Spear of the Windigos (Daring Do #2)

by BookeCypher

Chapter 14

The sound of four sets of hooves and one set of slightly more pointy appendages pounded against the stone slabs as the group tore down the hall, Daring still at the front. Ahuizotl had already vanished from sight, but given the amount of snow and dust that still covered the floor that didn't slow them down very much. “So,” Masra said as they rushed along, “This spear is the cause of the blizzard?”

“Yup,” Daring replied with a nod, “and its the key to stopping it.”

“In conjunction with this ceremonial chamber you mentioned,” Masra added with a nod, “It appears I should have never have doubted you, Miss Do.”

“We should have never come here,” Daring replied, steel in her voice, “He'd have never have gotten in if we hadn't-”

“I will have none of that!” Masra quickly snapped, “This Ahuizotl fellow would have found a way, and without you and Zapapple, where would we be?” Masra paused a moment to let the word sink in before continuing, “Now, let's finish what you started.”

“Are you – hah – sure he went this way?” Tabula managed between gasping breathes from the back of the group as she pushed to keep up.

“Oh, he went this way, alright,” Storm growled from ahead of her, “Doesn't look like there was really anywhere else he could go.”

Daring did say anything, but she agreed with her professor – Ahuizotl had no chances to lose them down this way, and that had her worried.

Ahuizotl should have known that.

So what was he planning?

The first part of the answer came when the hall suddenly took a sharp left and spilled them out into what Daring could only assume had once been some sort of banquet hall. Why a fortress that had been built as a prison needed a banquet hall Daring had no idea, but Ahuizotl had taken full advantage of the open space. “Good evening, Miss Do and company! I hope you have enjoyed yourselves, but now I must bid you good evening.” To punctuate the statement, he brings the spear around in a relaxed, one-pawed hold.

“So,” Storm Talon asked in a whisper as he leaned toward Daring, “How powerful is this spear thing?”

A reply came in the form of Ahuizotl thrusting the spear forward and launching a crystalline beam that smoked with frost as it shot in their direction. Storm had just enough time to shout an explicative before tackling Tabula out of the way, Masra and Daring dodging the other direction as the beam struck the wall behind where they had just been. The wall exploded for a split-second before the flying pieces froze mid-air, encased in frost and ice.

“Pretty powerful,” Daring replies as she stares at the frozen debris, “and now he knows where we are...”

“Move!” Masra shouts before the three of them rush down the gallery, Tabula unceremoniously tossed onto Storm Talon's back as shards of ice hit the stone around them and overhead. Apparently, Ahuizotl felt the ice beam was too slow and decided the lightning-speed ice flechettes would do better. Luckily, Daring thought, they didn't seem to fly very straight. Stone work began to erode away as the storm of ice bore down like a sand blaster on steroids. Daring brought one wing around as she ran, trying to shield herself from the wost of the impromptu sand storm as she followed after Masra through an archway as the ice storm kicked up a massive cloud of dust that soon enveloped the entire gallery in a obscuring cloak of stone and ice.

The four of them ducked to either side of the arch, hiding inside the small enclave as the barrage continued on the other side for another few moments before finally, slowly, dying out. “I don't see them,” Ahuizotl's voice echoed up from somewhere below, “Kasteel, go kill them.”

“Yes sir,” the voice of the griffon commander replied before there was the sound of rushing wind before a set of claws clattered against stone nearby. He was on the gallery, “You should have ran when you had the chance, pony,” Kasteel taunted, the steady 'click-clack' of claws on stones slowly growing closer, “now you'll die on this mountain like your friend,” Daring tensed, even as she felt one of the president's hooves slide in front of her, “we found her, you know – how miserable must it have been for her, to slowly freeze to death like that? What must she have been thinking at the end? About how you left her, perhaps, maybe-”

His next word was cut off as Storm Talon swung out from around the corner with an upper-cut that sent the commander reeling. “Nobody gets to talk shit about my student,” Storm growled, “Especially not a fucker like you.”

