Chapter 44: Unlikely Ally
"How in the hell?"
James looked at the captive creature, its head bowed and unmoving. He whirled around and faced the two princesses before him.
"How did you manage to pull this off? Besides that, why wasn't I told?"
Then he looked left and right at the stallions guarding the door. Suddenly, he had a dreadful realization, his face becoming flush with anger.
"Where is Captain Alister!?"
"James, he's fine. Just resting--" Celestia began to speak, but was cut off.
"No, Alister doesn't just rest!" He took three angry steps towards her, "I know him, he's like me, he likes to oversee things personally, he'd be here, where is he!?"
When neither Celestia nor Luna responded to his rage driven questions he turned to the two Nightstalker members behind him.
"Where's your team leader?"
Celestia once again began to talk, "James, I've asked them not to speak to you about this. Please understand, I shall explain everything to you--"
"Sir, Captain Alister is currently in hospital with Starlight and Moonfire." The unicorn responded to James.
Expressions of bewilderment blossomed on the two princesses faces when the unicorn obeyed the human's order rather than their own. James turned back around to face them.
"No, you understand! They may be your subjects, but they're my soldiers. I trained them to fight, I taught them how to survive, they are part of my family! You don't get to gamble with their lives, that's my burden! Do you fucking understand!?"
Celestia suddenly became very angry herself at his insolence, "You forget your place, human! The reason we sent them was because you trained them! Maybe if you had done a better job, they wouldn't have been so injured."
"And you forget who the fuck you're talking to!" James spat back, "Training doesn't hold a candle to actual experience. The next time you want to do something as dangerous as capturing one of those things alive with my soldiers, unless you prefer wasting lives, you come fucking talk to me first!"
With that last explosive tirade, James stormed furiously past the two goddesses and down the passageway into the large chamber of the secret vault. He paced about angrily until he spotted something in one of the adjacent side rooms. He strode over to the old beat up training mannequin and began punching it. And punching, and punching, and punching, letting loose a guttural yell with each strike. Then in one fluid motion, he drew his knife and beheaded the mannequin before burying the blade up to its hilt in the training tool's chest.
After releasing all his pent up anger, James put his back against the wall it was standing against and slid to the floor, head down, arms resting on his knees, eyes blank. As he sat there a moment and contemplated just how out of line he had been, his ears picked up the steady sound of hooves on the cold stone floor approaching him. James stood up and straightened out his uniform, preparing himself for the inevitable ass chewing he was sure to receive. When the hoof steps stopped a few feet away fro him he looked up and was surprised when instead of a wrathful Celestia, a calm Luna stood in front of him.
"Commander, I know we don't know each other well, but please forgive my sister. She is only trying to do what's best for our country." The moon princess cringed a little when she noticed the mannequin.
"No ma'am, I was out of line. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that and for that, I apologize."
"That is quite all right, Commander. Commander, may I please call you James?"
"Your the boss, ma'am, you can call me anything you'd like."
"Right then, James, those three ponies in the hospital are fine, they just suffered a few broken bones and should be up and about in due time." Luna assured him.
"I know, I just really wish she'd come to me with that task, a lot of those injuries could have been avoided."
"Trust me when I say she wanted to, but the opportunity was there and she felt you still needed some rest."
"Ma'am, I've had plenty of rest, I've had whole months of rest, I'm ready for duty."
"Really? Your appearance when you first came to speak with us earlier told me otherwise." Luna said knowingly, "I know of your condition, you had another dream, didn't you?"
"And how would you know anything about that?" James said guardedly.
"James, I too have done terrible things in my past, things that still bother me to this day. In addition, I have been studying your home culture and aspects of your world through the items and information my dear sister has amassed over the years. Your path has not been a happy one."
James strode past her and into the main chamber, picking up and looking at random items within the vault, "Yeah, it wasn't the cheeriest of rides, but there were people who had it way worse. At least I had a job with caring friends. Where's Princess Celestia? I'd like to apologize to her personally." James asked Luna, noticing that the solar princess was no longer present.
"I'm sorry, but she is a bit.... indisposed at the moment."
"I guess I'm in for it, huh?"
"Actually, you've made her quite upset. Almost immediately after you left our presence, she transported herself straight to her room and won't come out."
James was a caught a little off guard by her candid demeanor towards him, "Well, now I feel worse." He said, putting down an old faded Frisbee.
"James, If I may, I'd like to clarify a few things with you."
"I'm all yours ma'am. Shoot."
"You told us that this man, Kraster, used to be what you called a 'green beret'. In my investigations, I found that both your organizations often worked with each other and for the same country."
"Your point, ma'am?"
