After the attack, Eldaro sits down outside the tank and tries to catch his breath. Captain Silver hands him a troop injury and damage report before flying off to check the perimeter again. Eldaro is surprised that despite all of the injuries there were no fatalities. He is determined to visit the hospital as soon as possible. However, he, is too tired to move. Soon, Queen Sabrina jogs over to confirm the injured men were in good spirits and healing well. While she sits next to him, Eldaro notices Sabrina doesn't seem to be tired at all.
Eldaro fells slightly annoyed, "That was an intense battle, so why aren't you more tired?"
“Oh… In all of the excitement, I forgot about my special potion.” Replies Sabrina looking slightly embarrassed. “It is a mana regenerating tonic.”
Eldaro tilts his head, "Who could make such a potion?" Sabrina turns away and whistles. "Seriously, do you not have anyone else to ask except that dragon?" Eldaro asks.
Sabrina rubs her head, "Keep your voice down. She doesn’t want anyone to identify her brews. We know that she will research anything related to magic, right? Additionally, the ingredients in these potions cost a lot. But the results taste delicious and they don’t have any side effects."
Eldaro rolls his eyes at Sabrina’s cheerful mood. Getting up, he walks around the fortress to motivate the crew that is still recovering from the cat’s sneak attack.
Despite their efforts, the team is still stuck at the bottom of the temple, unable to cross a treacherous windy ravine, covered in clouds. As the spell on the grounds prevents teleportation or flying over the obstacle, Sunset was especially mad.
Matt’s earth magic was no good in this situation as he needed to touch the ground to manipulate it. Natalie theorizes the bottom part of the temple belonged to the common cat because there were so many alter-shaped rocks there, while only the high priests and godcats themselves occupied the top.
At a loss on how to cross this latest obstacle, the group decides to discuss some possible solutions. When they cannot come up with a good idea, the topic shifts to Sunset’s homesickness.
After being banished from her home world, the team has always understood the dragon's quiet sadness. Natalie tells Anna how she scanned the capital libraries for magic scrolls with no luck before returning Sunset to her world. Lance and Matt follow up with several tales about raiding dungeons for mystical artifacts.
“That’s enough searching everyone,” Sunset replies gratefully. “It would be nay impossible to find the correct world even if there was such an artifact that could bridge realms.”
“Neigh looking for you former pony world. Ha-ha. Good one Sunset.” Chuckles Matt. The rest of the team groans.
To change the subject, Lance asks the dragon, "So, I hear you graduated from a sniper class, right? Why didn't you attend the magic classes instead?"
Sunset answers, "Well, I found a long-range spell that can shoot a fireball like a sniper rifle. So I enrolled in the course to master the spell. Well... it turned out not to be as simple as I thought."
"HEY, LIZARD! Can you stop choosing the spot that is easy to see?" A blue-haired girl shouts at Sunset as she has been found again, "Are you fighting against a blind rabbit? Sunset tries to retort, but the teacher punches the wall, leaving a hole in it, forcing Sunset to be silent. "Remember, don't reply to anything until I ask you to." the teacher instructs. “Now try to hit me again."
Sunset chooses another spot to practice her skills. Then she pulls out the sniper rifle to aim at the teacher, but the instructor gets the dragon first. During the fifteen minutes the paralyzing shot wears off, the teacher sits on Sunset's belly to torture the dragon for failing.
"Right. It's about time for the stun shot to wear off so you can talk now, lizard." says the instructor sliding off Sunset's belly. "So why are you so terrible at camouflage?"
Sunset explains, "My bright coloring makes it difficult for me to hide, Professor Ocean." However, I have heard that you are a top sniper instructor. Plus you are famous for your ability to shoot distances accurately without a scope. But what kind of a sniper can do that?"
Ocean smirks and holds up a bullet, "That's just because I just want to shoot the highest-quality shots as possible without a crutch. About scoping lizard, yes I have scoped before but you can't always see the target. Well, enough chit-chat, it's time to get back to work. Heh. At least one of us will have a comfortable spot to sit."
