This is was just the worst. "Search the grove again, try to clear the road too." I sighed, shaking my head at the detailed map of the forest kept hidden under the tarp hung over the branches of the dark wood forest. Many scrolls and notes were piled around me on the desk, red circles jotting the many sites I had investigated prior to my conundrum. "...what happened...?"
I was stationed here by Princess Celestia to investigate a string of attacks near the town of Hollow Shades, they were mostly Bat-Ponies and liked to keep to themselves, or until something started cutting down their woods. Said clearing my troops were stationed in was left barren, the sunlight actually touching the floor of the forest. Stumps were all that remained, charred from the point a blade clearly tore through the grove, some fires were present but thankfully put out by the residence.
The buildings of Hollow Shades not far down the hillside were gothic in design, looming among the trees and against the cobblestone walls that protected the town. Their grey-brick walls stretched taller than your average house, black-tiled roofs with a tint of dark purple to them. Lanterns swung on black chains and between the trees. Some trunks sprouting vibrant, bioluminescent plants for an added variety of color. I couldn't even see the sunlight at all through thick trees, almost as if eternal night shrouded the town. Or before somepony started deforesting the region.
"Ma'am," One of my guards saluted me, holding something in his magic, "We found this not far from the outskirts of the grove, somepony was hunting nearby."
He sat the item on my desk, to my surprise, it was a thick net, or what remained of one, a strange, yellow secretion across the now charred ends of the split bindings. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I'll look into it further," He nodded, then I added. "And if you find anything similar to this net, report it immediately."
"Understood," With that, I could drop my formal speech, slumping at the sight of the Hunter's net.
How did I know, because of a certain bipedal, telepathy-speaking wolf I knew. "Is Zen here?" I muttered, rubbing my chin, then I slammed my head into the desk. "Ugh this is going nowhere at record speed," Looking up at the binding, clearly somepony knew of the beast that caused all this chaos, otherwise, what sane pony would set foot in this forest?
"You recognize my work, thank you," I almost screamed in fright had an appendage not jammed my muzzle shut. "Shh, I'm not going to hurt you, I just need information." A silence overtook my tent and whoever it was, a female, sighed. "Promise not to scream?"
"Hmph," I snorted, earning another grunt from the woman before I was free to breathe. "You know, ugh, could've just come up and asked like a... normal pony?" Oh boy, I was not paid enough for this.
The person smirked, crossing their arms over their chest as Zen would. "Oh sure, I'd fit right in, wouldn't I?" It was a bipedal creature like Zen, only less fur say for a mane of snow-white fur under a black cap
This one wore some strange, black equipment, her stomach was lined with only a fish-net weave. Her legs were the most equipped with wide greaves with a red hem, the inner thighs exposed, revealing only a pair of black short-shorts. Her breastplate only protected her breasts leaving her sides and armpits exposed. Her gauntlets did the same down to the forearms where bracers were wrapped around with a pink fabric like her waist's bow. Last, her snow-white hair with two ponytails was covered by the raven fur of the helmet, but her soft expression was revealed alongside a pair of piercing crimson eyes.
"What... are you?" Keeping my posture even I made sure to keep my sword insight of my magic, just encase. Between monsters from other worlds and now this, I think I've had it up to a certain degree with visitors from other realms. "Better yet, why did you try to choke me out?"
The girl smiled awkwardly, rubbing her right forearm. "Um, yeah... sorry, you ponies are a little tricky to sorta take by surprise, what with wings and horns that can move things without touching them, kinda weird." I tried not to look too bemused by this, she seemed to notice my ire, waving her hands. "Hey, I didn't ask to be thrown into this world, thank you very much! I just... got too excited during a hunt and now..." Her red orbs became downcast, observing the stumps left burnt. "...now I really messed up."
Raising a brow, I quickly pushed her inside behind the large tree to keep anypony from discovering her just yet, I needed answers and not with a headache. Rubbing my forehead I continued. "Okay, okay... what do you mean? You did all this?" I doubt it but I needed answers.
