(Barrierland, Location, Random Cave)
(Rossy Everfree)
Rossy had tried to get some sleep, since Theran stormed off and left her with nothing but confusion and now pain on her mind. Not just the pain in her arm, but what she had learned about Violet. She lay in her makeshift bed, thinking about her, thinking of all the times she visited her and her sister and how she was always so nice to her and her family. How could she be dead? How did it happen, why did it happen and..and..
She sat up with a big sigh, giving up on trying to sleep and noticed Teal'c was still here. She was a little startled when she saw him sitting on the other side of the fire. But he wasn't watching her, in fact he had his eyes closed, his legs crossed and hands clasped together. He wasn't wearing his strange armour right now, but he did have some simple clothes on, a brown leather vest with 'V' shaped collar, a pare of light brown, long sleeved fingerless gloves, a red silk skirt covering one of his legs and some light brown leggings that stopped just above his knees.
It almost looked like he was sleeping but his posture was too straight and his breathing looked too controlled. She also noticed his staff was on the floor in front of his crossed feet and it was doing something.
From a small slot in its shaft a light with tiny orbs of gold energy floated up and were orbiting his head. She could barely hear it, but she could hear a slight hum come from the spheres that changed in pitch. She stared at him in fascinated wonder, when she made a cup a water fall off the end of her bed and it smashed on the floor.
The light coming from the staff vanished with its hum and Teal'c's yellow eyes snapped open, blinking a few times in surprise. He didn't move from his position, as he just looked over to her, with that plain yet calm expression of his. "Rossy Everfree, you are still awake." He stated plainly. He then tilted his head and said. "Is the bed not to your liking?"
Rossy felt awkward and then looked at the broken cup with its content split on the floor. "Uh. No, it's alright, it's actually better than what I'm used to. Oh, and I didn't mean to wake you, I just..."
"It is perfectly, alright, Miss Everfree." He bowed to her and stayed sitting. He then narrowed one eye and Rossy was wondering what he was looking at. "Your eyes. They are leaking."
Rossy frowned for a second in confusion, till she put a hoof to her cheek and felt the still wet tears there. "Oh...that. i-it's nothing, I'm fine. Really, I'm fine." She looked at the staff and nodded at it. "Uh, what was that you were just doing?"
Teal'c kept his eyes on her, studying her. "I was in a state of Kel'nokgh, a body meditation I must preform at least twice a day while here in this land."
Rossy tired to mull over that word in her head for a moment and quickly gave up trying to figure it out and asked. "Why do you need to do this , Kel, thing, twice a day? What's wrong here?"
"Un like you, I am cold blooded. Your land is far too cold for my body to properly handle. Kel'nokgh, allows me to control my body's temperature, ensuring I do not fall ill to this land's harsh cold. In short, if I fail to meditate every 12 hours, I will die to hypothermia."
Rossy grimaced. "Wow, and I thought we Ponies had it bad in the cold."
"I assure you, I am perfectly fine and in no danger." He then gracefully gestured to the space beside him and nodded at her. "Please, will you join me by the fire. Its warmth is soothing."
Rossy looked at him for a moment, scanning his face but she couldn't read him. "Why?" She finally asked after a few seconds of silence.
If he was offended by her question, he didn't show it and merely arched an eye brow at her. "Is it not better to be in the company of another, rather than be on your own?" He nodded and closed his eyes again. "Very well, I can not force you."
"Wait..." Rossy suddenly said and Teal'c opened his eyes again to look at her. She thought for a moment and then gave in. "Ok, I'll sit with you."
Teal'c's eyes widened slightly and looked to the ground. "It was only a friendly gesture, you do not have to..."
"No...it's fine." Rossy said, standing up and moving over to him. The pain in her arm was great but she was used to pain and she sat down near Teal'c and pressed her sore arm to her chest. She sat there awkwardly, not saying anything for awhile and Teal'c did the same.
She looked into the fire and glanced at Teal'c now and then to see if he was looking at her and she found that he wasn't. He had his eyes closed again and was breathing slowly. She watched as his curved chest rose and fell and watched as air slowly misted out his nostrils in ghostly gusts. She had never been this close to an Ophlidite before and she was amazed by how tall he was, even when sitting down. He had to be at least 6 feet tall and his tail, his tail was huge. It had to be as long if even longer than his torso and long neck put together and it was wrapped around his crossed legs as if it were hugging him.
"You have questions, do you not?" Teal'c suddenly spoke, soft and low and it made Rossy jump a little, shocked. He didn't react to her sudden twitch of motion and remained as he was. "I can see them, burning in your eyes. I will answer them as best I can, if that is what you seek."
Rossy thought about that for amount, thinking of what to say. She felt her mind start to spin again so she took in a deep breath and calmed herself. When her mind finally slowed down, she found thew words she was looking for. "How...how did you meet Theran?"
Teal'c seemed to ponder that for a few seconds, his reptile eyes shifting from side to side in little movements. Then he spoke and his gaze fell on her. "I met him, 3 years ago, in a poor state." He looked at the fire now. "He, had been badly damaged and his mind was fragile, but I sensed great strength in him and saw a chance to make contact with someone of this land."
"Wait, hold up." Rossy interrupted him and he tilted his head in question. Rossy thought for a second and then regained her train of thought. "What, are you doing here? In Equestria I mean?"
"I am on a pilgrimage, one of great importance." He took a deep breath and seemed to compose himself. "My homeland, Odillia, has been tainted by what you call, Skinnys and my people are unable to find a cure. So I and others like me from different houses have been sent out into the world to find one, or at the very least, enlist others to aid us in this endeavor." He gestured down the tunnel and Rossy guessed he was still talking about Theran. "So I stayed with Theran, till he healed and told me about what is happening in his land. It is, most dire."
Rossy thought about what she just heard. So, the Ophlidites are also being affected by this outbreak too. She didn't know why, but she reached out and touched his arm. This seemed to surprise him and he flinched a little. "Sorry!" Rossy shifted a bit away from him as he looked at her with a confused frown. "I only thought...I was trying to..."
"It is fine." He reached over and put a scaly four fingered hand on her shoulder. His touch was surprisingly gentle and warm, very warm. "Do not fear, you can not offend me easily with a simple gesture. I know your kind show affection through touch and expression. Something my kind do not show very often. We find it, difficult."
"I see." Rossy put a hoof on his hand holding her shoulder and gave him a smile. "You seem to be able to. You're pretty good at it."
"I have had, much practice, though I still find it, difficult to know when to show emotion." He tried to smile, but it didn't look right. Maybe it was the small, needle like teeth, or the long fangs that unfolded slightly that made it unsettling to look at.
Rossy's eyes widened a bit and kept her smile, but it was slowly getting awkward. "Yeah, your smile needs some work."
"I apologize." He said plainly, closing his mouth and returning to his neutral expression. "I lack the fine facial movement your kind have. So many expressions, it hurts to do them all. How do you manage to do so many at once without being in constant pain?"
Rossy chuckled at that and Teal'c tilted his head again, like a puppy listening to a strange sound. "I think you can manage, just open your mouth less and raise the ends of your lips a little."
