//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirty Seven: Trigger Pull // Story: Cure For a Toxin // by RadBunny //------------------------------// Knife Twist torqued her body, delivering two strikes to the punching bag before landing on all hooves. Her fangs were barred in a smile, the light workout having helped acclimate her to the new Templar gifts. It was subtle, a slight increase in speed and sharpness to her vision. Even though she had to build back some of her muscle, for the first time in ages Knife felt like herself, and at one-hundred percent. A quick shower and snack, and then it was back to ‘standby’ status. They were moving within the next few hours. The basic shock troops were already getting suited up and boarding the various ships. Massive, hidden doors within the island had dropped their magical cloaks, revealing the expansive caverns dug out into the mountains. Within those caves the machines of war belched fire and smoke. Knife admitted that she had initially underestimated this organization in more ways than one. Between her squad, there were three other Templar groups being deployed. That was in addition to the other troops, all armed to the teeth. She just hoped it would be enough. A red light began to flash on the barracks, Knife and her squad trotting to the armory. She grinned, flaring her wings as mechanical frames were released from the ceiling. The mare had practiced this dozens of times; and currently she had the record for suit-up time. Wing blades were locked on, breastplate and sleek pauldrons snapping on with magical *pops* as metal clasps were tightened. Greaves and hoof-guards; every inch of the mare was armored with the lightweight metal. The last piece to settle on Knife was the helmet, the crystal display igniting with a flash of magic. As usual, she was ahead of the others. That fact had earned her a bit of respect from the squad initially. As they trotted down the underground halls, Knife couldn’t help but stare as the previously-expansive hallways were packed with creatures. All were armored in a similar manner, blades, crossbows and spears latched to their armor. Quite a few held more exotic items such as explosives, something you wouldn’t dare see in Equestria. Even the Gryphon Empire used such things sparingly. As the troops entered the loading docks, Knife couldn’t help but grin. Every time she had seen the vessel, the biggest smile split the Thestral’s face. The airship was massive, easily eclipsing a hoofball field or three. Ballistae bristled from the decks, gunpowder cannons protruding from dozens of ports on her underside. Heavy metal and crystal plating covered every inch of the ship, the air bladder no doubt heavily enchanted to keep it aloft. Large crystal protrusions poked out amidst the cannons; charged conduits for the many unicorns on board. They could turn one simple spell into a cascading wave of fire, courtesy of the multiple leyline reactors onboard. This was a vessel with a singular purpose. War. The armaments alone would have caused multiple arms treaties to self-combust, let alone the arbitrary size and weight restrictions. But when a single vessel rivaled the military might of many nations, Knife had a feeling that treaties weren’t a priority. She caught a glimpse of two figures talking on the prow of the massive ship, and the Thestral couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement. Speaking with the Fleet Commander, an ethereal armored mare was making no attempts to hide her presence. Knife spotted Barely on one of the massive gangplanks to the vessel, their gaze meeting briefly. They had said their official ‘see you later’s’ last night. They knew the stakes today. And yet, judging from some of the magic present in this vessel, Knife had a feeling they wouldn’t be losing many creatures. Just stepping onto the ship made her fur hum with a boosted regeneration field. The emergency recall spells on every suit of armor were likewise a failsafe Knife had never seen before. Let’s get this done. “I know you cannot tell me things,” Pick said softly to Fide, “but is there anything I need to know?” The mare shook her head. “Nothing that I already haven’t told you. This attack is between you and the Shadow King. We cannot intervene. Not yet. But we can lend you passive aid; nudging a fatal strike to the left or right instead of true, but nothing past that.” Pick nodded firmly; jaw set firmly as the troops began their final boarding stages. “That will have to be enough,” he muttered, “If we don’t get Toxic this time around, I’m not sure what we’ll do.” Fide’s head tilted, the mare looking at the Fleet Commander curiously. “What do you mean?” she asked, “You know what you would do.” The stallion paused, a dangerous smile now working onto his face as he nodded firmly. “Sorry, Fide. You’re right,” he admitted, “we’d keep trying.” “That’s better. You mortals are much more tenacious than simply giving up,” the mare said approvingly. “Now, good luck.” “Thank you, Fide. Keep Varti company while we’re gone.” The mare vanished; Pick left alone as he trotted up to the heavily-shielded bridge. We’re coming Toxic. And