She shook her head, "No, but I might as well have," Her voice was timid, "I... was hunting what's called a Glavenus, it's... it did all this, and I failed to capture it before it escaped," The woman looked around at the chaos being swept up. "I didn't mean for this, you all don't seem like bad... well ponies, I guess is the right word?" Nodding, she smiled slightly, holding out her hand like Zen would greet with. "S-sorry, I'm Ren."
Slowly, I did the same with my hoof, her hand was very smooth. "Topaz, Second-in-Command of the Royal Guard," Hearing this, Ren's head titled.
"What's a 'Royal Guard'?" Now it was my turn to look perplexed.
"It's a person that is given the job to protect the monarchy of the land, there are two divisions, the Royal Guard is primarily meant to protect Princess Celestia and the Night/Lunar Guard, meant to protect her younger sister, Princess Luna," I stated proudly at the fact, the gears became rusting but eventually moved in her eyes.
"Ooooh, I see, sorta like the Hunter's Guild just with more rules," Nothing could hide my deadpan glare while Ren ignored it, tapping the map on my desk beside me. "So! If we're going to fix my mistake, we have to track Glavenus down - which should be easy since he'#s already weakened."
"How do you know that?" Moving past her cluelessness I decided to just focus on the task at hoof. Ren then pointed to the previous locations we found forest fires.
"Duh, I hunted it, now it wants to try and rest until its wounds heal, the whole 'cutting the forest down' is just because it's angry and wants to keep its blade sharp," Now it was my turn to look pleasantly worried. Now that I think about it. Looking down at my gauntlets, I still wore the same emerald;-blue scales Zen crafted in vambraces for me. They were really good for kicks and even could produce a metal-eating acid which was really beneficial in a fight. "Wait, you don't know what a Glavenus is? But you're wearing its armor?"
"Really? Never guessed," I remarked dryly, shaking my head. "No, it just makes sense what you said. A friend of mine, Zen, fought what he called Acidiic Glavenus, so the one you're hunting must be another one or something close to the one my gauntlets are made of."
Ren considered it a second, then slowly nodded, lips pursed. "Hrm, the subspecies from the New World, that's a tricky one cause it can throw acid that eats armor -" She smiled, patting my shoulder. "Not to worry, the one I'm after's the fire-type, just... don't get too close, nasty burns, ouch."
While this was more than I was expecting to learn, one thing kept me rooted on the spot, primarily concerning the 'Hunter' before me. "What's your game here?" That smile fell a little at my stern glare. "You've clearly got both the skills and knowledge that surpasses my own on the subject of monsters, so why bother risking getting captured by my overly jumpy troops, why talk to me at all?" Ever since Zen showed up, I've been warier of other visitors from this 'Monster Hunter' world he rambled about to the Princesses, it just sounded like a horrible place to live.
Ren was silent for a moment, clearly still lost on the map. "...I'm scared of fire..." She whispered under her breath, looking down to hide her face under her helmet's mane.
"What?" I swore I heard her say...
Her face shot toward me, blushing slightly. "I'm afraid of fire, alright!" Then she pouted, looking down. "...I took the job to get over it, 'cause, you know, most use fire so... yeah, I took it, froze half the time, drew the quest out too long and fell through a vortex with it..." Her muttering made it hard to make out so I just put words in where I felt they made the most sense.
"And? You think I like fighting big monsters?" Her orbs met mine skeptically. I chuffed. "I got these as a gift, Zen's the real monster-hunting expert, I just... swing a sword, command from afar, I've never really fought anything so powerful." Sure, I helped against that giant monster with one of the Princesses but I barely could hold my own without hiding behind magic, what's so heroic about that?
"Really?" Ren blinked at my slow nod, motioning to the ponies on patrol.
"I'm a leader, I can fight my battles but stuff like monsters that can breathe fire, that's just where the line's drawn," Sighing, it was just how life was. I'm a unicorn but my magic is around average, maybe above that margin if I used a few spells to enhance myself but what else was there? Compared to the likes of Twilight Sparkle, my magic is sub-par. "So, why ask me for help? Bet many of these idiots would take you up on your offer."
