No Light

by Vargras

Act 1 | Chapter 6: Shifting Shadows

It's been four months since the last update of 'No Light'. Not everyone remembers everything that has happened without rereading previous chapters, and some of you may wish not to do so — however, I've made a brief recap for those of you wanting to get back into the story.

Ferous, a pegasus, has just recently been recruited by the Royal Guard. Despite only being in their ranks for a few weeks, he's already had his fair share of trouble: run-ins with senior members, a chance encounter with a a certain batpony (formally known as 'opliptera'), and to top it all off, a mishap with a prisoner has gotten him involved with a side of Equestria he didn't know existed.

The prisoner he attempted to help was, unbeknownst to him, possessed by a darker force. Accused of crimes against the state, Captain Procella of the Night Guard stood poised to execute him, if only to keep what he had seen a secret. Sergeant Noctis, the batpony he had befriended earlier on, had a timely intervention and put a stop to the execution by means of the Rite of Conscription, recruiting him into a shadowy organization known as the Vigil, and saving his life in the process.

As explained during their journey to destinations unknown, the Vigil was a group of ponies founded over a thousand years ago, and dedicated wholly to the destruction of malevolent entities within Equestria, namely demons. Noctis spoke of the origins of the opliptera, the Night Guard, the Vigil, and also of Luna's fall from grace.

Ferous was eventually introduced to something he never dreamt possible. Beneath Canterlot itself sat an older, original version of the city, one that was now home to the entire population of opliptera — Old Canterlot. After being given a brief tour of the city and Noctis' home, the two of them—under Luna's orders—took a trip to a nearby bar in order to get further acquainted with other members of the Vigil, and a night of drinking commenced, culminating in Noctis being carried back to her own home by Ferous.

The next day was no less busy, with Ferous being introduced to Luna and formally inducted into the Night Guard. Luna was every bit the definition of "goddess", and playful as she may have been, she discretely showed to Ferous a much more cunning side, one that would no doubt have plans for him in the coming days.

Now an official member of the Vigil, Noctis has taken Ferous off to the armory in order to be fully outfitted for the future. Others within the city have their own plans, however...

---

For the past several hours, Procella had been pacing back and forth within the confines of her office, privately mulling over several thoughts and plans within her head as she roamed the room. Standing in her midst were those she trusted most, personally selected for their dedication to both the Vigil and Procella herself — regardless of how close they may have been to the captain, however, she had never been one to reveal things to them unless it was appropriate. After all, to play one's hand too early was foolish, something she knew quite well.

Instead, there was one thing Procella had been open about with them, and it was something that honestly wasn't surprising to any of the veterans within both the Night Guard and the Vigil. Over the years, a schism had begun to form within their ranks, and it was something the captain found deeply troubling: On one side stood the traditionalists, those who most firmly believed in the teachings of the Sisters that had been passed down over the centuries. and who believed that the most righteous path was one of staunch servitude to the Sisters — and little else. They saw no reason to reconnect with a society that had looked down upon them and reviled them, and instead, believed that it was best to keep the opliptera bloodlines pure. Such a group was often filled with the veterans of the Guard and Vigil, those who felt that they best adhered to the 'proper' ways, and it was a group Procella was firmly a part of.

In direct opposition to her and a great many others stood the reformists, younger opliptera who had begun to question their way of life. To them, the teachings of Celestia and Luna alone hadn't been enough — instead, they wished to discover and explore, to branch out and return to a world that had always shunned them. Serving under the Crown wasn't enough either, and it was becoming increasingly more common for opliptera to sneak to the surface, if only for a while. This often brought them into contact with the other ponies, and this contact sometimes grew into something more, which brought with it the potential of interbreeding. Such a lifestyle went against everything the traditionalists had ever stood for, and when Princess Luna finally returned from her thousand-year exile, many of them had hoped that her return would have heralded a return to the old ways.

