Anima Mea Tenebre

by Nixus

Shriekers

Sweat fell off Twilight's brow, running in small rivulets down the back of her neck and dripping from her chin with each step along the mountain path. Her dogged breaths gave her little respite as she trudged on, muscles burning with effort and making her wonder just how close they were to failing entirely. They had been climbing and since the morning, ascending over the craggy rocks and the broken shale of the mountain for hours. They had made their way through the forest and the beginning of the mountain pass in the early morning, following Prince Frostfeather and the guards who were familiar with the old route. The dawn had not given them much cover in terms of light, but Dante had suggested it when Twilight had given a description of the monster that had attacked him.

Since that night, Dante and the others had been on edge, constantly looking over their shoulders and scanning the ledges all around them. That had subsided as the sun had risen, but there was still the occasional glance over the shoulder. Every now and then there were whispers between them, hushed and worried but laced with hints of something close to disgust. Whatever that monster was, it seemed that it had a reputation among them.

Though that was only one of the two major issues present as they ascended the mountain. The other was the lack of presence from the fourth member from Dante's team. Coppa's disappearance was taking its toll on not only his team, but on the Griffons who were already on the verge of collapsing, and on her and her friends.
She peered over her shoulder and watched as her friends trudged behind her, making up the end of the group. They looked as tired and exhausted as she did, with the majority of them looking ready to collapse. Even the two physically gifted mares appeared to be on their last legs, only able to drive themselves forward on through sheer determination.

"Twilight," she turned as Dante called her. He stood to the side of the path, balancing on the unsteady and cracked shale of the mountain. He looked as exhausted as she was with the sweat giving his skin a nice sheen. He had his mouth and nose covered by his scarf to protect against the wind and dust that kicked up every so often, but he pulled it down as she approached him. "How are you and the others doing?"

Normally, Twilight would have been touched by the concern for her and her friends, but she was too exhausted to even reply. Instead, she collapsed on her side and marvelled at how comfortable a piece of slate could be even if it poked at her ribs with its jagged ends.

"That answers that," Dante chuckled as he sat down. The column ahead had begun to slow down and it looked as though someone had called for them to rest. He sat down next to her and patted her side reassuringly as she breathed deeply. "It'll be ok, just focus on breathing."

"Why did I agree to this?" Twilight moaned before she fell back to panting like a dog in the hot sun. She managed to get on her stomach and rest her head on the ground as the midday sun warmed the rocks around her while the mountainous breeze felt cool against her skin and fur. She found the feeling of Dante's hand to be rather pleasant and hummed a bit as he rubbed her side.

"You brought this on yourself," Dante joked, wiping away a strand of hair that was on Twilight’s face. She could not help but chuckle at the gesture as she adjusted her head and laid in his lap. It was a surprisingly bold move she thought in hindsight, but his leg was comfortable and he did not seem to mind as he rested a hand on the back of her head. “I’m still happy you decided to follow us.”

Twilight turned her head toward Dante and met his smile with one of her own. “You’re not angry at us? We completely ignored you and now we’re slowing you down. I thought you’d be at least a little angry.”

“I’m happy, but I wouldn’t say I’m not a little disappointed in you six. We told you to stay put, but you decided to come anyways. There is just not much we can do about this now. It’s too dangerous for you to go back to your balloon. It’s unfortunate, but not entirely unpleasant,” Dante said calmly. Twilight’s smile grew and she sighed contently as Dante moved to stroke her ear. “What you should be concerned with is the fact you didn’t just go behind my back, but you went behind Princess Celestia’s too.”

Twilight’s eyes shot open as a chill went down her spine. The knowledge had been pushed aside to the depths of her mind, but the fear was all too present now. There was no end to the possibilities of what sort of punishments Celestia could have come up with, and Twilight could not decide on which was more appropriate for her practically treasonous decision. "She's going to banish me to the moon..."

Her worries drew a chuckle from Dante and she looked at him with annoyance. "You're worrying too much," he said lightly. "I don't think Celestia is going to go that far. She'll be disappointed and she's going to give you a lecture, but I think she'll be more relieved that you're not hurt." He adjusted his scarf a little and Twilight saw the uneasy expression on his face mixing with his nervous laugh. "On the other hand, she'll probably banish me to the moon after your mother finishes destroying me if I let anything happen to you."

