Chapter 30 - No Holding Back
Sheerwater - The Safe House
Blade knew something was wrong the moment she came around the corner and saw the safe house. First, because safe houses weren’t supposed to have small crowds around them. They were supposed to be private, innocuous things, the kind of place that older individuals would wander past and smile at because of their simplicity, sameness, and general feeling of belonging. They weren’t supposed to have a crowd of what looked like almost two dozen concerned griffons standing around outside.
And second, because the front door was completely gone. It wasn’t just open, it was gone, as if torn away by some force. Light was spilling out onto the semi-lit street from inside, a warm beacon that betrayed the cold sense of alarm moving through her gut.
Tartarus. Someone hit us. And she had a pretty good idea of who, too. We must have passed each other in the dark, she thought. On different streets or different paths. Not that doing anything would have been wise if they had met. An open street battle would have attracted far more attention than they could hope to put off.
Then again, that looked like what had happened here. One way or another, if their cover wasn’t blown, it was about to be. And it was too late to turn away, to pretend that the house wasn’t theirs. Several members of the gathered crowd were already pointing at them.
No point in denying it, she thought as she neared the crowd, slowing her pace. The individual who was coming out of the crowd was carrying a short truncheon, though he wasn’t wearing the armor of the guards. The local “street leader,” then. He’d probably already sent for the guards. And if he had … Well, I guess that’s just going to make our next step a little easier. But first ….
“What’s going on here!” she called before the older-looking griffon could speak. She came to a stop several feet from the edges of the crowd, her wings spreading just wide enough to let everyone there know that she was the one who’d spoken. “What happened!?”
“We don’t know,” the ringleader of the group said, spreading his own wings a little as he stepped away from the edges of the group. “One minute everything was quiet, the next thing we know there’s a loud bang and a whole group of ponies are pouring into the house.”
“Unicorns?” Frost asked as she came to a stop next to Blade. Her voice was labored, her breathing heavy, and there was a thick sheen of sweat across her body from the run back to the safe house, but there was no mistaking the cold edge to her tone.
“I don’t know,” the griffon said, shaking his head. “They were using magic, so at least some of them were. This your house?”
“It is,” Blade said, striding forward and daring the griffon to back out of her way. He didn’t.
“Well, we’ve sent for the guard,” the griffon said, giving her a quick nod. “They’ll be here soon, and then you can talk to them about it, but until then, no one goes—”
His words cut off with a faint squawk of surprise as Blade shoved him out of the way. “It’s our place, and we’re going in,” she said, the crowd murmuring but then parting around her. “Don’t get in our way.”
“But the guard—!” the griffon began, lifting his truncheon.
“We’ll talk with them when they show up,” Blade called back over her shoulder. “In fact, we might even meet them halfway.” The griffon began sputtering something, but she ignored it. What was important was the safe house. She quickened her pace.
“Alchemy?” she called as she stepped in the door. Her heart was still pounding, either from the run or the surprise of finding the safe house a combat zone, she wasn’t sure which. The destroyed front room stretched in front of her, bits of stone remnants peppering the ground. One of the benches had been snapped into two pieces, one lying near either side of the doorframe. Scorched and burnt patches filled the stone around the room, and the top of the stone table looked as if part of it had simply come apart and dissolved into dust. She could smell ozone and woodsmoke on the air, burning the inside of her beak.
“Fan out,” she said as Frost and Hain entered the room behind her. “Check the upstairs, check the tunnel entrances. We need to see if Alchemy is still here or made it out. Watch for traps.” She could hear the rustle of the crowd behind her growing louder. She didn’t care. The time for subterfuge was over.
Hoofsteps echoed against stone as Frost began walking up the steps. “Alchemy?” she called her horn glowing a bright purple. Blade had no doubt that anything that surprised her would find itself cut apart by dozens of thin, cold blades. Or maybe impaled on a gigantic spike.
She moved into the front room, casting her eyes across the damage. The woodsmoke smell increased, and she passed into the kitchen to see signs of fire damage on the wooden supports. They’d been put out, but a few of them were still smoking. She reached out and touched one with her talon.
Still warm, she thought. But not warm enough. She’d have to ask the crowd how long ago the attack had happened, but it probably wouldn’t matter. They’ve been gone long enough that trying to track them would be a waste. We already know where they’re going. The Superiority, and then south to the desert, where apparently someone was already in the process of digging up Anubis’s ancient city-tomb.
She took a quick look around the kitchen, noting the smear of blood on one part of the floor as well as what looked like a pony tooth near the base of the cooler. Hopefully it wasn’t Alchemy’s. Then again, maybe he could regrow teeth. He’d healed from just about anything else.
