Foe Hie Odyssey

I was with a group of seven raiders standing within the visitor’s center.  Silver Wing quickly informed the other raiders of the plan.  We would cloak and then sneak into the town.  Using information gathered from Buttercup we’d steal the relic about half an hour before the changing of the watch.  If all went well than the watchers would be too tired to spot us, and we’d be gone before more alert guards took the place of the old watchers.

Somepony would need to reveal themselves long enough to grab the relic or else it wouldn’t turn invisible.  We’d probably look a little suspicous running around town with the flashy and very visible magic relic seemingly floating on its own through the air.

After grabbing the relic Squid Face who apparently also specialized in illusion magic would create a hologram of the relic in place of the actual relic.  Of the raiders who I’d be accompanying, I only recognized Black Hawk, Squid Face, and of course Silver Wing.  Ember was also told the plan and he would be left to watch over the family while we were gone.  When Silver Wing was done we each activated our stealthbucks and like ghosts slipped out of the compound leaving Ember to run things in our absence.

As we crept through the forest I attempted to approach Black Hawke, in the hopes that I could talk to someone about what I’d done earlier that night.  Despite my attempts, my friend would just walk away from me.  It hurt.

Soon we were in sight of the town.  The warehouse with the artifact was on the side opposite the asylum.  As we silently strolled through crooked streets I truly realized just how large this town was, at least compared to the others I’d encountered in the wasteland.  We passed several blocks and within a minute stood before the warehouse.  A guard passed by us, his horn glowing like a flashlight.  Seeing nothing he kept walking.

We didn’t encounter any further trouble until we found the relic.  In the center of the warehouse, upon a pedestal, and underneath a beam of bright moonlight shining down from a hole in the roof sat the relic.  It looked like an Egyptian Idol.  It was made of the blue metal like the accursed dagger and shaped in the likeness of an earth pony sitting on its haunches.  Above the idol was a pair of catwalks.  A pony sat upon each catwalk with an assault rifle on each of their battle saddles.  Silver Wing nudged me and whispered “Take out the guard on the left, the other seems to have fallen asleep.”

I quickly moved to obey, finding a ladder and climbing up to the catwalk.  I carefully crept up behind the guard, “I’m on your side.  Play dead until the raiders are gone.” I whispered into his ear as I brought my hand over his mouth.  He jerked in surprise and then went limp.  The observers below probably thought I’d just killed him.  I silently lowered his form to the floor of the catwalk.

Below me Squid Face became visible and touched the relic.  His hoof went right through it and the illusion vanished.  In its place was a funny looking circular device.  Beep. Beep. Beep.

“It’s a Trap!” cried Squid Face.  I heard the sound of my sniper rifle and the back of Squid Face’s head exploded.  A second later the mine went off and a burst of strange energy rippled through the air.  As it passed over the raiders they suddenly became very visible.

“Pulse Mine” cried Black Hawke taking diving behind a crate.  The other raiders followed suite, save for one who was either too slow or too unlucky.  The sniper sounded again and silenced the poor fool.

The other sentinel, the one who’d fallen asleep awoke with a cry and aimed his assault rifle towards the raiders.  He fired several bursts keeping the raiders pinned.  The moment he stopped to reload Silver Wing emerged and fired several shots from his energy pistol.  One shot struck the raiders hoof and he howled in agony.  The rest struck the catwalk, burning several holes into its steel frame.  After a moment the catwalk snapped and the unfortunate townspony fell to the earth.  The sniper fired again, this time striking exposed Silver Wing, and the injured dashite fled behind cover.

I leapt off the catwalk and landed badly injuring my left ankle.  I hobbled over to my two friends as quickly as I could and then turned off my stealthbuck.  “We need to get out of here.” I said to Silver Wing who nodded.

“We can’t go out the way we came.  The townies will have been woken up by all this commotion and will come running from that way.”  He started to lead us away from where the sniper had been picking ponies off.

After several moments of slow skulking we could see the warehouse doors and broke into a sprint.  The sniper sounded again and Silver Wing cried out in pain, but he kept running.  As soon as we got outside we found a number of rifles leveled towards us by a mob of angry townsponies.  In the sky above us was a golden flare that burned so bright that it turned night into day.  Behind the mob was the forest.