"Garr, somehow I’ll get you." Sunset thought angrily.
Ocean giggles, "Nice spirit, lizard. Now you should get up and prepare to be my pillow."
After three months of being 'pillowed', Sunset finally passes the first lesson. When Ocean introduces the third lesson by revealing a secret trap. The dragon tries to evade the approaching trap but gets tangled in the electric ropes. "Hey" she yells as Ocean once again sits on her back. Sunset continues, "The third lesson? What happened to the second one?"
"Because you already passed the second lesson, Lizard. The role of a sniper is simply to support combatants and missions. Ocean slaps the dragon's horns on its head. "They are not the attackers as many people believe. This next lesson is simple. You have to stay in one spot for two or three days."
Six months of hell pass before Sunset finally completes the test. Sunset sighs in relief when Ocean finally claps her hands to congratulate her. But there was one more test, winning a duel against her highly trained teacher.
When a bullet flies near Sunset's face, she says, "It's not fair, why should..."
Sunset picks up her weapon and starts the match after Ocean replies, "Shut up and fight!"
"Wow, not only did you survive a class with Professor Ocean, but you passed!" Analyzes Lance, "Ya heard that teacher is brilliant, but a bit of a control freak."
"The instructor only gave me three basic lessons because she knew I wouldn't be a pure sniper. But it wasn't all wasted as I gained valuable experience and knowledge. In addition, being forced to stay motionless for long periods indirectly helped me to deal with my temper." Sunset takes out a sniper rifle from her pack with pride. "After suffering through Tartarus, I feel honored to receive such a gift."
"There's nothing like sitting for hours on end to help ye reflect on things. That’s a nice rifle but the scope looks a bit different." Lance examines the modified part with interest.
Sunset explained that the scope was modified to detect magic. There was a yawn from the dragon after that. Lance and she agreed that it was time to go to bed.
As Lance stares at the dark clouds in the sky, he yawns as well. "Why does yawning have to be so contagious? He wonders. “Let's hope ye can figure out a solution in the morning.” Since everyone else is already in bed, the gunner checks his communicator devise from uncle Eldaro for any updates. “Nothing but status reports for the past two days...” He notes. “Hope that's a good thing...”
The dream Sunset is having about being back in Equestria with Whitty is wonderful. The pair of happy dragons are flying through the evening sky when they stop on a large cloud. White dragon Whitty bows to his companion and offers his claw for an impromptu dance. After reluctantly accepting his claw, they dance around the cloud dancefloor. A few minutes later, they are gazing at each other as the sky changes. Whitty leans over to whisper something “Sunset…” but Sunset cannot understand him. When the dragon tries to speak again, no sound can be heard. Abruptly, the sky distorts and the cloud begins to shake...
“Ya said wake up ye silly beast!” shouts Lance. The gunner is shaking the dragon vigorously.
Sunset groans as she sluggishly rolls over to face the gunner. “Lance... It is a very fortunate thing that we are friends,” she states nonchalantly.
“Good news! Ye thinks we can get across that ravine.” Pips Lance excitedly.
Sunset sleepily follows Lance out to the edge of the chasm. As a result of the high altitude, clouds are forming, making it difficult to determine distances. Lance shows the dragon a space with 2 rocky outcroppings that appeared to have once been part of an overpass structure. It is suggested that Sunset could fire several shots from her specialized sniper rifle with an attached rope into the rock on the other side, to enable the team to cross.
In the midst of Sunset getting her firearm, other members of the team wake up. While Natalie and Matt poke at the fire, Anna walks around the foggy area with Nolegs on her back.
The sound of shots rebounding off loose stones entices a curious archer with her feline companion over to the cliff-side. Both the dragon and the gunner are becoming increasingly frustrated with the gusty wind and crumbly poor-quality rock on the other side of the ravine. In addition, wind erosion has created piles of loose sediment. There is no solid rock to secure an anchor. Anna also attempts to lob an arrow into the slope, but the gravel is too unstable.
The promise of hot coffee lures the rest of the disappointed team back to the camp. There, they are amazed at the lack of morning mist, but not at the absence of morning arguments. A sycophantic shadow moves quickly out of Anna's peripheral vision, but she dismisses it.
