The Pointed Woodsmaster

by The Real Darkness

A Bow Not For Sport

Despite his earlier adventure, he still needed to hunt and he took to go deeper into the forest after sprinting away, stepping lightly and head on a swivel, this is where malicious plants lived, but also some creatures he knew he could get some actual food from.

So he snuck about, making sure to keept quiet, avoid the twigs, look about and eventually, he did come across what he was looking for. A single doe, not too large, but he could definitely carry it back. He drew an arrow back and slowly stood, taking aim.

The trees here were not the gnarly ones he was accustomed to living about, but nice aspens that shivered in the wind, creaking.

The arrow loosed and sunk deep into the doe's chest, he began sprinting after it while it ran. Going on for a couple of minutes before he happened upon the animal sturggling for breath with its lungs filling, laid on its side. A quick cut across the throat, a couple of seconds later, and done.

He started harvesting, cutting out meats and setting them in a large cloth bag along with the hide that he carried at his side. The guts, too, in case he needed a new string or thread. He left the remaining carcass, having gathered everything he needed before beginning a sluggish trip home, holding the giant filled cloth over his left shoulder while his right hand held his spear.

It was an uneventful trip back and an uneventful hanging and stretching of hides and guts. Also, an uneventful cooking atop the fire he had right next to his water pot. There he would skewer the meats and roast them slow so he could keep them on the fire as long as he could and even after boil them outright in a stew before they went bad to make it last. Some cuts were also reserved for jerky, something to take out with him that didn't scare off animals by the smell.

He only realized he missed the grand assignments after that run in at the castle of horses. That's where he truly lived and the hunting and forest living was only a nice vacation to relax from his prided work.

Arctus looked around his underground cabin, smiling to himself, "wonder what else is out there...after this deer," he packed a his overcoat more strategically to attach a bedroll to it, made himself from the furs and hides he collected, "we'll see what's out there."

After people, creatures became the next trophy for him, at least here.

---

He left his underground cabin, bow already in hand, deer finished and all preparations done. The new master of the woods was taking a trip. He moved the cover and climbed out of his cabin, covering it back and quite quickly noticed the horn appendaged pegasus at the tree line, back turned to him. It was that ruler in the throne room. He was departing at night specifically so they would not see him leaving, the illusion of his influence would keep them in line. He started to sneak away, completely quiet.

"Halt!" It called, having noticed him, "had I known you can quietly teleport, I would have been out here with more guard."

He stopped and drew and arrow back while turning around, taking aim, "leave me alone. These are my woods."

"Our castle was built far before you arrived," who knows if that was the truth, they had different magic and couldn't be sure. In the four years he was here, he never encountered them. Then again, in those same four years, he never aged a bit, so nobody could say what was going on. "Who are you?" It approached him.

"You know my name," he loosed the arrow and immediately after drew back another. The horse formed a shield and the arrow broke harmlessly on it.

That complicated battles, it always did.

"Who. Are. You?" He loosed another arrow while it's voice boomed over the wilderness.

It interrupted the silence his authority in the forest gave. The arrow bounced off and he drew back four, letting them lay slack, he muttered under his breath, "skraidantis ugnis prieglauda sprogti," most verbal spells were three or four components. The moment his arrows burned red hot he loosed drew and loosed them, landing them in front of it.

"A mage and a warrior? Is that who you are?" It wasn't a matter of names, it was a matter of titles and knowledge about him.

The arrows landed and his bow left the moment they exploded, holstered away while he sprint quietly on the moss, his spear in front of him. He heard a shatter just after they exploded and jumped through the smoke left behind, slashing with his spear outstretched in one hand, the horse leapt back.

The woodsmaster kept his momentum and in an display of violence and speed and spun and swung again, the horse ducking. His spear gathered close to his body, he vaulted and leapt from above, stabbing down, "pradingti ant pikiruoti."

His next spell vanished him with a blur of the wind and he was above the horse and sent down at incredible speed that gravity could not manage, somehow, he did not land an injury, but he spear drove deep that the blade was fulyl buried in the ground and the rod had the mane of this horse wrapped around it, pinning its head to the earth. The gladius was drawn next, the tip point at its neck very swiftly.

"An assassin of kings, a master of the wilds, a scout sent to kill before the army arrived," he spoke to it, "I am Arctus, slayer of Kings, Leaders, Rising Deities, Defiers of Aeternia."

It didn't answer.

"That's who I am. If you seek me once more, I will kill you and every subject that comes with you," it looked at him still in defiance, but didn't bother to fight him at all. He sheathed the gladius as he leapt away.

"Plienas karka savininkas," his spear flung to his outstretched hand. He stared at the horse as it stood, covered in dirt and moss on one side.

"Luna," it regarded him, "an alicorn princess of the ponies," and there was some information for him. It...she regarded him and gave her identity, "I hope for peace."

And she flew off, not eager to continue conversing after her defeat. He sighed, complications made it harder to kill, as cold as he was trained to be, emotions were not stripped of anyone, only subdued. He left the clearing where his cabin sat hidden, heading out.

---

It had been a couple of hours before he made it out of the forest, dawn having come and he saw a couple of buildings in the distance and as they had sure enough said...ponies, but of different colors than the white coated guards. Arctus decided to give wide berth to the newborn town, ensuring he would not be seen or bothered and continued moving along. He came to a fresh river and drank deep, bottling some from the flowing water before crossing a shabby bridge and contuining. No wildlife and plenty of long lasting food stashed, he kept traveling.

He came to a giant mountain and heard the wind howl from up above on it. It was a land with many familiar geographic features. It was definitely a lot more peaceful outside the forest, that was certain.

The day was beginning to end however, though the sun had just been in the sky signalling noon. The moon rose and stars came out, but Arctus wasn't the least bit tired. That's when he heard some loud booms and the sounds of stone breaking apart as if his homeland was marching on a rising kingdom.

He turned around and saw giant beams of magic shooting out from the castle in the froest, at least...that's what the stone flying through the air told him, it even landed in the fields around the woods dweller.

Arctus wasn't sure why, but he ran, he ran as fast as he could, concerned for his own home. or concerned for what was going on, he didn't know.

---

After a long sprint and what felt like hours, he arrived at the castle, seeing ponies as they called themselves gathered outside, watching the magic fly. Arctus wanted to know what was going on inside.

He burst through the crowd and heard their shouting after him as he ran through the front doors and sprinted about the castle until he entered the throne room, seeing the one they called Celestia and another horn bearing pegasus or...alicorn.

Arctus grabbed his bow and pulled an arrow into slot, "oh! Now he wants to kill me to?!" And the dark blue and black alicorn shot a beam at him.

"Kerai sunaikinti!" He shouted and loosed the arrow after applying magic to it. The arrow flew into the beam and it split, easily preventing the beam from hitting Celestia and him, the magic withered and redirected around them both. His projectile was suspended in the air while it pierced the magic, slowly continuing forward and falling to the floor helplessly after the beam was gone.

The warrior put his bow back and drew his spear. He hated fighting mages because of this kinda shit.

"Arc...tus?" Celestia tried his name for the first time, looking behind her to find he was not there. During the time the beam was going with all eyes on his arrow, he made his way into the ceiling, hanging from archictecture.

And he witnessed the white ruler banish the other, a rainbow magic of some sort with six artifacts threw her to the moon, where the image of a pony head and horn was imprinted.

"Arctus?" Celestia called again and he did not respond. The artifacts she used turned to stone and set on a pedestal in the throne room. The ruler left the castle, upon tracking her, he saw her lead all of her subjects out of the woods.

Which meant his rule was now an absolute here.