Chapter 21

-- Against the Odds --

My friends and I had camped on the cliff face, waiting for night to come to give us a better chance of sneaking into the base without being seen. Saskia and I took turns surveying the area to determine the best approach, the terrain seemed to favor the raiders as very little stood in between us and the base. Few rock formations dotted the area, leaving little to no cover.

This is why we were determined to wait until nightfall, as raiders were not too keen of sight to see in the dark all too well. The guard towers did have lights, but they did not cover much area other than a few meters from the wall of the fortress. It was possible the snipers were armed with night vision scopes, especially if they still had the weapons from my stable. But we could not be sure. What we did know is that those snipers would need to be dealt with somehow.

“So how do we get inside? Can’t just waltz into the front door of a compound like that.” Ratchet said, finishing his last inspections of our weapons.

“From what we can see, the only entrance is the front gate. But yes, it’s too risky.” Saskia said.

“I can try to find a spot on the wall to climb over.” I said.

“Not too keen on that idea neither. No offense to your climbing skills Shadow, but one mistake and one of those snipers might notice something.” Ratchet said.

“I could try and fly you up to the tower.” Moonlight said hopefully.

I looked to her with concern, “I appreciate the offer Moonlight, but can you carry me?”

Her expression deflated, her ears flattening, “I’m not sure. I’ve never carried somepony, and those towers are pretty high.”

“Not to mention you’d need to be quiet about the flight, and avoid the searchlights.” Saskia explained.

“Don’t let it get you down Moonlight. You’ll be a great help inside, I know it.” I said, trying to console the thestral mare.

She gave me a little smile and seemed to cheer up. I wasn’t lying to her either. She had been practicing with the syringer rifle she found back at the facility. Dr. Gingko apparently taught her how most of it worked, and gave her recipes for other ammo. She can incapacitate enemies from afar, and non-lethal too. She eventually needed to learn that non-lethal weapons won’t always get the job done, but she is making progress.

“So, we can’t go in the front door, and we can’t scale the wall. So the only option I can see is to make some kind of distraction and slip inside the gate in the confusion.” I said.

Everyone thought for a moment, pondering my idea.

“It seems like a logical idea. Pray tell, what kind of a distraction do you have in mind?” Saskia asked.

“Ratchet, do you have any remote detonated explosives?” I asked.

“I’m afraid not. Those are expensive, and a little hard to come by in these parts.” Ratchet said, shaking his head.

I cursed under my breath. Well there went that idea.

“What were you planning to do with explosives?” Moonlight asked.

“I’ve been examining the towers, and one seems to have a deteriorated support column. Some explosives could cause it to collapse, at least partially.” I said.

“That was an interesting idea. It could have worked, if we had the equipment.” Saskia said.

“Yeah, none of the stuff I got now would make a dent in that thing.” Ratchet said.

“So we have no way of sneaking into the tower, nor is there a way to collapse the tower for a distraction. What will we do now?” Moonlight asked, her voice lowering.

That was a good question. We came all this way and now we were stuck on the outside of the fortress, no way of getting in without storming the place. And that was certainly off the table. We were extremely outnumbered and they would have home field advantage. And the commotion would alert Saber, who would take the opportunity to run like a coward.

Suddenly, a chill went up my spine and I spun around quickly. The wind blew across our camp, the hairs on my neck were standing on end. I saw nothing, but my instincts told me that there was something, hiding in the dark. I just couldn’t tell where it was.

“Shadow, what’s wrong?” Moonlight asked, sounding worried.

“Something is out there. I can feel it.” I said, my eyes scanning the area.

Saskia got up and stood next to me, looking around the camp with me.

“I don’t see anything. But I do feel like something was here. But it’s gone now.” She said.

“A spy?” Moonlight asked.

“No raider is that sneaky. And I don't think they would have someone patrolling this far away from the base.” Ratchet said.

My nerves were at their peak, something had been watching us, I just knew it. If it was a raider, they would have tried to ambush us. And how did they sneak off so quickly, or sneak up on us for that matter?

Thunder boomed up in the clouds, making us jump and look up. The sky seemed normal, well as normal as it usually was. And there was no rain, which was strange.

“That’s weird. Never had thunder with no rain.” Ratchet said.

I looked at him, “What do you think it means? Is a storm coming?”

“Might be. Can never tell with the cloud layer. Pegasi don’t regulate the weather, so it’s random. Something just doesn't feel right though.” Ratchet said.

Thunder boomed again, this time behind us. I turned along with my friends in time to see a bolt of lightning strike the same support tower we had been planning on blowing up. The structure immediately caught fire. And I could see ponies running from the blaze, and falling over the wall, burning to their deaths. It was a gruesome sight.

“By Celestia, what’s the odds of that happening?” Ratchet asked.

“Very low. I know they’re raiders but goodness.” Moonlight said, still shocked.

“Agreed. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.” Saskia said.

I said a prayer to Luna, even though they were raiders. Burning to death is a horrible way to go. But there was no time for that. This was our chance.

“However this came to be, it’s given us the opportunity we desired. The whole gang will be going to try and put out the flames. And Saber won’t suspect a thing with such a random event.” I said.

“Indeed. What’s the plan, Shadow?” Saskia asked.

I already had it planned out, “I’ll head inside first, I can move silently and quickly. I’ll find Saber and put an end to this. Ratchet, you and Moonlight find the armory. We might need more weapons and other equipment they took from my stable, if they haven’t sold it.”

Saskia moved up next to me, “I believe it would be best if we had two ponies sneak in quietly. I can be quite stealthy myself when I want to.”

I looked at her in confusion, “No offense Saskia, but your bright colors kinda make you stand out.”

“I have ways around that. Don’t underestimate my abilities, Shadow.” She smirked.

“Well, if you insist. I’ll take the west side of the facility, you take the east.” I said.

“Done.” Saskia smiled.

“Ratchet, Moonlight, you two stick together and make your way to the armory. Find where they keep their weapons and take as much as you can. Destroy what’s left. No weapons means these guys won’t fight back.” I explained.

“Sounds like a plan partner. Leave it to us.” Ratchet said confidently.

“I’ll do my best. But please be careful Shadow.” Moonlight said, worry in her voice.

“I’ll be fine, Moonlight. No worries. Let’s all meet in the center courtyard when we’ve completed our tasks.” I said.

All of them nodded and we all started down the slope of the cliff and towards the base. Things were about to get busy.

