82: Next Hunt
Oblivion looked up as a flash of azure fire went out from his horn and his magic gripped the letter that came from within it. At his side, Sasa sat down and he unrolled the scroll and read it over.
“That’s not Luna’s stationery.” Sasa said to him and he shook his head in reply.
“It’s from Celestia.” He replied.
“Oh? What does she need?”
“The Ice Elemental has been seen.” He replied. “She is asking that we go and remove it before it vanishes again.”
“Makes sense. Do they tend to stay away from ponies or do they confront them?”
“It depends on the situation.” He replied as his magic incinerated the letter. “If they are confronted they react violently and need to be removed, so that is what we will be doing.”
“How often have you fought them?”
“Often enough. I prefer to stay out of the snow so I tend to fight the other types more often.” He admitted as he made for the farmhouse.
“Granny is going to be upset at you for missing the Zap Apple Harvest.” Sasa said to him as she fell in at his side.
“I took the contract with Luna and Celestia and I cannot back out of it. I will explain the situation to her.”
His magic flared as he called on his map and his eyes scanned the paper as he looked where it was located. His eyes scanned the parchment and a snort pulled from him as his magic sent it back to his saddlebags. His hooves were silent on the dirt path as he made his way to the farmhouse where Granny Smith was giving directions for the upcoming harvest. He knew that the ponies were in front of the barn preparing for the zap apples that were coming in. He had needed to have it explained to him twice before he realized that the Apple Family was serious about it and he chose to keep his comments to himself and simply do as he had been asked.
“So what are you going to say to them when you mention that you have to leave?” Sasa asked him.
“The truth.” He replied simply.
“I know that.” Sasa snapped at him. “I mean…”
“I know what you mean. I am not going to bargain or plead. I am an adult and I am capable of explaining why I am leaving.”
“True.” Sasa agreed and bumped his shoulder. “Still. They are going to need all the help they can get with them. It sounds like it’s pretty labor-intensive.”
“I will try to be back in time for it. It starts in four days according to Granny Smith.” He replied and skirted around a few crates.
The black Unicorn broke into a trot as he neared the barn and he drew to a halt as a stallion approached the group. Oblivion didn’t recognize him and his eyes narrowed slightly at the filly that was with him. He recognized the filly that was tormenting Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara. His orange eyes went to the stallion as he approached the elderly mare, leaving Apple Bloom with his foal. His ears perked forward and he listened as the other filly spoke. He could hear her asking Apple Bloom how she dealt with the embarrassment of her grandmother.
“Why that little.” Sasa growled and walked forward, leaving the black stallion to follow behind her.
The feline came and sat down behind the filly and Oblivion joined her. Several seconds went by before the filly went silent and looked over her shoulder as her father banged on the pot that was now firmly placed on Granny Smiths' head. The foal looked nervously from the cat to the stallion as Oblivion lowered his head and glared at her.
“I suggest you go back to your father before I ask you what you were talking about and then ask it to be explained to the others.” He growled.
Diamond Tiara yelped and fled from the pair of them. He raised his head and looked at Apple Bloom, who looked miserable. Sasa leaned down and nuzzled her warmly and the foal rubbed her hoof over Sasa’s fur.
“Do you believe in what she said?” Oblivion asked her.
“What do ya mean?”
“Are you ashamed of the way your grandmother acts?”
Apple Bloom looked surprised at his question and he waited for her to respond. “Ah’m not. Ah just never thought of it that way.”
“You never worried about her antics since she is your family and you care for her no matter how she is? Or did it take the words of a bully to show her in a different light?”
The filly looked uncertain as the other stallion took Diamond Tiara and left them behind. She shook her head and pulled the hood of her rabbit costume down and let it fall onto her back. Her face was a mask of indecision as she looked from him to her grandmother and then to the ground. He stepped back and left her with Sasa to allow her to think it over on her own without him telling her what to think.
“Granny Smith.”
“Yes?” Granny Smiths voiced echoed in the pot that was still on her head as his magic covered it and pulled it off of her, setting it aside.
“I received a letter from Celestia informing me that the final monster has been spotted close to ponies and it needs to be removed.”
