Equestria's Ray of Hope

by The_Darker_Fonts

In the Enemy's Camp

The sun was almost set by the time Ray and the generals finished up reporting to each other. This victory was clearly their most significant, as with so few losses and the remnants of the second minotaur army completely eradicated, they had the clear advantage in the plains now. The army would need maybe four or five days to recover, and while Ray needed to be back to the wayport to report to Twilight, the Matriarch could carry him there quickly enough to continue moving inland. Excitement was welling in his chest at the thought, the entire plains now feeling like a free ticket to victory. Unlike the previous battle, he had the time to wash the blood from himself and his kharamh, and felt fresh.

“Ray, if I might, one of my good friends was killed,” Pelios suddenly stated, and for the first time he could hear the shakiness in the stallion’s voice. Brows furrowing in concern, the human turned to the general as he managed to ask, “Might I be relieved for the night to attend his pyre?”

“Of course, everyone’s excused for the night,” Ray replied with a wave, setting his cleaned kharamh against a stack of wooden boxes.

Before he could say anything else, Skalos quickly declared, “Only Pelios should be excused. The minotaur’s camp has been abandoned, left hopefully in a state for us to learn something from them. I propose we have the Matriarch carry us to the camp where we can investigate and gather what information they’ve left behind. Surely such valuable information must be gathered as swiftly as possible.”

Ray rubbed his chin, nodding in agreement and glancing at Pelios to indicate he could leave now. The stallion nodded gratefully and rushed out of the tent, nighttime already fast approaching, and thus the burning of their comrades’ corpses. Still, the human didn’t have the opportunity to visit something as significant as his soldiers’ funerals when he had to consider the living's future. It was harsh, but a reality he could scarcely ignore. Focusing on what Skalos had proposed, however, Ray realized his friend’s idea was correct, but not its execution.

“We’ll collect the information for certain, but I think we’ll need more soldiers than just us to carry it back, and I won’t give the Matriarch the indignity of being our mule,” Ray explained, noting how the remaining generals stiffened as he spoke. Quickly, he ensured, “I don’t mean to take any soldiers from mourning our losses however, nor do I think this need to be ‘serious business’, I just believe it to be faster with many people sharing the load. We also want an unoccupied general in the camp as well. For that, I propose Yarem stays while Harbor gathers maybe a hundred Fallen to help collect information. Skalos, Kraven, Harbor, the Matriarch, and I will all go to the camp and assess what to gather before soldiers arrive. Yarem, take volunteers only. Cap the number at a hundred and fifty.”

“Yessir,” the general replied before leaving the tent hastily. Looking at the other three generals that remained in the tent, Ray crossed his arms and smiled.

“Today has been a good day for us, a day in which we minimized our tragedy and maximized our strength for a victory so stunning I couldn’t have predicted it with a hundred guesses,” he declared proudly. “For that, I credit you all, especially Kraven and Pelios, even though he just left. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for being independent of me yet entirely loyal as well. Because of that, more Fallen will live to see themselves as ponies once again.”

“Thank you, lordling,” Kraven muttered hoarsely, eyes to the ground as his face was flushed. The other two generals shuffled at the compliment, obviously not expecting Ray to offer his genuine emotions to them in such a way. Smirking slightly, he motioned to the rear tent flap that would bring them to the edge of camp, leading them out.

The Matriarch, already having heard the discussion, stood patiently just a little way beyond where the tents ended on the slope of the Big Face, but made no movement towards them. They didn’t need to hurry, and even though the battle was now hours behind them, Ray still felt the weariness of it. Taking his time to walk felt almost as good as sitting down, probably better since he wouldn’t cramp up after so much running. Jerked out of his thoughts by a hoof tapping on his calf, he looked down to find Kraven gesturing for the human to lean in.

“Uh, Ray, the reason we all got… stiff at your comment on the Matriarch,” he whispered hesitantly, eyes darting to the other generals who pretended not to listen. “Well… you called it an indignity to be a mule, but a mule is a close and sentient cousin of ponies. It was… accidentally insensitive of you to say.”

“Oh,” the human muttered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to offend, certainly. As much as I don’t think about it these days, Earth still seems to influence much of how I think. Mules are just pack animals there…”

“Interesting,” Kraven nodded, wide eyes now curious instead of hesitant. However, the stallion didn’t seem to want to probe into how animals were on Earth and let the topic drop. Thankfully, they had arrived at the Matriarch before an awkward silence could settle on them.

