Dragon Age: Pony Origins (Private)

[Shadowbolt0]

Midnight had to admit, that mare with the bow, had more courage that a lot of other ponies she'd faced. Her words, how true they could be if history wrote them to be. She found herself once again doubting herself, what she'd said before, along with Cold..

She found herself at a rock and a hard place, both sides were right..both sides had valid points and from both sides, the other were traitors. The line she had so clearly seen before was blurey. Grey Wardens were indeed the only ones that could stop a blight, so killing them here would doom Equestria. But, they were criminals..As was she once.

That's when she heard the ambush spring, along with Pike feeling uncertain as well. He was asking her for advice? She was uncertain herself, the original plan, the original ideas were gone. Instead of acting, she opted to remain silent for longer.

"I..I don't know anymore..What if..if the teryn is lying? What if he is the traitor? Grey Wardens are the only way to stop the blight, without them..."

What do i do? If i side with Pike, i may be dooming Equestria to the blight, but i'll be killing criminals! But, is it worth it? Dooming all of Equestria because i see them as bandits?..No right option here...What do i do?

"Well, what if we...."

That's when Cold started the attack, heading for Pike. She had no idea how to react, was she really fighting for the right side?

[Hundashter]

Clover didn't feel disheartened that none were moved to join the wardens side because of her speech, she just felt it necessary to voice her opinion when faced with those who have none of their own. However, she might have if her heart weren't hammering inside her chest. She'd never killed a pony before!...well, not intentionally. And now here she was, about to fight alongside trained warriors in a fight against ponies who at the very least looked desperate enough to kill.

And that's when she had a sudden epiphany...she was that desperate too. She didn't want to die, and she surely would should she not try and fight, or should her comrades fall because she failed to kill an attacker they failed to see or heal a wound they couldn't ignore.

It was at this moment that she heard a shout and everything went to hell, but she was ready...well, as ready as she could be given the circumstances. She was still scared to death, but she tried to calm her beating heart as she took aim at one of the archers, a scrawny little colt who looked half deranged, willed an arrow into her bow, and fired. Apparently, he wasn't paying attention to the mare without a quiver of arrows and didn't think she was a threat. That or he really was a lunatic and didn't care about danger, for he laughed maniacally before the ice blue magical arrow pierced his chest, then another, and another.

Clover was firing her arrows rapidly, not taking the time to aim carefully and instead putting them out as fast as she could fire. ( power active: Rapid Shot ) it drained her mana slightly to keep a chunk reserved for such rapid firing, but it wasn't too taxing. She rolled to the left as she saw an archer turn to look at her as his buddy sank to the ground as a newly minted pincushion, then she let loose with another barrage of arrows, sinking some into the tree he was by, the ground he was standing on, and a good deal of them into his face, torso, shoulders, and she swore she saw one hit his actual bow before she bolted again, knowing that a moving target was a harder to hit target.

She then saw Sky, pinned to the ground by one of the ponies assaulting them. She didn't cry out her name, nor gasp in terror or anything dramatic like that. She simply stopped quickly, sliding on the dirt slightly, taking up a stance that could weather a hit or two, took aim with her bow carefully, willing an arrow into its frame as she did so, then let it fly. ( Power active: Defensive Shot ) It went straight through the fools neck as he toppled over of the mare. Clover then continued running towards Sky and took up a position above the mare and taking aim outwards. " Are you alright? " She said over her shoulder to Sky while keeping an eye on the treeline for more easy targets not currently in the fray.

[Dabom444]

Sky listened to Clover's speech as she took a stand. To say that she was impressed would be a LARGE understatement. Her fear seemed to ebb as Clover shouted above all others. It gave her hope and happiness as she pointed out that the Wardens were in the right. She continued to scootch away, Just a little further.

Then thats when it all came tumbling down. She stepped on the rattle snake's tail and unleashed its fury. She was instantly knocked down with a cry of surprise and hit the ground with a hard smack. Her head rang as she lay on her back and screwed her eyes shut as she was pinned by the stallion. As her ears rang she pushed weakly up at her assailant and squeaked in defiance as she tried to get her marbles all back in the bag.

She had been able to open her eyes and opened her mouth to speak. "Get off of m- " She begged but was cut off when a spout of blood hit her facemask and eyes. She screamed in shock as the stallion toppled to the ground, his eyes trailed off to stare at her as the last bit of life left him.

Broken had scrambled up, her heart pounded like a rabid animal in a cage that just wanted to escape. Her vision was slightly blurred but she was able to clear most of it. Clover galloped over to her side and asked if she was okay. All the tiny mare could offer was a Squeak. She used her magic to unfold her collapsed Stave and Sling it out. It roared to life with magic as she held it at her side and backed away quickly. "I gotta be out of this! I need to focus on my Healing! P..Please cover me if you can!" she cried over the roars.

Before she could say another word she was hit by a stinging pain in her side. Turning her gaze she saw a Bandit throwing rocks at her. This was a very odd way to fight and seemed very untrained to do. "To the right!" She squeaked to Clover and ducked under another rock that was thrown at her. She swung her staff and a Golden aruora poured from it and into Clover, She would feel her magics come back to her at a much faster rate. (Rejuvenate) Broken had cut off the spell as she fed the mare. Once she had her guardian taken care of, she felt another rock hit her in the face causing mass pain and a squeal to fly from her jaws. She teleported away a few yards into a tree branch, She teetered and Gripped the tree with her forehoof to steady herself. The archers hopefully didnt see her.

