The Pointed Woodsmaster

by The Real Darkness

A Scout's Exam

Arctus awoke according to his circadian rhythm, seeing it was still night, but feeling well rested he began to take his camping structure down and pack away his bedroll, doing so quietly. Everything he made for travelling has stealth designed into it, that was so he could sleep even at the foot of a wall without being detected. After he had everying up but the plant mat and Celestia's bedroll he crouched next to her, gently laying a hand on her side and moving it about.

The alicorn stirred.

"Celestia, it's about morning, we have some more traveling ahead of us," and she awoke at his voice, slowly, but then all at once, clambering out of her bedroll, "good to see you have energy in the mornings," when she was out, he focused his attention to packing away her bedroll and the plant flooring. The sun was slowly rising.

"Good morning, Arctus. Did you sleep well?"

"As best as I always do, was the bedroll comfortable?"

"It was, it was warmer than any of the sheets or blankets in the castle."

"I'm sure you know why," he didn't want to broach the topic too much. He finished he preparations and drew his spear, setting Celestia's saddlebag upon her again.

"That's oddly respectful of you to not discuss something that taboo of my culture, but please don't censor yourself."

"I'm not, if there is something I think worth to discuss, that you don't already know, I'll tell you."

"Even if you think it will disturb me?"

He nodded and waved for her to follow him along.

"You waste no words."

"It's a formality of my training," he answered, "and maybe a product of our constant isolation."

He knew about where they were headed, he of course planned to leave Celestia at the spot he would truly battle it, but needed to ask her where it nests.

"I'm curious what your hobbies are."

"Of the ones you like...I suppose reading and storytelling, that's the pleasures we were allowed in our field."

"We should expand that."

The pair made idle chatter while they traveled and they did reach the Frozen North where Arctus put on the thick coat he brought along and gave one to Celestia to wear, modified for her limbs.

"This is so soft!"

"It's gonna keep you warm, no matter what," he boasted, "that's why I needed all that time for the most part."

"I can tell! I can't really even feel the snow and ice!"

It wasn't long before he made his way around the edge of the Frozen North, climbing mountains with Celestia and he reached the location he spotted before. A volcano. Celestia let the coat hang on her back, she was too warm here for it. Arctus took off the fur on his own body and laid it next to Celestia at the edge of the heat, he drew his spear, holding the head directly over the lava.

And the tip of the spear, blued, began to glow a deep red.

"What's...what's your spear doing?" Celestia asked, "and why are we at the Red Eye volcano?"

"The spear was enchanted so it would maintain sharpness and need less maintenance in case we got stuck out in the field for months. It's also possesses anti-magic properties, a gift from the volcano is was forged with. It can still recognize this hot red earth core as magical as well...which means my ascendance should not be an issue here."

"What are you planning?"

"Is the Glacegere as much a nuisance as I'm thinking?"

"It's caused sudden winters all over Equestria," Celestia answered.

"And where is its nest?"

Celestia pulls the map from his pakc with her horn, marking a location with a yellow x from her magic, "not too far form here, just further down this plateau at that mountain," she pointed her hoof.

Arctus nodded and went to the lip of the volcano, dipping the tip of his spear in and it kept the deep red glow despite the molten earth falling off. Lava began to drip from it of its own accord, "when you see me hauling my ass back...you should find a place to hide away at or at least be prepared to seek shelter."

He began jogging off, not bothering to fetch his coat again, "and don't interrupt our battle."

Celestia didn't protest him, but she couldn't help but feel bad for the creature, Arctus boasted and she saw him commit incredible acts of battle and he stood a chance of besting it, but...he could also come out grievously wounded, a second reason for the sadness she felt.

The alicorn sat onto her haunches.

---

Arctus had met the mountain and was scaling it with one hand and his legs as his right arm braced his spear that was still dripping lava off. He was pulling himself in little jumps and it wasn't long before he met a cave and could hear a shriek within, that same bird screech he heard last time he saw Glacegere. He swiped the enchanted marks on the inside of his boots one at a time and sprinted in to find an egg sitting in a nest made of ice and the magical bird peering at it, on a solid head, the body was formed of winds, ice, snow, and other components he didn't understand of this magic filled world.

He sprinted to the egg, snatching the deep blue orb up, the thing about the size of his head before he sprinted back out, the bird's beak missing himas he went and soon enough he was running down the cliff he climbed up and back toward Celestia when the bird broke free from its den, screeching into the air as it dove after him.

"Yes!" He shouted, it was a long time since even in Aeternia that he fought a paragon of power.

---

Celestia heard and then saw him sprinting back, the bird just above him. he pushed the egg deep into the snow during a flip and drew his spear, facing the beast as snow covered the hole the egg was in. He was challenging it and the avatar of blizzards did not even spare a glance at Celestia, it was enraged at the human in front of him.

"Celestia! You stay hidden!" He bashed at the bird's beak with the rounded boot of his spear, jumping a little at it himself.

"Laiptelis oro skraidyti!" He shouted and under his feet yellow, transparent platforms appeared, letting him run up a staircase to the bird and slash at it, the creature shrieking and flying off, blood trailing behind its head. Arctus kept running through the air after it and it did circle around at him and sent a giant hail stone at him, impaled upon his spear and it kept coming, about to dive onto him.

The makeshift hammer swung about, knocking the bird out of the sky, the animal scrambling to rebalance itself after being knocked and the lava dripping spear came free.