The facility was still burning, ponies were running all over trying to put out the fire. No pony was guarding the door as a result. Perfect for me to sneak inside. The door opened all too easily as I made my way inside. The base was in terrible repair and shape, walls crumbling, blood and other bodily fluids everywhere. These ponies lived like pigs in a ruined barn, disgusting.

A double door led into a large hallway, electrical lights hanging from the ceiling lit up the area perfectly. The raiders must have had a generator here somewhere. Another thing to look out for.

Again, no pony was in sight. Morons, clearly the leadership wasn’t expecting any trouble. Guess that messenger I threatened back in Hydra Junction didn’t make it back. Or this boss of theirs was an idiot.

“That fire still going buddy?” A voice said from around the corner.

Welp, nevermind. I moved to the corner and peeked around. Two earth pony bucks with no barding and pool cues were standing by a door.

“Yeah, totally weird. That lightning came out of nowhere. And what are the chances it hit the weakest tower?” The second buck said.

“No clue. We keep having strokes of bad luck. I think it’s that damn red unicorn. Ever since he showed up, things have been getting worse.”

“Totally, but he’s too tough bro. You saw what he did to the boss. Nearly cut his leg off. I would totally take those swords of his.”

“Eh, I prefer a gun. But hey, you kill that guy, bet the boss will let ya have ‘em.”

“Think so? Or maybe we should just wait for this guy he’s so scared of? Remember when Tweedle came back pissing himself?”

“Yeah that was hilarious. One buck is gonna come here and kill all of us. What a wimp. Sure glad the boss killed him. One less mouth to feed.”

Hearing enough of this conversation, I pulled out Umbra and threw it at one buck who had his back to me. My trusty dagger landed right where the neck met the head, piercing through his spine and windpipe. The stallion collapsed and before the other could react, I jumped out with Desert Rose at the ready.

“Make a sound and you’re dead.” I said sternly.

He did not make a sound, looking at me with wide eyes and fear. He backed up into the door he and his buddy were guarding. I rounded on him and held the barrel of my gun to his temple.

“Where is the red unicorn with twin swords?” I asked.

“I… I don’t know.” He whimpered.

I cocked the hammer back on my revolver, making him jump.
“Try again.” I said.

“I… I think he has a room on the other side of the base. He might be there.” He said, still whimpering.

“How do I get there?” I asked.

“This hall will take you to the courtyard. On the other side of it will be a large double door. Go through there and it should be around there somewhere. That’s all I know, I swear.”

“Thank you.” I said.

Not wanting to waste ammo or make noise, I pulled Umbra from the corpse of his friend and it flew across his neck in my magical grip. His throat was slit, and he slumped down against the wall.

Now I had some idea of where to go. But first, let us see what they were guarding.

I opened the door to see what looked like a storage room. Several boxes of food and ammunition were scattered across the floor. Why keep the ammo away from the guns? Didn’t make any sense to me. But finders keepers I guess. I picked my way from the ammo, finding some shotgun shells, 10 mm, and .357 magnum rounds for Desert Rose. Saskia will definitely need the 10mm, as her guns went through a lot of ammo.

I also found a few frag grenades, putting them away in my saddlebags. A good find.

Leaving the room, I walked down the hall towards what should have been the courtyard. I didn’t run into anypony else as I found myself at the door leading to the courtyard. Poking my head out as I slowly opened the door, I saw a large open area, metal barrels lining the middle of the place. On the second floor I could see old racks of what looked like rebar. Perhaps the base was still under construction when the bombs dropped.

I moved out into the courtyard, keeping to the sides to avoid any guards that might be on the second floor. I didn’t hear anypony, but you can’t be too careful. Strange how such a large area had no guards at all.

The door on the opposite side was only a few feet away now. I was just about to move to it when it suddenly opened. I ducked behind a statue as two more earth ponies in spiked armor moved out of the door.

“Man, this is just great. That fire is gonna take up most of our water supply. Boss is probably gonna have us go collect more from that aquifer. I hate going there.” One buck said.

“I hear ya pal. Those damn lizards always nest there. No matter how many times we kill them off. Dumb animals.” The second one grumbled.

So they didn’t have a means of producing water here. A local aquifer was their source. That must suck. But I guess water talismans aren’t easy to come by.

A third pony came out of the doorway, this one a mare. She moved past the two as they noticed her.

“Fable, the hell you doing here?” One buck asked.

The mare who must have been Fable turned to them, “I live here.”

“But we just saw you heading towards the security wing. You said the boss wanted you to relieve Spit Stain.”

“The fuck you two on about? I just woke up 5 minutes ago.”

Both stallions looked at her with confusion, making her huff and groan, rolling her eyes at them.

“Lay off the dash you two.” Fable said, leaving the two.

Using the distraction of them watching the mare leave, most likely looking at her flank, I moved into the doorway, making it inside. The hallway was much like the last one I was in. Only this one went left and right instead of straight. The sign on the wall said that security was to the right. That might be where they had their armory.

I started walking towards the security wing, tense as I expected to run into another raider. But I did not. No signs of life as I moved through the halls, making me feel uneasy. Even with all the raiders tending to the fire, you’d think that I’d run into somepony.

As I rounded the corner that would lead me to the security wing, I spotted something on the wall. It was small, barely noticeable. A tiny splatter of green, looking like somepony took a small bottle of goop and threw it at the wall. I’d never seen anything like it.

I looked away from the green splatter and continued onwards until I saw blood on the floor, fresh blood. I followed it to the room labeled “Security Office”, with large windows showing monitors inside the room.

The door was open so I peeked inside, finding somepony familiar.

“Saskia!” I exclaimed.

My friend turned to smile at me, “Ah there you are Shadow. Run into any trouble?”

I then saw the bandage on her leg, “I should be asking you. Are you ok?”

I moved to look at her leg more closely. The bandage was red with blood, covering just below the bend.

“One of the raiders saw me coming down the hallway and I got careless. Didn’t want to risk using my guns. I guess I’m not as good at close range as you.” Saskia said.

“You sure you don’t want me to look at that?” I asked, digging into my saddlebags.

She flinched away, “No, no I’m fine. I don’t really like the sight of my own blood. It doesn’t hurt that much. I’ll take a healing potion later.”
“Alright, if you’re sure. Have you seen Moonlight and Ratchet?” I asked.

“No. I was hoping the cameras worked. No such luck.”

“Perhaps these guys have a map lying around.”

