//------------------------------//
// Ch7 the Second Encounter 
// Story: The King's War 
// by Priceless911 
//------------------------------//

                Major Bolt landed at the front of the moving formation, cringing in pain as he closed is wings and spoke to Commander Mist, “Sir… Kestrel is just on the other side of the next ridge.”
Commander Mist replied, “Are you ok? Is your wing still hurting you?”
“It’s fine commander, just a little sore.”
Commander Mist gave him a serious look, “Are you sure you don’t need to see the medic?”
Major Bolt nodded his head, “I'm fine commander.”
Commander Mist continued trotting on his path as he replied, “Fine, but don’t let it slow you down. We need you for the battle to come. I hear that the rebel army is just outside Kestrel.”

Major Bolt thought to himself as he replied, “Well I think you heard wrong. I didn’t see anything but mountains and rocks outside Kestrel.”
Commander Mist replied as they approached the top of the ridge, “They are called caves Sparky, and they are all around this area. For all we know, we are trotting over an army three times our size.”
Major Bolt looked at the ground he was trotting on then he looked back, “Are the caves really that deep?”
Commander Mist looked at Major Bolt and smiled, “Who knows, I don’t even know if there are actually any caves around here.”

Before Major Bolt could reply, Commander Mist called out, “CONVOY HALT!”
After the order was given, Major Bolt looked in the air where Commander Mist was looking. Flying from Kestrel, was a flight of griffin approaching them from the air. As the five griffins landed at the front of the convoy, the lead griffin approached Commander Mist and spoke, “Commander Chrome Mist, we’ve been expecting you. Didn’t I say we’d meet again?”
Commander Mist smiled as he replied, “Hello again, aren’t you the griffin who met us outside of Gryphus?”
The griffin smiled as he replied, “The name is Major Gill. From what I’ve heard, you put on quite the display in Gryphus during the war ball. It’s too bad I was on my way here when it happened. I would've liked to see your solders take action when they discovered the enemy was right under your muzzle.”

Commander Mist replied, “They did everything they could to pursue and arrest their target as ordered. And despite the fact that she got away, I couldn’t be more proud of my soldier’s actions.”
The griffin nodded his head, “I heard his majesty’s thoughts were the complete opposite of yours.”
“If that’s a problem, then say so now.”
The Griffin Major shook his head, “Not every griffin thinks the same as his majesty. I only follow my orders as every soldier does.”
Commander Mist smiled, “So you don’t think we are traitors then?”
“I don’t… but my commander does. In fact, when the king sent a letter telling us to keep an eye on your soldiers, the commander told me specifically to watch you closely.”
“And will you?”
The griffin smiled, “You are a threat… there is no doubt about that. But not to the Griffin King, or the kingdom. Just to our enemies.”

Major Bolt smiled as the convoy started moving forward again, “You know what Gill, for a griffin… you’re alright.”
Major Gill looked at Major Bolt and replied, “Uh… thanks… I think.”
From there, the griffin soldiers escorted the pony formation to Kestrel. When they approached the city gate, Major Bolt was surprised at how massive the gate was, “Um… wow, you think with a city that is a quarter the size of Gryphus, the gate would match its size. I mean look at it. It towers above the buildings inside.”
Major Gill replied, “Back when the Griffin Kingdoms were ruled by multiple kings, this was the city belonging to one of them. That’s why the gate is so big and that’s why there is a castle in the center. Now we just use it as a trading post and a weaponry manufacturing city.”
Major Bolt sarcastically replied, “Weapons… great… what a shocker.”

“Major! this griffin is the first to treat us like actual guests. The least you can do is be respectful.”
Major Bolt replied, “You’re right commander. Major Gill, I'm sorry your king is such a warmonger.”
“MAJOR!!!”
Major Gill replied calmly, “That’s quite alright commander. he is right, as much as I hate for my soldiers to hear it. I'm tired of this constant fighting too. It’s already ruined my life as is.”
Commander Mist replied, “Really? How?”
Major Gill replied, “My wife… she joined the rebellion shortly after the war began. I went home to plead with her to stop before she got hurt, but when I got there, she was nowhere to be found… I don’t even know if she is alright or not.”
Major Bolt felt terrible, “Major Gill, sorry… if I had known I would have nev…”
“It’s ok Bolt, I understand your feelings towards this war, and I agree completely. But I think the best way to stop this war, is to end it myself. Even if it does mean facing her in combat.”