"So it looks like both of us have a banishment to look forward to when we get back," Twilight said, chuckling. Dante laughed with her, but his was an uneasy one and she noticed how his eyes continuously glanced at the ridge they needed to pass before they entered the capital. The air around him seemed to become thick and heavy, and she noted the strange presence of magic around him that's was both familiar and alien at the same time. "Is something wrong, Dante? You seem worried."

“It’s nothing, Twilight,” Dante said quietly. “Just thinking on some things…”

“Is this about Coppa?”

“No… Coppa can handle himself,” Dante murmured. “This isn’t the first time one of us has gotten lost, not to mention we have plans for what we should do if one of us gets separated. We’ll probably find him somewhere just outside the city limits waiting for us if he’s smart.” He let out a soft sigh and leaned back. "I have faith in him."

“Then something what else is bothering you?”

Dante shrugged, but the troubled expression remained. “It might sound strange, but I’m having an odd feeling about the city…”

Twilight nodded. “I know what you mean, Dante. I’ve never done anything like this, but it’s the same sensation I got whenever the girls and I had to save Equestria.” Her hoof made her way to her stomach and she pressed down to feel the slight fluttering within her. “It feels like hundreds of little butterflies just flying around inside of you, just enhancing that nervous feeling in your mind.”

Dante looked down as his own hand pressed against his stomach. “In a way it is, Twilight. I am nervous and that feeling is overwhelmingly present inside my stomach. But I don't ever remember a time where a feeling of familiarity came with that,” he muttered before standing up. Twilight went to ask about his meaning, but looked up with him to see a dusty brown Griffon flying towards them. He landed a small ways off and walked the last part of the distance in an attempt to regain his breath.

The soldier quickly saluted, pounding a fist against his breastplate and holding it over his heart; a typical salute to those of non-griffon heritage who were respected or honoured guests if Twilight recalled from the cultural books she had read long ago in Canterlot Castle. He dipped his head to both of them to hide the final deep breath he swallowed before he stated his message. "Sir, officer Murkclaw reporting. I am to let you know that our scouts have seen a group of creatures ahead of us. They only number about ten, but the Prince and his advisors wish to know your thoughts on what we should do."

"Tell them I'll be there soon," Dante told Murkclaw while he offered the griffon a canteen of water from his bag. Murkclaw took it gratefully and greedily drained it. He wiped the small remains off his beak before he handed it back and unfurled his wings to take off back towards his superiors. Dante turned back and extended his hand for Twilight. "Are you coming with me? I'll need you to identify these things so I can help deal with them."

"Sure, I'll be up there in a minute," she replied. "I'm just going to let the other girls know and then I'll come. Don't worry about me getting lost. I found you one time; I'll be more than able to find you again."

Her response drew a laugh from the Diablon as he wrapped his face with his scarf and departed with a wave. In turn, she looked back and beckoned for her friends into following her. When she turned back around and set off after Dante she watched him as he climbed upwards, a strange happiness in the memory of how at ease and open he was. Of course she was happy they had grown just a little closer.

She was so caught up in her thoughts, she hardly noticed the shadowy figure watching her and her friends from its perch in a high outcropping overlooking the path.

*****

Dante's mood darkened as he crouched next to Moe and Sam behind a low wall. The path had led them to what could only be described as a naturally formed arena of sorts. The area was flat and nearly uniform save for the occasional boulder and oddly shaped pillar. High, curved faces of stone surrounded the area on either side, creating an oval shaped formation that was separated into four quarters by naturally formed spaces that had opened over the years and grown with the natural shift of the earth’s crust.

A quick glance along the walls revealed numerous holes that were all-natural in appearance, but had the distinct signs of refuse that told him something had taken up living there at one point. Had the situation been different, he would have taken his time to examine the area. It certainly seemed this place could have served some function hundreds of years ago, perhaps as an arena or a ritual area at the very least. In his mind, he could almost imagine both scenarios and he made a mental note to at least attempt a return trip if they were successful in liberating the Griffon capital. If they weren’t then the area’s secrets would be hidden just a little while longer.

The thought brought his spirits down slightly. He looked to the side and directly to the spot next to Moe where the missing member of their group should have been. He hated this situation completely. He should never had let Coppa run off, or drink that much. Multiple examples had given him enough experience to know how combative the dwarf was when alcohol was involved and now they were paying the price. He should have seen Coppa’s brash attitude coming from a mile away. Now the team was paying the price.

