//------------------------------// // Special Assignment - Effigy of the Lost // Story: Indomitable // by Slendy //------------------------------// Surprise~! Indomitable is back for my favorite time of the year, what's life without a little horror. A personal favorite of mine, enjoy! "It's white and gold," This was indisputable, even if you placed it under a different light the fabric still had the same, shimmering sheen that black wouldn't give off "Zen, I love you, but if you say it's white and gold one more time I will slap you," To emphasize, her wing flicked off the side of my arm with a vicious sting. I retracted my arm, rubbing it gingerly. The ever-so-proud treasurer hunter puffed out her chest, under that hood I could see the small smile of fake sophistication. "The colors are clearly black and blue, that much is obvious, then again, you are a dude." Oooh, sexist remarks now, classy, "I've never been one to insult your keen sight but for this I'll make an exception," My claw tapped the glass, "The last thing I'd expect you to understand is fashion," My claw flicked her rugged hood. "You've never even worn a dress, how would you know?" Her aura flared with a growl, then she yanked my paw as we left the shop window, my smile growing while her frown deepened. "Let's go before I punch you through the window," Hmm, she's angry. "To be fair, seeing you in a dress wouldn't be bad," My truthful comment saw her pace stagger slightly, her wing curled tighter around my paw. "Staaaaare..." As I followed through with my observation of her body which was now moving rigidly, her eye snapped to me with an anxious blush rising on her face, then her eye darted away "L-l-let's just g-go fill in t-this request, o-okay?" Now her heart was beating wildly, so with a soft grin I leveled my eyes to the road ahead, satisfied to have taken her mind away from a rather tedious problem. Three months and my skills have only sharpened, haha Returning to the edge of the Everfree forest was nostalgic, everything sorta began in the rather harsh and untamed wilderness through an emerald wall of vines and shrubs. My arrival, surviving for God knows how long, meeting Yui, oh yeah, that part was nice. However, pleasant adventuring was on hold as we returned to the small cottage stationed just outside its border, a wave of fear and despair smothering the vibrant home, it was almost sad to feel this amount of negativity. We didn't knock on the door and instead ventured around back to come across the reason for all of the darker emotions. Many animals lay in the spacious garden, some were nestled together, creatures you'd never see sat so calmly next to their predators or animals bigger than themselves. From small birds, squirrels, rabbits and other docile creatures to the more surprising pair of Timberwolves curled up together, a beaver of all things repairing their bark with new branches and plant life. "What the what?" Yui blinked, voicing my words exactly as the owner stepped out with a bunch of medical supplies. "Hey, um... Fluttershy isn't it?" Hearing her voice the shy pegasus almost dropped her supplies if I hadn't rushed in to catch them, keeping the yellow mare standing as she took in our appearances, then surprise flushed on her face "Z-Zen, Yui, why are you here?" We looked at one another, myself shrugging while Yui withdrew the parchment from her bag, rolling it out on the grass "You put in a request, remember? We were in town when we saw this, and Zen was getting... weird," I deadpanned at her use of the term 'weird' I have, for the last several months, been experiencing strange feelings of aura pulling me toward instances where we've encountered monsters from Monster Hunter, not rift manifestations, but much like Mira, they were dragged here through tears in reality like I was, of course, this kept my Hunting prowess on high as one would appear here-and-there, this felt no different, only... something was off, very off. Fluttershy gasped, then approached us with a sigh of relief. "I-I thought putting in the request wasn't going to w-work, ponies I asked didn't w-want to go into the E-Everfree," It was a crime to see such a sad look in her eyes, glossing over her injured guests. "These poor things were scared away from their homes, some were so frightened that they refuse to go back, even those two Timberwolves, they got hurt trying to escape." Upon hearing the term, one of the two wolves looked up at me, growling weakly. Fluttershy frowned. "He says he knows you?" I blinked, then chuckled nervously at the emerald leer I received from the wolf. "Ah... hahaha, I may have... threatened their kind... by turning them into firewood?" My toothy smile only placed more looks of anger on my person, lifting my paws defensively I jabbed a claw at the wolf. "You guys never listened to me, so stop