//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Into the Wilderness // Story: The Equine Scrolls: SkyFiM // by FireOfTheNorth //------------------------------// Chapter VIII: Into the Wilderness “You want to know who the Cloven Hoof are? We are the people who must pillage our own lands. Burn our own ground. We are the scourge of the earth ponies. The axe that falls in the dark. The scream before the gods claim your soul. We are the true children of the Karth.” After leaving the ruins of Nuzel-zum, we traveled past Marekarth, crossing the road just out of sight of the guards. From there we followed the Karth River north, deeper and deeper into the woods. Though obviously exhausted, the Doompit Mine escapees continued without rest through the night until we found ourselves stopped by a goat sentry just as the sun peeked over the horizon. “The Karth belongs to the Cloven Hoof!” he bleated out, “All ponies are unwelcome in these la-a-a-a-ands!” Some of the ponies in the company, including Topaz began to whinny nervously. To have come so far and then be turned back, it was heartbreaking. “Peace,” Ivon Strong-horn said, emerging from the crowd of bodies. He conversed with the guard in the goats’ bleating language until realization dawned on the soldier’s hairy face. “Let all know the King has returned!” Ivon announced in Equine. The guard rushed off, dropping his spear in his haste. Standing tall, Ivon led the travel-weary prisoners forward into the brush. The trees pressed close and branches scraped at my sides. The only light in the natural tunnel we passed through turned dim and green as it was filtered through the thick foliage. I got the distinct feeling that this place was ancient, that the trees here had lived for centuries. The trees towered higher as we delved deeper into the old forest. Soon our passage was flanked by moss and vine-covered stone. The rock parted as we entered an open valley nestled among the mountains. The valley was filled with a grove of trees. Small cookfires burned among the trees and goat children played, running around the massive trunks. Other goats fulfilled different tasks: cooking, smithing, even jewelry-making. I had never seen so many goats in my life. Surely this was the Cloven Hoof’s main settlement! But leaving immediately would seem suspicious, not to mention I didn’t have a firm grasp on exactly where this place was. So I followed Ivon along with the other former prisoners until we neared the center of the grove, where the ancient trees towered higher than anywhere else, and their branches intertwined to form natural walkways. “All hail Ivon Strong-horn!” a goat in the pieced-together armor of the Cloven Hoof (but not the guard from before) cried out, “King of the Cloven Hoof!” Goats came running from every direction to greet the leader they thought they’d lost. I soon lost sight of him among the hairy, bleating bodies. I found myself shoved off to the side with the other ponies from the mines. As the crowd began to thin out, I became aware of the ring of soldiers closing around all who were not goats. “What of these ponies M’Lord?” a milky white goat with a serrated sword asked, “Shall we execute?” I backed off in shock. The goats would kill us after we’d helped free their leader? Well, they weren’t taking me without a fight. I pulled the Minotauran shield and sword from my back, ready for a fight. “No! Of course not!” Ivon chastised the guard, “In my time in the ponies’ prison, I learned that not all of them have cruel hearts and wish us ill. These are our friends, and they will be treated as such. Quick, they have had a long journey. Hasten to find them suitable bedding.” Another goat led us up rickety staircases until we found ourselves in the crowns of the trees. Whole rooms were carved out of the ancient trunks, and our guide soon brought us to a dimly-lit cavern in the wood packed with rough bedrolls. They were a far cry from actual beds, but vastly superior to our bedding in Doompit Mine. I fell asleep immediately and snoozed through the entire morning. ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ When I awoke, I had a quick lunch that the goats at the cookfires graciously offered up and then set out to explore the Cloven Hoof camp. I found that this settlement was a city in its own right. The central cluster of trees was the Cloven Hoof’s head of government, and the rest of the goat nation lived in lean-tos and in the surrounding trees. Whole families lived here, not just Cloven Hoof soldiers. Merchants, artisans, blacksmiths, and apothecaries all lived together with their children in the secluded valley. It was loud and lively, and though it was almost entirely outdoors, it felt like I was in a city that was founded centuries before. “Impressive for a bunch of unorganized savages, huh?” Ivon Strong-horn’s voice came from just to my right. I turned to see him walking up with Topaz at his side, rapidly scribbling down everything he saw on a piece of parchment. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” I admitted honestly. Ivon was now wearing a crown made of ancient wood and leaves obviously enchanted to last forever. The branches twisted and curled in an elaborate pattern until they locked behind his massive horns. “The earth ponies underestimate us,” he said, staring out at the goats living their lives across the clearing, “That is our advantage. We must strike as swift as shadows and disappear even more quickly. So long as they do not see us as a major organized threat, they make only token gestures to stop us. While we remain hidden, we remain safe.” “What is this place?” I asked, looking around at the city as a few kids ran past me, absorbed in a game of tag. “This,” Ivon replied with a pause, “Is Caprika Redoubt, the ancient holy land of the goats, and our capital since the Cloven Hoof was formed almost a century ago.” I soaked in the city as Ivon stood silently by and Topaz continued to scribble observations down. “But, I came to speak with you for a different reason,” the Cloven Hoof’s leader said, “You as well Topaz.” The caramel-coated unicorn looked up from his writings to pay attention. “Walk with me,” the King ordered, trotting off toward the central tree. Confused, I followed the monarch as we passed back through Caprika Redoubt to the center of the grove. “Every member of the Cloven Hoof must pull their own weight,” he announced as we climbed the staircase that encircled the central tree, “I gladly welcome all the ponies that followed me here into my herd, but I have been troubled with how to integrate them into our society.” “In short, I have a job for you two,” Ivon came to his point as we reached his throne room. Composed of intertwined branches in the crown of the tree, the seat of the Cloven Hoof’s government was magnificent. The King took a seat in a polished wooden throne, flanked on either side by important looking goats. Though plentiful light poured in through the roof and walls, composed almost entirely of leaves, a brazier burned with green fire near the throne. “Tomorrow a caravan of supplies and weapons for Jarl Glamus will be traveling from Karthpasture to Marekarth. If you are willing, I would have you assist my soldiers in the attack.” “What?” Topaz said, “Excuse me sir, but I’m a scholar, not a soldier. You can’t expect me to be of any use in an attack?” “Did you not claim to be skilled at persuasion while we were in Doompit Mine?” Ivon asked, “Your job will be to convince the caravan to stop, making it easier for my soldiers to attack. After all, a pair of ponies will have a better chance at it than a horde of goats.” Thoughts were swirling through my mind. Attack innocent ponies? Was this the only way to earn the King’s trust? After all, though he said he trusted us ponies, I had noticed certain goats following my moves, ensuring I didn’t run off to betray them. Which was just what I intended to do even though it made me sick to my stomach. “I’ll do it,” I said, swallowing my regrets and objections. “Topaz?” Ivon asked, turning toward the fidgeting unicorn. “All right,” he said finally, “I’ll go along too.” “Excellent,” the Cloven Hoof King said, clapping his hooves together, “Send the order.” The goat standing next to him rolled up a scroll and tossed it into the brazier. With a flare of flames, the scroll was gone, vanished into a cloud of green smoke that flew off on the wind. “Amazing,” Topaz said, trotting closer to the green flames, “You’ve recreated the Minotauran Inferno Communications System.” “The what?” I asked. “The ancient Minotaurs could send reports and other messages to each other by burning them in braziers like this one. All you need is one to send and receive messages in seconds instead of hours or days.” It was certainly interesting, but none of it was relevant to the current situation. I was more worried about the caravan we were supposed to ambush. “When is this attack on the caravan going to take place?” I asked. “Midday tomorrow,” Ivon replied, “Meet the guide at the gate at sunrise. He’ll direct you to the camp nearest to the path.” ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ I let out another deep sigh and tapped my hoof impatiently. Topaz was late. The shaggy brown goat that was supposed to lead us also seemed impatient to get going. At last, Topaz came trotting up the path to where we were standing. His saddlebags were stuffed with scrolls and books. Where he had gotten actual books here baffled me, and I had to admit I envied him a bit. But, they were still highly impractical for our mission. “What are you doing with all that?” I asked as he neared. By the look on his face, our guide seemed to share my feelings. “Playing the part,” he said cryptically, “If I came highly armed like you they’d never buy our ploy.” I rolled my eyes (though I hated to admit he had an extremely valid point) and followed our guide, who had already started to leave the valley. “Just think about it,” he said enthusiastically, trotting beside me, “I’ll play the part of a scholar, which I am, and you’ll be the mercenary escorting me, which I assume you are.” “Mercenary?” I asked. “Sorry,” Topaz said, backing off, “I just figured . . .” I thought about it. I really wasn’t sure exactly what I was supposed to be. I had been so many things in the past few days since I’d entered Horizon. Refugee, prisoner of war, escapee, outcast, vigilante, extortionist, liberator, explorer, hero, Thane, savior, prisoner of curiosity, spy. It was all so confusing. I supposed mercenary really wasn’t much of a stretch for me anymore. “So, what are you then?” Topaz asked, trying to redeem himself. “I don’t know, myself,” I admitted sadly. On the way to the Cloven Hoof camp, Topaz and I talked. And I told him everything. Well, almost everything. ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ The goats at Overlook, having received a message from the King via flame communication, welcomed us into their camp. As they prepared their weapons for the upcoming ambush, Topaz and I sat aside from the main group and planned out our deception. As he had suggested, he would be a scholar doing research in the area and I would be his bodyguard (explaining his packs of scrolls and my sword and shield.) Then we would ask for a supply trade and, if that failed, directions. Either way, hopefully we would stall the caravan long enough for the Cloven Hoof to get into position. When the time came for the ambush we were thoroughly prepared. Topaz and I traveled through the woods and entered the path a ways from the ambush site. Then, we ambled along in the direction the caravan would be coming from, making small talk to pass the time, and trying to look natural. As we neared the ambush site, the train of wagons came around the corner, emerging from the trees. Now was the time for us to play our parts. “Good day!” Topaz called out as we neared the wagons. The pony pulling the lead wagon ignored him and the guard beside him frowned. It didn’t look like this was going to be easy. “I was just wondering if you would like to trade any supplies?” Topaz asked, trotting alongside the wagon-pulling pony. “We don’t have anything to trade with you,” wagon-puller finally responded, “All this is going to Marekarth.” “Oh, surely you must have food or something to trade. Let’s see-” Topaz reached out with his magic to lift the covering off the wagon. In a flash, the guard-pony had her sword poised over Topaz’s head. “If you want to keep your horn, I wouldn’t do that,” she said. “All right, all right,” he said, cutting off his magic, “But surely you must have something to trade with?” “Even if we did,” the guard said, sliding her sword back into its sheath, “What would you give us for it?” “Well,” he said, rummaging around in his saddlebags, “I have some very interesting books-” “We don’t want your magic books, unicorn” she said, spitting at his hooves as if even saying the word sickened her, “And we don’t need your kind in our land.” Things were rapidly going downhill. I never expected such vehement anti-unicorn sentiment in a Hold loyal to the Empire. Apparently Ivon had thought about how, though we were both ponies, we were unicorns, and not exactly welcome here. And where were the Cloven Hoof soldiers? I had to find some way to stall the caravan, and also get Topaz and I out of this jam. “Look,” I said, “We don’t want any problems.” “If you didn’t want any problems,” the guard said, “You should’ve stayed in Unicornica.” She waved for the wagon train to stop, and the rest of the guards trotted up to join her. This certainly didn’t look good for Topaz and me. Behind the assembled guards I