"Dante, look over there," Moe said from his hiding spot behind a small broken column. His bow was at the ready with an arrow nocked and held in place between the fingers of his bow hand. "They're on the left of the column directly ahead."

Dante peered over the edge of the rock, following Moe's instruction. A shiver went down his spine as he saw what had attacked them the previous night. He could hear them clamouring and the occasional high-pitched screech as two large figures swiped at each other. He had thought he recognized that sound, but he desperately hoped we had been wrong then. Now the sight of chitinous carapace and the sound of screeching confirmed his worst fears.

Shriekers.

Dante swallowed nervously as he scanned the holes again. Named after their unique, piercing screech, Shriekers were apex hunters and were fiercely territorial. They were strong, fast, and were unparalleled infiltrators, making them an adventurers worst nightmare. Possessing infrared vision, it was almost impossible to hide from a pack of them. A victim's best bet was either to make peace with their gods, or to somehow fend off against a monster that was able to bite through stone. It was no wonder that the Griffons were afraid for their lives. One of the first lessons every adventure was taught at Particus was that if you were near a hive and came across a Shrieker -even a solitary one in the rare event that it became separated from its hive- you turned the other way and you ran as fast as you could. A small group of the monsters could wipe out and gorge themselves on a small village in a matter of minutes, and leave nothing except bloody smears and empty buildings.

When Dante looked to Moe and Sam, he was not surprised to see them as pale as he was. A good number of their classmates had their careers ended by these things, and those that had lost a limb had considered it a miracle. In those cases, they had stumbled into packs just like these. Now the bigger question was sitting on Dante’s mind: How were they supposed to get past these two?

“It had to be Shriekers,” Moe whispered his complaint, wary not to attract the attention of the monsters. It was only by chance that the two beasts were too busy fighting each other to notice them. However, their behaviour struck the group as a little off. “Dante, is it me or does something seem weird about these ones?”

Dante nodded. Shriekers were biologically divided into three different castes, much like any insect hive. He could see by their size and shape that the two Shriekers were part of the drone caste. They resembled an abnormal small human that had been crossed with a spider, crawling on what appeared to be arms and legs with four extra insect like appendages from their back. Their skin was night black just like the eight eyes that were set around their heads, just above their split jaws. Though deadly in their own way, they lacked the inherent danger and many of the natural weapons of the elite warrior caste. However, he had never seen or heard of infighting between workers. Of all the three castes, workers were perhaps the most docile. To see such random acts of aggression could mean only one thing.

"They're being controlled," Dante said. He could feel the magic emanating from them. It enveloped the two like a thick and heavy blanket, and the sheer power behind it seemed overwhelming even from where he stood. Strangely enough, there was also that familiar feeling that seemed to mix in with the magic around them. A sudden thought struck him and he turned to Moe and Sam. "We need to take them down. I need to see what Ravenn did to them."

Moe stared at his friend as though he just grew a second head. "Dante, just to clarify before you make us do this: do you want us to die? Because this is how you get someone killed."

Dante shook his head and looked back. "We need to do this quickly and quietly. If we don't then we are all dead." Behind them, he could see the Griffons and Twilight's group coming closer with every second. "Do you think you could make a shot from here Moe?"

"Give me a second, I'll need to range this," Moe said before his voice dropped to a whisper. A stream of calculations spewed from his mouth as he flexed hand. When he finished, he nodded quickly to Dante. "I can do it. Left one or right?"

"Left. I'll take the right one and Sam will finish what's left," Dante answered. He looked behind them again, gauging how much time they had left before the others arrived to alert the two drones. "We need to do this quickly. If those two spot all of us, we're going to be dealing with the entire hive."

Moe nocked an arrow in his bow and drew the string back slightly while Sam unsheathed his katana. “Ready,” Moe said quietly. Dante nodded and waited another moment as he harnessed his magic, directing it towards his staff. The cool metal warmed, giving his hands a pleasant heat source to hold while the tips of his staff crackled with lightning.

Subconsciously, he already had a second spell waiting as he signalled to Moe and Sam. The Felpier launched himself over the rock they had been hiding begin while Dante and Moe let their volley fly. The two Drones turned towards then, but they barely had time to voice their surprise as the attack hit them.

If they had the capacity to think, Dante would have assumed the drones would have regretted their lack of awareness. At the very least, they may felt a sliver of anger at the irony of their situation, having been ambushed despite being an apex predator. Though he doubted the drone he had struck head on with his spell was able to form such a thought as it exploded like balloon from the ferocity of his magic.

