Falconers and the Tomb of Aminus

by MadDonut

Chapter 13 Qudake's Parable

The moon dominated the sky and boasted its bright luminescence across the dessert’s surface. The mountains glowed from their snow peaked tops and the trees that emerged from the very sand swayed in the soft breeze of the night air.

Nothing stirred much or dare to disturb the tranquil silence save it for one pony that crawled out from the crags of a crevasse deep within the sand and stone walls. Guiding himself down the lesser stream that broke off from the underground river he followed it until he found his way out, a ramp that lead up and off to the main ground of the desert.

However before he took his leave he looked up to the sky and marveled at all the stars and celestial bodies populated deep blue sky scape making it glow with wonder.

“Aminus,” Hilliph spoke as he knelt down at the ways side of the small stream of water. “I know that you see all and I know you see me.” An empty flask withdrew itself from his side bag and with it he uncorked it and held it before him. “I know my doubt has filled me time and time again. Distractions, loss and wondering. Forgetfulness and ignorance too.” With his one remaining longsword he raised to the hide of his outstretched hoof. A scar lined by the blade that rested atop it was again reopened. “But after this discovery and the light magic of the being that be my faith has been renewed.” He let his blood fall into the opening of the flask but before long the wound was closed by his own light magic as he dipped the partially blood filled flask into the water.

He stood over the small flowing river and looked down its path to see where it ended by again leading into the earth and the underground aquifer that laid beneath the Condoon Forest’s desert.

“This blood and this blood,” He held the flask high into the moonlight, “will carry me to you.” Slowly the liquid within began to mix until it was a clear crimson red. He then bagged it and looked to the star sky once again. “You see me now and soon I will see you once again.” He sheathed his long sword and tapped the blood bound water against his forehead before putting it in his bag. Hilliph then spoke again but more as a whisper then an audible voice, “and just as I have kept my promise the same is of you. I’ll restore your light magic and my nation be done too.”

Hilliph then took his leave wandering up the stoney ramp of the ravine he found himself in intent on keeping the promise with his life.

***

“Igneous?” Mace questioned as he rested by the fire. “Igneous?” he repeated a little louder this time. He snapped out of his little trance shaking his head. “We lost you for a minute there,” Mace said.

He rubbed his hoof against his forehead and muttered, “I'm fine.” He turned his attention to every pony sitting around the fire and said, “You all understand the mission now and what we're doing?” Mace and Joel both shook their heads in affirmation but Dettetcheny and his team gave no such sign. “Excuse me,” Igneous prompted them.

Dettetcheny and Floritha both looked at each other while Oxinum only continued to appeared to be asleep. Dettetcheny answered, “our orders were to follow Kohligans orders. As much as we would want to follow through on this it's ultimately up to him.”

“What if he does not approve?” Mace asked, “what will you do then?”

“Until he’s done with us and leadership is handed back to me there is nothing I can't do.”

Igneous remained silent as he thought for a moment. Mace then asked Igneous, “Do we have any reason to believe that he wouldn’t come?”

He thought for a moment more before answering, “No. If anything he’ll be out for blood too. Hilliph didn't just betray us but he attacked his team too.”

“When do you think Kohligan will he come back?” Joel asked.

“I fear he might not. If anything he ran after Hilliph.”

“Hard life,” Joel muttered beneath his breath. He just thought of how some people could just be so… ugh, or something. These guys were all just maniacs. Even Kara slaughtered like five other gekies without hesitation. She even still had some blood on her face all this time later oddly enough. It almost made him completely forget about that time they were in the hallway as she practically got emotional along with a one eighty degree turn from hating him to tolerating him.

This train of thought caused him to remember the dark magic he found not too long ago. He’d remember Kara said it was bound to him and as a result would follow him anywhere but even as the others spoke to one another Joel didn’t see it anywhere near his person. Oxinum of all others noticed this even though his head lay to rest with eyes nearly shut.

“Lose something?” he silently questioned.

At this point everyone noticed Joel’s little frantic self search of his magic although they did not know it was his dark magic specifically, “I dunno. It should've been…” Before he could finish the dark magic emerged from nowhere appearing out of thin air over the fire and before every pony seated. “Oh,” he said in relieved surprise. “Here it is.”