But of the orange earth pony himself, or his equipment, there was no sign.
“You find anything?” she asked as she met Hain in the front room. He shook his head, his grey feathers trembling.
“No,” he said. “None of the back exits look like they’ve been used. Too many cobwebs on the doors. He didn’t go out that way.” Hoofsteps echoed through the room and Frost walked down the stairs, something held in her magic.
“Nothing upstairs,” she said. “But this.” Alchemy’s combat harness floated forward. “His potion kit wasn’t up there.”
“It’s not down here, either,” Blade said. “Could he have run for—?”
“No,” Frost said, her voice cold. “They took him.”
Blade paused. “You’re sure?” The mare nodded, her amber mane swirling around her head.
“The potion kit is gone, but none of our other stuff was touched. I heard correctly that the tunnels were unused, correct?” Hain nodded, and Frost’s eyes flashed. “Then unless he escaped, which I find unlikely as his best course of action would have been to regroup with us when we returned, then the most probable answer is that the cult took him.”
“Why would the cult take him?” Blade asked.
“Because he’s an anomaly,” Hain said, speaking before Frost. “He’s an earth pony that can do things no other pony can do, not even the cult. That’s why they took his potion kit too, and unless I miss my guess, that big bottle of Alchemy’s potion he put together earlier.”
“Tartarus,” Blade said. “They’re going to study him, aren’t they.”
“Yes,” Frost said, and Blade felt a cold chill sweep through the room. “They’ll give him to Cell, the Order’s lead researcher. And he’ll study him until he can’t learn anything more.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Blade said, narrowing her eyes as a sense of resolve swept through her. “We’re not going to let that happen.” She glanced at both of them, her ruff rising a slow, deliberate anger began to move through her. “We’ve been on our back feet since this whole mess started. We’ve let Anubis control things from the start and do things his way. Now it’s time to put him on his back feet. We know where he’d going, and we know the cult’s going with him. We’re going after him.”
She turned towards Frost. “Grab our gear. Bring it down here. We’re going to need it.”
“We’ll need more than that,” Hain said, but there was no hesitation in his gruff voice. It was a question of whether or not they would, it was a question of how.
“Don’t worry,” she said, a grim smile moving across her face as hoofsteps echoed through the destroyed home once more. “I know where we can get some.”
“Gear,” Frost called as she came back down the stairs, the rest of the team’s bags floating behind her. Blade grabbed Alchemy’s potion bag. Someone had to.
Outside the door, she could see the intrigued looks on the faces of the crowd. They probably hadn’t heard much, but they’d heard enough to be interested. She’d need to disperse them for her next trick to work. Fortunately, she knew just how to do that. But first …
“Frost,” she said as she finished cinching Alchemy’s bags around her waist. “If you were to look at a map of the desert again, do you think you could guide us to the spot on the map that was marked in the professor’s office?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation to her words, only a curt, quick nod. “I’ve seen it once. I can remember it.”
“Good,” Blade said. “I have a feeling we’ll only need to get to the rough location. After that, I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to hone in on whatever Anubis is up to without much trouble.” She took a quick look around the rest of the room, eyeing the scattered books that had been thrown against the walls in the fight. It hadn’t been home, but it hadn’t been a poor place to crash either. Books was going to lose his mind when he found out what they’d done to it.
For that matter, so was Rys. But he could get in line. She was done hiding. It was time to make some sapients angry.
“Got everything?” she asked, looking at Hain and Frost. They both nodded, and she stepped towards the front door, pausing just long enough to grab her own bag. The eyes of the watching crowd were on the group as they filed out of the house.
“All right!” Blade called, briefly making eye contact with the griffon who’d taken charge and giving him a grin. “Listen up! My name is Blade Sunchaser, and I’m a wandering claw, currently on a job. You know what that means.”
They did. She could see a few uneasy glances moving through the crowd. Perfect. Several of them shifted to the sky and she followed their gaze to see an oncoming trio of griffons flying their way. The Sheerwater Guard. Even better.
“Now,” she said, shifting her eyes back to the crowd and then smirking. “I know you’re all curious about what’s going on here, but my team and I require a little privacy while we’re speaking with the guard. So, to make it up for you ... “ She reached into her bag and pulled out a single bound mass of reeds. “This is a thousand reeds,” she said, holding the bundle of aluminum in the air above her head. “Split it among yourselves somewhere else, and give us some privacy.” She tossed it onto the street in front of the crowd.