The other drone may have counted itself somewhat fortunate as Moe's arrow sunk itself into its shoulder. It cried out in pain regardless and Dante could hear Moe curse the slight mistake as he drew a second shot. The opportunity had just gotten extremely dangerous and Moe knew it. Even as blood ran down the drone's arm and the shock of the attack wore on, it would not be enough to stop the monster from calling for aid.

Sam quickly closed the distance, spurred on to finish the job. He swung down, aiming his blade for the drone’s neck. He managed only a shallow cut on the arm of the drone as it managed to roll away from him. Sam gave it little time to escape as he followed through with a second slash while it attempted to land on its feet. His mark made itself present when the drone stopped, giving him a clear shot at its centre. His blade whistled as it cut through air and both Dante and held their breaths in anticipation when the drone raised the legs on its back to block the blow.

It's over Dante thought, watching the blow come down. The drone's legs would only provide a small amount of resistance to Sam's weapon. Its exoskeleton would prove no match to a sharp sword and he watched with a macabre relief as the first leg parted from its body, sailing through the air.

A sudden and horrible scraping noise shattered his thoughts of relief as Sam's strike halted immediately as it touched the second limb. Shocked, the three of them watched the leg slowly start to grow glassy and jagged, before becoming completely crystallized. The effect slowly traveled downwards, encasing the monster's entire head and chest, leaving only its left arm and lower half bare. Sam attempted to pull his sword away, but struggled as the drone used its now crystalline arm and held onto it.

"Get away from it, Sam!" Dante yelled as his mind struggled to figure out what was going on. Panic began to set in as he quickly threw out another spell. Lightning crackled from his staff and it blazed out towards the drone, striking it directly in the side. The force of the blast managed to throw the creature off, allowing Sam to wrest his sword away from it, but it seemed to shrug off the blow.

The drone let out an angry screech as it recognized the greater threat and launched itself at Dante. Crystalline legs launched it high into the air and it extended its claws towards Dante as it went in for the kill. Dante snarled back as he dropped his staff and drew his sword, swinging at the drone with as much strength as he could put into the blow. He recognized the futility of his situation, but desperation drove him to try anything he could to keep himself alive.

The blow caught the drone in the crook of its neck and the force behind the swing sent it off to the side. The drone smashed into a column, kicking up dust as the rock collapsed on it. Dante seized his chance and grabbed his staff while he backed away. Sam and Moe retreated to his side, panting as they looked to Dante with uncertainty.

"Ok so magic and weapons... not working much," Moe said, "what do we do?"

"Why didn't Frostfeather tell us about this?" Sam growled as the drone managed to throw off a stone. It was still partially trapped beneath the rubble, but the pile of stone was not going to hold it forever.

"This looks like a desperation move," Dante answered. They had gotten lucky so far, he admitted. It seemed the drone had faith that it could take all three of them on with the help of its ability. He only wondered how long that would go before it called for reinforcements. "We backed it into a corner and now it's throwing all it has at us, which apparently includes this." Another stone flew off the drone towards the three and they ducked as it missed them by inches. "It isn't going to be long before it calls for the others. We need to find a way to strip those crystals off of it."

"And what do you propose we do to do that?" Moe asked. "Magic and weapons don't work on it. Those crystals are resistant to anything we have."

Dante shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t think of anything other than trying to smash those things off it, but without Coppa here I doubt we can do that on our own.” He quickly glanced behind them and saw the front of the group just about to crest the hill. “There has to be something-”

He was interrupted as the drone threw off the last of the stones and freed itself. It leapt from the pile and spared through the air, landing in front of the three. It swept a leg at Sam, catching him beneath the jaw with a blow that sent him sprawling out on the ground. Dante had only a moment as he blocked the follow up strike with his staff. Moe was not as lucky as the limb caught him in the crook of his neck. Stunned, he fell to the dirt and groaned as his bow fell from his limp fingers.

Dante lashed out and managed to catch the drone's leg between the prongs of his staff. He swung his other arm back and gripped the sword tight as he brought it down on the leg. The blade rang out as it smashed into the crystal, but failed to bite any further. He swore out in surprise before jumping back as the drone swiped at him again before lunging forward.

The attack was weak, but quick, and Dante hissed as its claws tore the reinforced fabric of his uniform, slicing the skin of his chest. Despite the searing pain of his wound, he took advantage of the opening the drone gave him. He twisted slightly and countered with his own strike, catching the drone on its exposed side.

