Chapter 5 The Final Push
Adridge this day found herself waking up to the slight sounds of a scuffle and when she opened up her eyes she found the fleeting glimpses of Igneous as he left through the front door of their shelter. Taking care as to not wake up any of the other ponies she too silently stood up and moved carefully around the planks that made the most noise and eventually moved outside the household. She could tell from inside but now seeing the bright blue sky again after what felt like so long was very refreshing but this came as second thought to her as she wanted to know what was on her friends mined.
Last night he seemed to have needed comfort as he normally would have refrained from too much contact weather it was he wanted to read his book or he just wasn’t comfortable with all the strangers. Surely he would not have considered her a stranger as she knew him far more personal than either of the rest of them.
The ground was awfully muddy but neither Igneous nore her seemed to care that much as she trailed behind seeing as to where he went which wasn’t far as it was the place she last found him in with the crate full of fixed weaponry. Stepping into the gaping wall she indeed saw him go into the very room with that same crate and disappear. Very carefully she navigated herself to the doorway and peered in. The weather was kind to this particular area of the building as it seemed no water had found itself in.
She immediately noticed Igneous didn’t seem like himself; Hardened and bold. She saw him pull out the book bound in a simple leather cover and some unused fire paper. In his magical grip he quickly fanned through the entirety of its pages and closed it again after stopping for a brief moment on the last one then closing it too. Carefully he wrapped the book in the fire paper and set it on the wooden floor of the room.
She then watched as he took some of the tattered cloth from the place he last left it and studied its gray intricacy. This too he set each piece atop or near the book itself and he sat down as if to be in deep thought.
Then by accident Adridge slightly shifted her weight which caused the plank she had been standing to suddenly creak. Igneouses ears shot up at the noise and Adridge lowered her head for having been caught intruding. “Is it too much to be left alone to mourn?” he slowly asked.
So he was mourning, she thought. Over a book? “No,” she answered kindly. “But it's hard for anypony to leave one to mourn alone. Especially a friend.”
He didn’t answer but instead he picked up the book wrapped in cloth and firepaper and drew his sword. Resting an exposed bit of the fire paper against the blade he suddenly ran it down the length of the broadside all the way down to the tip igniting the paper cloth and book and again he set it on the wooden floor to burn, and Adridge sat next to Igneous and watched with him as he seemed to stare deep into the flames or at the book itself and what words it had held.
Not wanting to be rude she let him carry out this ritual till the book had been burned to ashes and coming to assumptions she slowly nodded her head and said, “Yup. Good book?”
“What,” he said remembering her presents having previously been deep in thought. “No it was… personal. It seemed I owe a debt and I repaid it the best I could is all.”
She gave him a confused look he appeared to not have received as he still stared at the ashes. “A debt? How? It's only a book.”
He shook his head and said, “It's not only a book it was to me alone, closure, from past events.” He turned to the smaller dark armored pony and patted her on the head which she was reluctant to shake out of. “I think this book was place here for me to find and for me alone to know.” He then helped Adridge to her hooves and led her out of the room and the building. “I’ll be in good spirits hunter. For once I feel… at ease. It's a bit nice actually.”
Really she was nothing but confused but not wanting to taint the moment she said, “That's good for you Igneous am glad you feel that way.” She took a deep breath of the fresh air as they crossed the muddied street. “We can finally make way,” she said excitedly. “Oh I hope we run for miles, for days even.”
“I sure do too and I am sure the rest feel the same way.”
Moments later Adridge felt like a mother as she had a harder time than usual getting her team going. It appeared there reluctance to travel had somewhat diminished in the span of but a few hours but they did however get back into the swing of things once they realized they were about to leave this rusty old house. Sooo that worked out…
“Last few days haven't been kind,” Oxinum grunted as he did his best to stand up from with his legs being cramped.
“You'll be fine,” Floritha said not having the same dilemma as he did.