“The stars are bright tonight,” she commented, eyes to the sky as she leaned down to let them onto her head. Smiling, Ray rested a hand on her head as he waited for the other three to climb onto her.

The Matriarch’s large red eyes seemed to focus on him now, amusement as she whispered, “Are you petting me, lordling?”

“I don’t know,” he chuckled, looking down at his hand pressed onto her chitinous skull. “I guess I am. I didn’t mean to offend.”

“Offend? No, I’m honored,” the Matriarch assured, pausing as Ray took his turn to climb onto the massive spider’s head. “After all, there isn’t much else you could do to show affection to me. As amusing as it would be to witness, you couldn’t even hug one of my limbs, let alone my bodice itself. Still, as small a motion as simply pressing your hand against my temple is, I know the intent and emotion behind the deed, and thus, am honored.”

“And I likewise,” he replied, sitting just above her topmost eyes. “If I may say, I still think it’s strange that a creature as large, intelligent, and magnificent as you allow yourself to be used for transportation like this. It feels… wrong, degrading, and disrespectful.”

“I have been worse things than an assistant to my allies,” the Matriarch replied with soft kindness. “Trust me, it is simple work like this that I most enjoy rather than the brutalizing of mortals in combat that may ultimately be meaningless in the eyes of the Aspects. I know, however, the importance of this all to you, and so do the Aspects. It is why I’m permitted to be here with you. They risk much by allowing one who knows the map of time and confluence of the cosmos so near to such a pivotal part of the plan. However, Darkness is my master and on your side for this. Thus, I can be in your presence.”

“And I in yours,” Ray assured, laying back and shifting into a comfortable position.

In spite of himself, he let out a slight groan as some of his muscles tensely ached. Some time ago, before he had dropped school, he’d learned the biological impact of sleep and its importance. He hadn’t thought of those lessons once in the past four years, but now he was beginning to regret that. So much activity with so few hours of sleep, even less than he’d received on Earth, meant his body wasn’t recovering as quickly as it should. The Equestrian air, clean, enriching, and nigh-on magical, had split the difference, but now with almost half a year spent on the Tauran plains, he was quite exhausted.

It would be another late night tonight, and most likely for the next few weeks as he had everything from consolidating information to meeting with Twilight. Not to mention all of the prep work that had to be done for the resupply, the subsequent work in protecting, securing, and distributing said resupply correctly, and consistent sleep looked like a distant dream.

Be that as it may, though, given how exhausted everybody was becoming. While technically the army should recuperate in a matter of days, the strain of battle was less damaging than the stress being caused by their own inability to predict what the future held in store for them. They had won three major battles against the minotaurs and were still no closer to knowing where the minotaurs resided, how many soldiers they had, or even if it mattered at all. If they came across another large group of minotaurs, it would more than likely mean the minotaurs could easily sustain tens of thousands of deaths each battle, in which case killing the minotaurs down to the last would be impossible. Let alone the fact that Ray was gradually coming to understand the creatures he was killing as intelligent even in their bloodlust, and he knew internally that this war would be impossible to win from battles alone.

He knew every other general was thinking the same thing as him, and since they were running out of time to continue into the endless hills before their resupply next month, it would mean this campaign had failed one of its purposes. Even with two massive victories achieved in a short time thanks to their capabilities, the Fallen hadn’t found a single sign of where the minotaurs lived. Almost four hundred Fallen had died and it seemed like another four hundred would have to die before they would find the information they needed. This camp was the only hope Ray had of getting the information he needed without losing more friends.

Sighing softly, eyes lazily tracing constellations in the bright starlight, trying to take his mind off things he couldn’t control. The generals were talking quietly amongst themselves, something about the battle and the logistics of the archers’ volleys. Ray had already heard the important information about it, they were just talking about areas where it may be improved or what was impressive with the resources used. Letting his mind drift away from the topic, he found himself thinking about the archers.

One of the greatest concerns the other generals had voiced early on was the disdain the infantry might have with the archers. Given that one was in the heat of battle and losing numbers while the other kept their distance and attacked, there was almost a guarantee that once the fighting began animosity would arise between the two sects of the army. Today, however, the archers had made it clear that they weren’t simply an auxiliary force. They were a vital and lethal appendage of the army that could eliminate the enemy just as effectively as the infantry, and most importantly, prevent the infantry from losing soldiers. Ray himself had needed the reminder even though he had seen firsthand the archers’ courage and capabilities at the first battle two weeks back.