To their horror, it had been anything but — a thousand years is a very long time for any pony to be away, and her subsequent redemption and return to her sister's side left Luna changed. 'Luna the Warbringer' from the stories of old had simply ceased to be, and was seemingly replaced by a happier and more playful princess. More worrying was the fact that this new Luna very often encouraged the very same lifestyle that so many young opliptera were beginning to pursue, insisting that one's self was more important than serving under her or her sister. Such a thing had simply incensed Procella further, and that wasn't helped by the increasing amounts of insubordination that Sergeant Noctis had shown while under her command.

And then, of course, there was that damned neophyte. That idiotic, wretched little pegasus who had very nearly allowed a demon to escape, and one she had so badly wished to kill... and then to be denied of that by the very same brat who continued to be a constant thorn in her side? It was infuriating. It was blasphemous. It needed to end.

"Captain Procella."

Unbeknownst to her, her own thoughts had twisted her face into a sneer, and her acknowledgement was little more than a snarl. "What is it?"

A stallion strode forth, naught but a neophyte within the Night Guard. Despite his relative inexperience, however, he had always been so very desperate to get on Procella's good side — such a thing made him valuable. He quickly cleared his throat and did his best to look straight ahead, rather than at the captain, perhaps due to fear more than respect. "Princess Luna has finished her meeting with the sergeant and the neophyte."

"Noctis and Ferous?"

"Aye."

The captain took a few tentative steps towards him, pale blue eyes upon him as she awaited the rest of the report. "...And?"

"Princess Luna..." The neophyte swallowed hard and took a quick glance around the room — no friendly faces here. "...approves of the neophyte. She also seemed unamused upon being told of your original plans for him."

"I'm hardly surprised that Noctis went and squealed, but Luna's approval of this pegasus is..." Procella closed her eyes and turned about, pacing back towards her desk before stopping. "Acuta."

The opliptera perked up upon hearing her name, stepping forth and saluting. "Captain?"

"Arrange for the breach."

Acuta blinked with her one good eye, somewhat surprised. "Already? But our magi have hardly had time to study the tomes — we don't even know if they'll work."

"They'll work, Acuta. I had those books taken straight from the Starswirl the Bearded wing in the Canterlot Library. Gather the tomes and begin the breach."

Through it all, the neophyte who had carried the message had simply listened, and his curiosity began to get the better of him. "Captain Procella... breach? What breach?"

Silencing him then and now would have been the simplest thing to do, and yet Procella knew better than that. He was still young, still impressionable, and still easily swayed — there was a chance he could be convinced of their cause. "Neophyte... you believe in our people, don't you? That we can restore our race to what it once was? That we are entitled to more than this miserable little hole in the ground?"

He began to back away from her, slowly but surely. "I... I don't follow, milady."

"This world has always spat on us, neophyte. Always. Celestia and all her little ponies prance about above, while we're forced to grovel here in the shadows. Luna sits upon her throne, and rather than demand the treatment and respect we so rightfully deserve, she's content to simply play games and be a diplomat! She's encouraging our own to abandon us and to flee to the surface, so that they might find such trivial things like love! She's thinning our bloodlines in front of our very eyes, and in the end, it will leave us with little more than halfbreeds! Our entire identity as a people will be gone, because of the incompetence and radical thinking of her and a select few! Do you really want that, neophyte?"

His fear was palpable now, breaths rapid as he continued to back towards the door. "W-what are you s-suggesting?"

"My dear neophyte... the very same thing that anypony suggests when those in power decide to abandon them. You show them that you refuse to tolerate their presence, and so... you remove them." The mare calmly approached a chess board, her teeth glinting in the light. Slowly, ever so slowly, she placed a hoof upon the board and moved it towards a singular piece. With but a single, brief movement, the piece in question toppled over, and Procella let out a brief little sigh as she watched the queen tumble to the floor. "Perhaps through subtlety. Perhaps through force."

"You... what you say is treasonous!"