Teal'c looked to be thinking about this and did as she instructed. He opened his mouth just a little and the ends of his long mouth pulled up slightly. "Like this?" He asked, his voice a little muffled while keeping up the smile.
"Yes, that's it." She beamed and giggled. Teal'c also tried to laugh but it didn't sound right, as it sounded forced. They stopped after a moment of awkward giggling and Rossy thought of something. "What's it like in Odillia? Is the Ophlidites as bad as the stories say?"
"Stories?" Teal'c seemed confused. "Of what stories do you refer to?"
Rossy felt her cheeks heat up, nervous but she told him, if carefully. "Well, I heard that your kind take Ponies as slaves, and use them for live stock. A-And that you're evil and care for nothing but profit and exploiting others for your own gain."
Teal'c looked to be in thought and and Rossy wondered if she went too far. But then he nodded and this caught her off guard. "The stories you speak of are indeed, true."
Her eyes went wide. "They are?! D-Dose that make you..."
"If you are wondering if I am a slaver. No, I am not. In fact, my clan despise it. We view it as a weakling's game, to let others do what you can do yourself is an insult to our honour and integrity as a people." He tried to smile again and he was already getting better at it. "Do not fear, I am a friend. You have my word, for my word is my bond."
Rossy nodded with her own smile and patted him on the back. "You've given me no reason not to trust you. So, I believe you."
Teal'c seemed to appreciate that and nodded his thanks. They went quiet after that and Rossy thought of something else to talk about, anything than dulling silence. "So, you got a girlfriend, or wife back home?"
Teal'c looked at her tilting his head again, in what she was starting to understand was his way of telling he was confused. "I do not understand. What is a, wife?"
Rossy was dumb struck for a moment, her brain trying to reboot and comprehend what he had just said. "I'm sorry, but it's as if you don't get what I'm talking about."
"I do not." Teal'c stated, plain and completely innocent. "Nor do I understand the phrase, girlfriend."
Rossy was completely stupefied at this point, not really knowing how to respond to that. Though she managed to regain so of her wits and cleared her throat. "Uh, well. A wife is some, one, that you are very close to, like bonded...sexually. Same goes for girlfriend but lets not get into that."
Teal'c was still looking at her as if she had changed colour or something bizarre like that. Then he blinked and seemed to get at what she was talking about, when he said. Oh, you mean a breeder. No, I do not have one, no one dose."
"Huh?" Rossy was finding ti hard to process this. "Then how do you even have kids, if no one gets together and, you know."
Teal'c still had that innocent look on his face, but he at least was trying, when he said. "Well, all clans have what we call a Brood Mother, and it's her task to not only govern the house and all it owns, but also to ensure our lines continue through regular breeding."
"You got one Ophlidite to do all that? Then who dose she, do it with if you don't get married?" Rossy was finding this hard to stomach, not to mention awkward, but she want to chat, so at least there was that.
Teal'c tried his smile again and Rossy wasn't sure if it was him finding this funny or he was starting to get nervous. "Well, that is what the breeders are for. Ophlidites hand picked by the Brood Mother herself, to breed with her and she can have as many as she likes."
"Damn, talk about some serious booty call." Rossy said in amazement. "I bet you got some of that action before heading out here I guess. I know I would, he he."
Teal'c looked shocked for once and Rossy grimaced at the sight. "Me?" Teal'c stated in a startled voice. "No no, it is impossible for me."
"Why not?" Rossy was completely lost at this point. "I mean, you look good to me..I mean not that I'm saying I think you're attractive..but I'm not saying you're not attractive to your own kind, no I I only mean..uh.." Rossy's face had flushed bright pink and her pupils had shrunk down to pee sized. "Oh gods I am so sorry.. This is stupid, forget it, forget I said anything!"
Teal'c did something Rossy wasn't expecting. He laughed, actually laughed and Rossy was mentally curling up in a corner of her brain from the sheer embarrassment. Once Teal'c finally stopped, he wiped his eyes and said. "I can't, because I am female."
"WHAT?!" Rossy couldn't believe it. Teal'c wasn't a he, but a she. "But, I thought..you look..."
"Oh I am, I'm both. Well in a way I can be if the need arises, but for now, I am female. But you can refer to me in what ever way you like. He, she, makes no difference to me."
Rossy was finding this very, very hard to ponder. He, she was both? "How is that even possible?" She finally asked. It was a blunt question, but she couldn't think of anything else to say.
Teal'c just shook, her, head and made a small chuckle. "My kind have short life spans, shorter than yours at any rate. About 40 years but more powerful Ophlidites, like the Brood Mothers, can live for about 90. But not all of us get that powerful, and do to this fact, my kind evolved to be, flexible when it comes to reproduction. Though, since my kind is a more Matriarch society, we are all female in the eyes of the Goddess, but at the same time, all lower ranking or young Ophlidites are seen as male, till they rise in status or develop their neck frills as a sign of maturity."
"But you don't have neck frills." Rossy pointed out, noting Teal'c's lack of frills on her lean neck. "Shouldn't that mean you're a guy then?"
"Well yes, but I have a Military rank. Any Ophlidites with a Military rank no matter how small, is considered female, regardless if they have neck frills or not. Though I am on my way to gaining my frills, it's just this land and its cold is some how slowing down my growth."
"Huh, So, it's like puberty?" Rossy asked, raising one side of her brow in confused wonder.
Teal'c seemed to think about that for a moment and Rossy wondered if she even knew what she was talking about, but then she nodded. "Indeed, as you say, like puberty. But this land, I think its cold is slowing my metabolism. Hmmm, maybe that means I'm aging slower now too. Interesting."
A thought came to Rossy and she frowned. "How old are you? If you don't mind me asking."
"I don't mind." Teal'c said, then looking at the fire. "I am 8 cycles old."
Rossy's brain felt like it had popped a screw loose, when she tried to comprehend that. "You..you're 8 years old?" She looked at Teal'c's size and her brain took another double take. Not knowing what to say, Rossy just made an awkward smile and coughed slightly. "Well uh..you look, uh. You look, great, tall even, I think?"
"Thank you." Teal'c stated with a bow. "I understand you may find my age, alarming. But in your kind's years, I am barely 17, not considered as a proper adult yet by my older peers. I'm oddly the youngest Warrior servant that was sent out of Odillia in search for a cure for the Blight that Ills my people."
"Ah, yeah." Rossy mussed, looking at the fire now with Teal'c. "My home is in the same boat. Everyday a struggle to survive, watching your back for any sign of Skinnys lurking in the shadows, or a Pony that wants what you have." She shuddered at the memory of an encounter she had once. "I saw a Pony kill another Pony, all for a loaf of bread and some water. I mean, the Barrierland has always been a hostile place, but never like this. It's fucked up, and don't even get me started on Black Sun. Those fuckers are the worst, and there are roamers they started all this."
Teal'c looked shocked at the mention of Black Sun and looked at Rossy with wide eyes. "You mentioned that before. Is this true? Did they start this?"
Rossy thought about that, looking away and looking off into space. "I'm not really sure, just what others have told me and stories I over heard." She looked at Teal'c again and gave her an aiming look. "But one thing is for sure. They are a bunch of evil bastards, and I'm going to make them pay for what they've done to me and my family."
