//------------------------------// // Chapter 6. // Story: Litany of Sacrifice // by Reactor //------------------------------// Nah, soon as you're old enough you're sent to join the regiment. Colonel Stagler don't approve of educated men, says it was educated men that got Krieg bombed to shit in the first place. The colonel says that all a man needs to do is fight and die. That's the Krieg way. --an unnamed Death Korps soldier, explaining his illiteracy Sound of metal piercing flesh. That was all Crips Saber heard when she saw somepony flying straight at the charging alien's spear. The attacker stopped abruptly and stared at the body impaled onto his weapon with its soulless eyes. Crisp thought the alien looked baffled, even though only for a millisecond. It studied the seemingly dead body of a gryphon, who Crisp now recognized as her new acquaintance. Steelwing hung from the spear, impaled through the point where his wing met body. The alien discarded the spear and returned its gaze towards the bat pony. At this point Crisp was almost hyperventilating, tears streaming from her eyes. The hellish steed of the alien rose to its hind legs and let out another ear piercing neigh. That thing was even more horrible than the ugliest changeling she had met and she had met many during the siege of Canterlot. The alien drew a sword and spun it in the air a few times, getting a feel for it. Then it resumed its charge. Crisp's natural instincts took over and she turned around, rapidly flapping her wings for air. She heard the fast approaching hoof steps behind her while desperately half flying, half running towards the bordering trees. Through bleary eyes she saw the steed from Tartarus beside her. Then pain. Unspeakable pain on her left shoulder. She felt her leg going numb from the pain and fell on her face, rolling around and stopping onto her side. She turned her head to look at the blood soaked shoulder. She had seen ponies bleed before, but seeing her own blood was far different. She heard strong hoof steps next to her and turned to look, only to see the steed's muscular legs. Crisp could feel the impending shock when the alien's gaze bored through her own eyes. The steed rose to its hind legs, ready to trample the incapacitated bat pony to death. ”Celestia save me...” Crisp whispered, tears flowing through closed eyelids, wishing for a miracle to save her. Corporal DKSR//3D/32/5 felt no emotion, no compassion towards the xeno before him. Without remorse he pulled the reins, provoking his mount to let the creature out of its misery. His steed rose, ready to bring its hooves down onto the smaller equine, when the Korpsman felt something impact against him, throwing him off his mount. With a grunt he landed onto his shoulder, feeling the obnoxious, painful result of a dislocated shoulder, his sabre landing a few meters from him. The corporal tried to rise up, only to be punched back down to the ground by a bladed claw. The same gryphon that was impaled onto his lance only minutes ago was now looming over him menacingly. The gryphon had a bleeding wound under its wing, which rendered the appendage useless. The hunting lance had malfunctioned, its explosive charge not exploding. The xeno raised its armed claw, its eyes glowing with intend of ending the corporal's life. The claw came down, narrowly missing the human who rolled to the side at the last second. The blades stuck to the ground with some torn fabric from the corporal's coat. The gryphon freed his blades from the ground and swiped again at the human, again narrowly missing. He took the opportunity and brought his balled fist down to the gryphon's shoulder, inducing a painful shriek from it. The corporal dashed for his sabre while his opponent was recovering from his blow. But the amount of time the gryphon needed to recover took him by surprise and once again he was knocked down to ground. The corporal didn't intend to let his assailant get the upper hand. He reached for his las pistol with his good hand, only to be stopped by a claw grasping his arm. The xeno jerked him onto his back and raised its free claw, ready to strike. The Korpsman delivered a kick to the gryphon's chest, flunging it away from him. Reaching for his sabre he stood up and strode by the gryphon when he heard uncomprehended voices near him. Spinning around the corporal saw another winged equine flying at him with a spear pointed forwards. He tried dodging left, but the pegasus' speed made sure its spear nicked his side, tearing another hole to his hermetic trench coat. The pegasus landed and took a fighting stance. Behind him the corporal saw more xenos coming from the surrounding forest. Two gryphons and one equine. He too took a fighting stance, intending to rid this possible to be Agri World of these xenos. The pegasus with the spear charged again, but the corporal was ready this time and smacked the spear away