"Why would somepony from such a revered group of individuals be doing something like this?"
James pondered her question for a moment before answering, "Honestly, I don't know. It could be a number of reasons. He probably finally snapped. It's actually quite common in our community. Not many of us make it to retirement with all of our faculties intact, and those that do still have problems. Even I have my issues as you well know."
"Yes, the dreams. But you aren't trying to destroy a whole country on a whim." Luna pointed out.
"Well, from what he told me about himself during my time as his prisoner, he was already a violent man to begin with. Men like that don't think too rationally. The ones that do are even more dangerous."
"So how will we defeat him?"
"Well, first off, we need some Intel. And thanks to Princess Celestia's actions, we may have a viable source if our guest was close to the man somehow. I figure we should start there."
"Yes, but these ancient creatures are hardly civil, how would you communicate with it?"
"You just leave that to me, ma'am."
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The creature looked up from its lap as the lock of the thick door before it clicked, clanked and disengaged. The heavy door swung open to reveal a being clad in boots, dark pants and a dark t-shirt bearing an uncanny resemblance to the one that had escaped from the island fortress some months ago. The being closed the door behind it and the lock re-engaged. Then, it walked up, pulling a spare chair from the corner, and sat down.
"So, I see they've been treating you well." James started off, "mind telling me where you've been at, Kraster's plans?" He asked with a smile.
"Seraktosh akhthub!" The creature snarled back at him.
"Yeah, didn't think so. Well, I ain't gonna torture you, that's his thing, not mine. However, I have a fairly good idea about how you tick. So let's make a wager, huh?"
He pulled out a key and began unlocking and removing the numerous shackles and chains restraining the creature as it looked on in baffled astonishment with its bloodshot yellow eyes.
"I beat you, you tell me everything. I know you've been taught English. You beat me... well, you'll be on your own from there. What do you say?" The human proposed as he stepped back away from the prisoner.
For a few seconds, they just stared at each other. After a minute, James wondered if there was something wrong with the prisoner, maybe it had been struck on the head too hard during its capture. Then the beast exploded out of its chair, lunging for the human. James ducked under a swing of its muscular arm and punched it twice in the approximate area of its liver before jumping behind it and raising his guard.
The thing spun around and began swinging again, attempting to rake its claws across James' body as he ducked and blocked the savage attacks. James quickly got two jabs in to the creature's face, disorienting it for a fraction of a second, but that was all he needed. He threw a right cross into the Lotkin's jaw, knocking it to the side. He followed it up with a swift kick to its side. This time, though, the feral beast caught his leg. Then, with enormous strength, the Lotkin warrior picked the human up and threw him across the room into the door with a loud thud.
James was back on his feet in an instant and with good timing as the creature rushed him as soon as he had impacted the ground. Still a bit dizzy from the impact, James struggled to block all the incoming blows, catching a fist in his gut and a strike to the side of his head. The next thing he knew, a massive foot found its way past his guard and impacted him full on in the chest, sending him sprawling across the ground before coming to rest on his back.
Seizing the opportunity, the savage warrior charged and leaped at the downed human. However, James was prepared for this and kicked the creature in the chest with both legs, vaulting its body over his head and into the iron chair behind him where it bounced off and slammed into the ground. In a flash, James was up and on the dazed warrior, putting it in a vicious choke hold, slowly crushing its throat with his arm.
"With honor, I pass into the void at the hands of Ahrhati Khot!"
James shocked at the sudden outburst of comprehensible speech, "Holy shit, you really do know English... Well guess what, today's not the day you die."
He removed his arm from the creature's neck and dragged its massive frame to the chair, propping it up in the seat and waited for it to catch its breath. When it had, James decided to try and pry more words out of it with more gentler tactics.
"Alright, now how much exactly do you understand?"
"Do not insult me with petty words, Ahrhati Khot. Kill me and end my dishonor!" It spoke in a rough gravely voice and an accent that made it sound as if it was chewing on each word before spitting it out.
"Oh, no no no, I'm not going to kill you or even torture you. All I want is your cooperation."
"Vile, sehrot arthish, it is not the way. You have defeated me, take my life and restore my honor, Ahrhati Khot!"
"Nobody is killing anybody here. All I want is some information."
"You spare my life?"
"Er... yeah, I spare your life."
"Then I, Garthogh, am beholden to you, Ahrhati Khot, until I regain my honor in battle!" It proclaimed.
James took a few steps back and threw up his hands as if in defense, "Whoa whoa whoa, what are you talking about?"
"I am now thokrhi, your slave. I will serve you in life and join you in battle to my last days. You may slay me on your whim." The large brute slid from the chair and dropped to its knees in reverence, head bowed low.
