757 - Shared Triumph
As White Wraith brought his hammer down for the decisive blow, Lex’s horn lit up, telekinetically reaching into his saddlebag-
Sonata. Aria. Thank you for this.
-and whipped out a mask, one made of pale wood carved in the shape of a skull, throwing it directly at White Wraith’s face.
The guard captain’s eyes shot wide open, and Lex couldn’t help but smile as the purple pony abandoned his attack, instead focusing completely on defense. Lex hadn’t been initially certain if White Wraith had any sort of ability to detect magical auras, but the wispy stallion had admitted as much just now during his gloating. “You were probably hoping I couldn’t sense you casting that, right?” he’d said, referring to the spectral hoof spell Lex had made use of. “I’ll confess that almost worked.”
White Wraith’s detecting and destroying his spectral hoof spell had been a setback.
His having stolen the wound-transference spell that Lex had planned on using against the overconfident captain had been a disaster.
But with that single inadvertent confession, the hubristic fool had given Lex everything he needed to create another avenue to victory.
I told you before...
The corners of Lex’s lips curled upward as White Wraith yanked Breakdown out of its aborted swing. Instead, he brought the hammer up – checking its momentum so quickly that he almost went stumbling – and barely managed to interpose the haft of the weapon between himself and the mask with barely an inch to spare, the wooden teeth of the skull impacting right where his hoof would have been if the gangly pony had been physically holding it. Instead, it careened off of the dark metal of the hammer’s hilt, coming to rest a few feet away on the ground, causing White Wraith to let out a gasp of relief.
That was no surprise, of course, since he’d doubtlessly picked up on the powerful aura of necromancy the wooden skull exuded. Even so, Lex couldn’t help but laugh inwardly, already halfway through casting another spell, White Wraith’s desperate defense having bought him the time he needed.
The winner is the one who’s better at controlling information!
It was a truism that White Wraith had derided, which made it particularly satisfying that it was the cause of his downfall now.
After all, if he’d had the chance to examine the mask in detail, he would have realized that there was nothing for him to fear, for one simple reason:
The aura of necromancy that it radiated, indicating its lethal nature, was completely fake.
And it was all because of Sonata and Aria.
When the Sirens sisters had interrupted his ritual, back in Las Pegasus, to try and protect himself against whoever it was that had been scrying on him, Lex had been furious with the two of them. Their stupidity had caused the ritual to backlash, blinding his mystic senses and leaving him unable to detect magical energies. And while he’d eventually gotten over his anger – and resumed their schedule of activities in the tourist city – he’d still searched for a way to cure his condition.
On that front, he hadn’t succeeded. His political commitments in Las Pegasus, stoking the egos and conspicuously partaking in the businesses of the ponies whom he’d convinced to bankroll his nascent government, had taken up too much of his time. But he’d managed to get in snatches of research here and there. An hour before Sonata and Aria woke up in the morning, forty-five minutes while Coat Tail searched for proper outfits for them, a half-hour between shows that Tranquila had booked them to go see; any free time that Lex could make use of, he’d conducted what research he could on reversing what had happened to him.
That he hadn’t been able to do so wasn’t surprising. With such insufficient time and few material resources to devote to his research – not to mention his magical blindness itself only making things more difficult – failure had been inevitable.
But that didn’t mean Lex had nothing to show for all of his work.
The spell that he’d invented then had been nothing more than a byproduct of his research. Trying to restore his ability to see magical auras had practically necessitated coming up with a spell that artificially generated them, albeit only on paper since he hadn’t been able to put it through any practical testing. Still, a bit of magic that simple hadn’t really required any practical trials; it was a spell whose entire purpose was to look like a spell to magical examination. The only thing notable about it was that it could look like almost any sort of aura, from a protective abjuration to a mind-warping enchantment.
As far as illusions went, it wasn’t much of one, since an experienced practitioner of magic would be able to spot the flaws in the false aura without much effort. Still, Lex had put it aside with the thought that it might be a useful teaching tool for Fruit Crunch and the Night Mare’s Knights after he’d returned to Vanhoover. By the time news of Feather Duster’s kidnapping had come in, he’d already put it out of his mind completely.