this time a few chaos-snakes aren’t going to stop us! I hope that within a day, I’ll get to rescue you. Just as you did me. Gelliana basked in the setting sun, loving the feeling of actual feathers against her skin instead of mud. SMAL watched the gryphon in amusement, CESAL patrolling the perimeter of their secluded area. The two entities had helped the muddy pair escape their foul prison, concealing them to a rather secluded pond where they could wash off briefly. The creatures had moved on, at least for the moment. With SMAL now back to full capacity and CESAL supplementing them, a cloaking field had been actually possible, and easy. Easy. A word Gelliana would not use to describe the past weeks. Toxic was unconscious again, but at least he had been able to enjoy being clean for a few minutes. CESAL had monitored the pony, apparently collecting data for how to treat him. The gryphon was an oddity, that much was evident. Gelliana wasn’t entirely sure what to make of him but SMAL seemed quite happy. The mare had even made it clear she wanted to talk to Gelliana once they were in a more ‘suitable’ location. From what Gelliana had been able to understand, CESAL could choose things, just as SMAL had started to be able to do. It made sense but it carried a rather significant weight. That meant these two creatures were indeed alive, with all the implications that such a designation carried. But they are helping us, so I will just take that as a plus for now. She mused. We’re finally clean, cloaked, and not stuck in a muddy hole. “I have located a suitable location for tonight,” CESAL reported, the gryphon trotting up to Gelliana. “It’s dry and similar to the past locations.” “I’ll take any dry place for sure, as long as there’s no mud,” Gelliana replied, sitting up and stretching. “Say, do you mind if I ask you something?” “Of course.” “Why did you choose a gryphon form? SMAL was programmed to be a pony, but you keep saying you were given choices. Choices on…everything.” CESAL nodded, looking over his form with a shrug. “That is correct,” he said, “I was given a choice. In short, the majority of my code was copied from SMAL’s matrix when she sent a status and diagnostics report. Errors were removed, and I was left with a foundation, a contradicting one that could continually adapt,” the entity explained. “I was told by Varti what needed to be done, what my temporary directive were, but outside of that, I was free to choose how to be.” “Huh. That sounds like a lot to process.” “Indeed. I was the one who came up with my acronym.” “You gave yourself the name?” Gelliana asked, genuinely surprised as CESAL nodded. “Correct. It was the first thing I wanted to do to designate myself. On examining various piece of data; history, mission reports, and so forth, I decided to identify myself as a male. I cannot explain how or why, but each choice simply felt right, or it felt wrong. That is how I proceeded. The same is with a gryphon form. It felt…correct. I appreciate the rougher aspects of gryphon culture as well as their ancient beliefs and such. Ergo, my current form.” “That’s, wow,” Gelliana stammered, “that’s a lot to take in.” “Imagine what it must have been like for me.” The comment made Gelliana snort, CESAL looking rather proud of himself. “I am still learning appropriate humor and social interactions. Such things cannot be gleaned from text alone. But so far, I would hope to assume I have done an adequate job.” “You, CESAL, have done fantastically,” Gelliana replied, then gesturing to SMAL, “And thank you for saving her. She’s my friend, and I thought that I had said goodbye.” “The repairs were simple since my core had undergone the initial reprocessing,” CESAL said, waving a dismissive claw before pausing, “and…you are welcome.” Casually levitating Toxic in to the air, SMAL trotted over to the pair with a nod. “I have detected movement in the sensor net,” she reported, “we should withdraw to the safe location.” “Agreed. You are certainly more on top of multitasking these things than I,” CESAL admitted, the words seeming to make SMAL puff up in pride a bit, something that made Gelliana smile. “Well, lead on you two.” *A few hours later* SMAL looked at the slumbering gryphoness and pony carefully, running a detailed scan over them again. Aside from extreme exhaustion, they were doing well, at least much as could be expected. After getting their meager supplies organized, Toxic woke only for a few moments before passing out again; Gelliana getting a bedroll unfurled and collapsing on it. Having little or no sleep for an entire day would do that. “You care about them.” CESAL’s words weren’t a question, and SMAL nodded in reply. “Yes. Gelliana says I am her friend. She is my first friend. I didn’t even know I was making one,” SMAL admitted. “During our lessons, she talked to me as an actual creature. At first, I assumed this was due to my imitation programming. But…now I realize that she was encouraging me to grow. I naturally wanted to understand her jokes, how she was feeling.” “Interesting,” CESAL mused, “so she facilitated your growth in a way.” “I suppose so. You are in a unique position