The mare clicked her tongue and slowly shook her head, turning to approach him, and her eyes had taken on a murderous glint. "Such a nasty word for it. You... don't approve?"

"Captain, I... I can't allow you to do that! In the name of the Crown, I hereby place you under arrest for the crimes of—" He suddenly found himself cut off as Procella simply disappeared before him... and the blood began to flow down his neck.

As the neophyte slumped to the floor, gasping and gurgling whilst his life slowly left him, the captain gave her wings a brief flick, removing any trace of blood from the blades upon her wings. She briefly surveyed the scene and let out an irritated huff. "The Crown can rot, just as you no doubt will. Acuta."

Lieutenant Acuta took a few steps forward, briefly eying what remained of the neophyte — he was no doubt dead at this point, and she grimaced somewhat. "...Captain, your orders?"

"Take him to the infirmary, and tell everypony there that he was mortally wounded by a demon."

"...milady, Asclepius is growing suspicious of us. Several ponies killed by demons, and we're the only ones who were there when it happened? We can't continue to do this for much longer."

"We won't need to, Acuta. The time grows near, and with it, Luna's reckoning. We use the tomes, cause a containment breach, allow it to run loose..."

Acuta had already begin to put the pieces together for herself, and spoke up. "...let it kill a few civilians, Sergeant Noctis and Neophyte Ferous included..."

"...and then we arrive to save the day." Procella grinned and returned to the chess board, moving and removing pieces here and there. "The people will begin to doubt Luna's ability to protect them, and will view us as heroes. She grows unpopular, then we begin our takeover and say that it's simply us trying to protect the public. I remove two thorns in my side, and I ensure that Luna no longer sullies our kind."

"That's... quite clever, milady."

"I'm glad you think so, Acuta." The mare placed a hoof near a king, sliding it from one end of the board and placing it next to the other on the opposite. "I'll be sure to give us the future we all deserve. But, for now... make sure those tomes get to the magi, and tell them to begin the summoning. We have reached the point of no return — either we stop Luna and her pets, or they stop us. Now go."

"As you wish, milady." With that, Acuta gave Procella a single bow and quietly exited the room, and not far behind her was every other pony who had been in attendance. The captain's ideas may have been radical—possibly even 'treasonous', as they were declared earlier—but she was doing this for the sake of all opliptera.

Every revolution, it would seem, is fueled by blood.

---

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"How do I look?"

Noctis sighed and rolled her eyes, unamused by Ferous' actions. "You're more worried about how you look rather than how well it fits? How well it functions?"

"Hey, cut me some slack — "looking good" is basically all we did up top."

She could hardly argue with that, and admitted defeat with another sigh. "Fine, fine."

Content with having won a personal victory, Ferous decided to look over things once more in the provided mirror — an armory seemed like an odd place to have one, and yet, it still made some sense. His golden Royal Guard armor had been replaced by a much darker purple set, closely mimicking that of the Night Guard's. It wasn't entirely identical, of course, as there were numerous cosmetic and functional differences that certainly differentiated it from what it had been based upon. Adorning the purple armor was a single golden stripe along the bottom edge, apparently meant to represent those who had initially come from the Royal Guard. The armor seemed a bit heavier than what somepony in the Royal or Night Guard might wear, but it made up for it with increased protection.

Wing blades had been provided and strapped to Ferous' wings, though he currently found them equal parts itchy and cumbersome. Of course, he had already been assured by Noctis that he would get used to them "in due time". Spiked horseshoes had also been given, and it was quite obvious that these were for function rather than form, given that they had been handled with a rather long set of tongs. Evidently, some members would elect to have a mace tied to their tail, though most chose to forgo it for a variety of reasons, some of which were more obvious than others. The pegasus groaned and gave his wings several quick flexes, grimacing as he did. "Agh."

"Still itchy?"

He sighed and nodded. "Very."

"You'll live." Noctis grinned and gave his flank a quick kick, as if she were testing the armor — her hooves easily rebounded off the plating, proving her right. "Or you should, at least. 'tis what we tell the new recruits."