Teal'c looked like she wanted to say more, but they heard something clacking down the tunnel and both looked up in surprise and found Theran walking in with a big bag on his back, that he was holding with one hoof. "Theran, I did not see you there." Teal'c stated. "How dose it look out there?"
Theran walked in and bumped the bag on the ground and in made a loud metal clang. "Oh, lovely, clear skys all around, with pink little bunnies hopping through the fields."
Teal'c narrowed her eyes. "You are being humorous again, aren't you?"
"Yep." He stated in a blunt, uncaring way. "It's actually a total shit show out there. I guess the storm will last for another night before it subsides and when that happens, you'll be leaving." He pointed at Rossy and she felt shocked.
"WHAT?!" She exclaimed in disbelieve.
"Theran, you can not. The Infected will most surly..."
"I won't let her go on her own." Theran butt in and bent down to the bag. "You will be safely escorted out of this region and then you can make your own way back home."
"Unacceptable!" Rossy shouted, getting up on all fours and ignoring the pain in her arm. "I didn't come all this way, risk my own life on a whim that you were even still alive, just for you to kick me out now!"
"I'm not kicking you out now, only when the storm has passed." Theran stated, toneless and with mockery in his voice.
Without thinking, Rossy tried to punch him in the face with her right hoof and for her efforts he grabbed her wrist in one hoof and twisted it hard. Pain shot up her wrist and she fell to one knee. She could feel the tendon there start to strain under his grip and he loomed over her. "You caught me off guard last time, don't think for a second, you can do it again."
"Theran, you are damaging her." Teal'c said, standing in one fluid motion and was next to him now, looking down on him with a glare. "She is only a youngling, this is not needed." Theran didn't seem to listen, as he kept the pressure on her joint and scowled at her. Teal'c pressed in and was mere inches from Theran's ear. "Release her, now."
Theran looked at Teal'c now with that same scowl, but did as Teal'c asked and let Rossy go. She breathed heavily as she held her aching wrist and fell to the floor. "You make friends too easily Teal'c. You should know we don't take in strays."
"Fuck YOU!!" Rossy shouted, with some pain in her voice. "You horrible Pony, what did she ever see in you."
Theran's face became dead serous as she glared at her. "What did you say to me?"
Rossy looked up at him and spat in his direction. "If it weren't for you, Violet would still be alive!"
"You little shit...!" Theran almost threw himself on her but Teal'c stopped him, grabbing him by the throat, slamming him against the wall and holding him there. He gasped and thumped Teal'c's arm. "Put me down, NOW!" He sneered and struggled in Teal'c grasp.
"You are not in control of yourself!" Teal'c yelled at Theran and Rossy noticed something drip from her mouth. Teal'c moved her face closer to Theran's and hissed at him. "Stop this, at once. Do not force me to harm you!" More of the stuff in Teal'c's mouth dripped to the floor and it smelled strange, almost toxic.
After a long moment of silence, Theran finally stopped struggling and softened his scowling face. He nodded to Teal'c and she let him go, allowing him to step away. He was breathing deeply, rubbing his neck while he moved away from them and then leaned against a far wall. "What the fuck, Teal'c?" Theran asked his voice sounding sore.
"You went too far this time, Theran. I do not care how you feel, we do not harm younglings."
"I wasn't going to hurt her." Theran snapped. "I was only going to kindly, rain her neck in..."
"You are out of control." Teal'c snapped back, but she then composed herself. Rossy sat up and tested her wrist and found nothing was too badly damaged, but it still hurt. "Are you injured, Rossy Everfree?"
She looked up at Teal'c. What even that stuff coming out her mouth had been, had stopped now and her expression had returned to normal. "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle." Rossy got up and glared over at Theran. He was quiet, not looking at them anymore. She wanted to say something, give him a ear full, but she hadn't the energy for it now. She was just done.
Theran suddenly got up and smoothed out his tunic, trying to look less roughed up. Then he walked calmly back into the room and bent over the bag again. She watched as he opened it and her armour, all clean and polished, spilled out onto the floor with a metal clatter. He picked up the scratched helmet and offered it to Rossy and she took it gingerly. She looked at him in confusion, a question on her face.
"Very interesting design, and good quality." Theran stated, the anger absent from his tone. "Whoever made this, knew what they were doing. I like the overlapping plates, they offer good..."
"What are you trying to pull here?" Rossy asked him, making him stop talking. "The moment I woke up you've gone from mean, mocking, violent and now you're trying to make small talk." Rossy shook her head. "Fine, you want me gone, I'll go. I'll go back home and tell them that Theran Razorblade, the one they thought would help them fight an enemy that he himself fought, is dead. Replaced with a good for nothing asshole that rather rot in a cave than take the fight to the ones that fucked up our HOME!"
She slammed her helmet on the ground in front of Theran's hooves and glared at him, breathing heavily in anger. He didn't even flinch, as he didn't make eye contact with her now and instead looked at the helmet on the floor. She hated his silence even more than his sarcasm and turned away from him in frustration. "You can stay in this cave and mope all you want, Theran. I for one have more important this to do, like help my family not die at the hooves of Black Sun." She sat on her makeshift bed and sighed heavily.
Theran didn't react with anger or violence like she expected. Instead in picked up her helmet again, brushed it off and placed it next to her on the bed. He looked her in the eye and she saw real pain there. "For what it's worth..." Theran said in a soft and controlled manner, without that sarcastic edge. "I'm sorry I wasn't what you expected."Without another word, he turned and left again, though this time Rossy watched where he went and saw him turn a single corner and vanished past it.
Rossy let out a shaky breath and pressed her face into her hooves. This was a lot more taxing than she first thought it be, dealing with flesh eating creatures was one thing, but a mentally screwed up Pony she was sent to find is a whole other game. She sat up straight, sighing heavily again and looked at Teal'c. She looked at where Theran went and seemed perplexed.
"He normally like this?" Rossy asked Teal'c, who suddenly looked at her. "'Cause I can't keep up with his constant change in mood. Actually what is his problem, can't he see no good will come of him just hiding in a cave?"
Teal'c looked down cast and then slowly moved back over to where she was sitting by the fire. "I told you before, he is not like you or I." She sat back down, crossing her legs and clasping her hands together.
"What dose that even mean?" Rossy asked, becoming exasperated. "He's not like you or me? What are you not telling me?"
"I can not say." Teal'c said plainly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
Rossy frowned with her mouth slightly open and gazed off into space for a moment, but then shook her head and asked. "Why not?"
"I is not my place to say." She answered, her scally lids still closed. "If you seek to know, you will have to ask Theran yourself."
Rossy laughed at that and not the happy kind. More like the shocked and amazed kind. "Ask him? I don't know if it's escaped your attention big lass, but he hasn't been very forth coming on giving me any real answers."
"Perhaps you've been asking the wrong questions." Teal'c's eyes opened and she looked over at Rossy's puzzled face. "He is not completely unreasonable. If you are patient and confront him one to one like an equal, he will hear you."
Rossy thought about that for a moment, thinking of what she could possibly ask him that she already didn't think of. "But, how? Everytime I try to talk to him, he cuts me off. How do you expect me to confront him."
