Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

913 - Team Titan's Wives

“What in Aselu’s name is an antean?”

Yotimo’s question barely registered to Nenet, unable to take her eyes off of the massive sight of Burly Brawl. The stallion wasn’t as large as Hvitdod had been, the dragon’s sinuous body having been long enough that he could have coiled around a mountain. But right now, Burly could have been that mountain, even if only a small one, the surrounding treetops barely reaching his knees.

Then he lifted one leg and casually brought it down, as though stomping on some bug that had irritated him.

Or some adlet.

“Nenet!” Yotimo’s shout was accompanied by a hand grabbing her chin, wrenching her head around to look the old warrior in the face. “What’s an antean?!”

“They...” For a moment Nenet faltered, her brain struggling to put her shock and worry aside in order to answer the question. “They’re a tribe of earth ponies whose connection to the land is unusually powerful. Queen Iliana recruited them in the early days of her campaign to unify ponykind, and they played a key role in establishing her powerbase.”

“What about their weaknesses?” pressed Yotimo. “What injures them? What taboos do they have? What rites and practices do they keep as sacred?”

“I don’t know!” wailed the sphinx. “All I know was the two paragraphs I read in a history book once! It just said that they’re earth ponies of enormous size, that they helped Iliana establish her army, and that she gave them an island of their own somewhere after the fighting was done! That’s it!”

Yotimo swore softly, looking back at where Burly was casually striding forward, a smirk on the gigantic stallion’s face as he peered down at something.

It was easy to guess what – or rather, who – he was looking at.

Gritting his teeth, Yotimo took a step forward, only for the ice elementals that Solvei had summoned to move in, blocking his path. Gritting his teeth, the elder adlet raised Bloodletter, and for a moment it looked like he was about to lash out at the frozen figure...only for him to sigh and lower the spear. “So we just have to sit here and watch? There’s nothing we can do to help?”

Nenet didn’t answer, instead turning and hurrying over to where Mei Li had just finished helping a nearby family calm their children. “Mei Li!”

The kumiho immediately turned toward her, nine tails fanning out behind her. “Yes, Elder Sister?”

“Remember how we teamed up before, when we were fighting the undead in Adagio’s fortress...?”

---

Solvei watched as Burly wiped out the elementals that she’d summoned with a single stamp of his oversized hoof, trying to figure out what to do next.

That the stallion was so ridiculously strong had been completely beyond her expectations. When he’d announced that he was here to fight a titan – knowing that titan had just defeated a demigod – Solvei had assumed that Burly was simply overconfident, not truly understanding the level of power he was challenging. But now she was starting to realize that she’d been the overconfident one.

Having her serac move backward, she covered the ground between her and Burly with a thick sheet of ice, hoping that the lack of friction would at least slow him down, but the stallion simply strode forward, a confident smirk on his face. The reason why was revealed as the ice sheet she’d made was immediately crushed into powder beneath his hoof, which sank five feet into the earth, easily providing him with enough traction to retain his balance.

“Ready to give up yet?” he rumbled, his voice having dropped several octaves. “Or do I have to stomp you before I smash you?”

Gritting her teeth, Solvei tried to think of some other plan, some way that her cryomancy could slow the behemoth that was Burly Brawl down. There’s got to be something I haven’t thought of! she snarled inwardly, trying to come up with some sort of creative way of using her ice magic. What would Lex do if he were here?!

But she didn’t have a chance to contemplate how her master would have handled the current situation as Burly suddenly lunged forward, his speed still far faster than his swollen size should have allowed for. “If you gotta stop and think in the middle of a fight,” he snorted, “then you’ve already lost the fight!”

Swearing, Solvei had her serac rush backward, swinging out to her fight in an effort to avoid being trampled by the giant pony, but she could already tell that she wasn’t going to be fast enough. Burly’s huge size made each of his strides that much longer, and with his speed undiminished and the ice on the ground doing nothing to slow him down, she had no chance of outdistancing him or outmaneuvering him. In an instant, the massive stallion was upon her, and Solvei fought back a wince as he-

Gave a confused grunt, and then went right past her, his leg coming down close enough that she could have touched it as he charged on by without hitting her.

Solvei could only gape, staring in amazement as Burly continued forward for a short distance before turning and giving her a sour look. Except, he wasn’t looking at her at all, instead sweeping his gaze over the area before giving a disdainful snort. “So it’s gonna be like that, then?”

Stupefied, Solvei stared at the gigantic stallion for several long moments as she slowly realized what had happened. He can’t see me?

Reflexively, she glanced down at herself, only to do a double-take as the only thing she saw was the ground beneath her. Drawing in a sharp breath, she had a moment’s panic as she tried to figure out what was going on-

Elder Sister Solvei! Can you hear me?

Mei Li?!

It worked! The kumiho’s mental voice was thick with relief. Elder Sister Nenet is using her magic on me so that I can use my own on you from a distance. We will help you fight!