“Ya leavin’ now?”
“In a bit, yes.” He replied.
“Ya gonna be back in time for tha harvestin’. We need all hooves on deck.” She said to him and her legs wobbled as she spun in a circle.
“I will try. You said it would come in four days correct?”
“Yep.”
“The Elemental is in the mountains so far as I can tell and I will be taken there from Canterlot. I will try, Granny Smith.”
She gave an agreeing nod and leaned back on her haunches. “Well then ya better get ta work. Make it back on time and be careful, ya hear?”
He gave an agreeing nod and backed up as his horn lit, summoning his saddlebags as he looked at Sasa. The feline moved away from Apple Bloom after giving her a last nuzzle and then joining him as his horn lit once more, teleporting them to the Canterlot menagerie. His eyes opened and he strode forward with Sasa on his heels. His magic pushed open the doors and as he walked into the castle, headed for the throne room. His senses told him where Celestia was and his hooves carried him toward the light that he knew was hers. One of the guards at the door perked at the sight of him and he recognized Silver as the guard smiled in greeting.
“Hello Silver.” He greeted the stallion.
“Hello, Oblivion.” He replied. “You here to meet with Princess Celestia?”
“She sent word to me about a monster and I came to discuss it with her.”
“Got it.” He replied as he pushed open the door and got out of the way to allow the black Unicorn to walk into the throne room.
Oblivion paused as he got halfway through the door. “Be ready.”
Silver nodded in understanding as Oblivion left him behind. Sasa stayed on his heels as she purred at Silver before going through the door. The mare at the end of the carpet brightened as he drew closer and she smiled brightly.
“Hello, Witcher.” She greeted and he gave a slight bow of his head in reply. “I have to admit you are quite prompt when it comes to the monsters.” She teased.
“Would you rather I drag my hooves?” He asked in reply.
She chuckled and shook her head. “No. I appreciate your haste in dealing with them. So far this one has not confronted any of the ponies but I am afraid it might if it remains close to them.”
“How close did it come?”
“Close enough to scare a group of them into fleeing back to the village. They had heard of it but had not seen it before then.”
“Is it the same village that first reported it?”
“No. It is actually a town over now and seems to be on the move.”
“Perfect,” Oblivion replied, his tone dry. “Did they see enough to tell what direction it was going?”
“I believe so. The report I received was not specific in that regard but they are waiting for your arrival to tell you more. One of the ponies that saw it closely is waiting to help you when you get there. Will you be going there now or tomorrow morning?”
“Do I need to wait? I can teleport there if you have details about the town and its location.”
“I would rather you didn’t teleport there and startle them.” She replied, her tone apologetic. “It is a settlement of Earth Pony’s and for the most part they have very few dealings with strong magic.”
Oblivion nodded in understanding. “Understood. Then I will take Silver and Vantage with me.”
“They are yours.” She agreed. “Are you sure about taking the Thestral? Do you plan to hunt the creature in the dark?”
“No. I plan on hunting during the day unless something has changed since they sent word to you. Do you have need of him here?”
“No. He is one of your team and they are always at your disposal. I was simply curious. I will send for them both.”
“Silver is at your door so he will need to be relieved.” Oblivion pointed out.
“Perfect.” She chimed merrily and got to her hooves. “If you wish to gather him and head for the front door then I will have Vantage and a chariot meet you there. I will gather the things that will be needed and make sure they are packed on the chariot and ready for you.” She said and he nodded in reply. “Thank you again for taking these contracts Oblivion. Sending anypony else would have cost us lives and no small amount of time.”
“I was made and trained for it. That is the difference between me and them.” He replied and she nodded.
“They will meet you outside. Thank you again Oblivion. Happy hunting.”
The black stallion pivoted on his heel and Sasa moved to follow him as he went past her. She gave the Princess a toothy smile and he heard the mare call out to her as they left. He paused as Silver looked at him, questions in his eyes.
“Come on Silver,” Oblivion said to him and he looked over his shoulder as the guard fell in behind him.
“What the…?” The other guard called out as Silver turned back to him and shrugged comically.
