Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

828 - Good and Dead

“AKNA!!!”

Yotimo’s horrified yell was answered by a chorus of anxious shouts from Toklo and the others. He could already hear Ujurak calling his name, wanting to know what was happening. But he couldn’t afford to answer them right now, knowing that in their hobbled condition they were in no position to help. Instead, he threw himself down to so that he was at Akna’s side-

And that action saved his life, as a thin green beam sailed over his head, impacting a nearby fragment of frozen cloud harmlessly.

The near-miss brought a growl of surprise to Yotimo’s lips, the sound coming out even as he dove to the side, a lifetime’s worth of training kicking in as he threw himself into a nearby culvert. It wasn’t very deep; even crouching down, it barely got to his waist. But he knew it was better than nothing, muscles tense and prepared to leap again as he looked at where the viridian ray had come from.

What he caught sight of was a large dog, one with a single rheumy green eye and an oily-looking black coat, the sight marred only by a bloody, unhealed wound in the center of its chest. But no sooner had he taken in the sight than the ugly creature seemed to blur, its features becoming indistinct and impossible to make out, before its image solidified again, reforming into the familiar shape of a bald human in dark armor, grimacing as he put a hand to his midsection, where a matching wound was visible.

Paska.

“Can’t believe I missed,” grimaced the human – or whatever he was – wincing as he pressed a hand to where Lex’s quill had pierced his abdomen.

Yotimo didn’t bother making a retort, instead snarling as he broke into a charge, rushing toward Paska as fast as he could.

“The best way to save a friend is to kill an enemy” was a saying that all adlet warriors learned during their training. It meant that, if someone was injured during a fight, you were supposed to ignore them – no matter how badly they were hurt or how much they needed help – until your foes were all dead or routed. Otherwise, you were simply giving your enemy a chance to keep killing your people.

That wasn’t something that Paska – who had abducted, hobbled, and terrorized Toklo and so many others – could be allowed to have.

Yotimo could already see Paska’s stance shifting, preparing to sidestep his charge. But this wasn’t like when Yotimo had rushed him several minutes ago, when he’d been out of his mind with worry over his son. Toklo was safe now – injured and badly shaken, but safe – as were the rest of his warriors, with Sissel, Grisela, Vidrig, and even Hvitdod no longer able to threaten them.

And with that cloud of worry no longer hanging over his thoughts, Yotimo found it easier to keep himself centered.

He wouldn’t make the same mistakes he had before.

It was with that thought in mind that he called upon the gifts of the spirits that all adlets were given, calling down a hailstorm just as he reached Paska.

He had just enough time to see the human’s eyes widen as accompanying rush of sleet and snow filled the area, blown by freezing winds that hadn’t been present a second ago, and then the fist-sized ice crystals slammed into them both.

The first round of hail caught Paska full in the face, causing him to let out a pained grunt as he stumbled backward. Yotimo immediately moved to capitalize on the opening, only to waver as two large chunks of ice struck his back, making him falter.

The result was that it was Paska who moved in then, interlocking his fingers as he brought both fists around in a heavy swing aimed right at Yotimo’s jaw.

Exhausted, emotionally drained, and injured, Yotimo had no chance of avoiding the blow...or at least, he wouldn’t have normally. But the ground was already becoming slick under the magical blizzard that he’d conjured, and Yotimo – who had spent his entire life fighting in the cold – used that to his advantage now. All it took was a miniscule shifting of his weight to make one of his legs give out from under him, sliding on the ice that was already forming beneath their feet, and he went down on one knee, Paska’s fists sailing over his head.

It was with a heavy dose of satisfaction that Yotimo’s fist then shot out to hit Paska right where Lex had skewered him.

“AUGH!” Despite his supernatural endurance, Paska couldn’t hold back a cry of pain at that, giving ground even as more hailstones pelleted him, raising his arms in a feeble attempt to defend himself.

The hail was already tapering off, but the freezing rain continued unabated, and it took Yotimo a half-second to recover his footing. But as soon as he did, he lunged, slamming into Paska and knocking both of them to the ground. Rolling over, Yotimo grit his teeth as the bald man slammed his head into his muzzle, and the elder adlet could taste blood in his mouth. But he accepted the hits in exchange for being able to deliver more of his own, bringing his elbow around to smash into the side of Paska’s head.

