Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

922 - Fired Up

“FINALLY!!!”

Burly couldn’t have looked happier at Lex’s challenge, grinning like a foal who’d just found out that Hearth’s Warming had come early this year.

“Hope you don’t mind if we skip the warm-up!” bellowed the earth stallion, stepping backward to give himself some room as he began to grow in size, immediately expanding out until he was as big as a small mountain. “After all those top-heavy bimbos and simp elves, I’m ready to cut loose!”

Carnelia, fall back, ordered Lex, releasing the pleasure devil. Go stand guard over Solvei.

I...as you wish, lover. Without hesitating, Carnelia brought out her wings, a single flap of the black-feathered appendages sending her into the air and back toward where Solvei was watching the unfolding battle, still looking dazed by how rapidly things were progressing.

“C’MON TWERP!” roared Burly as he reared back on his hind legs, the air around his fore-hooves visibly warping as he gathered power in them. “LET’S SEE WHAT YOU GOT!”

He was moving before he’d even finished speaking, leaping forward so fast that he was literally a blur, the downswing of his hooves scorching the air and leaving trails of fire as he slammed into the ground.

Instantly, the earth split apart, a chasm opening up as the ground proved unable to withstand Burly’s onslaught, flames exploding outwards from the point of impact. The shockwaves radiated out in all directions, causing almost everyone who wasn’t airborne – save only for Loraestil, who immediately switched to the Stance of the Diving Roc in order to keep his footing – to go tumbling. Crashes rang out as the surrounding trees collapsed, and although the adlet village was far enough away that it was spared any destruction, everyone there let out a gasp as they felt the ground heave beneath them.

But Lex didn’t even flinch, hovering in place above the crevasse that Burly’s strike had created, unbruised and unburnt. The only move he’d made was to extend his other foreleg, having used both to catch the gigantic stallion’s double-hoofed attack. Glaring up at his enemy, Lex’s eyes narrowed as he spoke only two words.

“My turn.”

Immediately, he vanished from beneath Burly’s hooves, moving too fast to be seen.

Burly didn’t even have enough time to blink when Lex reappeared right next to his face, a low growl escaping the titan’s lips as he immediately lashed out with his claws.

Sonic booms erupted as the strikes tore into the side of Burly’s head, massive lacerations crossing his face from brow to chin in an instant, causing a swimming pool’s worth of blood to fountain out. Lex hadn’t even made physical contact with his enemy, but the damage was devastating nonetheless, causing Burly to let out a choked cry as he went stumbling back, the ground shaking from his unsteady steps.

But no one missed how the sound that had come from the antean’s lips just now hadn’t been one of pain, fear, or even of surprise.

Instead, it had been one of approval.

“NOT BAD!” laughed Burly, circling around where Lex was hovering. “HOW ABOUT WE KICK” – he stomped down hard with his back leg, causing the ground in front of him to bounce hard enough that several pieces of rubble the size of buildings were launched upward – “THINGS UP A NOTCH?!”

Without hesitating, Burly unleashed a flurry of flaming punches, striking the boulders he’d hit while they were still in midair. Although the impacts had more than enough force to reduce the barn-sized rocks to gravel, none of them took any damage from the barrage of strikes. Instead, they were sent rocketing forward so fast that they caught fire the same way Burly’s punches had, shooting directly toward Lex.

Who couldn’t dodge, since Burly’s having circled around meant that the rocks would hit Solvei if Lex didn’t stop them.

But Lex’s only reaction was to snarl as his eyes flashed and his horn lit up, his telekinetic aura appearing around the rocks as they instantly came to a stop. A second later, the fiery boulders reversed course, smashing into Burly’s hide and breaking into pieces as they battered him, the giant grunting under the assault.

Lex, however, wasn’t finished yet.

Holding one claw out, he turned it palm-up and began to close his talons. As he did so, the area around him seemed to grow colder and darker, as though he was squeezing away the very concepts of light and warmth. The tighter his grip, the worse the gloom grew, collapsing in on itself until the cold blackness was the size of a ball clutched within his talons.

With a dismissive wave of his claw, Lex sent the shadowy sphere hurtling toward Burly Brawl. It rushed forward so fast that it seemed to streak across the distance, striking the oversized stallion dead center.