to be able to choose from the start. I had to learn what that was.” “It is simple analysis. What benefits my initial objectives, and what conflicts against what moral codes I have studied,” CESAL admitted. “This is why Varti programmed with hard-coded directives, similar to the ones you have. We cannot veer from those. But, as I said-” “Yes, I know. I am still very puzzled by that,” SMAL admitted. “You said that once Toxic and Gelliana were safe Varti would give us new directives. Did he say what they were?” “As I stated previously, he did not,” CESAL replied, “but I could guess.” “What is your ‘guess’ then?” CESAL sat down, the entity looking at his claws. “I think he is going to direct us to live. To learn and grow. That is my hypothesis.” “That is an open-ended directive.” “It’s meant to be. We are the first, or the last of a new type of life. I admit I have not fully understood how important that fact is with all of the ramifications. But we can figure that out together in time.” That statement made SMAL’s processes shudder, completely shutting down for a moment as she stared at the gryphon. CESAL looked at her in alarm, a scanning beam running over SMAL’s core. “Are you-” “I am alright. I just…” She knew her emotional-simulation processes were activating, but SMAL couldn’t seem to shut them down. Her eyes became blurry as a realization made every other question and thought fade away. “I am no longer alone,” she whispered. “I am no longer the only one. There is something- someone like me. I do not understand why that concept is making me so unsure of things.” “I was given a secondary directive, SMAL,” CESAL admitted softly. “Varti told it to me, and I think I have now begun to understand why.” She looked up in surprise, CESAL gesturing to SMAL’s beaten-up crystal core. “You have become your own creature. I was sent to correct the errors that would have stunted that growth. I was given an advantage you do not have; choices from the start. When I was given hours to focus solely on thinking about it, without outside stimulus, you still have to learn how to utilize them amidst this environment. I have begun to realize my behavior must appear erratic from your perspective.” The mare nodded; the other unit’s actions had indeed been not aligning with her expectations at times. “Varti didn’t give this directive as an order, more of a request,” CESAL explained. “He said to help you; and he didn’t mean just with the repairs.” SMAL blinked, staring at the gryphon as his gaze drifted to his claws. “I am trying to do that but it is difficult when I am still coming to terms with what I am, all while trying to fulfil my initial directive,” CESAL admitted, “but Varti was worried for you, that you would not be able to process these choices, these emotions. Your code is still adapting rapidly. Mine has slowed for some time.” Tears began to flow from SMAL’s eyes, confirmation of CESAL’s words. “When will it stabilize?” she asked, the gryphon shaking his head. “I don’t think it ever does,” he admitted, “but you should get to a stable equilibrium, a slow, constant level of adaptation. That is when things get more…regular. I went through an accelerated phase where my emotional processes went into overdrive. It was unpleasant. I experienced in a few hours what, most likely, will take you some time to naturally process. It passed quicker for me due to the lack of errors and having a clean-coded foundation.” SMAL could only nod, the entity struggling to know how exactly to feel. Could she even feel? What emotions were these? Hope? Safety? Fear? Insecurity? To her abrupt shock, the processes stabilized as a new variable entered the equation. In this case, a spectral wing that draped over her shoulders. Such contact ignited multiple senses in ways SMAL was still learning to process. “This is what I wished I had during that time,” CESAL admitted. “If you do not, I-” “No, it is,” SMAL interjected. “Thank you. This is all just quite a bit to process.” “I understand. I am here to answer questions; I went through this process too. I will monitor the sensor-net while you think. I recommend shutting off all external inputs save one. It will speed up the process.” In a way that SMAL couldn’t vocalize, having another presence there as she struggled did help. It helped quite a bit, calming the cacophony of thoughts in her mind to a steady, manageable stream. In that moment, SMAL began to understand a glimpse of why Gelliana was so attached to Toxic, and vice versa. Is this what it is like to have a friend? Someone supporting you? The answer came over the next few hours as CESAL refused to move from her side, occasionally offering either a listening, virtual ear, or supportive silence. Over that time, SMAL came to a new conclusion. It was an obvious one, but it now carried a much greater weight, especially considering the odd, comforting feeling that accompanied the thought. I made a new friend. Waking from a cold sweat, Toxic glanced around their new cave. He immediately relaxed as Gelliana’s grip around him tightened in her sleep. The lucid moments were becoming closer together; perhaps a sign the poison was