The strike sent Paska rolling, but he didn’t relinquish his hold, pulling Yotimo along with him as the two of them went tumbling over the uneven, slickened ground. Neither gave the other the slightest reprieve, lashing out with fists, knees, and even teeth as they wailed on each other.

But as battered as the two of them were, Paska’s wound gave him a weak point that made all the difference, Yotimo finally managing to draw his legs up between them and kicking out with both feet.

Paska wasn’t even able to howl as Yotimo’s feet hit him right where it hurt most, his eyes bulging as he crumpled, knocked away from Yotimo and landing flat on his back. The adlet, having come down on his side, hurried to his feet, knowing that Paska’s defenses were completely down now. If he could just get in close before he recovered...!

But he hadn’t quite gotten back up when a heavy fog blanketed the area, followed immediately by a low shuffling sound that could only have been Paska getting back up.

Forcing down a growl of frustration at having lost his chance, Yotimo focused on being as quiet as possible, moving toward where he’d just seen Paska. Being able to summon mist was another power that adlets all had – though apparently Paska could do it too – and they’d all been taught from a young age the basics of fighting in poor visibility.

That included relying on their nose when they couldn’t use their eyes.

And even with the driving sleet that Yotimo had called down, that last strike had left the smell of Paska’s blood quite thick in the air.

His nose twitching, Yotimo loped forward softly, picking his way across the uneven ground as quickly as he could, letting the scent of blood guide him. It grew stronger as he hurried forward, pressing through the fog to find...

Paska’s discarded armor.

Realizing too late that he’d been duped, Yotimo tried to whirl around, only for something to hit him hard from behind, sending him sprawling as he went down onto his belly and a heavy weight settled atop him.

Before he could even think about getting up, a heavy blow to the back of his skull left him seeing stars. His head was still ringing when a second one struck right after the first, and it vaguely occurred to him that Paska had to have picked up a rock or an ice chunk or something similar, and that in another few seconds he’d cave his skull in.

Thrashing accomplished nothing, nor was Yotimo able to even begin trying to turn himself over before a third strike made his vision blur. Groping blindly, he felt something long and thin under his fingers, and he dimly realized that it had to be Bloodletter; their fight had apparently having carried them back over to where Lex and Akna had fallen.

Silently offering an apology to the shaman, Yotimo curled his hand around the spear and lifted it up, intending to strike blindly over his shoulder...only for agony to rip through him as his hand was suddenly impaled several times over, Bloodletter having somehow grown barbs.

Yotimo had just enough time to realize that he’d made a mistake, that this wasn’t Bloodletter at all.

All of a sudden new pain erupted across the back of his head, so horrific that it blotted out even what had happened to his hand.

Then he knew no more.

---

Paska grunted as he lifted up the heavy slab of ice again, not intending to stop until the two-legged wolf’s head was completely pulped, but a sudden spasm of pain in his sternum robbed him of the last of his strength, and he dropped the frozen bludgeon before slumping over, panting for breath.

He wasn’t the only one, as he could still hear the old adlet breathing weakly, eyes closed as his head lay in a pool of his own blood, much of it coming from where that giant quill of Lex’s was piercing his hand. Nearby, the sounds of panicked yelling broadcast that the others knew that something had happened to their leader, but didn’t know what. It was enough to make Paska thankful that he’d taken the time to hobble them, instead of simply trusting that Sissel’s curse and a few bindings would be enough. There was no way they’d be able to crawl over the broken terrain to see what had become of their commander.

Still, if Grisela’s plaything is here that means that Sissel and the others are probably dead.

The thought didn’t sadden him in the slightest; rather, it filled him with a sense of disdain. Sissel had always considered herself to be one of the smartest of Mother’s children, and she wasn’t wrong about that. But her intelligence, along with her considerable power, meant that she’d never been in a high-pressure situation; the kind where you had to make split-second decisions in the heat of the moment.

Those situations weren’t something that intelligence alone – or raw power – could extricate you from, he knew. Only experience could do that, and Sissel had been woefully lacking in that department.

That wasn’t entirely her fault, of course; all of Mother’s children were only a few months old at most, her magic having accelerated their gestation and growth. But even so, how they’d spent that time counted for a lot. Paska had chosen to spend it putting his skills into practice as much as possible. Sissel, on the other hand, had prioritized magic over pragmatism, giving the latter less attention than the former, and had now reaped the rewards for doing so.