For a moment the crowd hesitated, but then they lunged forward, grabbing the bundle of reeds and heading back to their homes. Though she had no doubt that many of them would be watching from the windows. But a thousand reeds wasn’t chump change, and upon hearing that she was a wandering claw, well … she’d seen the look on their faces. Most of them were familiar with what kind of chaos tended to follow a wandering claw on a job.
Nice, she thought, switching her attention to the oncoming guards. And now for the next step. “Hey!” she said, waving her forelegs and wings at the oncoming guards. “Down here! We need help!”
“Blade?” Hain asked, sounding slightly alarmed. “What are you doing?”
“You know my plan B?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“This is plan C,” she said, still waving her arms as the guards picked up speed. “Be ready. And trust me.”
Hain nodded and stayed silent, though she could bet she knew what was running through his and Frost’s mind.
“Hey!” she called again, waving her forelegs. “Help!”
“Bayan,” the leader of the trio said as she landed. “Sorun nedir?”
“We need help,” Blade said, sticking to Equestrian so that Frost would understand her. “Our home was just broken into.” She sized up the guard. Lightly armored, with minimal head protection and equipment. Beat guards. Perfect.
“Evet,” the leader said, stepping forward as the other two members of the trio landed behind her. “Biz burada bu yüzden. Ne biz yardımcı olmak için ne yapabilirim?” The griffon took another step forward.
“Easy,” Blade said, grinning at the now-confused guard. “You can give us your keys.”
“Ne—?” The guard’s question died as Blade’s fist hit her square in the side of the temple. She crumpled under the force of the blow, her head snapping to one side as she fell away. Her two compatriots let out startled squawks—one of which terminated in a gasp as Hain shot forward, slamming the flat of his palms against sides of the griffon’s head. An uppercut swept up moment later and knocked the griffon back, unconscious.
The final member of the guard trio flapped his wings and began to lift into the air, only to stop, his hind leg frozen to the ground by a block of ice that had engulfed his entire paw. A similar block of ice surged around his beak, sealing his mouth and nostrils shut, and Blade could see the panicked look in his eyes. He couldn’t breath.
His talons slashed down at the ice on his face, chipping away at it, and Blade leapt forward, darting around his flailing wings and bringing her foreleg up underneath his chin. Her target tried to shake her off, but his talons were growing ice as well, ice that was blending together into solid lumps that kept his claws from finding any bite. By the time he tried to dash them against the street to break the ice free, he was too weak to do more than make faint clicks against the pavement, and after another minute, he passed out. Blade waited a moment longer to make sure that he was really unconscious rather than simply faking it and then let go of the guard’s throat.
“Take the ice off,” she said, a crack splitting the air as Frost obliged, and the guard took in a deep, greedy breath, sucking air in franticly.
“Right,” Blade said, stepping up to the lead guard. “Now, which of you has it?”
“Has what?” Hain asked, giving her a curious look. “Whatever it is it’d better be valuable, Blade. This is the kind of thing that gets you in serious trouble.”
“We’re already in serious trouble,” she said, rolling the guard onto her back. “Aha!” There was a faint jingling sound as she pulled the key-ring free. “Bingo.”
“What are those?” Frost asked. “Keys?”
“Yep,” Blade said, standing and examining the brass ring. None of the six keys were labeled, but they didn’t need to be. There was one more thing to check. She glanced at the patch on the lead griffon’s shoulder. Number one-seventeen.
“This way,” she said, turning and moving up the street at a run. She slowed for a moment to allow Hain and Frost to catch up. From the corner of her eyes she could see a few of the civilians watching them go. As soon as they left, the group would be all over the three guards. There would be an arrest warrant out quickly.
“Where are we going?” Hain asked. “To get a ship?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not yet. We need equipment first. Weapons. Armor.”
“So?”
She grinned. “We’re going shopping.”
* * *
The guard station was quiet at the moment. Which, Kilred reflected as he leaned back in his seat, wasn’t too bad, all things considered. There’d been a bit of noise earlier when Syr, Mathus, and Gilder had hauled in a belligerent griffon who’d had a little too much to drink, and then that spot of trouble where Jinx, Legard, and Istan had been sent out to help with a panic problem over near the west markets. And then the most recent break-in report, which Syr, Mathus and Gilder had been sent back out to deal with.
Still, all in all, it was a pretty quiet night. He glanced up at the clock above the door, his eyes watching the minute hand crawl across the clock face. Almost. Most nights all the heaviest activity came before nine. In another ten minutes, that period would have passed.
Then, and only then, would he lean back even further, reach into his desk drawer, and pull out the newest book he’d picked up from the local library. He wasn’t sure what it was about yet, but from the tough looking griffon lady with swords on the cover, it at least promised to try to be interesting. Maybe it wouldn’t be though. There’d been plenty of lousy books he’d read over the years that had looked good. And some that didn’t look good but had turned out to be pretty spectacular.