Lindestic did his best to feed the little bird with some ground up bread he had been saving and it did eat just didn’t open up his eyes. “How hard is it?” he asked the bird. “Just open up your eyes.” But after it got a few bites it snuggled back up into the folds of his wing and he cupped it against his bodie. “I don't think I will be able to fly,” he told Adridge who had summoned a longbow and was shooting summon arrows at a target he himself could not see further down the pathway. She gave him his attention when he said this and he gestured to the wing cupping the bird and said, “I'm a bit preoccupied.”
“Are you sure I can't just store him in my bag?” She asked as she summoned another arrow took aim and fired again.
There was a solid metallic thud and he answered, “Hmm I don't think she’ll take it.”
“It's a stubborn bird that is,” Rechon said following Adridge outside.
Lindestic followed too leaving only Kara who was also about to follow just as soon as she finished checking her bladed feathers for any infractions incase they happen to fall apart during flight. “She's just a baby.”
When he looked down the muddied street he found it was Igneous she was shooting at, but it was for practice as Igneous deflected the next arrow sending it sticking to the wall next to him before it slowly dissolved to a shadowy nothing. Summoning another black arrow she readied the shot and said, “This will be the last one Igneous I would rather save my magic.” She fired and Igneous reacting quickly dodged out of the way, spinning the sword down upon the shaft of the arrow digging it into the ground. “Hm, wasn't too bad.”
Igneous flipped his sword back into its sheath at his side and said, “Thanks for the practice.”
“Its nothing Igneous,” she said releasing her magical hold on the longbow and letting it dissipate and disappear into a black mist. “Igneous. When are you going to start improving in any of the three magics?”
“I'm not a naturalist.”
“You don't need to be,” she said. “It grows on you with study.”
“Trust me,” he said looking down on her. “I've studied.”
“Yikes.” Really the only type of magic that came naturally or with more power than usual would be Alchemy but even that could be learned. What Adridge was scared about however was at the age Igneous was at he should at least be able to summon multiple weapons and hold at least four objects, only he can hold two and can barely summon a shield to save his life. Yikes would indeed explain her fright.
However his skill in the weapon arts was enough to pull through in most situations as he was more skilled than most but still could not be called a master. He could be her in a skirmish even without summoned blades, mostly thanks to his unique swords.
“Are we about to finally begin our journey?” Oxinum said stepping into the light.
“Yes, finally,” Igneous answered.
“Good,” Oxinum replied. “You mean towards that signal over there.” He pointed to the sky behind Igneous towards their destination.
“Signal? Out here?” he said looking towards the direction he pointed. Sure enough there it was a bright white starlike object flying high into the air. Igneous caught it just at its apex and began witnessing it fall back to the ground to forever disappear. He sighed with udder disappointment that was deeper than any mineshaft that had ever been dug.
“Who would be needing help out here?” Rechon asked.
“Who wouldn’t be dying in such a hospitable land layden with monsters?” Floritha said as she began to fly up wards trying to set her sights on the source that was no doubt shrouded by small mountains and trees.
“Perhaps not dying,” Adridge said stepping just in front of Igneous. “That signal takes light magic and the brighter and higher signifies the health of that who casted it.”
“Then there lost it seems,” Floritha said returning back to the ground. “Should we help?”
“They could be bandits,” Lindestic warned.
“If they are we will simply take their weapons,” Igneous said. “We will brand them so that any pony who runs into them will know there bandits.”
“Assuming that's befor they purge their scars,” Adridge said half to herself as she began to gather light magic at the tip of her horn. If she faltered it would create a bright flash blinding them all for a short period of time but this was a simple light magic, so in no time she shot off a star of her own which flew equally high and bright.
“Now what,” Rechon asked.
“We wait,” Adridge answered still staring into the sky as she heard the collective sighs of all the Falconers present.
And so they did. They waited impatiently for close to an hour and a half but even still who ever shot off that signal must have been many more miles out than anticipated. Or just dead. “Do we have to wait for them?” Floritha asked doubtfully.
“This is Igneouses decision,” Adridge answered.