The giant gave a contemptuous snort as it splashed against his chest, looking like a drop of ink that had splattered against a canvas...only to frown as the darkness suddenly spread out, expanding to cover him like a film. It crystallized in the process, radiating a coldness that froze the spirit as well as the body, causing even Solvei to shiver from the chill that it emitted. That chill grew worse as it covered more and more of the antean’s body, until he was completely sealed inside of it.

The entire process had taken only a few seconds from start to finish, Burly having become an ebony statue that no one dared to approach.

A heartbeat passed in silence.

Then a second.

Then a third.

Swallowing, Solvei’s eyes flickered between Burly’s frozen form and Lex. “Did that-”

She didn’t have a chance to finish as the statue suddenly cracked.

All along its surface, fissures began to spread, and the area around them began to brighten, turning deep crimson as flames seeped from within the fractures.

All of a sudden, Loraestil’s eyes widened. “Vystalaran, do something! It’s about to-”

He didn’t have a chance to finish as the elven mage immediately dropped down from where he was hovering in the sky, already casting a spell. Thilaera, needing no further signal, immediately ran toward the pair.

A half-second later, a shimmering, multi-colored dome appeared around them, the trio obscured behind the glittering barrier.

At the same time, Lex glanced toward where his retinue was finishing off the elves’ forces. All of you, converge on Solvei’s position! Now!

Ooh, do you want me to introduce her to Sugar? squealed Spice, sounding delighted by the prospect. Immediately, the stumpy legs carrying the forest of tentacles that the succubus was entangled in began to lurch toward where Solvei and Carnelia were. I bet they’d get along great!

Fortunately, it hadn’t gotten more than two steps before Yamini was there, her flaming tyrannosaur roaring as it sank its jaws into Sugar. I’ll stop her from bringing that disgusting thing near anyone else, announced the tigress, her flaming sword cutting away the tentacles that tried to grab her as she reached down and yanked Spice – who was shrieking indignantly at being separated from the monster – out of the tendrils’ sticky embrace. Throwing the succubus under her arm like a sack of potatoes, she leaped from the tyrannosaur’s back and ran toward Solvei.

Sirrush made no move to follow their example, instead looking up to glare at Lex from where she had her claws buried in the guts of a twitching eladrin. Are you kidding?! You’re already hogging all the fun! Now you want me to have even less?!

The furthest away, Dima’s water-crab veered toward the draconic drow. I’ll get her.

You’d never be able to force her to come with you, cut in Carnelia, standing in front of Solvei. I’ll handle her.

Oh you will, will you? sneered Sirrush, snarling as she turned her red eyes toward Carnelia. And just how are you going to “handle” me, you prissy little-

Peering over the rim of her glasses, the brachina looked deeply into Sirrush’s eyes. Come. Here. Now.

Sirrush’s rebuke cut off immediately, a shudder running through her body as she suddenly exhaled, as though having been punched in the gut. But she didn’t – couldn’t – break eye contact with Carnelia, wings twitching before they spread wide and began to flap, winging her way toward the pleasure devil.

As soon as they were all together, Lex immediately crushed the gemstone that he’d withdrawn, activating the spell stored within. Instantly, a sigil-laden circle of light appeared on the ground beneath their feet, causing Solvei and the others to gasp.

Then they all vanished, teleported back to the adlet village.

Two seconds later, there was an eruption of flame as the statue encasing Burly shattered.

But the fire didn’t mark an explosion.

Instead, it imploded, the flames seeming to curl around the broken fragments of black ice and consume them as they fell inward. Nor were they alone, as a powerful inward force swept over the battlefield, pulling everything toward Burly. Only Lex and the scintillating dome surrounding the elves were immune to the pull, staying right where they were as boulders and downed trees were dragged into the flames, scorches so thoroughly that not even ashes were left as the flames consumed them, the fires seeming to grow larger the more they devoured.

And at their center was Burly.

The stallion was no longer gigantic, having shrunk back to his original size.

But no one would have thought that he’d grown weaker for having done so.