Although she’d heard about how the two had done something like this before, Solvei was still momentarily surprised. She can do that?

Shaking her head, she forced herself to focus as Burly kicked over a tree and rolled it along the ground, trying to flush her out. Nevermind. How long will this invisibility spell last?

I don’t believe very long, admitted Mei Li. I experienced sudden enlightenment regarding the nature of my fourth tail just now, and this is one of the spells it allows me to use, but it won’t last for more than a few dozen breaths. But in that time, even if you strike out at your foe, it will not end.

Solvei felt her eyebrows rise. “Sudden enlightenment”?

A revelation, explained Mei Li. When Nenet told me her plan, I despaired because none of my magic was meant to aid someone in battle. But she told me how, when our husband fought a great dragon, your prayers granted him the use of your ice magic, and that saved his life.

A shock ran through Solvei then. Nenet told you that?

Yes, and it made me realize that my thinking was too inflexible. That even if my magic – now that I’m free of the taint from the Plane of Ice – is only meant to help cultivate the peace of a household, it can still be used to help my Elder Sister defend herself. When I realized that, the powers of my fourth tail suddenly came into my mind.

For some reason, the story sent a jolt through Solvei, a realization thought suddenly dominating her thoughts:

They were all in this together.

It was so incredibly obvious, and yet it left her momentarily speechless, completely overturning the need she’d so recently felt to handle things on her own.

The three of them weren’t just individuals who were bound to the same master. They were allies, comrades who could rely on each other no matter what happened. Even if they hadn’t known each other very long, she was sharing her life with the two of them as much as she was with Lex.

Even if it wasn’t a soul-bond, the three of them still had a deep and powerful connection. And by running out to challenge Burly on her own, she’d rejected that connection, pushing them away in favor of wallowing in her own insecurities and self-doubts.

Just like Lex had done to them when he’d fled their presence four days ago.

Elder Sister? Are you alright?

Hearing the worry in Mei Li’s voice, Solvei swallowed, almost overwhelmed by the flood of emotions – appreciation, gratitude, and affection – that came over her then. I’m fine. Just...having a revelation of my own.

Another felled tree went tumbling by, this time close enough to bring Solvei’s attention back to the present. Anyway, I have no idea how turning invisible can make a household better, but I’ll take it!

Actually, such illusions are very useful for beautification and peacemaking, explained the kumiho. For instance, many guests prefer not to see menial servants at work, and an unsightly mess can also be hidden from view if-

That’s great! interrupted Solvei, concentrating on her ice magic again. Now that she knew Burly couldn’t see her, she had time to concentrate, building up to something stronger. But right now, if there’s any other magic you think would be helpful, I could use it!

Ah, forgive me! Then, tell me if one of those trees comes near you, and I’ll take care of-

Do it now! yelped Solvei as a third makeshift missile came barreling toward her, concentrating on empowering her next spell as much as she could. Do it right now!

Understood!

Solvei grit her teeth as the broken tree shot toward her. She hadn’t bothered reforming her armor, knowing that it wouldn’t help her against another shot from Burly, and she regretted that oversight now. Even if her bond with Lex had made her a lot tougher, being struck by an oncoming log would hurt!

But all of a sudden, the three shrunk down, reduced to the size of a stick as it clattered end over end across the snowy landscape, coming to rest at the base of her serac.

“HAH!” boomed Burly as he started forward. “Found you! Now you’re goin’ down!”

Although she knew the stallion couldn’t see it, Solvei nevertheless made a rude gesture at him as she finished preparing her next spell. “Actually, I think things are looking up!”

Even as she said it, the ground around Burly began to darken, causing the oversized stallion to frown in confusion as he aborted his charged and looked above him. “What the-”

Then the massive iceberg Solvei had created fell on him.

It struck with enough force that snow came down from the nearby peaks, the heavy impact far exceeding the shaking that had been caused when Burly had stomped his hoof before. The shockwave made all of the trees in the surrounding area sway, and Solvei hastily formed an ice wall in front of herself, only for it to immediately crumble as the impact reduced it to pieces. It knocked her completely off of her serac, tumbling painfully end over end, and she heard several gasps from behind her as the village shook again.

Panting, she groaned, not trying to get up. She’d dug deep into her supplementary reserves of power in order to make something that huge be as dense as possible, wanting to spare no effort to strike back at her foe. Between how hard she’d concentrated, the bruises she could already feel forming all over her body, and the backlash from her attack just now, she could barely even move.

But she was smiling, certain that Burly had to have felt that one.

Mei Li seemed to agree. Well done, Elder Sister!

I thought I told you to just call me-

She didn’t have a chance to finish as cracks suddenly ran through the iceberg.

Solvei’s eyes widened in disbelief. No way! Not even he could recover so soon from a hit like that!

But the cracks in the massive ice shelf rapidly multiplied, each new one ringing loudly through the air, until the entire thing was shot through with fissures.

Then it exploded outward, revealing Burly’s massive form underneath.