"...not helping, Noctis."

A smirk. "I know."

"Do I really need to wear these damned wingblades? I just feel like they're getting in the way."

"Take them off, and you have no way to retaliate against your foes, save for the shoes. Wingblades are faster, more efficient, and allow for guerrilla tactics." The opliptera walked up beside him, giving the blades a quick lookover. "And besides, it's a good look for you. Makes you look reasonably threatening."

He glanced over his shoulder and huffed, shooting an irritated look her way. "Are you saying I'm not threatening?"

"Well... not exactly. You've never seemed the rough-and-tumble sort. You're far too kind, far too... good."

It was an answer that was mildly confusing for him. "Isn't that what guards are supposed to be like?"

"Mm, perhaps. But you're no mere guard anymore, now are you?"

Though he wished to give an answer more definitive than a simple shake of the head, he was cut off by a sudden clamor from outside the armory. It was far more noise than one would expect from a simple changing of the guard, and it had aroused Noctis' suspicions. She quickly—and quietly—made her way towards the door and nudged it open, a sliver of light falling upon her muzzle as she peeked outside.

"Noctis, what's going on?"

"They're spooked."

"Spooked?" Ferous looked away from his own reflection in one of the mirrors and trotted over towards his companion, the armor softly clinking and clanking as he moved. "From what?"

"I don't know." She grimaced and stuck her face out a bit further, taking a quick glance down the hall before pulling back inside the safety of the armory. "And that's what worries me. Ferous, how quick of a learner are you?"

He blinked and tilted his head as he stared back. "Er... reasonably well?"

"Let's hope so. Time to temper those weapons with a bit of blood." One of her wings unfurled and beckoned him closer towards her position. "Ready to move?"

Rather than hearing the expected response of a "yes ma'am" or anything remotely similar to it, Noctis instead heard a soft whimper from behind her. As she glanced over her shoulder, she was greeted with a site she hadn't exactly been expecting — Ferous had retreated from the door, his ears flattened as he tried to hide his gaze from her. "Noctis, I..."

Her expression remained serious, as one wouldn't expect anything else in a situation such as this, but it had softened somewhat. "...you've never fought before, have you?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Never. I've trained, but... never any actual combat."

"Ferous, you have nothing to fear. Follow my lead, do as I say, and you'll make it through this."

The stallion looked up at her, his eyes holding the slightest hint of hope. "Promise?"

"I can't promise you that. You know that."

"Yeah. I know." Ferous paused, then took a few tentative steps towards her, and then a few more confident ones. The pegasus had seemingly composed himself, and he gave the opliptera a determined look. "If I die, I'm going to haunt you."

Noctis chuckled softly and gently nudged the door open further. "You'd make a terrible ghost."

"I'd try."

"I know you would. Stay close, and try to keep up." The sergeant gave the door a rough push open and trotted out into the midst of the hall. Every guard who had been stationed there when they had arrived were now unaccounted for — no doubt after whatever it was that had managed to draw the ire of the Night Guard. She briefly surveyed the area and then took a sharp left, galloping down the hallway. Despite bearing her own suit of armor, it seemed to hardly slow her down at all, which was something that couldn't be said for Ferous.

The pegasus was struggling to keep up, as no amount of training could have ever prepared him for having to wear something so clunky or so heavy. He had managed to gain a bit of ground, but that was soon erased as Noctis took another turn, bolting to the right this time. Just where she was leading them was a mystery, but this was her territory, and trusting her was all he could do at this point. Luckily for him, she had managed to stop just up ahead, and as he made his way through one doorway, he found himself out on the ramparts of the castle. Noctis was in the midst of talking with some other pony, and his own gallops soon slowed to a canter, and then a trot, finally ending in a very slow walk.

The pony in question was another guard — wide-eyed, jumpy, and most worryingly, slightly bloodied. One of his ears had been freshly nicked, and though the tip was completely gone, he hadn't even seemed to notice. "...everywhere! They're all over the damned place!"