Thoughts of the archers drew his mind to Adant and Garish, the soft smile on his lips becoming forlorn as felt a coolness in his heart. The mare was still in mourning and given the relationship she and her husband had shared spanned centuries, he didn't know if she would be able to recover. Was it possible for anyone to recover from that? Ray had been able to witness that love, and it was inspiring. Then, he had to be the one who ripped it away from Adant. Time constraints- and more potently fear- had kept Ray from visiting with Adant since that time, but he knew she was still working diligently in her role as captain. Once they were done here, he would meet with her, maybe, see how she was holding up.

Talk.

Ray was terrible at talking. It was actually one of the worst things he was able to do, talking. He was far too direct and no-nonsense for normal conversation, and whenever someone else tried to dig into him and figure out he was thinking, he clamped up. Sighing frustratedly to himself, he rubbed his tired eyes with both hands, already beginning to consider not bothering at all. Maybe Adant had begun recovering already and bringing it back up would only make it worse for her. Or maybe he would say something dumb and ruin their friendship. Worse yet, she would start asking questions about him again and force him to face his own problems and admit them to her.

Even Fluttershy hadn’t been able to remove every mask of his, but the mare had been successful in understanding why he wore them. Still, that had only made her worry more for him than before. If Adant pressed too hard and learned too much, would she be yet another on a long list of people crossing their fingers that he wouldn’t die? It seemed… highly likely that any attempt from her to help him would end in disaster, and he couldn’t possibly say she needed his help.

“What are you pondering, lordling,” the Matriarch asked curiously from below him. Laying one hand down on her chitin while the other still ran through his hair, he sighed yet again.

“I don’t know if I can help the Fallen,” he finally replied, the words hard to say especially with three of his best friends sitting just a scant few feet away from him. “I know how to lead them, I know how to fight with them, hell I even know how to be friends with them… but I don’t know how I can help them. We’ve lost close to a hundred soldiers today, though we won’t know exactly until the morning. That means that we’ve lost almost four hundred soldiers in less than half a year. The numbers are spectacular, actually, considering we’ve been in four battles now if you include the landing. Honestly though, I’m lucky the numbers have been so low. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to do. Four hundred is a small statistic of our total soldiers, but it’s still such a large number of Fallen.”

“The Fallen have decided to take on the burden of carrying Equestria from the jaws of death,” the Matriarch reminded Ray solemnly. “They have decided to die on the weapons of the minotaurs in order to defend the innocent ponies of Equestria, and for that they will be rewarded, in this life and the next. The potential that so few will have to go the way of ash while so many live on should be celebrated. A war cannot be fought without losing something in return. Why do you mourn it, then?”

“Each Fallen has lived over seventeen hundred years,” Ray replied. “I can’t even imagine myself in a year. Combined, the dead have lived almost seven hundred thousand years, almost all of it together. When one dies, the whole army feels the effects of that loss. I’m younger than any of them were when they were first imprisoned in Tartarus. I don’t know how to help them when they have lost so many friends. Most armies are made of strangers, yet the Fallen have had centuries together to be friends and enemies. When a Fallen is killed, it’s usually right alongside their friends and seen by all of their friends not in that unit. I just have no way of helping anybody who's lost people important to them.”

“You can’t do everything, lordling,” the Matriarch gravely reminded him. “You are the Orphan of the Cosmos, not the Lord of Worlds.”

“Lord of Worlds,” Ray questioned, a small panic passing through him at the thought of another cosmetic foe he might have to somehow face.

“Simply a fantasized creature, not real or cognizant being,” she quickly informed him. “You are limited by your mortality, keeping you the most powerful of any creature who can die. Remember that your potential is in leading soldiers and defeating enemies. It has never been dealing with the aftermath of it. That is the skill of somebody else who will step up to the occasion as you have. Let go of your regrets and focus on what you can do.”

“But I feel like I can help, it’s just that I don’t know how,” the human grumbled, frustrated with himself. “I feel like I should be able to talk to a Fallen soldier one on one and tell them that their friend didn’t die in vain. I want to tell Adant that I’m there for her even if I don’t know what to say most of the time, to remind her I’ll always remember Garish. It’s just… not something I’ve learned to do. Deal with my mistakes.”

“Well, you certainly seem to be working on it,” Skalos suddenly said from behind Ray, causing the human to sit upright instantly, whirling around to look at the three generals. From the soft smile on his best friend’s face, Ray knew the Fallen had heard the entire conversation.

“You didn’t encrypt our language,” he questioned the Matriarch, more surprised than angry. Instead of an actual reply, the giant arachnid’s mandibles clicked together, her way of laughing. With a sad smile, knowing he’d been duped, he simply knocked the hand that rested on the Matriarch’s head against her chitin like a very miniscule backhand. “Tricky spider.”

