imp was doing though, as she was still plugging away at the binding enchantment, having worked down the numerous lines of glowing magic until only a handful remained. She needed only a few minutes more and the keeper, her prize, would be free and all hers for the taking. That was of course, if things worked out as she planned, something she hardly expected to actually happen. The thick cord of enchantments, sub-enchantments and yet even smaller, hidden defences she had been working on came apart in a dramatic fashion, filling the air with colorful sparks that dissipated quickly. Though she wanted to grin, or yell, or celebrate in some manner, Kanathara knew she didn't have the time, or even the mental faculties necessary to do such a thing. Instead, she spared a second to glance over at her familiar, who now was weaponless save for her non-throwing spear which she wasn't using at this time. With nothing left to aid in the defence of the tower save her wits, the vengant had resorted to making lewd comments and yelling insulting gestures. Flying at her enemies only to pull back when she got close, all while insulting both their intelligence and martial ability. Which seemed to work well for at least one opponent, who ended up walking literally right into another trap that saw a trio of spears erupt from a wall and perforate his body. That didn't work for much longer though, as the commander regained order of his forces soon after and closed ranks. With little to do, Rainbow Dash hovered nearby, harrying them as much as possible with small bolts of magic, and cruel words. Taking her attention from the orb, Kanathara looked down only to realize that there was only a single large line of spells that bound the keeper to master. With a wide, almost feral grin on her face, Kanathara tore into the enchantment, unbothered by the massive complexity that opened up before her. Though this one was by far the worst of the many spells that bound the keeper, the imp tore through it faster than nearly any other, energized by the sight of her familiar’s victories, and her own victory being so close at hoof. She could almost taste the power she would earn from becoming a keeper, hear the praise heaped upon her by her mother and father, and taste the sweet, sweet soul that was nearly hers for the taking. In no time at all she had managed to pierce the last enchantment, and had thusly freed the keeper from her master. The reaction was instant, and Mistmane stumbled back several feet, clutching her chest as Rockhoof looked on in confusion. A second later and her horns lit up and she tried casting a quick spell only for it to fizzle at the end. “Dammit, most of the compulsions are still there. Starswirl must have placed them under Rockhoof’s bindings.” Mistmane remarked with a sigh. “I won't be able to help much, but let's see if I can do something at least.” The keeper lit her horns and stuck out her tongue, staring intently at Kanathara, who didn't have time to react before her body suddenly filled with vigor. Though her mana did not refill and remained nearly empty, the weakness that had clung to her body was now gone, replaced by the feeling one only gets after a long rest. “Wow, thanks. Next time warn me though, I was a half second from teleporting away from you,” Kanathara exclaimed pointedly. “Sorry about that, dear, I was a little overwhelmed by the whole thing,” Mistmane remarked, only to look over the imp’s shoulder and gesture to the orb. “It seems like your little friend’s last spike trap worked, a shame there are still a couple left.” The imp spun around and looked into the orb and found that there was only a single pit fiend, two lesser war demons and the commander left below them. Kanathara glanced down at the floor, realizing that she was nearly on top of the exact spot where the anarchy demon had fallen to his death. Filing that information away for now, Kanathara shook her head and looked up at Mistmane expectantly. “Is there any other way you can contribute?” Mistmane frowned and continued to try and cast spell after spell in rapid succession, testing the limits of her newfound freedom and finding that most spells were impossible to be cast. “It seems like even trying to give you more mana is impossible, the most I can do is cast a low level restoration spell, so I could potentially heal your familiar if she's injured, but then again, it wouldn't exactly do much.” Kanathara sighed and rubbed her chin. “That's something at least.” Just as the imp began to try and formulate a plan, Rainbow Dash emerged from the stairs, a trio of spells following after her and going wide, impacting the ceiling. “That was close,” she