"Then do not simply talk." Teal'c stated, her tone raised slightly. "He is a fighter, one who values determination and strength of character. You are a fighter, I see this in you. Confront him as such, and you may find the answers you seek."
Teal'c then closed her eyes again and and stayed silent after that, leaving Rossy to her thoughts. Rossy didn't know what to think now, it was like this place was designed to fuck with her head and stress her to high heaven. She tried to get Teal'c's attention again but she was having none of it and kept her eyes closed, not moving at all. Rossy gave up on trying to get anymore out of her and threw her arms up in the air in defeat, making her wound flare up.
She then took a deep breath and let the air out slowly. Now calmer than before, she thought about what Teal'c had said, about confronting Theran one to one. Seeing no other reasonable option, she got up and limped down the tunnel for the first time and noted how cold it was. She shivered at the sudden feeling after leaving the aura of the fire, but shook it off and continued forward around the corner till she was in a new chamber. There was another fire place in the room but much smaller and noticed all the new stuff laying around. There were bits of old gear in one corner and a verity of weapons mostly made up of makeshift knifes and shanks. Then there was a old, rotten looking table against the far wall and on it was a set of black battle damaged metal armour.
She approached this table and looked at the parts of armour and was shocked and amazed at what she was looking at. It was a set of 16, Night Steel armour plates, with a battered full faced helmet that looked so old it would fit right at home in a museum. She picked up the black helm in here hooves and examined it closely. It was amazingly light and was surprised how firm it felt despite how thin the metal looked. It had a 'V' shaped visor with a carefully crafted slot for a Unicorn horn to fit snugly. She ran a hoof over its mat black surface, felt all the dents, scratches and burns and imagined all of them as a number of separate stories, all ending in blood shed.
There was a massive scar carved into the right side of the visor and it went deep, like it had been struck by some extremely hot. She put the helmet down and saw something else on the table, something that wasn't armour. By the helmet was a fancy looking compass and she picked it up and studied it.
It was pretty and made of a fine green marble and stainless steel bands, that gleaned in the light of the fire. She opened it and was shocked to see not only the fine craftsmanship but what it was made of inside. The metal fittings were made of a flawless silver metal, with gem stones of green and blue serving as the compasses directional arrows and at its center was a round purple crystal.
She swore she could see a faint light emanating from the crystal but it might have just been the light from the fire. She didn't get to find out when the compass was magically wrenched out her grasp and flew into the waiting hoof of Theran.
"You know, I once told a young Mare, a little like yourself, that from where I'm from, it's considered rude to touch another Pony's stuff without their permission." He said in a low tone, a hint of a threat just about hidden behind his words.
Rossy stared at him in stunned silence. How long hand he been there? How did she not hear him come in? She finally after a moment found her thoughts again and coughed too clear her sticky throat. "Uh, ehm...sorry, I didn't mean too..."
"What are you doing in here?" Theran cut in, his tone blunt and grumpy. "If you haven't yet noticed but this is where I sleep, and where I like to be alone. So if you don't mind." He gestured back to where Teal'c was and gave her a dirty look. Rossy had, had just about enough of this shit so instead she sat down and crossed her arms, ignoring the pain. Theran looked like he was going to pop a vein but took a deep breath and moved over to his bed.
He flopped onto it and lay on his back with his right arm covering his eyes. Rossy didn't move, didn't speak and just sat there, glaring at him. For about two minutes they stayed that like that, not moving and not speaking. Then after another minute Theran sighed roughly and sat up in his bed. "You're a really stubborn little spit fuck, aren't you?" He snapped, his wolf like blue eyes burning with frustration. "What do you want from me?"
"A straight answer." Rossy snapped back imminently and met his glare with one of her own. "And no bullshit this time, I want a complete and total answer."
Theran just rubbed his eyes and growled loudly, baring his sharp teeth. After a moment of him swearing under his breath and pulling his own mane, did he finally cool it and took a deep breath. "Fine, you get one question and it better be a good one, 'cause after that all bets are off."
Rossy thought about her nest words very carefully. She only had one shot at getting through that thick skin of his longer she waited the shorter her window was getting. She had to think tactically she had to think of something to get him talking. She had one ace up her sleeve but would it be good enough to break his armour.
She took and deep breath, composed herself and let it out. "How did Violet die?"
Almost as if a wave washed over him, Theran's stern expression turned to one of pain and shock and he let his mouth hang open a little. His eyes shifted uncomfortably around the chamber and looked to be finding it hard to keep his breathing under control. "No, I won't."
Rossy wasn't letting him get off that easy and she reinforced her point. "You said you would answer my question, so stop shutting me out and tell me!"
"NO!!" Theran shouted.
"YOU WILL!!" Rossy shouted back and felt a tear escape her eye. He saw this and frowned in confusion. Rossy was loosing control again, but she couldn't help it. Her emotions were starting to overwhelm her and she feared she was going to rupture a vein. "Please...I have to know." Her voice was shaky and she fought to control her temper as more tears pushed their way out.
Theran looked shocked, his face had taken on an expression she thought he wasn't capable of. He looked concerned. He bit his lip and looked like he was going to shut himself off again but he then shook his head and sighed. "Come here, kid." He gestured for her to come over to him and she shakily walked over to him, still fighting to control herself and sat down next to him.
Sighing again, he got a small bit of clean cloth and offered it to her. "Here, keep it too?" She looked at him through tear stain eyes and for a second she didn't do anything. But then she nodded, took the cloth and cleaned away her tears. He then gave her a pat on the back and and said. "You knew her, didn't you?" His tone was soft and oddly caring. She didn't speak, just nodded and Theran continued. "Well...I guess I should start from when we heard the first screams."
...
An hour had pasted and Rossy listened in silence the whole time, as Theran told her everything. From Splinter Bay to the escape on the boat to the boat being overwhelmed to getting to the boarder village to finally the part they both had been dreading to hear. "She...she tried to defend me from a Wolven in red armour that I had been fighting. It all happened so fast and I was to injured to stop it. He...he stabbed her, right in front of me...stabbed her in the chest with her own sword and left her for dead." He was visibly fighting back the tears she could see welling up in his eyes but Rossy wasn't holding hers when he finally said.
"I held her in my arms when she died, I felt her slip away...just...gone."
"No..." Rossy was barely holding back when she let streams fall from her eyes as images of Violet flashed in her mind, some were memories and others were made up to try and imagine Violets cold dead body. She shook her head banishing these images, but the pain remained and she hid her face with her hooves. "How am I gunna tell my sister, her friend is dead, our friend?"
"Your sister, is Lilly, right?" Theran asked, his voice calm and oddly soothing, no more of that smug sarcasm etched into it. She was unable to speak while trying to regain control of her emotions so she just nodded. "Yeah, I remember her. I knew her since she was a teen. Not as well as Violet did though, those two were thick as thieves." He chuckled a little, the kind you make when looking back on fond memories. "Ha, I remember when that time, they had a drinking contest and Violet could barely hold it together."
"She was such a light weight." Rossy managed to say to say but the moment she made them she lost control again and shut her eyes tight in emotional pain
She felt him move closer and wrapped an arm around the back of her shoulders and got her to lean into him. She didn't resist, she needed the close contact and the warmth of something living. She wrapped her own arms around his chest and burred her face in his shoulder and softly wept. "Yes, yes she was, but she was a damn good fighter...and a damn fine, wonderful friend and partner."