Silver Wing stumbled forwards towards the armed group and flippantly said “Evening Mares and Gentlestallions.  Is there a problem?”

“Silver Wing, for crimes against the people of Plowton, you are under arrest.” Said a unicorn I recognized as Storm Breeze.  I was a little surprised to see him wearing a suite of militia barding over his dress.

“Am I?  And just what am I being accused of?” asked Silver Wing innocently.  I could see his tail twitch with barely suppressed anger.  Storm didn’t notice the tail twitch and began to recite a long list of crimes including taking hostages, murder, and attempted theft.

Black Hawke nudged me with her hoof and whispered quietly, “When we all get down, cover your ears and close your eyes.  Trust me.”

One of the townsponies noticed this, “Hey what are you whispering?”

“My friend here doesn’t like the idea of surrendering.  He’s allergic to defeat.  I’m just trying to get him to see reason.” said Black Hawke also sounding completely innocent.  The townsponies stared at her in complete disbelief.

“Well we may as well do what the nice townsponies are saying.” said Silver Wing as he prostrated himself before the townsfolk.  I noticed that his hooves were conspicuously covering his ears.  The three other raiders and I did the same.  I closed my eyes and then felt something go off nearby.  Black Hawke nudged me and I got up.  The townsponies lay all around us stunned. “Flashbang” said Silver Wing grinning wolfishly. The sniper rifle sounded a fifth time and Silver Wing again stumbled, a sizable chunk of his foreleg was now missing. “Into the Forest. Run!” he cried.  I ran to his side to help carry him.  Black Hawke apparently had the same idea and got his other side.  Then we were all running for our lives.

Silver Wing stopped us after we were out of sight of the town.  We could hear the townsponies recovering and then running into the forest after us.  “Leave me.  I can buy you a few minutes.” He shakily got to his feet.  “Get to the compound, and get everyone out.”

“NO!” I was just as surprised to hear my voice as the next raider.  Did I really want to save these raiders?  Yes I wanted to save my friends.  Did I betray these raiders?  Yes, I betrayed my friends.  Because of me one of my friends was dead.  Because of me Squid Face was dead.  I’m surprised it took this long to sink in.  I’m even more surprised that I feel so little over it.  If I hadn’t intervened on the town’s behalf, than the raiders would have gotten away with the relic safely.  Squid Face would still be alive.  If I hadn’t intervened than that town mare would have been raped.  If I hadn’t intervened than the townsponies would have attacked the compound without first trimming the raider’s numbers.  “The townsponies sent up a flare.  That was probably to alert an attack group that we’d sprung their trap and it was time to take the compound.  We have to assume that the asylum is now full of enemies.”

“We aren’t abandoning our own if that’s what you’re thinking.” said Black Hawke glaring at me.  I couldn’t let the raiders return to the asylum.  They would be slaughtered.

I turned to address Black Hawke, “Circle around through the woods.  Keep a low profile once you’re within sight of the compound.  Round up any survivors, but don’t let anyone see you.  I’m going to,” I hesitated choking on my words.  I did this.  Of all the monsters here I was the worst.  I deserved to die.  I wouldn’t let Silver Wing or any of the others sacrifice themselves for me.

Drawing upon some inner reservoir I gathered my strength and stood resolute.  “Silver Wing,” I brought out an extra strength health potion and a syringe of med-x, “Take these, your family still needs you.”  I turned to Black Hawke whose expression had softened.  She sensed what I was planning to do.  “Here my friend you’ll need this,” I said handing her my still functioning stealthbuck, “Promise me that you will be careful.”

Black Hawke took the stealthbuck and to my surprise leapt onto her back legs and pulled me into an embrace.  Her eyes closed as our mouths connected in some kind of ritual exchange of saliva.  Her tongue entered my mouth and I awkwardly reciprocated.  I felt something stir in me as we touched under the light of a full moon.  A few seconds later we disconnected, finished with the odd ritual.  I saw tears in my friend’s eyes, “I promise.” she said, “Promise me that you’ll come find us when your done.”  I noticed that she said WHEN and not IF.  Apparently she had a great deal more faith in me than I did.

I nodded, “When this is over, I swear, I will try to find you, but where should I look?”