muttered, wiping the sweat from her brow. “They are close, but I slowed them down at least.” “How long do we have before they are on us?” Kanathara replied quickly, a plan already forming in her mind. “Two minutes, tops,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Hit her with the spell, we need every advantage we can get,” Kanathara commanded, turning to Mistmane. Who dutifully nodded. “One restoration spell, coming right up.” The vengant grinned as she felt the small dents in her scales as well as the odd cut here and there fade in seconds, leaving her feeling well-rested and ready for a fight. “Alright then, that's what I’m talking about, keep it coming.” “That's it, I’m afraid,” Kanathara remarked with a sigh. “We are just going to have to take them with what we have here.” Because someone won't let me help, Sisyphus remarked pointedly. Kanathara lit her horns and shut off that connection entirely, making sure the whiny goat demon couldn't interrupt again. “Mistmane’s magic can't positively affect us, or negatively affect the enemy, so don't expect much from those two.” “It doesn't have to affect them for me to help out you know,” Mistmane exclaimed with a smirk, sauntering up to the duo. “Trust me, once the battle is joined, I will be able to help.” Kanathara snorted. “Defensive action plan gamma. Ready, Rainbow Dash?” “Got it, boss!” Rainbow Dash declared, raising her spear before leaping into the air. By the time Kanathara cast the few buffs she was still capable of, as well as activating all of the charms braided into her hair, the first of their enemies had already emerged from the twisting stairwell. The tall, lanky red demon raised his long, serrated whip and bellowed a cry of rage, staring daggers at Rainbow Dash. The demon was taller than the average pit fiend, standing at nearly eight feet and sporting a pair of large red horns that emerged from the front of his forehead and curled up his skull before pointing forwards again. Though he lacked the heavy armor of the war demons, what he did wear was incredibly well-made, and displayed the bulging muscles it only barely contained. Behind him were two haggard war demons that were nearly identical, both wearing a set of stark black steel plate mail that covered nearly every inch of their bodies, tower shield in one hand, bastard sword in the other. Only the different seals on their shields differentiated the two massive demons. Behind them emerged the final demon, and the shortest out of the lot of them. Though he stood a good head or two smaller than his minions, the naga-like greed demon was by far the most well-armed and intimidating of them. A long, jagged greatsword was gripped in one hand while the other carried a wicked-looking short sword that glowed a soft green. His armor was perfectly tailored to his serpentine body, and not an inch of his flesh was left unprotected, every last plate covered in enchantments that glowed faintly in the soft light. “Well well well. The time has come at last to end this,” he announced, his voice dripping with cruelty and promising a painful, horrifying end without the demon actually having to do so much as hint at such an end. “I am going to enjoy this immensely.” “Ah Greedo, you weren't dead after all,” Mistmane exclaimed with a smile, taking a step forward. “I thought for sure Starswirl had tired of you after your last failure, or was it rebellion? I can never remember.” Rather than rise to the keeper’s slight, the greed demon merely chuckled. “Oh Mistmane, you have no idea what he has planned for you after this.” He raised a metal-clad finger, cutting off the comment Mistmane had been about to breathe. “Trust me, you think you do, but you truly don't. What he is going to do to you will go down in history as a cruelty that even devils shirk from.” The keeper tried to keep a straight face, but it was clear to Kanathara that she was legitimately disturbed by the demon’s remarks. “You haven't won yet, you overgrown garter snake!” Kanathara yelled, pointing her hoof at the demon. “Pfft, two Equestrians are nothing to me, but…” he smirked, leaning closer, “I suppose others have said just that, which is why you are going to die first, and quickly.” The pit fiend lurched forward, his whip raised and a snarl of rage already on his lips. His booted feet thundered across the ground as he charged the duo, while the two war demons spread out, ready to encircle them completely. All while the greed demon stayed behind, a smirk on his face, as he watched the battle begin. Whip met spear as Rainbow Dash surged forward, keeping to the air and forcing the fiend to attack a target he was unprepared for. Something that was difficult