759 - Out in the Open
Lex stared hard at Sanguine Disposition, weighing the stallion’s cordial greeting for a long moment before giving a nod in reply. It was a curt gesture, one that barely met the minimum threshold for politeness. “I am Lex Legis. Though I’m certain you already knew that.”
He didn’t wait for an answer before turning and walking away from the leather wing, intent on seeing to Solvei’s wounds. Doing so, he knew, was a calculated risk; showing his back to Sanguine Disposition like this was practically inviting an attack, an opportunity that he knew the red-eyed stallion was more than capable of capitalizing on if he so wished. The numerous magical auras surrounding him suggested that he was a powerful spellcaster, and even if he wasn’t he still had Breakdown, the hammer having shown Sanguine Disposition far more deference than it had for White Wraith.
But while Lex had an attack spell at the forefront of his thoughts in case the leather wing was intent on treachery, he doubted he’d need it. After all, if Sanguine Disposition had wanted to launch a sneak attack, his best opportunity to do so would have been while Lex was occupied with White Wraith. That the red-eyed stallion had instead chosen to emerge from total concealment and stop the fight strongly suggested that he wasn’t interested in engaging in violence.
Though that begged the question of what exactly he was interested in.
Trotting forward so that he was walking alongside Lex, Sanguine Disposition gave him an easy grin. “How could I not? Your servants announced you to the guards in a fashion that left no doubt about your identity. And your exploits are quite the talk of late, at least to those of us who listen to palace intrigue.” He chuckled then, as though he’d made some joke that only he was privy to.
“Clearly White Wraith was no such individual,” replied Lex, ignoring the other stallion’s mirth. “He made it clear that all he recognized of me was my claim to the Charismata, something which he attributed to someone else.”
“Ah, White Wraith.” Clucking his tongue in a paternalistic manner, Sanguine Disposition shook his head. “What can I say? He’s a dedicated captain, and quite the warrior, but he’s not what you’d call politically-minded. So, all he knew was that someone he’d never heard of was making grandiose claims in order to enter Eigengrau, and his caution got the better of him.”
“Really?” Lex gave the leather wing a sidelong glance. “Because I was under the impression that he attacked us because you ordered him to.”
Sanguine Disposition’s eyes widened. “Darkness engulf!” he exclaimed, in what Lex could only assume was some sort of local colloquialism. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
“It was obvious,” snorted Lex, nodding back toward where Breakdown – Sanguine Disposition not having bothered to bring the hammer with him when he’d kept pace with Lex – was hovering in the air. “As a mere guard captain in a place that he himself admitted was far from Darkest Night’s center of power, it was highly unlikely that White Wraith had earned the right to use one of the Umbral Regalia. Hence why the weapon, which is no doubt possessed of powers similar to Severance, not only refrained from using most of its abilities, but made no move to prevent itself from being used against its wielder. The same couldn’t be said for when I swung it toward you, suggesting that it holds you in a higher regard.”
His expression of surprise fading into a deep grin, Sanguine Disposition narrowed his eyes. “Hmm, interesting,” he purred. “Anything else?”
“You mean besides the way the guards under White Wraith’s command immediately deferred to you when you gave them orders to have him treated? Or the fact that he wanted to continue the battle, but relented when you told him to stop? Both of which suggest that everypony here knows who you are, and are accustomed to following your orders.”
Sanguine Disposition burst out laughing then. “I suppose I did make it a little too obvious, didn’t I?”
Lex came to an abrupt stop then, giving the stallion a cold look. “So you admit it, then? You gave Breakdown to White Wraith, hoping that with it he’d be able to kill me?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, and you were on such a roll, too,” sighed the leather wing, looking completely unperturbed by Lex’s sudden display of hostility. “I wasn’t hoping that he’d kill you.”
“Then what? That he’d drive us away?”
Sanguine Disposition shook his head again. “Not at all. What I was hoping for” – his smile returned as he stepped closer to Lex then – “was that I’d get to see the Night Mare’s new favorite in action. And I have to say, you put on quite the show.”
Refusing to back down as the red-eyed stallion stepped closer, Lex bared his teeth. “You’re saying you did all of this for nothing more than your amusement?”
“Oh, that’s not it at all.” Rather than continue to advance on Lex, Sanguine Disposition moved to the side, circling him slowly. “As I said, I’ve been paying attention to your exploits. And while I’ll admit that I don’t have all the details about your numerous accomplishments – that little world you’re from is quite remote – what I’ve heard has aroused my interest in you.”
Lex made no reply to that, save to continue regarding the leather wing in stony silence. Unlike before, this time he kept the red-eyed stallion in his sight as he paced around him.
“And seeing you now,” continued Sanguine Disposition, pausing to lick his lips – revealing a pair of upper canines that were markedly long and pointed compared to the rest of his teeth – as his voice turning husky, “that combination of dauntless determination and brilliant insight, combined with a burning passion to dominate your enemy and smother him with your superiority...”