Kasteel gave a snort as he rolled his neck, cracking audible across the gallery, “I know you, don't I?”

Storm Talon gave a snort, his metal tail clicking as it swung back and forth, “Trust me, boy – If we'd met before, you'd be dead.”

Kasteel eyed Storm Talon's tail before eying him carefully, “No – I know you. You're that pirate hunter, aren't you?”

“Just a professor,” Storm replied as he settled into some sort of combat stance – what sort, Daring didn't know, but whatever it was he looked comfortable in it. Relaxed, even, “Now – are we gonna squawk, or can I kick your ass now?”

“You're funeral, then!” Kasteel lunged forward, claw swinging out like a scythe. Storm rolled to the side, Kasteel shooting past him before Storm kicked out with a hind leg. The wind rushed out of the griffon commander as the professor's claw buried itself into his side before he flew sideways, crashing into the stone with a heavy thud.

“You were saying?” Storm Talon asked calmly, tone almost bored as the griffon commander pulled himself back up, “go now and I won't have to kill you.”

“Shove it up your arse,” the commander growled as he reached into his cloak, “I don't need your pity!” There was a flash of steel as his claw emerged from his cloak, dagger in-claw as he lunged forward.

“Mother-” Storm Talon dodged out of the way, letting the commander throw himself further down the gallery before chasing after him.
“Come on,” Daring nearly jumped when Masra tapped her on the shoulder, pointing down at the floor below before speaking again, “While we have the chance.”

Daring glanced down at the floor, and saw what she meant. Ahuizotl stood there, smug grin on his face and his full attention on the two dueling griffon's. The rest of them were being completely ignored. “I somehow doubt he's going to not notice when we try and take the spear back,” Daring whispered. Especially since he was still holding it.

“Leave that,” Masra said with a smirk, “to me.” The president didn't wait for Daring to reply before slipping out of the alcove and into the gallery, staying low and close to the wall as she moved. Daring looked back at Tabula, giving the terrified-looking librarian a silent nod to follow her before following after the president. Behind them, the sound of fighting echoed out across the hall as they effectively crawled their way along until they reached a narrow staircase built into one of the walls.

“What are we doing?” Tabula hissed in a slightly panicked whisper as she followed after Daring and Masra, “Shouldn't we be trying to escape?”

“Have to save the world first, Tabby,” Daring said back quietly, “and we need the spear for that.”

“How?” Tabula hissed again.

“Like this,” Masra replied as she gestured for them to stop near the base of the stairs, “Now watch closely girls – Daring, you'll know when to move.”

“What are you-” Daring started before the president darted forward, sword in teeth in flash as she crossed the distance from from the stairs to Ahuizotl in a gentle arc. Masra shot toward Ahuizotl in near silence, the sounds of the blizzard outside and the fight above drowning out the soft sound of her hoof falls. A flash of steel out of the corner of his eye was the only warning Ahuizotl got as the blade swung up at him in a deadly arc.

The spear lashed out to block, a shower of sparks lighting up the room as Masra rolled with the motion, letting her blade slide down the spear's underside before reversing her motion and hooking her sword under the spear. An arrant blast of magic boomed from its tip, crashing into the stone above in a deafening detonation before Ahuizotl lashed out with his other hand at the pesky mare. Masra rolled around the strike, pulling her blade back as she wrapped a hoof around his limb and pulled.

Ahuizotl lunged forward with the spear, stabbing it forward as much to stabilize himself as to try and impale the university president. His spear met solid stone as he looked up, fury in his eyes.

Which was quickly replaced with surprise as a pair of tan pegasus hooves crashed into his face.

Ahuizotl flew backward as the spear tumbled to the ground, his body crashing into the stone several paces back with a heavy thud. Daring quickly scooped up the spear with one wing, “Got it!”

“Talon! We're pulling back!” Masra shouted before turning to Daring, “can you get us to the chamber?”

Daring took a quick look around before nodding, “I think so.”

“Then lead on,” Masra replied before turning back to the gallery, “Talon, move it!”