"Because you listened to me," That drew a pause from me, Ren smiled while hiding behind a fold of the cloth as two ponies passed by. "I tried before but... well, I'm not exactly the most approachable looking person so that was a bust, but you actually seem okay with that."
A chuckle escaped me. "When you've got a friend who's a talking wolf who dates a Bat-Pony, trust me, there's not alot to surprise you - unless that person tries to choke you out," I added with a mirthful smirk, seeing Ren deflate.
"It was an accident!" She huffed and I merely hummed. "Believe me!"
"Uh-huh."
"Stop saying that!"
"I hate you," If this doesn't get me fired then nothing will. At Ren's insistence, I lied through my teeth and managed to squeeze out of my post, putting somepony in charge as I handled my own private investigation into this 'Glavenus'. Did I mention I left out the part where a human from the same world was helping me? Probably did. "If I get fired you're buying me several drinks."
"You'll be fine... probably," Ren shrugged, smiling off to the side. "I really do appreciate this."
Nodding along dumbly, I was glad to help but the risks were high. These vambraces were great but against a creature that can spit and use fire? And with a teammate that has Pyrophobia? Odds are death was next on my to-do-list. We trudged through the dark woods in an attempt to track the injured beast, following faint, hold tracks that I couldn't even see, but somehow, Ren had no issues.
"How do you know it's this way?" Inquiring after a long break in the conversation. Ren held up her hand, then motioned for me to approach a small hill with a fallen, mossy log. "Anyone can track, you just have to know how to look and think like a monster," She brushed the fallen leaves and branches aside, revealing a set of long, rugged gashes in the bark, a faint trace of ash lining the wood as I gawked. Ren smirked. "It's injured so it's likely to head for the elevated land to find a cave to rest by."
"..." My stare remained unbroken with hers before I sighed, hopping over the tree. Pointing with my hoof toward my right slightly I looked back. "Closest highlands is that way, maybe a few hours walking."
"Perfect!" Ren beamed, sliding down on her boots to my side. "That means I get the chance to see more ecology the likes none of those smart scholars could dream of seeing - I mean, you're a talking pony with magic, how cool is that?" Her optimism reminded me of alot of ponies, but... this felt genuine, enough to make even me smile.
"Sure, whatever you say,"
"So your monarchy raises the sun and moon with magic?" Ren murmured, looking between the cracks in the forest, the trees beginning to grow taller and break up as we searched further from the central forest. "That's... wow."
"And you have Elder Dragons capable of boiling the sea red with the blood of all the animals it killed, now that's impressive," And admittedly terrifying, how and why anyone would fight such a creature is beyond me. The very idea of such raw power existing somewhere in the ocean in this world of hers would scare me away from ever going on a boat. Ren then flicked my mane, wagging her finger.
"Nope, that's the Black Dragon Dire Miralis - besides, he's a myth, no one even knows if he exists or not," Ren looked a little distant, shivering slightly. "I don't think anyone wants to know if those legends are true. Sometimes prodding the world for answers isn't always a smart thing to do." For once, that I could agree with.
*Thud*
My ears flicked, stopping the second we reached another grassy edge overlooking a natural pathway through the forest. "Wait, I think I hear something," Ren nodded in silence, kneeling down as I listened to the ambient chirp of birds cease, even the rest of the forest grew distant from an additional footstep.
*Thud*
"It's big, the footsteps are heavy and... metallic?" It sounded faintly like metal scraping. There was then the very audible sound of a blade against stone, swishing back and forth with strength and care. "I think it's cleaning its tail." A sword for a tail would be a nice touch to mine...
"You'd make a good hunter," Ren whispered as I waved off her words, listening closely to a powerful roar, something spooked it, or challenged it maybe?