could see a few goats slip out of the brush and sneak over to behind the rear wagon. At last, they were beginning the ambush. I didn’t know how much longer we could stall the caravan. Topaz backed up nervously as the assembled guards drew their weapons. As I pulled out my Minotauran sword and shield, a volley of arrows flew from the woods, some sticking in the guards, but most striking the ponies strapped to the wagons. Based on how fast they fell over dead, I had to assume the arrows had been poisoned. More goats poured from the woods, attacking the guards with their rugged wilderness weapons. Topaz fled the fight (he had no weapons, after all) and the guards not trying to fight off goats focused their attacks on me. I used my shield to block the first strike of the mare who Topaz had been talking to. The shock of the strike vibrated up my leg, but I held on to the shield and aimed a swing at the mare’s legs. She jumped back to avoid it, but she wasn’t quick enough to avoid the blast of flame I shot at her. As she rolled in the dust to put out the fire, another guard, this one with a mace, charged me. The strike rang off my shield, but before I could strike back, he aimed another swing at me. The mace glanced off the edge of my shield as I barely managed to block. His next strike I didn’t manage to block at all. My ribs cracked under the stress as his mace smashed into my side. Breathing became difficult and I barely blocked his next strike. As soon as his mace struck my shield, I swung my sword around and buried it in his forehead. Throwing him off my sword, I found myself once more under attack by the leading mare. She had managed to put out the fire, and she did not look happy. My shield managed to block her first strike, but the pain in my side kept me from blocking her second one. The blade sliced across my foreleg and red blood flowed in a trickle down my front. Swinging my Minotauran sword around, I knocked her blade aside before she could cut off my head. Twisting my sword around, I knocked hers aside again, and buried my blade in her neck. But, she was far from the only pony trying to kill me. There were too many of them, and I needed some time to heal and refocus. Concentrating, I directed a Shout at the group. The guards went flying, rolling across the ground, and into the scuffle with the Cloven Hoof. Hopefully it would buy me a little time. Wrapping up my foreleg in a bandage to staunch the blood flow, I reset my ribs and cast a healing spell on the wound. I drank a minor healing potion for extra measure to help knit up my insides. Taking a few practice breaths to ensure everything was back to normal, I headed back into the fray. Most of the guards had already been taken out by the overwhelming Cloven Hoof. All the ponies pulling the wagons had died in the first attack. All that was left were a few guards already engaged in fighting the goat soldiers. However, I did notice they had missed somepony. A tail stuck out from behind the rear wagon. Not waiting for a surprise attack to come from the pony, I went after them myself. Levitating both my sword and shield, I charged around the wagon. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the pony I was going after was just a little filly. Why, she was just a foal! What was she doing here? Her tears dripped onto the dead mare she was desperately clinging to (her mother, perhaps?) I sheathed my sword, not knowing what else to do. Glancing over the wagon, I could see the fight was about over, anyway. The foal backed away as I moved to comfort her. “Don’t worry, it’ll be all right,” I told her, even though I didn’t see how. “You killed them!” she said, sliding under the wagon, “Why’d you kill them?” I had no answer for her. Why had I killed them? They were part of a caravan I was ambushing. But why was I ambushing a caravan in the first place? I wasn’t a criminal. I’d killed these ponies because I was trying to gain the Cloven Hoof’s trust. I was trying to gain the Cloven Hoof’s trust so I could turn them over to Jarl Glamus. I was going to turn them over to Jarl Glamus so he would pardon me and I would be free again. But was that enough justification to kill innocent ponies? It was all so convoluted, it made my head hurt. Not to mention the fact that this caravan’s guards were about to attack me anyway. But, I wouldn’t have been here if I hadn’t been trying to gain the trust of the Cloven Hoof so I could betray them so I could be free again. Everything was so turned around. I almost didn’t notice the Cloven Hoof soldiers come