Kind of like this job, he thought as he shifting his weight, getting his tail out from underneath him. Either way, in about ten minutes he’d be able to find out. Unless Syr comes back with a load of paperwork. Break-ins were usually pretty straightforward and rare, but every so often life liked to throw a sudden bit of turbulence at its fliers.
Whatever, he thought as he watched the clock. If it does, then it does. It’s what I’m getting paid to do, after all. Reading was just a bonus.
At least it’s nice and quiet in here tonight, he thought as he took a long, slow look around the room. Not because he needed to—he knew the room better than his own wingfeathers—but just to do something while passing the time. I’m glad that drunk wasn’t anything like last night’s. He shuddered. That had been a mess. The griffon had been a tourist from elsewhere in the Empire and had guzzled down far more drinks than she ever should have been given. The result had been … messy. And as the armory guard, responsible for station and maintenance upkeep, he’d been the one who’d had to clean it up. Twice. Normally he would have been able to order one of the beat guards to do it, since it had been their arrest, but with the disturbance that had taken place at … He shook his head, unable to remember the name of the rich noble who’d had their home broken into. In any case, he’d ended up being the only one available to clean that mess. The only other choice had been Guard House Commander Ironeye, and as an armory guard there was no way in Tartarus he was going to be able to pull that one off.
He let out a faint sigh as his eyes finished their circuit. Come to think of it, the last few days had been a lot more exciting than normal, what with the break-ins of the old crypts and the rich nobles’ houses. I hope it gets back to normal soon, he thought. All this eventful stuff is a little off-putting. Their section of Sheerwater was normally fairly tame—the most common activity that their little guard station had dealt with on a regular basis outside of kits causing trouble was the occasional organized crime or arbitrating an honor dispute of some kind.
A dull thump echoed through the floor, and he shifted in his seat. Lovely. So it’s going to be one of those nights. The drunk that Syr and her team had brought in earlier had quieted down pretty quick, but every so often … There was another thump, this one shorter but with more force behind it. Every so often a drunk or some other resident of the cells would discover that if they lay on their bench just right, they could deliver a satisfying kick at the wall from a fairly relaxed position, a kick that was just loud enough to keep them entertained.
The thump came again, but this time he twitched, as there had been something attached to it that was new. A faint noise that had almost sounded like a yell.
“What in the clear skies of Reus is going on out there?” Kilred asked, rising from his seat. The vibrations and direction of the impacts seemed wrong too. It almost felt like they were coming from—
The door swung inward, slamming against the wall with a loud bang as a bundle of rust red feathers flew at him, talons outstretched. He reacted instantly, falling back into the familiar combat stance that the academy had trained him with, the “rank and file” combat style that was burned into his muscles, but by the time he got his talons up, his attacker was already inside his reach, his—no, her talons sweeping aside his own as her head shot forward—
The impact was fast and hard, slamming through his skull so hard his teeth clicked together, beak snapping shut. He fell back, his world spinning, and out of the corner of his eye he saw his attacker’s fist pull back—
The word erupted in stars before fading away into blackness. As it did, he had time for one last, desperate thought.
This is going to produce so much paperwork …
His attacker stepped back, though he was no longer aware to see it, watching as the armory guard slumped to the ground and making sure that he was unconscious before stepping over his body. Behind her should could hear her compatriots entering the room, one after the other, and she turned to them with a quick grin.
“Any problems?” Blade asked. Frost and Hain shook their heads.
“Everyone’s down,” Hain said. “They put up a little bit of a fight, but nothing hard.”
“Good. Any injuries?”
“No,” Hain said. “Not to us or them. They might have a bit of a headache, though.”
“Eh,” Blade said, stepping around the armory guard’s desk and coming to a stop by the thick stone door behind his desk. “Love taps. Nothing they didn’t sign up for.”
“There was a prisoner in the cells next to us,” Frost said as Blade pulled out the keys. “Drunk, from the smell.”
“Any problems?” Blade asked as she tried the first key. Nothing.
“No,” Frost replied. “They were asleep.”
“Good,” Blade said as she moved to another key. “As long as they stay that way and don’t raise a huge fuss, we’re fine.” The scratch of the next key against the lock was the only sound in the room for the next few moments as she shoved it into the lock, tried to turn it, and then pulled it out and moved to the next one.
“So,” Hain said as she slipped the second to last key in. “Shopping, huh?”
“We’ll leave some reeds,” she said as the armory door let out a loud click. “Got it.”