That had changed after his encounter with Prevarius.
When he’d tried to use the mask against the devil – back when it had still been a weapon of considerable deadliness – the phistophilus had overcome the attack, blithely noting how it had been easy to anticipate. “That sort of surprise doesn’t really work when your enemy can see magic,” he’d taunted. “Safeguarding their functionality is an important aspect of magic item creation. Anti-tampering protocols, unauthorized usage restrictions, and obscurement enchantments so that casual detection abilities won’t reveal all of their powers. If that little mask of yours had possessed that last one, it might have actually taken me by surprise just now.”
Though delivered in mockery and condescension, the devil’s advice hadn’t been wrong. That had been why, when the equinox had come about a few days later, Lex had taken the time to prepare the false-aura spell that he’d created. Used to lay a false aura on something, the potential to misdirect an enemy in a fight was something he had easily foreseen the usefulness of.
But it hadn’t been until after Shadow Star had broken his mask that Lex had gotten the chance to put that idea into practice.
That he’d had the opportunity to do so at all was thanks to Solvei. The loyal winter wolf, wracked with guilt over not having been there when the secret weakness of his arcane spellcasting was revealed or for Paska’s sudden assault, had gathered up the broken halves of the mask in secret, stuffing them in his extradimensional saddlebag while Fail Forward had been fretting over the Woodheart’s abduction. It had only been days later, when he’d come out of his malaise after encountering Akna, Yotimo, and the other adlets that she’d told him what she’d done.
Repairing the mask’s physical structure had been easy enough. While the Night Mare had never given him much in the way of actual divine spells, one of them was designed to repair damaged and broken objects. He’d used it to fix the cracked hull in C. Shell’s ship so that she’d been able to take him from Tall Tale to Vanhoover. He’d used it to fix Nosey’s glasses after saving her from Xiriel. And he’d used it that evening to repair the mask in secret.
But while the wooden skull’s physical structure had been easy to reconstitute, its magic had been beyond his ability to restore. Nevertheless, Lex had seen fit to use his false-aura spell to enchant it so that it appeared as though its power was intact. He’d had no idea of Yotimo or any of the other adlets had the ability to see magic – Akna was their only shaman, but it hadn’t escaped his notice that several members of the war party had been carrying magic weapons – but given how they all knew that he’d used the mask to slay one of their number before, the idea of presenting it as a threat to them in case negotiations fell apart had been a viable idea.
Even so, he’d decided to keep it hidden. At the time, they’d had a tentative truce, with Akna agreeing to lead him to the Shrine of the Starless Sky; putting it on would have antagonized them for no discernable gain and the last thing Lex had wanted was to delay getting to the Shrine and performing the Rite of Sublimation.
But as bitter as that thought was now, the mask had nevertheless retained the false aura he’d put on it, waiting to be used. He’d ignored it during the subsequent fight against Sissel and her twisted siblings, as it would have been of little use; that had been an altercation where power, rather than misdirection, had been called for. As such, just like everything else he’d carried, it had been sent with him when his spiritual incarnation had manifested here in Darkest Night.
And now, declared Lex in triumphant anticipation of victory, it’s the reason you’ve lost!
Preparing a second instance of his wound-transference spell had been another result of his battle with Prevarius. While he found the parasitic nature of that particular bit of magic highly distasteful – or at least, he had before; as with so many other things, he found himself unable to care about that after what had happened during the Rite’s test – he’d been highly cognizant of how the devil had come close to killing him with its fireball. Still very uncomfortable with the bond he had with Solvei, Lex had wanted to have another method of magical healing available, rather than simply imbuing her with that power or using the weak recovery spells the Night Mare had given him.
To that end, he’d put his aversion for that spell aside, knowing that he was responsible for bringing Thermal Draft home safely. Preparing it during the equinox had been a personal admission to see that done. Doing so a second time had simply been an insurance policy to that effect; Everglow was a world of numerous dangers, as Prevarius had so aptly demonstrated, and Lex had wanted as many backups and contingencies as possible.