“You heard the lady,” Talon said to Kasteel with a smirk, “fun's over,” Talon lunged at Kasteel, claws out. Kasteel was forced to block as Storm Talon launched off him and down into the hall below, “Have to kill you next time!”

“I've got you're name!” Kasteel shouted as he started after them.

“Well, I don't have yours!” Storm shouted back as the group ran down a side hall, “So long!”

A high-pitched shriek chased after them as the foursome dashed through the darkness, “Okay,” Storm Talon said as they tore around a corner, half of them having taken wing, “so we pissed off Freaky-face and his feathered army of ass-hats. Now what?”

“We turn off the blizzard,” Daring replied, the words muffled by the spear held between her teeth, “we need to get back to the under-chamber for that.”

“Okay, going downstairs,” Storm replied with a nod, “How the flying fuck are we going to do that?”

“Out a window,” Daring replied, “Unless you want to turn around?”

“Fuck that,” Storm replied succinctly.

Daring didn't bother voicing her agreement as they took a turn and found themselves in another long hall, this one with rows of arches along the left that opened into the storm outside. “Okay – Professor, can you grab the president?”

“Can you carry Tabula?” Storm asked back, “I've seen you try and fly with Zap...”

“I'll manage,” Daring replied, the tensing at the name passing in an instant, “unicorns are a lot lighter then earth ponies.”

“Then lets get fucking moving,” Storm replied before turning to the president, “Hope you don't mind me getting my claws all over you.”

“I'll try and contain my excitement,” Masra replied with a smirk before another piercing shriek echoed behind them.

“Okay – leaving now!” Daring announced as she grabbed onto the librarian, “Hold on tight, Tabby.”

“Only my friend's get to call me that,” Tabula replied nervously as she quickly wrapped her hooves around Daring's neck.

“Oh,” Daring replied with an akward grin, “uh...sorry?”

“No, no,” Tabula glanced down as they took off, “After all of this, I think you might qualify.”

Both pairs took off and out into the blizzard, and were almost immediately nearly smashed into the castle. The storm had grown massively since she'd last been out in it, Daring noted. Perhaps the Windigo's could feel what was coming.

Luckily their flight was a short one as they more-or-less crash-landed into the lower hall, still cratered from the earlier traps but otherwise abandoned. “Come on!” Daring shouted as she quickly lowered Tabula to the floor before bolting ahead, shooting through the semi-ruined entry way and into the main chamber.

The entire room seemed to react as she entered, strange piping engraved into the walls starting to glow as if light itself flowed through them, the flows of glowing blue illumination converging on the platform at the center. Daring didn't waste any time in looking around as she went straight for the center and the indented slot at its core. Daring stared down at the slot as she hefted the spear, poising it above the slot, “It's over.” and then she plunged the spear down.

There was a sudden high-pitched whir as the glow of the room quickly grew, a whirlwind growing around her along with the light until...
Everything suddenly ceased around Daring as the light died and the wind returned to nothing more then a gentle draft in the utter silence of the chamber room. Daring looked around in confusion briefly before lifting the spear and slamming it back down, but nothing happened, “Oh, for the love of Celestia...” Daring tried it a few more times before she noticed something.

There seemed to be a piece missing from the base.

Around the central slot, near the top, the indentation widened suddenly. As if another piece was supposed to fit there.

Like a big freaking jewel a certain griffon might have had.

Daring bit out a curse as she quickly spun and started back across the chamber, but after a few steps she stopped and ran back over to the altar. She grabbed the spear in her teeth, yanking it out of its slot before taking wing. She took a moment to shift the spear into her hooves before shooting forward.

“Daring, what the buck-” Storm started to shout before Daring sped overhead in a burst of wind.

“Need to grab something from that griffon bastard real fast!” Daring shouted back.

“Need his key for it?” Storm shouted back.

That brought her to a halt real fast. “Wait, what?”

Storm replied by tossing something small and semi-shiny toward her. Daring managed to catch it with her unoccupied hoof, the lanyard catching around her foreleg to leave the key dangling in front of her. “Pulled that off him when we were fightin' – figured it might be good for something.”