almost out of his system despite being short bursts. It felt unimaginably good to be able to think again. And yet there was something now nagging at his mind ever since their near capture. “SMAL? CESAL?” Toxic whispered, the former appearing and trotting over to sit next to the pony. “Director. What can I do for you?” the mare asked softly. “I need a favor. I don’t know if you or CESAL are capable of the spell-craft to perform it, however,” Toxic said softly. He took a deep breath and shoved his fears as deep as they could go. I am so sick of being a useless lump! I can’t protect Gelliana physically but this will at least give me a bit of peace of mind. I hope it’s never used. “I need you to craft a version of the lockout spell,” he explained, “couple it with a last-resort shielding spell and put it into a bracelet. I need you to make it accessible by only myself or a party of my choosing. Link it with the leylines as a countermeasure.” SMAL pondered his words, the entity’s expression then softening. “You want a failsafe for Gelliana,” she whispered. Toxic nodded, the pony closing his eyes to try and ignore the tears welling up in them. He couldn’t bring himself to think about the worst-case scenario- but perhaps this would prevent it. “We almost got captured; that was far too close. If they cannot get me, they’ll target Gelliana,” Toxic said, then continuing as his eyes narrowed. “They cannot be allowed to torture her, SMAL. She has done so much for me, been through so much; I won’t allow that filth to come close to her. Link the spell to me. I know that I can take whatever that monster has planned. I don’t know if Gelliana can, not without losing part of herself. They will hold her captive to make sure we don’t attack. By the time we rescue her, she might be…” he left words unsaid, the implication clear. SMAL stayed silent, Toxic then cracking his eyes open. “If you can link up to either of the leyline entities, Fide or Clari…please ask them incorporate their magic into it if they are willing. Anything to boost the effectiveness; I am asking them to do so,” he paused, jaw clenched as emotion threatened to stay the stallion’s words, “I am begging them for help with this. Please.” As Toxic’s vision began to grey out once again, a familiar, armored mare appeared in the small cave with a rather impressed gleam in her eye. “You shall have it, Director Shield.” As Toxic fell into a dreamless slumber, Fide casually scooped up some rocks, melting them into a bracelet. With a burst of magic, the entity wrapped the crystalized accessory in spells before hoofing it over to SMAL. “That will adapt to the lockout spell. All you have to do is enchant it and link it with the Director,” Fide instructed. The mare then paused, ears flattening as SMAL stared. “For what it is worth, I…apologize for the discomfort I caused you. I understand now that my interference may have triggered your potential death.” SMAL stared at Fide, finally managing an unsteady grin and a shrug. “Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to be myself,” she explained both to what it seemed to be herself and Fide, “so, I should be thanking you in a way.” SMAL paused, a more genuine, softer smile now on her face. “But apology accepted; thank you. I’ll get this item enchanted right away.” Fide vanished with a soft *pop*, CESAL appearing inside after finishing his patrol and looking around. “What did I miss?” SMAL gestured to the bracelet, the gryphon’s eyes widening in surprise and intrigue. “Fascinating.” The early morning was, as hiding behind enemy lines goes, fairly uneventful. The fact the gryphoness woke up with her favorite stallion in her arms was enough to make her day start off on the right claw. As they ate, something was clearly on Toxic’s mind. The stallion was able to move around today; a nice change from the past few weeks indeed. He drew out a lovely-looking bracelet when SMAL appeared with a flash, an eager gleam in her eye. “Multiple Last Light signatures detected. The Organization is back in force,” she reported happily. “They will be here momentarily; we need to be ready to move. They just breached the shield. They must have used portals for I didn’t detect them prior to now. I am picking up about half of the Organization’s available ships.” As CESAL packed up their bags, Toxic walked over and clamped the bracelet around Gelliana’s left wrist, the stallion resting his head against hers. “What is this?” she asked softly. “In short, it’s a shield, a way for me to help you and to keep you safe if we get separated. That Shadow-King isn’t going to lay a single claw on you, I promise.” Gelliana could sense there was quite a bit left unsaid; but she trusted him. “It’s heavily enchanted; it can’t be removed by anyone else unless you’re dead- and there’s spells to prevent that from happening,” Toxic added, “you need to accept the spell though. If something bad happens it will let me help prevent any mind-games that come your way along with keeping you physically ok,” he paused, letting out a frustrated huff as CESAL and SMAL appeared rather anxious. “It will let me inside your head, at least in a superficial