Letting out a sharp breath as he poured as much extra power as he could into the spell – his magically-augmented stamina was near-totally depleted now, since he’d done this to the first casting of his wound-transference spell also, only for White Wraith to steal it – Lex saw the white eyes of his enemy turn to him then, the guard captain’s lips pulling back in a grimace as he recognized the same spell he’d just stolen.
Lex saw him scramble to recover his posture then, trying to put some distance between himself and the unicorn he’d thought defeated only moments ago. But it was in vain; even as Lex performed the last necessary gesture with his undamaged hoof, the final syllable passing his lips at the same moment, he felt the spell fall into place. And having sacrificed almost all of his equilibrium in trying to avoid the mask, White Wraith had no chance of avoiding what was about to happen.
“You don’t seem like much of an earth stallion, captain,” snarled Lex as he brought his hoof forward, reaching toward a splayed foreleg that White Wraith wasn’t going to be able to retract in time. “Do you think you’ll be able to keep fighting when you have all of my injuries in addition to your-”
Lex couldn’t finish as his foreleg passed right through White Wraith’s body.
For a second he could only gape, and that was all the time the guard captain – his body now transparent, save only for Breakdown – needed to get his hooves under him, stumbling backward.
He’d barely taken three steps before he became solid again, letting out a slow breath as the grimace he’d been bearing turned into a malicious grin. “So you thought I was an earth stallion, huh? I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Even most other ponies don’t know about the ghost tribe.”
Off to the side, Solvei gave another wheezing cough. “G-ghost...?”
Sparing a glance at the downed winter wolf, White Wraith snorted before turning back to Lex. “I really thought you’d have figured it out when I stopped your fleabag from teleporting before. That wasn’t a spell; it’s just that we have a knack for manipulating density, dimensionality, that sort of thing. I never bothered learning more than a few of those tricks, since I was more interested in conquering my enemies than hiding from them the way most of my people do, but I’ll admit they come in handy from time to time.”
Holding Breakdown directly ahead of himself, White Wraith’s eyes narrowed. “And between the two of us, I don’t think I’m the one who needs to worry about fighting with more injuries.”
Then he swung the hammer down again.
And this time, there was nothing Lex could do to stop him.
The impact made him arch his back, eyes wide as what felt like a fountain of blood erupted from his mouth, and he distantly heard a scream that might have been Solvei’s. Curiously, however, there wasn’t any pain. For a moment, Lex wondered if his dark magic was still deadening his tactile nerves, but it belatedly occurred to him that couldn’t be right; the last of it had been used for his mangled foreleg. He should have felt any new injuries fully, so why...?
“There we go!” laughed White Wraith, raising Breakdown as he looked himself over. “I have to say, that’s really a useful spell! I may need to keep you alive long enough to torture it out of you!”
It took Lex a moment to figure out what the so-called ghost pony meant, and it was only when he glanced at him – seeing that guard captain’s injuries, the bruises, burns, frostbite that had marred his midsection and hindquarters, were gone – that Lex remembered the wound-transference spell the stallion had stolen. But it was with a sudden sense of dread that Lex realized he couldn’t feel those either.
In fact, he couldn’t feel anything below his ribs at all.
Nor did his back legs or tail respond when he tried to move them a moment later.
Suddenly it was all too clear why he wasn’t in any pain.
Grinning wider as he saw that Lex’s realization of exactly what had happened, White Wraith chuckled. “Aw, what’s wrong? Has all the fight gone out of you just because I made you a cripple?” Clucking his tongue, he took a step closer to Lex, bending down to look him in the eye. “You said I wouldn’t be spared if I didn’t surrender, right? So go ahead: finish me off.”
The blood filling his mouth kept Lex from replying. But it didn’t stop him from lashing out with his one undamaged foreleg, trying to make contact with the ghost pony. The second instance of his wound-transference spell was still active; if he could just make contact...!
But this time White Wraith was ready for him, easily leaning back out of reach as he raised his voice. “Oops, so close! Maybe you should try telekinesis instead? Or are you worried I’ll have a ghost tribe trick for that too?”