“Why not just find an armorer?” Frost asked.
“Because, we’d have to travel further,” she said as she shoved the armory door inward. “And they wouldn’t have as nice a selection. After all,” she said as the magilight flickered on, bathing the room in a cool, white glow. “Look at all that.”
Row upon row of armor and weapons stretched in front of them, each shelved and organized according to type, situation, and size. Though the armory room was small, it had been filled to capacity, each of the five rows stretching from the floor to the ceiling, every inch of their racks and shelving occupied. Clearly labeled signs on the end of each row gave a complete list of the materiel equipment of the row, complete with sizing, count, and specialty notes.
“Moon above …” Frost said, her jaw dropping. “This is a guard armory?”
Blade grinned. “It’s an Empire guard armory in the capital city. We’re griffons. We’re always ready for a fight.” She stepped through the doorway, running her eyes down the rows of gear, hunting for what she wanted. “In the event of an incursion, each of the clans has their own military wing, in addition to the ruling clan’s military wing, but just in case the local clans don’t have enough militia, these armories serve as a backup. During an attack, anyone is free to come to these stations and arm themselves, should they need better equipment. The armory guard maintains it and uses it if needed in the meantime.”
“I think I understand now,” Frost said as she stepped up to one of the rows of materiel.
“Understand what?” Blade asked as she stepped over to the next row. Hain stepped past her, still browsing.
“Why the Griffon Empire has never fallen to the minotaur city-states,” Frost said, vanishing between one of the rows. “The way Aeliana and Barnabas spoke of their homeland, they were always in need of territory.”
“Oh, they tried,” Blade said as she found the sign she wanted. She turned down the aisle and began walking, her targets already catching her eyes. There you are.
“I know,” Frost said. “I just understand now why they didn’t succeed.”
Blade let out a laugh as she stopped in front of what she’d come looking to find. “Well, we weren’t always so well established about it. The Founding was what really brought us together.” There was no response from Frost. Apparently she’d found something to hold her interest, or she’d just decided that the conversation was over.
Just as well, Blade thought as she reached out and lifted the armor plating in her talons. It was light, incredibly so, but still strong. “Hey, Hain,” she said as she glanced at the rest of the supply. There was enough for three griffons to fully outfit themselves with a little extra. More than enough. “Before you pick out any armor, take a look at this stuff first.”
A moment later the older griffon stepped around the corner and let out a gasp of surprise. “Is that … Royal Guard armor?”
She nodded, tilting the lightweight chestplate so that its flat red-and-gold color scheme shone under the light. “Yes is it. Light, strong, and tough. There’s a few sets of these at every guard station, reserved for retired or off-duty Royal Guards.”
“Is it up to date?” Hain asked, reaching out and lifting a vambrace in his talons.
“Technically?” Blade said with a laugh. “Not anymore. There’s some new stuff in Equestria that puts this stuff to shame, but until that’s a bit more widespread … Yeah, this is the good stuff.”
“This is probably worth more than a thousand reeds,” Hain said as he began moving down the display of Royal Armor, picking and choosing from what was available.
“Then we’ll leave a potion. That’ll pay for it,” she, placing the full plate back on the shelf. She didn’t want something that heavy. Something lighter, however … Her eyes settled on selection of segmented armor pieces, designed to be attached to a full combat harness. Perfect.
“Pick fast,” she said, holding several of the armor pieces up to check her size and then stuffing them in her bags. “I don’t want someone wandering in while we’re here.”
“Done,” Hain said, cinching his bags closed and tossing them back over his shoulder. “Amazing. Armor was never this light when I was a—when I was young.”
“Yeah, we’ve made great strides,” she said, grabbing a full combat harness and shoving it in atop the gear she’d picked out. “Believe me, this is just the front of the storm. There’s some interesting stuff out there. Don’t forget weapons,” she said, turning and making her way back up the aisle.
“I won’t,” Hain said. “And new stuff? Like what?”
“What, I don’t know,” Blade said, stopping by one of the weapon racks and eyeing the crossbows hanging there. Most were older models, out of date but cared for, but there were a few more recent models as well. Many of the newer ones had short, vicious-looking blades attached to the front, an extra insurance policy if your opponent got close enough. It hadn’t taken long at all for that particular idea to spread like an uncontrolled storm. “But the result is pretty impressive. Let me just say this—if you see a pony in crystalline, full-body armor, you’re in for a fight.”
“What, like the ones in the newspapers? The Crystal Empire place?” Hain frowned. “You were with us when that place appeared, and from what I understand, their stuff is over a thousand years out-of-date.”