He didn’t have a mark on him. Not a black eye, not a bloody nose, not even a bruise. Instead, all he did was roll his massive neck, as though working a crick out of it. “Huh,” he grunted. “That one wasn’t half-bad. Too bad it wasn’t half-good neither.”

You’ve got to be kidding me! swore Solvei inwardly. What does it take to hurt this monster?!

Gritting her teeth, she tried to sit up, planting her hands on the ground-

And Burly’s head immediately swerved in her direction, eyes locking onto her as a malicious grin crossing his face. “There you are!” he bellowed, charging forward.

Solvei couldn’t help herself, freezing in place. How had he found her?! She was still invisible, and she hadn’t made a sound, so how-

Elder Sister, speak aloud! Say anything! I’ll make your voice appear elsewhere!

Immediately understanding what Mei Li was trying, Solvei said the first thing that came to mind.

“Crushed to death is the only way I’d ever want to be underneath you!”

Her voice came from off to her left, as though she were a spear’s throw in that direction. But other than swiveling one ear toward her voice, Burly didn’t alter his charge. “Don’t worry, toots,” he snorted. “I’m steppin’ lightly, so you’ll-”

But he didn’t have a chance to finish as a slender figure with long blond hair suddenly leaped out from the treeline, a sword glinting in his grasp as he shot toward Burly.

The stallion saw the incoming figure, his brow furrowing as a confused expression crossed his face, his charge carrying him right into the jumping person’s path. He’d barely started to slow down when the figure swung their blade, the sword aimed directly at Burly’s thick neck.

A moment later, blood arced through the air.

Author's Note:

Unable to bring Burly down even with Nenet and Mei Li's help, Solvei is on the verge of defeat when the elves make their move!

Will they be able to defeat the aggressive antean? Or is Burly Brawl more than even they can handle?

Comments

[Not so New Brony]

The chapter title gave me a good chuckle though it is fitting given how the girls started working together and help each other to try and stop Burly though whether or not it would have accomplished that goal is moot at this point since the inquisition has just intervened though the cliffhanger makes me curious if Burly was actually hurt or if it was the elf since he did display incredible speed when he fought Solvei.

Hopefully Solvei/Akna can slip away and evacuate everyone before things escalate even further. Provided the elf's group doesn't intervene to 'question' them too.

[Booster Spice]

Burly is a cross between Greed Spike and Big Mac?

I wonder how long he can hold his breath, or what resiliance he has against Bigbys Grasping Hand which Lex likes to use Heart to Heart or anti microwave oven ice crystalisation internally in various ways? Solvei even in combination doesnt have the capability to cause embolisms or strokes?

[Alzrius]

11818135 Giving each chapter its own title is one of the things I tend to find most difficult in writing this story, but every so often I manage to come up with one that's decent.

Solvei's epiphany here was meant to be indicative of each of the trio (Solvei, Nenet, and Mei Li) having a different realization about something important, though I ended up showcasing them with different degrees of presentation. Nenet's was largely off-screen, realizing that even if she didn't have any knowledge to contribute, she could still help. That was meant to play up the theme of her discovering more of her own strength, in that while she'd originally thought that her only value was in learning things (e.g. being a spellbook for Adagio, and potentially learning enough that she'd become a real sphinx and meet with her father), only to start realizing that she has ways of making practical contributions, even if she's not a fighter, something she learned fighting the undead with Mei Li. (And, of course, her finding catharsis about what happened to Yotimo and the other adlets while she did nothing.)

For Mei Li, the realization was more direct, in that she can now use magic from her fourth tail. That was tied to her growing more comfortable with her role in Lex's "household," in that it's not enough for her to simply keep things peaceful and orderly. She's learned a lot about being a good wife from books and studies, but there's no training program for being with someone like Lex, or situations like the one she's in now. That's the sort of thing that only personal growth can teach.

And of course, Solvei's own "sudden enlightenment" was to realize that running out to handle things on her own was her trying to assuage her ego, wanting to feel powerful by doing things herself, which resulted in her pushing away the people who want to help her. Which is exactly the problem Lex has struggled with for so long, and still falls victim to when he's at his worst. Fortunately, Solvei seems to be wiser than him in that regard, and so was able to accept and appreciate the help she received from Nenet and Mei Li.

...which turned out not to be enough, as Burly kept right on going even through her most powerful attack. So now it's a question if the elves can stop him, or if he'll barrel right through them too.

[Alzrius]

11818305 The question of orthogonal methods of attack against someone who's a consummate brawler is always a good one, though in this case the nature of the game rules which govern this story direct those in ways that might be considered odd. For instance, there's only so much damage anyone can take from falling, and it's not hard to have hit points in excess of that, so even if you drop someone off of the world's highest mountain peak, get ready for them to stand back up and keep fighting once they hit the bottom. Likewise, trying to disrupt biological processes is one of those things which is necessarily going to be a high-level attack, and will virtually always allow for a saving throw to reduce/negate the damage.