Silent Edge grimaced as Hraesvalgr disappeared into a cavern on the side of the mountain, his prey following him and some other mare all the way. He had been unable to hear the details of their conversation from his high vantage point, nor make out any meaningful details about this new pony, aside from the fact that she apparently had wings.
Silent had been tailing Scarlet’s group for the last few days, following their tracks through the mountains. He had finally caught up to the group just as Scarlet was in the middle of some kind of emotional breakdown, screaming and ranting about her inability to forgive herself. Silent hadn’t really given a damn about her words—and had been poised and ready to lunge and cut them all down when fate saw fit to step all over his carefully laid plans.
The swarm had been alarming in the extreme. Silent had been forced to back away from his prey and fend off a fair few of the drones himself before finally managing to take cover and wait for the battle to die down. He had been afraid that his prey would be stolen away from him. But then Hraesvalgr had arrived, incinerating the swarm in a matter of seconds before revealing that he somehow knew something about the lamp. He had then taken Scarlet and the others onto his back and bore them here.
It had been challenging to follow the beast, given how fast it was, but Silent had managed to keep it in his sights long enough to see it arrive at his destination. Silent had carefully landed out of sight from his prey, watching them from an elevated position, and using a wandering cloud as cover.
That was where he now stood, his face twisted into a frustrated grimace. A thick, plain brown cloak hugged his shoulders, the hood pulled up to conceal his face from the world. A new pair of wingblades, the sort fit for a peasant, was strapped to his wings, itching to be used. They were clunky and heavy compared to what he was used to, but he was confident in his ability to cut down Scarlet, Lens, and the rest with little difficulty, so long as he could get the jump on them.
“I cannot say the same about the dragon,” he muttered to himself, wings twitching angrily against his sides. As good as he was, he knew that he would not stand a chance against such a beast, not without a lot of backup, and a damn fine plan. His blades wouldn’t be able to even scratch the wyrm’s thick scales, much less pierce them to get at the squishy innards he would need to spill to lay the creature low.
Deprived of his rank and his contacts as he now was, though, his options were sorely limited. All he had were the blades on his wings, the cloak on his shoulders, and the pouch of platinum bits he had withdrawn from the bank before taking his leave. None of those things would be of much help in killing the dragon.
...Not directly, at least.
Silent committed the location to memory before turning and launching himself into the air. The valley soon vanished from sight, obscured by the clouds. Angling himself up as he flew, he rapidly gained altitude before touching down on another cloud high above the mountains. Looking down, he was afforded a breathtaking view that even pegasi rarely got to see. Many were too weak or lazy to bother making the proverbial climb, preferring to keep to their lower perches of trees and cliffsides.
But the view wasn’t what Silent was interested in. He cared more about what he could find hidden within it. His eyes narrowed as he searched the various valleys and trenches, picking out anything and everything that stood out against the verdant grass or weathered stone.
At last, he found it. His eyes zeroed in on a sizable mass moving through one of the valleys at a steady, constant rate. He leaped from his cloud and descended a considerable distance, gliding smoothly through the air to another cloud closer to his target. Once he landed, he couldn’t stop a tiny smirk from appearing on his muzzle.
A small army of griffons in mismatched armor sprawled out below him, slowly combing their way through the mountains. He could see outfliers coming and going, bringing reports to the one in the front before either going back to join the mass or flying off to vanish amid the peaks.
They were just what he needed. A sizable, well trained, and well-armed band of griffon mercenaries. If nothing else, they could keep the dragon and the changelings he protected busy while he sought out his prey and cut them down.
Of course, that was entirely dependent on whether or not he could get them to listen. Coin was their only motivating factor, he knew, but he did not know how much the Solar Council was paying them to search these peaks. His smirk faded. He would have to go about this extremely carefully, lest he botch it, and be left operating all on his own again.
Not that it mattered in the end. Even if he couldn’t get these mercs to help him, he could just hunker down and wait for Scarlet and the others to come out of those caves and right into the path of his waiting blades. That would be his backup plan, though. He was done being patient, done watching from the shadows. The sooner he could end them and rid himself of the insufferable insult to his pride they represented, the better.
With that thought ringing out in his mind, Silent fanned out his wings and jumped down from the cloud. He glided slowly through the air, making a deliberate effort to not come off as threatening. Already, he knew he had been spotted, as several of the griffons were looking up and pointing him out to the ones next to them.
He angled himself down and came to a landing in the grass a few dozen yards ahead of the party, giving him a short window to finalize his approach. He held his head high and threw back his hood, revealing his face to the advancing mercenaries. His eyes met those of the leader, a towering behemoth of a griffon.
Dark, rugged grey feathers reached down from the top of his head to hang loosely around his shoulders, while black fur covered the rest of him. His muscular body was clad in old armor that Silent instantly recognized as belonging to a captain of Talonreach. The symbol of the broken kingdom had been burned away, however, leaving the pauldrons and breastplate marred with clearly visible twists and lumps, lending a molten appearance to the one wearing them.