Matt is frantically gesturing and pacing in a circle. “It’s gonnnnnnnnnne! My super special high-energy emergency supply ingredient.”
“For the last time,” cries Natalie annoyingly. “I didn’t take your freeze-dried slime.”
“But it’s disappeared! In fact, it was even barbecue-flavored for special occasions.” Matt moans dramatically. Any sense of hunger suddenly dissipates among the rest of the team.
An irritated Natalie uses her water spell to grab a bunch of clouds. When she has shaped them into a ball, she throws them at the overly melodramatic swordsman. Getting hit with several slightly wet cloud spheres effectively stops Matt’s rant.
“That’s it!” Shouts Sunset. “Nat, you’re a genius!”
A strange look is given to the dragon by the other team members.
“Clouds! That’s the way over that stupid enchanted chasm.” Cried Sunset elatedly.
“Sun-girl, you’re scary before coffee.” Says Matt apprehensively.
As soon as we eat and pack up, I will show you what I mean,” replies Sunset.
After a hearty breakfast without mystery ingredients (and ensuring their dragon friend drinks three cups of coffee), the team travels to the gorge. This time Lance leads the way through the morning fog to the cliff's edge. The dragon explains her theory to the group on their journey. Sunset’s plan raises more than a few eyebrows, but the team decides to forge ahead and try it.
Natalie starts chanting a water spell first. Since the spell required a foundation, Sunset, Lance, and Anna team up to create one. First Lance fired lead bullets into the loose stones on the other side. Then, Sunset prepares several fireballs while the archer readies several accompanying arrows. Despite the gusty winds, the dragon uses her sniper skills to shoot the fireballs accurately. Anna's elemental arrows were protected from missing their targets by the fireballs. The arrows chase the fireballs to the same location on the other side of the gorge. Through the combination of the two spells, enough heat is generated to melt the lead bullets and bind the loose rock together. Anna quickly follows up with a pair of rope arrows before the rock cools.
“Hit it Nat! It’s all you now.” Calls Sunset.
Everyone watches in amazement as the nearby clouds gather and condense on the rope lines, creating a cloud bridge. The tired mage rests down on a nearby rock. Sunset offers another mana potion but she declines to explain they need to save it for the upcoming battle.
Matt throws a rock on the structure to determine if it is walkable or not. The rock passes through the cloud, making a soft thud several seconds later.
Lance announces, "Okay, Ye agrees this looks like a bridge…"
“Hold on, you forgot the last part.” Says Sunset. A mana film covers the legs of the team as a yellow glow emanates from the dragon's claws.
“Is this really going to work? One of us without wings could get hurt.” Asks Matt as he nervously looks over the edge.
“Well, one of us used to have to visit pegasi in their cloud dwellings," Sunset replies as she grabs Matt’s hand. “So, let’s move, O fearless leader.” The dragon confidently marched over to the bridge with the reluctant swordsman in tow.
When Matt stops moving forward he lets out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. As he looks back at the rest of the team, the swordsman blinks a few times. He was standing on a cloud! Matt releases his death grip on the smirking dragon to take a look around. A confident swordsman stands in the middle of the cloud bridge gazing down over the deep fissure. This spell mesmerizes the team. Finally, the rest of the group follows the pair across the bridge and everyone is safely on the other side.
Anna’s boots make crunching noises despite her attempt to be quiet as she steps over loose gravel. Lance chose this route because it was the most suitable route up the mountain. However, the previous landslides made it difficult to traverse the narrow path that curves up to the topmost region. The archer pays close attention to both her feet and the space ahead of her. As they climb single file, the team is using the mountain fog to obscure their progress. The path’s formerly well-carved stairs are now degraded and covered in unstable debris that forced the team to hug the walls for support. The sound of Nolegs hissing from the archer’s pouch instantly brings the whole team to high alert.
Sunset and Matt lead the party up the narrow stairs. To gather more information about the latest threat, the team pauses. As the sound of movement travels closer, they decide they no longer have to remain stealthy. Sunset breathes fire to dissolve the fog and broaden their view ahead.