Coming to a halt directly in front of Lex, Sanguine Disposition leaned in closer than even the most relaxed rules of decorum allowed for, one hoof reaching toward Lex’s cheek. “That aroused a lot more than just my interest...”
His eyes flaring green and purple, Lex caught Sanguine Disposition’s hoof with his own before the leather wing could touch him. “You don’t-”
But he didn’t have a chance to finish as Sanguine Disposition froze the instant their hooves made contact. “Huh?!”
Confused, Lex’s eyes returned to normal as he watched the leather wing take a step back, his brow furrowed and his smile completely gone now that his jaw was hanging open. Tilting his head, Sanguine Disposition stared at Lex as though he couldn’t understand what he was looking at. “That can’t be...but...”
For a moment, Lex waited for the red-eyed stallion to come out of whatever fit had seized him. But as seconds passed and Sanguine Disposition simply continued to stare at him, muttering to himself as he looked him over, Lex grew tired of waiting. His connection to Solvei made it impossible to ignore that the winter wolf was seriously injured and in considerable pain, and as much as he knew he couldn’t afford to show weakness in front of someone who apparently commanded – or at least, commanded the respect – of one of the Umbral Regalia, his guilt at how he’d allowed Solvei to suffer while he’d dealt with Sanguine Disposition was rapidly growing too great to ignore.
Deciding at last that he couldn’t make Solvei wait any longer, Lex turned away from the stunned stallion and strode toward her, raising his wire-wrapped foreleg as soon as he was close enough to use the Charismata on her, since using their connection to teleport her to his side ran the risk of jostling her, causing her more pain. Hold on, Solvei. I’ll heal you now.
Master... When her mental voice crossed his mind, it was accompanied by a sense of deep regret. I’m sorry! I couldn’t protect you!
Her anguished apology nearly made him wince. For all that he’d lost touch with everything that he’d believed in, and with the uncertain fate of the mares he loved encouraging him to stop thinking about them in an effort to dull the pain – even now, the sudden burst of thankfulness he’d felt for Sonata and Aria a few moments ago only served to drive home that he might have been remembering the final few days of their lives – his newly-restored bond with Solvei was still exceptionally vivid in his mind, contrasted sharply by how painful it had been when she’d died. Hearing her berate herself like this, after he’d just put her well-being second to sizing up a potential new threat, was unbearable.
It wasn’t your job to protect me, he reassured her, even as he called upon the power given to him by the Night Mare to heal Solvei’s injuries. My plan required me to be seriously wounded, so that I could transfer that damage to White Wraith.
Even as he did his best to soothe Solvei’s guilt, the Charismata went to work repairing her injuries. In an instant, her broken ribs reset themselves, and the winter wolf gave a gasp of relief as her pain disappeared. Although Lex knew that he wouldn’t be able to do this again for several hours – this use of the Charismata had been the last one he could manage, at least until the power eventually renewed itself – he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
But in his mind, Solvei’s disposition was still registering anguish, and as he watched she folded her ears back, eyes on the ground as she stood up, allowing her armor to vanish as she returned to her normal size. But I swore that nothing would hurt you anymore so long as I was here...
Deciding that he didn’t care if Sanguine Disposition or anyone else was watching, Lex reached out a hoof, gently stroking her fur the way he had when she’d been frightened back right before they’d confronted Bolverk. It was because of you that I was able to use my wound-transference spell on White Wraith. If you hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have been able to keep fighting. You’re the reason I was able to win.
M-Master...thank you... Her tail wagging as she raised her gaze, Lex was aware of it as her guilt slowly ebbed, replaced by gratitude, relief, happiness, and lo-
“IF YOU TWO ARE DONE HAVING A MOMENT, CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME SOME CLOTHES ALREADY?!” screamed Akna from where she was crouching down a short distance away, arms still wrapped around herself.
Rolling his eyes as Solvei stifled a giggle, Lex turned and headed in her direction.
But the winter wolf’s amusement faded out after a second, replaced with concern. Master, I don’t like that bat pony. Her glance at Sanguine Disposition – who’d stopped muttering to himself, now eyeing Lex quietly with a contemplative expression – made it clear who she was talking about. He sounds like Prevarius, acting all nice and friendly to hide the fact that he wants your soul.
Lex spared the leather wing a glance at that, even as he kept walking toward Akna, but made no comment in reply. His inability to read people made him extremely reluctant to place any faith in his own interpretations of the actions of others, but it hadn’t seemed like his soul that Sanguine Disposition had been interested in just now.
“Here,” announced Lex flatly as he reached Akna, drawing forth a plain, unadorned, and entirely non-magical cloak from his extradimensional saddlebag, telekinetically tossing it to the crouching adlet. “Use this to cover yourself.”
“That’s it?!” she squawked, though her apparent disapproval didn’t stop her from grabbing the material and wrapping it around herself. “You don’t have anything else?!”