Arctus leapt at it, jumping off the light platform he was one and drew his gladius, nailing it into the beak of the avian creature and hanging from it while it regained balance, it was flying erratically and attempting to snap at him

"Arctus!" Celestia called, her horn lit.

"No!" His voice was as loud as Luna's could get, "this is my glory!"

And with his spear in the other hand he drove the head into the birds neck, it quickly losing the ability to fly and plummeted. Arctus had planed this descent and rotated the bird with a swing of his feet and tore the gladius free, he now rode on the head of the bird whose ice body was disappearing while it head toward the volcano.

"Arrrrctus!"

The bird touched the magma and the Scout's sweat evaporated before it even left his brow and the volcano had a single boom and a prompt eruption that threw him through the air.

"Lengvas dugninis nusileidimas," Arctus spoke aloud and as he approached the snow he slowed, landing softly, Celestia came to him and pointed at the volcano.

Lava was spewing out before it slowly froze solid, but the deep red of the magma remained, signlaing it was still hot though frigid, snow began to cover it and hide it away. They shivered.

A new blue liquid dripped from Arctus' spear, signaling a change and the blackened finish from the center of it was gone, replaced with a deep red and the edges were blued steel.

"Arctus...how..how reckless were you?" Celestia pulled her fur coat onto her body, fitting it snugly, she looked at him with a silent fury.

"Reckless? I am not reckless, only empty of fear. The gamble you saw was planned, I don't like drawing out my battles," he fit his coat over himself and dug in a remembered spot in the snow, pulling the large blue egg out.

"I...you need to be careful," she firmly spoke.

"I...I know we can travel back," he picked his pack of camping supplies up, hookind it in appropriate spots over his body, "but can we teleport to your castle instead? Somewhere relatively private maybe?" He asked and Celestia changed from fury to curiousity before she looked at the egg.

She nodded and teleported both of them to the suite he sometimes used in the castle, where he promptly but the egg onto the bed, "I'm not sure if it'll hatch but...if it does what will you do?"

"I might need some help, but I plan to raise it," he looked to see a red faced Celestia, "apologies for asking, but would you mind helping me with it if it does hatch somehow?"

"You-you don't have to apologize, it's okay to ask friends for help and of course I will," she smiled warmly, "I have no idea of its incubation period, but I can probably call a farmer to check and see if the egg is valid."

Arctus nodded, taking his coat off and hanging it on the appropriate rack before putting his supplies away in an empty drawer.

Arctus took his gladius off along with his hunting knife and hatchet and put them away as well, even his chain chausses came off, his chainmail and tunic stayed along with his spear.

"So, what typically happens after a Scout ascends?" Celestia asked.

"Well, I wanted to firs ask you if I can make this suite officially mine."

"Of course!" Celestia exploded with glee, "we're all lucky and glad to have you here."

"I think you mean only you, your subjects think I'm trouble."

"They'll come around," Celestia was already hugging him while Arctus stood, feeling a little awkward.

"Is...this a hug or embrace?"

"Oh sorry!" She let go quickly, "lost myself a little."

"That's okay, I'm just unfamiliar with the practice."

"Every time you say something is unfamiliar or you didn't do it or that you're not used to it," she sighs as she walks to the balcony, "it makes me a little sad. It paints a clearer picture of how much harder life used to be for you."

"It's considerably easier here, that's true. Traveling anywhere is much safer," he commented.

"Arctus...what happened with your spear?"

He took his weapon from his back again and the blue liquid dripped off, leaving a lighter blue flame on the floor for a second, "I've had it for a couple of years and I've not once seen a living Master Scourt's weapon. Every trainee has to go an fetch the lava and bring it back down the mountain to the smith at the base for their title weapon," he hefted his spear, "but a Master Scout's weapon is reforged themself by killing a great beast and dipping their weapon with the slain monster into a volcano of their choice."

"That...that's incredibly dangerous."

"It's not uncommon to hear Scouts die for that achievement. I've never seen what a Master Scout's weapon can do...I imagine the blued steel of Mount Reyhort still contains anti magic properties and makes those wounds that have to heal naturally, but," he focused, letting what little mana he had left into the spear and the tip burst with the light blue flame, the ceiling melting some while ice formed over it, "it could be a high temperature freeze now. It'll need some investigating."

"Try not to go around waving it in the castle, the maids might hate you for ruining the floors," Celestia had a small laugh while he put his weapon back to its holster.

"I know I'm scary, but...what about you," he asked, "you seem pretty special, don't you have any kind of serious magic?"

Celestia smiled and pushed him to the balcony and showed him the setting sun, "this is what I do," and the sun slowly went below the horizon, the moon and stars replacing it.

Jaw open, he looked to the alicorn with a completely different respect.

Comments

[temp129]

So far this story has been flawless, the writing top notch, and the spelling / grammer excellent. I hope it continues for a long while, because it's been very enjoyable to read.

[NeverMora]

Sehr Gut!

[Poparakelis]

These tags are very... Intimidating

[deathcombo99]

Is pretty good. A well thought out storyline. And good character creation

[The Real Darkness]

11653830
Thanks for the feedback! I plan to have it go for a loooong while, that's at least what I have planned.

[The Real Darkness]

11653833
Thanks!

[The Real Darkness]

11654046
I mulled over a few nights before I decided to start on it. I was a little unsure on how to portray Arctus or his origin so I let it keep some kind of mystery about the normal way of life there.

I appreciate the feedback!

[temp129]

11654087
I'm glad to hear it