• Published 15th Jul 2019
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The Centurion Project - TheEighthDayofNight



Elias "Rubrum Aquilae" Bright, the former leader of the Legio I Americana, on the run from his past, finds himself thrown into the conflicts of Equestria.

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Chapter 14: Exercises in Futility

Journal Entry

Day 720

I have no idea what I’m doing. I have all of these guns and knives and swords and I have no idea how to use anything but a few of the rifles. Ammo is always short, and I don’t know what I’m going to do when it runs out. I’ve start playing with the knives during my free time, but I don’t know the first thing about throwing them, and I definitely can’t fight with them. There aren’t any books about throwing knives! I can learn to cook, and hunt, and track, but knife throwing? Knife fighting? I’m never going to figure this out, I swear. I should have just ended it with my family.

Elias dipped under the wing-blade aimed for his throat, then jabbed out with his fist, impacting right into the joint of Night Flash’s wing. The pegasus grunted, and as he landed, he did so off-balance. Elias was on him in a heartbeat, slashing with wild abandon, hacking away whatever defense the stallion put up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Book Binder’s horn charge up, so he stepped back, narrowly dodging a rock the size of his fist. Night Flash was not so lucky, and the rock clocked him in the muzzle. With a yelp, the stallion fell back, clutching his bleeding muzzle. Elias grabbed a stone from one of his belt pouches. Before this training session, he had replaced the normally sharp stones with blunt ones, so he didn’t permanently blind one of his best friends. The rock impacted Book Binder right below her horn, and her eyes crossed as she collapsed, her magic sputtering out.

Elias rolled his shoulder as he turned to face his last opponent. Scarlet Shield looked at Elias nervously, his eyes darting to his fallen compatriots. Elias gave his gladius a little twirl, then began to walk forward slowly, forcing confrontation. Scarlet frowned, looking at Elias’ feet. Elias responded by taking another rock from his belt and throwing it at the pony. The stone hit him in the muzzle, not hard, but hard enough to startle him. Scarlet snorted, going cross eyed as he stared at his throbbing muzzle. Elias rolled his eyes and closed the distance between them in a step. By the time Scarlet was focused enough to react, Elias’ sword was already gently poking at his neck. Elias snorted and smiled.

“You’re overthinking this again Scarlet. You need to act as you think. If you just think, and think, your enemy will have the opportunity to get the better of you.”

Scarlet sighed.

“I know, I know. It’s just… what happens if I mess up? Isn’t exposing my flank even worse?”

“Than not moving?" Elias asked. "No, even if you miss a strike, you can always roll away and try again. If your opponent hits you while you think about moving, that’s it. No second chances. You need to rely on your reflexes Shield, and if you can’t have faith in them, then that’s what you need to work on the most.”

Elias pulled the sword away, sheathing it quickly. Scarlet rubbed his neck. His wings fluttered slightly at his sides.

“Thanks Elias, sorry that I’m not getting this.”

Elias shrugged.

“It’s not a big deal right now. We’re practicing for an exercise, and this is what, the third practice? You have time, but you have to work at it. If you want to win in combat, you have to pull out all of the stops. No hesitation, no mercy.”

“I’ll say,” Night Flash grumbled, trying to staunch the flow of blood pouring from his muzzle. “That rock hurt!”

“Blame your marefriend Flash, she threw it. I just avoided it.”

The pony in question groaned loudly as she rubbed her forehead.

“Yeah, but why did you have to hit me so hard? I think you made me overload.”

Elias shrugged.

“Sorry Book Binder. When it’s three on one, I tend to take it a bit seriously. I have a nasty issue with losing.”

He walked over to the unicorn, offering his hand to help her stand up. She glared at him, but accepted it, leaning heavily on him. Elias felt a brief pang of concern.

“Are you all right?”

She stuck her tongue out at him.

“I’m fine, but I’m glad to see you care. It means we’re getting to you.”

Elias resisted the urge to shove the pony away, but he saw her wobble slightly, so he put a tentative hand on her back, holding her steady against his side. Elias frowned, his mind warring with itself. He should be pushing them harder, driving the ponies to their breaking points. That paranoid voice in the center of his mind was enraged that he was repeating a mistake that had cost him everything before. He should be scolding them; he should tell them that they’re going to run the same exercise over and over again until they get it down perfect.

Night Flash limped slightly, the result of a cut halfway down his foreleg. The stallion looked disappointed in himself, and Elias hated that look on the pony. Elias frowned and sighed.