His blade dug through the drone’s insect like flesh and produced a spray of gore that spattered him. He used the momentum of the attack and rolled himself to his feet, quickly going to rub the offending liquid from his sight. He knew he was giving the monster a chance to strike back, but his choices were either to risk the one opening or to fight blinded. He spun back to face the drone, though he saw it lying still on the ground, unmoving as his vision cleared.

A resounding cheer reached his ears, originating from the griffons and ponies that had crested the hill. He looked up and saw one pony break off from the group and race towards him. The next thing he knew, a wall of purple fur blinded him, and he felt two arms wrap around his neck. An exhausted smile found its way to his lips, but it was replaced by a slight grimace as pressure began to build on his wounded chest.

"Oh no, Dante! I'm so sorry!" Twilight exclaimed as she backed away. Dante gingerly examined his chest and looked at the still bleeding wounds. They weren't life threatening or very deep, but they still hurt and he was going to have to act to keep them from being infected. Twilight seemed to notice his concern and levitated his bag towards herself. "I'll help you," she said as she rummaged through the vast depths of the magically altered bag. She withdrew the healing potion from it and presented it to Dante who took it with a murmur of thanks. "How bad is it?"

Dante managed to pull his shirt off with only a small amount of pain. He looked down, frowning as he popped the cork off the potion. "It's just a flesh wound; my shirt suffered the worst out of that fight. Though I think Sam and Moe may need more help than I do," he added, watching as the two in question rise with pained groans. He dabbed some of the mixture onto the cuts and waited as the potion helped close the wounds. Twilight watched with fascination, but kept her eyes on Dante to make sure he wasn't lying about his situation.

"I'm glad you're all ok," Twilight replied. Content that Dante was actually out of danger. "For a minute I didn't think any of you would make it."

Dante shook his head. "Trust me, I thought the same. Drones are dangerous, but don't usually prove to be that difficult."

"Drones? Is that monster is related to what attacked us last night?"

"Yes and no. The thing that attacked us was probably a warrior, just a different version." He raised a hand as Twilight went to ask about what he meant. "I'll explain later. We can't stay here, it's not safe, and I doubt we can risk another fight with any caste that's lurking around."

"Ok," Twilight said. "I'll go back and tell the others. Will you be able to..."

She trailed off as a shadow covered them and both she and Dante stared in horror as the drone rose on its hind legs. It let out a bellowing scream as it threw itself at Twilight and Dante, claws extended and aiming for them.

Dante could hear the shouts of concern that came from Moe and Sam mixing with panicked screams and cries coming from the other ponies as momentum brought the drone's claws closer to them. On instinct, Dante dropped the glass bottle and let the potion shatter on the ground as he covered the mare with his body. If he was going to die, he was going to at least give Twilight a window to be saved. With that sliver of hope in mind, he braced himself, waiting for the burning pain and the endless dark that would follow.

The sounds of flesh tearing and of a wet splatter hitting the ground filled his ears, but there was no pain. Instead, he found himself still breathing, still clutching Twilight close to him, and the fading pain of the wound on his chest. Slowly his eyes opened to see Twilight's stunned look. His confusion mounted as he followed her eyes and he looked down.

Directly at the twitching drone impaled on the large black tendril that had sprung from his shadow.

Dante let go of Twilight and fell back in shock. The tendril froze, slowly disappearing into dust while he scrambled away. He scrambled away to grab his sword but froze at his reflection and the two black and red eyes that stared back at him.

"How?" he asked himself, entirely aware of the answer. There was no cheering anymore. Only an uncomfortable silence remained, punctuated by the confused murmurs of a few griffons.

Then the shrieks came; a cry of alarm and of rage that froze his heart.

The blackness that had swallowed his eyes reverted to its original white and he hurriedly gripped his sword. He rose to his feet, turning to their group as the Prince's forces flowed towards them in a panic. He saw Twilight standing rigid in shock, her eyes darting from him to the corpse and back.

"Twilight," his voice seemed to break her trance and she met his eyes. He could see the look of relief on her face as she saw his eyes had returned to normal. He fought the sudden swell of shame in his chest before he grabbed her. "We need to get everyone out of here. Do you have any sort of spells that will amplify my voice?"

