The Necromancer's Ambition

by KuroiTsubasaTenshi

18 - The Lioness

The clattering of talons raking across the floor intermingled with Gaelle spouting several variations of “What the Tartarus?!” sent a chill speeding down my spine.

“Appears… … problem,” was Prideful Policy’s reply, his tone carrying an icy calm that made my hairs stand on end.

The crash of a door swinging into the wall was accompanied by Gaelle’s voice escalating into an irritated screech. “Why are you still standing around?! Go check it out!”

Her words hit me like a bundle of needles to the hindquarters, setting my hooves in motion. I needed to get out and I needed to do it now. Various bottles and other supplies scattered every which way as I plowed through them.

Despite the noise, Mocha seemed to be too busy shouting over his shoulder to notice me. “Cedar! What did I tell you about the next time I find a mare in my clos—!”

I slammed into him at full speed, the door frame groaning as he crashed into it. Though I careened off in the opposite direction, a few unsteady steps allowed me to restore my balance.

The pegasus and griffon bandits, who were to my immediate right, were left behind as I blasted past. My eyes darted around the balcony, trying to formulate a plan better than ‘get away from them’. And even then, I wasn’t doing a very good job.

I was headed for the far end of the left balcony, which happened to be straight toward the orange earth pony bandit. On the upside, she was only half-turned to face me by the time I’d closed the gap. She lashed out with an awkward, highly telegraphed heatbutt.

Easily ducking the attack, I planted myself low, then sprung up, throwing all my weight against the bandit’s side. She stumbled back, but I knew that would do little to stop an earth pony. Swinging around, I lashed out with my hind legs. Both hooves found home, the sickening chorus of cracking bone and straining wood filling the air.

Satisfied that she would be unable to follow, I pushed off, hoping I hadn’t given the rest of my opponents too much time to catch up. Barely had I finished the thought when, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the pegasus bandit across the gap. She was already running parallel to me on the other balcony, no doubt aiming to cut me off at the end where the two joined.

I stole a glance over the railing. The empty space around the displays seemed so inviting. It would be so simple to hop down and reach the front door. But it was the most likely place to be guarded and I could no longer trust the route to be safe. Not to mention the blue earth pony disembarking the stairs ensured that the side doors would be a serious risk. I was both impressed and annoyed by his foresight.

In such a spur-of-the-moment defense, my best bet was the door at the end of the hall. It was more or less one of the full pane windows with a large handle attached. But at that moment, with the afternoon sun filtering through, giving the door a sort of orangey halo, it was my salvation.

There was no time to check for a lock and even if there was, my response would have been a firm buck, anyway. So I skipped right to the end. The glass was surprisingly sturdy and unwilling to break. The handle, on the other hoof, was too happy to tear loose from the beam.

I squinted as I charged out into the light—and freedom. Or so I thought until the griffon plowed into me.

We tumbled across the plank floor as a tangle of claws, hooves and paws. While the air and floor suffered the brunt of our wild swinging, the griffon did catch me once. Two talons grated across my chest, clawing awkwardly enough to do little more than scratch, while my forehoof glanced off the side of his neck.

Our scuffle could have easily carried on for several more feet, but the balcony railing had other plans. I found it first, gasping at the blurry sky as my barrel slammed into the vertical beams. The griffon didn’t do any better, being far too concerned with trying to claw my face to notice that his was about to meet solid wood. With a crack, his head rebounded off the railing, looking for all the world like he was going to collapse.

No. Forget about falling this way. I lashed out with my hind legs and the griffon wheezed, twisting as he straightened up; he was caught in that awkward place between trying to double over and momentum.

I wound up and struck again, pushing him as far away from me as I could. His stomach collapsed as he was thrown into the air, bouncing off of and over the railing. A dull thud, followed by several confused yells, wafted up to me.

Finally having a moment to breathe, I shook off my own daze and scrambled to my hooves. Sliding up to the railing, I stayed low, sticking my head out just enough to get an eye on the griffon. He laid in a twisted heap, though there was no blood, a good sign for him.

Several onlookers had around gathered around the bandit, with a few stragglers drifting in here and there.

So much for doing this quietly.

The villagers presented something of a strange mix of advantage and disadvantage. Flying away was almost certain to alert everypony and set the militia upon me. But if I could sneak down, perhaps I could blend into the crowd and slink away. I reached a wing back to make sure the poster was still coming with me… and touched thin air.

Where did I lose it?! My heart seized, though the clacking of talons behind me set it into overdrive. I whirled just in time to see Gaelle snatch the scroll off the floor.

“Looking for this?” She sneered.

“Maybe I am.” I watched her carefully, my mind whispering just how dire the situation had suddenly become.

After a short silence, her face twisted into annoyance. “What? Afraid to be a pain in the ass when my back isn’t turned?”

I couldn’t tell if she was buying time or simply a bit unhinged. Perhaps both, but I wasn’t in the mood for either. “You going to talk all day?”

“It’s just… polite to chitchat a bit before bending people to my will.” She raised a talon to the poster, tracing a line across it. “Now be a good little pony and come over here.”

“What if I told you I don’t care?”

“I’d call you a liar.”

It was a longshot, but it was all I had. There was no bluffing or tricking her and a fight would be unreasonably risky. The gambit was over and all I could do was save myself. I edged back until I felt my hind hooves touch the railing. From there, I skirted away from where the other bandit had fallen. I still had one advantage, minimal as it might be: giving chase with a scroll in one claw would be more than a little awkward.

“Scared?”

“Nah, just smart.” I turned and leapt off the side, spreading my wings just a bit to break my fall.