“You two are getting much better at fighting as a team,” he said, trying to be encouraging.

The small voice at the back of his head prodded for him to go on.

He couldn’t make them stronger if they didn’t believe they would improve, it said. Besides, it was for an exercise chock full of safety procedures. Ponies who sustained “serious injury” would be teleported away before the hit. The exercise would be closely monitored by several dozen unicorns, as well as both princesses to ensure that all of the guards would be safe. Coupled with that, the entire medical staff of Canterlot Castle would be on standby, with the Royal Guards acting as runners to fetch or stop any fighting that got too serious. Overall, Elias didn’t have to worry about the safety of his friends. He was a bit glad that he had been listening to that voice more of late.

Night Flash looked up, still holding his nose with one hoof.

“Do you really think so?” he asked hopefully.

Elias nodded.

“I do. You are beginning to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses and how to compensate for them. You just need more practice on the timing. Your reflexes aren’t quick enough to react when you need them to. If Binder had thrown that rock when I put you off balance, she could have given you the opportunity to recover and strike me back.”

Elias side-eyed Scarlet.

“Or if Shield attacked me at all, you could have had the same affect.”

The pegasus drooped. He kneaded the ground with one hoof.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Elias sighed and shook his head.

“I can’t give you nice words Shield. We’ve fought three times, and not once have you hit me. Both Binder and Flash have separately landed hits, and they get closer to landing more every time.”

Elias took off his helmet and wiped some sweat from his forehead.

“Maybe I’m just not a good enough teacher,” he thought aloud. He looked to Scarlet, who seemed to droop even further at the words. “When you got into the guard, who was your training instructor?”

“It was actually Ice Blossom," Scarlet answered, shuffling the dirt with his hoof. "We only had two weeks together, but since she and her brother were training for their guard forces, she helped me qualify for the Lunar Guard. We can’t talk to her now though! It’s against the rules.”

Elias rubbed at his eyes as they walked back over to the equipment table. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted where a group of Royal Guards were training. It looked to be an intense sparring match. A small circle of Royal Guards watched the match silently, half of whom were wearing their full armor, the magic in their helmets making them look exactly the same. It didn't help that he wasn't yet an expert on the smaller details that differentiated ponies.

“Is she over there right now?” he asked, pointing at the group.

Scarlet looked toward the Royal Guards.

“Yeah, I think s- I mean no! Elias you can’t go over there! Even if you don’t get in trouble, you might get hurt!”

Elias snorted as he set down his helmet and shield.

“You let me worry about if I get hurt. Besides, I haven’t visited Scalpel yet this week; it’ll be a good chance to chat if something does happen.”

He began to move away from the table, but Book Binder caught his arm while Night Flash barred his path. Elias looked between the two in confusion.

“What? You act like I’m going to die just from going over there.”

Night Flash looked at him seriously.

“If it was anypony else, we wouldn’t be as concerned, but it’s you Red, you can be…”

“Volatile, easy to anger, short tempered,” Book Binder rattled off. "Overly aggressive, provocative, a general troublemaker."

“Yeah,” Night Flash agreed. “That. We’re just concerned you’re going to pick a fight with one of them. You’re a good fighter, but they’re the best! They routinely duel the princesses! We’re worried that if you go over there…”

“You will actually get yourself killed,” Book Binder finished.

Elias looked between the two.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear half of that.” He gently shrugged Book Binder off his arm, scooping her up and setting her on the equipment table.

“Besides, I can be diplomatic and friendly,” Elias said, putting on a fake smile.

The reaction was the opposite of what he hoped for. Book Binder snorted and laughed at him, while Night Flash shook his head, struggling not to join her. Scarlet Shield just looked away, refusing to meet Elias’ eyes. The man frowned.

“Wow, thank you for your kind words of encouragement.” He ran his tongue over his teeth, and grunted. “Doesn’t matter though, Scarlet needs a better teacher, my methods aren’t working.”

Scarlet Shield sighed.

“Elias, I just need more time! I can get it right eventually, just… let’s run it again, I swear I can get you this time.”

Elias shook his head.

“No Scarlet. You need extra help. What I said earlier about getting it with more practice? Bullshit. I can see that, I was just being too self-confident to think that I could help you. There’s no shame in the fact that I can’t, but if I don’t go over there now and get you a teacher that works, then when the moment of truth comes, you’ll hesitate and fail. I’d rather risk a potential beating at the hands of a few ponies than seeing you lying in a ditch with your throat cut open.”