“We’ll wait,” he said immediately. “I will not let any bandit slip through unmarked.”
Again they waited silently in the middle of the muddied street with two four sitting against a wall and the two Igneous and Adridge standing in the middle. Another moments pass and… “Did you hear that?”
Igneous turned his head to him with a slight tint of confusion. “Hear what?”
*Twack*
“GET DOWN!!!” Adridge shouted tackling Igneous and saving him from a large wooden arrow that sailed just over head.
More arrows flew past and Igneous scrambled to his hooves pulling out his shield blocking two that would have been near misses anyway. Quickly he darted behind the cover of an old building and pulled out a sword to reinforce his shielded stance.
With Adridge at his side Floritha and Rechon in the building they here hiding behind and Lindestic and Oxinum the house adjacent to them, they all stayed behind cover as suppressive arrows and flew by. “Unicorns.” Oxinum scowled as he deployed his crossbows letting them spring up at his side.
“Igneous what are your orders?” Adridge asked as she stood behind them with her curved sword readied. He looked over to her about to answer but then just down the alleyway a unicorn armored all over saw the and he saw him. Adridge quickly noticing his drawn attention turned wiping her sword around and in a blink her dark armored self had already clashed swords with the bandit covering ground faster than you would have thought reasonable. But Igneous recognised the armor.
The Unicorn blocked her first attack with his tower shield but when he slashed back he found his sword had become ensnared in her black cape and jumping back Adridge yanked her body back pulling it out of his area of influence rendering him unable to attack. She swiftly moved around his shielded defense and just as she was about to attack Igneous called out and said, “Adridge, don’t!” So instead she delivered the hilt of her sword to the unarmored jaw of her opponent knocking him to the ground and when she looked up Igneous had run into the middle of the street with arrows whizzing past waving his sword and shield.
Suddenly the arrows did stop and Igneous was left unharmed. Igneous looked into the forest trying to find their attackers and would only catch glimpses of their armor in the light. He could hear talk coming from the woods although he couldn't tell where and what they were saying exactly.
“Stay put,” Adridge commanded her armored prisoner as she shoved him down into the mud holding a sword to his back in her magical grip. How she always took on larger opponents stopped becoming a surprise to Igneous as she used speed and great control over her extended hilted curved sword was typically enough to counter most opposing tactics.
“Are you going to kill me?” asked the unicorn.
“Quiet,” Adridge said as she heavily rested a hoof on his face pressing it into the ground rendering him unable to speak any further.
“I request an audience with your… leader, captain.” Igneous called.
With the unicorn still struggled underneath Adridges hoof she added, “Or we kill this here prisoner.”
“Adridge,” Igneous said not wanting to appear threatening to the other faction.
“What? It's good leverage,” she said shrugging.
Then a mare called out, “Hey let's not make such rash decisions already.” With three Unicorns identically armored and weaponized standing just behind her the mare stepped out of the woods into clear view. “Were civilised we can have an honest talking to.”
“It's what I'm hoping,” Igneous said looking her up and down. At first sight she was fur coat was strikingly white that seemed to almost reflect the sun's light itself. This could easily unease any pony, but her armor was different from the other unicorns as it covered most of her body even crawling up to her face but never concealing it.
Her weapons were just barely longer than Igneouses swords which could be considered somewhat shorter than a medium sized sword. She had no shield but any pony could guess she had a few summonable shields at the ready anyway. “Now I will ask you release him.” When Adridge didn't let off her hoof the mare smiled and said, “Please?”
Igneous motioned with his hoof to obey and she did letting the Unicorn stumble to his hoofs and rejoin their ranks back in the woods. “Now I must ask,” Igneous began. “Why exactly did you attack us?”
With only Adridge and Igneous standing in the middle of the muddied street Oxinum and Rechon both took aim from under the cover of the households ensuring mutually assured destruction if these invaders decided to attack. The pegasus couldn't take flight as it seemed they had plenty of bow wielders out hiding in the woods not to mention the pegasus that already occupied the surrounding air space. “I'm sorry, truly I am,” she answered. “But my warriors can act rash sometimes it's hard for me to control all of them. Especially when so close to victory.”