Looking around the office, I saw a stack of papers. Using my magic, I levitated the papers around me to look them over. Most looked like they were pre-war, but one soon stood out. The writing was sloppy, almost unreadable, but I got the gist of it.

“Here, this seems to be a map of sorts. Kinda sloppy, but we are dealing with raiders.” I said, passing the map over to Saskia.

She took it in her own magic, looking it over herself.

“Yes. It seems the armory is on this side of the facility. The Boss’ room as well.”

“You make your way towards the armory and help Moonlight and Ratchet. I’ll head for the Boss’ room.”

“Very well then. I shall do so. Be careful my friend.” Saskia said, moving towards the door.

I nodded to her, and we separated yet again. I was a bit concerned about her injury, but I also didn’t want to invade her privacy. Maybe she would be more comfortable with Moonlight looking at her leg.

I moved down another hallway, the Boss’ room was apparently on the far side of the compound. Probably so any invader would have to go through all his cronies to get to him. But unfortunately for him, I was closing in.

The last corner came into view, and as I poked my head around, I saw two ponies guarding a door. The door was large, looking to be made of steel instead of wood. A star on the door made it clear that it belonged to somepony important. The guards had assault rifles, so going in close probably wouldn’t be a great idea. Long range it is.

I took out Desert Rose and made sure it was loaded. Six shots, I needed to take these two out in six shots. Going quiet wouldn’t work since there was no cover. And with the commotion outside and lack of other ponies around, no point in worrying about it.

I activated SATS and lined up four shots, one to each one of their heads and one to their chests. Releasing the spell, my shots rang out. The shots to their chests hit, while only one headshot landed. One guard fell dead while the other clenched his chest. He fired his rifle blindly as he tried to keep standing. I dodged the shots and moved a bit closer to get a better shot on him. Firing again, I hit his chest once more, making him slump against the wall.

Both guards laid dead and nopony else seemed to be coming down the hallway behind me. I moved to gather their weapons and moved to the door. It wasn’t locked, so I kicked it down. The pony on the other side was large, larger than me. But he held no weapon, and didn’t really look like he was going to fight back. He had his back against the wall, eyes wide as he looked at me with fear.

“So, you are the boss of these raiders?” I asked.

“Who the fuck are you? What’d we do to piss you off?” He whimpered.

I raised an eyebrow at him, “Wow, never figured a wimp like you to be the boss of a gang.”

“That’s because he ain’t.” A voice came from my side.

I narrowly dodged a lead pipe, grabbing it with my magic and pulling a small earth pony stallion with it. He was smaller than Ratchet, dangling in front of me with the pipe in his mouth. I shook it and he landed on his rump in front of me.

“So, I take it you’re the real boss?” I asked.

“Got a problem with that fucker?” He growled at me.

“So who is he?” I asked, pointing to the large stallion against the wall.

“He’s supposed to be my enforcer. Look big and tough and scare ponies into listening to me. But as soon as we heard you were coming, he’s been pissing himself.” The little boss said.

“He has good instincts.” I said darkly, kicking him in the face, making him hit the big guy.

As the two crumpled to the floor, the boss looked up at me with a scowl.

“So, you here to kill us for what we did to your stable?”

“See, now you’re getting it.” I said.

“Well go ahead and get it over with. That job was the biggest mistake of my life. That bitch and her pet unicorn have torn my gang apart. Killed off half of us as soon as we got back here. Said that if we told you anything when you got here, they’d finish the job.”

“If you’re looking for pity, you won’t find any with me.” I said, pulling out my revolver.

“Don’t want your pity you stupid stripe.” He growled.

I fired a shot near his head, he didn’t even jump. Just continued to growl and glare at me. Reloading my revolver slowly, I looked at the little stallion.

“Where is Saber?” I asked plainly.

“Fuck if I know. Using my bucks as punching bags most likely. Fucker walks around like he owns the place.” He spat at me.

“Give me a location, and I’ll make it quick and somewhat painless.” I said, finishing my reload.

“Fuck you. Either way I’m dead. And as much as I hate that red fucker, I hate you just as much. You and that stupid stable ruined me!” He yelled at the top of his lungs.

A single shot could be heard from inside the room, the enforcer who was cowering against the wall fell in a heap. One hole between his eyes. Quick and painless.

The boss glared at me again, “The fuck you do that for?”

“To make a point. Now you’re coming with me.” I said, grabbing him by his tail with my magic.

He started swearing at me again, the word “fuck” leaving his mouth every other sentence. Jeez these raiders had some foul mouths.

As I carried the little shit through the hallway, I stopped at the first crossroad.

“Which way is your armory?” I asked.

“Fuck you!” He spat.

I smacked him in the head, making him curse at me again.

“How about now?” I asked.

“Alright alright. Take a right here and go all the way down the hall. Big blast door, can’t miss it.” He grumbled.

Looking down the way he mentioned, I started to walk again. No raiders were in the hallway, making me wonder where they all were. How many raiders does it take to put out a fire? Apparently all of them..

But as I made it down the long hallway, carrying the little shit boss, I soon heard a firefight going on. Racing faster down the corridor, I found the source of the commotion. Moonlight and Ratchet were hiding in one of the adjacent rooms to the large blast door that I guessed was the armory. Three stallions had made barricades out of old desks and filing cabinets, firing pistols in their mouths but thankfully were terrible shots.

I whistled to get their attention and everypony stopped firing to look at me, holding the little pony.

“Boss!” One of the raiders yelled out.

“Put down your weapons and surrender.” I said, loud and stern.

They looked at each other with uncertain looks, not knowing what to do. I pulled out my revolver and pointed at the little boss’ head. They quickly put their weapons down and put their hooves up.

“Better. Now get out from over there. Ratchet, Moonlight, you can come out now.” I said.

Ratchet and Moonlight moved quickly out from the room, both smiling and panting a little.

“Boy, am I glad to see you, partner.” Ratchet exclaimed.

“Good to see you two safe. How are you holding up Moonlight?” I said, looking at my thestral friend.

“I’m alright. Sorry we couldn’t secure the armory like you asked. These guys just wouldn’t quit. Ratchet couldn’t hit them past all the barricades and I wasn’t fast enough to get a shot in.” Moonlight explained, her ears folding a little.

I smiled at her warmly, “Moonlight, what matters is that you two are ok. No need to worry about that. Have you two seen Saskia? I sent her your way.”

“I’m afraid we haven’t. I hope she’s alright.” Moonlight said softly.