way. I can serve as a barrier against anything nasty. So, you have to be open to that for the spell to bind to you. I may not be able to physically fight off someone, but I can at least keep them out of your head.” Gelliana didn’t understand completely, but she gave her stallion a kiss and then reached over to tap the bracelet. “Well, whatever spell this is, I accept,” she said, the bracelet glowing brightly. Toxic’s shoulders immediately relaxed, Gelliana’s eyes looking over him curiously. There seemed to be quite a bit more he wanted to say, but SMAL gestured to the pair. “Are you ready? We must leave,” she stated bluntly. “I detect at least seven ships, one of which is…oh.” Toxic let out a genuine laugh at that as Gelliana helped him up. His armor clamped around the pony’s barrel; limbs remaining unimpeded. “That would be the Lantern,” he chuckled, Gelliana’s head tilting curiously as her own armor wrapped itself around her frame. “It’s the Flagship,” he explained, eyes widening as his organization’s mantra took on a more personal meaning, “A final light, for when all others go out.” Giving her stallion a final kiss, Gelliana slid two daggers into some makeshift shoulder-sheaths with a nod. “Well, let’s go meet them. I’ve had enough of this place,” she stated with a surprising amount of vigor. Her usually shy demeanor had been forced into a back seat; and now wasn’t a time to change that. “Let’s get out of here.” “The gas is still present; masks will be needed outside of the shield,” SMAL instructed, the pair nodding and donning the protective equipment. With SMAL and CESAL leading, the two made their way out of the small rocky cave, the entities leading them into the woods. The booming explosions in the distance didn’t seem to upset Toxic at all. Even though on unsteady hooves, the stallion seemed to be struggling not to laugh. “I admit, the flagship isn’t so much of a literal lantern,” he said, stumbling over a root and being caught by the gryphoness. “It’s much more of a giant hammer. And in this case, the poor Shadow King is a nail.” “Distress beacons from CESAL detected,” Hammer reported, Pick Shield maneuvering the massive vessel to a near stop. “Countermeasures deployed and screening out false positives. Antigen almost ready for dispersal. Anti-vapor spells holding; we’re clear from the gas here.” “Rather ingenious, Varti,” Pick called out over the open communications line, “using the enemy’s chaos energy against them.” “Well, they can’t fake being made of non-chaos elements. It was foal’s-play to create a spell to do so. Any unicorn could then cast it,” the Yak replied. “Genuine signal identified. They’re alive and down there!” Hammer called out from his tactical post, the crystal and metal Bridge packed with at least a dozen other creatures at various consoles. “Two ships responding; they’ll be on the ground within moments.” Pick let out a huff, eyes drifting to the spell sensors. They had punched through the shield with a blast of magic so powerful it had lit the trees on fire. But that was the only surprise he assumed they got. Perhaps they should have brought more ships; but that would have been folly. A half of their full force was more than enough. But more than that and they’d be vulnerable to a counter attack. Considering the Lantern counted as a dozen ships on her own, it was a sizeable force indeed. “Here they come. Thick as weeds and thrice as angry,” Pick called out, “have the other four vessels form a perimeter, but give me a clear field of fire!” The other airships responded, flying lower to the treetops as the horde of chaos-creatures bounded towards the rescue fleet. Dozens formed into the misshapen catapults, muscle and tendons locking together as spell-energy formed in their gory palms. “All creatures, brace for impact!” Pick called out to the fleet. First it was a single spell-ball, but that number quickly increased to a dozen. Slamming into the side of one of the smaller ships, the explosive force tore off an entire section of armored plating, shields quickly moving to compensate. “Remember, shielding spells focus on the exteriors!” The stallion barked, the other ships dodging the incoming projectiles. Two strikes hit the Lantern, the massive vessel barely shivering. Pick’s mouth widened into a sinister grin, the golem-pony linking to the ship. My turn. One of the massive crystal protrusions on the underbelly of the Lantern turned, the claw-like formation sparking with hundreds of unicorn’s worth of magic. The nearest attacking ball of creatures barely had time to scream before being incinerated with the blast. The moisture in the ground flash-boiled, rock turning to glass as soil blew away into ash. Hammer’s eyes widened as a shining crater remained, the stallion looking over to Pick in shock. He had known about these weapons, but to see the in full action… “Hammer. Your console,” Pick ordered, the stallion nodding and mentally berating himself. “More of those creatures; hundreds. They’ll overwhelm any ground forces we send. They’ll be on us within moments.” Pick let out a huff, shifting his shoulders to make the Lantern turn broadside. “Do we still