This is not going according to plan.
What plan?
A violent howl emerged from the room a second after I passed through the doorway of the circular room. I turned to my right and swore loudly as two guard dogs entered the corridor.
I quickly turned around to spot a gigantic dog built like a mountain come through the doorway. I jumped back as he made a swing with a mace the size of my head.
Just my luck.
I heard several angry barks from the two guard dogs as they charged towards me. I quickly assessed my options.
Left? Nope. Right? Nope. Window? Wait, window!
With no other options left, I leapt through the window. Just as I got through the window, the now familiar feeling of being hit with a mace struck me in the back of my head. So instead of landing on my legs, and possibly breaking some bones, I landed on my face.
Ouch.
I hate maces.
Kaldor Noyan looked down at the unmoving body of the intruder in satisfaction. The back of the grayish hood was soaked in blood. He shook his head.
Foolish assassin.
He slung his mace around his sheath and turned towards the two guards. “Weren’t you two supposed to keep intruders out?” he growled, baring his teeth at them.
To their credit, they didn’t run. Instead, they flinched a little before looking away. Kaldor shook his head, “Go dispose of the body. You’re lucky I haven’t executed you two for your incompetence.” The two dogs quickly walked away from him with their tails in between their legs.
Kaldor Noyan’s face twisted in contempt. If it weren’t for the fact that they needed every single ‘soldier’ they had, he would have killed them on the spot. There was no room for failure in the Khanate.
The sounds of battle made his head turn towards the window. With his keen eyes, he made out the shapes of dogs and ponies fighting just a street away from the castle. He growled to himself, “The insolence… to rebel this near to the castle.”
He walked towards the entrance of the castle, his mace unslung and ready for battle. “Our Khan has grown soft if he thinks that dogs can live with inferior beings. The only fate for them is death.”
An orange pony burst through the entrance wielding a rusty shortsword likely looted from a dog conscript. He gave a roar and charged the foolish rebel. As he smashed down his opponent, he failed to notice the two dead guards bearing several slash wounds just some distance away.
The Great Khan shuddered. He had done this several times already, but it always felt strange to change forms. Before him lay a simple golden ring. The dog who wore it was currently being buried with the highest honors that came with his rank.
He glanced over at the table, where a similar ring rested.
How many times have those things saved my life? Twice? Thrice?
For as long as he could remember, his family had been interested by magic. One day, his father had been contacted by a being who called itself ‘Kris-a-lys’ that claimed to have great magic. His father was skeptical, until the strange being surrounded itself with a green flame and turned into an identical copy of himself.
Krisalys told his father that she had discovered about his interest in magic and was offering a deal. His father was to gather as many dogs as he could and assist her in taking over her own tribe and in exchange, she would give them the ability to change form. His father hesitated for only a moment before agreeing.
During the battle that ensued, the hired blades that stood with his father deserted after the enemy changelings took their own form. Only a score of fighters, including himself and his father, remained with the few dozen changelings that stood with Krisalys against enemies thrice their number. After somehow winning the battle, Krisalys was impressed by his family’s loyalty. She went over to his father and admitted that at first, she wasn’t going to honor the deal. His father had become extremely furious when he heard that and was about to strike at her before she interrupted him.
Krisalys told him that while she couldn’t give him the ability to change forms at will, she could give him the ability to swap forms with another. And so she gave him two rings from the tribe’s various treasure. His father wasn’t satisfied with that and demanded more. Krisalys became irritated at that and sent them away, stating that she would in the future. His father wanted to argue, but the looks the changelings were giving him dissuaded him from doing so.
Several years of military service afterward, he became a Noyan after being appointed to the position by the Great Khan of the time after one of the other Noyans got himself killed by the griffin invaders. The Great Khan died a few months later and the next election started. He was planning to vote for Caffan Noyan, who was his best friend and a talented leader. It was a shock to him when the majority voted for him. He walked towards his quarters, stunned that he somehow won. Oktar Noyan walked up to him as he stood before the modest tent that were the commander’s quarters. “The Queen always honors her debts.” he growled before his eyes flashed green.
The Great Khan shook his head. The nostalgia was getting to him. How long was he just staring at a ring? He noticed the rays of the setting sun.
I’m getting old.
He picked up both rings and motioned to one of his honor guard. The dog who stepped forward was a well-built, black dog standing a full head over the shaggy blonde dog. The two both put on a ring and the results were almost instantaneous. In a flash of green flame, the black dog stared at the almost comical image of a shaggy dog in oversized armor.
“Next time, remember to take your armor off before we swap.” the black dog growled.
Gandalf looked at me in surprise, “You’re still alive?”
I didn’t feel the need to reply in my usual way, “Yes. Why are you surprised?” Gandalf shrugged, “I just didn’t expect you to survive infiltrating a fortress filled with several more than capable warriors.”
Gandalf gestured over to a dozen nearby minotaurs, who were looking at me in mild interest. “I was actually about to send over these mercenaries to go over to the castle and attack while the enemy sends out their dogs to fight against the rebels at the gates. The plan was that while the Great Khan is being escorted out of the castle towards the nearest war camp, we’d send over griffin rebels with the guards that we managed to sneak in to strike while every dog in the city is busy with the open rebellion.”
