//------------------------------// // 686 - Winter Warfare // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// “Take your mask off. Right now.” A dark smile crossed Lex’s lips at that. “Certainly.” Without hesitation, he moved a hoof toward his face, by all appearances complying with their attacker’s demand. But the instant that his hoof made contact with the wooden material, Lex made his move, activating the mask’s deadliest function with nothing more than a thought. With no warning, the mask flew off of his face, rushing toward the bipedal wolf that was standing mere feet from him. “Wha-?!” The lupine creature’s surprise was readily evident, his eyes widening as his jaw fell open. Even so, he still tried to twist out of the way, pivoting at the waist as he leaned backward. But it was too little, too late as the upper teeth of the mask scraped across his chest. In the instant that it made contact, the creature stiffened as a powerful pulse of magic was released into its body, invisible to the naked eye but registering heavily to Lex’s magical senses. Nor was he the only one who felt it, as he heard Mystaria suck in a sharp breath behind him, the sound almost drowning out the soft curse that came from Spinner, with Woodheart growling in alarm. It didn’t escape his notice that the creatures surrounding them, however, simply looked confused. “Panuk?” called one of the others. “Are you-” The lupine thing didn’t get a chance to finish its question, however, as its compatriot toppled over backward, the spear falling from its grasp. With eyes open but unseeing, it made no attempt to cushion its fall, nor did it try to rise again after hitting the ground, lying in the snow with unnatural stillness. It was only as the mask flew back toward him – with Lex catching it in his telekinesis and putting it back on – that the sound of gasps could be heard, coming from ponies and wolves alike. All of them recognized death when they saw it. Now, Solvei. Having been telepathically warned about what her master was going to do, the winter wolf immediately leaped to obey, ducking under the spear pointed at her throat – its owner too busy gawking at how their leader had been slain so easily – and lunging forward. A moment later a scream split the air as she sank her jaws into the meat of the creature’s upper arm, causing the bipedal wolf to howl in pain. As though the cry was a signal, that was when pandemonium erupted. “They killed Panuk!” screamed one of the wolf-headed humanoids, his voice rising in rage. “SLAUGHTER THEM!” His cry was punctuated by him hefting his spear and charging, crossing the snowdrifts without leaving so much as a single paw-print behind. But Mystaria was faster, rattling off a quick incantation as she gestured with one hoof while the other awkwardly dug some powder out of her saddlebag and flung it in the charging creature’s direction. Although the gold-colored dust should have been caught in the wind and dispersed, it flew directly toward the onrushing lupine before bursting out in every direction, like a puffball that had been trodden on. The oncoming wolf let out another howl, but this was of alarm rather than anger. “My eyes!” Despite his sudden blindness, he didn’t stop his mad rush forward, thrusting his spear randomly as he careened toward the group. Fortunately, his inability to see slowed him down enough that Valor was able to push Mystaria out of the way, leaning to the side as the creature passed between them, striking nothing but air. He went down a moment later, as Woodheart got one his hind legs in her teeth, snarling as she started chewing on his ankle as he thrashed, causing the rest of the group to spread out in order to avoid being hit by the downed creature’s wild swings. By that time, Spinner had already brought her lute around and began strumming it, and a quick ditty springing from her lips as she saw that another of the two-legged wolves was rushing toward her, spear in hand. “Magic endeavors are brute force’s betters, a mirror of errors dispels battle terrors!” As the last word left her lips, the air around her shimmered, and suddenly there were six of her, all standing within a few feet of each other. “Okay, that-, WHOA!” The yell seemed to come from all six images of Spinner, the identical voices overlapping as the snarling wolf skewered one of the lute-toting mares…only for it to vanish into nothing as he made contact with it, disappearing like a popped soap bubble. “Ha!” laughed the remaining five Spinners. “That’s what you get!” “Coward!” snarled the wolf, pulling his spear back for another strike. “Have you no shame?! Using dirty tricks to-, AUGH!” He couldn’t finish his rant as Shadow, having dived behind the enraged creature, withdrew her dagger from between his ribs. “‘Dirty tricks’ are what losers call fighting smart!” The wolf staggered back, but the furious glare on his face made it clear that the injury he’d been dealt was far from mortal. Before he could turn to face his newest enemy, however, a spear shot by him, thrown by one of his comrades. The weapon cut through the air, coming within a hair’s breadth of Shadow, but passed by her…only to sink into Valor’s middle, shield-bearing mare letting out a grunt as the head of the weapon buried itself in her stomach, causing her to stumble back from where she’d been pounding on the blinded enemy that Woodheart had downed. “VALOR!” Mystaria’s scream cut through the battlefield as she rushed toward her friend, a healing spell already on her lips as Valor somehow righted herself, looking more angry than anguished despite the seriousness of the wound. Lex, however, had no time to worry about that, as he found three more of the bipedal beasts rushing his way. The sight brought a sneer of derision to his lips, and he reared up on his hind legs as he pointed his left foreleg at the creatures, silently calling upon the divine authority that the Night Mare had invested him with. “Stop.” He felt the wellspring of power that