complaining!" It snarled but ultimately sat back down "That's awful!" Fluttershy gasped, but Yui stepped in with a shrug "Fluttershy, if you were trapped in an unknown forest teeming with hostile creatures, let's be frank, you wouldn't exactly have the time to be kind to a pack of terrifying wood wolves." Yui poked her hoof at the Timberwolves, then cleared her throat. "Moving past animal rights, what's up with the Everfree? Thought a Hyrda was the worst thing in that place?" "Believe me it is..." I shivered, my neighbor was so rude Fluttershy considered it a moment, overlooking some to the injured creatures solemnly. "I tried asking but none of them really know what it was, just that something big and scary started turning other animals against one another, t-they were too afraid of the infection to try and look." "Hold on, 'Infection'?" Hearing this put me on high alert. Stepping past the two I reluctantly approached the two Timberwolves, the one from before snarling at me as I ignored it's empty, threatening aura to inspect the injured one, itself panting as the beaver kept doing its best to plug up the large wound in its wooden hide. Squinting, I watched the eyes of the injured wolf follow me, so I flashed a fanged smile. "Relax, much as your kind have probably started the 'legend of the lunatic blue wolf', I just want to help with whatever's going on." The first thing to know about Equestria, almost every animal can understand you, not all sentient creatures, but most It too seemed reluctant as I pressed my paw to its side, spotting a faint, sickly pale substance dripping from the tips of some of the branches, it was rotting the wood, but it didn't degrade it, just... drained it? "Heal Pulse," Murmuring the words a soft, pink hue enveloped the Timberwolf, and to all the many onlookers' surprise, the large gash slowly repaired itself, saw for a few broken twigs but the more serious wounds were patched up. Yui just smiled gently, shaking her head at me. "Never a dull moment, even if it were a monster if you thought it needed help you wouldn't hesitate," I turned my head from her, resisting the heat in my cheeks at her cute smile and compliment "Yeah... I guess," Stepping back, I gave Fluttershy, who was smiling as brightly as Yui, a stern look, bringing the mood down as I felt it, a chill wash over my spine from the looming forest in the background. "Fluttershy, tell us everything about this 'Infection'," I hope I was wrong, but encase I wasn't I might need to prepare a few things "A Dreadqueen Rathian?" Yui repeated those fabled words as I pushed through the Everfree alongside her, going well off the beaten path as we traced the claims of the animals to the source of this 'infection'. Beside me, Yui watched the forest warily. "Or the male variant? Are you sure?" "Not really," I grunted, shoving aside a bush for Yui to hop by with a small 'thanks'. "Both are capable of producing a poison so deadly it could kill a Hunter in seconds if they're ill-prepared, even if I'm completely resistant to poison as a Lucario, I still suffered Yian Garuga's poison, which means I'm not as 'immune' as I thought," Which sucks but given all the crazy things I can do I guess this was the world's way of a handicap. "Again, I might be wrong, there are no forest fires so unless they really, really like using their poison attacks I think we'll be fortunate to avoid either of those flying nightmares." Again, there were too many variables, just like with Safi'Jiiva, the signs are there but nothing concrete presented itself. I was starting to worry if bringing Yui along was a smart idea, even if she would argue otherwise, this wasn't as simple as a large, scary monster with powerful attacks, it was one with a slow-killing poison that turned monsters against one another. Suddenly, a hoof bumped to my side, nudging me forward against a tree as I stared down at the firm look under that blue hood. "I may not have 'aura-sense' but I think I know you pretty well to know what you're thinking," Her smile appeared, and her hoof ushered me down to her level as so her hooves could place themselves on my shoulders comfortingly. "Look, yeah, I'm not built for fighting, think that's obvious given my lack of a second wing, but I'm not going to just tuck my tail between my legs and sit back as you risk your life, that'll never sit right with me, got that?" I nodded dumbly, it was stupid but I know she was right Gently, she nuzzled my cheek before sitting back. "You're a dummy, but thank you," A small chuff escaped me "I think I'm supposed to say that," She just giggled cutely and stepped back to offer me a curled wing-tip. How could I say no to her? Shrugging I reached forward to tap my knuckle off her extended appendage. "Right then, gang, let's go solve a mystery." At my grin she groaned, slapping a hoof to her