“Manich a city about a day’s trot West of here.” said Silver Wing as he injected himself with Med-X.  The raiders began galloping away as silently as they could.  Silver Wing stayed long enough to say, “I can’t say you’ve done good for the family, but you have done your duty, and you’re more honorable than I ever was.  It has been an honor to serve with you.” Then like a deer he bounded after the others with only the slightest limp to his step.  When they were all gone I wiped my mouth on my sleeve, then took out Buttercup’s stealthbuck.  I would buy the raiders as much time as I could by giving the townsponies someone else to chase.

Drawing my pistol I set off in the direction of the townsponies.  I saw Storm Breeze and shot the ground immediately in front of the stallion.  He quickly got behind cover and signaled those following him to do the same.  I then ran in the opposite direction that my friends had gone waited for the townsponies to start moving again and then shot again.  This went on for the better part of an hour as I would shoot at them and they would try to shoot at me.

My distraction worked without any trouble until at last disaster struck.  I had been moving to a new position when suddenly Storm Breeze leapt out of a bush at me.  My plasma blast caught him full in the chest and he fell to the ground breathing heavily.  I moved to help him, but just then a burst of machine gun fire tore through the place I’d just been.  One bullet cut my cheek, but somehow I ignored the pain.  I knelt over Storm Breeze, and would have tried to save him, if I hadn’t seen the light already leaving his eyes.  He was staring right through me, but his eyes seemed almost peaceful.  It was as if he had died, but had been happy when he did.  I looked behind me to see what he must have seen, and got an excellent view of the town of Plowton with the Doctor’s house upon the hill.  Storm Breeze had died thinking of his home.  He had died in defense of his home.

I withdrew from the fighting after that, unwilling to risk any more lives.  My friends would be far enough away at that point with all the time I’d managed to buy them.  It was unfortunate that Storm Breeze had to pay the price for my friend’s safety, but my friends were safe.  It was time for me to reveal myself.

I appeared within the Doctor’s house upon the hill and waited for somebody to arrive.  I didn’t have to wait long as Haywire came through to pick up some of our supplies which she had left in the house.  “Ulysses!” Cried my friend as she tackled me to the ground from the chair I’d been brooding in.

“I killed Storm Breeze.” I said quietly.

Haywire drew back startled, but her look of shock was soon replaced by a somber expression, “I’m sure that you did what you thought was right.”

“It was an accident.” I whispered as I sat up.

“Then it’s not your fault.  I heard that Storm Breeze died in the line of duty chasing down the last of the escaping raiders.” Said Haywire.

“He died trying to hunt me down.  I was buying the raiders time so that they could get away.” I said my voice ever so slightly beginning to rise in volume.

“Why?” asked Haywire, and I noticed that her voice didn’t sound angry.  To my surprise she sounded almost sympathetic.  Her voice conveyed only pity for me.  I couldn’t fathom why she’d pity me for the evil I’d done.

“I know that some raiders deserve to be sent to Hell.” I was no longer whispering.  Laughing like a madman I continued, “Hell.  I’ve even sent a few there myself.  But there are some raiders who are a lot like us.  They try to do the best they can with the world their given.  I can’t blame them for having shit in their lives, only for when they make other people’s lives shitty.”  Returning to a whisper I admitted, “Living among the raiders I actually started to care about some of them.”

I looked at my feet, waiting for Haywire to start yelling at me, or to laugh and tell me that I was crazy.  Instead I felt her forelegs around me.  “If you accidently killed a stranger pony protecting those you care about, then you can at least say that you tried to do the right thing.”  I looked up at her and I could swear that there were tears in my eyes.  “The only thing worth fighting for in this Hellhole,” said Haywire as her metallic arms extended around me, “Is love.” She rested her head on mine and I was glad for my friends company.  At some point we fell asleep while still locked in our embrace.

We awoke the next morning when Sun Flare pulled the curtains back abruptly letting the too bright sunlight flood the room.  “Aah my eye!” cried Haywire, falling away from me, as she covered her normal eye with her front hooves.

“Wakey Wakey my little ponies!” exclaimed Sun Flare, basking in our sunlight induced misery.

I stood up groggily, the events of the past few days running through my mind.  I was still upset about the killing, but now I had a new goal.  I had made a promise to Black Hawke, and I was going to fulfill it.  “Sun Flare, how far away is Manich?”

“Manich? Why on Earth would you want to go to that hellhole?” asked Sun Flare.