around the wagon; I was so caught up in my philosophical questioning. The foal squirmed deeper under the wagon and fought to silence her sobbing. I was torn between what to do. I couldn’t take the foal with us; the Cloven Hoof would never allow it. But I certainly couldn’t kill her, that wasn’t even an option. For the moment, I did nothing. “What will be done with these supplies?” Topaz asked, appearing beside me. “We’ll burn them,” the goats’ leader, and the only one in the group that spoke Equine said. One of the goats came forward with a torch. All I could think about was the foal beneath the wagon. “Why destroy them?” I asked before the goat reached the wagon, “Why not take the supplies?” “We have no need of them,” the Cloven Hoof captain said, “In this way, we will deprive our enemies of them.” He waved for the torch-bearer to continue. I bit my lip as he set fire to the wagon. Flames licked over the supplies in the back and crept down the sides and through the crackling wood. Just when I was getting seriously worried the foal would be burned alive, she zipped out screaming and hid between Topaz’s legs. He looked down in amazement, and then glanced over at me. His eyes seemed to ask why she’d chosen him instead of me. But I already knew why. He hadn’t killed anypony today. All the foal could see me as was a monster. “Get it!” the Cloven Hoof captain ordered and several goats moved to take the foal. “Just hold on a second,” Topaz said, “What do you think you’re doing?” “Our mission is to destroy this caravan,” the captain said, “And everypony in it. Every pony.” “You can’t be serious,” I blurted out, “It’s a foal for Buckatosh’s sake!” “Our orders are very clear,” the captain said, frowning, “No survivors. What else can we do?” “Take her back to camp?” Topaz suggested, “Raise her there?” “Out of the question. It’ll run off and reveal our location. It has to die.” Without warning, the captain grabbed a spear from one of his soldiers and threw it. The point slashed through the bottom of Topaz’s bulging saddlebags and into the foal’s body. She gave a quiet yelp before dropping to the ground, her blood staining the path. Topaz looked just as shocked as I felt. “They started this madness,” the captain said, walking off into the forest with his soldiers, “Never forget that.” ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ Numbly, Topaz and I made our way back to Caprika Redoubt, taking turns supporting each other. The shock was still evident in the haunted look of his eyes all the way back. I imagine I didn’t look much better. Killing a foal, it just wasn’t right. And it sickened me to the core. On the other hoof, it gave me a greater conviction for what I had to do. If stuff like this was going on regularly, Jarl Glamus was right to want the Cloven Hoof wiped out. And I could help him do it. If I could just pull myself together. As we entered the valley, I realized I no longer had my shield. I must’ve dropped it at some point, it was hard to remember. Not like it mattered now. I had some things to say to Ivon Strong-horn. I wouldn’t be part of any more slaughters, not after seeing the damage I’d done at the caravan. Ivon had other plans. “Ah, perfect. Just in time!” he exclaimed as Topaz and I trotted into his throne room. “Something happened during the attack we need to talk to you about,” Topaz spoke first. “Nothing I don’t already know,” he said, motioning to the brazier near his throne. “If you wish to discuss it in detail, it can wait until later,” he said, exuding barely contained enthusiasm, “I’ve got a new job I need you to do immediately.” “My informants have just reported to me that Jarl Glamus will be staying in Karthpasture tonight and meeting with his guard captain,” he spilled out, seemingly oblivious to how shook up we were, “I need you to sneak into the town and spy on them. Find out what their next plans are.” “How are we supposed to get to Karthpasture by tonight?” I asked. “Oh, it’s not far,” he said, “I took the liberty of packing some saddlebags of supplies for you, including a map. Just don’t get caught with it.” “Well, that’s about it,” he continued, “You’d better be on your way immediately.” Despite Topaz’s and my objections, the guards pushed us out of the throne room. “What just happened?” Topaz asked, giving me a puzzled look. “I don’t know,” I said, “But he’ll still have to answer our questions later. Looks like we’re going to Karthpasture now.” ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ “How’d you end up in Marekarth?” I asked Topaz as twilight was falling. We still had a little ways to go, and some small talk was better than never-ending silence. “Well, I used to live in Unicornica,” he said, “Brumare to be exact. I was always fascinated by the Minotaurs. Well, what foal wouldn’t be? They’re a long-vanished race that we know hardly anything about, except that they had a much better grasp on technology than any of us other races.” “But, there aren’t many Minotauran ruins in Unicornica. Apparently they didn’t favor our climate. So, after my initial studies in the Imperial City, I set out to explore any intact ruin I could find. I studied all the ruins in Unicornica. Well, all five of them. But they’ve been explored over and over for centuries, and they weren’t very intact in the first place. The ruins in Morrowhinny are the same way, except they’re mostly intact. Or, they were before the Red Mountain exploded.” “That’s where Horizon comes in. The ruins here have barely been explored. It’s virgin territory! I learned more in my time in Nuzel-zum than in all my time working in Unicornica! But, Jarl Glamus didn’t like me stirring up the Minotauran defenders, so he had me thrown in Doompit Mine.” “He likes to do that, doesn’t he?” I asked jokingly. “Oh, yes,” Topaz replied, “It’s quite an easy way of getting rid of ‘troublemakers’ and making himself rich at the same time. Plus, the mines were rumored to be inescapable. Ha! I guess they can’t say that anymore.” “Yeah,” I agreed, “If they even admit we escaped. Not likely.” “So, what’s your story, Sapphire?” Topaz asked. “Well, I had trouble in Unicornica for obvious reasons,” I said, certain he could connect the dots without me drawing attention to my blank flank, “So I came to Horizon. Since I’ve been here I survived an execution, explored a Draugr ruin, killed two dragons, and escaped from an inescapable prison.” “Wow,” Topaz said, “How long have you been here?” “Ten days,” I said, finding it hard to believe myself. “My, you’ve been busy,” he said, “So you said you fought dragons?” An arrow interrupted my response to him. Whistling out of the trees, it stuck in his foreleg. I whirled around to see several ponies charging down a steep embankment. I pulled out my sword, but hesitated. Was I doing the right thing? The image of the foal kept running through my mind. How did I know these were bad ponies? “Give us all your gold and we’ll spare you,” the leader said. Nope, not good ponies, definitely bandits. I spun my sword around, hoping to scare them off, but the leader just laughed. “All right, the hard way then,” she said, “Get ‘em!” The bandits came charging out of the trees, wielding all kinds of weaponry. One with a mace came at me first. I was able to block her strike with my sword, but it wasn’t easy. I tried to flip it out of her grip, like I knew I could with a war axe, but my blade just slipped off the head and swung out wide. She whirled her mace at me, but I blocked, and this time I managed to spin my sword around and strike the mace handle with the flat. It fell from her mouth and my sword impaled her forehead a moment later. By my count, there were five more bandits. Topaz had raised a shield around himself, blocking a bandit with a greatsword for now. One with a war axe charged me. I easily blocked and twisted the axe out of her grasp. Grabbing it for myself with my magic, I swung my sword into her neck. Two bandits came at me at the same time. One held a sword in his teeth, and the other levitated a battleaxe. The sword I blocked with my new war axe, and my Minotauran sword took the strike of the battleaxe. I focused the swings of my sword on the battleaxe mare, while attempting to block the strikes of the other bandit. Eventually, her defenses slipped, and I managed to slash her forelegs. She released her magical grip on her weapon as she attempted to heal, and I stabbed my sword up between her forelegs, into her heart. She locked up and slipped to the ground as I pulled the sword out. With my sword and war axe combined, I easily broke through the sword bandit’s defenses. My war axe found the side of his head and ended his life. Shaking the blood off my weapons, and the image on the foal’s face as she died from my head, I searched for the remaining two bandits. Topaz’s shield crackled, and then broke. The buck attacking him aimed a swing at his chest as he backpedaled across the ground. His greatsword only cut a shallow gash as I bowled into him, blades swinging. He threw me off, but I was satisfied to see I had gotten a few hits on him. Scratches across his back and a nick