forehead "Again with these references..." She loved them The world was, for lack of words, rotten. Under a tree I must have missed during my time here, was a massive cavern of foliage, a stream cutting through from the far left. We steadily approached from a slope, stepping into the subterranean world that forced us not to lose our lunch. The wildlife became almost nonexistent as I took a step forward, Yui keeping close to my legs as I approached the first anomaly in this massive subterranean overhang. Nestled between two aged logs was the source of the pungent smell, tugging my scarf tightly I poked at the white, fluffy spores as the strange, fuzzy texture jiggled. "It feels like moss but... sticky," Yui then gaged at that assessment as I shared her sentiment. It even released a faint puff of pale green smoke or fog. "Okay, hundreds of times worse." I wheezed, waving my paw "Well, this matches the mist in the area, maybe a new kind of spore?" While I'd love to agree with Yui on this explanation the environment felt off, everything about this place gave me chills I couldn't shake - no, it was far worse now that we've found the source, or atleast close to it. "Zen, watch out!" Pivoting I rolled beside Yui as Timberwolf landed headfirst into the mud, struggling to lift itself off the ground as another galloped into view, slipping down the slope as it failed to reach us. Yui slowly stepped back with me, the two of us on edge as I noticed the same, white smog coating the Timberwolves. "They're infected by those spores?" "Zen," Yui tugged at my leg, drawing me behind a large boulder as more wolves shambled onto the scene, spreading the spores through the air as they ran and stumbled about the forest, thickening the smog as a damp, moldy smell filled my nose. "Okay, I'm starting to believe you, this isn't normal, even by Equestrian standards." No... not just that. My paw slowly ran just above my spike, even though it was gone, I felt it, this lingering phantom of my ruby, was it really still leading me here? But if so... to what? "Yui, I think I'm going crazy..." I say this as a Timberwolf headbutted a tree stump. "Well, more than these guys." "At this point, I'm all ears," She murmured under her mask, eyeing me seriously as I pressed my back to the boulder rigidly "I think a part of my shattered ruby led me here unintentionally just like the others," It was a ludicrous assumption, and one Yui and I couldn't argue about as the air was pulled from around us. The trails of greyish-green smog gathered toward whatever acted like a blackhole. Following the sucking sound, our heads poked out to inspect what was pulling all the vapor from the air, and what I saw made me gag. A large, black visage stood amongst the clouds, and while I couldn't properly point out the culprit Yui yelped as she latched to my body, the Timberwolves falling silent as the smog as well as their lives were drained at the touch Kneeling down I pulled Yui closer to my chest as we braced the acrid wind, a faint stomping noise drawing near as the air finally ceased its suction, leaving us gasping for fresh air again while I braved my fears and edged closer to investigate what exactly was behind this mess. When I did I had to immediately plug my paw over Yui's muzzle as her hooves shoved themselves against my own, our eyes wide with horror as I felt the colors drain from me completely. The second I turned the large, black head leaned in from the other side, rotten, black flesh clung to its head like a veil, those green spores gathered atop its serpentine-like head as a set of twin jaws opened wide, revealing many long fangs like a deep-sea fish. It let out a cursed roar as the creature rose to its full height, wings draped in black, webbed flesh and spores, spines lining its narrow build and jagged legs, sickle-like talons jutting from the wings and feet as it passed us without so much as a glance, the moss clearly blinding it to our presence. The tail swept by, spreading some of the toxic spores as parts bulged and made these grotesque, squishing sounds as it moved. All while the underside of the scales were coated in a thick layer of milky-white miasma. After a near minute of shallow breaths between us, I felt Yui's eye lock to me as I did my best to mentally collect myself, afraid to move even an inch. "N-no way... how did..." Resting my head low I whispered out the words carefully, watching the monster walk away. "I-it's an Elder Dragon-" Yui's gasp caught in her throat. "-The Corpse Coat Dragon, the Variant Blackveil Vaal Hazak." "No way, another one," Yui breathed, watching as it mindlessly observed the thicket surrounding the outside of the natural cavern. "Can we beat it? Or is this thing like... It?" "No, compared to Safi, Vaal is weaker, and thankfully most of my moves can hurt him, the issue is the Miasma