However after he said that and his dark magic made itself known did Joel remember that only Kara, of all ponies, knew that he possessed such a magic. Convenient enough she wasn’t present to explain to the others of how he came about it and that he even had it.

As a result everypony sprang into action surprised and taken off guard by the dark spirit that manifested itself before them. While Igneous sprang back Dettetcheny summoned both a dark shield and a standard sword. Floritha sprang back but didn’t take off while Mace and Oxinum both deployed their crossbows. However unlike Mace who reserved himself from firing Oxinum didn’t wait another moment before letting loose on both sides with two wooden bolts.

However before Joel and his hide could be mortally wounded his dark magic, by itself, took form and shifted into a shield branded with its own insignias and all, defending Joel and deflecting the bolts. “Whoa Watch It!” Joel yelled having had only had a glimpse of Oxinums flicking ears and the wafting sounds of the crossbows to indicate his attempted homicide.

He waited a moment before slowly poking his head around the darkened shield only to see that each falconer standing in their own defensive position and Oxinum with newly loaded crossbows. “Excuse me,” Joel asked rather rash. But just why exactly are you trying to Kill Me!?”

Igneous was the first to speak and he began by asking questions all round. “What is this?-Where did you get it?-How long have you had it?-What are you doing with it?”

“Stolen Dark magic,-down in the cellars with Kara,-maybe thirty minutes and really I'm not doing anything, its kinda doing it by itself.” His head then reappeared around the darkened shield and he asked, “need me to answer anything elts?”

To Joel's much needed relief Mace said, “calm down. Joel wouldn’t kill any of us if he had to.”

“Yea see Igneous,” Joel retorted. “He knows.” Joel didn’t want the shield to just stay up but he didn’t know how to control this magic. All he knew was that Dark magic was used for defence although a sword was often times used for offence. Speaking of which Dettetcheny’s summoned sword disappeared when he concluded none were entirely in danger. Mace put his front hoofs on the shield somehow hoping it would do something but instead the shield formed back into a ball and he fell forward onto the ground without the flat surface of the shield to lean against.

“He clearly has no idea what he is doing,” Floritha commented as her poise loosened.

As Joel picked himself up the dark magic returned to him by knocking into his head. Annoyed he swatted it out of the air with his hoof only for it to boomerrange right back to him and hit Joel in the face.

“Just look at him,” Floritha said.

Joel rubbed his face where the orb struck him and said, “Kara said that she could teach me how to, ‘control’ this thing. Except she doesn’t look like she wants to be doing much right now.” He gestured to the cliff he spied her to be at.

Igneous said, “how do we know that you won't accidentally kill one of us with that?”

“Well so far it's only acted in defence for me,” Joel answered. “So I think you're safe.”

“Thats nice,” Mace said. “But right now we have more to worry about Igneous.”

“Right.” He then restated, “If Kohligan does not come back soon we will have to assume he went after Hilliph alone.” He turned towards Dettetcheny and his team and said, “if he doesn’t then he forfeits the command of your team and you may take control again. The plan will continue as um... uh...” he muttered as he lost his train of thought. “The new mission,” he began after shaking his head, “will continue as, um… as planned.”

Mace looked Igneous up and down and asked, “Are you alright Igneous? You seem a little off.”

He turned away before answering, “I'm fine.” He shook his head again before continuing. “Right now we just need Kara.”

Floritha was the first to asked, “Should I go talk to her?”

“No,” Mace answered first, “It would be best if I go talk to her. She trusts me more.”

“Anything you think is best,” Igneous said as he walked towards the river's edge. “When you all are ready to go then we will make way with haist.” Igneous looked back to see that Mace had gone off on his word to speak to Kara while Dettetcheny and his team along with Joel rested back by the fire mentally taking stock and preparing for the journey to come

As he stood by the water's edge staring into it he thought of what he was doing. He was miles away from home, although miles wouldn’t quite put it into perspective. They were days away from home in a land far from tranquil. He’d nearly been killed, his team almost assassinated some even outright killed beneath his command.

He’d lost control of Kohligan and Hilliph had run off for reasons Igneous simply did not know.