“Captain Shadow said to follow. I’m not arguing with him.” He called back
Sasa barked out a laugh as Silver fell in behind them and she nuzzled him as they walked. Oblivion bit back a comment about the rank but chose to let it go as it was out of his hooves by now.
“So what’s the plan, Sir?” Silver asked from behind him.
“We are heading out of town to deal with the final monster from the contracts that I was given. The Ice Elemental is toward the mountains and I will show you where once Vantage joins us.” He replied.
“Understood.”
“This should be fun. Why are you bringing Vantage if I may ask?”
“Should I not?” He replied.
“Don’t get me wrong I like Vantage. I’m just asking since you will not be hunting at night and they have sensitive skin in the sun.” She replied.
“His ability to scream makes him valuable to stun the Elemental. I can use Aard on it but the scream might be used to similar effect should the need arise.”
“Oh. That makes sense.” She replied and an agreeing sound purred from her as they made it outside and waited for the chariot.
Oblivion pulled out his map and moved it to allow Silver to see. The Royal Guard looked closely and his eyes narrowed as he focused on it.
“Oh. I know where that is.” He piped up, excitement in his voice.
“You do?” Oblivion asked.
“Yeah. We had a training camp out that way a couple of years back. The town was close by but we had to stay out of it since there were quite a few of us and we didn’t want to upset the town’s ponies. Should I go and grab a few things for the trip?”
“I think Celestia was taking care of it,” Oblivion replied.
“Oh that’s nice of her.” Silver replied and waited with them as the chariot came around the corner with Vantage at its helm. “Perfect timing Vantage.” Silver chuckled.
Oblivion looked over the side as the chariot descended through the mountain air and toward a small clearing that seemed clear of snow. They were within a ten-minute trot of the town and they had agreed to go there in the morning since they arrived mid-evening. He jumped from the chariot as it came to a stop and he watched as Vantage and Silver unhitched themselves and began to unload the chariot. Oblivions magic gripped several items and lifted them above their heads. He set them down as he reached out to the world around them. Sasa growled as Silver walked around her and she looked at the black Unicorn as he looked out over the terrain.
“Chosen?”
“A moment.”
He called out to the World Spirit and through it, he reached out around him to find any trace of the monster and anything connected to it. It might not have been a creature of his world but that did not mean he could not sense it. At first, he found nothing close by and he began to send it out further when a shout caught his attention. He looked back over his shoulder to see Vantage on the ground with his flank in the air. Sasa broke out into laughter as she went to him and he slowly got to his hooves.
“Sorry.” Vantage breathed out as embarrassment went over his features.
“You okay?” Silver asked.
“Yeah.” He replied and rubbed his hock. “I slipped on ice.” He admitted.
“You sure you’re okay?” Silver pressed.
“Yeah. Just embarrassed.”
Sasa went over to him and nuzzled him in support. He rubbed his hoof over her fur and went back to what he was doing. Silver grumbled as his hooves slipped and he looked to Vantage and a chuckle broke from him.
“If it’s not one of us slipping around it’ll be both of us.” He joked. “Careful Oblivion.”
Oblivion turned and walked back toward them, his claws spread to keep him on his hooves. Both guards stared at his hooves before their faces fell to grumbling about the fairness of it as they went back to their tasks. Sasa laughed through their connection and she used her own claws to walk easily around the snowy campsite.
“That’s just not fair.” Silver laughed out.
Oblivions horn lit as he lifted the guards and everything they had brought with him into the air above him. Sasa growled as she was also lifted and he teleported to the chariot as a fire began to race over the ground in waves. Ice and snow melted under the intense heat as he sent magic over it. Once the snow and ice had melted he sent fire into the soil to dry it out to allow them to move easily on the surface without danger of slipping and falling in the mud. Once he was done he set all of them down and both guards simply stared openly at him before a smile crossed both their mouths.
“Very nicely done.” Vantage commented and Oblivion chuckled in reply.
“It won’t help me if you’re constantly slipping and falling over yourselves.” He replied.
“That’s true.” Silver laughed as he went back to setting up the tent.
