Volcanous

Volcanous and Dave

Act 1:

With Balthazar, leader of the Templars, still wanting to test my commitment for their… ahem, “Cause” for Equestrian world order, he sent me to meet up with one of his finest members of his inner circle.

“He is unlike Equestria has ever seen, an indescribable force like either gravity or death,” he told me before I left on my assignment.

I snorted, and then proceeded to push my black-framed glasses back towards my eyes with a white hoof. “Unlike Equestria has ever seen… I need to see this for myself.”

With a small smirk, I continued down the forested path I was trekking upon. Life beneath the foliage and leaves rustled and shook; my eyes darted left to right in response to the various noises. The serene grace of a flapping butterfly, the newborn chirps originating from a woodpecker’s nest, and the rustling of predatory creatures brought this forest to life as I listened carefully on my stroll.

There are many sounds that a forest can make. There are also many sounds that aren’t associated to forests or woodland areas. Let’s just say for the record, I heard enough to assess the situation.

Finally making out from the cover of trees, I’m graced to the sight of a large open field of grass within the large confines of this forest. A wind blows, causing the grass to silently ripple across themselves. The wind also blew through a grey tattered cape belonging to a figure sitting at the centre of the open plain. A mane, as the colour of lava wafted in the breeze belonging to a crimson-furred robust stallion of sizeable proportions. Not wanting to delay this any longer, I continued to walk towards the stallion, an Earth pony by the looks of it. What was noticeable about that stallion was the large war-hammer that he clutched tightly within the grasp of his right hoof. I notice a scar draped upon his closed eye, the tip of his ear was missing. Obviously he was a warrior of a kind.

Back at the Templar headquarters, I’ve heard stories of this stallion, this stallion right before me. Blacksmithing was his profession before he became the Commander of the Gerponian forces. It would be wrong for me not to assume the hammer he holds is the same one he used to craft tools… or even how he managed to become Commander.

Not exactly a field operative, his post is usually stayed either in Gerpony or next to Balthazar as a type of bodyguard. My suspicions about this assignment keep growing, and soon I will know all the pieces to figure out this puzzle.

Standing right before him, I smirk and say to the stallion, “Volcanous, I presume?” His closed eyes open revealing a grey shade as his iris colour, and a look that if called serious would be classified as an understatement. “You are certainly a noticeable stallion,” I joked, stifling a small chuckle.

He looked at me un-bemused, and said, “Do you know why you are here?” his Gerponian accent was as thick as himself.

“Well, let’s see here,” I jestingly ponder. “Your boss—MY boss is sending me out as some type of errand pony completing random assignments. In all due honestly, I can assume he’s testing me. Now the question is why did he send me—” I pointed my hoof at him. “—to you?”

“As much as I would like this whole thing to be a simple meet-and-greet, I have to say that’s not the case is it?”

He stayed silent.

“So… what? You’re going to assassinate me now? If I were you, I wouldn’t try to bother.”

I showed him my hoof with a bracer attached to it, a pen was strapped on its undersize. In less than a second, a sharp spring rippled through the sound waves, from my bracer a narrow, but dagger-like blade appeared from the pen. A pen-blade, one of my own invention after learning enough how these ‘Assassins’ operate and what their instruments of death are and how they work.

“If this is really the case, I have to say that your employer has a sick sense of humor… not that I already don’t know.”

Tired of my constant smirking and not even batting an eye to the blade in front of him, he stood up and hoisted his hammer over his shoulder.

“We are on distraction duty.”

A large smile spread across my face, as I quickly went to reposition my glasses.

“Well, why didn’t you say that sooner!? That explains those ponies hiding in the forest!”

Volcanous looked at me quizzically, “Interesting how you know.”

“It was easy, I heard them when I was coming through here. None of them sound like anything the forest had to offer,” I replied with a grin.

“Enough chatter. We must stand and fight,” Volcanous menacingly swung his hammer into a fighting stance.

Going back-to-back, we readied ourselves for the incoming swarm of enemies. From the dense forests emerged a platoon of iron-clad guards in uniform. A dark yellow and red colour scheme with a shield crest adorned the jackets, tunics, and armors of the approaching army.

“There was nothing in my assignment report that mentioned the Iron Guard was going to be our targets! How many have I brutally murdered already? Just think of their families or siblings that are also in that horde of soldiers! They all hate me!”

“You are a strange equine,” Volcanous muttered under his breath.

“And I hope you can handle this. Surprise me if you can,” I teased to the overshadowing stallion.

The army was getting closer, soon the open field of grass turned into a sea of metal, weaponry, and marching bodies. Their commanders barked orders, told them to assemble into formation: archers in the back, cavalry and close ranged at the front. All of this just for two ponies? I’m flattered. I would still like to know after what this whole distraction business was meant for.

Nonetheless, this will be quite a show.

I raise my hoof high into the air, the soldiers look wary at my movements. Just a simple flick of my hoof and wrist was needed to start this assignment.

Snap.

“Did that pony just snap his hoof?” One of the guards said. His answer was cut short when a pen covered within a materializing dark and white glow flew across the air and pierced right between the helmet openings of his subordinate next to him. He fell down, dead swiftly.

One of the advantageous of being a unicorn and an accountant was that one would never quite run out of magic… or office supplies.