Something ahead of us created enough force to shake the earth, even a faint wave of heat ruffled my mane and many treetops groaned and snapped, falling to the thicket not far from our spot. Whatever it was stung my nose, the stomping growing distant once more. The sheer thought of what happened left my heart racing, Ren running close to my hip, chasing my tracks until I spotted the fallen trees, and the flames that stripped at the wood.
Ren slowed herself, making sure to steer clear of the flames out of reflex, though it wasn't enough to ward her away, my own expression hung open. Timberwolf bark was strewn across the gap, the trees shaved away by a rocky out-cove where dying embers laid. "Sweet Celestia..." The remains of the Timberwolves left much to be desired, the very trees beside us were cut down, leaving smoldering stumps.
Gash marks dug through the earth, and the large footsteps lifted the mud, leaving a solid landmark on the Glavenus' location, he was heading for the mountains. "This is bad, it's heading for the mountains." Grimacing, Ren took her hunting knife away from the scored trees, popping something to a canister.
"Why's that?" She hummed, then she saw my pale face.
"If it gets too deep we can't track it, not even explorers can traverse the mountains as we are now, it's... impossible," Shaking my head, this was already shaped up to be a disaster, now I knew it was really out of our hooves. "I'll be honest, really wish I had something to help us but... I'm just a Guard pony."
"And?" Ren shrugged, moving toward the treeline Glavenus broke through, kicking aside a few charred Timberwolf sticks. "I'm a Hunter with a fear of fire, primarily large fires, and here I am, hunting a monster that spits and slashes with the stuff, what's to say I shouldn't just quit now?" I went to reply but she cut me off with a stern glare. "I have a job to do, I'm scared, heck, I'm terrified but I have to try because that's the essence of a hunter, the thrill of danger is to be embraced not fearful of."
With that lofty amount of words, Ren took point, leaving me both silent and ashamed in the clearing, Looking back, it was evident the monster wasn't going to just sit and die, it was a fighter, just like Ren. Both had their fears and fought regardless, and here I am trying to just sit back and do nothing because the going got tough. "I'm really not cut out to be a Royal Guard." I hated the idea of failing, but I had to try.
"Ren?" She stopped for a moment, rubbing her fingers together, a bluish-red scale in her hand. "Divide and pincer,"
"Huh?" Her odd look told she never thought of this so I nodded determinedly.
"Think about it, this monster is a step ahead of us, we know it's heading for the highlands," I smirked. "Well, there's only one way toward the mountains and that's passed a cliffside that leads into the forest up on that ridge," Lifting my hoof I had it line the faint corner of a cliff not far from our viewpoint. "If we can corner it on that cliff it'll have to fight us regardless."
Her lips pursed while crouching down to my level. "You sure? No offense but Glavenus aren't known to be very kind to objects in their way, particularly the fleshy kind," She worded delicately. I poked her chin with my hoof, glaring back at those scarlet orbs.
"If what you've said about this monster is true then it's smart, it knows a Hunter is tailing it, my guess is it might actually wait at this cliff for you, after all, how can it sleep if there's a person out for its head?" This was a mile-long shot in the dark but all the facts made sense. If it cared to attack ponies without reason Hollow Shades would be worse off, instead, it scared them by starting small fires to keep them busy and disorganized, now it knows Ren is here and she'll be tracking it down. "Trust me on this, if there's one thing I know I'm good at it's forward-thinking."
Again silence was drawn between them, Ren knelt with a level of concentration Topaz was certain could set fire just by the sight of the crimson orbs. Gradually, a tiny smile split the girl's lips. "You keep degrading yourself, but you'd be a great Hunter," With that compliment and the flabbergasted mare. Ren stood up, marching to the left-hand side of the forest. "I'll take this route, be safe, Guardian." With a playful wink, Ren vanished without a trace.
For a moment, Topaz was still somewhat flustered by the praise and possibly the sweet smile on the woman's face. Then she sighed, exasperated by her reaction, "I'm hopeless..." Looking around, she found the best route to take on her right, opting to bottle up and shove those words down into the dark. "Let's just get this over with..."
[???]