Her head pounded as the Mana was eaten away so fast. She took a deep breath and Sighed to calm herself, she needed to Hold her mana like a lifeline as she had no Lyrium potions to spare. She Kept her view range on the battlefield A ways away from herself to spot any wounds. If she did see any she would cast her magics when they really needed it. She wasnt being greedy, just smart. She prayed to the Maker that she wouldnt get struck up in the tree, lest she could fall.

[Cainiam]

NPC Post: Sergeant Pike

Pike stared at the earth beneath his hooves. His ears were filled with the clangs of metal, and the screeches of the dying. While the battle raged, another took place in his head. The Teryn had to have spoken the truth. There was no other way, but even if he was, could he handle the blight? The archdemon? He expected reassurances from the mare by his side, but she had been equally stunned. "The Teryn... he wouldn't betray Equestria... there's just no way," Pike said aloud, unsure if he was reassuring himself or responding to Midnight. "The wardens... maybe they had reason to... maybe this is is just a misunderstanding?" he finished. He wanted to talk more, he was finally interested in their words, but the trap had sprung itself when they noticed one of the Wardens try and bolt.

He looked back up to the fighting and caught sight of the King's soldier. The pony was staring right at him with purpose. It seemed he was calling him out. Over the din of battle, he could hear the powerful and deep , yet also melodic rumble that the pony recited as he advanced. The wardens might be able to save Equestria, but this traitor of the King's army most assuredly wouldn't. Everything was muddled, but this one thing was clear. Pike was going to defend himself. If he were to kill this traitor, then so be it. Pike angled his pike once more, marking out his target and breaking away from Midnight to approach him. At first he too walked slowly. "So you wish to challenge me, traitor? I'll be sure to bring your head to the Teryn." When he finished speaking, he broke into a sudden gallop and lunged forward pike thrusting at the armoured pony. Regardless of whether he hit or not he quickly rolled back and rose his shield in case of a pointy rebuttal.

[NeoExlucky]

Aselia instinctively tried to grab for her staff, though after she realized it wasn't there, she already knew the perfect spell to use. (Bear Shape) Her body felt larger, and heavier as her shape became longer, stouter, a littler less agile, and even furrier than she already was. Claws sprouted out of her hooves, which had also lost their shape and now were furry paws.

She charged forward, bellowing out a fearsome growl as her instincts only said to fight anything near her. (Rage) Her anger grew at a fast rate and she felt a very strong hatred towards these soldiers, as if they were harming her cubs. She found a solider and glared at him, throwing her paw up into the air and slamming it down on him. (Slam) She clawed and bit at him, only wanting to deal as much damage to the solider as possible.

[Cainiam]

NPCs:

One of the bandits had gone right for the easy target of the lady-like mare. If he was lucky she'd probably have some good stuff to loot as well as being the easiest looking target out of them. That is until she started to grow larger, and hairier... and bearier. The mare became a huge bear and rounded on him, roaring loudly at the still shocked stallion. Then came the paw which swept him clean off of his hooves and left him at her mercy on the ground. Her sharp teeth made short work of his armour, leaving his open chest exposed and causing the bandit to clean black out in fear as a wet patch appeared in his leggings.

Gossan Post:

Gossan was waiting as words were exchanged. He was disappointed with Tune when the pegasus took the opportunity to flee. He knew anypony who hid behind so many words wasn't truly strong, but there were plenty of warriors here to keep him safe. All he need do was lend his blade. The pegasus looked at him, and Gossan felt his two duties clashing. He had signed on with the pegasus. Given his word. He should follow him out of here, but the wardens needed him, Orzammar needed him. He felt his own code fall apart as he shook his head and turned away from the pegasus. He had a purpose now. He didn't have to invent one. The pegasus beside Pike then fired at the pony, and Gossan felt his anger start to bubble. Nothing was worse than an oath breaker.

He barely registered the Archer's speech. In Orzammar all the nobles spoke with such pomp that it was easy to banish it from his thoughts. Talking wouldn't work here. He knew it already. The fool was set on his path, and Gossan had better use for his thoughts. Instead he focused on the rage, and the second the ambushers revealed themselves, he was ready. Both axes left his paws at the first sight of an archer. The tough looking pegasus barely getting a chance to register the first one bite into her stomach, before the second one spun through her throat to a sickly squelch and she became unable to register anything. Before they'd even hit, Gossan had both of his red steel waraxes in his paws, the red steel hungering to be bathed in yet more red.

He didn't wait for them to arrive, instead charging right at them. He was already seeing red. ( Power Active: Berserk) His first target looked weak, barely a stallion. The small earth pony thought he was safe behind a flimsy wooden shield. Gossan roared as he ran into the shield, striking down onto it with both axes at once and showing the pony how fragile it really was. Then he demonstrated how fragile the pony really was with a flurry of axe strikes into the still shocked ponies chest. (Power Used: Flurry) The pony could barely raise his hooves to defend himself, but they quickly dropped under the unrelenting strikes.

An arrow suddenly buried itself into his back, although Gossan barely felt anything in his frenzied state. He span around to face the distant archer and replied with his waraxe, the clunky thing sailing through the air with a lack of grace. The pegasus's eyes went wide, but he managed to dive to the side just in time, and the axe sailed into a tree with a loud thunk. Gossan grabbed one of his smaller throwing axes as soon as the other axe left his paw, as he charged at the archer, intent on removing his spine very messily.