Scarlet flinched at the semi-graphic description. His eyes again shifted down and he again shuffled the dirt with his hoof.

“I don’t want you getting hurt on my behalf,” he said softly.

“And I don’t want you getting hurt at all,” Elias responded. “We have a little less than a month before the exercise, don’t you want to get better by then?”

“I do,” Scarlet replied with a nod.

“Then let me do this for you Scarlet. You need more help. I’ll be happy to still train with you, but I’m not enough. Again, there’s no shame in that, but there is shame in not getting someone who can fix the issue.”

Book Binder snorted, and covered her muzzle to hide a wide smile. Elias looked at her, eyebrow raised. She smiled and waved him on.

“Do continue. I’m taking notes.”

Elias rolled his eyes and walked away, bypassing the ponies. He walked straight toward the Royal Guards, making his intentions obvious. It took only a few steps before he caught the eyes of a few Royal Guards. Mere seconds after that, the rest began visibly staring at him as he walked over. Elias had no doubt in his mind that it was some sort of scare tactic to keep unwanted ponies away, but he wasn’t a pony, was he? Either way, it didn’t matter, he wouldn’t be deterred by a mean look or two. Elias kept his steps even and calm, his stride the same as it always was. By the time he was within a few feet of them, the entirety of the group was glaring silently at him, including the two ponies who had been sparring moments before. Elias met these glares with a blank, almost bored stare. Elias quickly identified Captain Chaser as the grey maned pegasus made his way before Elias.

“What do you want Guardsman?” he asked gruffly.

Elias put his thumbs on his sword belt.

“I was hoping to speak with, or at least be pointed to Royal Guardspony ICe Blossom. A friend of mine is having difficulties with his fighting techniques, and I’m not informed enough about pegasi to teach him properly. I wanted to see if she would be willing to help him, since she was the one who helped him get in the guard in the first place.”

A helmeted mare's ears flicked, and she turned, pushing herself through the crowd of guards. Elias felt himself smile slightly at the simple success. He mentally scoffed at his friends.

‘See?’ he thought, mentally sticking his middle finger up at Book Binder. ‘I can be friendly and calm when I want to’.

As the pony who he imagined was Ice Blossom made her way through the crowd of ponies, Chaser stopped her, extending a wing to cut off her path.

“Not so fast Guardspony, I’m feeling a bit doubtful about Guardsman Bright’s intentions. Who’s this friend of yours? Why didn’t he approach Guardspony Blossom himself?”

Elias snorted and smiled.

“Really? Maybe it’s because you’ve got everyone here under your thumb. None of my friends wanted me to come over here, but I believed, and still do, that Scarlet needs better help then I can give. There’s no more ulterior motive than wanting my friend to not get himself stabbed to death. I would be appreciative if you, or at least Royal Guardspony Blossom could assist me in that motive.”

“Scarlet?” the mare piped up, “What’s he doing wrong now?”

Elias scratched his nose.

“Overthinking everything to the point that he isn’t moving at all. It’s not that he’s frozen with fear, that I could fix, it’s that he has to plan out every little step before making it. When the fight shifts, he has to shift his plan. It results in him standing there doing nothing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Ice Blossom sighed and removed her helmet. The illusion pealed away as she scratched at her white mane.

“That idiot. I warned him during guard training not to pull that kind of crap. It just means he’s been using maps more than he has a sword.”

She stepped in front of Chaser’s outstretched wing, flashing a smile back to the grey pegasus as she slipped by.

“Captain, I can take care of this in a snap, and he's an old friend, so everypony will understand. If nothing else, I can show Guardsman Bright what he needs to do to break Scarlet Shield out of his stupidity.”

Chaser spun around the pegasus, growling as he pressed his forehead against hers, pushing her backward toward the rest of the Royal Guards.

“That isn’t the issue here Blossom. I don’t give a buck about what problems “Scarlet Shield” is having,” he snarled. “What I am concerned with is the message we are sending by letting some Lunar Guard, who isn’t a pony mind you, come and demand a Royal Guardspony’s presence. It makes us look weak, and I taught you to know better.”

Elias coughed, and Chaser’s head snapped toward the man.

“I asked for Royal Guardspony Blossom's help, I didn’t demand anything.”

Chaser growled at him.

“Butt out human. I’ll deal with you in a second.”