Commander Mist commented, “In war, there are no winners and losers, there are only those who live and die. I’ve already lost a griffin dear to me. I hope your wife is in a safe place.”
“Thanks commander, it means a lot… wait… a griffin?”
Major Bolt shook his head, “We’ll get into that later.”
As the formation met the griffin guarding the castle gate, one guard spoke, “Major Gill, is this the pony support, we were informed about?”
Gill replied, “Yes, this is Commander Mist of Equestria. Is the Commander inside?”
“He should be, he went into his study about an hour ago. If you want to see him the ponies can only send two in. The rest will have to wait outside.”

Commander Mist turned to his convoy and called , “Storm! Front and center!”
Sergeant Major Storm approached Commander Mist and replied, “Yes sir?”
“Find a suitable place to set up camp and begin setting up a guard shift too. From this point on, we will take refuge in this city. If you want, after you finish you can visit the weaponry foundries and start your work on Major Bolts weapon.”
Storm saluted as he replied, “Yes Sir! Right away.”
As Storm went to direct the pony formation Major Gill spoke, “Wow, you’re very precise with your orders commander.”
Commander Mist turned and replied, “Considering who we are up against, I can’t take any chances. Now let’s meet the commander, let’s go Sparky.”
Major Bolt nodded his head as they followed Major Gill into the castle and through the corridor.

The inside of the castle wasn’t anything close to what Gryphus was, the walls looked like they were starting to crumble and wear, while the carpet stretching across the scratched marble floor was stained and frayed. On the walls were paintings that were much older than the ones in Gryphus but like all the others, each king and noble in the paintings were great military leaders either addressing his troops or wearing his armor. As they continued down the hall, Major Bolt had to comment on the décor, “This place seems like some kind of haunted house.”
Gill replied, “This castle predates the one in Gryphus by at least five hundred years or so.”
“And has this city ever fallen to enemy control during any wars?”
The griffin smirked, “Actually, this is the only Fortress classed city to hold the record for times fallen to enemy attacks.”
Major Bolt sighed, “Great… that makes me feel so much better about our situation.”

Finally, the group reached the doorway leading to the commander’s study. Major Gill looked around, “That’s strange, where are the guards?”
As they slowly opened the door, their question was answered, as each one took a step back in shock at what laid on the other side of the doorway. Standing there was none other than Blade herself, while the griffin commander laid dead on the floor in front of his desk. As Blade flung the commanders blood from her weapon, she looked at Commander Mist, winked, and spoke, “Well hello again handsome. I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon. I'm flattered, I didn’t know I acquired another stalker. Let alone one so cute .”
Major Gill shouted out, “COMMANDER!!!”
Blade smiled, “Nothing personal, it’s just business, I would stay and continue this reunion, but I'm afraid I have to get back to work. let’s continue this date some other time Mist.”

With that said Blade charged towards the stain glass window, crashed through it, and flew down into the streets.
As the three rushed towards the window, Major Gill yelled, “GUARDS!!! ASSASSIN!!!”
Commander Mist looked through the window and yelled, “BOLT!!!”
“ON IT!!!”
Major Bolt jumped through the window and took off through the air after Blade. As they continued down the streets it was a lot less crowded so there was more room to gain speed, and even though Blades movements were only slightly slower than last time, she still was gaining distance from her pursuer. Major Bolt tried all he could to keep up with her but the harder he flapped his wings the more his wound from the other night started to hurt him.

When they came to a sharp turn, Blade made the turn with no problem almost a second before Major Bolt got to it. But after Major Bolt made the turn, Blade was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t want to chase after her in the wrong direction, but he didn’t want to give up either. So Major Bolt landed and started looking for signs of her flight path, but as he looked around, he couldn’t see anything that could lead to the whereabouts of the deadly mercenary he was chasing. Finally, he had no choice but to give up. As Major Bolt turned to trot back to the castle, he was approached by Commander Mist who had caught up with him, “Major! Did you see where she went?”
Major Bolt hung his head in disappointment, “No… she out flew me. I tried but I guess my wing just isn’t up for that kind of pursuit.”
Commander Mist sighed, “That’s it! Go see a medic! NOW! Not later, not tonight, now! I can’t have you falling out of the sky on me during a battle.” 
Major Bolt sighed, “Yes commander, at once.”