A large earth pony in scale armour moved between him and his target however, a great sword resting on the pony's back. Gossan buried his throwing axe into the pony's armoured chest, causing him to stagger back. (Power Used: Cripple) The pony coughed up blood as he swung his huge sword at the vicious diamond dog, forcing Gossan to duck beneath the weapon's arc. The dog then let out a ferocious howl, before leaping forward in a pounce onto the pony, the weight of himself causing the mercenary to collapse backwards onto the ground with a panicked yell. His sword fell to the side, and Gossan raised his waraxe then struck it against the pony's helmet, the blade biting through the steel and to the head inside. Then he rose it again. And again. He hammered his axe repeatedly into the pony's helmet, until he felt the pony still beneath him.

(Group downed count at 6/16 melee guys, and 3/4 archers. Keep it up!)

[Travelaway]

Cold was wrong about this stallion, he was loyal to his teyrn, if nothing else kind could be said of him at least there was that. He continued to hum as he rolled away from the soldiers first move, they both had a bit of reach, but pike could make quick jabs with his weapon, this meant it would be best if Cold wore him down first. He planted a hoof firmly in the ground and locker eyes with the soldier, (Power Used: Indomitable) as he charged, but stopped short to smack at Pike's weapon rather than the pony himself. He kept this up for a while, actually impressed by this soldier, why had he been given command of such lousy troops when he was so talented? Cold decided that it was best to deal with the long and deadly weapon in front of him first. He broke his humming, if only for a moment, to let out a cry that could shatter stone. (Power Used: War Cry) Cold used the momentary pause in his opponents attack to make a powerful strike at the Pike's armor, internally praying to the maker that the blow would connect.

[Cainiam]

NPC Post: Sergeant Pike

Pike realised that this pony would be much more of a challenge than he expected when he dodged his swift jab despite his cumbersome armour, he didn't even break off his tune. Of course an officer in the service of the King's Army would be a challenge. He'd probably be another lesser noble, combat trained from a young age. Pike held his pike out from behind his shield, daring the pony to come closer. The pony met his challenge with an almost indomitable will, staring him down as he scraped at the ground with a hoof. Then he charged, Pike held his shield ready and weapon straight, hoping to catch the pony with a forward thrust, but before his body came into range he lashed out with his blade at Pike's pike, almost yanking it out of his grip.

Pike recovered quickly and bunkered down again, yet the stallion repeated the same strategy. Pike's grip was much tighter now, and he wasn't entirely sure what the earth pony was doing. Was he hoping to cut his pike in half? It may have looked wooden, but it was cored with metal to stop precisely that happening. After the third time, Pike prepared to thrust as he charged, but then the eternal humming stopped to be replaced by a fierce war cry. The power of the shout had Pike stagger back for a second, leaving his guard open, and his enemy was quick to capitalise on it. A powerful sword strike impacted his heavy steel plate, denting it fiercely and badly winding Pike. Even though he struggled to catch breath, he wasn't going to go down so easily. He quickly threw up his shield and bashed forwards, once, twice, three times, hoping to force the stallion out of sword range and back into pike range. (Power Used: Shield Pummel)

[Travelaway]

He'd injured Pike but not taken him out of the fight, he saw the oncoming shield barrage and dug his hooves on his off side into the dirt and moved his shoulder to take most of the blow, he made sure to stay in close so that his opponent couldn't properly use his weapon. Cold thought about what Pike had called them earlier...traitors, the very thought made his blood boil inside his veins. He restarted the deep hum, using Pike's brief exhaustion from his furious attack as an opening, Cold made a furious swing at the other stallion's weapon, hoping to swing so powerfully he'd shake him (Power Used: Sunder Arms). After he connected he made another arc, and then a long jab. If nothing else could be done, he'd make sure this soldier knew he respected him, he could hate no one for loyalty to a cause they truly believed just.

[Dabom444]

Broken kept her gaze down below and saw that for the moment they were doing very well! Not one injury except the diamond dog with an arrow in his back. She wondered if she should cast her magics on him but he seemed to be shrugging it off with ease.

She winced when Cold was fighting the leader with the pike. She took her staff and inhaled, she had regenerated enough mana to cast something to help him more. She flicked the staff like before with Clover. The wisp flew forth, bobbing and weaving through the fight and hitting Cold. (Rejuvenate again! ) His stamina would come back easier. Broken then ducked behind the trunk of the tree to rest for a small while longer.

[SunlightHeart]

The moment Tune and Sky had tried to escape, the fight started in earnest. Ponies came from the area's she'd observed earlier, confirming her suspicions. Grym thought about making either Pike or the mare that Cold knew her first kills, but they were better equipped and probably better trained than the riff-raff storming their position. Most of them looked like field hands of some other non-combat; easy pickings for her, but among the trash were a few mercenaries with proper gear. If possible, she'd save them for last and make them watch as she cut down their comrades. Or she could take Midnight and Pike out now. Clover's speech made them question themselves and lower their guard. Yeah, kill the officer, ruin unit cohesion. It could work. But just as she prepared to lash out at the stallion, Cold came forward, visibly challenging Pike.

A quick glance around told her everypony's status. Clover was near Sky, firing off arrows faster than she'd seen most trained soldiers shoot while the other mare was providing healing as needed. On her other side, Gossan was goring ponies left and right with his axes, leaving little behind other than crumpled over bodies. Aselia surprised her with her sudden change from a pony to a bear pretty much invalidating the thoughts of her being dead weight... the only dead weight pony was Lucky Tune. He tried to abandon them the moment something happened, but she couldn't blame him. In a direct sense, this wasn't his fight. So while she didn't hate him, she had no intentions of aiding him if he needed it.