“She can take care of herself. Now what are we gonna do with these guys?” Ratchet asked.

I looked to the raiders, who were now cowering against the wall. Then to the boss who was still hovering in my magical aura. I threw the boss at his raiders, making him land against one of them. He and his bucks looked at me with mixes of anger and fear.

“Ratchet, keep an eye on them. Moonlight and I will go check the armory. Keep an eye out for Saskia as well.” I said.

Ratchet nodded and pointed his rifle at them. Moonlight and I went inside the large blast door, which was open, looking like it was rusted open at the hinges. No way this door was ever gonna close again. The room was small but had several boxes lined along the walls. Ammo boxes and wooden crates everywhere.

Moonlight decided to take the left side of the room while I took the other. Looking through the boxes of ammo, I found plenty for my weapons. I also found quite a bit of 10m for Saskia. I wondered where she was. She said she was heading this way. Maybe she got lost.

“Boss!” A new voice shouted from the hallway.

A train whistle came shortly after, signaling that Ratchet had fired. Moonlight and I ran for the door, only to find Ratchet behind the barricades that the raiders had made. I peeked around the corner to find that three more raiders had showed up. The boss was now holding a rifle and firing at us. The other raiders that were with him were trying to move closer with knives, but soon got a railway spike through one of their chests.

I moved next to Ratchet and took out Desert Rose, lining up a shot to another knife pony. It hit their shoulder, but it wasn’t a kill shot. My revolver wouldn’t be much help here. And my shotgun wouldn’t do any better.

“Shadow, try this!” Moonlight yelled from inside the armory.

I looked to see her throwing a rifle. I caught it in my magic, recognizing it as a 5.56mm assault rifle, with a 20 round magazine. She also brought me an ammo box full of 5.56, which I quickly loaded into the magazine. Turning around to the group of raiders I returned fire. It was a semi automatic rifle, so I could be more precise with my shots. Again, I wasn’t a crackshot, so a few shots missed. But I did manage to hit two raiders in the chest, bringing them down.

Suddenly I heard hoofsteps coming from the other hallway. Turning around, I was just in time to see a raider running at us with one of those miniature chainsaws. I didn’t have time to turn my rifle, I didn’t know what to do.

And then a syringe lodged its way into his neck, making him fall and drop the chainsaw. I turned to see Moonlight with her rifle still pointed at the buck. I then took the opportunity to turn my rifle around to put a shot in his head as he laid there paralzed.

Moonlight looked a little shaken by her actions but not as bad as before. She looked at me with a bit of determination as she kept her eye behind me and Ratchet. I turned back to the fire fight in front of us and saw that Ratchet had pinned another stallion to the wall. A mare tried to throw a hatchet at us, but I quickly caught it in my magic and threw it back, splitting her head.

The last two raiders other than the boss jumped up with assault rifles, firing what I guessed were their last magazines as they had no saddlebags to hold more. Ratchet and I ducked behind our cover, the bullets flying over our heads.

“Where the fuck did she come from?” One raider said before we heard another gun fire, two to be precise.

Ratchet and I looked up to see Saskia had found us, unloading Bane and Blight into the last raider before bringing them to bear against the boss.

“Saskia, hold your fire! We need him!” I yelled out, jumping over the barricade.

She did as I asked, only pointing her guns instead of firing them. The raider boss sat there with his hooves up, looking even more pissed than the last time I took him prisoner. He turned to glare at me as I came up and hit him again.

“I suggest you don’t try that again. Saskia here is much better with her magic than I am.” I said, grinning to my friend.

She simply fixed her hair, casually pointing her guns at the raider while doing so.

“Where are the rest of my ponies?” He snapped at her.

“Oh, they are busy at the moment. I decided to lock them all in the courtyard as they went to put out the fire.” Saskia smirked.

“So that’s where you’ve been. Good work Saskia.” I said.

“Always happy to help. Everypony alright?” She replied, turning to see Ratchet and Moonlight.

Both of them had walked up to us, the former glaring at the boss while the former moved to Saskia.

“Saskia, you’re hurt!” Moonlight exclaimed.

“Oh it’s just a little scratch. Nothing to worry about dear.” Saskia said, giving a reassuring smile.

“I could take a look at it for you. You don’t want to get an infection.” Moonlight said, moving her hoof to the bandage.

Saskia flinched back a little, “I appreciate the offer dear, but please, I’ll be fine. I took a healing potion already. It wasn’t that dirty of a wound.”

Moonlight was a little taken aback by this, but relented, respecting Saskia’s privacy. We all moved back into the armory, looking for more ammo and weapons. Most of the other weapons were just 9mm and 10mm pistols in horrible repair. The other rifles in the room weren’t all that much better.

“This can’t be right.” I said.

“What’s wrong partner?” Ratchet asked.

“All these weapons are junk. Where is all the stuff they stole from my stable?” I asked.

I turned to the boss pony, who was slumped against the wall, hooves bound with rope.

“Where are the weapons you stole from my stable?” I asked.

“Pfft, sold them off to pay off debts to other gangs. Got more caps than we ever dreamed of. Then that stupid red unicorn of yours came back and started bossing us around. We tried to fight back but the bastard was too tough. Lost ten ponies trying to take that asshole out.” He replied bitterly.

I groaned and went back to the others, who had already started going through the last of the ammo crates.

“Alright, the weapons are gone. All that’s left for us here is Saber.” I said.

“So what is the plan? Attack him together?” Saskia asked.

“Absolutely not. You three are to keep out of the fight.” I replied quickly.

“Why not?” Ratchet asked.

“He is almost as strong as I am. And he won’t fight fairly. Not to mention he is a much better spell caster than I am.” I said.

“Surely we can be of some assistance. I can provide long range support.” Moonlight offered.

“No Moonlight. He can’t find out about any of you. If he does..”

“He might just use you against me.” A voice came from the door of the armory.

My expression turned into one of shock. Slowly I turned to the source of the voice. In the door of the armory, I saw him. A red unicorn, still wearing his Stable 100 barding, twin sabers strapped to his sides.

“That is what you were going to say, right Shadow?” Saber said.

I screamed in rage and took out my revolver and shot directly at him. The bullet didn’t hit its mark however, as Saber teleported out of the way. He reappeared next to the boss pony, and picked him up. As I turned to fire at him again, he bolted out the door with the little pony on his back. I growled and ran after him.

“Shadow wait!” Moonlight yelled out to me.