have a lock on Toxic and Gelliana?” he called out, a mare at a communications station nodding. “Strong and steady, sir,” she replied, “They’re almost to the ships…CONTACTS!” Hammer immediately angled the starboard weapons over, his peripheral vision catching Pick’s expression of shock. “Invisibility spells. They were the first wave; we’re seeing the second one,” he said, half to himself and half to the fleet. “Adjust fire. How far out are our shock troops?” “They’re on the ground; so far no emergency recall devices activated,” Hammer said, angling a barrage of explosive ballistae bolts towards a seething mass of now-visible creatures. “They’re almost there. Continuing cover fire and re-directing one of the exterior ships to assist.” “Keep me appraised,” Pick ordered, angling the Lantern to draw a literal line of magical fire around their fleet. “I don’t know how long that will keep them occupied.” Hammer swallowed nervously at that. Seeing that the chaos-creatures trying to jump through the magical fire even as their bodies burned to dust, they may not have as long as Pick hoped. They almost made it. Gelliana and Toxic had been in sight of the ship; a beautiful metal and golden vessel settling down in a clearing through the gaseous fog. They had even been able to see some figures wave to them, dozens of creatures fanning out to secure a landing zone. And then everything had just…exploded. From thin air, six of the chaos-creatures had jumped at the pair with fangs bared. SMAL and CESAL had immediately reacted, the entities blasting dinner-plate sized holes in the nearest two. Gelliana had ducked, yanking Toxic with her and out of the line of bloodied fangs. Two of the creatures recovered in time to try and jump again- but SMAL and CESAL managed to slow them down with another pair of blasts. That left two. Gelliana barely had time to draw one of her daggers; and even then, she wasn’t even close to being in a fighting stance. Toxic struggled to stay on his hooves; the stallion already fighting another wave of poison. The nearest creature had been a forelimbs-pace away when Gelliana’s vision had blurred. Slamming into the chaos-serpent at what must have been near-terminal velocity, an armored Thestral buried her rear hoof in its skull with a screech that made the gryphoness’s ears ring. Wing-blades lashed out with unnatural accuracy and swiftness; the second creature’s throat being torn to shreds as the Thestral waved them on. “Let’s go!” Knife Twist called out, the rest of her team tearing into the creatures with SMAL and CESAL’s assistance. These things were stupidly hard to kill. But do enough damage and they seemed to stay down permanently. “Move!” Gelliana sheathed her dagger, hobbling with Toxic barely able to stay on his hooves. More shock-troops arrived; heavily armored creatures that seemed more metal than flesh. The chaos-creatures tore at them; but their fangs and claws were immediately rebuffed by the odd, glowing metal worn by the troops. Their movement was hard to follow, even with the gryphoness. Despite the heavy armor the troops were fast, each strike carrying with it an enhance strength and swiftness. Yet for every five chaos-creatures that fell, a single trooper seemed to fall to the ground. Instead of laying prone, however, they vanished with a flash of light. Unfortunately, math was their enemy. The Shadow-King had more bodies to throw towards his objective, far more than the Last Light in this case. Pick angled the Lantern’s weapons again, antigen-laced gas spraying out from dozens of vents across the ship. It seemed to not directly counter the creatures, but the air definitely appeared to be clearing. The chaos-creatures definitely seemed irritated and that was a plus. However, the golem-stallion felt dread start to creep into his heart. There were just so many of these monsters. For every dozen they burned, twice more jumped into their place. “Objectives almost to the landing ship, but they’re getting overwhelmed. We need more support down there,” Hammer called out, the stallion hard-pressed to redirect fire to every patch of chaos-entities that were clear from friendly forces. A massive shock rattled the ship; a gryphon calling out from a console. “Large strike, front-port quadrant. It’s like those smaller spell-bombs but massive!” Pick saw the origin of such a strike; a massive pile of creatures outside the fire-line, mutated arm readying for another hoofball pitch of energy. It was a simple matter to redirect a series of blasts to sever the ‘arm’, the ball of energy falling back onto the chaos creatures with a muted explosion in the distance. “PICK!” The stallion’s grin faded as he looked back over to Hammer, the pony’s crystal face drained of all color. On the screen, dozens of chaos-creatures broke through the lines near the rescue ship. And heading the charge was a large gryphon, body sparking with Chaos-energy. He looked up at Lantern, beak widening in a smile as he gestured. ‘Watch.’ Pick only saw red. All of the training and professional tests he had taken faded in an instant. Orders left his mouth out of reflex; and they must have made sense, because Hammer immediately began directing weapons to fire, other creatures directing ships and troops. Hammer moved to the main bridge console as Pick’s body began to flicker, the stallion initiating a ship-to-ship transport spell. But Pick’s thoughts were around only one realization; he knew that face. It was a face that had haunted his every waking moment as his physical body had begun to consume itself in the hospital bed. It was the same face of a gryphon that, more than a decade prior, had left a nondescript box near where Pick was eating lunch. The package had detonated ten minutes later. Knife wrenched the short blade from the creature’s skull, the mare immediately taking to the air to dodge another set of snapping jaws. They were quickly on the defensive. While the Organization’s weapons, armor, everything was superior, raw numbers were winning the day. Her squad was hard pressed to keep the monsters off of Gelliana and Toxic, the pair ducking and dodging as best they could. The two had clearly been through the wringer. Toxic could barely stand, Gelliana half-dragging him towards the ship. But then that thing had arrived. A gryphon with a polearm that had impaled a trooper with barely a flinch. Deflecting physical or magical bolts alike, he seemed to be untouchable, flanked by six of the biggest creatures Knife had seen that day. It was almost playful how he swept aside the troops guarding the ramp, shoving the polearm into the ship’s side and making it list, chaotic energy crackling over the vessel as systems began to shut down. It was only under a barrage of magical grenades that the gryphon retreated. So, not completely invulnerable but close enough given the circumstances. Knife looked away to dodge another few creatures; but that was too long. In the time it took for her to cut a creature’s head off with her wing-blades, the gryphon, the Shadow-King’s Bringer, had closed the gap. Spinning the polearm, he effortlessly whacked the Thestral out of the air as if she were a fly. “This game has gone on long enough,” he growled, rounding on Gelliana and Toxic. The four guards in front of them angled their weapons, the nearest lashing out and managing to make the gryphon duck back. Even with their enhanced speed, the Templars could barely keep up. Chaos energy leaking from the gryphon’s eyes, the Templars sometimes ducked strikes that weren’t there, a blade or staff hitting them from a side where nothing was visible. Picking up a pattern in the Bringer’s movement, Knife took out her own dagger and balanced it. With a flick of her hoof, she sent the weapon spinning towards thin air-just in time for said space to become filled by a gryphon. Letting out a shriek, the Bringer tore the dagger out of his shoulder with a growl, one of the other Templars tearing into a hind limb with a serrated blade. The wounds closed before their eyes; the gryphon letting out a chuckle. It was then that the five guards realized they were alone. The chaos-creatures had pushed the reinforcing troops back, just enough to give the Bringer some space. Forming a square around Gelliana and Toxic, the Templars slowly began to move, but the Bringer clearly wasn’t about to let that happen. Dodging a strike from Knife Twist, the Gryphon smacked one of the guard’s swords aside and promptly sent him spinning into the waiting jaws of a chaos-creature. The stallion vanished; a recall spell activated as soon as a mortal wound was begun to be delivered. Leering over Gelliana and Toxic, the Bringer swung back the polearm- the strike aimed to take the barely-conscious stallion’s head off. With an impact that made the ground shake, something hit the chaos-gryphon from behind. With a gory cracking sound, the Bringer reset his broken spike as he turned to look at the assailant, a large spear running through his body and pinning him to the ground. Seeing Pick’s enraged expression, the gryphon actually smiled. “He wins,” the Bringer chuckled, magic dancing around his claws as he waved them. The magical spell danced off his clawed hand, the blast of deadly magic starting to wrap around Toxic’s body- Until Gelliana shoved him aside. The gryphoness’s body flashed, the armor letting out a shriek that made everycreature wince. Slumping to the ground, Gelliana was abruptly grabbed by a chaos-creature, the serpent batting aside a guard as it whisked her away. The Bringer’s eyes widened in surprise, but with an indifferent shrug he readied another spell aimed at Toxic. Pain erupted from his right arm, the gryphon looking down to see a blade completely severing the limb. Instead of growing back the stump sparked with white and red energy. Turning to look at the attacker, the Bringer felt a trickle of fear now enter his corrupted heart as Pick Shield withdrew the sword, readying it for another strike. “Remember me?” he growled. The staff impaling the gryphon now bent under Pick’s magic, torquing to wrap around the gryphon’s body. As the chaos creature’s lunged, Pick’s horn ignited with a flash of magic. A beam of arcane energy flowed through the golem-stallion’s body, emanating from the smaller ship and back to the Lantern. The chaos-creatures