"O.....k.... you can sit back in the chair now."
"By Ahrhati Khot's will!" It exclaimed while backing into the seat and sitting up straight.
James stood there and scratched his head at the unusual turn of events, "Ummm, shit. Alright, moving on, who or what is 'Ahrhati Khot'?"
"You are."
"Really? And what does that mean?"
"In your simple tongue? Death's Keen Sight. So many have fallen before you. You are revered by all and all seek honor at your hand."
James began to pace back and forth, frantically rubbing his head with his hands, "you gotta be fuckin' kidding me. Ok ok ok, we'll come back to that later. What did you say your name was, Garthogh? Can I call you Garth?
"I am thokrhi, you may name me as you please!"
"Cool, cool. Ok, Garth, who taught you this language?"
"Shahatrhasti Khot and his thokrha, the four legged folk."
"Who is Shahatrhasti Khot?"
"Death's Delivering Hand, the only one of your kin."
"Good, now we're getting somewhere. Can you tell me where you were captured?"
"On the borders of my homeland, far to the north."
"And where is that?"
"Present me with a map and I will show you."
"Outstanding. Please wait here, I'll be back in a moment."
James turned to the door and knocked on it with a 'shave-and-a-haircut' rhythm. The door unlocked and opened, allowing him to exit the cell. As he did, one of the guards caught a glimpse inside, seeing the prisoner unshackled and free. The guard swiftly closed and locked the door in a hurry.
"Commander, it's trying to escape!"
James turned to the frantic pony, "Stand down, he's not going anywhere. By the way, it's a he and I found out he has a name. Right now, we're going with Garth."
"Sir?"
"Yeah, I know it's strange. Listen, I need you to go get me a map."
"Which one sir?"
"The one with the largest one you got of the northern lands."
"Yes sir!"
The stallion galloped off at a rapid pace to fulfill the human's request. While he waited, James leaned up against the cool stone wall and rubbed his face. He had just found out that not only was he viewed as some kind of death god by an entire race, but that their form of worship consisted of trying to brutally murder him. At least now, he had a viable source of information to use.
"James."
He looked up to see Luna standing about ten feet away, some how having silently approached him, "Yes ma'am, what can I do for you?"
"I've just come to inform you that my sister will see you as soon as you are finished here. On that note, how is your progress?"
"Well, since we last spoke, I've been talking to him and what a talk it's been."
"He's talking? Wait, excuse me, you said he?"
"Yes ma'am. Right now, he's going by Garth and in a moment Garth will show me where he was captured on a map."
"But we already know where 'he' was captured."
"Yes, but this is something of a truth test. He's agreed to answer all my questions, but I want to see if he's for real, although I doubt that will be an issue."
"How so? You have only been with the prisoner for less that two hours, how is it he is being so forthright with you so willingly?"
*sigh* "This is where it's going to get a bit strange. We had a little fight. I ended up beating him, but when he discovered I wasn't going to kill him, he declared himself my 'slave'."
Luna looked at James with a befuddled expression, "Slave? Slavery in Equestria is unlawful!"
"You can tell him that ma'am, but I don't think he'll listen." James warned.
"Is it possible for me to... speak with the creature?"
"Sure, just let me enter first. Just in case."
"By your lead, Commander."
James turned and approached the door, accepting the key from the remaining guard. He slipped the key into the lock and disengaged it, pulling the door out and walking briskly inside. Luna followed close behind, suddenly back pedaling when she saw the prisoner seated in the chair, but completely unfettered.
"You set it free!? Why would you set it free!?"
In the chair, the grotesque warrior let out a low growl.
James leaned over to her and reassured her, "Don't worry ma'am, watch this," he faced the Lotkin warrior, "Garth, approach the princess and kneel before her." He ordered.
"By your will, Ahrhati Khot!" Garth stated as he complied with the order.
Luna watched the display in utter disbelief, "It-- He really can talk!"
"The wily mountain fox, a beast he may be, yet can posses more thought than even me..." Garth replied to the comment, lifting his head and gazing into luna's eyes.
Luna began to feel uncomfortable and backed out of the cell, "James! Please speak with me in the corridor!"
"Yes ma'am, just one moment. Garth, please retake your seat and wait here for me."
"By your will, Ahrhati Khot!"
"You don't have to say that every time I tell you something."
"By your will, Ahrhati Khot!"
"Stop doing that."
This time, Garth remained silent. Shaking his head, James stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Luna was waiting for him, something clearly on her mind.
"James, do you know what this means?" She hissed.