With Cold engaging Pike, Grymrose was free to slip away into the growing chaos of combat, leaving Midnight for later. She spotted a cluster of five ponies moving to swarm Clover and Sky, but they'd never make it if she had a say in it. One of them fell back, the last archer he'd seen set up earlier, and prepared a shot. Grym rushed forward, darting through the grass like a predator closing in on her prey. The bow wielding stallion caught sight of the mare too late to alter his fate, but managed to release a single arrow into Grym's shoulder before she crashed into him, toppling and driving her blades into the pony's gut and up to his lungs. Her prey coughed once, expelling blood and flecks of flesh onto the warden's snout, but she flicked her blades and let his body slide off.

She winced from the arrow stuck in her shoulder as she prepared to run for the four others. She couldn't fight like this. She took a quick look at the body next to her and made a decision, one that use to bring tears to her eyes. Taking hold of the arrow in her magic, she messily cut around the wound and snatched it out. Blood pooled in the wound before flowing freely, but it didn't concern her. The usual magenta aura of her magic was overtaken by a sickly burgundy glow, a similar color glob of energy fly from the corpse's body and into Grym's horn, where it traveled through her body and coalesced at her shoulder, stimulating the flesh to knit together (Power Activated: Devour). It wasn't a complete fix, but it would do for now.

Turning her attention back to the group closing in on Broken and Clover, she took off. Her teeth gritted as she dug deep inside herself, searching for pain to call on and manifest into the world. The mind numbing throb in at the back of her psyche let her know that she was broadcasting her agony into the world around her (Sustained Power: Aura of Pain). The aura around her black blade took one the burgundy color (Power Activated: Devour), while the aura coating her long sword turned a dirty yellow as she focused on the fear she wanted to instill on the unlucky pony to feel her blade (Power Activated: Frightening Appearance).

Leaping onto back of a mare who looked as if she was just barely old enough for her first estrus. Grym didn't care, an enemy was an enemy. The surprised pony tried to buck her off, by she had a death grip on her body. "You picked your side, chose your actions; there is only death for you now. Your blood will stain the soil red, a blemish of cowardice and ignorance preserved in the earth forever!" she yelled, grabbing the other mercenaries attention.

"Take her down!" One of the stallions called out. He didn't even get to raise his weapon before, the glowing yellow long sword slashed at his fetlocks, causing him to fall face first into the ground. Quickly recovering, he looked up at the Warden, but something was different... His breaths came in heavy pants as he watched the pony shaped monster attacked his allies. His pupils shrank to pinpricks, as he backpedaled away.

Before they could even move against her, Grym buried her black blade into the young mare's neck, severing her spinal column. Her body hit the ground, lifeless, but giving her the unneeded energy and healing her wound. Seeing the terrified stallion trying to exit the scene, made a run for him, the two other ponies hot on her heels.

He put up his hooves in defense. "Please... no!" he cried. Those pleas went ignored.

She dived at him, punching her hoof through his injured legs and reaching her hoof around the downed pony's neck. The song of weapons cutting through the air made her take evasive maneuvers. As Grym fell, she twisted to avoid the incoming strike, snapping her foe's neck in the process. A waraxe sailed over her stomach, nicking her fur.

"She's only one mare!" The war axe wielding pony looked at the pegasus next to him. Both of them nodded, silently deciding to attack together.

The stallion's ran at Grym and rammed her at the same, knocking the mare off her feet and causing her to drop her weapons. With no footing, the pegasus easily lifted her into the air while she was still trying to register what was going on. The moment Grym's senses came back to her, she started thrashing in his grasp.

He tightening his grip on her. "Calm down sweetie, you've lost. Don't want me to drop you do you? Be a shame to turn such a pretty thing into paste." Grym sneered at his lecherous smirk.

Without a word, she jabbed her horn through his rib and into his heart, killing him instantly and sending them crashing into the ground. Grym shrieked from the impact, her knee dislocating from the sudden landing. She went to cradle her injury, but didn't have time. The axe wield was already upon her. He swung at her, aiming to bisect the warden, his slow, powerful strike pummeling the ground where she had been barely a second ago. Using her back legs, she closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye and ducked down, lashing out with her uninjured leg. The crack of fracturing bone entered her ear as her hoof impacted his foreleg. Not giving him a chance to recover from the shock, sent her hurt hoof up in a vicious, crying out in pain when it shattered the stallion's jaw. Grym leaned as far back as she could, then with a rage filled war cry snapped her head forward, driving her horn into the mercenary's jugular. She'd probably not have had the strength to down the burly stallion without the aid of her pain (Sustained Ability: Bloody Frenzy).

He sputtered, trying to say something, but the life drained from his eyes and he toppled over before he could get it out. Panting, Grym reached out, stealing the residual life energy from the two ponies she'd just killed (Power Activated: Devour). A rib moved back in to place and started to mend-- but ran out of energy before it was fully healed-- while she popped her knee back into place. The various small cuts across her body sealed up, but she was by no means at one hundred percent. It only took a moment for her to find her swords and call them back to her. There was still a battle to be won. With that in mind, Grym scanned the battlefield for anyone who could use an extra blade at their side and to see how Cold was doing against Pike.

[Shadowbolt0]

Midnight looked up, seeing Cold and Pike fighting it out. She had to act, and if she was wrong, she'd regret her actions later, for now she needed Pike alive, but that's when she saw her. The Grey Warden, looking right at Pike with the desire to kill him in her eyes.

Midnight acted, raising her crossbow and firing a bolt, quickly moving towards the Warden. While she wasn't sure if they really were traitors or not, she needed Pike alive, meaning she'd do what was necessary. Loading another bolt, she fired it at the Warden, stopping her movement. She'd seen her in action, and needed to be smart. Make the Warden come to her, then she'd be able to act. Unlit then, bolt after bolt was fired at the Warden.