the goddess had granted him shift then, reaching out to enfold the trio in its grasp…and passing through them without effect. It was enough to leave Lex momentarily stunned, having been certain that the creatures would be vulnerable to his power. While their morphology was markedly different, they had enough similarities to Solvei that he had felt confident that they were related to winter wolves, and so were subject to divine authority. But for whatever reason, that wasn’t the case, and Lex had just enough time to realize that his mistake had left him vulnerable as the three enemies closed in. Cursing under his breath, he instead turned to his dark magic, intent on raising a wall of black crystals before they bipedal creatures ran him through. But before he had a chance to actualize that thought, the creature leading the charge – presumably wary of being struck down by his mask – barked a command in an unknown language. The word had barely left his lips when he came to a sudden halt, hurling his spear forward as his comrades did the same. With no time to prepare, there was nothing Lex could do except tense up as the spears struck home. The first one dealt him only a glancing blow, its tip striking his outstretched foreleg and leaving just a scratch as it hit the barbed wire there and was turned aside, the goddess-given metal not shifting in the slightest from the contact. The second, however, tore through the meat of his right hind leg, sending agony coursing through him as it lodged just above his knee. It was enough to make him fall back onto all fours, his back leg no longer able to support his weight. That turned out to be fortunate, however, as his sudden repositioning caused the third spear to strike off-center, the head of the weapon burying itself in his shoulder instead of his chest. But Lex couldn’t bring himself to celebrate that fact, instead struggling not to collapse as he telekinetically tore the weapons from his body, knowing that he had two, maybe three seconds to take action before his attackers- “MASTER!!!” Solvei’s enraged howl caused the three humanoid wolves to stiffen in alarm, their heads swiveling around to the source of the scream as they reached for the backup spears strapped to their backs. Across from them, Solvei flung the enemy whose arm she’d been gnawing on away, nearly tearing the bloodied appendage off as she tossed the creature through the air. But at that moment her eyes were fixed on the spear-throwers who had injured her master, giving another howl – this one wordless – as she rushed toward them, her size increasing as she charged. That was enough to scatter the trio of bipedal wolves, more worried about the furious behemoth that was suddenly running them down. Barely two dozen feet away, Spinner let out a breath of relief. “Lex, hang on! I’ll use a healing-, NNGH!” Stumbling backward, Spinner pressed a hoof toward the bloody wound that had been cut across her scalp, grimacing as she caught sight of the vicious grin across the face of the creature that had rushed her before, having managed to figure out her position despite the illusory doubles clustered around her. “So much for your gimmick,” he spat, bringing the haft of his spear back in time to sweep aside Shadow’s dagger, the masked mare almost stumbling as the strength behind the parry knocked her off-center. “Next time you get in a fight,” he sneered as he closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, “have your illusions copy your scent as well!” Realizing exactly how she’d been found out, Spinner stumbled backward, raising her lute like a club to try and ward off the incoming blow. Not gonna be able to get a spell off before this guy- “Next time you’re in a fight,” shouted a familiar voice from off to the side. “Don’t shut your eyes like an idiot!” The bipedal lupine’s eyes snapped open at that, his head turning…just in time to see the sudden burst of flames that engulfed him from head to toe, an agonized wail erupting from his lips as his fur and clothing immediately caught fire, causing him to drop his spear to the ground as he flung himself down, thrashing in the snow as he tried to put the flames out. Stumbling backward as the heat from the fire washed over her, Spinner looked over at where Thermal Draft was lowering the bloodstone gem she’d been holding between her hooves. “Thank-” But Drafty wasn’t listening, already putting the gem away as she rushed toward where Lex was somehow managing to prop himself up. “Lex! I’m so sorry, I thought you’d be fine on your own! Hang on and-” She didn’t have a chance to finish as Lex shoved her away. “Use the gem with the force armor spell,” he rasped. “Then fly up where it’s safe!” Drafty stared at him for a moment, uncomprehending. “But what about you?! You’re hurt-” “Do as I tell you!” he snarled, glaring at her from behind his mask. Flinching, Drafty swallowed her objections, instead nodding wordlessly. Fishing the carnelian gem from her saddlebag and murmuring the incantation to release a casting of the protective spell it had been imbued with. A moment later she gave Lex a worried look, but when he stared back at her without wavering, she flapped her wings and shot upward. She’d only gotten about thirty feet of altitude, however, when the blinded wolf-creature that Woodheart was biting – Littleknight’s horn spearing one of the monster’s hands when it reached for the druid, who was tearing into the flesh of its leg viciously, a glimpse of bone visible beneath her teeth – suddenly opened its mouth and let out a wild cry. “Natakkunak! Natakkunak!” “Toklo, no!” shouted back one of the trio that was trying to fend off Solvei, the three of them barely managing to keep from being snatched up in the enraged winter wolf’s jaws. “You’ll get hit too!” The unseeing wolf didn’t seem to care, a look of concentration passing over his face despite the injuries he’d taken, raising one hand up toward the sky. And a localized ice storm engulfed him, radiating