Elias snorted and smiled, but said nothing else. He turned his back on the pony, looking over to where all three of his friends were watching him carefully. Night Flash looked like he was mouthing a ‘What’s going on?’, so Elias responded by shrugging. He tuned his ears over his shoulder as he stared at the sky. It was turning into a lovely afternoon, the sunset promised to be a brilliant orange if the sky was any indicator.

“I will not have one of my ponies rolling in the dirt with some random Lunar Guardspony, especially one who can’t even fight for himself. It makes you look bad, and therefore it makes the Royal Guard look bad.”

“Cap, I don’t think that-…”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion Blossom! I will not have you make a fool of yourself by helping some hapless moron who can’t fight, even if he was your friend."

Ice Blossom matched the guard captain's scowl, pressing back slightly.

"He's still my friend Chase. Just because I can't show that on duty, doesn't mean-"

"Are you on duty?"

Ice Blossom bit her tongue, then nodded.

"Then there's no argument," Chaser snapped. "You're on duty, you're a Royal Guardspony. Act like it."

Elias snorted again. Chaser gave him a death glare.

“I thought I told you to butt out human.”

Elias smiled and put his hands up in mock defense.

“I didn’t say anything. Just merely listening to the wise words of a Royal Guard Captain.”

The pegasus growled at him again, and Elias made note that this particular pony liked growling.

“I suggest you move along Guardsman. Ice Blossom won’t be helping you, or your worthless friend.”

Elias bit his tongue to prevent himself from snapping on the pony. He suppressed the anger he found welling up at the word "worthless". Elias sniffed and shuffled his feet slightly. As he thought for a brief moment, a few flippant words came to mind, and Elias grinned slightly.

“I’ll take you suggestion into consideration Captain, but I think I’ll remain here for the time being while I think it over. This spot has a wonderful breeze, and I would be remiss if I didn’t take the time to enjoy it. You know us night guards, we have such a thinking problem. If only someone had the foresight or capability to solve the issue.” Elias smirked. “Strange.”

Elias then turned his back on the pony again, this time making a blatant show out of it as he whistled loudly, staring into the sky without a care in the world. He could practically hear Chaser’s teeth grinding in anger, and just the thought of such brought a wide smile to his face.

“Leave Bright. I won’t tell you again,” Chaser growled.

Elias snorted in response.

“First, I wouldn’t still be here with you just let Ms. Blossom come and help me, but for some reason, being a Royal Guard Captain means you have a stick shoved firmly up your ass. Makes me wonder what you do all day if not helping better your fellow ponies.”

Elias glanced over his shoulder and crossed his arms.

“Second, I dare you to make me.”

Elias blinked, and then the pegasus was in front of him, a feral snarl on his face. A second later, Elias was on the ground, clutching at his bleeding nose. Sharp pain lanced through his face, and he had no doubt that his nose had been broken. Elias winced as he wiped blood away from his face. As his mind processed what had happened, blood dripped into his left eye. Running his fingers along his eyebrow found that it had been split open. Seeing his blood on his fingertips, Elias felt only one thing; rage.

Chaser grinned at him.

“Bravado goes out the window when your flat on your ass, doesn’t it human?”

Elias pushed himself to his feet, and his gladius found its way from its sheathe.

“I’m going to cut you in half Chaser,” Elias responded. “I’m done talking, done doing things the nice way.”

The pegasus spread his wings, and Elias noted each and every blade, shining brightly at him. He didn’t care. Damn risk, damn thinking this through. It was time for blood. Elias braced his gladius on his wrist guard, falling into a half-crouch. Before the two could begin to circle each other, Elias found a different pegasus in front of him. Night Flash pushed Elias backward, using his wings to block his sight line to Chaser.

“Red, please don’t do this,” he begged. “This fight isn’t worth it, I promise. Just, come back and train. We’ll figure out a way to help Scarlet, but this won’t help him at all.”

With each word Flash pushed a bit more, shoving Elias back a few steps. The human tried to shift around him, but the pegasus was very good at getting in his way. Elias growled.

“Move Flash, this isn’t about getting a trainer anymore. He wants to treat me like that? He’s going to pay for it.”

Night Flash pushed him again.

“That’s exactly it Red, this isn’t about helping Scarlet anymore. That’s why you came over here, and that didn’t work. Please don’t do this. Bindey and I still need your help, even if you can’t help Scarlet. You won’t be able to help us improve if you’re in a hospital bed. Even if you win, you’re going to get hurt. Remember why you’re fighting Red, remember your friends.”