enough without using a whip as his main offensive weapon. With little in the way of solid footing, and no level playing field, Rainbow Dash easily began to overpower the fiend, forcing him to back up rapidly, and giving him no time to pull back for another strike. Yet each time the vengant seemed to get close enough to truly drive her advantage home, one of the war demons stepped in and ensured she wouldn't be able to. Kanathara meanwhile found herself in a tight fight with her much larger opponent, a height disparity that both helped, and hurt the imp. The fact that he had to nearly lean all the way down in order to strike at her meant that his attacks were clumsy, and rarely actually got close to hitting the imp. It also meant that he had such a long reach that she couldn't close the distance without risking a boot to the face. Something she was hesitant to risk, considering his boot was nearly as big as she was. Adding insult to injury, the second war demon seemed more than capable of dipping between both fights, shoring up the pit fiend’s defences while simultaneously aiding in the other war demon’s attacks. This alone made the fight difficult enough, and that was without paying attention to the greed demon who lurked just behind his minions, the armored creature waiting for something. Though what exactly that was, Kanathara didn't know, as he had more than ample opportunity to strike at her, should he desire. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Kanathara kept her eye on him, but otherwise paid him little mind, focusing instead on the rising tide of acid that built at the back of her throat. Deflecting a blow of the war demon’s sword with her magic, Kanathara dove forward, noting that the deflection had worked perfectly as the demon had assumed she was defenceless as she hadn't used her magic yet. The imp’s short legs carried her under the demon’s guard and allowed her to launch a wad of acid directly at the demon’s face. Her opponent recoiled and tried to raise his shield but he simply wasn't able to move fast enough to avoid it. Just when Kanathara felt a sense of elation at killing an opponent, she noted that a green aura suddenly surrounded her acid and contained it long enough for it to be tossed aside and out of harm's way. “Ah ah ah, can't have you killing my soldiers quite yet,” the greed demon remarked, snickering as Kanathara was forced to dodge and weave out of the war demon’s counter attacks. Counter attacks that he made sure not to overcommit to like he had until now, enabling him to keep the imp on the defensive and unable to reach him. Grumbling to herself, the imp spared a glance at her familiar, hoping that the winged demon could find an advantage that she could not. Alas, she seemed as deadlocked as her mistress was, the pit fiend slowly getting used to fighting an aerial target and not having to rely on the war demon quite as much. Something that only meant more trouble for the imp, as she had to fend off two attackers who were rapidly driving her towards the wall. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Kanathara noticed Mistmane lurch forward, throwing herself in the way of an errant whip strike and giving herself a deep gash along her flank. Kanathara didn't even have time to wonder why she had done this as a second later Rockhoof came down hard on the pit fiend, a one two combo of hoof strikes knocking the fiend to the ground before bringing his entire weight down on the demon, turning his upper torso into paste. Rainbow Dash blinked and flew back a few feet, startled by the sudden assault and destruction of her opponent. “Maybe I couldn't have taken you,” she muttered, looking down to where Rockhoof merely snorted in derision, glaring at the war demons. Off to the side, Mistmane hissed as she pushed magic into her horns and began the slow process of rebuilding her shredded flesh. “Gods above, that hurts,” she exclaimed, the ragged flesh slowly knitting itself together as she pushed more and more magic into the spell. For a moment the cadence of battle was interrupted, the greed demon cursing under his breath and barking orders to his two remaining minions and forcing them to split up, giving Kanathara the breathing room she needed. That interruption didn't last long however, as the two remaining war demons adapted quickly, splitting off between the two and focusing on their opponents. The fast, sweeping strikes that Kanathara had come to expect were gone, replaced by short jabs that kept her on the tips of her hooves. It was evident that they didn't want a repeat of last time, and had adapted their styles to simply exhaust their opponents, the greed demon being