She shook her head. Would a crossbow be good against those skeletons? she wondered as she looked at the row of weapons. What kind of bolt would I need?
“Not those guys,” she said, shaking her head as she spotted a locked cabinet at the base of the crossbow display with a familiar symbol on it. She reached out and picked up one of the newer crossbow models, a Kelron that she’d heard packed enough punch to compete with the penetration power of rifles. The blade bit into the wood around the cabinet, the lock parting with a loud, metallic snap. She flung the cabinet open, revealing a whole row of heavy-tipped crossbow bolts.
These’ll work, she thought as she began pulling out bolt after bolt, checking each tip to make sure that it was still locked in the “safe” position before placing it in her bag. As safe as these get.
“Anyway,” she said as Hain picked up a small mace from the rack across the aisle. “You’ll know this stuff when you see it. Very new. Very high-tech.”
“Your employer?” Hain asked, attaching the mace to his harness.
“Yeah,” she said, leaving the rest of the special bolts inside the cabinet. Ten would do. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to use the crossbow anyway. The Kelron got strapped to the side of her bags, the blade folded into a safety position.
“Almost done?” she called out as she walked back to the front of the armory. There was one more thing she wanted, something that could—There. On the aisle next to the one she’d just been on. Swords. Her talons were good, but against a skeleton, she’d need something heavier. Something with more reach.
“Almost,” Frost called from one of the other aisles. “There are firearms here. Do we want any?”
“Any blunderbusses?” Hain asked as Blade walked down the aisle, eyeing the selection.
“Blunderbusses? They’re guns to me. There’s rifles and there’s pistols, right?”
“I’ll check,” Hain said.
There, Blade though, reaching out and picking up a sheathed claymore. That’s got the weight and reach I’ll need. It’s perfect. She gave it a quick heft and then pulled it free of its scabbard. Not too heavy, actually. Maybe five pounds. That’ll go right through old bone.
She slung the sheath around her shoulders, resting the long blade along her back and then walked back towards the front of the armory. “You guys ready?”
“I am,” Frost said, walking out of one of the aisles with a dangerous-looking recurve bow floating alongside her. The front of the bow, just above and below where the user would have held it had they been using their talons, sported a pair of short metal blades that jutted outward. Another pair of blades rested at each tip of the bow, forward-slanting so that the user could still string it. The design had never been very popular, though Blade could recall having seen a few before.
But then, those users had been griffons who’d been forced to handle the weapon with their talons. Frost was a unicorn.
“Good choice,” Blade said, nodding in approval. Frost smiled, sliding a protective covering across the front of the bow and removing the string as she packed it away. “Aren’t you going to get armor?”
“I can make armor,” Frost said, tapping her horn with one hoof. “I’m fine without trying to adapt something meant for another species.”
“Fine,” Blade said, turning her eyes to Hain as he walked out of the aisle, the hilt of a single blunderbuss sticking out of his bags. “Got what you needed?” The old griffon nodded.
“Perfect,” Blade said reaching back and pulling another bundle of reeds out of her bag. “Think a thousand reeds will cover it?” Hain shrugged, and she tossed the bundle on the ground.
“If not, they can bill me when this is over,” she said as she moved for the door. “Come on. I want to be well underway by the time someone alerts another station and they start looking for us.”
“Where to now?” Frost asked as she moved quickly through the remains of the station, jumping over the unconscious guards.
“Where else?” Blade said. “We’re getting a ride. Then we’re rescuing Alchemy. And then?” She picked up speed as she blasted through the front door of the station and out onto the street. “Then, we go after Anubis.”
They ran in silence for a bit, earning a few passing stares from the griffons they sped past, though the actual reasons behind each look were more of curiosity than alarm. In Equestria, had she run through the streets of Canterlot wearing the same amount of weaponry, she would have been treated with everything from suspicious stares to perhaps calls for the Guard—not that she could entirely blame them. Equestria was pretty peaceful, and someone running with the amount of weaponry her team was at high speed through the streets? At night? It was out of place.
Here, in Sheerwater, it was likely to get you followers, griffons who were just curious to see if there was a scrap somewhere they could get into. She’d been lucky enough that most of the civilians back at the safe house hadn’t jumped her and the rest of the group the moment they’d attacked the guards—though her statement about being wandering claw had probably had a bit to do with that. Not many wanted to get caught up in that kind of mess, especially with money at stake.
She skipped the closest airship dock, since it was probably the first place the guard would check once they started looking for her and the rest of the group. It was a risk, but the closer dock was smaller anyway, and there was a better chance of finding good transport at a larger berth.