I landed to find the crowd had backed up, leaving room for me and, much to my dismay, the remaining pegasus and earth pony bandits. Even though both still had to close the distance, I was left with a griffon above me and a crowd boxing me in.

Gaelle’s head appeared over the railing. “Going so soon, thief?”

“You’re the one with the stolen goods, bandit,” I shot back.

A glitter of light caught my eye, pulling it to a crooked spear, as it floated over from behind the pegasus bandit and pressed up against her neck.

“Stand down. This is over,” Blaze called out from the crowd.

Gaelle simply grinned the grin of a bird of prey. “Yes, give yourself over to me.”

Oh, boy. Here comes the mess. With Blaze putting herself on the line, there was no turning back. We all stood tense, waiting for the others to move.

The pegasus bandit raised a hoof, but to my surprise, Blaze was quicker, the shaft of her spear cracking the bandit in the muzzle. The weapon spun around, sweeping out her forelegs before coming to a rest against the back of her neck.

“I said stand down!”

I had only a moment to shake away my astonishment as the earth pony charged in. Air whooshed through my coat as I narrowly sidestepped his hybrid of a headbutt and shoulder barge. I tossed my head as he continued past, smashing my forehead into the tender part of his barrel.

The earth pony bandit let out a gasp, slowing to a half-stagger as he turned for what would have been another pass. Seizing the opportunity, I pivoted and bucked. My right hoof dug in about where his neck would be. He let out a choking sound as I turned to face him.

With bulging muscles, the earth pony lunged, swinging wildly. I ducked under his forehoof, but a bit of his chest still managed to glance off my face and the world blurred. The bandit’s stumbling blow returned to the ground and I could of sworn I felt it shake.

Regardless, he had left himself open again and, blurriness or not, I decided to follow up with another head toss. There was a crack as the bandit’s jaw snapped shut and with a pained gurgle, the earth pony crumpled into a dazed heap.

There was only the barest of moments before Gaelle was upon me, a flash out of the corner of my eye. I leapt away, though I wasn’t quite fast enough, her talons grazing the surface of my cheek. I winced as beads of blood leaked out, gluing tufts of my coat together.

She came at me on two legs and even though her stance was less-than-graceful, her claws were a series of indistinguishable streaks in the air. I took a quick hop backward, knowing that such a strategy would have a hard time keeping up.

But I couldn’t dodge all day and who knows when more goons might show up. I needed some way to get past those talons, but there was no time to draw my wingblade. My eyes flitted around, looking—hoping—for some kind of opening, as I continued to back up. After another dozen or so swipes, I caught a glimpse of how she was moving her claws.

Stepping forward, I raised my wing, keeping it closed, but positioning to catch the crook of her arm. She stumbled, eyes going wide as her momentum carried her off-balance.

I ducked my head, winding up. With a twist, I shoved the talon aside and threw my head forward, slamming it straight into Gaelle’s gut. She let out a squawk as she rolled across the ground. But she didn’t stay there for long.

Fire filled her eyes and she was up, screeching through her limp as she charged me. I ducked under her beak, but there was little time for a counterattack. While staying on all fours kept the claws from coming out too fast, she was adding her own wing-strikes to the mix.

I kept my distance, circling and parrying only when I needed to. I knew the storm could not last forever. Inch-by-inch, she slowed and once it became visibly apparent, I made my move. Funny thing about griffon claws: they’re a lot easier to stomp on than hooves.

My forehoof came down hard with a sickening crack, though Gaelle’s agonized screech quickly overtook it. Our wings met and deflected off each other as I pummeled her neck with more headbutts. Finally, a talon caught my wing, making a small, clean slice across the muscle.

I made a hasty retreat, focusing entirely on guarding myself. But Gaelle didn’t seem to be feeling particularly bold, either, instead choosing to back up and nurse her own wounds. If nothing else, our little staredown allowed me to draw my blade and attached it to my wing.

As though on cue, we both charged again, leaping toward each other for the final strike. I got my wing above hers and held her against me as I came down with all my weight. She bounced once as she hit the ground, then skidded a short distance further, sending up a small film of dust.

I brought my blade down toward her neck, the move that would end it one way or another.

But the strike never even got close. A flash of purple light flooded my eyes and I felt myself being thrown back, an intense fire burning across my body wherever it hadn’t become numb. I tumbled head-over-hooves about three times before I could right myself.

As I spun to face Gaelle, my mind ground to a halt. A sickly green light filled her eyes while energy danced across her back like purple flames. They were somehow simultaneously intense and ominous, leaving her form a silhouette.

My throat seized, yet an involuntary whisper escaped my lips. “Sh-shadow Walker.”

Comments

[Sidetrack]

wut happen'd?

[GMZ_Casper]

I must admit, that twist at the end is a bit of a surprise. I'm curious to what the whole 'Shadow Walker' business is. By the way, was you trying to go for 'The Lioness' for this chapter's title, or was you being playful with the word usage?

[KuroiTsubasaTenshi]

4045590
Oops, yeah, that was a misspelling. My bad. >.>

4044755
Someone set her up the bomb.

3980068
Luck typically isn't something she has an abundance of. She tends to find a way to make due without, though.

[Khayul]

Luck typically isn't something she has an abundance of. She tends to find a way to make due without, though.

This is one of the reasons I really like this story, the characters aren't absed off luck ^^

[Knight Breeze]

Uh-oh! looks like we have an actual dark magic user in the house! Usually its necromancy, but this time it looks like someone sold their souls for direct power!
at this point, unless you have a wizard on hand, you are totally screwed.

[Rakaziel]

Really cool fight!

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Oh shit!