Oblivion watched as the tent was raised and it was big enough for all three ponies and Sasa to share. He turned and looked out over the ground and his magic pulled out several sticks and he used magic to duplicate them. He set them up in the middle of the grounds and waited for the others to finish what they were doing. The black Unicorn walked back into the main camp and waited for the others to join him. Sasa came to stand next to him as they finished and she sat down contentedly beside him.
“All done.” Silver called out and Vantage nodded.
“Same here.”
The two ponies came to join him and they sat down on the other side of the fire as his magic lit the tinder and azure flame blazed between them. Vantage smiled as the heat went over him and Silver sighed.
“Much better. So what are we hunting this time?” Silver asked.
“Tell me it’s not a Leshen?” Vantage asked quickly.
“No. Not a Leshen. Leshen tends to stay in forests and avoid mountains unless they have forests. This is an Ice Elemental.”
“A what?” Silver asked him. “Do you happen to have a drawing of one like the others?” He asked carefully.
Oblivion thought about it and then nodded as he summoned his sketchbook and his magic flipped through the pages. He found what he was looking for held it out to the others. “It’s an old sketch so it’s not as clear as the others.”
“It’s fine for me. So it’s a walking mini-mountain of ice?” Vantage asked.
“Basically,” Oblivion replied.
“Great.” Silver grumbled. “So how do we, you, fight it?”
“Carefully,” Oblivion admitted and his sketchbook went back to his saddlebags as they sat within the tent. “Normally I would use Dimeritium on it but I don’t have any.”
“A what?” Vantage asked him.
“A specially made bomb.”
“That sounds painful.” Sasa commented.
“If it’s used against you it is. It interferes with the magic that gave the Elemental life and can disrupt it. It can’t stop it completely but it will slow it down. Otherwise, if I use Yrden to make sure I can slow it down and get behind it then it’s not too difficult an opponent.”
“Get behind it?” Silver asked.
“Fighting an Elemental from the front is usually frowned upon since their hands are made of solid rock or in this case permafrost. They could knock your head off your shoulders with a good swing.”
Vantage gave an audible gulp and shook his head. “Yeah no. That sounds bad.”
“I might have need of you during the fight.”
“What?” Vantage looked stunned and uncertainty crossed his face as Oblivion went on.
“Your scream might knock it back a step or two. Just enough to allow me to get in a few good hits.”
“It can still be hurt by your silver sword right?” Silver asked him.
Oblivion nodded. “Yes. You have to be careful with them though since it’s a very quick way to blunt and dull your blades.”
“Are yours sharp enough?” Vantage asked.
Oblivions horn lit and one of the blades came from the band on his leg and hovered in front of them.
“That’s a new one.” Silver said to him and Oblivion nodded.
He didn’t explain where the weapon had come from and allowed the pair of them to see it. “These will not dull easily if at all since they are made of crystal. I am not as worried about them being damaged as I was with my old weapons.”
“So your old ones might have been damaged by this monster?” Vantage asked.
“It is possible,” Oblivion commented.
He fell silent as his magic summoned a rune from his saddlebags. A Greater Chernobog rune gave off a slight red glow in his magic as he put it up next to the sword. He had not had the time for though to try to implant runes into the weapon. As he pushed them together the blade seemed to swallow the rune and it vanished into the crystal blade. He watched as the symbol from the rune was etched into the crystal blades surface up by the hilt. He looked at the others and they were staring as he looked over the weapon.
“Interesting.” He muttered and called on a Devana rune and placed it up to the weapon and it was also taken into the sword, its symbol appearing on the blade.
“What just happened?” Sasa asked him.
“I implanted a rune into the weapon.” He replied with a glance to the feline so the guards knew who he was answering.
“You can do that? What's a rune?” Silver questioned.
“A rune is a stone that can be implanted into a slot that is built into a weapon. I had not tried any runes on this blade as I was not sure if it could take them.”
“So it can?” Vantage asked.
“It seems so. The question now is how many can it use?” Oblivion said as he called on another rune.
“What's that one?” Silver asked.
“Veles.” Oblivion pressed the rune to the weapon and it swallowed the rune easily, its symbol joining the others. He glanced up as they all looked at him and he sighed gently. “It strengthens my signs and simply gives them more power.”
“Oh. That’s helpful.” Vantage replied.