I barely heard her, all my senses were focused on the target in front of me. Today, I would avenge every pony and zebra that died because of his treachery. Master Broadsword especially.

He rounded corner after corner, trying to lead me somewhere no doubt. I didn’t care. As we continued, I recognized where we were heading. The courtyard. As the door came into view, Saber stood there, smirking at me with that same expression he had in the stable. Before I could lift my gun, he bolted through the door. The coward!

I burst through the door, skidding to a halt as I stared at him. He had dropped the boss pony off his back and tied him up, laying in front of the traitor's hooves.

“Long time no see Shadow. How ya been?” Saber said smugly.

“Shut your mouth traitor!” I yelled at him.

My revolver came up in an instant and took aim at him. I fired and he put up a shield spell, blocking the bullet, causing it to ricochet harmlessly off it.

“Man, you must really want to kill me. You dropped the whole honorable fight bullshit they fed us in the stable.”

“You killed Master Broadsword, and are responsible for the attack on the stable. The Overmares have given me clear orders! You will die today, Swift Saber!”

He laughed at that, “Wow. Never thought you would take orders from those that hate you. Overmare Zira would have your head on a pike if she could. Overmare Cobbler is probably one of the only reasons you’re still alive.”

“I’m not doing this just because they ordered me to. You need to pay for all the lives you have destroyed.” I spat at him.

Again, he laughed, “You have all this skill. Enough to traverse the Wasteland and find me here. You could rule this area if you wanted to. But no, you had to be the “Badlands Guardian”.

He said that last bit mockingly, using his hooves for air quotes.

“But we know what Guardians are really like, don’t we Shadow? The training we go through, and I don’t mean in the Training Hall.” Saber smirked.

My eyes narrowed, “Those weren’t real.”

“But they sure felt real didn’t they? Real or not, you had to make choices in there. Some good, some bad.” Saber kept talking.

Then his smirk grew even more, “But you did make a real decision didn’t you Shadow? Athena was sure taken aback.”

My eyes widened again, only this time in shock. My ears folded, my gaze lowered. Sandpit.

“How did it feel? Killing such a despicable pony? It’s what we were trained for. What we live for. Tell me Shadow, how did it feel?” Saber kept pushing me.

“Shut up.” I said, my voice low this time.

“Tell me half breed, how did it feel to ruthlessly throw a stallion on a flagpole?” He yelled at me mockingly.

“I SAID SHUT UP!” I screamed.

I saw nothing but red as I charged at the bastard unicorn, Venta and Umbra ready to cleave him in two. He responded with his own swords, Fame and Fortune. He blocked my strikes even as the force of it pushed him back a few feet. We stood there, blades crossed as I glared daggers at him. Rage was all I knew, and all I wanted was to see him dead.

“Oooh, struck a nerve did I?” He laughed.

He then pushed me away from him and fired a magical bolt at me. I dodged and quickly tried to close the distance again. Suddenly he took a swing at my legs with one sword, making me jump up to avoid it. But this is what he wanted. His second sword was waiting for me, and I fell for it. I tried to block it with Umbra, but the angle was wrong and caused the blade to cut my shoulder.

I jumped away from him, my shoulder burning with pain as blood dripped from it. I cursed under my breath. How could I have been so careless?

“You’ve gotten sloppy Shadow. You saw through that attack back in the stable. Maybe fighting all these weaklings has rusted your skill?”

I moved again to strike at him, which he blocked with one of his swords. What he didn’t expect was my hoof to strike at him as he was so focused on Venta. My strike hit home, right against his chin. The blow made him jump back this time and hold his jaw.

“How’s that for rusty?” I grinned at him.

It was his turn to glare as he charged at me with both blades. Venta and Umbra danced as we traded blow after blow. Parry, block, strike, dodge. This continued for a good few minutes before we broke apart again. I was a little out of breath at this point, some sweat running down my brow.

“Tired already half breed?” He mocked.

“Fighting through a whole compound will do that to you. A coward like you probably just scared them into submission.” I said back to him.

“You call me a coward when you had to have help from a bunch of weakling surface dwellers?” He spat.

“They are not weak. They can be as strong as us, with guidance from the Goddess Luna.” I said.

“You still believe all that crap about the princess? You need to grow up, Shadow.” He said mockingly.

“Quiet! You can insult me all you want, but I will not hear a foul word about our Goddess from traitorous lips like yours.” I yelled at him angrily.

“You talk about your precious Goddess and how she will come down and give you all pats on the head for sending children to their deaths in that tiny hope they will become her warriors. Tell me Shadow, was it any better the second time?” He grinned.

This time my attack was so sudden he didn’t have time to react. My blade struck him across the chest, getting through his barding and causing a spray of blood to seep out from the wound. He screamed and swung his swords sporadically to get me to back away. He quickly dug into a pocket on his sides and pulled out a healing potion. Drinking it down, his wound stitched itself up. He was panting as pain still was present on his face as he glared at me.

“I told you that if you ever brought up that day again, I would kill you. Now, nothing is stopping me from carrying out that threat.” I said darkly.

He growled at me as his swords were now positioned defensively in front of himself. He knew I was beyond angry at this point. I was done playing around.

We both lunged at each other again, the speed of our attacks increasing as the adrenaline flowed. I was focused, no longer running on anger and impulse. I was fighting at my peak, and that meant Saber didn’t stand a chance.

And as the sparks from our blades danced across my vision, I saw it. The opportunity I needed. Saber had landed his block poorly and pushed Venta in an upward angle. Which allowed me to bring it down onto his shoulder, driving it deep. He howled in pain as my sword dug into his shoulder, blood seeping from the wound as I held it there. He tried to fight through the pain and counter with one of his swords. But one strike to the horn from Umbra caused his magic to fizzle out.

Fame and Fortune fell to the ground as I glared at the traitor. Venta was still lodged in his shoulder, the wound still bleeding a good amount. Saber grit his teeth, most likely to avoid biting his tongue. He was done.

I brought up my shotgun, leveling it at his face. His eyes widened in horror as he stared down the twin barrels. All that was left was to pull the trigger. At this range, the shot would turn his head into mush. Just pull the trigger, and end this traitor’s life.

Just as I started to put pressure on the trigger with my magic, something wrapped around my gun. It was yanked out of my telekinetic grip, pulled to my left forcefully.

I turned to see who had the nerve to interfere in our battle, and my eyes once again grew wide.