Up on the wall, a roar of laughter came from the assembled guards, and the knowledge that he was being made a spectacle of hurt Lex more than any of the wounds he’d been dealt. His eyes shining green and purple, he spat out another mouthful of blood as he dug his hoof into the dirt, hauling himself forward.
White Wraith stepped back by an equal amount. “That’s right, crawl!” he chortled. “Crawl like the worm you are!”
In his mind, Lex could hear Solvei’s whimpering apologies, and he was aware of more laughter coming from the top of the wall. But he ignored all of it, focused only on the enemy right in front of him. “I...won’t...stop...!” he gasped, somehow managing to force the words out, dragging himself another few inches closer to White Wraith. “I...won’t...ever...stop...!”
“Is that so?” snorted the ghost pony, again maintaining the distance between them. “Tell me, what exactly will you do if I crush your other foreleg, hmm? Drag yourself forward by your chin?” He snickered at that mental image for a moment before shrugging and raising Breakdown again. “Let’s find out.”
But this time, he only managed to swing the hammer a few inches before its progress was suddenly halted, a hand reaching out from behind him to grab it in mid-swing.
An alarmed grunt escaping his lips, White Wraith whipped his head around...just in time to see the rest of Akna changing back into solid form from the cloud of mist that she’d changed into.
The sight made his eyes widen in shock. “What?!”
“Didn’t have a ghost pony trick for that, did you?!” snarled Akna, having slowly and carefully circled the battlefield in gaseous form in order to get behind him, using the ongoing sleet storm she’d summoned and Solvei’s ice wall to approach White Wraith without any of his guards seeing her.
And now that she’d gotten the drop on him, she focused on what she’d been looking for ever since she’d thrown in with Lex.
“Breakdown!” she yelled, gripping the weapon tightly. “My name is Akna, and I’m a shaman among the adlets of Everglow! Not long ago, I wielded Headhunter in the Night Mare’s name! Now I need your help to turn my people to her worship!”
“You deluded slut, what do you think you’re doing?!” snarled White Wraith, tugging on the hammer. “Breakdown won’t abandon me for the likes of you!”
“I know that the Umbral Regalia can change the hearts of those who wield them!” continued Akna, ignoring White Wraith completely as she gripped Breakdown tighter. “Come back with me, and we’ll bring my entire tribe into our goddess’s faith!” she pleaded. “Together, we can spread her religion to all-”
She stopped talking abruptly, her eyes widening as her ears suddenly folded back. “Wh-, no! No, that’s not what I meant! I-”
But she didn’t have a chance to continue her entreaty as White Wraith rattled off another spell, causing Breakdown’s head to be engulfed in flames. The fire was enough to cause Akna’s grip to slacken, reflexively flinching at the sudden burst of heat, and with a triumphant cry the guard captain wrenched it from her grasp.
“You got your answer!” he sneered, lifting Breakdown higher. Glancing at where Lex had been trying to use the distraction to crawl closer, he took a step to the side, again keeping out of reach as he turned his attention back to the adlet shaman. “Now you can join your prince in paying the price for your temerity!”
Akna stumbled backward, her expression one of shock and dismay...and that was when the inevitable happened.
Unable to withstand the sudden bout of activity, Akna’s clothing died a spectacular death, her pants tearing along their seams even as her linen top split right down the middle, rendering her completely naked in an instant.
The idea that some ponies found humanoids attractive was something that Lex had never understood (notwithstanding his single glimpse of Adagio Dazzle, which still made him deeply uncomfortable to remember). Dallying with a cow, donkey, or even a griffon was one thing, but humanoids were so alien in nature that lusting after one could only be chalked up to insanity. Particularly when freaks such as Soft Mane – the human/pony hybrid that had made the trip back to Equestria – were the result.
Nevertheless, it was an insanity which thrived in Viljatown, the capital city of Everglow’s Pony Empire. While humanoids weren’t exactly plentiful there, the cosmopolitan nature of the city meant that it had a large non-pony population, some of which were two-legged in form. And although most ponies only desired their own kind, there was a vocal minority who made no secret of their attraction to bipeds.