“If I walk away now, I will look weak,” Elias growled. “I will not give that arrogant ass something to lord over me.”

Night Flash smiled.

“But we both know you aren’t weak, and by walking away, you’ll be showing Captain Chaser that he’s beneath you. You’ll be the stronger pony by walking away. You already got back up, that’s all you needed to do to look strong.”

Elias snorted, feeling a bit of mirth cut through his anger. Elias tried to force the rage back up, to ignore Flash’s words. He found that he couldn’t; the pegasus was right. He had come over here with a mission, and he had failed to accomplish it. Done and done, fighting wouldn’t help anyone, especially if he lost. Chaser was clearly significantly faster than the average pegasus guard, and Elias didn’t have his shield. He was at a disadvantage. He would likely just make a fool of himself.

Elias glared at the blue pegasus.

“Everything you just said is complete shit Flash.” He sighed. “But fine, we’ll do things your way.” He sheathed his gladius. “You owe me for this.”

Flash smiled and nodded.

“Sure Red, I’ll make sure to pay you back in full.”

Elias closed his eyes, swaying a bit as the adrenaline began to wane. He touched his nose, holding back the stem of blood.

“I’m going to see Scalpel to get this fixed up. We’ll train more tomorrow.”

Flash nodded again, but didn’t drop his wings. Elias suspected it was to make sure he didn’t see Chaser and immediately get angry again. Elias snorted and turned away. Flash fell in beside him, his wings at his side as he smiled up at Elias.

“Thanks Red. I promise, it’s better this way.”

Elias grumbled softly as they began to walk away.

“That’s right human! Run away like a little coward, back to your pathetic friends!”

The dagger was gone from his hand before Elias realized he was holding it. Chaser still had an arrogant smile on his face when the blade hit him in the chest, embedding itself firmly in his armor. Elias straightened to his full height as the pegasus just stared at the blade protruding from his chest. Night Flash sighed, shaking his head as he took a few steps away.

“So bucking close,” Elias heard the pony whisper.

Elias drew his gladius with his right hand, his bloodlust flaring up again. Whatever rational thoughts Night Flash put into his head vanished as anger rose to the forefront. Chaser glared at him with a look of hatred. Ignoring the knife sticking out of his armor, the pegasus growled and spread his wings once more. With a roar, the pony rushed him. Elias flipped his gladius into an underhanded grip. Chaser’s wingblades dug into his flesh as Elias pressed between them. Ignoring the cuts on his arms and neck, Elias grappled the pegasus. In his blind rage, Chaser’s speed was non-existent. Evidently it required some measure of focus. Elias grabbed hold of Chaser’s torso, lifting the pony high into the air, before slamming him cruelly into the ground. The pony landed with a gasp as the air left his lungs, and he skidded away; his armor coated with dust as he struggled to breathe. Elias flipped the gladius back in his grip.

Red liquid dropped to the ground, and Elias pressed his left hand to his throat, pulling it away to find it slicked with blood. Elias growled and pressed it back, doing his best to stem the flow as Chaser got to his feet. The pegasus glared at him with hatred as he panted.

“I’m going to hurt you Bright,” the pony grunted. “I don’t care who you think you are, you don’t get to treat a Royal Guardspony like that. I’m going to make you bleed.”

“Promises promises,” Elias replied. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

This time the pegasus played it smart. He and Elias began to circle one another. Blood pattered to the ground, slipping through his fingers. Elias growled, passing his sword from his right hand to his left. Then he pressed his clean hand against the wound, staunching the cut as he tried to get a good grip on his sword. The grip was slick, but ultimately, Elias was able to keep a firm hand around the blade.

Ponies began to crowd around them, mostly Royal Guards, as their blades clashed together. Elias had no doubt in his mind that the wingblades that Chaser was sporting were every bit as powerful as Feather was. The human sent a silent thank you to Anyon for the additions to the blade. With each hit he could feel the force of their blows race up his arm through the sword. A lesser blade would have snapped long ago, but his gladius held strong as Elias swung time and again at the pegasus, who would either dodge out of the way, or meet it with equal anger and force.