What was he going to do to be an effective leader? With no weapons, no armor, no shield, poor magic and just his alchemy he was probably worse off the Joel was. He shivered in fright and thought of the many times he admitted to himself multiple times that leadership was scary and that he was scared. He knew that every decision he made resulted in the outcome of his team and the well beings of others. He knew that victory in any case, situation or place rested on his ability to make the right call and judge accordingly.

However as much an honor and responsibility that was Igneous dreaded it. If his team died, he’d have only himself to blame. If they got injured he’d take it upon himself and take full responsibility however out here in a land foreign to travel and ponies nothing was for certain. He’d be lost his team would be destroyed and it wouldn’t be anypony’s fault but his.

He swallowed hard took in the emotions but let them pass silently and without a word.

Tired and exhausted he lowered his head intent on taking a well deserved drink of fresh underground water. However as he did something flashed in his peripheral from further upstream near the waterfall. Curious as to what it was he walked through the water intent on finding out just exactly what it was. As he neared it he began to recognise the feeling of whatever it was and as he stood above it with the water up to his chest he grabbed the familiar sensation and raised it out from below the water.

In his magical grip he found two of his four swords that had fallen when the bridge fell out during his fight with Hilliph. They were still connected and although the blades looked a little chipped but that's what you get when you clash swords.

As he held this in his magical grip admiring what he thought he had once lost he heard a voice say, “Those weapons are a thing of beauty. More specifically the hilt.” He turned to see it was Dettetcheny standing just on the river side. He may not have wanted to get in because it would get his cloak that completely covers his body soaked and wet. As Igneous began to make his way out of the water Dettetcheny added, “If I had the opportunity to forge my own weapon I would do a little something like that.”

When Igneous finally did make it out of the water he said, “The only reason I forged the hilts to connect like this was because I couldn’t, and even for the life of me, couldn’t levitate more than two objects. That inability still lingers with me till this day.”

Dettetcheny nodded, “So I heard, more rightly from your father that is.”

“Does he talk a lot?” Igneous asked as he walked toward the spot where he left his broken armor last. If he was going to carry these weapons he still needed the scabbard that held them.

“Not very often,” he answered as he followed closely behind. “He never really talked much unless he had to.” Standing above the pile of armor Igneous reached down and salvaged only two of the four scabbard he had left behind. He strapped them on, one on either side and with them he placed the blades inside.

“I'm assuming you carried a lot of weight. Four swords armor and a shield.” Igneous didn’t answer because he didn’t want to be reminded of his poor dark magic summoning abilities. Dettetcheny then added, “You know I could teach you a few things about summoning. After all it's my specialty.” His horn glowed and as it did a black sword, shield and helmet appeared.

That was probably to compensate for his lack of equipment but in all honesty it was better than hauling it across the landscape. Igneous said, “Hilliph tried doing the same. His lesson was the black flame.”

Dettetcheny shook his head and said, “That black flame thing is a myth. A new method it is but it's unaffected in the summoning of phantom weapons. They tried doing the same thing with me and I was the one to find out by myself how to summon phantoms.”

This was off putting for Igneous. Not only did Hilliph actually try to teach him but either way it was pointless weather by design or Hilliph too just simply didn’t know. Igneous however couldn’t decide because what threw him off was when Hilliph asked if he remembered the black flame lesson as if he actually meant to teach him. It still was unclear to him but then he asked Dettetcheny, “And just how did you learn to summon phantom weapons?”

Dettetcheny looked left then right as if some other pony would be listening. He then leaned in and whispered, “it's very risky Igneous but most don't think to practice summoning the very weapon they're using.” He then walked back towards the fire softly laughing to himself.

Igneous thought about this for a minute. He knew that when a bound weapon becomes summoned as a phantom the weapon itself does not go anywhere. When it is summoned the very weapon itself becomes very unstable as it risk breaking if disturbed. Summoning the blade within his scabbard was equally as dangerous as even the slightest bump could cause it to completely shatter which in turn causes the phantom to vanish as a result.

Of course Igneous did have four swords, two still lost but sanctioned by the rivers of the Hexers fortress. It was known that the closer you are to a weapon the easier it becomes to summon it. However as much as Igneous would have liked to teach himself he had more pressing matters to concern himself with. All he had to do was simply practice but in this time, environment and place, practice was the last thing on his mind and it was the last thing anypony needed.