Somewhere among the trees that grew taller than ever before, the large form of a beast swayed through the forestation. Its scales were marred with scars and fresh wounds from another fight with the locate predators. A fang was chipped and cracks webbed its dulled blade. The right spike atop its back was broken off at the tip, leaving the stump white and faded. Its breathing was heavy, expelling hot flames out of anger.
A rage scorched its eyes, a warrior's spirit festering in its pupils. With each sway of its form, the tail swept back and forth, shaving grass with one, gentle stroke.
To Be Continued...
Author's Note
This is gonna be good~! And a new, strange huntress has entered the fray to battle alongside Topaz. How will they fare against the swordsmonster? I hope you enjoyed, appreciate the support as always, seeya in the next chapter Hunters!
Next Chapter: The Scorching Blade
Topaz's battle to save the forest from the burning edge of the Cutting Wyvern, Glavenus.
[Ren's POV]
It was years ago, I was probably six or seven years old...
"I don't... wanna die...!"
Blood and sinew clung to yellow teeth, a breath that made my insides turn horribly at the acrid stench of rotten flesh. Two beady, burning orange eyes swam with hunger, the forked tongue hanging out the corner of its mouth, flames sizzling between its jaws. My ankle had twisted trying to run away, and I was pinned between two logs, the foot effectively trapping me with large, black talons.
Tears stained my face, as I held my ears, trying to block out the sickening roar of fire, it thrashed against my ears, just as badly as its roar that split the sky. "...mommy... help me...!"
There was a deafening silence, jaws sunk into something sharp as my eyes widened at the sight of fresh blood dripping down from a forearm. While the dark shadow of the monster towered, a smaller shroud blanketed me safely, an arm braced against the jaws, while the other held back the gums with a blade, all I could see was the glint of silver that radiated off the armor worn by a Hunter.
"...Attacking a kid, heh, pretty low for a dirtbag monster..." He was bleeding but refused to budge against the growls of the beast I continued to shiver in terror of. "You won't have to cry anymore... no one's dying today, I will save you."
Shaking off the memory, my thumb instinctively caressed the badge sewn into the right gauntlet against my shoulder. It was a replica of the badge the silver knight wore that day, the mark of a Hunter. Sure, it wasn't the genuine article, even if I earned my own official title this one always stood in its place. A symbol of the man that gave me the chance to move past my fear of fire.
Sadly, a deafening roar ripped through the air, alerting me to the reality that a certain monster was still at large, and judging by the pitch, it was challenging something. I gasped, picking up my feet with a serious expression stretched over my face. "Topaz...!"
[Topaz's POV]
I don't know how long I wandered the highlands for, all I knew was that I now overlooked the forest from atop a large cliff, seeing the sun dip into the curve of the world, the floor an endless dark green for miles. The trees had grown taller in this area, leaving me in a large, open expanse that led up to the edge where my knees sat just barely a meter from going over.
"The tracks end here but why...?" I scowled at the thought. "Great, more dead-ends, perfect!" I threw a stone off into the forest below, my horn's glow ceasing. "Really wish Zen was here, he'd know what to do." "Between him, Ren, heck, even Yui would be better at this whole tracking thing, what can I do?"
This was it, I'm a Royal Guard who can swing a sword and follow orders, nothing else after that I suppose.
With lackluster movements I glanced behind me, my eye just barely widening to acknowledge the low snarl of the monster that now loomed just centimeters away from my back. Its scales gleamed a variety of crimson and blue shades, with dark grey spikes and horns. Two beady, dark red eyes glowered back at me.
What felt like a final breath dragged my perception to a crawl, the creature began to shuffle back, obviously preparing to strike me down without a second thought, I did wonder though, why did it not simply charge me when it saw me? Did it not sense anything threatening despite my weapons? "No! Don't think, act!" Moving in the space, the tail rose to come crashing down across the cliffside.
*Shiiing-Boosh!*
[No POV]
Topaz's first reaction was to leap to her far left, just barely escaping the lunge of the monster's tail that scorched the cliffside in seconds. She blinked, looking down at herself for a second before leaping backward to avoid another swipe of the large, cherry-red tail that spat out molten embers.
