//------------------------------// // 6 Goodbye Boneheads // Story: The tale of an Armor Lizard // by Fex //------------------------------// Being completely exhaust from what happened this day but I knew that the moment I rested that I was already so good as dead. Those things would probably stumble over my sleeping body and dig into me before I knew it. That big skeleton, who was chewing up the town, could be done any second now and was probably going after me next. So I had to go because I could hear the rambling of bones behind me. Why can’t I ever see them coming? Making a fast turn smashing my head against a diamond dog skeleton who had jumped at me causing it to fly into some others who tried to flank me. I hadn’t stopped from the hit and my tail whipped multiple smaller causing a rain of bones which opened a path for me to escape. I was running once more this cursed day this time not for lava but for a small army of skeletons. They were by far faster than they were the first time I came across them but they were still too slow to keep up or they were just too stupid to not try to stand on top of unstable stones. But I could care less about the reason beside the fact that I was able to get more distance between them and me. Some lose stragglers appeared and joined in to get a bite out of me. I thought I had to run the whole day but it seems luck was on my side for a bit as I saw a long crack in the ground that went on for a maybe a kilometer or three and it had a sort of bridge made of stone. Speeding up as I got near it as I jumped over the middle part of the bridge because it seemed not strong enough to carry me. Landing roughly as I look back and I saw the blasted things were not stumbling over the edge but had stopped. A few were walking the stone bridge and they did it at a too fast rate to my liking. I stood up without turning back and I whipped my tail with full strength against it to cause it to collapse casting all those on it in to the crack. The remainder stood there unmoving watching me as if they expected me to drop dead on the spot. Continuing my north I came across some more of the dead but it was almost as if I had left the hotspot or something. Well I was happy about that thought because it seemed to give me some extra strength to keep on going. Who knows. Maybe behind the next hill I would find the exit to this god forsaken place. “Well it seemed I was right.” I said to myself as I stood on top off the hill overlooking the valley. At the end of the valley were the feet off two mountains with a path carved through the stone wall allowing access to the other side where, as far I could see, not everything grey, black or white was. “But how do I get past them?” I asked myself as I looked to all the undead skeletons which had gathered in the valley probably wanting to give me a goodbye party and a goodbye kiss, and by kiss I mean bite. My options were limited. I could try and wait for a hour or so for the sun to come up but who knows when the skeletons who had been following me catch up on me. Fighting through the masses wasn’t really an option as I have been awake for nearly twenty-four hours and I have been running pretty much two third of the night. Not much was left for me than to wait and hope I won’t get found in the mean time as I move over to a rock formation as I buried myself so that only the top of my head was partly sticking out like a crocodile but than in the ground. I tried to stay awake I really did but my body demanded sleep and nothing I could do could stop it. I wasn’t sure what I was dreaming about as it was like everything I ever dreamed poured into a single dream and then shaken it very hard and was quite annoying. But what annoyed me the most was the weird tapping on my nose. Even though the dream wasn’t pleasant I really didn’t want to wake but ignoring the feeling didn’t help at all. When I opened my eyes I was about to scold the person who was waking me but the problem was. It wasn’t a person. It was one of those pony skeletons and it was trying to chew my nose off but it seems it wasn’t really getting there but as the sleep was drifting from my mind I noticed something. It wasn’t alone as behind it were many more trying to get closer to me. No time to think. With a sudden leap I went through the group, knocking them to pieces, as I went for the exit. Not a very long time had passed but the sun had risen but the mountain nearby was blocking its rays meaning those things won’t tumble to the ground in at least a hour more. But on the plus side the skeletons had dispersed enough for me to be able to smash through them without fearing to get stopped half way through. But it seemed that luck was once more not on my side as the ground near me exploded sending me flying through the air as one of the bigger skeletons, this one being the size of a medium home, came from the ground and was trying to chew me as if I was a peanut he really wanted. Rolling out of its reach was my only option but its bites got closer and closer every time and the smaller once were not standing idly nearby. Oh no, they were running straight for me and for a second I thought one of them was drooling. So I rolled onto my feet and ran past the giant one if I hadn’t then it would probably have gotten hold off my long tail. Moving in a wide arch around the big skeleton, as it was trying to get up, I made my way once more towards the exit off this cursed place. A single glace behind me showed me that the whole valley would be swarmed with those things as thousands and thousands of those things appeared from the other side of the hill looking like a sea of bones. That was a great motivator as I was closing towards the pass and loud thumping informed me that either the big one had been able to get up or an another had appeared. In both cases that means only one thing for me. I was in deep shit. The thumping closed in to me, way too fast for my comfort, but the entrance was only a few meters away as I noticed teeth appear on either side of me. The skeleton had turned its head sideways and tried to eat me but as fast they had appeared they had disappeared. Looking back I saw it had hit the entrance stopping it from biting down on me. I was relieved for a second till the big skeleton was able to go through the entrance without touching the sides just barely. Fate truly hated me as the thing just continued its chase after me through the narrow passage. The passage was pretty long but it seemed that on some spots it would get more narrow and the big one noticed it as well as its shoulder and jaws were grinding between the stone walls till it seemed it came to a stop. It seemed to try and wiggle further and scratch the narrow spots till it could get through as well but now my fear for that thing was only in the back of my mind. Now I had nothing to fear … but the thousands of smaller once who were able to move freely after me. The exit wasn’t that far away from me as the passage had a slight S wiggle in it that had been fooling me in how long I had to go. The light was blinding as I ran out of the pretty dark passage and I