“I hope you already know we won’t judge you for your struggles, lordling,” Kraven encouraged, taking a shaky step forward on the Matriarch’s back. In spite of how unstable moving around was on the moving spider, the stallion managed to reach Ray and smile. “After all, they are the concerns every great general should have. In order for you to continue being a great general, I believe it is best for us to help you conquer these challenges.”

“Honestly surprised you didn’t see this coming,” Harbor added with a wry grin.

“You may be able to hide your struggles from the others,” the Matriarch continued from below him, “but I can see and hear your mourning. I know the depths of your sorrows and will not sit by to let them idly consume you. Your greatest strength is your irrepressibility, and your greatest weakness is your strength. It does not make you invincible yet. Reach out for help next time instead of edging yourself to the breaking point.”

“Noted,” Ray managed to choke out emotionally. Reaching out a hand, he clamped it on Kraven’s shoulder in silent appreciation. The stallion was a fine example of intelligence and scholarly wisdom, in fact, it was what the Fallen knew him for. However, he was excellent at considering every angle of a conflict, including the emotional side. The day the world wouldn’t have that intelligence in it, be it soon or decades in the future, would be a tragic one.

Looking around for the first time, he realized the Matriarch had carried them almost into the heart of the minotaur camp. Although he hadn’t seen it before, now in the center of it, he could see exactly why it was taking the giant arachnid so long to navigate. The camp looked more like a condensed, square mile of wooden poles and brown sheets haphazardly stacked on top of one another than a cohesive set of structures. It fit the barbaric and beastly nature of the minotaurs well, and if he had to guess, this was at least partially intentional. Organization was a must have for the Fallen, but it seemed that the minotaurs could function quickly without it.

“It looks… like a lot,” Kraven finally relented with a sigh, milky eyes scanning the hundreds of condensed tents. There were little paths in between the structures that made a sensical road out of the camp, and a few larger paths divided the amorphous camp into six different parts, each varied in size. The center part was circularly surrounded by a path and was the smallest, thus making it the most enticing for investigation. While it didn’t seem like there was much of a command structure in battle, perhaps this was the central command center for when the minotaurs were just moving about.

“Then best we get started,” Skalos replied softly. Hearing this, the Matriarch bent her head down and allowed the group of four off her. Immediately, all four gagged at the awful scent that permeated from the camp, no longer high enough in the sky to avoid the smell. The mix of excrement and rot had a hard foulness to it that required Ray to draw upon all of his strength to prevent himself from physically flinching away. Raising a hand to his nose as he crinkled it, he gave his surroundings a slow look, a scowl across his face both from the stench and disorder.

“It seems the camp had no sanitation or effective drainage,” Ray commented dully, before spotting a patch of ground that shone in the moonlight. “So, avoid puddles.”

“This is awful,” Harbor wheezed, one hoof raised to wrap around his nose while he stood still, also glancing around. The tents were strangely tall, maybe three feet taller than Ray was, meaning they loomed over the group. “Do they live like this in every war camp?”

“Maybe even in every settlement,” Kraven growled, also overcoming the stench to recompose himself. Though he had a stark look of disgust while he did so, the stallion’s usual curious and educational demeanor returned as he gave the camp a judgemental stare-down. “It would seem that, if these minotaurs were left to their own devices, plague would have killed more of them than blades. This camp is a breeding ground for infections through consumption and inhalation. Best not to stick here too long.”

“Ray, there’s something in-” was all the Matriarch managed to say before being interrupted by the wild bleat of minotaurs as six raced out of the tent right in front of the four generals.

In the few seconds it took for the minotaurs to close the gap between him and them, he was able to recognize three things. Firstly, that he had left his kharamh in the generals’ tent back in the Fallen camp, leaving him with only two small knives strapped to his right and left thighs. Secondly, that the bleats weren’t only coming from in front of him, but also from either side of and even behind him, making them surrounded by an unknown number of minotaurs in the heart of their camp, and finally, Skalos, Kraven, and Harbor had no weapons either. Not that it would do them any good, the space too cramped for the charging motion needed for spears and the distance for bows. That meant that, on top of already being outnumbered, only one of them, Ray, would be carrying a blade.