As his eyebrows shot up and his jaw dropped, looking Akna’s naked body up and down, it became obvious that White Wraith was part of the latter group.
“KYAAAAAA!” One hand going between her legs as she covered her chest with one arm, Akna sank into a half-crouch, her voice an octave higher in mortification. “D-don’t look!”
If anything, her embarrassed plea only seemed to captivate White Wraith more, and Lex knew he wouldn’t get another chance, pulling himself forward with the last of his strength.
It wasn’t enough.
Even as he dragged himself toward White Wraith and reached out with one hoof, he could already see that he hadn’t covered enough ground. Already, the stallion was blinking, and Lex knew that in a moment he’d recover his senses and step back, preventing him from making contact and discharging his spell. Just a little further! he shouted inwardly. I’m so close! Just a little further and I’ll win!
Understood, Master!
The purple aura that engulfed his foreleg then wasn’t his own, and out of his peripheral vision Lex saw that Solvei’s eyes were glowing as she used the telekinesis she’d gained as a result of their bond, pulling him across the last of the distance.
Shouts rang out from the direction of the wall, and the sound of crossbows being cocked joined them a moment later, but none of it mattered as Lex reached out...
And brushed the edge of his hoof against White Wraith’s tail.
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Well...that was unexpected but if it results in victory, I'll take it!
Still, in comparison to all the other near-death encounters Lex has faced in the past, this one counts as one of the closest, just behind Dark Streak and just like the encounter with the griffon assassin, Lex only survived due to aid from others(edit:granted, a lot of Lex's near-death encounters usually involved outside aid of some form or another), even if one of them was more self-serving in this case but it certainly helped, in more ways than one,
Still, even if Lex fully recovers, White Wraith still has his subordinates armed and ready to fire on his command, provided he's able to give said order. Though given the Night Mare's religion, I can't help but wonder if they'll even accept it.
Did that really happen? I guess boobs do fix everything.
Ghost Tribe doesnt mean theyre undead? always wondered how wounds and termination worked with them, especially with low level physical impacts.
Roll to not be distracted by boobies
Nat 1
Fuck. At least they are nice
Dies.
and that is game / set / and match.
11369964 My favorite part of this chapter (as demonstrated by the title of it) is that this was really everyone's victory. Not only did Lex need Akna and Solvei to pull it off, but even Sonata and Aria were pivotal in this happening, even if it was due to them seemingly bungling things up for him back in the not-so-distant past. It's little things like that which show that Lex really does need the people in his life, a lesson that he's learned very slowly and reluctantly throughout the story.
As it was, the sheer scope of the injuries he took made this, as you noted, one of the closer brushes with death that he's had, and that's saying something considering how often he's been seriously injured in a fight. Fortunately, his spell went off, which hopefully means that he'll be okay and White Wraith will be out of the fight. Of course, he does still have a contingent of guards with crossbows waiting up on the wall, so if he tells them to start shooting, things could conceivably get problematic in a hurry. But maybe Lex has a plan for that too?
11370092 Heh, I worried a bit that Akna's bit of "fan service" (if it can be called that when it happens in an entirely textual medium) was a bit too much bathos, which is something I'm normally not keen on (mostly because I've seen far too many instances where it's mistaken for a work being self-aware). But in this case, I gave myself a break since there was plenty of build-up regarding how Akna was already popping out of all the clothes she tried on; besides, in the end she made a contribution and helped win the fight, so it's all good.
11370111 Despite the name, ghost ponies aren't literally ghosts. Rather, they have an affinity to the Ethereal Plane (which, admittedly, is where ghosts dwell), having fled there early in their history to hide away from the dangers of ancient Everglow. Living there long enough made them into their own tribe, and so they have natural abilities related to incorporeality and dimensionality, which is what we saw from White Wraith here. More information on them can be found in Tribes of Everglow.
11371429 It wasn't just her boobs that caught White Wraith's eye.
11371459 Given how many injuries Lex had to transfer, it certainly seems that way. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean it's how things really are.
11371704
Heresy of the highest order what can be more eye catching!?