in the air," I motioned to the smog still clouding the sky. "The longer Vaal remains in the Everfree Forest the more likely the ecosystem will collapse, he's a literal plague, and that Miasma will infect any living creature, to which as you've seen, he'll use to drain the life right out of them." Even without my aura, I could feel her trembling against my fur, obviously, that meant we were at risk but there was one positive. Smiling I nuzzled her forehead. "Relax, if we use these antidotes I cooked up," I pulled my bag between us, revealing the many creations I had concocted long before I met Yui. "Drink one of these blue ones if you start to feel very weak or sleepy, that'll clear up the Effluvium from your system, if not take one of these pills," "Okay," She nodded and took my bag for me, offering her own wary smile. "So glad my boyfriend's a nerd." If not for the situation I'd have probably blushed but right now we had a job to do. Yui returned to her stern expression, tugging her mask over her muzzle while adjusting her hood. "I'll provide the support-" "-And leave the frontlines to me," My fist and her wing bumped and we broke apart. Elder Dragon or not, I'll take this monster down either way. "You know, if I had a Yen for every time the food in the fridge transformed into an abomination I'd have two Yen," I held up to fingers. "Which isn't alot but it's strange that it happened twice, right?" "Your food turned into a walking, corpse wearing, mold-infested dragon?" Yui blinked at me as if I had two heads "Hey, neglecting stock rotation can lead to some ugly manifestations themselves - Oh, it's starting to leave," The tail slipped out of the grove and into the Everfree while we were talking. "We should probably catch up." "Yep!" She hopped on my back and I broke forth at the speed of sound "Manchester Smash!" My yell drew the blind Elder around, only to have the Blaze Kick crash atop its scalp, discharging a small ring of flames across the open forest, setting some of the rotten coat ablaze as it let out an ear-raking roar that strained with a howl. Bringing its head down I leapt back to avoid the wave of grey effluvium, wrapping my right paw around a tree, lunging with a double serving of Ice and Thunder Punch, both brought across the narrow jaw as it reeled back, the tail swiping my legs as I was sent barreling through a tree with Protect Vaal started to shamble back, unleashing a snaking wave of gases that I narrowly evaded, swinging like my ancestors across the branches surround the battlefield. With one swing I launched high above a narrow beam of effluvium, projecting several Aura Spheres to pelt his hide, accidentally discharging some of the building sacks of rotten air from the coat as it clouded the ground in a dull haze. Landing I withdrew a piece of flint and cracked it against a rock while running from one of his rapid charges, the massive dragon toppling several trees while a claw swiped after me. The flint sparked across the rock I struck, setting a few dry leaves and twigs ablaze between us, the flames aiding to disperse some of the smog from the infected area. Vaal slowly stepped back, growling at the sight of the flames before stomping toward me, tearing across the forest with his maw wide, forcing me to twist around and draw my polearm, twirling the staff around to crack it against his outer jaw, diverting the overpowering beast away, however, the tail again swiped at me, slicing my right forearm while I slowly backpedaled. Vaal stood tall, inspecting me from under its veil while I slowly poised my staff against my back, adjusting my scarf as I focused, delving into my arsenal that came to life across my body, color began to contrast the murky forest surrounding us, I couldn't allow him to continue moving through the Everfree, not while everything he touched could be rotted and consumed by his body, and if he came close to Ponyville it may cause complete chaos. "Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, Calm Mind, Iron Defense-" It was straining my body but a few days of rest wouldn't be so bad, Yui's going to kill me. "-Work Up, Bulk Up, Agility!" My toothy smile stretched under my scarf, Vaal unleashing another roar as he charged, clamping his teeth on air as I leapt over his spiny form, bringing my staff across his back, swinging the aura staff across his coat, tearing through the rubbery, moldy armor, my body blazing with that of the spectrum against his bleak infection. My foot pressed to one of the spores, bursting it as I flipped over the left-wing, splitting through the wrapped flesh to deliver a devastating Metal Claw to the side of his face as he turned, swiping me away at the exact moment. But the damage was done, the two of us stumbling backward. I felt my own eyes light with contrails while the left side of Vaal's face was