"Come on Warden? What's wrong? Not confident in your own teammates to hold their own? If you can't let them fight, then come and get me" She needed the Warden's sole focus to be on her, so taunting someone who is deemed one of the best fighters in the land might not be the smartest call, but a necessary one at that.

[Walker]

Tune had flinched lightly at the twang of the bowstring, half expecting to have played his last song, but the arrow buried itself in the path ahead of him, and he found himself chuckling slightly, turning back to the mare for a second. “R-right… I um… well, I’m going to take the good stallion’s word on this one, and continue down the path, so, if you wouldn’t mind keeping those arrows away from me, like he suggests, it would be greatly appreciated.” He gave a forced chuckle, then continued down the path, checking over his shoulder every so often, until the fight broke out.

The stallion stood dumbly as several ponies rushed past him and the clanging of metal on metal quickly replaced the eerie quiet that had been hanging over the entire exchange. Tune hadn’t doubted that there would be more than the two who had shown themselves, but he shouldn’t dwell on it, he should be getting back to his travels, he had a long road to…

He stiffened as the instant he turned around he found a blade at his throat, his eyes crossed slightly until he found the face of the holder of said blade, letting out a small chuckle and taking a very small step back. “Aha… well, it’s good to know that my looks haven’t faded with time, having such a beautiful mare take an interest in me.” He smiled at her, but it disappeared from his face when she snorted dismissively at him, and only then did he notice that she had an eye patch, and her face was covered in scars.

“Oh… well, let’s not get to excited here… you said something about presents, right?” He put his front hooves slowly up into the air, his wings working to keep him from falling over, causing the mare’s blade to be readjusted until it was pressing into his chest. He slowly undid the strap on his lute and held it in front of her, showing off the instrument.

“How about this?” He offered her, lightly strumming a couple cords. “It’s made by the Zebras, if I remember correctly, very rare. I’m sure if you sold it, someone would pay a couple gold-“

“I wasn’t askin’ about your little wooden piece of junk, I wanted…”

“Yeah… there are many things one could do with a lute as fine as this one… maybe you could learn to play it yourself, give up this whole; robbing innocent travelers deal you have going on, play for some nobles… it’s quite a comfortable life.”

“Listen, you stuck up little snot.” She growled, digging the sword into his chest even more, “I’ll kill you right here if you don’t give me what I want. It’s no skin off my nose.” She spat, causing Tune to suddenly stop playing and glance down at her, an unreadable look on his face.

Suddenly, the stallion’s hooves shot down the lute, several notes mixing together in a screaming melody that caused the mare’s gaze to actually drop down and watch him work for a few seconds (Distraction). But the second her eye lowered, his wings suddenly picked up their pace, causing a buffet of wind to stir up to loose dirt on the road and blast it directly in her only means of vision (Dirty Fighting).

The mare let out a surprised shout, as they always did, and lowered her weapon to rub the dirt out of her eye, again, like they always did. By the time her vision was clear, she whirled around, but the stallion was nowhere in sight. She scratched her head for a moment, before remembering that he was a pegasus and turned her eye upwards, just in time to feel his weight crashing down on her back. Her leather armor didn’t protect her well enough, as Tune felt something snap under his weight, making him wince slightly at the scream she let out, before he jammed his short sword through her neck, making the loud noise nothing more than a choking gurgle. He made a face as blood spattered against his coat as he yanked the sword free from her neck, wiping the blade clean on her fur as he whispered to her. “Well… I hope that was much more to your standards then my lute…” He muttered, watching her body lie still as he ran his foreleg over his mouth, removing a few stray drops of blood.

He glanced back at the fight, surprised that it was going as well as it was, before glancing back down the path. “Horsefeathers.” He mumbled, before adjusting his hat and sprinting back towards the melee. If they won, they certainly wouldn’t show him any kindness… maybe this would redeem him in their eyes.

[SunlightHeart]

The twang and click of a crossbow snapped Grym out of her thoughts. The mare had just enough time to duck under the first bolt of her cross bow and back away from the second. The bat-winged mare fired bolt after bolt in her direction, forcing her to keep moving. She wanted to quickly come up behind Pike, cleave off his back legs, and sever his spine, but every move she made towards the stallion resulted in that area being hit with a crossbow bolt.

She started talking, but Grym didn't really care what she had to say. This pony wasn't a priority before, but she made getting in her way and protecting Pike her mission. She could still feel the pain flowing out from her (Sustained power: Aura of Pain) and tightness in her muscles (Sustained power: Blood Frenzy); if this mare was going to challenge her she should have done it earlier. Wordlessly, she smacked another bolt out of the air and dashed towards Midnight, quickly closing the gap in a few hoof falls.

Grunting, she swung her blades, hoping to land three strikes and knock her of off balance (Power Activated: Punisher). She'd end this quickly so that she could end Pike.

[Cainiam]

NPC Post: Sergeant Pike

Pike struggled to refill his deflated lungs, fighting through the burning sensation as he lashed out repeatedly with his shield. The stallion dug in hard, taking the bulk of the steel shield on his shoulders, and refused to move. Pike was in trouble and he knew it. He brought his pike around, swinging it as if it were a blade, pointy end aimed at the traitor. His opponent swiftly blocked the attempted blow with his own swipe, the heavier greatsword knocking the pike away with little effort. Pike could see no choice but to let his weapon go for a second. The pike clattered to the ground, as Pike brought both of his hooves to his shield. He caught the sword swipe, and the jab with his shield, using his full strength to absorb the arcing swing, then the incoming jab. The reverberations travelled all the way up his forelegs and he could feel the blows with his teeth. He saw a burst of revitalising magic hit his opponent, and realised that he would tire long before Cold would.