Theran sounded like he was crying now too and when she finally pulled her face away from his shoulder she saw that he was. His eyes and cheeks were tear stained but he wasn't crying as much as she did. It looked like he had already regained control of himself and was wiping his tears away.
"You loved her, didn't you?" She asked, clearing her tears away.
Theran gave her a little smile, a half smile. But that smile faded rather quickly and his normal frown had returned. He made a small sniffing sound as he cleared the last of his tears away and shuffled slightly away from her. "Anyway, you know now so, that's that."
Rossy felt her sadness be replaced with annoyance now at those words. "Oh come one, are you kidding me?!" She exclaimed in adjuration. "After what you just told me, I'm shocked you're not already out there kicking Black Sun's ass. My people could use some Pony like you."
"Firstly, I'm not a Pony I'm a Wolfkin. Secondly you don't need me." Theran stated sternly.
"Oh really? How?!" She gestured to what she guessed was the exit to the cave. "Have you looked outside? It's not getting any prettier and we need all the help we can get. And with your expertise with the Skinnys and Black Sun, we might actually stand a chance."
"No, I'll only put you in more danger, everyone I get too close to always end up dead." Theran stated again in the same stern voice. "It's not worth it."
"Not worth it?!" Rossy stood and stepped in front of Theran now. "Not worth it for whom, us or you? 'Cause it's starting to sound like the latter."
"I have my reasons." Theran growled, looking at her now with that oh so familiar scowl. "Trust me, you don't want me around. It's safer for you and it's safer for your family if you just forget about me."
"Safer? Fucking SAFER?!!" Rossy felt like her world was splitting in half. She could not believe what she was hearing. She snapped, she didn't hold back her rage and shouted. "NO where, is safe! I am no where near safer now than I was back at the fucking barn, the only difference is the infected didn't sniff me out this TIME!"
Theran cringed and looked worried as he glanced at the cave entrance. "Yeah, but they will defiantly fucking hear you if you don't pipe down."
"It doesn't matter, they will find us in the end anyway they always DO!" Spit was starting to fly out with her every rage filled word.
Theran was glancing at the cave entrance more and more, till he got up and tried to shush her. "Fucking keep it down, you'll let every fucker out there know where we are."
"Good, maybe then you'll see sense!" Rossy was starting to feel woozy as a pain began to burn in her head. "And...and then you'll...you..."
She suddenly felt very weak and began to stumble. "Hey, are you ok? Woha hey!" She fell over but Theran caught her and held her up. "What the hell? What's wrong, you're burning up."
Rossy sat down and felt her mind start to spin. "I...I don't know I...can't seem to...think straight..."
"What seems to be the problem?" Teal'c came into the chamber now and looked over at Theran. "Theran, did you..."
"I didn't do anything." Theran explained, as Rossy felt like her head was splitting. "She was shouting and then she just...fell." He took a closer look at her and she was finding it hard to focus. "Hey, when was the last time you had any real sleep?"
Rossy thought about that and it was getting harder to think with all the pain gripping her mind. "I...I don't know....maybe...3..4 days ago?" She slowly felt some energy come back to her and her dizziness faded, but not all of it and the pain was still there, if not a dull throb. "I'm, I'm ok now. Just lost my breath is all."
"Bloody hell." Theran groaned. "You're running on fumes lass, no wonder you're so cranky."
"Bite me." Rossy managed to retort. "Anyway, I said I'm ok now."
Theran just gave her a half smile and shook his head. "Fucking teens, you never know when to take some time out." There was a loud, sudden sound that came from outside, but it wasn't a Skinny's screech. It was the sound of a war horn and all eyes went wide.
Rossy looked to the cave entrance, shock and confused. "What, what was that?"
"I've heard that horn before." Teal'c stated, her body tensing up.
"What, what's happening?" Rossy demanded.
"Cultists!" Theran growled.
"What?!" Rossy yelled in shock and surprise. "Cultists? You didny say anything about Cultists!"
"It wasn'y important at the time!" Theran snapped. "You're just lucky we found you before they did." He looked to Teal'c and nodded at Rossy. "Take her back to her bed. I'll deal with our guests." He moved away from them and began to dawn his armour.
"Come now, Rossy Everfree. You are in need of some bed rest." Teal'c came over and scooped her up her small frame in her muscular lean arms and carried Rossy back to the other chamber.
"No, wait. I can help." Rossy stated, wriggling out of Teal'c's grasp. "I can fight!"
"No, you'll only get in the way!" Theran snapped, tightening the last strap on the black gauntlet on his left arm and then began to slide the shanks into slots on his belt and in his armour plating. "Besides, I've had run ins with these lot before, I know how to handle 'em."
He then got a short, one hoofed but broad blade that had a single curved edge and straight spine that tapered into a fine point. It was a Messer and he slid it into a hook strap on his back. Then he got some thin rope with a sort of small makeshift explosive attached to it and stuffed it in a pouch on his belt.
He finally picked up his scarred and dented helmet and strapped it on. Rossy was gob smacked at Theran's complete, armoured form and all the weaponry attached to his body. He looked like one of those antiant warriors she had read about in a old history book, even if his armour looked patchy and seemed to be missing some parts, such as the right arm plates and stomach plate. But they were all replaced with chainmail enforced leather padding, giving the armour a more 'A' symmetrical look.
"Ok, I'm off." He went to move to the cave entrance but Rossy called out and stopped him.
"Theran, just let me help, I know how to fight, I, I even now some magic that could...!"
"No!" He looked at her, his blue wolf like eyes glowing from behind his visor. He then shook his head. "It's too dangerous." He then moved to the cave entrance and was surprised to see a ladder when he started climbing up. She mustn't have seen it in the low light. "Stay down here, this won't take long!"
He opened a hatched and vanished past it and then closed it again. "Fuck that." Rossy stated, turning and went to get her armour and weapons. "I'm going out there."
"Theran can handle himself, he is a capable warrior." Teal'c stated, but she didn't sound so sure.
"I don't care, that was a war horn and when you hear that sound, oh you bet there's gunna be a lot of fuckers comin' your way." She entered the chamber with her gear and quickly began strapping on her armour.
Teal'c joined her and was surprised to see her start to dawn her own gear. "You are stubborn, Rossy Everfree." She then gave Rossy a small yet confident smile. "You have my support."
(Theran Razorblade)
When he closed the hatch, Theran silently moved in the darkness for a barn, the same barn Rossy happened upon. Theran was still amazed she happened to find his hideout, in a white out, completely by accident and probably would have found the hatch if she got nosy enough, but then the Infected showed up. The bodies of the Infected still lay where they fell and Theran huffed in disgust but at the same time he was impressed that Rossy had managed to kill two of the buggers on her own. No an easy feat for most, especially for a teenager. She's got spirit, he had to give her that.
He moved the rotten corpses the far wall of the barn and peered through the many gaps in its wooden frame. There was still a blizzard going on but it wasn't a proper white out yet, so he was able to see past the barn's flat, snow covered land and see the tree line of the forest. There were some other old buildings, small and house like, but just like the barn, they were starting to rot too and just for a moment, Theran thought about who might have lived here once and what their home was like before all this. Those thoughts were pushed aside however, when a small orange light cutting through the gaps in the trees appeared and the light quickly became a bright flame, as figures with torches came out of the shadows.