outward just far enough to catch all of the ponies in its icy grip. As the supernatural cold washed over him, Lex felt a moment of grim vindication. After what had happened with Grisela, he’d instructed Solvei to use her magic to ward them all against extremely low temperatures. But his satisfaction was immediately undone as something struck him across the face, his mask doing little to soften the blow. He had no time to register what it was before further impacts fell across his body, striking rapidly and with no pattern that he could detect. It was only when he hit the ground a moment later and felt several round objects beneath him that he realized that he was being pelted with hailstones the size of oranges. Nor was he alone in that, as he heard pained grunts and cries from his comrades ringing out amidst the sudden storm. But it was Thermal Draft’s pained cry that made his heart leap into his throat, looking upward through the sudden snowstorm – the huge hailstones tapering off in favor of sleet and snow – just in time to see a pony-sized shape hitting the earth. Biting back a worried cry, he somehow managed to crawl over to where the pegasus had fallen, dazed and groaning but still very much alive. That was enough to send a rush of relief through him, but the sensation fell away almost as quickly as it came. What replaced it then was simmering anger. It was time to stop holding back. As much as he wanted to conserve his strongest magic, that was a secondary priority compared to protecting Thermal Draft, as well as the other ponies in his care. Despite having put their enemies on the defensive, these creatures were still presenting a stiff resistance, and the risk that entailed no longer justified his restraint. Gritting his teeth as he peered through the magically-conjured foul weather, Lex looked toward where the three creatures that had speared him were still facing off against Solvei. Despite her having summoned her black armor over her body, the trio had kept things to a stalemate; each time she tried to bite one of them, the other two would stab at her eyes and open mouth, forcing her back before she could inflict a telling blow. It was a situation that Lex was no longer content to allow to continue. Raising his undamaged foreleg, Lex hissed the words to a spell as he made the necessary gestures, telepathically giving Solvei new instructions as he did so. A second later, a pit opened up directly beneath one of the three bipedal wolves, who yelped in fright as he reached for one of his comrades. He managed to catch hold of the other creature’s arm, but succeeded only in pulling his companion down into the pit with him. Their sudden fall was enough to earn the surprised attention of the third, which gave Solvei the opening she needed. Following Lex’s orders, she darted forward, one paw coming around to smack the final member of the trio into the hole. All three cried out as they hit the bottom of the sixty-foot shaft that Lex had conjured. But rather than being silenced by the impact, their screams took on a louder quality. That didn’t surprise Lex in the slightest, however, since unlike the hole he’d created to subdue the mares of Fail Forward, this one was filled with acid at the bottom. His mind already turning toward the quickest way to kill the largest number of these creatures, Lex swung his gaze around the battlefield, picking his next targets- “We need to retreat!” The order came from the bipedal wolf whose arm Solvei had savaged, the creature grimacing as he looked at his remaining comrades, holding his bloody arm. “All of you, take to the wind! Now!” “NO!” The defiant cry came from the creature that Thermal Draft had burned, snarling despite the burns covering his torso. “We can’t leave Panuk’s body behind!” “We don’t have a choice!” The voice of the injured lupine was agonized, but resolved. “If we don’t, we’ll end up joining him in death, and then who will bring our bodies back?!” He didn’t wait for an answer, sweeping his gaze across the pass as he looked at his comrades. “Take to the wind! Now!” But Lex had no intention of letting these creatures go. Don’t let them escape! he ordered Solvei, even as he prepared another spell, this time targeting the creature who was giving orders. Except the figure, already hard to see through the driving wind and rain, was steadily becoming harder to make out. Even as Lex watched, the two-legged wolf’s image grew hazy and indistinct, as though being viewed through a thick fog. Except, he realized a moment later, he wasn’t seeing the creature through a fog; it was becoming fog, its body changing into mist. That was proven a moment later when Solvei clamped her jaws around the creature, doing nothing except to stir its image up more as the now-vaporous being rose into the air. A look around showed that he wasn’t the only one, as the other creatures that had attacked them – and, judging from the screams in the pit slowly fading away, the ones he’d trapped down there as well – were similarly transforming, quickly drifting skyward. A few seconds later, they were gone, letting silence envelope the mountain pass once more. “At least now we know what Solvei saw yesterday,” muttered Spinner. “And that they're definitely hostile,” added Mystaria, going to check on Thermal Draft. Grunting in acknowledgment, Shadow put her dagger away, before going to retrieve Woodheart's robe, wrapping it around the druid. “Anyone have any idea what those things were?” “No,” huffed Valor, patting her stomach where Mystaria’s healing spell had patched her up. “But for once there’s some good news to go with the bad.” She punctuated that statement by kicking a leg out, her hoof striking the ribs of the now-unconscious creature that Mystaria had blinded, having been knocked out by the hailstones from the miniature storm it had created. Tossing her wet mane over her shoulder, Valor looked at the others. “So who wants first dibs on questioning our new friend here after he wakes up?”