***

Kara laid by herself almost sleeping when she heard something ricochet off a rock near her. Slowly she turned her head to see that there was an arrow lodge under a rock with a wire attached to it. Not too long after Mace pulled himself up onto the same ledge she was on and said, “I see your hard to get Kara.”

“Why are you here,” she dryly mumbled as Mace took his place next to her and sat down to gaze at the view. From where he was sitting you could see the water mill and were Hilliph had morphed the metal into spikes. The waterfall and the river that ran far below it and the fire were the other falconers rested awaiting the command to leave.

“This is a nice spot,” he commented as he took in the air of fresh, running water and other assorted cave smells. “I can see why you picked it.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” she said reminding him.

Mace let out a sigh and said, “I know what happened to your sister. Oxinum informed me before we made our descent.” Kara didn't respawn, instead she simply shifted herself away from him and laid her head back down staring off into the distance. “Kara we need you down there.” Again she didn’t answer so Mace thought for a moment before saying, “Let me tell you a story.” He let himself lay down with his hooves hanging over the edge. “My father used to always tell me stories when I found myself a bit down.”

“You’ve always said,” she disinterestedly mumbled.

He sat down near her again and began to talk saying, “Many years ago, in fact around the time my dad had just become a Falconer, there was this traveler named Qudake. Now during a particularly cold day he came to a village during a rather ferocious snowstorm. But this wasn’t just an average snowstorm you or I had seen, no. This was a white out snowstorm.” Mace chuckled to himself for a moment. “It was so bad some thought Drarea, the god harvest and rain, was furious.” He shook his head in delight and continued, “The conditions were so bad you could hardly see beyond your own snout. This stranger intended to stay the night and wait out the storm till it calmed down, but just before he went to rest there was a family that said they had lost their little filly out there in the blizzard.

“Now this blizzard was one of the worst they had during this time and the temperatures were well below freezing but Qudake despite the conditions, despite the odds of even finding her, still threw on his cloak and began searching.” Mace looked over to Kara and just seeing her ears perk up confirmed she was at least interested in what he had to say. Mace continued, “After a few hours in the freezing cold searching did Qudake miraculously find her. The storm was so intense even the branches that gave the filly shelter didn’t stop her from briefly becoming buried by its constant torrent.

Unfortunately the snow storm had picked up and was even worse than before. She was cold, she was freezing and if she stayed like that much longer she would die. With not many choices Qudake gave her his own cloak to keep her warm. However the next day the storm had subsided and as the rest of the village began to search, eventually the found were Qudake and the little filly had taken shelter beneath the tree.”

“Was she alright,” Kara finally asked.

“She was fine,” Mace affirmed. “However the same couldn't be said for Qudake.”

“What happened to him?”

“He froze to death,” Mace answered plainly. “He let himself die just to save that young filly. Now Kara,” he said looking at her. “Do you think he was a good stallion?”

“He had to be,” she answered. "He laid down his life for her, a stranger."

Mace smiled, shook his head and said, “That's what I thought too. Most would say Qudake was a hero but the truth is Qudake killed two teams of Falconers and was on the run. When my father caught up to the village he died in he got the whole story.” Mace looked off into the distance within the cave. “You wanna know what my father said about Qudake?” Kara didn’t answer but he continued anyway. “He said, ‘Qudake was a killer. He slayed one of my teams and ran from judgment. By all rights I should have torn that catalyst from his head and mounted it on a stick, however that night during the blizzard. He decided that he wasn't going to let that young filly die and it was by the choice alone that she was able to live.’”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because if a stallion like Qudake, a murderer a killer, can lay down his life and save a filly at the cost of his own then imagine what we could do.” Kara remained silent then Mace continued, “today I'm going to make a few decisions. Number one,“ he said holding his hoof out. “I'm going to finish this mission and get back to Noriphmy and see my father after one long year. And number two,“ he said looking at Kara. “I’m going to get you back to Noriphmy so that you may see your beloved sister after one long year.” He turned away and smiled. “Trust me Kara. You know I don’t break my promises.”

And in her mind, she knew he told the truth.

Author's Note:

Got a nudda one done!
2/25/2017