Noctis firmly placed a hoof upon the guard's shoulder and stared him in the eye, her voice stern yet surprisingly calm. "What is? What's everywhere?"

"Demons!"

She balked at the mention of this, quickly giving the guard another shake. "Make sense, damn you!"

"D-demons! In the city! I'm telling the truth, I swear!"

"That's impossible! The wards were supposed to keep them from ever coalescing here!"

"I know, b-but..."

"Make yourself useful and go contact the others!" The sergeant removed her hooves from him and gave him a quick kick as incentive, spurring him off towards help. She turned back towards the horizon, growling as she looked out over the city below. "Useless, blabbering fool! No demons have been sighted within the city since we returned. Lady Luna even put magical wards in place to prevent such a thing from ever happening again."

Ferous had trotted up alongside her and looked out as well, his expression worried. "Do you think he was telling the truth?"

"Can't be. It makes no sense."

"You saw how shaken up he was, and how quickly everypony else has moved. Could it be anything else? Maybe... something happened to the wards and that's how they got in?"

Noctis' eyes narrowed, her face a scowl as she hissed. "...Treasonous filth."

"You think it was treason?"

"I don't know for certain, Ferous." Her head quickly shifted, her gaze locked upon a new area of interest — smoke had begun to billow from one of the buildings, and as a distant roar rang out, her wings had already unfurled. "Come. It's time we put you through your paces."

The pegasus followed suit, and by the time he had taken off, Noctis was already quite a ways ahead of him. Flying with both armor and wingblades alike proved to be an especially awkward affair, and his sense of balance seemed in complete disarray. It was taking all of his concentration and strength just to stay airborne, and yet his companion made it look so easy — she had already banked to the right and was slowly circling down to a landing in a nearby market, and he did his best to follow.

Landing would prove to be no easy feat — the entire market was ablaze, and the smoke limited visibility to abysmally low distances. Not only that, but it proved especially taxing on one's ability to breathe, and Ferous quickly found himself losing altitude as he coughed and gagged on the noxious fumes. He dodged an errant flame here and there as he descended, though he was sure it was more due to luck than any real skill on his part, and he soon—thankfully—found himself on solid ground, skidding along the bricks of the market until he came to a stop.

Noctis had beaten him by almost a minute, but she stood poised, wingblades on full display as she glanced around the market. "Be careful, Ferous. We're not alone here."

He would have asked just what she meant by that, if it hadn't been for a crate of fruit sailing right past his head. The speed at which it had been thrown was frightening, and it was certainly something that no pony could have ever done, regardless of how strong they were. No, the culprit was something much less pleasant — a few more crates sailed through the air as some manner of creature charged into the market and smacked into a wall, letting out a horrid howl as it got back to its feet. It was an ugly thing, and though it resembled a dog, it was anything but. A red, chitinous 'hide' of sorts covered much of its body, and its feet were little more than grossly over-sized claws. The head was completely devoid of any eyes or ears, and it instead bore a row of very sharp teeth, with a pair of horns on either side. The creature let out another roar, this time belching flames into the air, and Ferous gave a startled gasp. "What the hell is that thing?!"

"Your very first demon, neophyte — a hellhound. Avoid the mouth."

"You don't say!"

The beast had somehow managed to sense the two of them and cried out once more, charging headlong at the duo. Noctis skillfully leaped to the side, and though Ferous' own attempt at a dodge was more akin to a stumble, it managed to get him out of harm's way — the hellhound ran past the two of them, obliterating a stall as it crashed into yet another wall. The collision left it momentarily dazed, and as it wavered about, black ichor had already begun to drip from a gaping wound upon its head, hissing and sizzling as it came into contact with the bricks below.