Without warning, a previous camouflaged white-horned bear charges out of the fog. Matt instinctively dodges, while Sunset happily discovers they are far enough away from the magic dampening field that her wings work again.
Matt happily points at the bear. “This is so awesome! Bear steaks, bear stir fry, bear…” Anna hits him on the head with her bow to bring him back to reality.
The bear roars at the team after missing its initial target. A pair of wings is now visible on its back. The team prepares for the monster's sudden advantage. Additionally, strange lights can be seen behind the bear. An odd collection of light spheres floats wonkily down the ruined steps. Some of the balls have eyes and hands.
There is no time for them to ponder over the oddity of the beasts attacking them because a magic circle appears over them. Sunset quickly overwrites some of the disc’s characters and reflects it at the bear. Jumping back, the monster avoids getting hit by its bolts. This offense gets a reaction from the strange light balls as they brighten up before moving towards the team. Most of the oddballs head down the stairs while the rest start shooting at Sunset.
In mid-attack, the light spheres on the stairs halt and suddenly break apart. Nolegs then appears behind the oddballs waving his sword. The blue cat then meows and taunts the bear. Angry, the bear charges at the offending cat with its large horns tilted downward. Unfortunately, the monster was no match for Nolegs’s hyper-speed and slams into the side of a cliff. Upon impact, nearby rocks crack.
Failing to gore the cat with its horns the bear next attempts to slash its opponent with its razor-sharp claws. This results in consequences for the rest of the party. Shards of rock from the side of the cliff fly haphazardly in all directions. Chunks of rock bounce down the cliff-side structure as a result of the bear's attacks. In response to the fight between the Nolegs and the bear monster, the group has to retreat down the narrow stairs.
In the meanwhile, Nolegs starts jumping up and down on the snow bear's head. It tries to fly, but Nolegs slashes its wings. As the cat jumps off the monster's head, it 'meows' before sliding down its back. By chasing the cat up the worn stairs, the bear makes a grave mistake.
Matt seizes his chance to attack the distracted bear while its back is turned. Claymore in hand, the swordsman rushes past the broken oddball pieces and moves up the stairs. As he rounds a corner, the seemingly inert fragments start to glow.
Following the swordsman, the remaining team members scrambled up the stairs but were stopped by the floating pieces. As the fragments of the oddball reassemble themselves into spheres, they begin to attack the team.
It doesn't seem to matter how Anna and Lance shoot at the attackers, the light ball pieces return to fire more light spears. A stray oddball is hit by Natalie's staff. The mage's face suddenly brightens with an idea as she begins to chant with an enchantment. Soon a spell is prepared and on hold in Natalie's staff stone.
As the gunner shatters another ball, the fragments continue to move. "How can ye destroy these freaking orbs? They just keep ‘generating." Lance says annoyingly,
Just as the light orbs threaten to overwhelm the three defending team members, several oddballs break apart and turn into dust. In her red dragon form, Sunset appears to Anna, Natalie, and Lance. Using her claws, the dragon crushes another ball and motions for the team to move up the stairs. Anna and Lance incapacitate the remaining oddballs so Sunset can dispatch them. As the pieces of the orb break, they do not reassemble. A final oddball is struck into Sunset's waiting claws by the Mage’s staff.
The second half of the team quickly moves up the stairs towards the sounds of battle. Even from below, the team can feel the cliffside shaking. Sunset flies behind the team as a lookout for possible stray attackers.
Although the nimble swordsman has cut off the bear's horn, the fight is far from over as the creature still has its sharp claws. As Matt slashes at the bear's paw, it jumps up and tries to slam its body into the swordsman. Slamming the sword into the ground, Matt defends himself. A pair of earth swords rise from the ground, slicing through the bear. It dies immediately.
The rest of the team reunites with the swordsman on the stairs. A fatigued Matt leans against his sword and waves to his friends. A fissure appeared on the cliff side suddenly, emitting a loud cracking sound. As a result, steep rock walls were no longer able to handle the post-battle strain, triggering an avalanche.