Oblivion pulled out one of each rune that he had with him and held them one at a time to the weapon. To his surprise, each rune was taken in by the weapon. He let the bit of surprise he felt to show on his face as he regarded the weapon. The symbols glowed gently in their respective colors from the center of the sword. He sent the weapon back to the band on his leg and repeated the process with the second weapon.
“What's the difference between them?” Sasa asked him.
“One is for monsters and the other ponies Sasa. You know that.” He chastised the feline as she cringed.
“I thought about that after I asked.” She chuckled. “I mean how does the magic know which one it needs?”
He paused as he finished implanting the last rune into the blade and thought over what she had asked. “I‘m not sure, to be honest. I assume it does it through magic. I summon them depending on what I need. Typically I call on the steel sword if I am not sure of what I am fighting.”
“You have called on them both before though.” She replied.
“True. I simply used both as needed, I assume, they both will cut if the need is there. One just does more damage than the other.”
Sasa laid down beside him and rested her teeth against the ground for several seconds before she piled one paw on top of the other and placed her chin on top of her paws. He could tell that her fangs were barely not digging into the ground as she sighed and watched the two guards. Vantage had pulled out a pair of rations for the two of them and then looked at Oblivion who shook his head in response.
“Not eating?”
“Already did.” Oblivion lied easily. “Go ahead.”
Sasa rumbled a loud purr as the pair of them settled in to eat their meals.
Oblivion opened his eyes and he raised his head as Sasa leaned against his side. The feline’s fur was warm against his side and he looked to the other two ponies as they continued to sleep soundly. His orange eyes closed as he focused on his ears to listen to what might have awoken him. His ears flicked slowly to listen around them. A slight rumble caught his ears and he reached out to the World Spirit to give him further information. Nothing came back to him as the World Spirit called out to anything close by. His eyes opened and they narrowed as he listened once more. Nothing came to him and he lowered his head back to the tent floor as nothing caught his attention.
“Chosen?” Sasa whispered to him, her eyes bright in the dark of the tent as she regarded him.
“Nothing.” He replied.
“Must have been something to get your attention. You usually sleep pretty easily.”
“I was not able to find anything after using the World Spirit to scan the area.”
“It can only find what has a Spirit and is connected to it in some way.” She replied. “Even animals can be found by it. So whatever it did not have a spirit or is immune?”
“I doubt it is immune.” He commented and she huffed gently in response. “Might have been the snow shifting around us.”
“That’s true. You tend to wake up for things like that if you hear it.”
He closed his eyes as she leaned heavily against him for several seconds before she settled back into her place. His ears still flicked as he waited for something to happen as he chose to simply go back to sleep and he would scan the area in the morning to see what he could find. Animals left tracks and he would see if there was a reason the World Spirit failed to find anything.
Oblivion awoke as the tent walls rustled under the wind outside. Beside him, Sasa slept easily and Vantage and Silver still slept as well. He slowly got to his hooves and sighed as he slowly moved away to allow Sasa to sleep. His magic opened the tent flap and he hastened outside, closing it behind him. He slowly moved around the camp and his eyes narrowed as he searched for any sign that anything was near them overnight. Nothing jumped out at him as he scanned the cleared ground around their camp and he slowly expanded his search and was soon trotting over the snow as he searched. He snorted as nothing showed itself and he was left wondering what it could have been that woke him.
Annoyance bit at him for a second before he dismissed it and moved back to the tent. “Sasa.” Dawn was still a bit away as he waited for the feline to respond.
“Hmm…?” She mumbled back at him as he woke her.
“Wake the others. We have a hunt to start.”
He backed up as he heard the feline inhale and a roar tore from her as the two guards yelled in surprise and Oblivion opened the tent flap as they clamored to leave the tent. He stepped aside as they fell over themselves in shock and panted as they came to a stop near the dead campfire.
“What the…?” Silver breathed out in a rush.
“Time to start,” Oblivion said to him and the stallion watched as Sasa came out of the tent and joined him.
“Got it.” Vantage breathed and stood straight as he breathed deeply.
Oblivions horn lit the dead campfire and it burned brightly as they gathered around it once more. “We will leave in half an hour for the town and gather what information they have.”