with his sword. The pegasus hit him in the chest with the spear's blunt end, his ceramite chestplate absorbing the blow. They exhanged a few blows, none hitting their target. Now the rest of the xenos had gathered around him, cutting off any chance of escape. Not that he would ever do such heathenly thing. The Korpsman was at a disadvantage, defending from four foes when he heard a familiar stampede of hooves. From the corner of his eye he saw one of his comrades riding at them, spear held low. The xenos dove out of the way of the charger, giving the corporal a chance to recover. ”Corporal, our orders were not to encounter the natives!” His fellow Korpsman yelled to him while fending off the gryphons and equines who didn't seem so sure of themselves anymore. The corporal glared at the xenos, contemplating whether to attack them or not. Even alone and injured he was fairly sure he could take all of them alone, judging from what little he had learned of them during their little rustle. With his comrade now here, there was no doubt which side would be the one walking away from the clearing. But orders were orders, no matter what his own opinions were. The Korpsmen's opinions held no value, the higher ups gave the orders and that was final. There was no room for questioning orders in the Death Korps. Grudgingly the corporal sheathed his sword and hopped onto his steed. The gryphon that knocked him off of his mount was now holding his side, clearly in pain. The others were in defensive positions, ready to defend themselves if the humans decided to attack. He looked at where his initial contact now laid, bloody but still conscious. Their eyes locked for a brief moment and the Korpsman could see the fear emanating from its eyes. With a grunt of disgust and discomfort he turned around on his mount and galloped into the forest, his comrade following closely behind. Cold. So very cold. Crisp Saber felt the cold earth under her, the chilling air in her nostrils. Her cold armor pressing on her and bringing discomfort in the position she was. She felt her blood running over her shoulder, legs and stomach. So warm blood. She opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry and everything was spinning. She tried to raise her head but it felt like it weighed a ton more than it used to. She wished she had her first aid package right now, even though she was in no condition to do anything with its contents. It would've been comforting at least, knowing there was something somepony could use to help her, to stop the bleeding at least. Somepony. She saw figures a couple dozen meters away from her. They were fighting. The alien was fighting. But with who? Somepony had come to her aid. To defend her, to bring her to safety. How she wished she was at home right now, away from the murky, cold forest. And not bleeding. She wished her blood wasn't escaping her body, making her feel even colder. She wanted the blood to come back, come back to warm her. Oh, how warm and comforting it felt. The dark red liquid running all over her body... A piercing roar snapped Crips back to reality. Through bleary eyes she saw now more figures on the clearing. A blow there, dodge here, stab, slash, block. She recognized them as a few of her companions and some of the gryphons who were fighting the alien. The masked stranger seemed injured, the way it held its arm. Still it surely gave the ponies and gryphons a run for their money. She saw what looked like Steelwing, though she couldn't be sure. She thought he had died when she saw him hanging from the spear and seeing him possibly alive gave her hope. Crips thought it was weird how he cared of a gryphon's life. Not that she wanted anypony to die, but the ponies weren't in the best terms with their northern neighbours. She was once again cut from her thoughts, this time by somepony running towards the struggle from the other side of the clearing. No, not somepony. It was another alien with a steed from Tartarus. It ran through the combatants, separating them. She heard it shouting something in a strange language. The Equestrians and Griffonians regrouped and took defensive stances while the new alien held them at bay. Then the alien on foot mounted his steed and turned to leave. She couldn't believe it, they looked like they could have easily killed all of the ponies and gryphons. The alien fought without remorse, so why did they just leave? She stared at the alien who's fault it was that she was laying in a puddle of her own blood when the alien returned the stare. There it was again, those soulless eyes bringing fear into her heart. She felt cold again. Crisp's head came back down to the ground and her eyes grew heavy. She saw somepony before her shouting something, but she couldn't make out the words. She felt being lifted off the ground, surrounded by ponies and gryphons. Then she saw a bright light. ”Celestia...”