Pike was being outclassed, and it worried him. It was times like this where he had to play gambits. He couldn't outlast his opponent with just defence. Pike released one hoof from the shield, then leapt forward, swinging the shield wide from left to right and across his opponents front, aiming for the traitor's muzzle with a powerful strike. (Power Activated: Shield Bash) He just had to hope it dazed him as he then leapt for his pike again, dropping the heavy shield so that he could roll effectively and seize his weapon once more. He then span around, raising the pike with both hooves and holding the pike horizontally in front of him to attempt to block any incoming strikes from the huge sword.

(Five ponies remain, guys. Time to finish them!)

[Travelaway]

Cold did not enjoy being bashed about with the shield, his will was quite indomitable, but even he could only take so much before he had to back off a bit. The fellow had rolled away and gotten his weapon back, he moved closer to Pike but aimed not for his weapon, but rolled forwards and twisted a bit as he uncoiled into a powerful swing directly at his shield(Power Used: Sunder Arms), then at the close proximity, so close to the young soldier, howled out with all the fury of the wolf he wore upon his family's crest(Power Used: War Cry). Cold began to unleash the fury he felt at his failed duty, beating down at the stallion with as many powerful swings as well as trying to pummel him with his hooves, screaming in anger and pain.

[Shadowbolt0]

As the Warden charged, Midnight couldn't help but smile. As legendary as they might be, this Warden was a fool. She stopped firing her bolts, only to throw a flask in the ground between herself and the Warden. The moment the flash cracked, black smoke gushed out, filling the space between herself and her prey.

Movements later, she held another flask, this one was slightly more, explosive. Throwing it into the smoke, she could only imagine the look on the Wardens face as it exploded. Moments later, she heard the noise of the flask exploding.

She took several steps back from the smoke, her sword sword and dagger poised incase the Warden hadn't been injured in her trick. It wasn't her deadlist, but it was clear they knew how to hold their own and she wasn't going to charge in. She fought with cunning, with technique. There was no way she'd go charging in head first, that just wasn't her style.

[Dabom444]

Broken saw many wounds, most coming from the enemy side as they fell one by one under the blades and hooves of her companions. She had seen a forlorn arrow soar and waylay the trunk of the tree she stood on. With a squeak of surprise and over reaction she tumbled backwards and hit the ground hard. Her leather armor gave no protection from the hit as she gasped for air and grabbed her sides. "Maker dam.n It!!" She squeaked just above a whisper as she gritted her teeth.

With shakey legs she managed to roll over and stand only to have a Mare bolt at her from the bushes. She was a young one and seemed like a farmer's daughter rather than anything else. She gave a cry of attack and swung a knife at the surprised warden, cutting the leather and drawing blood on her left foreleg. Broken ducked under another untrained swing with ease but backed up constantly as though she was outmatched. However she was! She was no melee fighter at all!

"Hey stop!" Broken squeaked as the mare lunged with the knife in a attempt to stab her. The girl seemed too keen on fighting to listen. Broken dodged more and more swipes till she was tackled to the ground and rolled into the tall grass. Broken found herself on her back and opened her eyes to see her reeling back to plunge the knife down into her.

Her Forelegs came up in a X pattern to block and the knife stopped just a mere inch from her eye as the mare's forelegs met hers. She struggled to keep the knife away, twisting and turning, just trying to escape but the hindlegs and body weight kept her pinned.

Through gritted teeth she gasped and grunted as she struggled. "What are you getting out of this!!? Stop!!" Broken Begged as the Mare pushed harder down with her weight and managed to get the knife just a half inch away from Broken.

"Traitor!!" the young mare squeaked as she forced the knife further down.

Broken grunted and with a last ditch effort she pushed the knife to the side. It diverted and stabbed into Broken's Ear just a small ways up above her skull. Broken let out the shrillest cry of agony and lurched her head forward. Her ear tore as the knife kept it dug in the dirt. Her horn collided with the mare's eye . The mare gave a scream as she fell backwards and Onto the ground. Her cries echoed out as she rolled in the grass.

Broken Whimpered and lay on her back in the tall reeds as the other mare held her eye where the horn landed and cried for a small while softly. Her eye was ruined due to the blow and she was incapitated in a world of hurt, she wouldnt be fighting anymore.

Broken finnaly forced herself to sit up partially and watch what she had done. Her forehead was Adorned with the mare's blood.

She looked around to see if nopony was looking and crawled over to the mare. She reached her and placed her hooves on her gently. The mare lashed out and Hit Broken in the face causing a large sting to surge through her muzzle. "Ouch! Stop! Shhh!....Shhhh!" She said covering her mouth with her hooves. The mare struggled a bit and Watched her with her good eye, Fear was evident on the mare's Face as a few tears escaped her Good eye.

Broken looked at the eye she hit and Saw that she had it screwed shut. A trickle of blood came from it as though the tear duct was trying to work. She felt awfull for what she had done and wouldnt bring herself to ending her. She looked around and made sure or hoped that they were not going to be seen. The battle would hopefully keep her friends occupied.

Her eyes came down on the mare and Locked gaze with her. "Shhhh.....Im not going to kill you...Im going to help you okay?" She whispered pulling her facemask off. "I need you to keep quiet and after im done you need to run...run far away back home.....Back to your family and promise me not to get into happenings like this again alright?" She said under a whisper.

The mare squirmed a bit and swallowed. "I...I promise...I wont....I just wanted some gold to make my dad proud." she whimpered.