revealed, one large, vibrant orange eye piercing through the flesh, his snarl evident of his rising fury, that and his aura spiked tremendously. Casting away my staff I lunged into Quick Attack while he fired another lingering wall of effluvium to intercept. Bringing my right heel down I struck with a large rock through the gases, hearing it connect to the stampeding Elder as I gasped, moving to evade if not for the claw locking to my Quick Guard in time for his jaws to chomp down at my face, my scarf tugged down in time as I puffed out my cheeks. "Dragon Pulse!" The blinding dark purple light struck the monster across the face, freeing my left hand, providing me with the chance to drop to my hands, performing a low-bearing swipe of its leg, followed by another Blaze Kick to the underside of its jaw, hearing it crack under the force of the flames. Rolling backward I ran to the left as he charged, tearing down another tree while the tail swept a cloud of effluvium in my wake, almost splashing me as I leapt for the trees, panting while my radiant aura slowly began to flicker. "Running out of energy fast, so's Vaal without much to drain..." Had we been in the Rotten Vale this might not be so evenly played, even so, this was an Elder Dragon Then it happened. The spores across his body expanded, gathering the wasted effluvium into its body as those dark wings threshed the trees, closing in around his form while the smog circulated his body. "Yui, now!" Covering my eyes I heard something fly from the bushes and shatter onto the forest floor, resulting in a powerful flash that brought the Elder Dragon crashing down, the effluvium expelling into the earth and thankfully not across the whole untamed forest. "Nice, love!" "Thank you, thank you!" I saw her hood bob back into the bushes to prepare for the next stage of my grand scheme, it was a longshot but given our track record, it might just be dumb and cartoonish enough to work. "Alright, Vaal, this one's from the bestest friend across dimensions-!" Thanks for the idea, Taka! Taking a thunderous stomp off the tree, shattering the bark I brought my right arm back, clenching a fist that scorched with the remains of my enhancements, channeling the energy into my knuckle while a brilliant, silver sheen as three large blades expanded from my fist. "Giga... Metal... Claw!!" Vaal recovered in time for my silver stroke to tear through his wings with blinding speed, the three scores shredded the wings while my left hand sunk into a nearby tree, wrapping myself back around to smash both my feet into his maw, diverting a stream of effluvium away from Yui, herself yelping before pulling a rope with her tail, triggering a small slingshot constructed in one of the trees hastily. The contents were splashed against the rotten dragon as the pungent smell filled my nose far better than the gases that started to affect my breathing. "All aboard the Zen-Train!" I slid up to the treeline as Yui hopped onto my back, and with a great deal of stress on my body I took off running through the thicket, the bellowing howl of a dragon hot on our tails. "Ahh!" I heard Yui yelp as I turned my head back for a second, immediately regretting that as the crooked fangs clamped at my tail, attempting to throw me into the trees while the massive body crashed and tore through vines and brush to catch us, a stream of effluvium tailing me as I sucked in my gut and escaped the forest floor We zipped past greens and browns. I couldn't focus on anything but what was in front of my next foot as I hopped across the branches, feeling the trees quiver under a groan and crash that swiftly followed after every foot that vacated a branch. I had to stay focused, keep moving... until you win. The last time I went all out like that was against Bloodbath Diablos but that was with Trinity's aid, my body still can't endure so much stamina drain. "Zen... Zen, stay awake!" My eyes were getting hazy, dammit, stay awake for her! If you fall asleep she'll- "Don't think about Vaal Hazak," Her soothing voice pierced my eardrums, feeling her body wrap closer to my body as I continued to evade the ever-so-rampant Elder. "Just listen to my voice, okay? Breathe, just breathe and listen to my heartbeat." My hearing became muffled as I slipped into aura sense, feeling her heart against my back, despite the situation she wasn't losing control of her heartrate, in fact, it was beating with a soothing tempo that I could focus on. Escaping the etheral world, I dived down, evading a swipe of the claws while bending at the knees, lurching toward the trees like a bullet, ricocheting at the timing of her heart as the howls and crashing of Vaal's death essence grew faint. "Meditor!" Yui's voice peeked, dispersing a blue haze into Vaal's face as he found himself inadvertently crashing through the trees to our