“You're a life-saver, professor,” Daring said with a grin before she shot off again, ducking out through one of the window arches and arcing upward before shooting through the gallery window and dropping into the middle of the entry hall. Around her, a couple dozen griffons were standing around in various states of armament, some of them pulling on pieces of plate. Daring brought the spear around, “Okay, gents – hand over the safe and nobody gets hurt.”

The griffon's replied with a collective charge at the tan pegasus, a few shouting or screeching deafening cries that had Daring's lower brain functions screaming at her to run. Daring channeled that fear into a more productive outlet as she brought she spear around and slammed it downward.

A wave of ice rushed out around her, slamming into the first wave of griffons and knocking them back to a chorus of shouts and curses. The few that managed to dodge found themselves being charged by irate tan pegasus. Daring had no technique, no proper form as she attacked. She simply attacked in a flurry of wings and hooves and rage as she finally had the chance to vent days of frustration and pain. The first griffon went down as Daring charged in at a full-speed hoof-first straight into his gut. The next went down with a side-swipe from a wing, the feathered appendage ringing the griffon's head like a bell as he was swept off his feet and crashing into two others.

They quickly wised up though and Daring was quickly finding herself swamped as they charged en mass. Thats what the spear was for – a single sweep, and a wall of ice arced out and gave her some breathing room. Still – too many for her to fight. Not enough time.
She needed to focus.

Daring pushed back the urge, the little voice in the back of her head screaming at her to just whale on every griffon in the room until she felt better or stopped feeling, but she pushed it down and started looking for that safe. She lowered the spear and charged, wind and ice billowing out ahead of her like a plow as she headed for where she half-remembered where the safe had been.

She quickly found herself heading for the one band of griffons that hadn't charged her after her ultimatum, a half-dozen of them gathered around something behind them. Daring was willing to bet that something was safe-shaped, “Out of the way, feather-brains!” Daring shouted as she dove forward.

The griffons responded in kind, charging against the small pegasus that was either brave or dumb enough to challenge them. They were understandably surprised when the pegasus suddenly vaulted over them. She was already moving by the time they got turned back around, a wall of ice sealing off a side hall as Daring vanished around a corner.

“buckmebuckmebuckme...” Daring muttered as she ran, rolling wave of ice carrying the safe along behind her. The sounds of smashing ice was already starting to echo down the hall. She took another turn and skidded to a halt as she found herself at a dead end, “...buck me!” Daring cursed again as the spear's magic deposited the safe to her side. She watched it settle for a moment before glancing at the spear. After that initial shock when she'd first grabbed it, using the spear had been... disturbingly easy. Between that and its sheer power, she was starting to wonder just what she could do with it...

Another resounding crash echoing down the hall cut off Daring's train of thought. She quickly fished the key out of a pocket and turned to the safe, fumbling with it as she tried to maneuver it into the keyhole with one wing – stupid griffon safe designed for griffon claws. She managed it after a few misses, giving the key a quick turn that set off a flurry of sound from inside the squat metal box. A cacophony of clicks, whirs and heavy clunks came from the safe before giving one final collection of thunks and then, with the faintest of clicks, cracking open.
Holding her breath, Daring slowly pulled swung the safe open with one hoof.

Inside was the single biggest gem Daring Do had ever seen.

She had some idea of what to expect – there was a slot in the floor it probably had to fit into, after all – but nothing prepared a pony for seeing a gem that big. It was two hooves long, and a hoof wide. It tapered from a good fifteen centimeters thick to almost nothing at either end, creating a sort of oblong diamond shape. Even with the spear-shaped whole in the middle, the stone looked like it was have weighed at least a thousand carats.