Elias thrusted forward, jabbing at Chaser. The pegasus blocked the strike, and responded in kind, unleashing a flurry of attacks. With one of his hands occupied, Elias struggled to keep up with the quick pony. He bit his tongue as more than one cut tore through his flesh, spilling more and more red onto the ground. While it was an uneven match, Elias still got licks in. A small cut above the eye, a punch to the throat. With each second that passed, Chaser looked more haggard and worn out as the results of a dozen cuts wore on him. While Elias received more hits, he still dished out a bit of pain. He was fairly confident he could outlast the pony, pain wasn’t new, and the wounds he was sustaining weren’t that severe, no matter how large the puddle on the ground was growing.

The two broke away from each other, and began circling once more. They were both panting heavily, and Elias was walking with a fairly dramatic limp, the result of a nasty cut that had slipped past his greaves. He was proud however, to see one of Chaser’s wings bent out of shape. The pony hadn’t retracted fully on a swing, so Elias had cut at the bone of the limb. A small spray of blood and a few feathers saw the wing dangling uselessly at the pony’s side. Sure, he had received a headbutt in reply, but that bit of blood on his sword was worth every hurt. Elias had to give credit to that black armor though, it had substantially more covering than the normal guard armors, and his sword was never able to bite very deep into Chaser’s body.

Elias stabbed downward, aiming at the other wing. Chaser sidestepped the attack and tried to turn to buck at Elias. The human took a step backward, avoiding the deadly hooves. He also almost lost his balance. As he stumbled back. he eyed the blood on the ground. There was quite a bit now. Most of it was likely his. His vision was beginning to blur slightly, and he felt that his grip on his gladius was becoming tenuous at best. His eyes narrowed as he took a deep breath, trying to find focus. He needed to finish this.

Midnight Chaser evidently felt the same. He straightened slightly, and Elias was surprised when he gave the human a slight bow, using his good wing to salute at Elias. The blade on the tip touched Chaser’s forehead, then moved slowly to the ground, the blade just barely touching the dirt. Elias smirked. He returned the gesture, straightening as much as his body could before touching the flat of his blade to his nose, before letting it fall to his side in a fencing stance. Chaser snorted.

“I’ll take your surrender anytime human,” he said confidently.

Elias grinned as his gladius rose again.

“I’ll die first.”

He swayed slightly as he dropped into his combat pose, laying the blade of his sword across an imaginary shield. Chaser nodded once, and Elias could have sworn he saw a touch of a grin. It was gone in a second, and they both tensed. The air seemed still, and the crowd of ponies they had drawn waited with bated breath. Elias looked at none of them, his focus was only on Chaser. The pony met his eyes, and as the two stared, they seemed to share… something. Elias couldn’t place the notion, but it felt almost as if the pony understood, if only a little bit, what Elias had lived through. The pegasus blinked.

Elias rushed forward in silence, his gladius scything through the air at Chaser’s head. Mid-swing, Elias felt himself freeze as an intense pain lit up his stomach. With the momentary delay in momentum, the sword passed through empty air, and Elias stumbled forward slightly, overbalanced when it didn’t connect with anything. He kept his on his feet however, and Elias turned around, his gladius in hand, ready to continue. Chaser was looking at him in horror, his wings hanging limply at his side, with a noticeable absence from his chest armor. Elias snorted.

‘Really?’ he thought. ‘Now you get squeamish for a fight? A bit late for t-…’

Elias coughed slightly, and blood spilled down his chin. He took a step forward, and Elias felt that intense pain in his stomach again. With another cough, he looked down and found his dagger embedded firmly in his belly. Elias reached for the blade with his right hand, temporarily uncaring about his weeping neck wound. Elias swayed slightly as he looked from the knife back to Chaser, who was looking at Elias as if he had seen death itself.

Elias staggered to his left, seeking a way out of the circle. He just needed to get to the infirmary, then he would be as right as rain. Sure, Scalpel was going to yell at him, but hey, better than dying right? He walked through the cleared path. All of the ponies were watching him with clear and utter horror on their faces. Elias ignored every single one. Keeping the knife hilt cupped, he tried to hold back the blood that was seeping out around the blade.

Elias made it half a dozen steps before he realized he was going to pass out. The world swam before his eyes as he rocked back and forth. With one final stagger forward, he looked back. Chaser was still staring at him through the cleared path of ponies. Elias winked.

“I guess you win Captain,” he said, coughing up more blood as he did so.

Chaser shook his head slightly, his ears folded against his head. Elias snorted in amusement at the sight. The gladius clattered from his grip as he fell on his side. Blackness swarmed his vision, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as the ground rushed up to meet him.

Author's Note:

EDIT 2022: Here is the fourteenth chapter in the official Centurion Project reading

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