Minotaurs, however, were becoming increasingly predictable, and as the first one swung at him with an axe, Ray was able to duck underneath attack and rush forwards as he unsheathed his knife, slicing the blade across its stomach as he passed. The second minotaur had been right beside the first but having raised its axe over its horned head to strike, Ray jammed the other knife into its exposed gut, the force sending the creature to the ground with a pitiful bleat. The other four minotaurs seemed to be focused solely on the human, though out of the corner of his eye he could see another group of seven or eight minotaurs exit a tent to their right. Chittering loudly, the Matriarch brought a feeler down on a tent to their left, crushing it and the minotaurs attempting to attack from it.

Adrenaline surging through him, Ray sidestepped another axe-wielding minotaur, dodging a downward strike before planting the knife in his right hand into the back of its neck. Without the time to wrench the blade out, he left it there as he narrowly avoided losing his head to yet another axe, though this minotaur had stepped far too close for the attack. Lunging forward with a shout, he grabbed the minotaur’s weapon hand with his right hand to keep it still while stabbing the minotaur in the gut and chest in a flurry of motion. Gargling as it collapsed from the multiple stab wounds, Ray held it close enough to block any attack from the remaining two minotaurs.

Eyeballing them, he thrust the dying minotaur at the closest one to delay it while diving at the further one to his left. The minotaur clumsily tried to put distance between it and the human, but Ray was faster. Keeping crouched, he sliced out both knees, letting the minotaur collapse before ramming his blade into the left side of its throat. Without a moment to lose, he tugged it out with his right hand and stood up, ignoring the screaming bleats and shattering wood as the Matriarch swept aside another tent, looking for the sixth minotaur.

It, however, had either been killed or lost in the chaos as the three Fallen generals had managed to put up a fight, keeping some minotaurs that had slipped past the Matriarch’s legs at bay. Four minotaurs lay dead or unconscious, and as Ray engaged a minotaur with its back to him, he saw why. Reaching around the front of the unsuspecting minotaur to slide his blade into its rib cage from behind, puncturing its lung, he watched as a trio of minotaurs attacked the generals. While one focused on Kraven, the other had its leg kicked out by Skalos before Harbor ran by, throwing out his rear hooves to concave the back of its head. With a loud crack, the minotaur fell forward with a heavy thud.

Removing his knife, Ray turned and found another large group of maybe a dozen minotaurs rushing down the path towards them. They didn’t get even two steps before one of the Matriarch’s feelers swept through them, sending all but three flying into the air. The remaining minotaurs stumbled as they attempted to avoid getting crushed and continue attacking. Frustrated with only having the knife, he took aim and threw it, satisfied as the blade stuck into the chest of the closest minotaur, dropping it. Reaching down, Ray picked up one of the axes dropped by the slain minotaurs, having almost no time to feel the heft before using it.

It was far heavier than the kharamh, but for some reason felt easier to wield than the minotaurs made it seem. Raising the weapon, he swung it horizontally, catching the first minotaur that approached in the stomach and almost halving it. The weight carried through the strike however, and tugged the human along, bringing him dangerously close to the last minotaur of the group. Cursing loudly, he let go of the weapon and fell backwards, clumsily avoiding being decapitated by a minotaur with a blunt sword. Landing harshly on the coarse dirt, scraping his bare back and bruising his butt, he didn’t think about what he did next.

The minotaur with the sword moved much quicker than the ones with axes did and was preparing its next attack while Ray was still regaining his bearings. Giving a shout, he threw himself at the minotaur’s thinner legs, latching onto its right leg. The minotaur let out a surprised grunt, unable to attack the human now attached to it. Isolating the bottom of its leg from its knee, Ray jerked the bottom up and out, breaking it and tearing the muscle at the minotaur’s weak knee. Shrieking, the beast went to the ground as Ray scrambled backwards and stood back up. Before either he or it could react, Kraven suddenly appeared, rearing up and bucking it squarely in its nose. The skin seemed to fold in as the cartilage gave way, the force of the kick enough to pop one of its eyeballs out of its socket. There was a snap as the minotaur’s neck broke before its entire body went limp and slid to the ground.

Nodding to Kraven and seeing that there were no more minotaurs approaching from his left or in front of him, he turned to the center. The Fallen generals had, in spite of their lack of weaponry, killed at this point ten minotaurs, with only five left. Even as Ray sprinted to take on one of them, another was crushed completely by the stomp of one of the Matriarch’s legs, blood muddying the ground. The minotaur he was attacking was running directly at Skalos, who had his back turned on it as he faced off two minotaurs alone. Kraven was rushing to help Harbor as the general dashed between the legs of an attacking minotaur and shattered its knee with a single kick back.