Broken winced, "Getting killed wont help...." She said softly with a smile and Rubbed some of the blood away. She blinked as she activated her magic and began to let the green energy wrap around the mare. (Regeneration) The mare squeaked as her Body began to heal fast over a small amount of time. Her eye burned and stung badly as The spell worked upon her.

"Shhhhh....Look at me....Look at me!!" Broken said softly as a clang of metal and a deathcry rang out that caused her gaze to peer around for a moment before looking back down. "Deep breaths....deep breaths....Whats your name? Can you tell me your name?" She Whispered quietly and stroked her mane aside.

"Delilah....My name is Delilah....." The mare whimpered and cringed as her eyeball began to seal under her eyelid. Her whimper echoed out.

Broken held her softly. "Shhhh....Almost done....Thats a pretty name....Your father raised a beautiful daughter...." said calmly. "My name is Broken sky...nice to meet you." She giggled and held her hoof gently.

As she held her she finnaly noticed she was dripping blood on the poor mare. Upon further inspection she found that The knife had torn away a part of her ear and Tore the cloth of her hood away. She diverted her head a bit so she wasnt dripping blood on the mare so much and smiled. Her ear gave a sting of attention but she managed to force it away.

Broken sighed, In the back of her mind she knew that this mare wouldnt see out of her right eye anymore no matter how much healing magic she bestowed. She closed her eyes and focused her remaining mana reserves on this mare. She only prayed that they were not found before she finnished and Delilah getting killed.

[Hundashter]

Clover nodded at Sky as the mare teleported away, feeling invigorated by her spell. She saw the pony throwing rocks and closed her eyes, finding the mana within herself and activating her arcane warrior abilities. ( Sustained and passive Powers :Combat Magic and Aura of Might ) A ghostly ethereal glow appeared around her, manifesting into a hybrid of armor and mages robes of silver and ice blue. She opened her eyes and glared at the rock throwing pony, casting a drain life spell at them, causing them to drop their next rock and fall to their knees, where Clover pierced them with three arrows.

Just as she was about to check her surroundings for more enemies, she was struck from behind and tumbled a few feet away. Had she not activated her Combat magic, she was sure to have had more than a simple ache from the blow. The pony she was facing was wearing a mixed set of reinforced leather armor and rusty scale mail. He was wielding a mace and was rearing back for another attack as Clover cast drain life upon him as she had with the other pony, though it seemed to be much less effective against a pony who didn't think throwing rocks was a brilliant strategy.

AS he charged, Clover rolled out of the way and got to her hooves, only to be smacked aside by his back swing. He chuckled at her prone form and advanced again, but evidently he wasn't used to fighting mages, let alone freaky half archer mages like Clover. She'd floated her bow into the air behind him and just before he got to her to begin wailing upon her prone form, she let loose with a slew of arrows into his back ( power: rapid shot ) causing him to falter and fall to his knees before her.

rising from teh ground, she approached the kneeling stallion, then grabbed his head with her for hooves and jabbed her horn into his forehead before performing another drain life spell. She screamed as the last of his life energy flowed from him into Clover, healing her of her minor bruising caused by his attacks. She considered herself lucky that he hadn't been using something sharp like an ax or sword as she let his body tumble from her grasp and looked about for any more trouble.

She caught sight of Sky kneeling over a prone form and didn't see any immediate danger elsewhere, so she decided to head to the mares side. At the very least, she could heal the mares injuries while she defended her once again. Upon arriving by her side, she saw the pony Sky was working on. Furrowing her brow, she thought it odd to heal one's opponent but pushed the thought aside as she cast heal on Sky, mending her wounds. Keeping her head on a swivel and her bow held ready to fire ( power active: Defensive Fire ) she deemed it safe to questions Sky's actions. " What's going on Sky? Isn't that one of our enemies? Why are you helping them? "

[Cainiam]

NPC Post: Sergeant Pike

Pike's gambit was a success in that it got him his weapon back, however his shield bash had done more than just daze his opponent. The soldier brought his greatsword to bear, Pike just had time to raise his shield, but it seemed that was the pony's plan. The arc it took hit the shield at such an angle, that it snapped it upwards, causing it to yank painfully at Pike's hoof. There was a loud crunch and Pike yelped in pain as his wrist clean snapped. The pain distracted him for long enough to the soldier to get right in his face and roar so loudly that Pike tripped backwards, falling onto his flank, his ears ringing, and causing his pain ridden mind to lapse into more confusion at the sudden disorientation.

He barely had the werewithal to make a half hearted attempt to raise his pike once more when the first slash came, knocking the thing uselessly from his hoof. He tried to move his shield, yet his broken wrist just couldn't support the weight. He was wide open, and with an almost animal fury, Cold seized the opportunity. Slash after slash, punch after punch, he tore into Pike's armour, crushing the bones in his chest, bruising his face, cracking his helmet in two. Pike sat there and took the savage beating, unable to resist, then a final blow knocked him onto his back with a splash of crimson. He was broken, and beaten. He looked up at the knight through badly bruised eyes, meeting his gaze for a moment. He wheezed loudly. "Finish it," he spat with a thick wad of blood. "What's one more soldier... traitor."

[Cainiam]

Once Gossan was sure the pony he was straddling's head had been sufficiently pulped, Gossan looked for more targets. One pony met his gaze for a moment, and held it there, before dropping their weapon and attempting to gallop away. Gossan swiftly yanked his throwing axe from the dead pony's chest, then lobbed it at the fleeing pony. The panicked earth pony barely made it ten steps before one of their back legs was removed below the knee and he fell face first onto the ground.