Its hide had certainly looked tough enough at first, and yet it had been cut wide open, as if it had been little more than paper. There were a few more brief sizzles and pops to his right, and a cursory glance revealed the cause — black blood bathed Noctis' wingblades. She had managed to strike it in the midst of its charge.

I... I didn't even see it. How is she moving so fast?

The hound had since turned about and bared its teeth, howling as it began to charge at its assailant, and curiously enough, the opliptera made no attempts to move. She simply stood still, eyes narrowed and fangs bared as she stared down her target... and then vanished, quite literally, in a cloud of smoke. There one moment, gone the next.

Wha—

The next glimpse he caught of her was Noctis somehow appearing behind her target, letting loose a roar of her own as her wing swept up its backside, slicing through the demon's chitin once more. It seemed none too pleased by the attack and dug its claws into the ground, churning up bricks and stone as it attempted to make another run at her. There was another cloud of smoke where the mare used to be, and she soon stood in yet another spot, her body in a combative stance.

Goddess, it's like she isn't even there...

Though he stood in awe of his companion's prowess, Ferous wasn't about to let her do all the work, and he quickly summoned up the courage to charge headlong into battle. His hooves thundered against the brick pavement, armor clattering and bouncing about as he began to line up his run, and his wings stood poised to strike. Every time he was just about to attack, however, Noctis managed to hit first, drawing the beast's ire and causing it to move elsewhere. It was also causing him to miss, and all the extra armaments had added a considerable amount to his momentum — even when using his wings as a brake, he continued to slide across the stone as he missed charge after charge.

His luck—and Noctis'—quickly changed. In the midst of one of the hellhound's charges, the opliptera had attempted to dodge once more, and something had tipped off the beast. With a speed neither of them had expected of such a lumbering creature, it had quickly changed course and managed to ram directly into Noctis, carrying her all the way to the wall and pinning her against it. The force of the impact had been enough to crack and crumble the stone, and the sergeant let out a cry of pain as the demon continued to drive against her, its teeth gnashing at her armor. It would rear back and jump forward again and again, crushing her against the wall repeatedly, and her cries gradually grew weaker and weaker.

Ferous had hardly been idle, but had instead been stuck helplessly sliding about, trying desperately to turn around so he could aid his companion in any way. The pegasus simply continued to careen towards another wall, but rather than crash into it, he decided to make the best of it — as he neared the wall, Ferous promptly turned and readied his hind legs for impact. Perhaps it was impeccable timing, or perhaps luck, but he reared up just in time to plant his hooves directly against the brick, using it as a launching pad as he redirected his momentum—and himself—to a new target.

He was little more than a living battering ram at this point, but... the subtlety of the Night Guard was one often lost upon those who dwelled in the light, and if it were to work, Noctis very likely wouldn't argue with the results. The market was little more than a blur as Ferous rocketed towards the demon, and as he neared it, he lowered his head and readied for impact. Best case scenario, it would simply leave him dazed. Worst case was a broken neck and death.

And regardless of the outcome, well... better on his hooves than lying in bed, as his father would likely have said.

The last things he remembered were a thunderous crack as he collided with the beast, a chilling howl as the hellhound roared in pain, and the sight of the entire world going white for the briefest of moments.

And then it all went so very dark.

---

It was a curious feeling, to go from "nothing" to "something". He remembered the world flashing white, then disappearing into blackness, and now all that had been replaced by something much more pleasing to the eyes — the soft glow of candlelight.

Ferous' eyes fluttered open, and though his vision was blurred somewhat, he recognized his surroundings. He did not know how or why, but he was back in Noctis' home. But... the demon! The demon was still out there, still in the market, and Noctis was still injured! With his eyes wide and his heart racing, the pegasus attempted to move out of bed — and was stopped by a leathery wing.

"Be still."

Though he couldn't see the source, it was a voice he knew distinctly as belonging to Noctis. His own attempt at a reply came out as something much weaker than he was expecting. "N... Noctis?"