To my surprise Haywire supplied the answer, “The raiders probably went to Manich, we were just gonna head over there, and make sure that they didn’t cause you townsfolk any more trouble.”  When Sun Flare looked at me, I nodded in confirmation.

The stallion grimaced, but said, “Manich is about sixty kilometers down the road, Southwest of here, but I wouldn’t go near there if I were you.  Back during the war the Equestrians dropped a megaspell on the city.  Any creature living there is a sub-pony mutant, a zebra, or a raider.”

“Sixty Kilometers to the Southwest.  That would be about thirty-five to forty miles then.” I said thinking out loud and ignoring everything else that Sun Flare said.  I prepared to walk out, but hesitated as a thought came to me, “The relic, the real relic, can I see it?” I asked.  I didn’t know why I asked, other than to see the reason why any of this madness had happened.  Sun Flare looked reluctant, but after a moment’s thought he finally nodded.

“This way.” said the Earth Pony as he turned and strode deeper into the abode with me right behind him.  I was reminded of all of my reasons for why it was a bad idea to store the relic inside somebody’s house, but ultimately the biggest problem that I had with the idea was that I didn’t want to be living near something as dangerous as the magical dagger.

Haywire followed us saying only, “I also want to know what this relic business is all about.”

We walked through the house until we came upon a trapdoor to the cellar.  As we descended my nose was immediately assaulted by the smell of ancient brandy and mold.  Haywire gagged as she trod down the stairs after us.  After a lot of wandering around the dark cellar, which must have been at least as large as the entire house above it, we came to what appeared to be an ordinary brick wall.  Sun Flare placed his hoof upon a brick that was slightly off color from those around it and a section of the wall silently swung inward upon well-oiled hinges.

The secret room was massive, being roughly thirty feet in diameter, with a high dome.  Along the walls in alcoves were stone sarcophagi, each with identical sculpted pony faces.  There were two other ponies in the room who both were wearing faded red robes and strange copper masks that were morbidly reminiscent to the pony faces on the tombs.  They were both gathered around an altar where lay the still form of Storm Breeze.  The sole source of illumination for the entire room was a familiar looking glowing blue idol at the head of the altar.

“Wow!” softly exclaimed Haywire in amazement.  I looked back towards her to see her looking directly up towards the roof of the crypt.  I looked up as well and saw an image of all the stars carved upon the roof.  I also saw that the image displayed the sun and planets with Earth at the center.  The starry ceiling reminded me of my brief vision of the strange city and the malevolent thing in the river.

I tore my gaze from the roof and back to the strange relic.  Almost without thinking I approached the statuette.  I could feel it radiate power.  All I had to do was submit, reach out and grab it.  I reached out to grab it.  I gazed into the reflective depths of the idol’s eyes and then drew back terrified.  In its eyes I saw the shape of a demon with green skin, a short muzzle, smoky hair, and leathery bat like wings.  I withdrew my hand and turned away.   I cast a look over my shoulder towards the artifact, and then I strode out of the room, opting to forget all about these strange blue relics. “I’ll see you both in the lobby.  We’re going to need supplies for our trip to Manich.”

We left the Doctor’s house with two full packs of food, water, and medicine.  We also were given a Geiger Counter to use on our journey.  Apparently Stable-Tech pipbucks had built in Geiger Counters, but my pipbuck we assumed had been damaged from prolonged exposure to pink cloud.

As we were leaving we passed by the tree that I’d originally been hiding in, I noticed that it was a large willow tree.  Hanging on nooses from its branches were the corpses of each of the raiders who’d been killed.  There were eleven in all.  I even saw the raiders who I’d killed among the dead.  The townsponies had exhumed their bodies from the graves I’d dug for them.  I briefly felt angry, but decided that it was better this way.  The would be rapists didn’t deserve the shallow grave I’d given them.  As we walked away I cast one last mourneful look towards the tree and my two friends Squid Face and Willow.

End of Chapter 5 (Level Up)

Ulysses

Level 5

Insanity 30%

New Trait: Star Touched – The stars have given you an unknown fate and their blessing.  You will be their instrument upon this Earth until such time as they have no further need of you. +1 endurance +1 strength +1 inteligence -1 luck

New Perk:  Toughness– +3 DT permanently

Energy Weapons 28 + 7/100        Sneak 34 + 3 /100        Medicine 28 + 7/100