Daring slowly reached out with her hooves when she suddenly felt something very cold and very, very sharp press against her back, “back away from the gem, girlie,” Daring slowly pulled her hooves back, “Good, now back up,” Daring felt the blade – knife or sword, she didn't know – pull away from her back, and her body started to move before her brain had time to note that this was probably a really bad idea.
One wing snapped out as she spun around, sweeping the weapon from the griffon's hand and making him curse as the curved one-clawed sword hit the ground with a ringing clatter, “you little-”

He didn't get to finish his curse as a pair of hooves slammed into his chest, shooting him backwards into the wall with enough force to dent the wall. That was... actually, highly improbable, Daring realized. She gave the dead-end hall around her a second look as she realized the aged structure was apparently moments away from completely caving in.

Daring had little time to contemplate their current environment before the griffon was charging at her. In the confined space of the hall, it was only moments before the fighting devolved into a tangled mess of limbs as both tried to maneuver in the tight space. Daring's brief upper-hoof vanished as the larger griffon managed to grab her as she over-extended, swinging her around by her foreleg until she slammed into the same stretch of wall she had slammed him into moments earlier. The wall caved even further, a couple of bricks from further up falling out as their mortar failed, letting the howling wind outside whistle. The confined space filled with a low shriek as the griffon leered down at Daring as she fell to the floor, apparently happy to watch her struggle, “You're out of your depth, girl,” he said, smirking as Daring tried to get her hooves back under her, “I've been fighting longer then you've been alive. I've killed dragons, you little nag – No way in Tartarus I'm going to let you rob me of my payday,” Daring didn't have time to react as a claw grabbed her by the throat, lifting her clear off the ground as she tied to escape. She could feel him slowly squeezing as he stared her in the eyes, beak slowly clicking in smug satisfaction, “Now get ready to join your stupid friend.”

Daring stopped struggling as she glared back at the griffon, “Her name-” Daring wrapped a her forelegs around his arm before she flared her wings out, “-was Zapapple Tock!” Daring put every ounce of strength she had into her wings, forcing herself backwards and pulling the griffon with her into the wall. The weakened brickwork finally gave, howling wind rushing past Daring ears as her wings caught on the edges of the break and she started to cartwheel.

The griffon had no such bracing as the momentum tore his grip from Daring's throat, claws raking across the pegasus's skin. The instant he cleared the wall, the winds of the storm grabbed him, the howling maelstrom prying his wings from his sides before dragging him down into the whirling sea of white below.

Daring pulled herself back from the edge, dropping the the floor as she panted for breath. She stared out through the hole, watching the twisting winds for a moment before giving herself a quick shake and pulling herself back onto her hooves. She made her way back over to the still open safe, scooping up the gem with one wing as she patted herself down until she found an open pocket.

Stone secured, she found herself staring back out into the storm. Enemies at her back and a blizzard to her front, “How am I supposed to fly in...” Daring started when she felt a tingle of energy from the spear, still laying where it had fallen nearby. Carefully, Daring stepped closer until she could scoop it up with one wing. Almost immediately, the wind pouring in from outside died down. She glanced out into the storm and then back at the spear, “...okay then...” Daring tucked it under one leg, awkwardly hobbling on three legs until she was close enough to the hole to take wing.

Outside, it was as if she was flying in her own personal weather bubble. Around her, the storm continued to rage, but a few hooves away from her it simply flowed around, as if she was surrounded by a shield.

She found herself thinking back to the mural of the builder. Had the Windigo's not seen that coming either?

That line of thought was shelved as she alighted back outside the chamber, the hall still destroyed from the traps. Daring wasted no time, rushing back into the chamber where he found miss Rasa and the president waiting, “Where's professor Talon?”

“Scouting,” the president replied as she raised an eyebrow at Daring. Daring looked down at herself and noticed the oversized gem buldging out of one pocket, “is that it?”

“That's it,” Daring replied with a nod, “this should be the last piece to stop the storm.”

“Then do it fast!” the three of them spun around to see Storm Talon dashing in their direction, “We've got a whole division of angry griffon's coming this way!”

“I somehow doubt that they have an entire division of forces on this mountain, mister Talon.” Masra said as Storm Talon ducked behind some of the rubble they were using for cover.