The fact that she’d slain Lex Legis’s familiar during their last battle, despite knowing that he’d need all the allies he could get to challenge Hvitdod, had made her inexperience clear. And from the look of things, she’d made the same mistake again now, letting herself be drawn into a fight with the pony she was trying to manipulate. That, despite having correctly identified him as someone who could potentially overcome Hvitdod, a dragon who was stronger than all of them put togeth-

Paska.

The voice that slid across his mind then made his breath catch in his throat. It was one that he knew quite well, after all, having heard it his entire life. “Mother! You’re back?!”

I just returned. So you can imagine my surprise when, rather than having everything ready to go like I expected, our entire base is deserted except for a few of Grisela’s tasteless puppets! Have you not gotten Hvitdod’s death curse yet?!

The question made Paska cringe, glancing around. The sleet storm that the old adlet had summoned was already pushing the fog cloud he’d made away, and he could see what looked like Lex Legis’s body nearby. “Almost. I-”

Almost isn’t good enough! The scourge that dragon lays upon whoever slays it is the final component for the artifact I’m building, Paska! I already did the hard part getting everything else ready; you and Sissel had the easiest task in all this, and you’ve only gotten it ‘almost’ done?!

Paska bit his lip, momentarily weighing whether or not to tell her the truth, before deciding that there was no hiding it. At least this way he was able to report it while outside of Mother’s immediate reach. “Sissel’s dead.”

WHAT?!

“So’s Grisela, and Vidrig, and Blat. I think Nenet might still be alive, but if she is she’s been captured-”

What do you mean ‘captured’?! What have you idiots been doing while I was gone?!

Deciding to focus more on the results than on the process, Paska fought down a groan of pain as he got to his feet, stumbling toward Lex’s body. “We got a patsy to kill Hvitdod for us. The dragon hexed him right before it died, and then he kicked the bucket right after. Just open up a portal, and I’ll drag his cursed carcass through.”

I can’t open up a portal, you dimwit! I used the last planar transportation spell I had getting back here! And I can’t send any reinforcements to pick you up, either, since no one else survived!

That was enough to give Paska pause. Mother had a large number of children, most of which she’d taken with her on her final outing, needing all the fighting power she could get. While he’d known that they’d be facing an uphill battle – and so had been more than happy to sit it out – the idea that his brothers and sisters had been slaughtered to the last was disturbing. “They’re all dead? Every single one of them?”

Yes, including my other spellbooks! Even those daemon mercenaries were all killed! Useless, every last one of them!

Letting out a slow breath, Paska considered his options. “Alright. I’ll grab this guy’s corpse and hike back. It should only take a few days-”

We don’t have a few days, Paska! Do you not understand that I had to injure a demigod – an actual demigod, not some planar pretender with an inflated ego – to get this?! That isn’t something they’re going to just let go, which means I need to get this finished before they track me down!

“Then what do you want me to do?”

I have enough magic left to teleport a single person back here, along with anything they’re carrying. But there’s a weight limit for the latter, and it’s not very large. You said Hvitdod’s killer is dead?

Paska paused at that, glancing down at Lex’s body. The mutated pony was staring at nothing, absolutely still. It didn’t escape Paska’s notice how, when a snowflake from the nearby hailstorm landed on his body, it didn’t melt. “He’s dead.”

The curse should have suffused his entire body, which means I’ll be able to make do with just a portion of it.

“You want me to chop a piece of him off?” The question made Paska slump in place, not because he found the task particularly gruesome, but because he didn’t have any sort of blade on him.

Pick a body part that’s substantial, but lightweight. And do it fast! Time is of the essence!

“Yes, Mother.”

Glancing around, his eyes paused as they settled on the spear lodged in the female adlet’s body, itself slumped over Lex’s. Paska had no idea if she was dead or just on the verge of dying, and he didn’t particularly care; right now, getting this done was the priority, if only so Mother would get him out of here before something else went wrong. Speaking of which...

“You know,” he mentioned as he kicked the she-wolf over, wrenching the spear out of her chest, “if you only have one teleportation spell, and Nenet’s captured-”

Then I won’t be able to replenish my spells until I can get her back. I’m aware. But if whoever has her is keeping her prisoner, it’s probably because they’ve realized that she’s a goldmine of spells. So long as she doesn’t do anything stupid and get herself killed, I’ll recover her eventually.

The callous comment brought a smirk to Paska’s lips as he turned Lex’s body over. “She still thinks her father was another sphinx, you know.”

Good. As long as I can keep dangling that in front of her, it makes her easy to control. Now hurry up!

“Right, right...”