smart enough to notice that the duo had already begun to slow despite Mistmane’s restoration spell. This was in part due to the fact that they had no spells to counter the war demon’s casting. Strikes enhanced with magic and rendered nearly too fast to see needed to be blocked or dodged the old-fashioned way, without the help of magic. This meant they needed to work twice as hard while their opponents could take their time, relying on their undiminished mana pools to give them the edge they needed. Even still, the two young Equestrians weren’t without their own tricks and they managed a few counter attacks of their own, though the actual good of such attacks was negligible considering the fact that they couldn't add their magic or full weight to the blows. Kanathara in particular found herself more or less useless, her short hooves and small stature meaning she could do little against the massively armored demon that even now bore down on her. It got to the point that she found herself getting pushed back against the wall once more, her entire attention being focused merely on keeping herself out of the way of her opponent’s blows. This meant that she could hardly even react in time before she noticed the greed demon’s great sword sweep down, the jagged edge ready to cleave her in half. With a panicked yell she forced the last of her mana into a desperate teleport that moved her only a few feet to the side, nearly tumbling into Rainbow Dash who had swooped down in an attempt to drive her spear into her opponent’s elbow. Forced to dodge both her mistress, and her opponent’s blows, the vengant abandoned her attack and flew back, focusing instead on keeping both war demons occupied while Kanathara recovered. Their thoughts flowed back and forth between them, the demons coordinating perfectly to ensure she was covered while enabling the young imp to stumble back to her hooves and regain her bearings. Shaking her head vigorously, Kanathara growled at the greed demon who had fallen into the back line once more, his eyes flashing cruelly as he waited for another opening to present itself. To the side, unnoticed by most, Mistmane sighed, her flank now smooth and unblemished save for a jagged scar she didn't have the time to heal just yet. “I guess I’m going to have to help once more,” she murmured, only to be stopped by a mournful groan that emanated from Rockhoof’s throat. “Oh, I’m sorry dear, truly I am, but it must be done.” Now fighting over top of one another, the vengant and imp used every trick they knew of just to keep alive. Techniques they had perfected over the last eighteen years were stretched to their limit under the constraints they now found themselves under. Though they had gone without magic before, they always had at least one escape plan or trump card to play, unlike now where they had nothing but their wits and raw physical ability. One of which paled against the strength of even a lesser demon like the ones they now faced. Kanathara cursed herself for not taking the opportunity earlier to restock on mana and pop one of her rarer potions. Regrets and worries would have to wait for now though, as their back had officially hit the wall, meaning they were running out of time. We may have to leave the keeper behind and slip out the window, Kanathara remarked as she leapt to the right, dodging a sword strike that would have seen her bisected. There is no way that the greed demon wouldn't see that coming, are you sure about this, boss? Rainbow Dash replied, deflecting a sword strike with her spear before driving the demon back a step with a jab at the throat. It might be our only- wait a second, Mistmane is moving, Kanathara thought back, noticing that the keeper was indeed doing something, namely casting a spell, one that was familiar to the imp. A second later and her unspoken question was answered when Mistmane appeared in a flash of light directly in front of a devastating cut that had been intended to remove Rainbow Dash’s wings from her body. The keeper winced prematurely, raising her hooves and using her own body to block the blow she had seen coming. Neither vengant nor keeper had a chance to react before one found themselves knocked out of the way by Mistmane and the other found herself with one less hoof than she was born with. Bright teal blood splattered across Kanathara’s face and body, and she looked on in horror as the keeper’s limb pinwheeled through the air, splattering the area in her strange, otherworldly flesh. A thunderous roar of hate was all the war demon heard before Rockhoof was upon him. This time the demon had enough time to turn and raise his shield, though that did little to