"It means a lot of things; we can finally get some good Intel, we can learn about a previously thought to be extinct race and we seriously can't afford to underestimate our enemies. To name a few."
"Then you understand, we must tread carefully. I want him to remain here until we know exactly what we are dealing with."
"If I may offer another suggestion..."
"Please."
"Let me take him back to Ponyville."
Luna was shocked at the mere thought, "Out of the question! Ponies might get hurt!"
"Ma'am, please hear me out."
"Very well, but do not expect me to agree."
"I'll house him and provide him with food far away from the town at our headquarters there. From what I've learned so far, his culture is very similar to an ancient one from my own world. This may give me a rare opportunity to get to know who and what we're fighting better. You saw how he followed my commands, I can forbid him from setting foot in the town or being aggressive towards any of the residences. In fact, they won't even be exposed to them. As a bonus, my team and all six elements of harmony are right there in case anything goes wrong."
James waited patiently as the lunar princess considered his proposal. For a moment it appeared as if she would shoot him down. But then to his surprise, she agreed as long as her sister would also. James thanked her profusely as the guard he had sent to fetch the map earlier returned with the item in question. With glee, James returned to his foreign guest to begin extracting more info.
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As he walked down the passageway to Celestia's quarters, James check his iPod for time. The banner read 0016, just past midnight. In just a few hours, he had chewed out his own boss, gotten into a fight with an experienced brawler, earned the undying loyalty and services of said brawler, learned his name and origins, struck a deal with his other boss and now he was on his way to receive his own ass chewing. He was beginning to feel sore from the fight and all he wanted to do was sleep. However, duty calls.
James strode up to the large ornate double doors to the royal chambers, a bit puzzled at the conspicuous lack of Royal Guards. With suspicious thoughts and a wary mind, he approached the left door and lightly knocked on it.
"Come in." Came a soft voice from the other side.
James turned the handle and cautiously entered the room. After closing the door behind him, he spotted the sun princess sitting at a table at the far end of the room beside two large glass doors leading out to a balcony. James marched over and placed himself in front of her at attention.
"Ma'am, I apologize for my earlier behavior. I had a lapse in my military bearing and inappropriately lost my temper towards you, I meant no disrespect."
Celestia simply smiled at him, causing James to feel uncomfortable until she surprised him with her first statement.
"I'm sorry too, James. You are right, those soldiers are your responsibility and I should have consulted you first."
"Ma'am?"
"All I wished to do was gather more information on those that would see my citizens suffer in the most effective way possible and in my inexperience, got three hard working and dedicated members of your family hurt, maybe even almost killed, and for that, I too apologize."
"Uh... I accept your apology?"
"As I do yours."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Now, please tell me about this idea of yours is concerning our prisoner that Luna has informed me about..."
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An hour later, James was trudging down the passageway back to his room. Celestia had berated him for a while for even conceiving such a harebrained idea. Even so, James had convinced her to follow him back down to the vault so he could demonstrate his newfound mastery over Garth. He was still uneasy about the whole situation, but it was just something he felt he had no choice but to go with. After he showed her how dedicated Garth was to following his instructions, Celestia reluctantly agreed.
Now all he wanted to do was was kick off his boots and collapse in his bed. He only had about four or five hours to sleep before it was again time to get up and start a new day. Then, he still needed to figure out a way to get Garth into the Clipper without being seen. And then he still had to explain to the girls, get him shelter, food, water. And after that, he still had the whole Winter Wrap-up to do. James swore to himself that once he was finished, he would sleep for a whole day, uninterrupted.
James stepped into his darkened room and shut the door behind him. He shot straight for the bathroom, stripping down the whole way, hopping into the shower as soon as he got his skivvies off. After a refreshing wash, James went to his overnight bag and pulled out a clean set of boxers, freezing in place when he noticed a body sized lump under the covers of his bed he had previously overlooked on his way in. Quickly donning his boxers, James silently crept to the side of the bed, one arm wound back in preparation for either sending or blocking an attack.
On his mental count of three, he gripped the edge of the blanket with his other hand and ripped them of the bed. He relaxed when all that was revealed was the peacefully sleeping form of Rainbow Dash. it was a welcome surprise. He didn't know when she had arrived or why, but at that moment, he just didn't care. Simply glad that she was here, he cleaned up his room a little bit before gently sliding himself in next to her. Finally feeling his limbs settling down, he threw an arm over her shoulder and made himself comfortable. As he began to drift off, he was suddenly jostled when Dash flipped herself around and pulled him close in a passionate embrace which he happily returned. Then at last, hugging each other close, limbs intertwined, the two of them fell into a warm and restful slumber.