“Well well. Guess you aren’t as good as you lead others to believe Saber. Shadow can still kick your butt.” A familiar voice laughed, holding my gun in a chain in front of her as she hovered a few feet off the ground.

Even with her cloak back on, I could see the wings and the hints of green mane behind her hood. And those blood red eyes, still so unnatural.

“Achlys.” I said.

“You remember my name! So glad our time together left an impression, Shadow. Though it looks like your eye got better. Shame, you looked funny with it.” The mare said, landing about ten feet away from me.

Even with my gun gone, I didn’t let Saber move an inch, digging my blade harder into his shoulder when he tried to move. I needed to think carefully about my next move.

“So yeah, as fun as this fight has been. I’m afraid I can’t let you kill him just yet. We still need him.” Achyls said, twirling Torment around like a toy.

“For what may I ask?” I asked.

“Beats me. Honestly he’s no fun. But orders are orders.” Achlys sighed.

“Hey, you’re not the same one from before. Dealing with one of you freaks is enough, so tell your sister or whatever that I want out of whatever is going on with the stripe. And I want my caps that I was promised!” The boss pony yelled, still tied up.

Achlys looked his way and laughed, “Wow, Algea is right, you are a little shrimp. Don’t worry little pony, you won’t have to worry about us anymore. You and your boys have been very helpful to us, and you will get what you deserve.”

“Great, so get me out of this!” He yelled.

She laughed again, “For such a little pony, you have a lot of balls to try and order me around. Just stay there like a good boy.”

“Why are you here Achlys?” I asked.

She turned back to me and smiled with that same childish expression, “Oh Shadow, you know I can’t tell you that. It would ruin the surprise.”

I growled, she wasn’t going to stop me. I brought up Umbra to stab Saber in the eye, but as soon as I thrust it forward, Achlys delivered a kick to my side, sending my flying a few feet away. It knocked the wind out of me but nothing too serious. As I recovered and got back to my hooves, I saw Achlys helping Saber by pulling Venta out of his shoulder.

Saber gasped at the pain and grit his teeth.

“Oh don’t be a big baby. He didn’t even cut all the way through.” She scoffed at him.

“Says the one who can just heal from anything. Where have you been?” He growled.

“None of your beeswax. Just because I can’t kill you, don’t think that means we’re a team or something.” She said, sticking her tongue out at him.

She then looked down to Venta, picking it up in her mouth and turning to me. She smiled with the sword still in her mouth and threw into the air towards me. It landed just in front of me, burying itself into the floor.

“There you go Shadow. Great seeing you again, but I’m afraid our work here is almost done.” Achlys said, turning her back to me.

I took the opportunity to grab Venta in my magic and charge for Saber again. I couldn’t kill Achyls but I could kill him.

He was still picking up his swords and trying to nurse his shoulder wound, not noticing me until I was only a few feet away. Unfortunately for me, as soon as I was in striking distance, Achlys blocked me with Torment. We stood our ground, grinding our blades together as I tried to push her out of my way. She simply took the chain end of her weapon and swung it to wrap around my legs.

Before I could dodge, she knocked my hind legs out from under me, making me fall backwards and roll onto my back.

I recovered quickly but Saber had already put distance between us, Achlys standing in front of me.

“Now Shadow, I told you that you can’t kill him. Trust me, I feel you. Maybe next time. But if you want to play some more, I have some time to kill.” She said, grinning at me.

I growled and readied my weapons in case she tried something. I couldn’t win this fight, but if I ran, Saber would get away. What should I do?

With a flap of her wings, Achlys flew towards me like a bullet, her chain whipping around towards me. I jumped over it, moving to strike at her with Venta. She dodged it easily and swung at me with her kama. I blocked it with Umbra, jumping up again to deliver a kick to her face. She avoided it for the most part, my hoof only grazing her jaw.

We stood only a few feet apart as we sized each other up. She twirled her chain around, whistling a little tune. This truly was a game to her.

Then I saw something on the ground behind her. My shotgun that she had taken from me was lying on the ground. I could use it to catch her off guard. My horn was still glowing as I levitated Venta and Umbra in front of me. She wouldn’t suspect anything.

As the gun glowed and started to lift up towards the back of her head, trying to make it subtle. As it reached the correct height, I took a moment to think about my attack. That was a mistake.

She immediately took to the air and turned around, knocking my weapon out of the air. It fell to the ground and she put her hoof on top of it as she landed.

“Shadow, I told you. No guns during our playtime.” Achlys said.

Before I could say anything else, she took her hoof and smashed my shotgun. The force of her blow dented the barrels inward, almost flattening them. I looked with sadness as the hard work of Lemon and her family was ruined.

“There, now where were we?” She said, grinning at me.

As I readied myself for another attack, a whistle sound came to my ears and a railway spike was lodged into Achlys’ shoulder. She screamed in pain and pulled the spike out, glaring behind me.

I turned to see my friends had found us, Ratchet pointing his rifle in Achlys’ direction. He fired again, only this time she was ready. She dodged it and the spike flew across the courtyard. She then took to the air, flying directly towards my friends.

“Leave them out of this!” I yelled as I took aim with Desert Rose.

She ignored me and barreled towards Ratchet, dodging another spike. But before she could make contact, Ratchet disappeared in a flash of light. She impacted the ground and turned to her left to find Ratchet and Saskia standing a safe distance away.

Saskia then ran forward with Bane and Blight unleashing a torrent of bullets. Achlys leaped into the air and moved across the courtyard, Saskia in hot pursuit. The two mares circled around each other, Saskia firing streams of bullets, tearing into the pegasus. Her cloak was shredded at this point, her black coat and green mane visibly for all to see now. Bullet wounds riddled her coat.

She landed and swung Torment at Saskia, only for the unicorn to teleport and fire at her again from behind. Achlys looked like she was getting frustrated from the looks of it. Her teeth were gritted and she swung her weapon more violently.

Saskia’s attacks kept going, teleporting around the mare to avoid her weapon. For a moment, Achlys didn’t fight back, only looking around at where Saskia appeared from. I wondered why she stopped her assault and took all those bullets. Even with her healing, that had to hurt.

I realized too late what she was actually doing. She was figuring out Saskia’s pattern. Torment flew in front of the mare, seconds before Saskia appeared and the chain wrapped around her barrel. She then flipped Saskia over herself, slamming her into the ground behind her.

Saskia screamed in pain as she landed, bound by the chain and unable to move.