She nodded, quickly casting the spell on Dante. He felt a strange tingle in his throat and when it subsided, he quickly turned to the griffons.

"Everyone into the pass! Every one of these things will be here soon!"

*****

The clinking of chains and the smell of rancid meat woke Coppa up to a world of pain without comparison. His head hurt, his body hurt, practically everything hurt. His vision was spinning and blurred to the point he couldn’t see anything around him. What he knew was, judging from the clinking of chains and the lack of feeling in his arms, was that his hands were bound above him. A quick glance around the cell when his vision cleared, gave him a clear picture of the room.

The cell was small and just barely wide enough for him to stretch his arms out from his sides if he was able to. Its walls and floor were aged and cracked, and he could tell the entire room hadn’t been used in years by the smell of rust. Only the chains seemed new and a few tugs at them revealed that it would take a lot more strength than even he was capable to pull them from the wall. Without them Coppa had no doubt he could have managed to get past the bars with a good hit.

“Well shit,” he grunted, trying to pull his arms forward. The thick, iron chains strained against his effort as he put more effort into seeing how reduced his range of motion had become. At most, he could bring his arms to eye level and when he got to his feet, he could manage to almost touch his sides. “Well at least I can say that isn’t the worst place I’ve ever woken up in,” he said to himself, dropping back down to the ground.

A jolt of pain shot up from where his tail was and Coppa gasped in pain as he jumped to his feet. His hands clutched at his lower back, his shock turned to panic, and confusion arose as the furred extremity was nowhere to be found. A dwarf's tail was point of pride in their race. They were used as a means of expression and many customs involved the touching of the tail as a means of trust. Now all that remained of his was a scabbed and bleeding stump.

"What the fu-"

"Ah, the young dwarf finally wakes," a chilling voice cut him off as the door scraped along the floor on rusted hinges. Coppa looked up, anger rising and causing the corners of his sight to tinge red. He let out a harsh growl as Ravenn entered the cell, dressed in a robe with a blood-caked surgeon's apron. "I should apologise about the hastily done procedure on your ears and tail, but alas I am more of a doctor and less of a veterinarian. Docking a dog is not something I've done before."

Coppa's confusion at the statement have way to fury as he touched the side of his head. At the same time, Ravenn produced a small circular mirror and allowed Coppa examine his reflection. His ears were in the same state as his tail. They had been shortened completely. Only the base and a bit of the outer portion remained. Now they resembled small triangles with rounded bases that barely poked out of his hair.

"You son of a bitch," Coppa yelled, lunging at the elf. The chains stopped him just inches short of Ravenn’s face. “You’re lucky you got these chains on me when I was passed out. If they weren’t I would’ve taken a larger chunk outta you.”

Ravenn sighed and shook his head in disapproval. “I thought that as a warrior you would see the tactical benefit in this operation. With no tail and shortened ears, you are now a harder target to catch in a conflict. I may not have been able to do it professionally, but I did put in as much effort as I could. After all, I did the procedure and read up on your race’s barbaric history as a means of thanking you for helping me, despite my aversion to your kind.”

“Oh, so my doctor is a racist then. That’s just dandy,” Coppa spat, voice dripping with sarcasm. “And what are you even talking about? How the hell have I ever helped you? I wouldn’t piss on you even if you were on fire.”

“My my, what language you have. We'll work on that later though,” Ravenn sneered. Coppa moved back, allowing his chains to slacken as a plan formed in his head. With caution, he carefully wound the chains around wrist as Ravenn spoke. "I suppose I should give you a reason, as to why I wish to thank you. Therefore, I will put in words even you can understand. You were correct the last time we faced each other."

"Correct about what?"

"My specimens and their quality," Ravenn replied casually. "I admit that I had gotten defensive after you mocked my work, but I have always put an ostentatious amount of pride in what I do. My research on the use of mind controlling parasites has always been criticized, and my peers even labelled me as inhumane for the advances I have made in my field! Yet I've progressed and made more developments than they could hope for, and they still have the gall to try and discredit me!"

Coppa stared at the elf summoner incredulously. "Wow... You really can't take any criticism can you? Like this isn't even a small progression; you're literally going from zero to one hundred instantly."

"My research and experimentation have allowed for advances in the control of monsters that could not even be fathomed ten years ago. Using mind worm larvae has even marginally successful on the many races. It would allow for adventuring parties to continue fighting even after they had perished or suffered injury if a summoner is present."