“That plan was thrown out when we got the announcement,” he continued, “Somehow, you’ve managed to kill the Great Khan. Unfortunately, almost all of his Noyans, and their armies, are still alive and in one area. If the Noyans get their messengers to the war camps, we’ll have literally tens of thousands of dogs swarm this city and putting down every single non-dog they can find.”
He leaned closer to me, “But before we talk about that, I’d like you to tell me if you really killed the Great Khan. I told you how he looks like, now you tell me.”
“He was shaggy, a bit short, uh, blonde fur. He sat on a throne with gems, you said he liked gems right?” Gandalf’s intense expression started to relax, “Are you sure you killed him?” he chirped out.
I thought back for a moment, “Yeah, I hit him with the poisoned crossbow bolt.”
He gave a sigh of relief, “Well that gets rid of one problem. The dogs will be delayed, even for a little while.” He looked towards the mercenaries who were already walking towards a nearby fight.
I cringe a little as one of them smashed in a dog’s face with a mace. I could relate with the dog way too easily.
Gandalf grimaced a little at the sight, “Anyway, you should start joining the fight as well. Messengers and officials are our priority targets. If even one messenger gets to a war camp or one officer mounts an organized defence before reinforcements come, this entire ordeal is for naught.” He spread his wings and took off, “I’ll be calling the rest of the rebels, hold them off till then!” He shut himself up as a few archers started shooting at him. I watched him somehow dodge a few arrows before rising above the clouds.
“Hey you! What you doing here?!” I turned my head and saw a sword-wielding dog wearing leather armor heading a patrol. As soon as I turned my head, the dog tilted his head to one side, “You not dog! Attack!”
I slowly unsheathed my sword and raised it like the badass I was as the patrol charged me.
You mean, ‘like an idiot who doesn’t know how to really fight’.
You’ve been quiet for some time. I think I liked it better that way.
Luna struck the filthy invader’s face with her warhammer. Not even looking towards her side, she launched a number of conjured daggers at the dog cluster to her left. Luna smiled inwardly. Now this is more like it. No endless piles of paperwork, no snooty nobles fabricating claims to the kingdom, just enemies to defeat.
With one stroke of her warhammer, she swept away two dogs right in front of her. A pony of authority must have the strength to enforce their authority. Seeing no enemies nearby, she watched as her sister faced against three dogs at the same time.
A grimace was plastered on her sister’s face as she blocked a spear with her greatsword. Her grimace tightened as she cut all of them half in one stroke. Celestia's eyes remained averted from the gruesome scene as she charged another group that was burning down a house. Luna rolled her eyes at her sister’s softness.
War is bloody, sister. We advise that thou get used to it.
“Princess!” A guardspony in full armor dashed over to her.
Luna didn’t look back as she launched more conjured daggers at a few archers some distance away. “Speak.”
“We have managed to repulse the attack on the south side-”
Luna looked at him impatiently and he flinched. A few guardsponies have engaged a small group of dogs by the well and she wanted to participate as well.
“Tell Us something We don’t know.”
“The garrison is at half strength, a sixth to death and the rest to injury. We don’t know how much longer we can hold out.”
Back at the well, the ponies managed to drive back the dogs, cheering as they did so. Luna sighed before digesting the information given to her, “Are the pegasi ready?”
“The last I had heard, the clouds are almost charged.”
Luna picked up her warhammer with her magic, “Give them a little more time, then give the signal.”
As she crushed a few more canine skulls, she idly wondered what happened to Altaïr. There was no way a being of that power would die so easily at the hands of these weaklings. But the Great Khan was said to be as sharp as a razor and may have wriggled out of whatever hole he was hiding in.
Her next swing only knocked a dog down instead of killing it. Luna quickly remedied that with a downward swing.
We must not worry. We have made several back-up plans and Gandalf is clever enough to set in motion half of them at the same time.
Luna was brought out of her musings with a start as a spear scraped against her armor. She shoved her doubts to the back of her mind as she eradicated the toothy grin the speardog had on his face.
Out in the distance, thunder rumbled as lightning struck the attacking forces. One particular dog attracted Luna’s attention amidst the panicked horde. He was about the same height as the other dogs, and wore the same weapons and armor. Luna would have dismissed him as more cannon fodder if it wasn't for the way he carried himself, the way he maintained his composure as he tried to rally the dogs together.
Her horn lit up and she shot a destructive blast of energy at the commander. The commander’s eyes widened as he saw the bright blast heading straight for him. He quickly dove for the side and the blast whizzed harmlessly past him and into an unlucky warrior who promptly exploded into bits.
The commander stood up and snarled at her, his eyes alight with fury, and motioned to the dogs around him to charge, which they gladly did.
Luna smirked at the display.
It seems that there is actually a competent mutt amongst this rabble.
She looked to the ponies around her. Several were on the ground, either unconscious, dead, or about to be dead. The remainder were fighting like animals backed into a corner.
Seeing as we are severely outnumbered, the levies seem to be doing fine.
Luna looked back at the commander and his entourage who were slowly approaching her, the commander himself had a wary expression mixed with a little hate, and was that?
The commander is wise enough to fear Us, it seems.
Luna waited patiently as they made a semicircle around her. She never looked away from the commander and ignored the few arrows that managed to strike her helm and chest armor. Soon enough, the commander’s advance ground to a halt, with all the dogs involved having uncertain looks in their faces. She smiled a sweet smile, “May We begin?”