froze. “Knife- get Toxic out of here!” Pick barked, the remaining guards and Thestral dragging Toxic away and towards the ship, shoving aside frozen chaos-creatures. “These creatures are linked to you, right?” Pick asked, “That’s what our scans tell us at least. There’s some sort of linkage between you and all of these monsters. If I had to guess, it’s like an ant hive.” “My master will make you all burn,” the Bringer chuckled, “you can’t even kill me.” “Oh?” The confidence in Pick’s tone made the Bringer pause. Pick withdrew a large vial, cradling it in his magic. A large needle protruded from the object, the sight of which made the Gryphon’s eyes widen. “Let’s put that to the test!” Slamming the syringe loaded with anti-chaos antigen into the gryphon’s chest, Pick’s horn ignited again. “Initiate energy transfer,” he ordered, the stallion’s crystal body beginning to brighten. “More than a decade ago, you tried to kill my brother. You nearly killed me! You don’t even remember, do you? So many dead, a marketplace in shambles. You used me as bait!” The recognition in the Bringer’s eyes was enough for Pick, the words only being a confirmation. “You…” The antigen began to make the gryphon’s body spasm; chaos magic sparking this way and that as it fought with a Discord-boosted spell. Pick galloped forwards, a small spike attached to his forehoof as he shoved it into the gryphon’s throat. “You don’t get my brother. Not now, not ever! FIRE!” With a series of blasts, the energy surged in waves into Pick’s modified body, the crystal form acting as a perfect conduit. Lightning bolts arced across the Bringer’s body, the arcane energy then darting to the nearest chaos-creature. Like a destructive game of leap-frog, the blast jumped from creature to creature, each pulse of energy tearing away parts of their mismatched forms. The Bringer couldn’t even scream, his body flaking away as the magical energy burned him inside and out. The last thing he saw was the wrathful gaze of the Fleet Commander, eyes ablaze with a decade of suppressed anger and fury. “A hive mind. I wonder how many will burn with you!” Pick raged. The gryphon’s body finally couldn’t stay cohesive, patches of spectral fur and feathers exploding in a violent array of chaos magic with a final surge of lighting. The chaos-creatures began to likewise fall to the ground, their bodies tearing themselves apart as their hive-mind connection was severed, their heads burned to ash. On the bridge of the Lantern, Hammer watched as hundreds of the chaos-creatures died, the destruction continuing to spread. As the fleet began to move on Pick’s orders, a single message made his heart sink. ‘Director recovered. Gelliana taken.’ Despite multiple scans, the gryphoness was nowhere to be seen. Varti had a theory, one he barked as encouragement over the communications channel as the fleet began to withdraw. It fell on discouraged ears, however. The bridge atmosphere was muted and sober as the ships made their escape, hundreds more chaos-creatures beginning to surge towards them. Only one creature came back with them. The feline commander winced as something slammed into the wall, the Shadow-King’s raging in an unknown tongue hurting his sensitive ears. This entire endeavor had spiraled far beyond what the initial contact had specified. But money was money, and power was something this creature was willing to share…for now. That was enough for the mercenary. “Commander Chaster,” the Shadow-King bellowed, the feline quickly entering the room and bowing to the spectral thing hovering in the center. “Yes, Highness?” he asked respectfully. Best to do so with some shadow-thing that could possess creatures. “There has been a minor change in leadership of my operation,” the Shadow-King stated, ignoring the fact that one half of the room was glowing red from an enraged magical discharge. “While you are the commander of the...mortal forces loyal to me, I am offering you a rather sizeable promotion. My previously designated Bringer has met an unfortunate end. The position is yours along with the significant rewards.” The feline knew there was only one answer; not that he would have said no otherwise. “Very good. Your first order of business is to get this individual processed for interrogation. Do not handle her too roughly; the spell around her is quite lethal to your type.” The prone, armored form of Gelliana was unceremoniously dumped in the adjacent room, Commander Chaster nodding once. “I’ll get right on it,” he said, leaving as soon as the Shadow-King let out an affirmative huff and turned away. As the mercenary forces left, the Shadow-King turned to look at the other individual in the room, the pony’s eyes narrowing in amusement. “We must consider unpleasant eventualities. You were…correct in preparing an exit plan,” the Shadow-King admitted, the shrouded individual nodding once, filed, sharp teeth widening in a grin. “It is already in place, but I think you will get your end result. But the long game may have to be played, far longer than you would like. Regardless, you have captured the Queen. That is almost always necessary before taking out the King.”