"So you're not controlling anyone... Just the worms you've implanted in their brains? You'd keep their bodies going even after they lose consciousness or die."

"Yes, you understand it perfectly! I am creating an entirely new breed of creature that summoners can control without needing a ritual. This is my life’s work!" Ravenn shouted joyously. "But you showed me that my work is far from finished. When you tore through all those specimens months ago, you showed how largely ineffective they were. While I was initially angered that my work had been destroyed, I saw your point and reflected on it. Those failures were lethargic and could hardly make a difference in a critical situation. Was it the batch of subjects I had used? Were the larvae not responding to my commands? I did not know, thus my work needed further experimentation."

Coppa kept quiet, clenching his fists and kept wrapping the chains around his arms. Every word Ravenn said made him almost physically sick. Mind worms practically sucked the control from a person, leaving them to be used by the insect. The victim was the worm’s puppet and Ravenn was the one instructing them on which strings to pull. All he wanted was to make the elf stop talking. Just a little bit to go, and then he'll shut up. Gotta stay calm.

Still he felt his control slipping. It was the same feeling he had experienced the night before. The red tinging his sight; the urge to fight; the desire to simply destroy what was in front of him.

"My second point of thanks was merely bringing me to this world. Had you and your friends not interfered, then my research would be years behind where it currently stands." Ravenn continued. His focus was on himself and a small stone he was currently holding in his hand. “Lastly, my final thanks deals with what you unveiled the previous night. The abilities of these two stones were easy to unlock using the chaos of my take over, but the final one never seemed to react as well as its compatriots. Your sudden entrance however, revealed what was needed was just -”

Coppa’s plan had been to fool Ravenn into think his chains had been tighter than they were. It was a gamble, and a terrible one at that. A quick glance would have seen right through it. Ravenn on the other hand, was too busy orating to even notice that he had stepped far too close to Coppa.

With fast hands and surprising savagery, Coppa whipped his arms around so that his cupped hands smacked directly on Ravenn’s ears. The elf staggered, and Coppa took hold of his head, wrapping his fingers and digging them into Ravenn’s scalp. He threw Ravenn forward with a yell and smashed his face into the wall. The sickening crack of cartilage filled his ears, but in his state, the noise was like sweetest music. He repeated the process again and again, spattering blood and cracking bone. When he was done, he let the body fall to the ground, limp as a ragdoll.

His anger sated, Coppa breathed heavily as the rush faded. He looked at his hands, the fur stained with a reddish tinge that gave them a rusty appearance. A sense of sickness rose in his throat at the violent scene, but he quickly swallowed it. His intent hadn’t been to go this far, only to knock Ravenn out. Instead, he had either killed the elf or turned him into a vegetable.

Needing to rid himself of the grim thought, he knelt down and wiped them off on Ravenn’s apron before he rooted through its pockets. If there was any chance that there was key somewhere in Ravenn’s clothes, Coppa was going to take it. He’d been lucky so far, perhaps that streak would continue.

His finger brushed against something small and metallic, bringing a grin to his face. He wished he could have rubbed the fact in Moe’s face, recounting the many times his friend had downplayed his belief in sheer luck. Without his friends present, he resigned himself to quickly escaping. Having found the key, he only needed to find the keyholes in the cuffs around his wrists before he could leave.

“As expected, anger and violent emotion seems to feed it power. General proximity to the stone causes major increases in aggression and willingness to utilise lethal force. More caution is advised when standing in close proximity to test subjects,” Ravenn said, hacking up blood. Coppa watched with horror as Ravenn wiped the blood from his face, acting as though his nose had only been bloodied. “Now to move onto the next phase of experimentation.”

With gore mostly gone from his face, Coppa could see the sickly green pallor that Ravenn’s skin had taken on. His face was still a mess of torn muscle and cracked bone, but as the moments passed, it twisted and reshaped itself. Muscle and skin shifted, crawling as the bones formed back together, restoring Ravenn’s face back to normal.

“Surprised by your own actions?” he asked, turning to Coppa and flashing his newly reconstructed teeth. He snapped his fingers and two Griffons entered the room. Their emotionless eyes were clouded white, a side effect of the worms within their brain, but their sight was unaffected by the parasite. “There are so many things these artifacts can show you about your true nature, and so much power to gain from them.”

With another snap of his fingers, one griffon produced an open box that held a jagged, ruby red stone shaped like a spearhead. Small veins stretched over the stones surface, coloured like molten magma. They glowed rhythmically, and the effect gave the stone an almost eerie appearance like that of a beating heart.