actually help him as the enchanted equipment crumpled like tissue paper under the hoof of the former hero. His sword was knocked aside next, with the force of the blow being so great that Kanathara could hear his shoulder tearing out of its socket. The imp could tell the other war demon wanted to join in, wanted to defend his fellow, but a harsh glare from his commander made him reconsider that move. That was until Rockhoof chose to be unexpectedly cruel and sweep the legs out from under the demon whom had struck Mistmane. With his opponent prone before him, the great twisted equine brought his forehooves down hard on the war demon’s thighs, flattening them. A howl of rage and pain filled the air and the war demon gave up all attempts at restraint, throwing himself at the equine in an attempt to drive him back. An effort that his fellow quickly joined in on, offering Rainbow Dash one last sweeping strike to drive her back before spinning around and echoing his fellow demon’s cry of rage. From the side Kanathara could hear their commander muttering more curses to himself, but without a clear danger before her, the imp put such mutterings from her mind. “Mistmane, what the hell were you thinking?” She cursed, glaring down at the keeper who lay on her back, gritting her teeth as she slowly forced her magic to regrow the lost limb. “I was thinking--urk--that you two needed some help,” she muttered, her short limb twisting as new flesh bubbled up from the stump and took the place of the now missing hoof. Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Don't get us wrong, we appreciate it, but wow, you didn't need to go that far.” “Trust me--unf--I didn't mean to go--dammit--that far,” Mistmane muttered, her limb slowly regrowing and taking shape. A final wet splat signalled that the slaughter was over, and the war demons now lay very, very dead. Both creatures were missing limbs, and in the case of the second offender, a head and most of his upper body. Rockhoof seemed no worse for wear, with only a bruise on his cheek and a short cut along his barrel showing that there had even been a fight at all. “Well, isn't this embarrassing,” the greed demon remarked, glancing at his dead allies and up to Rockhoof, who merely snorted. “Something tells me this is not a failure I will be letting down anytime soon.” Rainbow Dash smirked, standing tall. “Yeah! That's what you get, you sentient green turd demon!” Rolling his eyes, the greed demon sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to get my scales dirty after all.” The snake demon raised his off hand and made a pulling motion, his magic gripping both vengant and imp and yanking them forward, away from the keeper and her protector. With her hoof still regrowing and her magic occupied, Mistmane was forced to merely sit and watch as her would-be saviors were dragged off into a fight she knew they could not win. Rainbow Dash lurched into the air, while Kanathara skidded to a stop, nearly slipping on a pool of teal blood. With his goal accomplished, the greed demon dismissed his magic and gripped his weapons tighter, readying a strike against the vengant who was already upon him and was stabbing away with her spear. Kanathara was about to join Rainbow Dash, only to stop when she noticed something familiar about the spot they were in, and a glance over at the still floating ash grey orb confirmed those suspicions. With a smirk on her face, Kanathara quickly relayed her orders to Rainbow Dash who did her best to hide the mirth that threatened to break past her mask of neutrality. With that done, Kanathara joined her familiar, dashing around the greed demon as he battled with the aerial demon. His great sword was faster than what one might assume, and every strike forced Rainbow Dash to jump back, the wide arcs and massive blade making her abandon several attacks before they could truly be launched. What the shorter blade lacked in length it more than made up for in speed, and the greed demon used it to dizzying effect, thrusting fast enough that Kanathara could hardly keep her footing for more than a second. Yet through it all, they made sure to not give an inch, keeping the greed demon in place as he struck at them. The demon’s speed was terrifying, and though they had the advantage of attacking from two very different angles, the vengant and imp found that they could do little as he was simply too fast for them. Yet even when this realization sunk in, they fought on, confident of victory for a reason the greed demon could not understand. As Kanathara leapt out of the way of downward cut, she launched a glob of acid at the greed demon, her face showing no surprise when