saw a wide field off grass with here and there a tree, what made me remember the nature shows about the savanna on discovery. But I couldn’t enjoy it for long as I heard the rattling off bones behind me. Giving a hard whip with my tail I send the bones fly around the place but it sounded that the others were nearing the lone straggler that had been able to out run the others. I was to start my next run when I noticed the abyss in front of me. Looking around me I saw a big sturdy bridge not far from me. The bridge itself was wide for two carts and maybe two to three ponies move across it next to each other. Either side off the bridge had some supports that prevent the bridge to slide in but they only did so a few meters from the edge. The bridge had a sort of beam roof probably used to tie ropes around them to prevent the workers to fall in it almost looked like a ribcage. Getting to the other side was easy, TOO easy. The bridge didn’t collapse with me on it, no group off warriors to attack me because I insulted them by breathing wrong, nothing was jumping me on the other side. At least I could trust the skeletons behind me to reassure me that it wasn’t THAT easy. I could almost hug them … maybe next time. Crushing one off the skeletons, that had caught up to me, with my feet and whipping most of them back onto the bridge. It seems that options were few again by either run and let these things cause chaos onto these lands or destroy the bridge. Why did I have a conscience? I mean it makes me be stupid and help preventing chaos roam the land and probably get me killed. Preparing to smash the first beam of the bridge I noticed a sign “Incase off skeletons pull lever? … this is a trap isn’t it?” I sighed as I pulled the lever and waited for the hell to follow but nothing came, I mean truly nothing. The skeletons were gone as well as the floor off the bridge. Moving closer I saw that it was a giant trapdoor causing anything on it to fall into the depth called the abyss. Lots off the smaller once weren’t able to stop in time or were pushed by the masses over the edge. They were now standing there as if they expected I would close the trapdoor for them. A loud bang grabbed my attention as a rain of stone flew through the air followed by the giant skeleton that had been able to get through it somehow. It looked down the same way I had before moving to the bridge as the smaller once moved out of the way which caused some to fall over the edge as well. Because I pulled the lever the floor was gone which prevented the big one to follow to the other side or so I hoped. It was looking at and back to the bridge it truly wanted me dead as it pushed some weight on the beams and long after it climbed on top off it. I almost could hear it grin … no, that was something else. I looked to the entrance we just had past. What used to be a long line off an opening in the mountain feet had now a rough hole to the bottom where the cracking sound comes from. It hit me like a ten ton weight. The skeleton had destroyed the integrity of the passage and it was collapsing. Enormous pieces off stone were slipping and falling down crushing the smaller once before they disappeared into the hole. The bigger one looked back before planning to move on and eat me. But it was cut short as a big boulder fell on top off it causing the skeleton to be dragged with it into the depth along with the bridge. For a second I thought I heard a loud screech but it could been the mountain as well. Moving back I watch as the passage and the abyss were both getting closed by the stones as they kept on breaking off the mountain for like a half a hour till everything became quiet and the dust started to settle. My body felt tired as I released my armor from my skin but nothing happened. Looking back I tried again and still nothing, it seemed the armor had become a part of me. Over my body there were here and there some spots from which crystals poked out of some off the cracks in it and on my back was a crystal around the size of a shark fin. All I could was groan and hope that it would come off later or just needed some water to loosen it. My mind went to Ancient Lore for a second I had thought he would join me on my journey all around this new world. Carving out a crude gravestone with his name and I one with the text ‘In Memory off the ponies off Bone Yard.’ “I shall miss the guy.” “Indeed, he was a fine stallion.” “That he was.” “He was smart, the fillies loved him and he looked amazing.” “Not sure about that but ….” I stopped mid sentence as my mind just registered what was going on. Looking back I saw him floating there with this stupid goofy smile on his face. If he wasn’t dead already I would have killed him myself. “I thought you passed on? Please tell me you couldn’t come out and help me while I pretty much ran for my life? Because of you don’t I kill you for the second time.” I said giving him a deadpan look. “What, why would you …? Ooooh! Yeah, no sorry, I used all my energy into appearing in that place and had to rest in my crystal. That place is pretty much a scar on the world. The magic there is corrupted and it is pretty much impossible to be used by me unless I lose myself.” He said with a shrug. “But to be honest I need some more rest just wanted to let you know I was still there. But love the stone you made for me.” “Alright then, I shall rest as well for a bit before … wait crystal, what crystal?” I asked confused and gave a glance to my back. “No, no, no, not the one on your back but the one in your chest.” Ancient sighed as he saw my confused look. “Remember the trap with the big shiny crystal, yes? Good. That one has merged with you and it seems I am tied to it by magic. It’s what keeps my soul tied to this world but I now really need to rest so stay out of trouble, alright?” Ancient Disappeared with the usual blue flash. “Please, in how much trouble can I get now that I am out off that cursed place?” I answered as I turned around looking at what looked like a herd off zombies. “Hmmm, it seems that much. I wonder if I broke a record or something.” I mused as wooden spears flew through the air and bounced off my stone skin. The half rotten zebra’s, ponies and a single griffin came at me while moaning loudly. The griffin was scratching at my back while the others were trying to chew up my kneecap. But unlike the skeletons I was used these undead corpses were nothing to be compared with them because they didn’t have a single flicker off intelligence. Meaning they were controlled. Whipping my tail hard and fast against one off the corpses and send the two halves flying in the direction they had come from. By gamble had paid off as a loud ‘eep’ came from the high grass with a figure jumping out off it away from the lower half. The figure was a zebra holding what looked like a voodoo doll, a weird ceremonial dagger and was wearing a big wooden mask colored in dark colors. Even though his face was covered I dared to bet that he had a scared on look on it and this made a smile slowly appear on mine. “Gotcha.” Was the only thing I said as I heard him swallow loudly.