"I'm here, Ferous. Glad you're still with us." She sighed, and her inflection hinted at a fair deal of worry. It was accompanied by the sound of dripping water, and the sergeant had soon placed a cool, wet cloth upon his forehead. "It's a little too early in your career to get yourself killed, don't you think?"

"Maybe..." Ferous shifted in bed slightly, groaning as he did. "...what happened?"

"Suffice to say, your little act of heroism managed to get me free — it also knocked you out cold." Noctis huffed, tutting as she moved the cloth to a different spot. "Honestly, headbutting without a helmet?"

He grinned faintly, staring at her out of the corner of his eye. "...worked, didn't it?"

"Aye. It did. And for that, I'm thankful. Just... try not to die in the process. 'twould be an awful waste."

"A waste of what?"

She paused and glanced towards the floor as she thought of her choice of words. "A waste of a recruit. Of a pony. Of a—"

"Friend?"

It was an answer that caught her slightly off-guard, but she answered it with a faint smile. "Among other things."

"And the demon?"

"It wasn't expecting your little reprisal. I swear, if it had been raining, I would've mistaken the hit for a crack of thunder."

He blinked and raised a brow. "It was that loud?"

"Aye. Threw the beast a fair distance, knocked me free of its grasp. It was about to turn on you when reinforcements arrived. They saw both mine and your injuries and told me to get you clear of the battle whilst they finished up."

"So it's dead, then."

"That it is." The opliptera removed the cloth from Ferous' head and leaned a bit closer, as if to inspect him for any further wounds. "Well, so long as you spend the next day or so resting, you should be fine. I think the worst you got out of that fight was a concussion."

"Asclepius' orders, eh?"

"Well... no. My orders." Noctis' wing pulled back towards her side, and she looked out a nearby window as she spoke. "After today's little event, I thought the corporal will be busy with more pressing matters in the infirmary."

Free from the impromptu restraint, Ferous decided to sit up a bit further in bed, groaning as he did. "So... you brought me here instead."

"I have rudimentary training in medical care, and your injuries didn't seem severe enough to warrant a trip to the infirmary." She turned her gaze back to him and smiled, just enough to allow her fangs to poke out from behind her lips. "And besides, you are under my leadership and protection. It felt appropriate."

"Oh. Alright then." The pegasus quickly laid back down in bed, sighing as he closed his eyes. "Got one hell of a headache right now. Thanks for taking care of me, though."

"'tis the least I could do, Ferous. We have things we must discuss tomorrow, but..." Noctis glanced over her should at a nearby table, and the letter laying upon it — unopened, and bearing Luna's seal. "...for now, just rest. You've earned it."

"Yes ma'am."

Noctis would no doubt be up much of the night, tending to his injuries, but for Ferous, it was time for a hero's respite.

Or hero for a day, at least.

Comments

[djthomp]

My my. I have to wonder if there were any civilian casualties, the entire marketplace being on fire seems like a bad sign.

[KMCA]

yay opliptera! Yay Noctis

[a3V]

"It was that[ loud?"

That's not supposed to be there!

[Lemonschooner]

..."We use the tomes, cause a containment breach, allow it to run loose..."

Heh, containment. I don't suppose they also secure and protect things too?

That said, it was nice to see another chapter, but some parts of this threw me off slightly. Suddenly the antagonist, with her kind of hammy megalomania, is introduced, and decides that now is the time for shit to go down and releases all the demons and wants to kill/incapacitate the Princess? Eh, I guess Procella has (from a storytelling perspective) valid motivations, but she seems a bit over-the-top with both her anger and her plans for retribution, as well as the manner and timing of said retribution. The pacing, too, seems a bit too quick, like this is something that would happen a few chapters down the road as opposed to now in the story.

I suppose it is rather early to tell, though. Still, I enjoyed it and can't wait for the next one.

[Psykosis]

She's encouraging our own to abandon us and to flee to the surface, so that they might find such trivial things like love!

...and suddenly Procella is a Saturday-morning cartoon villain. I have a feeling that this story is going to get incredibly cheesy before it ends.

