In The Face Of Disaster...
The wooden log house Karl was staying was modest, cosy and had the basics of a too small bed, a cooking pot and simple food preparation area and a fire pit for colder nights. His boots impacted loudly on the stone floor as he stood from his spot on the floor and walked out of the house he'd been provided with since his arrival in the bustling village a week ago.
Who knew being dumped into a new world as Reaper would be this, unnerving... He thought as ponies of all colors went about there daily routine, trotting on the cobblestone paths that snaked through the village, leading to shops, public buildings or popular gathering spots. Many a mare or colt would stop and wave or greet the tall, masked man with a cheery "Good morning." as they passed.
The amount of friendly attention he was receiving definitely qualified as unnerving in his eyes, such kindness was as foreign to him as his new body. Still he did his best to reciprocate their greetings with a nod or a quiet "Mornin'." and Karl wondered if the skull like mask was actually helping him in some way, he knew he'd have clammed up if he were in this situation back home...
He pushed thoughts of what he'd left behind (which, admittedly was not much) and trudged down towards the large fenced off area near the villages main gate. the scent of cherry blossoms danced through the air as a few pink leaves and the occasional flower floated on down from Faunan, the neighboring village past Beast Mountain that was famous for their cherry trees.
"Oh the petals are so vibrant this year!" A pegasus mare said to her friend as they trotted past. "Do you think the Wolf Mother will come down from her temple to visit us..."
As he neared the village gate, He saw the other main inhabitants of the village. Tall lanky pony like creatures with coats that varied from black to different hues of grey, sharp fangs, yellow eyes and manes and tails that flowed like water. These were the Umbrum. He approached a gate guarded by a unicorn with yellow eyes and an umbrum, both clad head to hoof in armor. What stood out was their helmets, the unicorn's was carved to resembled the face of the umbrum beside her and in turn. the Umbrum's helmet was a spitting image of the unicorn. The guards granted him entry and with sigh, Karl stomped into the training grounds.
The training grounds were simple with archery targets, practice dummys in the shape of all manner of beasts and monsters, a sparring or dueling circle and a well equipped blacksmiths station off to the side.
"Well, look who finally got out of bed." A voice jeered as an earth pony and an umbrum approached him. Both wore tarnished gold armor, with their helmets carved to look like the other.
The earth pony had white coat and a dusty brown mane and tail that had been cut short as to not be a hindrance in combat, his eyes were yellow and had a faint glow, much like the unicorn at the gate. In contrast the bulky umbrum had a black coat and a dark brown mane and tail that rolled like a dust storm.
"My name is Sakliv and this, is my brother Sakraf," the earth pony said and gestured to the umbrum next to him. "We'll be showing you the ropes, new blood."
"Excuse me?" Karl replied as he dumbly followed them to the empty sparring circle.
"You heard me. You did well fighting off that Hydra the other day. Thanks to you, we Companions were able to warn everyone before it reached the village, especially for your first time in combat but you got lucky. If you're going to live here you need to pull your own weight," Sakliv explained. "My brother and I will be teaching you everything you need to know, once we feel you've got the hang of it, we might recommend you to the Captain so you can prove your worth in a real battle."
"Step in the circle and Sakliv will see what you can do, we'll move forward from there." Sakraf stated, sounding more gruff than his brother.
"And none of those fancy tools of yours, we want to see what you can do without them." Sakliv added as he stepped into the ring.
By the time Sakliv had called for a break, Karl was battered, bruised and humiliated, while the earth pony had a few cuts. Karl felt proud he was able to do even that with just his fists, though his metal tipped gloves certainly helped. He was led to a quiet corner of the training area that a few trees, some benches and a metal grate over a fire pit for some basic cooking. Sakraf was already there, lighting the fire, once lit he hauled a large slab of meat onto the grate.
"It'll be a bit until the meat's cooked, got any questions for us, new blood?" Sakraf grunted.
"...The hell is going on? No one's told me jack shit ever since I got here!" Karl exclaimed.
"Given the activity throughout the village, it's no surprise no one's told you what's going on," Sakliv replied. "So what do you want to know?"
"What's with the helmets? I've seen other stuff like that around here too. Is it something special?" Karl asked.
"If a pony and an umbrum are soul bound, they wear something that bears the likeness of their partner to strengthen the bond between them," Sakraf stated. "It's the highest form of honor and a testament to the trust between our two races."
"There's more to it than that, a soul bound pair can call upon the strength of the each other to aid them in battle or tough situations. The tradition of Soul bound guards wearing helmets in the likeness of their partner dates back to on old legend of the first soul bound pony and umbrum wearing masks to call upon one another's power in the heat of battle," Sakliv added. "Other versions of the legend say they used cards or stared death in the face to call upon that power but to each their own."
"Uh soul bound?" Karl asked.
"An umbrum and a pony who share a strong bond are sent to the temple of the Nightlord, the father of all Umbrum and there they are tested. If they pass, their souls are connected to each other in an eternal bond that grants them the strength to overcome obstacles and it's been the foundation of our village for generations." Sakliv explained.
"Who knows, maybe you'll find somepony to bond to one day." Sakraf added.
"Uh, what?"
"What you can't see it? As different as you may look lad, your power stems from the same place as my brothers, as any umbrum," Sakliv said. "This form was given to you by the Nightlord himself, you're one of us now."
"Really?" Karl deapanned.
"Aye, whatever you are, you have the same aura as any other umbrum. Which means you're going to have to learn to live like one," the earth pony replied. "Starting tomorrow I'll have Thant escort you to the schoolhouse. It would be best if you started from the beginning and we don't have time to babysit, so you'll be joining the foals until you catch up. After school, you'll be joining us here to improve your combat skills."
"....Seriously?"
"Yes." both brothers replied flatly.