“Do they know we were coming?” Vantage asked.
“I am not sure, to be honest. A mare was said to be watching for us and she has information we need to commence the hunt.” Oblivion explained.
“Understood.” Silver said as he sighed and stretched out his wings.
Sasa yawned and leaned against his shoulder for several seconds before he got to his hooves and looked in the direction of the town. His nerves were already on edge and he was ready to begin his contract. His body shivered slightly as he closed his eyes and forced calm to go through his body. Minutes ticked past as the others finished preparing for the hunt and he looked over his shoulder to find both guards armored and ready to follow him. The Witcher started forward and led them toward the town, his companions close on his heels.
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Y'know, bragging no fewer than seven times that your story has been featured doesn't really do much for you.
If your story has been featured before, it'll likely reach one of the bottom three slots when you add a new chapter - that's what the bottom three are for. It's not really an accomplishment; it's automated.
10296457
I put them there for my own benefit. Even if their low on the list it's nice to see it and be reminded even if it is automated. I don't have great faith in this story to get any higher on the list so to me its pretty uplifting just to see it. But I can see what you mean. Unfortunately, I do not know how to hide what is there. I want to keep it there to remind me so if you know a way to hide it from sight without deleting them I'm all ears.
10296470
Author's notes.
10296472
Is that in the editing options for the story? I've never looked so Im not seeing it.
10296477
I'm sorry, it's just a massive put off for me. You're obviously good or you wouldn't been featured at all - it just feels like it's being waved in the readers' faces when authors do this. And a fair bit do.
10296472
Okay never mind. Sorry for being a little dense. I figured it out and I will work on fixing it. Thank you!
10296500
I can understand that. I just post it to show myself that its good enough. Its a psychological thing for me, but I can see why it would be a turn off.
every time i see a new chapter:vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/witcher/images/e/e9/Ezgif.com-video-to-gif.gif/revision/latest?cb=20151016111617
ah yes... the elimentals... fond memories of many a flank'n'spanks... the combat roll. such a useful move. keeps a witcher alive. tho i havent seen mr oblivion do mutch combat rolling. makes me wonder how he managed to survive as long as he did.
10297222
I was awful at the roll move so I haven't used it much. IO tended to dodge by back flipping more than anything. It was not my strong suit.
10297869
I have noticed that a lot of combat in the witcher is situational and the way you react to an incoming attack should be based on whats attacking you. something with an AOE attack requires you to move larger distances. when you are surrounded by a group of humanoid enemies, dodging around them, countering, and use of signs make quick work of most foes. rolling is what you do when faced with a leshen. and when those roots come at you, you cant sidestep them reliably. dive over the incoming roots and hit the leshen a few times before it teleports away. on higher difficulties you can not afford to get hit even once so it pays to be on your toes
10297912
That's very true. I tend to use brute force more than subtlety. I'm a hack and slash type of gamer so I run into combat and then think about it. If I die a few times then I think it over.
10297916
sometimes the most satisfying way to play is to charge in with the "attack!" plan of attack but i somehow think that this attitude would get a witcher killed. considering how much preparation an planing the game gives you the option for. then again sometimes its fun to light the enemies on fire and watch them burn...
10297937
That's true. With Oblivion it would be difficult to dodge roll so I have him simply move to the side or back up. It woudl be difficult for a pony his size to roll. Lol.
10297941
he would also have to pay particular attention to his "root" or footing, what with twice as many limbs too worry about. i fancy swordplay and my fencing instructor was weird...
10297948
That's a good point as well. I'll look into how to incorporate a version of rolling for him or how it would work for him. I am working on the next chapter currently so I will be able to work it out.
10297959
with him being quadrupedal. the only directions he could effectivly "roll" would be to the side. though a backflip would be far more useful in certain situations and it would have the effect of getting him off the ground for that seismic shockwave thing elementals do.
10297968
A backflip is commonly what he does. Its just easier and gets him out of the way just as fast as the roll would normally.
10297971
If you ever run out of ideas, I would suggest increasing Oblivion's involvement in the show's episodes instead of having him run off to do his own thing.