As long as they don’t take wing and run us down before we get there, she thought as she checked their location, adjusting their path down another narrow street. Sticking to the back streets will help, but we’re still leaving a trail. Which is what she wanted to do. She just didn’t want to get caught. Yet.
Actually, she preferred not to get caught at all. Chased was another matter.
She could see the lights of an airship dock up ahead now, built into the top of a smaller stone pillar. Elevators were running even this late at night as ships offloaded their cargo or took on more, and she could see the lights of another airship coming into dock. But none of them were truly large airships—nothing she could see was over a hundred and fifty feet in length. A few of the vessels were large for independent shippers, but they were still independent vessels.
They took one of the public elevators to the top, their armament getting a few curious and admirative looks from a few nearby griffons, but little else. Most of the patrons riding the elevator up to the top with them were there for the same reason they were. Business. Most of them didn’t even look at the view, though Blade noticed that Frost certainly did, her eyes drifting across the cityscape as they climbed higher and higher.
“This way,” she said as they debarked, turning them towards where the smaller airships were docked. Lights were on in several of the vessels, a good sign, since Alchemy had been their pilot most of the time for their last airship, and they didn’t have him around anymore if they chose to steal one.
Something fast, she thought, eyeing the various ships looming out of the dark. Something sleek. Something quick. Something … like that. It was a long, dagger-like vessel, clearly a pleasure boat more than anything else. A small, sleek envelope. Several props on, stubby little wings. Even the name, Free Skies was written at a slant.
And best of all, the light inside the cabin was on. Someone was home. She trotted out onto the small, free-hanging walkway the airship was tied to, eyeing the slight up-and-down bob of the airship. It’s outer deck was almost level with the dock itself, so there wasn’t a gangplank, though the gunwale meant that unless she wanted to climb over the side, she’d have to open a small gate set in the side. Not yet though. She rapped her knuckles against the wood. Hard, in order to be heard over the ambient noise of the docks.
“Selam!” she said, her knocks echoing across the dock. “Eve kimse?”
Something moved across one of the portholes, blocking the light, and a moment later the rear door opened, a dark-grey griffon sticking his head out and giving them a friendly but surprised look. He was wearing a battered, sun-faded, red baseball cap on his head.
“Selam?” he said. There was a surprised tone in his voice, which given the hour, Blade didn’t find too surprising. For a second the griffon just stared at her.
“Ah, Selam!” he said after a moment, opening the door and stepping out onto the deck. “Sizin için ne—?” He caught himself as he caught sight of Frost. “Equestrian?” he asked, his accent sticking out a bit even with the different language, but the word still recognizable. It sounded like he was from the southeastern side of the Empire. “What can I do for you?”
“Do you charter your ship out?” Blade asked.
The griffon’s eyebrows lifted a bit beneath his cap. “Charter her out? Ridgie didge! I do. Captain Skylark at your service, miss,” he said, giving her a quick salute with two of his talons. “You and your mates looking to make a trip?”
“We are,” Blade said, nodding. “How fast is your ship?”
“Fast enough,” he said, scratching at his forehead. “Flat out she’ll keep pace with most ships twice her size. Need to be somewhere in a hurry?” She could see his eyes flickering towards the weapons they were wearing.
“That’ll do,” Blade said. “We’re heading out into the Turuncu Desert. We can show you where on a map.”
“Alright,” Skylark said. “Private charter like this, be about five-hundred reeds. Come back tomorrow morning and—”
“One thousand reeds and we leave now,” she said. “Payment up front.”
“Huh.” Skylark gave her a long, curious look. “That’s a lot of money for a jaunt down to the desert. And if I tell you lot to rack off?”
“Then we board your vessel very fast and do this the hard way,” Blade said, her eyes narrowing. “You get nothing, and we get passage to the desert anyway.”
“Right,” Skylark said, eyeing their weapons again, though he didn’t look afraid. If anything, he looked relaxed, almost like he was weighing the pros and cons but wasn’t bothered by them. “In that case, I’m no dill. You’ve got yourselves a ship, mates.” He reached out and flicked a latch, part of the gunwale folding inward to give them ingress. “Welcome aboard,” he said, sweeping his hat from his head and giving them a grin that glinted with several silver teeth. “There’s no offsiders aboard, it’s just me, so no need to worry about finding anyone else. This isn’t the first time I’ve chartered some bushrangers.”
“We’re not outlaws,” Blade said as she climbed aboard. “I’m a wandering claw.”
“Oh,” Skylark said, his face falling a bit. “Crikey. I wish you’d led with that. Your type tends to be more trouble. Don’t worry,” he said as she glared at him. “A deal’s a deal. I’m no crook. The old sheila’s all topped off and ready to go. As soon as I let the wharfies know—”
“No,” Blade said, shaking her head. “We need to move now. Fire up the engines.”