the glob was stopped in mid air and fell to the ground. The greed demon paid this little mind, as he drove his great sword repeatedly at the vengant’s midsection, scoring several shallow cuts as the winged demon hastily flew up and out of his reach. “Do you really think you have a chance?” barked the demon, smirking as he watched Rainbow Dash pull back a hoof and realize it was covered in her own blood. “You can't even land a hit on me and without Mistmane there to throw herself in the way, you have nothing.” Rainbow Dash bit her lip and growled, playing the part of a bitter, angry demon perfectly. “Just shut up and fight me, you arrogant prick.” “Keep him back, I’m sure his enchantments are about to give out,” Kanathara yelled, spitting another wad of acid at the demon. This attack, like the others, slid uselessly down the invisible wall of force that protected the greed demon, who laughed at the apparent futility of their actions. “My enchantments were made to allow me to fight in any condition, against any foe, your poison spit is nothing to my magic!” The demon drove his point home with a series of lightning fast strikes that very nearly forced the pair back, something they only barely resisted, having summoned every last drop of speed they could muster and accepting several shallow cuts in order to not allow the greed demon from the spot they had chosen for him. Wings beat, and hooves shifted rapidly this way and that, only barely keeping the duo out of the way of the flurry of blades. On the other side of the room Mistmane ly in a pool of her own blood, her magic slowly regrowing the last of her severed limb, her tattoos flowing over her body and down the newly grown flesh, connecting once more. “What in the hell are those two doing?” she muttered, watching as Kanathara continued to spit acid while Rainbow Dash struggled to keep him in place. Rockhoof shrugged his massive shoulders, though his eyes betrayed his apparent indifference as he stared closely at the pair, following every strike and counterstrike closely. As they watched, the three demons continued their shifting, changing dance for several minutes, with Kanathara and Rainbow Dash earning a multitude of injuries for their efforts, all of which were small, or shallow, but had begun to accumulate as their blood now ran freely from numerous wounds. Their movements slowed, their strikes seemingly taking more and more effort despite the fact that Mistmane’s horn was alight, the keeper now continually channelling her low level healing spell at the pair. In the end this renewed vigor did little to help them, and with each new wound Mistmane closed, two more appeared shortly after. “I think I might be able to use a shield spell to hold him at bay, on my signal run for the window!” Mistmane yelled, her horns glowing brighter as she readied the spell. “No!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “We don't run, and we aren't about to start now.” “Your soul is mine, Mistmane,” Kanathara declared, before grunting and ducking out of the way of another sweeping strike of the greed demon’s great sword. “And I intend on collecting it this very day!” “Spout all the worthless drivel you like, all you've successfully done is bleed on me.” The greed demon sneered. “That's not all we've done,” Rainbow Dash replied cryptically, smirking at the greed demon’s confusion. “We've also kept you here.” Before he had a chance to ask a question, or figure out what the vengant meant, Kanathara cursed and leapt forward, raising her hooves high in the air before bringing them down hard against the ground. A resounding crack filled the room and for a second nothing seemed to happen, the greed demon standing motionless as he slowly looked down. A second crack prompted him to panic and he surged forward, only for Rainbow Dash to swipe wildly across the demon’s face, forcing him to stand and block. This was enough time though, and after a third crack, the floor shattered, Kanathara’s acid having weakened the aged stone to the point that it collapsed completely. With a yell of rage the greed demon plummeted through the floor, falling past the corpses of his allies and into the spike pit that Rainbow Dash had first set up nearly thirty minutes ago. Leaving nothing to chance, Kanathara peeked over the side of the hole, her powerful eyes piercing the dust and debris that hung in the air. “He's still alive,” she muttered, mouth agape. “Not for long,” Rainbow Dash shouted, leaping down the hole, spear at the ready. Below them the greed demon coughed and sputtered, several spears piercing his chest, torso and tail as well as his right arm, none of which seemed to have fatally wounded