“Nothing that will come anywhere close to fitting you,” replied Lex flatly, already losing interest in the adlet’s predicament.
Solvei was more sympathetic. “You could just change back into an utvalgte-”
“In which case I’d still be completely naked,” huffed the adlet, giving Solvei a jealous glare. The magic that let the winter wolf change size had altered her outfit accordingly, leaving her fully clothed in the aftermath of the battle.
The winter wolf cocked her head. “I thought you said you didn’t feel that way when you turned into a winter wolf because of how new it was.”
“That was before I lost all of my clothing in front of everyone!” snapped Akna, glancing at the guards that were still lining the walls. “Now, even if I change forms, I know what anyone behind me will be looking at, and I’m not letting that happen!”
She punctuated her declaration by standing up, wrapping the cloak around her middle as though it were a towel. With the top edge beneath her arms, the bottom of it terminated only a few inches below her waist. Arranging the ends so that they met along her side, she folded the edges together, giving them an experimental tug before nodding in satisfaction. Although she’d be showing off her side when she walked, the rest of her would still be hidden from view. “This time, I’m staying covered up, no matter what!”
Deciding not to mention that the adlet’s tail was lifting the rear portion of the cloak, leaving her backside bare for anyone to look at, Solvei somehow managed to keep a straight face as she nodded. “Yeah, well...good luck with that.”
“Both of you, stay on guard,” murmured Lex quietly, drawing their attention to where Sanguine Disposition was approaching them at a sedate pace.
“It seems I owe you another apology,” announced the leather wing, his easygoing demeanor back in place as he smiled at Lex. “Would you let me make my faux pas up to you over dinner?”
Lex opened his mouth to turn the offer down, but before he could get a word out Sanguine Disposition held up a hoof. “Before you reply, I should warn you that I won’t take no for an answer.”
Lowering his hoof, he glanced at the barbed wire around Lex’s foreleg. “I knew you had the Night Mare’s favor,” he admitted with a chuckle, before raising his eyes to Lex’s again.
“But I simply have to hear the story of how you gained a blessing from Kara.”
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Well Kara, the cat is out of the bag and even though the blessing only relates to bedroom activities, it is still a blessing from a goddess who isn't the Night Mare. One if I recall correctly, was given without the Night Mare's knowledge, or his either and given what Kara said to Thermal Draft about territories and boundaries, it's probably not a good thing for Lex but whether or not it's a bad thing is uncertain.
p.s: Imagining Akna using a cloak like a bath towel is more comedic than I first thought
Hopefully they'll be able to remedy her wardrobe malfunction within Eigengrau...provided they have clothing suitable for her that is. Would be quite the kicker if the city is exclusively inhabited by ponies.
Lesiure Suit Lexy and the Case Of The shrinking Towel?
This guys stats just keep getting higher. Wonder just where he sits in the overall Pantheon if he is even in the palace equivalent?
She knows....
She knows....
She knows....
And I know she knows...
And I know she knows...
F
11376275 In fact, looking back at Chapter 46 when Kara gave Lex her blessing (and I can't help but note that this was over seven hundred chapter, 1.5 million words, and almost six years of real time ago
), it was because the Night Mare demanded it. She'd caught Kara visiting Sonata in her dreams, and argued that Kara was infringing on her godly purview. As a result, Kara gave Lex a permanent and irrevocable blessing that actualized romantic feelings that potential compatible partners would have for him (and she threw in some naughty spells as well, of which we've only seen him use the two weakest: a contraception/abortifacient spell and a pleasure-touch spell).
Presumably Sanguine Disposition recognized the former, and since there's no way he could be aware of that having been kept secret from Lex himself, the cat looks like it's well and truly out of the bag now. Of course, that's presuming that Lex believes him in the first place. At this point, it's too early to say.
And poor Akna, somehow she became the sexy comedy relief. It would almost be pitiable if it wasn't so hilarious.
11376398 Don't forget that we've seen Sanguine Disposition before, back in Chapter 655. There, he was one of the people in the Night Mare's court, which suggests that he's very high among her servitors indeed.
11376655 Well, the Night Mare knew about Kara's blessing from the beginning. After all, she insisted on it!
11377057
Can you believe I started this from like 10 chapters before that? Back when they found the spider ponies and battled a dragon XD
11377378 Wow, really? I thought you only started this story when you agreed to review it!
Ooo, something tells me Cloudy's gonna have some 'splaining to do when Lex gets back...
11377544 I think you're thinking of Sonata? Because Cloudbank is a devotee of the Night Mare, and has little knowledge (or interest) in Kara.
11377527
I did. I started from there cause I liked the title. XD and because the synoptic was explicative enough to deem starting not from the 1St chap
11377559
Crap, no got her crossed with Thermal Draft. Also it being possibly Sonata's fault skipped my mind too.
can we finely have some one in Sanguine Disposition that is not going to try to just kill Lex. that would really drive Lex nutty.
11378609 That would be an unusual change of pace, wouldn't it?