"Magnificent isn't it?" Ravenn whispered into Coppa's ear. The dwarf stood transfixed, unable to turn away from the stone. Invisible claws seemed to hold his head towards the stone, and he could feel something within his mind begin to stir. He stifled the small growl that built in his throat, but Ravenn seemed to notice the effect of the artifact. "Let it happen, dwarf. Let its power deep into you; show me what secrets it holds. It seems to favor you. Now show me why"

The sound of Ravenn's voice gave Coppa the extra motivation to resist the influence of the stone. Its glow faded and the pulsing slowed until it stopped completely. Coppa let himself fall down, the mental exhaustion taking its toll on his body. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ravenn look at the stone with disappointment.

"You said this thing feeds of anger? Guess it doesn't work if I'm not pissed," Coppa spat. "You underestimated just how stubborn I can be if I don't want to do something. I won't give you the satisfaction of being your emotional guinea pig."

"How unfortunate, I had hoped you'd be more cooperative. Are you sure you really desire to make things difficult?"

"Well that depends, can you go fuck yourself?"

Ravenn sighed and shook his head in disappointment.” I see," He turned to one of the enslaved griffons. "Bring the child and a worm from the latest batch."

"Child? What are you talking about?" Coppa demanded as the Griffon left. The eleven summoner picked up the stone and carefully held it in his hands while Coppa strained against his chains. "Ravenn answer me!"

"It's quite simple really. You are type of person who will take the fall for another. So I shall circumvent the hours of obviously ineffective physical persuasion and use your benevolence to my benefit." Ravenn answered. "Now let me ask you two questions. First, in my experiments I found that there is a forty percent chance that the operation of implanting one of the worms in these creatures’ heads will be successful. That is a sixty percent chance that an adult griffon will not survive the initial operation and twenty percent that those affected by the operation will suffer from a debilitating defect caused by the worms themselves. What do you think a juvenile's chances of success are?"

"You sadistic piece of shit! I'm going to rip you apart!"

"Second question." Ravenn smiled as the stone began to glow once more, cascading the room in ethereal red light. "I'm wondering what will break first: the child, or you?"

*****

Izzy stared at the night sky from the comfort of his bedroll as the moon made its way over the Saddle Arabian desert. The night was cold and the small fire built from a few dead sticks that had been scattered around the oasis he had camped in did little to improve his mood. Under normal circumstances, he would have enjoyed this time alone, reminiscing about days past. Yet his mind had focused on the darker aspects of his experiences.

How he wished to think of anything but those dark days. He had never been one to sour his moods, but there was little else he could do to find a new subject to think on. He was alone, camping by himself in some godforsaken piece of desert with only a faint idea of where he was headed and no clue as to what lay in store for him.

With a weary sigh, he rose from his bedroll. Grabbing a pot from his bag, he beat his wings and floated over to the edge of the oasis. A quick spot of tea would help calm his mind. It would keep him alert and provide something to do while he rested; a lesson that had been drilled into him many years ago and from teacher he remembered fondly.

The thought itself was already lifting his mood, accompanied by the trace scent of lilac. His smile was reflected in the still pool in front of him, and he took a moment to study the youthful face that housed his old mind. “If only one could see just who we really are beyond the face we present. How many would believe my story?”

“If that was the case then our history would be radically altered.”

Izzy did not turn around to face the voice. Instead, he knelt down and filled his pot with water. “I was not expecting company on this night,” he said. Slowly, he made his way back to the campfire while attempting to keep the pot from spilling over. “Would you care for some tea, stranger? I was just preparing some.” His smile never faltered even as he looked up to see a Diablon with scarlet and black eyes, cloaked in dark robes, looking back at him. “Perhaps we can talk while you rest your feet?”

“Isaiah, you must hurry to Equestria,” Beleth said. “Time conspires against you. Your allies are soon to be in danger.”

“What do you mean? How do you know my name?” Izzy asked before a sudden realisation overcame him. “Martin! Is Martin alive? What danger is he in?” he asked. He dropped his pot, spilling the water into the sand. The water was greedily sucked up by the sand while Izzy stopped in front of the diablon. “Is he alright? Please... answer me!”

Beleth looked down on the panicked fairy with sadness. “The first seal has broken. The Shepherd of Fire once again finds breath from his new host.”