him as even now he was using his free hand to free himself. “Oh no, you don't,” Rainbow Dash muttered before whipping her spear down at the greed demon’s exposed head. The spear never hit its target however as the snake demon raised a hand and summoned a green shield that deflected the spear and sent it clattering uselessly into the pit. “Fool, I am not so easily defeated!” he growled, blood spurting from his lips with every word he spoke. “I didn't expect it to!” yelled the vengant a second before she flew directly into his helmeted head, the metal of which easily resisted her claw attack, though the same could not be said of his neck, which now bend at an unnatural angle. “Boo yeah! Did you see that, boss? Was that a great one liner or what?” Rainbow Dash declared, puffing out her chest and smirking up at her mistress. A mistress that merely rolled her eyes and pointed down. “He's still not dead.” “What, really?” Rainbow Dash looked down and groaned as she noticed his neck slowly realigning itself as his body twitched. “Augh, I hate regenerators. Whatever, at least they taste good.” The vengant flew down in order to allow her to tear the helmet from his head, revealing his hate-filled eyes and blood-filled mouth. The insults he usually threw had devolved into little more than choked gasping, the demon spraying blood with each word he made. “Yeah yeah, hate, death, and vengeance,” muttered Rainbow Dash as she turned his neck to the side, forcing him to expose his unprotected throat. With a crunch the vengant bit down hard on the exposed flesh, making the demon’s already blood-filled mouth to fill entirely with the bright green liquid. A second bite, followed by a third and fourth were enough to sever the greed demon’s head from his body, his neck now entirely non-existent. Chewing noisily, Rainbow Dash grabbed the demon’s head and flew up to her mistress. “Do you think he's dead this time, boss?” “I don't know, why don't you ask him?” Kanathara remarked, snickering as she pointed to the head, whose lips were still moving, and whose eyes still glared daggers at Rainbow Dash. “Man, you really don't know when to quit, do you?” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Ah well, I might as well take a break and have a snack, I earned it after all.” With that the vengant clamped down on the greed demon’s skull and began to squeeze with her powerful jaw muscles, his eyes went wide as he felt his skull begin to lose out against the vengant’s maw. Then, his expression was gone, his skull having shattered and his brain now partially in his attacker’s mouth. Kanathara rolled her eyes and punched her familiar in the shoulder. “Chew with your mouth closed, Rainbow Dash.” “Wuheva,” Rainbow Dash muttered, bits of brain and bone spitting out of her overfull mouth. “Augh, I’m surrounded by barbarians,” Kanathara sighed, slowly turning to a stunned Mistmane and an expressionless Rockhoof. “What?” “Err, nothing dear, nothing,” Mistmane replied quickly, standing on her newly regrown limb. “We are just thankful you survived, isn't that right, darling?” Mistmane’s elbow likely wasn't even felt by the enormous former earth pony, but it still prompted him to nod his head and grunt, agreeing with his wife. The imp trotted over to the shadow orb, gazing into its depths and quickly scanning the tower. Finding no hidden enemies, she nearly breathed a sigh of relief, only to find her gaze drawn to the very floor she was standing on. “Hey, Rainbow Dash,” Kanathara began. “Do you feel anything odd right now?” “Other than indigestion?” the vengant replied with a smirk, only to notice that her mistress was unamused. “Oh, you are serious uh…” She tapped her chin and shook her head. “Not really. Why?” “It just feels like we are being watched, is all. Mistmane, do you know of any other ways Starswirl could be spying on us?” Kanathara asked, turning to the keeper of secrets. “I don't… wait.” Mistmane stood up and cast a quick flash spell, blinding nearly everyone in the room save for Kanathara who could tell what spell it was the second she began casting it. “Aha!” Kanathara looked over to the corner of the room where the solitary shadow remained, a lone end table being the only thing that still cast shade now that a giant ball of unnatural golden light bathed the room in its strange glow. The shadow recoiled slightly before rising up, becoming solid and taking the shape of a short, demure unicorn stallion who wore a ragged cape on his shoulders. “Bravo Kanathara, you are every bit the genius they say you are,” the shadow remarked, clapping his pitch black hooves together as he trotted forward. “Truly you are the crown jewel of Tirek’s