Weaponless, Ray reached out and grabbed the minotaur by its shaggy mane, jerking it back with a grunt. Surprised, the minotaur turned to attack Ray, but a hook across its face stunned the creature before it could utilize its sword. Grabbing its unoccupied left arm with his own left hand, he pulled it in and stepped behind it. Stumbling as it was manhandled by Ray, it fell into the perfect position for the human to kick in the back of its knee, sending it to the ground. Filled with violent rage, Ray crossed his arms as he grabbed its left horn with his right hand and right horn with his left hand. With a primordial bellow, he pulled on the two horns as hard as possible, jerking the minotaur's head 180° around with a sickening series of pops and cracks. A last gasp escaped the minotaur before Ray kicked it to the ground.

Panting hard, he began running towards Skalos, who dove sideways at one of the minotaurs attacking him. This got him out of the way of the minotaur’s axe and sent it tumbling to the ground as it tripped over the Fallen. The tripped minotaur attempted to scramble off the ground, but Ray was there before it could recover. It looked up at him with fear as he brought his foot down on its head, knocking it unconscious instantly. He was prepping another kick when an unnoticed Kraven suddenly sent his rear hooves into the side of the minotaur’s head, ending its life.

“Help,” Skalos cried, the final minotaur trying to bring its axe down on him while he was pinned by the minotaur’s body.

One of the Matriarch’s feelers suddenly swept at the minotaur’s legs, the size of force tearing them from its body completely. The other feeler reached down and grabbed the minotaur while it shrieked and brayed, lifting it up to the giant arachnid’s mandibles where it was promptly consumed.

“I don’t notice the stench so much anymore,” Harbor nervously commented as he looked around at the bodies of the minotaurs that surrounded them. Half of the tents in their immediate area had been crushed or swept aside by the Matriarch while the generals had been preoccupied with the minotaurs. Torn cloth, broken wood, dead bodies, and fallen weaponry was scattered everywhere nearby, and the setting coolness of the night chilled the fresh blood covering Ray’s skin.

“Is everyone alright,” Ray asked, breathless, looking around.as well. There were no signs of any other minotaurs, and the Matriarch was now rapidly moving around above them to ensure they would not have any more surprises.

“I’m good here, just bruised up,” Kraven stated, sitting down and nursing his left hoof. However, seeing no blood, the human took his word for it and glanced over at Harbor, who was poking one of the limp minotaur bodies unaware of Ray’s question. Guessing the stallion was fine based on his unfaltering movements and lack of spilled glowing blood, he quickly moved on to Skalos, who was still trapped under the legs of the slain minotaur.

“You good,” he repeated softly, reaching out a hand. Taking it, the two strained for a moment as Ray pulled the stallion out.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Skalos finally replied as he stood. Looking up, the stallion intensely demanded, “Don’t tell Zecora though.”

“She won’t hear a word from me,” Ray assured, before turning and making eye contact with the Matriarch. Waiting for a glint of understanding in her unblinking eyes, he quickly asked, “Why didn't you warn us there were minotaurs in the camp?”

“I… was unaware of their presence entirely,” she admitted shamefully. “I was not focused and was almost certain I didn’t detect any movement or hear any sound from them. However, it seems they planned this without knowing how many they would face nor when they might face us. It was a distraction, though, lordling. While we were dealing with these minotaurs, others lit fires on the northern and western corners of the camp. They are rapidly approaching now.”

“Dammit,” Ray growled, rolling out his shoulder. As the adrenaline was beginning to wear off, he could feel pain in his shoulder, fist, and back. Gesturing to the other generals, he ordered, “Get into these tents and grab anything paper. The most important stuff will probably be written down, I think.”

“I will do what I can to slow the blaze, but it is already uncontrollable and ravenous,” the Matriarch warned. Behind her head, smoke was beginning to rise higher into the sky, its smell quickly becoming stronger than that of the other foul odors. With a frustrated sigh, Ray began ran into the first tent structure in front of him, following the other three generals.

“Scary as that was,” Harbor said, “it was exciting to literally fight by your side, gents. I didn’t think I’d get that opportunity during this war.”

Forcing a smile, decidedly ignoring everything that was going wrong as he scanned the dark interior of the tent, Ray added, “It was indeed. I didn’t know you had that powerful of a kick, Kraven.”

“Neither did I,” Kraven chuckled.

Author's Note:

Only excuse I could come up with to get some of those juicy best friends fighting together scenes. Anyways, as always, questions, comments, and concerns are welcome and wanted.