Theran watched them as they spread out of the forest and began to approached the old farm. They were Ponies, normal uninfected Ponies but they were far from friendly. They wore heavy looking fur coats, steel and padded armour and most disturbingly, some of them wore bones on their gear. One of them, a big Unicorn Stallion wearing a large Deer skull with antlers strode forward and began to bellow in a deep, commanding voice.
"Heathens! Hear me, for I am Jorm and I am a messenger of the gods!"
"Oh for fuck sake." Theran groaned to himself, shaking his head in annoyance. "This has to be a joke."
"The gods, are displeased with us!" Jorm the leader of this band of Cultists kept bellowing, while his forces spread out to the nearby buildings and some toward the barn. Theran counted at least 10 to 15 hostiles and he groaned a bit at the sight of them. Their Leader kept on gabbing on and on, that it was already giving Theran a headache. "We are unclean, lustful, greedy and have became blind in our arrogance!"
"You got that last part right." Theran muttered to himself, as he moved to the part of the barn's wall where the Cultists were closest to. As Jorm kept on going on and on about the gods, Theran got out the thin string, with the explosive attached to it and pressed it in the corner of the barn.
"The gods have made this clear, we are unworthy of their love and there for, have sent down upon us their judges and we have, The Clean, have been judged!"
"Yep, just keep talking." Theran muttered again, pulling out one of his shanks and a piece of flint.
"You, are yet to be judged and the more you hide from our gods, the less likely they will deem you worthy of their mercy." They were very close to the barn but not close enough. Theran had to get their attention and thought of a good way to do it.
"Then come!" Theran shouted and all eyes turned to the barn. "Lets have a taste of that godly mercy, 'cause you fuckers can expect none from me!" He sparked the string and it came to life, sizzling and spitting embers as it ate away at it. He then whispered. "For the gods abandoned me long ago."
He then vanished in a flash of blue and the Cultists flinched outside from the sudden light cutting through the gaps in the walls. They looked to their Leader and with his pagan style staff he pointed at the barn. "What are you looking at me for? Bring me the Heathen!"
They all looked at one another and then moved closer to the barn, weapons in hoof. "I see something!" The closest one to the barn said, looking into it through one of the gaps of wooden wall. She looked in closely and widened her eyes when she realized too late what she was staring at. "It's A TRA.."
Boom!
Splinters, broken planks and countless shards of metal blasted forth from the corner of the barn and ripped apart all those too close, sending chunks of meat, organs and blood flying in all directions. Those that weren't too close were still thrown off their hooves by the force of the blast and some took shrapnel to their bodies, screaming out in agony. Jorm was one of the first to get back to his hooves and stared in shock and disbelief at the scene in front of him. "What just happened?!" He shouted, his ears ringing in pain. "Where is the Heathen?!"
Just as he finished saying that, a small metal shank came out of the blackness of the night and embedded itself in a Cultists neck, just as he got back up. Arterial blood spurt and sprayed on Jorm's skull helmet, as the dying Pony fell back to the ground, pawing at his throat, unable to stop his life blood spilling out onto the snowy surface. More shanks appeared in the gloom of the night and several found their home in more bodies. "Where is he?!" Jorm shouted, as another of his flock took a shank in the gut. Half his war band were already dead or dying, and Jorm had yet to see the one killing his men.
There was a slight shimmer on the air and Jorm saw a watery, Pony shaped blob, rush out of the darkness and cut down two more of his band. It was like the air itself had cleaved through the Ponies necks and now, that same blood stained blurr, was coming for him. Jorm reacted just in time, as Theran came out of thin air and swung his Messer for the Unicorn's head. The attack was blocked by Jorm's staff, and then he parried of few more of Theran's quick, overhead sweeping cuts, as Jorm tried to find his bearings from this surprise assault.
Theran realized he had lost the element of surprise, when the Cultist leader began fighting back, swinging his staff like a club and forcing Theran back. But Theran wasn't intimidated by this guy's over extended attacks, and ducked under his blows. He was fast for a big guy, as his staff made wooshing sounds everytime he swung. He then swung for Theran's legs, trying to trip him, but Theran saw the move in time and jumped up in the air, feeling the gust of wind that followed the staff as it completely passed under him. In the same move, Theran jabbed out with his sword arm and the cross guard of his weapon struck Jorm in his skull helm. The blow had enough force to crack the surface of the skull and send Jorm stumbling back, stunned.
Theran then tried to stab him in the gut, thinking he could land a fatal blow while Jorm was open, but his blow was stopped by another's weapon, as one of the surviving Cultists rammed into Theran. His armoured bulk stopped Theran from falling over as the Pony tried to push him, but Theran dung his hooves deep into the snow and pushed back. He kneed the Cultist in the gut, making the air in their lung bust out their mouth and then slashed them across their lightly armoured chest, cutting deep and they fell. Theran didn't stop to check if the Pony was dead or just wounded, as he looked back at Jorm and got a staff right in his helmeted head.
The blow was hard, with enough force to make Theran spin on the spot and send stars to his eyes. But Theran didn't fall, as he went with the momentum of the blow and tried to counter with a thrust to his gut. But Jorm parried again with his staff and then he delivered his own counter with a swift stunning tap, of the other end of his staff to Theran's helm. The blow did little damage, but it dazed Theran long enough for Jorm to do something Theran wasn't expecting. He moved in fast and punched Theran right in the balls and not even his crotch protection could soften the royal hurt that flamed up in his lower abdomen.
Theran coughed loudly, the wind knocked out of him and he fought to stay standing, as his legs were already turning to jelly. It was useless in the end, as Jorm delivered an under hand swing to Theran head again and struck him right in his armoured chin. The blow was so hard it sent Theran flying off his already weakened limbs and crashed to the ground with a metallic twang, as his armour rattled under the impact.
Sickening pain and stars assaulted Theran's senses, as he struggled to breathe. He tried to move, while Jorm loomed over Theran and sneered down at him. "Come on! Is this the best you can do?!" He shouted, thumping his own chest in angry confidence. The survivors of his war band began to gather around and watched the display, as Jorm came in and kicked Theran in his face once more as he tried to get up.
It was so violent that Theran felt a tooth break, as he rolled over from the impact and now lay on his stomach. He tasted blood and felt dizzy, as his head throbbed and swore he had a concussion now. His ears were ringing and his vision was foggy, as he was only able to make out Jorm's padded hooves standing next to him.
"What's wrong, Heathen?" Jorm bellowed, as he roughly kicked Theran over onto his back and planted a hoof on his chest plate. "Don't tell me you're already tired. I was just starting to enjoy myself!" He bent down and violently wrenched Theran's helmet off, throwing it away and staring down at Theran's blood stained face. "Got nothing to say, dog face?" Jorm taunted, grinning in victory. "Where's that sharp wit? Come on, give to me what you gave my Brother a week back, before you killed him."