Skylark’s eyes widened but he nodded. “Right then,” he said. “Can you lot handle the lines?”
“Just fine,” Frost said.
“Well, right then,” Skylark said, turning for the door. “I’ll just fire her up then. As soon as you see the props start to spin, push us off!”
Blade followed him into the cabin. It wasn’t much, mostly just a galley combined with the bridge. “How long will it take?” she asked as he adjusted something underneath the ship’s wheel.
“About two, three minutes,” he said. “I always keep her near ready, just in case I feel like making a trip.” She nodded. They’d picked a good getaway vehicle.
“So,” Skylark said, tapping a few gauges by the wheel as they began to twitch. “What’s the rush?”
“Simple,” Blade said. “We’re chasing someone, and being chased by someone else.”
“Who’s doing the chasing then?” Skylark asked. “Should I be worried?”
“Not as long as you can outrun some guard airships,” she said. Skylark froze, his entire body locking up. “You won’t have to worry about it right now,” she said. “And I doubt they’re going to send more than a corvette or a general alert after us, and it’s going to take them a day or so to piece everything together, so you’ve got a good head start if they do.”
Skylark started moving again. “And who are you chasing after, then?”
“An immortal,” Blade said. Skylark froze again. “And when we catch him, we’re going to kill him.”
“I’m going to regret not letting you just steal my ship, aren’t I?” Skylark asked, glancing back at her.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said. “You can always jump overboard later. Or have the world’s best story to tell for drinks later.”
“I must be cracking a fruity,” Skylark said as he reached down and pulled back on a lever. Behind the airship, the propellers began to spin, slowly at first, but then faster and faster. On the back deck Blade could see Frost undoing the lines, and a moment later the Free Skies began to drift away from the dock.
“But Tartarus,” Skylark said, shooting her a grin. “It’s not every day a pretty warrior-sheila like yourself shows up and says they want your help catching a demigod. Life’s short.” The airship began to pull away from the dock, and Skylark nodded at the table. “There’s maps in that overhead bin. Get ‘em out and tell me where we’re going.”
Blade smiled. They were on their way.
Hold on Alchemy, she thought as she pulled out the charts. We’re coming for you.
The airship picked up speed, roaring off through the night.
Count of Laws Broken: 19
Total Laws Broken: 111
Damage Value (In Bits): 146
Total Damage Value (In Bits): 391,087
Stats
Page generated in 0.027 seconds
Total duration
1,068 users online
1,899,224 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Well, there's an idea. Getting a Griffon Task Force to chase you down and then have to deal with Anubis is one way to get an army.
I don't know why but all I can think about right now is my shinnyest meat bicycle
Australian gryphon? Australian gryphon. I wonder if Hunter originally hails from his part of the empire?
Also, I like plan C.
Plan C always works perfectly.
OK, this chapter was pretty good--I just hope they can save Alchemy before he's tortured
I was hoping they'd get back before the Cult got away with him, and rescue him right away. I knew it was probably wishful thinking, but I love Alchemy...
As things stand now, I'm starting to wonder if the Dusk Guard we know will get involved at all. I'm starting to think Blade's team is going to go through this whole adventure, then end up inducted into the Dusk Guard when they report to Hunter with the crystal key and crystal key pieces and go over the whole tale.
6427449
Yeah, you're right, Blade is very clever.
6427841
I've been thinking of them as Dusk Guard Team Two since about halfway through the previous arc.
GET TO ALCEMY, QUICKLY!
Also, one small thing:
2nd Frost should be Blade.
Celestia and Luna sure does have a near-monopoly on immortality, don't they? They've done a good job so far of eliminating nearly everyone who they believed to be against their ideals.
6428061
Yeah, me too.
That quote was both epic and hilarious!
I can't wait to see if they save Alchemy in time!
6428270
Well, I like to assume the smart immortals stop trying to do things that paint giant targets on your back.
6428270 Name one time Celestia and Luna have taken action against someone not threatening them or their nation-state.
I am totally expecting Anubis to have a Target the Reavers moment in the future.
Low Damage Value this chapter. That amour must not be worth much.
Due to RL stress, I had to put off finish reading the rest of the story until now. After the drama and "no!' end of the previous chapter, this one delivered a few needed chuckles and a whole lot getting down to business. Yay for Plan C.
6444428
Or the reeds were enough to cover most of the cost.
I like the boat guy. He better live or I'll be very angry.
Australian griffons are best griffons
A Master Chief reference?