in his ear dripped hot, red blood. I picked myself up off the ground as he charged me. I threw up both my sword and my war axe to block his greatsword swipe. Again, he swung at me, and again I blocked. His third swing smashed the blade of my war axe, leaving me with a sword and a stick. Dropping the war axe’s hilt, I blasted a lightning bolt at the buck to buy time. Sooner than I would’ve liked, he was back, and my block was barely quick enough. My attempt to block his next swing failed. His sword cut across my shoulder, slicing tendons and muscle. I screamed in pain as my injury cried out. As he raised the greatsword over me for the killing strike, I pooled my thoughts together for a last attack. He went flying backward, landing on his greatsword. When he didn’t get back up, I assumed he was dead. It took three healing potions and a spell to fix the damage, but in a few moments I was back to normal. But, there was still one bandit left, the leader. I searched the path, and finally my eyes locked on her. “Topaz!” I called out, but it was too late. Her warhammer came down heavily on his head. Sickeningly, his skull crunched under the impact and he was dead in an instant. Then, the bandit leader brought the hammer down again, further ruining his body. I saw red as I charged her. Shock registered on her face as my blades slammed into her, hacking through her armor and into her body. Amazingly, while she fell beneath my blades, I felt no guilt like I had when I’d killed the other bandits. The image of the dying foal’s face in my mind had been replaced by Topaz’s. After I was certain she was dead, I stopped my furious attack. Tears streaked my face as I dug the hole for Topaz’s body and rolled him in, burying him with his books. It wasn’t fair, for him to die like this. He wouldn’t even have been here if we hadn’t been assisting the Cloven Hoof in their mission to wipe out ponykind. Drying my eyes, I left the makeshift grave, pushing on for Karthpasture, more certain now of what I had to do. ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ Thunder rolled over the mountains and through the night. The moon was hidden momentarily, plunging Horizon into darkness. I stubbed my hoof on a rock in the inky blackness. Stumbling through the brush, I found myself on the outskirts of Karthpasture. The settlement barely had any right to be called a town at all. As the moon shone down again, I could see the town consisted of a guard barracks and a few odd buildings. Small farms spread out into the rocky terrain. But, it had to be Karthpasture. Many guards patrolled the town, far more than there should’ve been in such a small settlement. Part of it I attributed to the guard barracks that dominated the town, and the other part I assumed was due to Jarl Glamus’s presence. It was late at night, and I crept through the sleeping town undetected. There wasn’t far to go, and I easily avoided the circles of light cast by the guards’ torches. As I neared the guard barracks I stopped to wonder why I was sneaking around in the first place. If I was going to speak to Jarl Glamus, I could just walk in. Straightening up and emerging from the tall grass in front of the barracks, I startled the guards on duty at the front door. Trying to look confident, I strode forward toward the door. “Hold it right there,” one of the guards said as they both crossed their spears over the doorway, blocking me from entering. “I’m here to speak with Jarl Glamus,” I announced. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’m sure the Jarl doesn’t want to be disturbed by a unicorn so late at night,” one of the guards said, hefting her spear and pointing it in my direction. “Tell him Sapphire’s here to see him,” I said, hoping my name would convince the Jarl to let me in. “What difference does it make?” the guard said, moving closer with her spear. “Just tell him!” I demanded. I hadn’t come this far just to be turned back now. “Then, if he says he doesn’t want to see me, I’ll be on my way.” The guard looked ready to run me off, but her companion took my advice and entered the barracks. A few seconds later, he emerged. “You may enter,” he announced. A shocked expression seemed plastered on the first guard’s face as I trotted past her. The guard at the door pointed me toward the room Glamus was in as I entered the barracks. “We cannot leave Marekarth so unprotected,” his guard captain was explaining as I walked in, “If we stretch our forces too thin, we’ll be unsuccessful on every front.” “Well,” Glamus said, noticing me, “That was