Meanwhile, Sunset lets out a startled cry. She was fighting a stray oddball when the stairway her friends were on unexpectedly buckled and collapses. The dragon managed to fly away from the sudden rock slide but the whole area is covered in a large grey veil of blinding dirt. Flying around in dread, she hears a strange noise coming from the dusty haze. Despite still coughing due to the choking dust, Sunset follows the sounds.
Following the sound, Sunset flapped her wings to dispel the dirty airborne debris. The air cleared to reveal a miracle. It was a new set of cloud stairs!
As the scene unfolded in front of her, the dragon's face changed from one of concern to one of amusement. Anna and Lance are sneezing loudly because of the rock dust while trying to lift Matt back up from the stairs upside down. Sunset could hear the swordsman lamenting about the loss of the main ingredient for bear stir-fry. Meanwhile, Nadine stood proudly in the background with her staff stone lit up with new enchantments. After a quick wave to her grinning mage friend Sunset flies up to a rock outcropping to pick up Nolegs.
After picking up the stranded feline, Sunset flies beside the team as they climb to the top of the cliff. She knows she can’t take them all to the top. It is impossible to choose who to take first. The dragon carefully watched the group while they traversed the stairs, minding the gusty winds so no one falls.
Sunset felt a sense of pride for her friend Natalie. This was the mage's victory, not hers. Natalie made a significant contribution to the world by creating new magic. It made the dragon feel happy to watch her ascend the stairs, holding her staff high in her hands.
“Congratulations on your new cloud manipulation spell!" Exclaims Sunset as the mage steps onto the solid ground at the top of the cliff. Natalie breathes a sigh of relief as the spell ends. The dragon helps her on to a nearby group of rocks to rest with the rest of the team.
"Thank you Sunset," replied Natalie. She sits down on a rock to rest after such an excursion and says, "The basic idea was yours. I wasn't sure if it would work."
"I disagree Nat. With the spell I used, living creatures can walk on clouds only by enchanting their limbs. "Your spell is amazing! It creates a form that can be used by any creature!" replies Sunset excitedly.
"Why is it so difficult to (gasp) breathe? I was only fighting for a short time." Moaned Anna as she climbs up the cloud stairs.
Sunset explains, "That's because of the elevation. The air becomes thinner the higher we climb."
"It doesn’t seem to affect you," responds Anna.
Sunset rubs her head, "Well, maybe because I got used to it. I fly at this height like every day to enjoy the silent night." Sunset takes a deep breath, "You don't know how relaxing it was."
Anna grumbles, "Ok, now I am jealous."
The group looked up at the impressive main temple building. It was a dangerous journey up the mountain, but they succeeded. The temple was the final barrier to the godcats. Lance stood apart from the others while he spoke to the communicator. Lance returned a short time later to report that his uncle was ready to assist them.
Despite the surprise attack by the godcats, the crew of the county's most advanced battleship is recovering quickly. Eldaro does not have much to offer the team until they reach the summit of the mountain despite the ship's advanced technology. This is due to the area's terrain. He is relieved to hear that the heroes are safe,. Although Captain Eldaro is exhausted, he still feels guilty sitting down. The after-battle system check depleted the captain's energy, so he snuck back into the sniper tank for some privacy.
The captain’s secret nap location is interrupted by a series of knocks on the wall. Sabrina's entrance into the tank surprises Eldaro.
“How can you be so perky after such a long and arduous day?” groans Eldaro.
Sabrina smirks as she holds up a yellow potion. Eldaro stares at it suspiciously.
Sabrina shakes her head, "Just drink it. It's one of her potions."
"Well..." replies Eldaro skeptically looking at the unknown concoction but he is too tired to argue. Soon after drinking the mixture, the caption is amazed when his former tiredness seems to dissolve away. "Wow! This is amazing."
"Glad to hear it!" Says Sabrina. "We both need to be on our toes. After all the wise cleric A Mandic once said
“It is extremely easy
To get caught in the trap
Of expecting good things
To fall into our lap.”