Theran took this opportunity to spit out his broken tooth onto Jorm's boot and glared defiantly up at him. "I'm gunna give you the same chance I gave to your Brother, before I cut his head off." Jorm scowled at the remark but seemed to restrain himself, letting Theran continue. "Walk away, Jorm." Theran said, calmly, even though his head was spinning and body ached. Then he added. "Trust me, it be the smart thing to do. Just walk away, before it's too late for you too."
Jorm and his men laughed and Theran rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Jorm spat, getting his staff ready to cave in Theran's skull. "I think I might have hit you a little to hard in the head. Perhaps and dirt nap will clear your..."
Just as he was about to finish his taunt, a golden bolt of energy struck one of Jorm's men in the back and blasted a hoof sized hole through his chest in bright gold sparks. "Another attacker!" One of the Cultists yelled, just as another gold bolt found her head, and removed the top of it in a splash of gore.
Theran just managed to see Teal'c, in full armour, standing in the still burning hole Theran had blasted in the barn and was firing her staff weapon at the remaining Cultists. "Take cover!" Jorm shouted, as a energy bolt slammed into his staff and blew it to wooden chunks. In that moment, Theran made his move.
From his vambrace, Theran extended a spring loaded, retractable blade from his armour and stabbed it into Jorm's leg. Jorm howled in pain and was pulled off his hooves and onto the ground, where Theran then pressed himself on top of the bigger Pony. He pulled a knife from a slot in his chest plate and stabbed it down for the gap in Jorm's own chest rig. But Jorm blocked the blade by grabbing Theran's forearm and held it there, the knife mere inches from his heart.
Jorm was strong, but not strong enough it seemed, as Theran began to put his weight into it and slowly the blade grew closer to Jorm's flesh. "Help me!" Jorm shouted in terror, as Theran began to press harder. "Shoot him, shoot him now!"
Theran caught the movement of a Cultist turning and aiming a crossbow at him, but just when the Pony was about to fire, another Pony in silver grey heavy armour plating, appeared beside the Cultist in a green flash and stabbed him right in the gut with an arming sword. The Cultist gasped and was dead before he hit the ground, as the armoured Pony kicked him and freed their sword.
Theran knew instantly who it was and it made him angry but amazed at the same time. Rossy quickly rounded on the next Cultist nearest to her and Teal'c was now engaged to close combat with the rest of the war band. Theran then brought his attention back to Jorm and as he did, Theran got a hoof in the face. With out his helmet on, he felt to full force of the impact and he also felt his nose break with a crack.
Jorm then grabbed Theran by the collar while he was stunned and threw him off using his leg as a launching pad. Theran rolled with the fall and landed back on his hooves if not unsteadily and ground to a stop, cutting grooves in the snow. His nose throbbed and bled badly, making it difficulty to breathe properly. He groaned in pain and suddenly realized his knife was missing. He wasn't surprised to find Jorm now held his knife, as he stood to his hooves and glared at Theran hatefully.
"This ends, now!" Jorm shouted, raising Theran's knife in a readied stance.
"Well come on then!" Theran shouted back, brandishing his hoof blade and getting in his own readied stance. "Let's this over with."
(Rossy Everfree)
The Pony Rossy rounded on was a Mare who yelled out in shock, as they fired their crossbow at her. The bolt bounced harmlessly off her thick plating and Rossy moved in close. In one quick step, she closed the distance and was about to end the Ponies life with one swift blow to their neck, when she realized there was another Pony that was standing right next to the one who fired the crossbow.
That Pony, a Mare with thick fur clothing and a hooded masked face, blocked Rossy's swing for the Mare with the crossbow and then threw herself on Rossy. She was so startled by this, she didn't react in time to stop the crazed Mare from tackling her to the ground in a tangle of hooves and weaponry. Rossy landed on her back with the Mare on top and the Mare tried to swing her mace down on Rossy's head, but she had other ideas.
With her free hoof, Rossy punched the Mare in the chest, interrupting her momentum and making her attack softly bounce off her helmet. Rossy's arm hurt like hell for punching the Mare so hard, but it had done the trick and she wasted no time kicking the Mare off of her in a violent, two legged buck to the gut. The Mare went tumbling off of Rossy with a pained grunt and Rossy rolled back to her hooves just in time, as the second Mare came at her with a knife.
Rossy was still in a crouched posture, so when the Mare was just about to slam into her, Rossy sprung up, ignored the knife that glanced off her shoulder guard, grabbed the Mare by the collar and head butted her hard in the nose. Rossy felt the Mare snout break under the impact and when she pulled back, she grimaced at the blood spilling out the Mares nose and how her eyes lolled back in her head.
"Oh that's nasty!" Rossy thought, as she kicked the limp Mare away from her and was shocked when something suddenly wrapped around her throat. She gasped when she felt rope begin to press and squeaze the plate around her neck. The plate stopped her airway from completely closing but it was still constricted enough to make it hard to breathe, as her lungs already started burning from lack of oxygen. The rope grew tighter and Rossy dropped her sword and groped at her throat, trying to lessen the pressure, but she couldn't find a grip.
The one holding the rope, yanked and pulled Rossy to the ground again. She didn't have the energy to stop it, when she was pushed face down into the snow and felt some one sit on top of her, while still pulling back hard on the rope. "Air..need, air!" Rossy thought in alarm, as black spots started floating around her vision.
She pulled and struggled to lessen the rope's hold, but it stood steadfast and the Pony on top of her wasn't letting up either. She tried to go for her knife, but the Pony shifted leg and pressed her arm to her side. Panic started to rush through Rossy's mind, as she clawed around the snow in front of her, trying to find anything to use as a weapon, but there was nothing under the snow.
The black spots were starting to get bigger now and Rossy thought this was it, when she saw glint of metal poking out of the snow just ahead of her. It was the end of an old pitch fork and even in her oxygen starved state, she had an idea. She focused what little energy she had left to reach out with her magic and grab the pitch fork. It glowed a faint green and Rossy made it move with all her will, till it suddenly bust out the snow and shot forward with deadly speed.
There was a frighted gasp as the Pony on top of Rossy let go of her, just as the pitch fork flew over Rossy's head by inches and struck the Pony. There was a sickening meaty crunch, as the pitch fork plunged deep into the Pony's chest and skewed them against the wall of an old house.
Rossy gasped and coughed loudly, as air returned to her body and the black spots vanished from her sight. Another close call, she would have to start making a tally soon with all the near death moments she's had thus far, but that could wait. Once she had gained enough energy to get back up, she looked at her handy work and realized it was the hooded Mare that had the mace, now pinned to a wall with a giant fork sticking out her chest.
Then she looked over to where Teal'c was and was stunned by what she saw. Teal'c was like a dancer in the way she side stepped blow after blow and how she twirled her staff weapon around with such grace and powerful persuasion. She had at least five of what remained of the war band surrounding her, while Theran was fighting a big looking Unicorn with a large deer skull for a helmet. Theran's fight was not so graceful, as the two Ponies came at each other with violent swings and sharp jabs, as one tried to over power the other.
She had to do something, instead of just standing there looking on while others fought. Her instinct was to aid Theran, since she had come all this way to find him and didn't know what she'd do if he died right now. But then she saw Teal'c take a hit in the side and saw green blood stain the white ground.