Gossan smiled darkly at his throw when the tip of a shortsword suddenly appeared from his chest, the blade entering through his back, and passing all the way. He staggered for a second, then seized the tip of the blade with his paw. He hard a panicked cry from behind him as he felt pressure on the other end of the blade as if someone where trying to yank the sword back out. His paw tightly gripped his war axe and he swung it in a wide arc behind him. A pained yell and the splatter of liquid on his back assured him that his hit connected. He released the blade, and turned around to see a pegasus flapping half a wing uselessly. She raised her hooves when she noticed him staring at her and went to say something but his axe flashed once and her throat opened up. Whatever she was trying to say was lost to the sound of gasping for air and gurgling on blood. Gossan raised his axe again and clean hacked off her intact left wing, then raised it above her head. She flailed uselessly as she tried desperately to take another breath, then Gossan raised her wing, pointing the bone towards her and ramming the whole thing through her chest. She flopped one last time before her eyes rolled back into her head.

Gossan turned to face the distant pony who he had thrown his axe at, ignoring the sword still shoved clean through his back. The pony was attempting to drag himself away with his front legs, hiding behind some dense foliage. Gossan could smell his fear, but he didn't need to. There was a clear scarlet trail for the dog to follow. Gossan walked slowly, stumbling a little. He might not have felt any pain, but his body was shocked from the impact of the blade. His anger carried him to his target and his anger would see that target deceased. He grabbed the pony's back and flipped him over, exposing his vitals to the vicious dog. Then there was a final yell of pain as Gossan drove his clawed paw into the pony's chest and crushed what it found in there.

Gossan emerged from the trees once more, heading for Clover and Broken. His anger was fading, rationality was taking control, and rationality knew he was going to pass out very soon. The blood soaked diamond dog half walked, half stumbled up to the two unicorns. Then he noticed the third pony, one of the enemy was threatening them. He raised his waraxe one more time as he gathered the last of his strength to pounce at the pony, knocking Delilah off of her hooves, and raising his waraxe as he prepared to slice open her belly, and see his job done.

[Travelaway]

Cold looked down on the sad sight before him, he shook his head a bit in disappointment, "You wanted a fight to the death, so that is what I must give you. It is a pity, you have a lot of potential, and maybe even a good heart, I'm no traitor boy, your master has lied to you and all of Ferelden, I'm sorry..." His words now finished he placed his sword above Pike's heart, "Go with honor, and be at peace." With that said he bright the sword down through the soldiers heart, then gently pulled it out and moved away from the area to assist his allies, giving a sorrowful glance back before moving on.

[SunlightHeart]

Archers and bowmen were trickster of all sorts, something Grym knew when she well when she charged the mare. Her goal was to see all of her tricks and to get her to exhaust her tools. As expected, the mare tossed down a flask, shattering against the ground and bathing the space between them in dark smoke. She raised her swords, ready for any attack, but the bat pony's next move managed to throw her for a loop. Another flask crashed against the dirty, exploding forcefully and spitting a small bit of fire and glass all over the place. Grym wasn't fast enough to do anything about, but she managed to shield her eyes from the shrapnel.

She decided a slight change of tactics was in order. Grym calmed herself, ceasing the flow of pain from her body. That wouldn't work this was a one on one and the drain on her body wasn't worth it. Focusing on her swordplay (Sustained Power: Momentum), she crouched low and prepare to strike, her body still hyped from her injuries and growing stronger with each pang of agony (Sustained Power: Blood Frenzy). Grym's ear flicked as from the sound of her foes hooves shuffling from the other side of the smoke wall. Yellow magic overtook her blades (Power Activated: Frightening Appearance) as she raised them into attack position; all she needed was one hit. The shuffling ended, and she knew that the mare had stopped moving. Narrowing her eyes, she let the stored power in her coiled muscles propel her through the smoke at where she heard the mare. She rushed her as she prepared for her. Grym let out a bloody roar, her face and coat bleeding from several pieces of glass embedded in them.

"YOU'LL DIE HERE IF THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE!" she yelled, swinging as Midnight came into focus. She wanted her to come; she'd come as hard and fast as possible, not holding back.

[Dabom444]

Broken had been hard at work keeping Delilah calm as she healed her. Her ears swiveled back and forth as the sound of battle died away, the enemy seemingly lost. She had quickened her magic on the mare, her eye opened now and showed a faded grey. It was whole however and thats what she wanted. The mare looked around and blinked, "I...I cant see out of it!" She squeaked.

"Im sorry but thats the best i can do. I..." Broken said until she heard Clover. She turned and held her hooves up. "W...wait....she is just a girl....she didnt know any better...she has a family to go back too." She said gazing back to Delilah as she stood. Broken was happy that it was Clover, at least she would find it in her heart to listen.

Then the dog came, His body bloodied and wounded beyond compare. Before she could even speak, before she could even intervine she was Moved aside by the Dog as he knocked Delilah down again. The mare gave a cry of surprise and hit the ground. She held her hooves up and Squealed.

"STOP NO!!" Broken begged grabbing his arm and yanking back. Her weak form was only a tug to the dog as she tried to pull him back. "SHE DOESNT DESERVE THIS!! PLEASE!!!"

[Travelaway]

Cold's ears twitched as he heard Broken scream and trotted over, realizing what the commotion was. He galloped over, "Wait! She's just a girl and she can't even defend herself, there's no reason to harm her!" He dug his hooves into the ground and held his state at the dog, "Just let this one go, there's no reason to do this, you know that" he was hoping that would be enough to stay the dog's anger, he wasn't sure he could take him right now.