“Warriors?” Adridge asked Igneous silently.
“How many?” he asked Ignoring her.
“Lets not worry about numbers right now. Exactly who are you?”
“I'm Igneous,” he answered. “Leader of our two Falconering teams. We were sent on a mission to Istudious to speak of peace and prosperity for both nations under the lands of Noriphmy.” From his bag he pulled out two neatly rolled up papers which were documents that stated the arrangements. “These were meant for Quariomy Verex, the Prince of Istudious?”
“Prince,” she said as she stepped forward to take the papers from his magical grip. Adridge reacted to this by setting her sword to guard both her and Igneous and with a flash a unicorn with plated armor clashed blades with her guarding the mare. The mare stepped back and told this attacker, “Morillas, please.”
Without disengaging Morillas said, “I'm sorry. Your protection and satisfaction is all I desire.”
She took the papers and stepped away and in doing so Morillas also did standing near her but never breaking eye contact with Adridge who may have just found a new long standing enemy. She began to read the scripts allowed letting every pony present know what was written. This took some time as she read in great detail the plans for Noriphmy and how they were building new settlements and villages and how the government of Istudious will remain its own even while in the lands of Noriphmy while still having full access to its treasury and resource stocks.
She finished with the last lines reading, “there are far more alternatives than war and being the only two nations left we should mend the wounds and make peace for everypony within the great valley of Carridain.” She neatly rolled up the papers together and looked towards Igneous. “Tell me Igneous,” she said. “Do the civilians of Noriphmy know of our existence?”
“No,” Igneous answered. “Only high royalty and our two teams.”
She nodded and then asked, “So tell me, what made these ponies, ‘of high royalty,’ change there mind?”
“A new monarch.”
Her ears flicked up and a she said, “You mean to say the old king is dead?”
“Murdered,” Igneous said trying to hide the anger of the truth.
“Hm… Murdered.” The papers suddenly combusted into fire quickly turning into ash and when Igneous looked up from the ground they had fallen on he could see that all around he was the small village was surrounded by many more unicorns lethally armed and ready for war. “I'm sorry Igneous but the rage of Istudious cannot be quenched by a sudden change in petty politics. You think I am a fool?,” she said quickly turning to anger. “I was there the day Kohligan came to speak of, ‘peace,’ and it only ended up in bloodshed and year after year he would return only to seeking to keep us still and docile in such a dead nation.” She whipped out a sword digging it into the ground and significant amounts of mud all over Igneous and Adridge. The warriors all around began to laugh at their humiliation. “We don't kill messengers so do deliver a messenger from us. There is no peace, only war.”
She turned away from them but before she got far Igneous, with fire in his eyes said, “I will not deliver a message for the one you seek is already here.” She paused in her tracks and as Igneous pulled out his sword he said, “I am Igneous Sirvidian prince of Noriphmy, son of Kohligan Verex who was murdered by Verex himself. Bring me Quariomy Verex. A one on one duel to settle this conflict once and for all.”
“Igneous no,” Adridge said worriedly. Again better than most in the weapon arts but would surely lose to one of pristine royalty of properly trained.
“You needn’t look far, for Quariomy is here.” She drew her swords and turned to face him with equally burning passion for her nation. “The conditions for your victory?”
“I only want peace between to nations,” he answered as he poised himself for battle with his body held close to the ground with one sword drawn with the shield and the second sheathed at his side. “Yours?”
“The conquest of Noriphmy.” And with that there was a roar from that rang out from each warrior present and from the magnitude Igneous could tell they easily numbered more than a hundred strong. “Dress yourself. You have ten minutes to prepair.”
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Does this story take place in the final timeline from The Cutie Re-Mark part 2?
Looks like we're going to have quite a duel on our hands...
7355477 Wut?
I will say I just like sword fights but wut u talk about? Joke?