army.” “Flattery will get you nowhere,” Kanatahra exclaimed, taking a step forward and baring her teeth. “Tell us why you are here and I just might let you live.” “You know that would be scary if you were, oh I don't know, scary,” replied the shadow, smirking at the imp’s attempt at intimidation. “What are you doing here, Stygian? You've already lost. I’m free, and soon so will Rockhoof,” Mistmane declared, stumbling forward on her new hoof. “Starswirl has failed.” “Oh you would believe that, wouldn't you?” Stygian began, trotting closer to the mare. “But the way he sees it, this is a perfect opportunity to take four pieces off the board in a single move.” “What in the hells are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash muttered, gesturing to the shadow demon. “Could we get at least one enemy who speaks plainly?” “How about this for plain. Kanathara, did you notice anything strange about those bindings? Anything that perhaps looked counterproductive?” Stygian exclaimed as he leaned forward, his smirk growing ever larger. “I…” Kanathara blinked, her eyes going wide. “Wait, there were protections woven into the bindings, protections that ensured that the bound-” “Would not be able to be dominated by mind effects. Effects that are now lifted!” Stygian declared triumphantly. In an instant his form vanished, replaced by the sliding shadow that shot directly at the keeper of secrets. As Mistmane began to cast a spell, Rockhoof surged forward, stomping at the shadow repeatedly, yet all he seemed to do was make the tower rumble as the shadow flowed right around his strikes. Streaking across the floor, the shadow continued to be undaunted by the resistance both Rockhoof and Mistmane put up, the other two demons too far away to help. Spells fired, and lightning bolts, fire and continued physical attacks all proved fruitless, the shadow unbothered by any attempt to injure it. In a last ditch effort Mistmane cast a spell that granted her long leathery wings and launched into the air. An act that was as valiant as it was worthless, as the shadow merely exploded from the ground and reached up, grasping the mare’s newly grown hoof and quickly sliding up her body. The keeper gasped in pain as the shadow sunk into her flesh, the demon’s essence shoving its way into the former hero’s body as it clawed its way closer to the keeper’s brain. With her final spell sputtering uselessly, Mistmane’s face suddenly fell and she looked sorrowfully at Rockhoof. “I’m sorry, darling. Please know that I will always love you,” she whispered as the edges of her eyes began to darken, blackened tentacles reaching towards her iris. Below her, Rockhoof belowed in anguish, tears falling down his face as his hooves failed to reach the still airborne keeper. “What the hell?” Rainbow Dash muttered, stopping mid-flight as she watched the keeper’s body begin to thrash in mid air. “Quick, strike now!” Kanathara yelled, jabbing a hoof at the keeper. “While its defenseless.” “Right,” Rainbow Dash muttered before surging towards the still-writhing demon. Spear raised, and poised to pierce the demon’s body, Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could. The vengant never reached her target, as a shimmering wall of teal force suddenly sprang into existence between her and the keeper. It was everything Rainbow Dash had not to slam face first into the barrier, though that didn't stop her spear from doing just that, the weapon shattering on impact. Peeling herself off the invisible wall, Rainbow Dash flew back, quickly reestablishing her understanding of the situation. “Fools!” bellowed the now completely black keeper of secrets. “The binding can be used again! You have only delayed the inevitable.” Rockhoof’s jaw hung open and he looked up at the keeper with wide, terrified eyes, silently mouthing the distraught words he could no longer speak. “This feels amazing!” The keeper extended a hoof in front of its face, flexing her hoof and causing a shimmering field of teal magic to course from the limb. “Such power, and yet she never used it. No matter, if she won't, I will, and the first order of business will be to kill Misty’s stupid pet mud pony.” If Rockhoof was scared of his potential end, he didn't show it, and he merely stood there, wide-eyed and despondent, tears still flowing down his grotesque features. “Hey asshole! Tentacles off my keeper!” Kanathara yelled, jabbing a hoof at the pitch black monster. “Wait your turn.” Snarled the demon, glaring at the imp before turning its attention to Rockhoof once more. “Him and I have some unfinished business, don't we, shovel face? Prepare yourself fools, for tonight you will meet your final death!”