right, wailing as his pursuit was sidelined by the treasure hunter's magic. "Haha, can't fight my flank!" She had me there Flying from the trees I brought us to the halt at a massive gorge, Yui leaping off my back to retreat for the safety of the rocks, leaving me to face the collapsing tops of trees. I brought my right foot back, bending slightly with my left while I held my right fist down at my waist, bending my elbow while holding my left out, bent slightly so my fist faced the oncoming threat that burst from the treeline, spreading a massive wave of effluvium that I steeled myself through, even as it ate away at my protective aura. Exhaling through my nose, I braced as the jaws of Vaal widened unnaturally, angling his head to snap me in two as his wings fanned wide to slow his velocity. Inverting the positions of my feet I brought my left fist back while expelling my right into a palm-heel strike. "Earthquake!" The force of the strike tore open the earth under us, a large slab of rock slamming into the exposed collarbone, breaking the scales and hooked spikes, some effluvium hacked up from Vaal as the very edge of the cliff was torn away, shifting under our feet, dipping backward. Taking off from my stance I pounced over his snapping jaws, kicking the exposed eye with a final, blazing kick that set half his body on fire from the oil Yui sprung beforehand, the liquid beginning to cook his withered armor while I ran up the length of his rubbery flesh caught ablaze, bounding over the thresh of the tail as Vaal screeched, sailing over into the gorge. His wings stretched but I already tore through the flesh, allowing the airflow to travel through his thick wings. His wailing came to a resounding halt as I winced, seeing his twin jaw snap wide just as the stalagmites sunk through its serpentine head and through the neck, protruding from several locations while the flames blew from the impact, dispersing across the ground and under his broken form as it lay there motionless. Panting as I rolled away from the edge, I shook my head exasperatedly. "Thank heaven..." "Yeah hahaha!" I was immediately tackled by the adorable mare in a blue hood as she hugged me tightly despite my aching body. "We did it!" She beamed above me in the sunlight, what a sight indeed "I smell like I rolled in a graveyard." I gaged, flopping back to the ground with Yui sat atop me, sniffing her wing before she too paled "Ugh, I think I need to bathe... in bleach and fire." Now that got a weak laugh out of me as I sipped on one of my antidotes for dear life, feeling the effects of the effluvium lessen with the ailment "Hmm, sounds toasty," I smacked my lips then closed my eyes. "Yui... can we just stay like this for a bit, I think my legs have gone on strike." She giggled softly, moving off my lower stomach to sit with her hoof ruffling the fur atop my head. "Sure, I don't mind at all..." My brow raised while my eyes remained shut, hearing her sniff. "Hrm, on second thought, can we go, this place reeks as bad as us." "Hmm, fair enough, fancy a spot of tea?" Her aura bounced at the suggestion, "Yeah, your treat, right?" Leech, I didn't need an aura to tell she smiled with her brows wiggling A few days later... "Hm-hm-hm-hm-hmm..." Tapping my paws to the small, round table I happily bobbed my head to the beat of the song I had memorized in my head, observing the cozy yet detailed cafe I sat in alone, the sun beaming in from the window as I mindlessly thought of Blackveil, what a creepy monster, I'd have loved to take some pictures but one, it was infecting the Everfree and two I lacked a camera which sucked, could've gotten some nice selfies as it roared My ear twitched as I sensed the familiar aura approaching my table, herself breathless with her hood down, a blue rose pinned to her mane while she kept her bangs covering her left eye, just the addition of the rose looked beautiful as she rambled frantically. "S-Sorry, I got caught up with a request from Canterlot, and then I had to jot down my response for later, then I started mapping down locations and shopping for materials, then I - mmfph?" I pulled Yui up to kiss her softly, hearing her squeak between our lips before I pulled away to see her face tint red, only now her nerves were eased while murmuring something along the lines of, 'every damn time', I'm surprised she never sees it coming after all this time. "It's okay, I wasn't waiting long, besides my mind was... elsewhere," Yeah, humming the Corpse Coat Dragon's theme is just something normal people do. "Just in time actually." Not long after she sat down did our afternoon tea arrive, leading to the start of a relaxing date with my girlfriend, yep, today is why I like Sundays For the next two hours we couldn't stop ourselves from discussing our next venture in the magical world we called home. End.