“Well its still way bucking more then we can fight off for long!” Talon snapped back, “Kid – shut off the storm and lets get out of here.”
Daring was way ahead of him on that front, already sliding to a stop at the center of the room as she fumbled to pull the gem out of her pocket. She spared half a moment to make sure she had it oriented properly before slotting it into the floor. The chamber around her immediately reacted, the engraved lines criss-crossing the room began glowing a brilliant blue, bright enough to bath the entire room in light. Daring didn't waste any time admiring the change in her surroundings though as she quickly grabbed the spear in her teeth, lining it up over the slot.

Daring paused for a heartbeat before slamming the spear home.

There was a brief moment of utter silence before an ear-piercing shriek cut through the air as the air around the spear pulsed once, then twice before the center platform slowly rose. It came to a stop a hoofs-length above where it started, leaving a narrow gap around its edge.
Then, the ancient fortress seemed to inhale.

Wind howled around Daring as it rushed past her, sections of wall and ceiling falling free as the storm outside found more ways to rush inward toward the alter, whirls of snow and ice speeding into the inky blackness below the altar. Daring arduously started to back step, every ounce of strength not pushing her back step by step trying to keep her wings furled so that she wouldn't join the Windigo's in the abyss.
The Windigo's had little choice in the matter – it wasn't long before she saw the first one fly past, an ethereal equine form struggling against the wind in futility before disappearing below the altar.

Daring's heart was pounding in her ears, her breath coming in ragged breathes as she slowly backpedaled, hooves slipped across the stone every few steps as the winds threatened to whisk her away.

It wasn't until she felt the shift in the wind around her and the change in the floor underhoof that Daring finally started to relax. She quickly threw herself to the side, planting her back against the wall next to the door as she finally let out a sigh of relief and could catch her breath.
“A little bucking warning next time!” A shout over the wind drew her attention to the other side of the doorway, where Storm Talon was yelling at her as best he could despite the indoor wind storm, “We were nearly bucking sucked in with the the thrice-damned windigos!”

“Didn't know it was going to happen!” Daring shouted back.

“What are we supposed to-” Tabula started shouting from behind Storm when, suddenly, the wind died. The entire chamber was suddenly plunged into utter silence, “-do... oh, um – what happened?”

“The storm stopped,” Storm Talon replied slowly as he looked around wearily. Beyond the soft sound of their own breathing, there was no sound. No wind. No animals. Not even the sound of the castle settling around them.

“It seems everything has stopped,” Masra added, “most likely a poor sign – Talon, how long do we have to secure the entrance before the griffon's arrive?”

“President, we should be leaving!” Tabula shouted, panicking.

“Miss Rasa, if we leave now then those griffon's will simply take that spear again,” Masra replied with a sad smile, “for the moment, we are not going anywhere.”

Tabula's eyes went wide before she nodded numbly, “A couple of minutes, at most,” Storm Talon said as he answered her earlier question, “so if you have any ideas, I'd do them now.”

“We buy miss Rasa as much time as we can so that she can collapse the chamber,” Masra replied as she pulled her blade out, “It's all we can do.”

“R-Right,” Tabula stammered as she moved over to the doorway, her horn lighting up as she began to tug at the pieces of the archway. The stonework, however, stubbornly refused to move under her telekinetic grasp.

Daring watched her for a moment before turning turning to Masra, “So, miss president – now what?”

“We protect Equestria,” Masra replied resolutely as readied her sword. Next to her, Storm Talon slowly cracked his claws, the metal joints in his hind leg clicking audibly as he stretched out. Daring watched the two of them before turning her gaze across the chamber, toward the far end where she could already see the shadows of the approaching griffons.

So, she thought – this was it. This was how she ends. On a mountain at the end of the world, trying to save Equestria.

Daring steeled herself, locking her gaze onto the far end of the chamber.

So be it. She wouldn't let them win.

Daring whispered one final apology to Zap as the first griffon's came into view on the other side of the hall.

Which was, naturally, when the Alicorn burst through the roof.

Comments

[redmar]

That was a great ending for a chapter. Celestia will be able to keep the spear permanently out of Ahuizotl's hands and without any more casualties.