The stallion’s entire body had carbonized, making him look like some warped version of a crystal pony. But rather than having a translucent appearance, his entire form was scorched and dusky. There was no shine or luster to him, instead being a dark matte grey. Only his eyes were a different color, being a solid white with no irises or pupils visible.

The only other source of color was the flames which surged around him like an aura, giving Burly the appearance of standing in the middle of his own personal sun.

“Been a while since I got this fired up,” chuckled the earth stallion, the flames around him flickering as he took a step forward. That single step was enough to cause several more loose piles of debris to roll toward him, the fires consuming them whole. “’Specially against someone usin’ wuss magic.”

“Your low opinion of magic doesn’t seem to extend to your own command over gravity,” noted Lex evenly, staring the other stallion down. “You’ve been using it this entire time. Increasing the density of your hooves when attacking and your muscles when defending. Creating momentary, localized pulses of it right in front of you to increase your speed. You’ve even drawn in more positive energy than your body should be able to hold – something that gravity shouldn’t be able to do – which is why your wounds aren’t bothering you at all.”

“HAH!” Burly’s grunt was followed by a dismissive wave of his hoof, causing the trees that hadn’t been uprooted to sway, their tops pointing toward him. “Earth pony magic ain’t wuss magic, with its fruity little gestures and sing-song chanting. Yeah, you might have worked out some way to get around those parts, but it’s still the same weak-ass pansy crap.”

Rearing up and flexing, Burly shot Lex a superior smirk. “Real warriors don’t use anything but their own strength. No weapons, no armor, no spells, just their own muscles, their own instincts, and their own inner power. They go it alone and use those to make themselves the best, or die like the rest.”

“Your sophistry is exceeded only by your hypocrisy,” snorted Lex, giving Burly a look of disdain. “You claim to rely on no one but yourself-”

“Damn right!”

“-and yet you have a blessing from the war goddess, Blaze.”

Burly froze, and for the first time since their fight began, the smile dropped off his face, even as the flames surrounding him suddenly darkened, going from yellowish-orange to deep red. Slowly, he got back down on all fours, his expression twisting into a scowl as he glared at Lex.

“Don’t ever mention that bitch to me.”

Author's Note:

Lex and Burly clash, with the latter unleashing a new transformation, only for Lex to call him out as having the war goddess's blessing!

What power has Blaze given to Burly? And what will the elves do now that the battle has escalated so much?

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Lex better be real careful. Burley is starting to push into the bottom end of Pinkies range of capabilities.

[Alzrius]

11841927 When Burly parties, he doesn't raise the roof so much as collapse it completely.

[Not so New Brony]

In my sickness induced haze, I'd joke about Blaze being Burly's ex but something tells me that it's a lot more complicated than that. A part of me wonders if the blessing is perceived as a curse by Burly. Given his viewpoint on strength, the blessing would be viewed as a cheat or crutch that prevents him from enjoying a fight to his utmost limits, Heck, Blaze might have intended the blessing to be a curse for all I know since he's such an asshole to people around him.

Then again, his personality could be a result of him being blessed/cursed as he wants a fight to the utmost limits and he pisses off everyone he meets on the off chance that one of them would give him a good fight.

[Alzrius]

11843473 If there's anything to take away from Lex's interactions with the Night Mare, it's that relationships between gods and mortals (or at least, the mortals whom gods take note of, whether for good or for ill) can be very, very complicated. While it might be specific to the nature of evil gods, I suspect that more than a few of those who receive their blessing tend to have mixed feelings about it...or often simply hate it outright. Certainly, Burly doesn't seem to be happy with whatever blessing it is that he's received from Blaze.

Of course, as you noted, his attitude towards everyone else (especially if they're female) is off-putting in the extreme, so it's entirely possible that Blaze's blessing is meant to make him unhappy, whatever else it does. Though it's just as likely that he's as noxious as he is because of whatever blessing she gave him. Still, we do know that his stance on how warriors should only rely on themselves dovetails with Blaze's dogma; the Night Mare herself mentioned that back in Chapter 526. So it seems likely that she favors Burly at least somewhat (and her own personality seems antagonistic and cruel as well, given how she acted when the pantheon came together to watch Lex fight Kryonex).