As Major Bolt trotted off,  Commander Mist turned and looked down the empty street. He started thinking about that mare again. There was something about her that seemed familiar, but he just couldn’t remember what it was. Finally, Commander Mist turned around and started trotting back to the castle. As he did so, Blade stepped out from an alley, watched him leave, as she mumbled to herself, “You haven’t changed a bit Chrome. Still putting others before yourself. I hope I won’t have to kill you too.”
Blade then stepped back into the alley and used the cover to sneak out of the city.

Back at the castle, Major Gill was standing next to the griffin commander’s corpse as his soldiers placed it on a stretcher, covered him with a sheet then removed him from the room. As Commander Mist trotted up he spoke, “I'm sorry major, but the assassin got away.”
Major Gill replied, “That’s ok commander, I know you and your soldiers tried to stop her. I just can’t believe a pegasus learned to use the Cupids Kiss so well.”
“Cupids kiss?”
Major Gill explained, “The Cupids Kiss is the name of the weapon she had on her wings, it was at one time an experimental weapon for the griffin royal forces. I even attempted to use it once. The darn thing was so heavy and uncomfortable that I couldn’t do anything beneficial with it. All I could do was use it as a shield.”

Commander Mist thought to himself, “She must have had a lot of practice with them to be able to use them so well.”
Major Gill added, “Years, I carried them for two years and the only progress I made was I learned to fly with them, but I still couldn’t maneuver or fight back.”
“I wonder exactly how many years she had them.”
“Who knows, but I do know one thing for certain.”
“Really, and what’s that?”
“Any pony or griffin unlucky enough to face her in the sky, should already be considered dead.”
Commander Mist sighed, “Then it would be best to keep our soldiers on the ground.”

Major Gill replied, “So what’s our orders commander?”
Commander Mist looked at Gill with surprise, “Our?”

“Well yea, with my commander dead, you are now the highest ranking soldier in the city. Since I'm second in command of the griffin royal forces stationed here, I will relinquish all command to you.”
“Are you sure, you want to follow orders given by a pony?”
Major Gill replied, “Of course, the way you reacted after seeing that mare standing over the commander, the precise orders you gave your Sergeant Major earlier. You’re perfect for the position, and if the others don’t like it, then they will take their orders from me and I'll take mine from you, so there will be no difference. So I'm still waiting on my instruction commander.”

Commander Mist knew that there would be no getting out of this, so he just replied, “Since your commander is dead now, they most likely won’t be sending any of The Cutters back in alone, so I want you to increase security on the outside of the city. There has to be a major force nearby otherwise they wouldn’t have targeted your commander.”
Major Gill nodded his head, “Understood, and what will your soldiers be doing?”
Commander Mist replied, “My soldiers will be setting up guard perimeters inside the city. If we are attacked, we will be ready for them.”
Major Gill replied, “Yes sir, I'll get my soldiers on guard shifts at once.”

Further, in the city, Major Bolt sat in a chair while the medic opened and closed his wing, “Does it hurt when I do this?”
Major Bolt replied, “Yea… and I’d appreciate it if you would stop.”
the medic replied, “Well I'm surprised, your wing is sprained yet you have been flying with it like this. I bet the pain was unbearable.”
Major Bolt sighed, “Yea it was, so what now?”
“What now? Now you will not use this wing for the next few days, in other words, don’t open it, don’t use it to balance yourself, and above all, no flying.”
Major Bolt shook his head, “Well this is just perfect.”
The medic reached inside his bag and pulled out a leather belt, “Here, use this to keep your wing against your side, it will help prevent you from moving it too much.”