certainly quick. I have to admit, I never expected you to escape through the Minotauran ruins. No doubt the work of that unicorn scholar. Cobalt, or something. Anyway, I trust you aren’t foolish enough to have come here without the information I need.” “I know where Caprika Redoubt, their capital, is,” I said. “Excellent,” Glamus said, clapping his hooves together, “Faeros, prepare your guard to depart in the morning. We will crush this Caprika Redoubt, and with it, the Cloven Hoof forever.” His guard captain, Faeros, trotted off to prepare the troops. I was left alone in the room with Jarl Glamus. “I believe you promised me my gear back?” I said. “Of course,” the Jarl said, rising from his chair, “And you shall receive it once you have led us to Caprika Redoubt. No sooner.” “But-” I started to object. “My, but it’s late,” Glamus exaggerated a yawn, “Best get some sleep. It’s a big day tomorrow.” ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ The Marekarth guards stamped their hooves and snorted steam in the cool morning air. I had gotten a decent rest in the guard barracks, though the foal’s face had started to haunt my dreams. Now, I was going to make amends for that incident. Following me through the deep brush were Captain Faeros and Jarl Glamus, and behind them the entire Karth guard. Today, I would end the pointless conflict between ponies and goats in the Karth. Hopefully, with Caprika Redoubt destroyed, the Cloven Hoof would fall apart, and the goats would stop attacking and massacring innocent ponies. The first Cloven Hoof guard fell with an arrow through his throat. As we stepped over the body, I noticed it was the same one that had rejoiced at Ivon’s return just days ago and rushed to tell the others. I felt a twinge of regret in my stomach, but it was too late to back out now. “Right through there’s the valley,” I told Faeros and Glamus, motioning at the entrance to the pass. “Excellent,” Glamus said, “Captain Faeros, lead your soldiers proudly. Today we extinguish the Cloven Hoof threat once and for all. Wipe them out and burn it to the ground. Leave none alive.” “Leave none alive?” “It’s not just a military camp,” I told Glamus, “It’s a whole city, with families, and foals!” “Not foals,” Glamus replied coolly, “Kids. Children of goats, that will grow up to be goats and spill the blood of even more of my subjects. Wipe them out Captain, so that we never have to deal with this again.” “Move out!” Faeros ordered, leading his soldiers into the valley. Glamus followed, and I found myself trotting beside him, trying to convince him to reconsider. It was like speaking to a mountain. He refused to turn away from the ruinous path he had chosen. I pleaded with him to let the kids live, but still he refused. Finally, the Karth soldiers poured into Caprika Redoubt. Screams rang across the secluded valley as goats fell to the sword on all sides. True to Glamus’s orders, the soldiers killed all they found, be it a soldier, a worker, or a frightened kid. Next to Glamus just within the valley, I watched in horror as the massacre continued. Goat blood stained the ground as the pony soldiers poured over the valley. Other ponies hurled torches burning with magical fire high into the trees. The ancient trees wailed and twisted as the flames licked hungrily at their branches. “As promised,” Glamus said, turning away from the death and destruction long enough to see my saddlebags placed on my back, “All your possessions, as well as a little something extra.” As he strode off, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the dying goats. This was all my fault. I had done this! All the death and destruction I was seeing had been my own doing. I had to focus on something else. Forcing myself to look away, I looked through my saddlebags. Everything appeared to be there, as well as a heavy coin purse near the top. I pulled it out and floated it in front of my eyes. It shook in my grasp and a few coins spilled out as I watched the destruction unfolding below. This was my reward for seeing so many die. The image of the foal dying in my head was gone, replaced by the multitude of images of goats dying, because I wanted my freedom. My vision blurred and I dropped the bag, sending the coins spilling across the ground. And I ran. Level Up Health: 140 Stamina: 120 Magicka: 120 New Perk: Magical Medicinal Mending [Restoration] -- All Adept-level Restoration spells can now be cast for half Magicka. New Quest: Lost and Lonely -- Find your way out of the Karth and find a cause to devote yourself to.