"Shit!" Rossy gasped and she knew hat she had to do. She grabbed her Arming Sword and made a beeline straight for the Pony that had cut Teal'c in the side. Teal'c was now struggling, slowed by her wound and would have been stabbed in the back, if it wasn't for Rossy driving her sword right in the back of the Pony that harmed her.
"Rossy Everfree?" Teal'c stated, her voice still somehow calm and in control, as she tail whipped one Pony in the face. "Your timing is impeccable."
Rossy freed her sword and parried another, as one Pony tried to make a swing for her. "Thank me later!" She yelled, as she kicked the Pony away and the fight suddenly came to a stand still. The remaining Ponies stood there and looked at each other, unsure if they should continue, as they also looked at all the dead bodies around them.
Teal'c spun her weapon around till the firing end was aimed straight at the survivors and yelled at them. "If you wish to live, now's your chance to take your wounded and leave!"
She sparked her weapon's muzzle for insistence and they all suddenly put their weapons away and scrambled, grabbing hold of any one still moving on the ground and dragged them away, leaving blood trails in their wake. Rossy breathed a sigh of relief, as she sat down with an armoured thud and panted heavily. Fatigue had finally set in and Rossy was spent, as her limbs trembled from strain.
She managed to look up and check if Teal'c was alright and she was surprised to find her kneeling down on one knee and had a hand over her wound. Green blood dripped from between her fingers but she didn't look to be in pain. "You alright?" Rossy panted, still trying to get her breath back. "That looks pretty nasty."
"It will heal." Teal'c stated, plainly. The dripping slowed and then finally stopped, but it was still running down her side. She took her hand away from her wound and inspected it. "The wound is superficial, nothing a little Kel'nokgh can't remedy."
Rossy coughed up some flem from her sore throat and spat it out when she took her helmet off, her sweat stained mane clinging in clumps on her face. "I still think it should be looked at. Gods know what could have been on that blade."
"As long as I preform Kel'nokgh, my immune system will kill any contaminates that may have entered my body." Teal'c stated, getting up now and looking to where Rossy had last seen Theran. Sure enough, he was still at it with the unicorn and wondered if they should help him.
"Do you think we should..."
"No, I think we should let them finish what they started." Teal'c stated, now slowly walking over to where the two Ponies fought.
"If you say so, but it starts to look bad for Theran, I'm stopping it myself." Rossy stated, getting painfully to her hooves.
"Fair enough." Teal'c said and they watched on as the fight seemed to be drawing to a close.
(Theran Razorblade)
"This guy just doesn't know when to quite." Theran thought, as he ducked under a left jab and countered with a light cut to Jorm's chest with his hoof blade.
Jorm just ignored the damaged and came in with a swift head butt to Theran's nose. Theran moved his head to the side to avoid getting his nose smashed again but Jorm came in with a follow up, wrapping one arm around the back of Theran's neck, pulled him in close and then, with the knife in his other hoof, he stabbed Theran three times in his lightly armoured side. He grit his teeth, as he felt each stab go past his ribs and into his left lung.
On reaction to this, Theran opened his mouth and bit down hard into Jorm's exposed neck with his razor sharp teeth. Jorm howled in pain and shock, as he dropped the knife and began punching Theran in his own neck. Hos armour plating took the brunt of it and he kept his jaws clamped firmly on Jorm's throat. Jorm then in desperation, punched Theran in his wounded side and that finally made Theran let out, as he shouted out in agony.
"Enough of this shit!" Theran roared and pushed Jorm away. As the bigger Pony stumbled back, Theran bent down, grabbed the knife and in one quick motion he drove it right in Jorm's chin. Jorm froze, blood dripping out his mouth, his neck and all the other cuts Theran had given him.
Then, with a final battle cry, Theran grabbed Jorm by the antlers of his skull helm and kneed the knife right up into Jorm's brain. Jorm staggered back with wide eyes, staring at Theran, while weakly pawing at at where the knife should have been, but was actually inside him now. With a cough and a sputter, Jorm's arms went limp and he flopped to the ground, dead.
Theran breathed heavily and found that he wasn't getting enough air in his lungs, as the punctured one was still trying to re inflate. With a wobble he fell to his flank and then lay down on his back, clutching his wound. He coughed and blood came up, making him shiver in discomfort. "Well shit, that could have, gone better." He muttered to himself, trying to breathe slow and careful, as he felt his lung start to knit back together.
"Theran!" That was Rossy and Theran grunted when she came skidding to a halt next to him and began patting him down. "Oh gods that's a lot of blood!" She yelled, making Theran's ears hurt.
"It's fine.." Theran coughed and gasped when more pain shot through his chest. "Most of it's his."
He didn't want her to see his wounds closing up, he couldn't let her know. "No, I saw him stab you three times!" She stated, the fright starting to show in her words. "Let me see your wound."
"It's fine." Theran gasped, as she tried to pulled his hoof away from his bloody wounds. "No, really it.."
She pulled his hoof away and looked at his wound. "What? But, how's that even possible?"
"What?" Theran fained ignorance and looked at his wound, and the motion almost made him passout.
His wounds were completely healed, with nothing more than light bruising left behind. "But, I saw him stab you, I saw the blood and.."
Theran didn't let her finish that sentence as he sat up, sudden;ly feeling much better now with his lung now re inflated and groaned. "I told you, I'm fine. Bugger only bruised me." He lied. He got up now and stood a little unsteadily. "We get 'em all?" He asked, looking around at the carnage.
"Some fled." Teal'c stated. "When they realized they were horribly out classed, they ran for the forest, taking many injured with them." She gave Theran a confident bow and then favored her side. That's when he saw the green blood.
"Teal'c, you're hurt." He stated, some concern in his tone. "You need some help with that?"
"I will be fine." Teal'c sighed, leaning on her staff for support. "I just need to rest."
"Sadly I don't think we have the time." Theran groaned, moving away from Rossy, who still looked at him in confusion. He wondered for a moment if she was fooled by his lie and from the look she gave him, he knew that she wasn't buying it. He'll deal with that later, there was more important this to attend to. "They know we're here now, so I think it's time to pack up and move shop."
"Really?" Rossy questioned and Theran rolled his eyes. "But, it's still dark out, and Teal'c she..."
Theran cut her off. "We can't afford to stay here any longer. Those survivors are going to go back to their people and when that happens, they'll send much more than what we dealt with here." He huffed and with his magic he summoned his sword and helmet to his hooves and moved off toward the hideout.
Rossy suddenly came up to Theran and he stopped when she moved in front of him. "Where would we go? I still got my family to go back to and they could really use your help."
"Not this again." Theran grumbled and put a hoof over his eyes.
"I just witnessed you take on most of these guys on your own and nearly got them all single hoofed. I've seen how you fight, my Dad was right about you." Rossy's eyes beamed with hope and desperation and Theran looked into those eyes and felt regret.
He groaned his still blood stained teeth together and let out a big sigh. "I'll think about it."
Rossy looked shocked and gave him a confused expression. "What?" She asked.
Theran sighed heavily. "I said, I'll think about it. Now can we get a move on? Those crazy bastards will be back and I dinny want to be here when they do."
With that, Theran moved past Rossy and saw for the tiniest of moments, a smile play across Rossy's face.