Without any further complaints, Paska pushed Lex’s cloak to the side and parted his robes before cutting into the mutated pony’s body.

The work was slow going. The spear’s tip had a slight edge on it, but it wasn’t meant for slicing things. Worse, Lex’s hide was unnaturally tough; even in death it was difficult to carve. And the spear kept giving him some sort of feedback, causing Paska to bite his lip as he felt smaller cuts open up across his back as he worked.

Fortunately, what he was looking for wasn’t too deep, and before much time had passed, he’d made all of the necessary incisions.

Then he reached in and tore out Lex’s spinal column.

The bones came free with a gory series of snaps, held together by nerves and ligaments as he took everything between the base of the skull and the pelvis. Sighing, Paska sat back, his wounds on fire from all of the exertion. “Finally.”

Are you done yet?

Paska almost said yes, but paused, glancing back at Lex’s mutilated corpse. Butchering someone’s body was one of the easiest ways to impair resurrection magic, and while he’d done a number on the pony’s body, it couldn’t hurt to be extra safe.

Besides, he owed him for shoving that quill through his guts.

Throwing the spear to the side, Paska reached down and grabbed Lex’s body by its horn. Grunting as he dragged the corpse – which was surprisingly heavy – to the edge of the abyss, he paused just long enough to catch his breath before flinging it over the side, watching as Lex’s remains vanished into the massive chasm.

Pausing just long enough to spit into the hole, Paska gave a satisfied nod. “It’s done, Mother. I’m ready when you are.”

She didn’t reply, but he felt her magic wrap around him, and a moment later he vanished.

Author's Note:

The mysterious mother of Nenet, Paska, and the others returns!

With Lex's body having been mutilated at her command, is his story well and truly over?

Comments

[Not so New Brony]

Well, guess Lex is definitely on his way back to the Darkest Night again though making his way back will be much more difficult endeavor. Though if he is going there, I wonder if he'll end up in the same place as he entered last time or will he appear in something akin to an 'orientation' area for new arrivals of some sort?

Guess I'll see for myself next chapter or so.

[Booster Spice]

Lex is really going to be cheezed off now. And hvitdod treally has something intriguing that Lex could do with it if can be transfered, stolen or absorbed.

I wonder if you can have Lich Slimes?

[Alzrius]

11583122 If there isn't a monster entry for those, then surely there's a template or two that can be used to make them!

That said, it's questionable how much Lex will be able to put what Hvitdod did to use, since Paska went out of his way to make it hard to resurrect him. For his sake, he better hope it was enough!

[Alzrius]

11583000 Arriving in the realm of your god via having died is certainly different than entering via a plane shift spell or some other planar portal. Right now, we know Lex would be warmly welcomed by Sanguine Disposition (maybe a little too warmly), while Steel Soul would give him a much less felicitous welcome. Of course, Darkest Night has a lot more individuals than just the two of them, so who can say for sure what's waiting for Lex on the other side of death?

[TheVirtuousOne]

Okay, it took me 9 days but I caught up, what a roller coaster ride! Lex just cannot find peace can he? And now he's dead to boot, although I imagine if they wanted Hvitdod's curse for a powerful ritual, that death will only be a boon to him in the end, for we all know death is not the end in this universe you've created! Can't wait to see what you do with it next.

[Alzrius]

11584854 WOW! To have read almost two million words in nine days; I confess myself shocked and very impressed! I've always been a quick reader, but I don't think I could have gotten through so much so quickly! Well done! I hope you found the story worthwhile, and that you'll stick around to see how it continues to unfold!

With regard to creating the universe that this story takes place in, while I truly appreciate the compliment, I can't take all the credit; while I've written every single word on my own, the ideas, setting, many of the characters, etc. were made by giants whose shoulders I'm standing on. David Silver, first and foremost, deserves a heaping helping of credit for making Ponyfinder and its world of Everglow. Likewise, Lauren Faust and everyone who made My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic deserve a lot of credit too. And of course, all of the people who developed Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition (and 3.5) and Pathfinder 1st Edition – and so many people who made compatible products, especially Paul Melroy of Distant Horizons Games – helped create ideas that I'm taking liberal advantage of for this story. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention Monty Oum, whose passing (as I noted in my first blog post here) was the impetus for me to start writing this story.

As for what's going to happen next how that Lex's luck has finally run out and he's died, well...there's a new chapter coming out later today. Maybe we'll get a glimpse of his fate then!