“I hate unicorns. Especially ones that rely on magic so much. So much teleporting leaves a pattern. Just takes somepony with a brain to figure it out.” Achlys said, grunting as her wounds stitched themselves together.

Ratchet was at Saskia’s side quickly, trying to free her from the chains. Achlys then started to slowly walk towards them. Not on my watch.

I rammed my shoulder into Achlys, knocking her into a wall. Taking the opportunity while she was stunned, I grabbed her head and bashed it against the wall. I could hear her skull crack, but she still got up and pushed me away.

“Your friends interrupted, and now they have to be punished. Wait your turn Shadow.” She said in frustration.

“I won’t let you hurt them.” I shot back.

“Uuugh. You hero types are so annoying. I thought you would be better than that Shadow. These ponies are just dead weight that will slow you down. You’re so much stronger than them.” She spat back.

“They helped me get this far! Don’t you dare insult them!” I said, shoving her onto her back.

I proceeded to punch her in the face, getting three strikes in before she kicked me off. She swung Torment at me again, making me back out into the center yard again. She followed me and stood just under the ledge on the second floor.

“Hey bitch!” Ratchet yelled from above us.

We both looked up to see Ratchet on the second floor, right next to one of the racks of rebar. He then kicked at the rack with all his might, making the rebar fall out and over the ledge. Achlys didn’t have time to move before rebar rained down around her, two of them impaling her through the chest. She screamed in pain and frustration, not able to move it seemed.

I quickly ran over and grabbed another of the fallen rebar, stabbing into her flesh from another angle and into the ground, making her curse at me. Saskia ran over and thrusted another into her, once more digging the other end into the ground. We both continued this until she had about six of them in her, including through her wings.

She wiggled in frustration, grunting in pain as blood seeped from her wounds. The amount of metal that penetrated her body from so many angles made it near impossible to move. She was trapped.

“You are so dead when I get out of this earth pony!” Achlys screamed, still trying to free herself.

Ratchet had come down to join us on the bottom floor, Moonlight coming with him. Saskia was panting from the excursion of helping me trap Achlys.

“Think that will hold her?” Saskia asked.

“For a while at least. We better get out of here before she figures out a way.” I said.

“I agree. But where did Saber run off to?” Moonlight asked.

I turned to see that Saber had disappeared. The coward must have run off while I was fighting Achlys.

“Doesn’t matter. We can’t do anymore here. Let’s get back to the ship and get to safety.” I said.

“Leaving so soon, Shadow? But we haven’t seen each other in so long.” Another voice rang out over the courtyard. One that I haven’t heard since the stable.

I turned to see that Saber had returned, but he wasn’t my focus. Another cloaked mare stood with him, no wings this time. Her blood red eyes were slightly different from Achlys’.

She smiled at me under her hood, “Hello Shadow. Did you miss me?”

“Algea.” I said in shock.

“So Achlys did give you my name. So sorry it slipped my mind back in the stable. I was just so excited to finally meet you.” Algea said, walking forward.

She then turned to Achlys, before breaking out in a giggle.

“Sister, you seem to be in quite the predicament.” Algea said, coming up to Achlys.

“That stupid earth pony cheated. He is so dead. Get me out of this big sis?” Achlys asked.

Algea giggled and started to remove one of the bars with just her teeth. Blood poured out of Achlys gave a loud grunt of pain as the bar was removed. Then another, and another. She removed them with the effort it would take to remove a splinter. No magic, just her mouth.

“Oh tell me little sister, what is the pain like? Is it delicious? I am loving your pained expressions. You so have to do this to me sometime.” Algea giggled as she pulled out the last one.

Achlys fell to the ground groaning as she laid there, her wounds starting to close. She gave her sister a deadpan expression.

“You are such a freak Sis.” She laughed.

Both of them were laughing as Saber stood a few feet behind them, trying to keep them between him and myself. I didn’t even focus on him really, too stunned by what just happened. She freed Achlys with little effort and the pegasus seemed to have already recovered for the most part.

“What the hell are you two?” I asked.

They turned to me almost immediately, still grinning after their laughing fit.

“Oh Shadow, where’s the fun in telling you?” Algea giggled.

“She’s right Shadow. You’ll learn soon enough. Now, before we go, I have a present for that stupid earth pony.” Achlys said, pulling out a blowpipe.

As she quickly got ready to shoot, I stood in front of Ratchet, not wanting to give her the chance to do anything to my friend. She slumped a little at first, but quickly grew that mischievous smile she had most of the time.

Before I could react, she turned her blowpipe and shot a small dart out of the end of the pipe. But as it flew, it went past me and Ratchet. I turned to look over my shoulder, and to my horror, it hit Moonlight in the shoulder.

She yelped and pulled the dart out quickly, looking a little panicked as we all stood there waiting to see if she was ok. At first nothing seemed to have happened. Maybe it was just a dud, a childish prank to scare us.

But that was wishful thinking. For when we all started to relax, Moonlight suddenly went still, falling to her side, twitching a little. I quickly ran over to her, seeing her eyes wide and fearful. I checked her pulse, it was rapid and uneven.

I turned over my shoulder and screamed at Achlys, “What did you do!?”

“I figured if I couldn’t get the earth pony, I could at least have some fun with you Shadow. And this is my favorite kind of fun.” She giggled.

“ANSWER MY QUESTION!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

She wiggled her hoof at me, “Inside voice Shadow. No need to be rude. And don’t worry, she won’t die… immediately.”

I turned away from her and picked up the dart she had shot at Moonlight. Looking at the tip, my fears were confirmed. Poison.

“You noticed the poison I take? It’s my favorite type. Slow working, very painful.” Achlys said, her voice dripping with wicked pleasure.

“What kind is it? Tell me!” I demanded.

She tapped her chin for a moment and turned to Algea, “I don’t know. Should I tell him sister?”

Algea did the same motion and shrugged, “Eh, why not. His face will be priceless.”

Achlys turned back to me and spoke the words, “Basilisk venom.”

My eyes widened as a chill ran down my spine. Basilisk venom. Of all the poisonous substances in the world, why that? Dread seeped into my very soul.

Moonlight was starting to sweat, the venom attacking her body and causing her pain. Her blue eyes shut tight as she let out silent screams of agony. Saskia immediately tried to soothe her by stroking her mane.

“Tell me Shadow, how does she look? I’ve seen my sister use this poison before. The painful expression always looks like pure bliss to me.” Algea said.