[Vargras]

2587728

Suddenly the antagonist, with her kind of hammy megalomania, is introduced, and decides that now is the time for shit to go down and releases all the demons and wants to kill/incapacitate the Princess? Eh, I guess Procella has (from a storytelling perspective) valid motivations, but she seems a bit over-the-top with both her anger and her plans for retribution, as well as the manner and timing of said retribution. The pacing, too, seems a bit too quick, like this is something that would happen a few chapters down the road as opposed to now in the story.

Just because she's just now being introduced to you doesn't mean that she hasn't had these plans in the works for months now (or possibly longer). Everything was done for a reason. Be patient.

2588442

...and suddenly Procella is a Saturday-morning cartoon villain. I have a feeling that this story is going to get incredibly cheesy before it ends.

Using racism and scare-tactics to try to encourage others to join your side is the same as being a Saturday-morning cartoon villain?

Well okay.

[Kagitaar]

2588585

Less scare tactics, more domestic terrorism.

I believe the previous comment was about the scoffing at love bit.

[ShadowBro]

2588585
The story's pacing, plotwise, is good, but the pacing of the chapter itself feels kinda odd. I think perhaps more combat would have been good. Most military are trained to work as teams, right? Coordination between Noctis and Ferous, or at least an attempt at such, would have made the combat feel more combatish. As it stands, it kinda feels like the Bard's retelling of the battle between Beowulf and the Dragon or something. Constant dialogue, orders from Noctis and semi-panicked shouting from Ferous in all probability, would help the combat feel more alive.

[Vargras]

2597183

The story's pacing, plotwise, is good, but the pacing of the chapter itself feels kinda odd. I think perhaps more combat would have been good. Most military are trained to work as teams, right? Coordination between Noctis and Ferous, or at least an attempt at such, would have made the combat feel more combatish.

It's worth noting that Noctis and Ferous have been working together for roughly a day. There's no real sense of coordination or teamwork just yet, and besides, Noctis has been in the demonhunting business for a while and Ferous... hasn't.

Not only that, but Ferous was trying to help, and failing - he's got all this armor and equipment on that he isn't used to having, and he feels very, very slow and clumsy as a result. Noctis has had more experience with it and is faster.

It was done intentionally.

[ShadowBro]

2597357
Yes, but lines where Noctis is trying to coordinate with Ferous would help. For example, say Ferous follows conventional wisdom and goes for the center of mass. Since he knows he'll be moving at high speed, he aims for the middle of the hellhound to maximize impact chance, as taught to him by his drill instructor back in Basic Training. He then narrowly avoids getting his head chomped off by Noctis slicing into the hellhound's rear end. Noctis and Ferous both withdraw briefly, where Noctis goes:

"You idiot, what were you doing attacking its CHEST?! What did I tell you about avoiding its head?!"
"The chest isn't the head!"
"It's close enough, you idiot! Now follow my lead, and keep an eye out for the damn teeth!"

Stuff like that. Mayhaps we just have differing styles with combat, but for the other fandoms I write for, I find that having brief mid-battle exchanges between characters goes a long ways. Youtubing some released battle-cam footage from Afghanistan also demonstrates that soldiers are always hollering information back and forth to each other, especially if the enemy can't understand your language.

[Blue_Paladin42]

All that headbutt is missing is the line: "Hold my mushroom beer and watch this!" Seriously though, good work Ferous. Titanically stupid work, but good nonetheless. //dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Derpy_dealwithit.png

2587643
When you decide to attempt to discredit and depose your god-ruler, because it turns out YOU were wrong about what they wanted, then it is a safe bet you have gone off the deep end.

[Laudy]

okay now we have open revolt against the Sisters by an evil guard captain who's argument is "emigration thins the native bloodline"... well this is not the direction I was expecting for this Cthulhu mystery surrounding elite demon hunters and the mysterious agenda of princess Luna .