As Major Bolt took the belt, Commander Mist entered the room, “Major, what’s the damage?”
Major Bolt replied, “It’s a simple sprain… looks like I won’t be flying for a few days.”
Commander Mist replied, “It’s for the best anyway, with Blade in the sky, you will be safer on the ground. Either way I want you to start training with the other soldiers immediately.”
“Immediately? What’s the big rush?”
Commander Mist replied, “I have a feeling we will meet with the griffin rebellion very soon. Call it a hunch.”
Major Bolt nodded his head, “Well ninety percent of the time your hunches are true, so I guess I'll do what I can to help… by the way any sign of Blade?”
Commander Mist replied, “Nope, no doubt she is out of the city by now.”
Major Bolt smiled, “That’s ok commander… better luck next time.”
Commander Mist was confused, “What? What are you talking about?”
Major Bolt dodged the question, “Well the good news is I think she likes you. Why else would she call you handsome and cute… unless she is blind, but then that wouldn’t explain her flying.”

Commander Mist sighed, “You’re not on that whole thing again are you? Open your eyes Sparky. She is a mercenary who fights for the other army. Not to mention she nearly killed you and she did kill the commander of this fortress.”
Major Bolt smiled, “But she didn’t try to kill you… coincidence? I think not.”
Commander Mist shook his head as he turned to leave the building, “Get off of it Major… she is an enemy and nothing more.”
After Commander Mist left the room, Major Bolt replied, “Enemy or not, you’re attracted, I can tell.”

Meanwhile outside Kestrel, Traipse stood looking at the city as Blade landed next to him, “So… where is our so called fearless general?”
Traipse replied, “The coward left. He said something about going south to recruit more griffins for the rebellion. To be honest if it wasn’t for the fact that he owes us money… I would have killed him by now. But the thought of making him suffer for not paying us seems even better.”
Blade shook her head, “Typical barbaric Tri, you always hate our contractors don’t you?”
“Only the cowards. So can we call the enemy commander dead?”
Blade opened her wing and looked at the dried griffin blood that was on her weapon as she replied, “He fell quickly and without a fight, I was a little disappointed, but by the time I left, I felt a lot better.”
“Really? Why?”
Blade smiled, “The Equestrian forces have arrived in Kestrel.”

Traipse turned to Blade and spoke, “So I assume they are being led by Commander Mist right?”
She nodded her head, “Yep… and seeing him just made my day a lot better.”
Traipse felt skeptic, “Blade? What exactly is your relationship with Commander Mist?”
Blade shook her head, “Not so fast Tri, a mare has to have some secrets… let’s just say I know him from a long time ago.”
Traipse replied, “A long time ago? Before or after you became a mercenary?”
Blade spoke seriously, “What are you saying?”
“I just want to know if you can kill this stallion if you need to.”
Blade replied, “Trust me, this is the only part of my past that I didn’t kill yet.”
Traipse turned back towards the city as he replied, “Fine… but remember one thing. We never betray our own, no matter what.”
Blade was offended, “Are you insinuating that I would honestly betray you Traipse? Who do you thi… Wait… is this about the boss? You’re still mad that she left, aren’t you?”

Traipse replied, “Leave Seren… I mean, Scy out of it. She has nothing to do with this subject or this war… she made her choice. That’s all there is to it.”
Blade put her hoof on his shoulder and replied, “The boss left us Tri, there is nothing more to say. And knowing her, she had good reason. That’s why I had no objections when you refused to search for her. For all we know she lost the taste to kill. I mean, how many souls did she claim with that scythe of hers? Hundreds? Thousands? Maybe even millions. Not everypony can handle killing as many as we have, and I bet she just had a stroke of guilt. You know more about her than I do, so you would know more about why she left than I would.”
Traipse sighed, “You’re right… I'm sorry, I guess I'm just a little concerned. Go get some rest. The general has given me command of his army so tomorrow we will attack Kestrel.”
Blade nodded her head as she turned back towards their hidden camp, “Ok, that sounds fine, just try to relax Tri… it’s been years since the boss left us and I'm a little concerned that you’re still troubled with it.”
As Blade trotted away, Traipse  mumbled to himself, “I know I should tell her… but I can’t. I just don’t think she will understand like I did. As for Mist… its time I pay him back for the Crystal Empire.”