That drew my attention immediately back to the two mares. And the dread I felt quickly turned to anger. With Venta at my side, I charged them in blind rage. Achlys took to the air as Algea stood there, unmoving.

My blade moved with a flash as I went for a strike, but unlike back in the stable, she blocked my attack instead of taking it. When I could see clearly through the haze of anger, I saw her weapon.

It was large, the blade long and curved. I jumped back to get a better look at it, and my jaw dropped. She held a scythe in her foreleg, a handle built into the shaft. It was almost as long as her body. The blade was black as night, looking as if it had blood stains. It also gave off this dark energy, making my skin crawl.

She noticed me staring and giggled, “You like it? She’s my pride and joy. This is Hate.”

She stroked the blade of her weapon, a look of delight on her face. It was truly impressive. But where the hell was she keeping it all this time? She didn’t have a horn, and there was no way to hide that under her cloak.

I shook my head and turned to Achlys instead, “Give me an antidote for that venom! I know you must have one on you!”

She shook her head, “Sorry Shadow. But I don’t carry it with me. Don’t even know how to make one. Alchemy was never my thing.”

Algea brought her scythe around and let the blade rest on her shoulder, the motion actually causing her hood to fall over. I finally got a look at her face. I didn’t really get a look at it in the stable.

Her eyes were the same as Achlys, blood red. Her mane was a dull grey, like the walls of my stable. Lifeless and dull. It was long too, free flowing down the back of her neck and slightly over her shoulder.

She saw me staring, “I know. I am sorry I had to hide my face from you before, but I had my orders. Perception filters are such a pain sometimes. It was hard to maintain after your zebra friend cut my head off.”

A perception filter? That was highly advanced magic. Only top level students back home could even attempt it. And this mare wasn’t a unicorn. Did she have somepony else do the enchantment?

“Now I am sorry to leave you without playing Shadow, but we have new orders. We must be going.” She turned away from me.

“Wait! You’re just gonna leave? What about my caps?” The little boss pony yelled at her.

Algea turned to look at him, her expression dull.

“Oh right, you’re still alive. Honestly, a little shrimp like you being the boss of these losers makes total sense. They didn’t even put up much of a fight.” She said, clearly bored.

“That striped bastard is tougher than we thought. Once my boys get out of the other courtyard, we’ll overwhelm them!” He yelled.

Suddenly Algea’s smirk came back, darker than ever.

“I’m afraid that won’t happen.” She said.

“Why not?” He asked.

She laughed, with that same laugh that made my skin crawl.

“Because they’re already dead.” She said manically.

His eyes widened and he looked like he pissed himself, “What?”

“I got bored waiting for Shadow to find Saber. So I watched your boys burn for a bit. But even that got boring after a while. Such a shame, a random lightning strike and a burning collapsed tower still didn’t make things interesting. So I went down there and started picking off the stragglers. Most didn’t even fight back, just screamed like little foals.” Algea explained, her expression growing uninterested.

The boss pony’s expression changed to anger as he raised his head, glaring at her, “You fucking bitch!”

And with those words, her scythe came around and cleaved his head clean from his shoulders.

“And that’s done. Come sister, Saber. Let us go home.” Algea said, starting to walk towards the other exit of the courtyard.

I pulled out my new assault rifle and pointed it at the two mares, “Neither of you are leaving until you tell me what you want with me!”

Suddenly, Algea disappeared. I blinked and she was just gone. I looked around frantically, but saw no sign of her.
And then, my rifle was cleaved in two by her scythe. I turned quickly to my right and saw Algea there smiling as her scythe then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“Like I said Shadow, you’ll know soon enough. It was nice seeing you again.” Algea said, smiling at me.

Then she did something that really made my skin crawl. She kissed my cheek. Just a peck, but it still made me jump back. She then disappeared in a puff of black smoke, much like her weapon did.

She reappeared next to Achlys and Saber, taking out a crystal like the one Master Gutshot told me about when she left the stable. She crushed it underneath her hoof and a portal appeared. Saber jumped inside immediately, Achlys turning to wave at me before jumping in herself.

And Algea gave me one last smile before she disappeared as well. The portal closed behind them.

I stood there stunned at what had just happened. How was Algea doing all that without a horn?

“Shadow!” Ratchet yelled at me from behind.

His voice broke me out of my stupor and I ran back to see him and Saskia comforting Moonlight. Her face was wet with sweat and her breathing had grown ragged. Her eyes were still shut as her expression was pure pain.

“We gotta do something! Shadow you know potions and stuff. Can’t you help her?” Ratchet asked.

“It’s Basilisk Venom! Extremely deadly, and hard to neutralize. It’s also magic resistant. I don’t know what to do!” I said in a panic.

Ratchet and I looked down at our thestral friend, worry creeping into our hearts. I truly didn’t know what to do.

“How long does she have?” Saskia asked.

I couldn’t look at her, “A week. Even less if her immune system isn’t strong enough.”

“Then we do have one hope.” She said.

Me and Ratchet looked at her immediately.

“I know of a special healer. She will be hard to find, but I know where she lives. If anyone can save Moonlight, it’s her.” Saskia said, determination in her eyes.

“Where is she!?” I asked frantically.

“The Hayseed Swamps, at the eastern border of the Badlands.” She said.

Ratchet’s eyes widened, “Are you serious? No pony could live there. It’s full of dangerous creatures, quicksand, and tar pits.”

“She’s the only one in our reach right now. It’s a five day travel with our airship. We have to try.” Saskia said, standing up.

I looked at Moonlight again, stroking her mane gently to try and soothe her. If this healer could save her life, then I don’t care where it takes me.

“Let’s get back to the ship and move out quickly.” I said.

Lifting Moonlight onto my back, we all ran through the facility, not stopping for anything.

As we made it back to the ship, I quickly got Moonlight down below deck, making her as comfortable as possible. Saskia agreed to stand by and watch her as I went up to help Ratchet prepare to take off. After preparations were complete, Ratchet started up the engines and made haste for the Hayseed Swamps.

I looked one last time to the now burning raider base. How could things have gone so wrong?

Footnote: Level Up

New Perk added: Scrounger

You now find more ammunition in ammo boxes.

Weapons Lost: Double Barrel Shotgun, 5.56 Rifle.

Author's Note

Hey guys, Hades here.

Another chapter done, and this one was my favorite so far.

Special thanks to my lovely girlfriend, MysticalOwl, for helping me proofread.

See you guys next time.