The griffon lifted a talon, and his party came to an immediate, obedient stop. He then advanced towards Silent, his own head held high. “You had best be getting out of the way, pegasus,” he said loudly, his aged, gravely voice carrying quite far to cover the distance between them. “We’re here on business, and we ain’t got the patience to put up with anyone getting in our way.”
Silent offered a small, respectful bow of his head as the griffon came closer. “I am here on business as well, friend,” he said. “Silent Edge, Lieutenant of the new Equestrian Nightblades.”
“Garius,” The griffon introduced while raising an eyebrow. “A Nightblade, are you? Then where is your uniform?”
Silent lifted his head. “I have been operating undercover for quite some time,” he lied. “But circumstances demand I step out of hiding and beseech you and yours for aid.”
“That so? Well, buddy, we ain’t a charity,” Garius rebuffed without a moment of hesitation. “We only take coin, and somehow I doubt you are who you say you are. Besides, we’re already on a contract. Can’t go taking another one.”
“I am well aware. The Solar Council hired you and your company to enter into these mountains and assess whether or not the dragon that has been discovered among the peaks is a threat to Newcanter. I am here to confirm for you that it very much is a threat, and it needs to be eliminated as soon as possible.”
The griffon scowled. “That so? Then how come the Council didn’t make a peep about this when we were sent out here?”
Silent patted his cloak. “The Nightblades are under the authority of the Lunar Council, and as I already mentioned, I have been undercover. Nopony on the Solar Council was made aware of my activity, as none of them needed to know.”
Garius did not appear convinced. “Uh-huh. Look, pal, this chat has been really nice and all, but-”
Silent pulled the pouch of platinum bits on his belt and tossed it to the ground in front of the griffon. The tall bird’s eyes flew wide at the sight, his tail shooting up in alarm. Silent resisted the urge to grin. Griffons were too easy. “Inside that pouch, you will find no fewer than two hundred platinum bits, each one easily worth ten regular bits. Adding that onto whatever the Solar Council is already sworn to pay you upon your return, you are looking at a remarkably princely sum for you and your comrades.”
Garius pulled the pouch off the ground and opened it up to get a look at the contents. Silent could see the way the coins reflected in his eyes like stars in the night sky. Garius’ beak slowly curled up into a tiny smirk before he looked up at Silent. “Well, you’ve certainly got my attention, Silent Edge. How’s about you tell us a little more about what’s going on, and we can go from there?”
Silent nodded, turning to point off towards the valley with a wingtip. “The dragon’s name is Hraesvalgr, apparently, and he has made his home in a valley some few miles northeast of here, in a large valley. While I was observing his movements, I saw shadowy figures lurking in the trees and crags. On closer inspection, I learned they were changelings of a remarkably intelligent variety, and all of them appear to serve Hraesvalgr directly.”
“Intelligent changelings?” Garius asked, a hint of doubt in his voice being hidden by several layers of discomfort at the mere idea. “How do you know that?”
“Hraesvalgr spoke to them, addressed them directly,” Silent went on, thinking back on the two he had seen guarding the entrance to the cave. “They obeyed his orders. While I did not see many, the fact that they are so organized gives me reason to fear that there may be a full-sized colony of the demons hidden in a cave I spotted at the base of the peaks while I was scouting the area.”
He turned back to Garius, a serious, warning look in his eyes. “I hope I do not need to tell you how large of a threat this truly is. A dragon in league with an army of changelings would be more than capable of tearing Newcanter to shreds if they were to launch an attack.”
Garius hummed quietly, his talons flexing around the bits in his grasp. He glanced back at his company, many of whom had slinked forwards to listen with interest to the ongoing discussion. Garius huffed and met Silent’s gaze again. “If what you say is true, then two thousand bits ain’t gonna cover the bonus on its own,” he stated matter of factly.
Silent nodded. “I understand. However, if we are successful, then I am confident the Solar Council will be willing to pay you extra for the neutralization of such a large risk to their city and their ponies. Not to mention, there is a chance that the dragon has a hoard amassed within those caves. Help me cut him down and end his colony, and you will be more than welcome to any riches you come across.
Garius fell into a thoughtful silence, jingling the coins in the pouch one more time. “Well… this is certainly an unexpected change of plans,” he said slowly before turning around to his company. “What say the rest of you sorry lot?! Shall we go kill us a dragon?!”
“So long as the pay is good!” One griffon shouted in response, before all the others slapped their talons against their chests over their hearts, offering up the same shout in unison.
“So long as the pay is good!”
Silent raised an eyebrow. “That is their motto, is it? They are not doing their kind’s reputation any favors,” he thought to himself.
Garius turned back to Silent, his beak curled back into a large, eager grin. “Well, you heard ‘em. So long as the pay’s good, we’re in.”
Silent smiled. “Oh, the reward will be well worth it,” he said with confidence, inwardly grinning in victory. “Of that, you have my assurance.”