"How did I do that? I reacted without thinking at all?" Topaz rubbed her mouth clean, coming to see the unknown monster for what it was. Ash stung her nose from that flaming tail and furnace within its mouth. A Brute Wyvern with dark red scales covering its body. Two rows of blue, bony plates running along its back, going from the eyes to the tail. Its underside is more of a cream color. The main feature of its physiology was the huge, sword-like tail. Its hind legs are powerful and muscular, while its arms are much smaller and mostly useless. The face and jaws are covered in sturdy plating, particularly resembling a Carnotaurus head.
"The Scorching Blade, Glavenus." Topaz gulped, she heard the subspecies called Acidic was the one Zen fought long ago in Ponyville, so this was its original form she surmised. What made it more ironic was that she was wearing its cousin's scales as vambraces.
"You avoided its attacks, impressive," The Glavenus growled toward itself, not realizing Topaz's widened eyes at the words. Swinging its tail around slightly, it continued to stalk the unicorn while a familiar voice spoke from afar. "I told you, no one is beyond becoming like me, you just needed to see that for yourself."
Topaz, instead, kept getting back up, she was trembling again, but she didn't stop herself from rising to face the monster. "You're seriously just going to stand there and do nothing - gee, thanks." The sun peaked at the horizon, shining brightly across the cliff-face between Topaz and the Glavenus who slowly stomped toward her.
"You know - ah, for the record - grah - I'm a little busy myself believe it or not!" Ren grunted, using the swing of her longsword to tear down another tree as it snapped at the base of the stump, falling down the slope of the highlands, away from the flames that flicked and danced behind her taut back. "Keep calm and clear the trees, you can do this!" She hesitated at the weft of the fires but kept her back to them, working to lob more trees down the slope
Topaz, now with her back to the cliff and a fire burning behind the massive wyvern, all she could think or feel was how much she regretted coming out here, but also, why she bothered at all in the first place. Where it all stemmed from.
When Topaz was younger, she accidentally got ahold of her Mom's signature sword, and sort of cut her cheek, leaving her with a faded scar after around a week of healing. She hated seeing blades of any kind for months after that. Yet her Mom told her something just before she left Topaz in the care of their neighbor before going on patrol.
"...It's not embarrassing to be afraid of a blade, or fighting, I'm always battling my fears too..."
"W-what? But you're super-super strong!"
"Hehe, of course, I am, I have to be to protect you, don't I?" Her hoof ruffled Topaz's scruffy mane, that smile never faltering once. "But you point to somepony who's not afraid and I'll show you an idiot."
"...That's not a nice word..."
"Hmm, I suppose you're right." Her Mom pouted, then looked to her daughter with eyes she hadn't seen before, maybe when she got angry, but this felt different, a look of... age? "The thing is when I was apart of a team I let somepony in peril die, right in my hooves."
"They... died?" Topaz asked, and her Mom nodded, flicking the earring that chimed gently
"I failed to save them because my spirit crumbled at the sight of blood, and that look on their face when they died... that's what scares me most," She gently reached forward to kiss Topaz's forehead. "If you ever wanted to be like me someday, facing the fact that you may die is simply apart of the job, and to be ignorant to that fear is to admit your life has no value."
She stood tall, smiling down at the yellow filly as her face reflected the sun itself, it was so beautiful. "To be a warrior of any kind is to embody your dreams, being bold, confident or fearless doesn't matter, so long as your spirit is strong, that you value the lives of those around you and vow to protect them with your life, that is the essence of a fighter."
"I vowed to live my life without regrets."
Her head rose a little at that dawning, Alternatively, Topaz's mind came crashing back like a wave, drying the last strands of hesitation left. "I can do this..." In a sudden flash, the silver gleam of her blade drew the sun's glare in an amber veil of magic. "Whatever it takes to live, to beat you and win!"
The Glavenus stomped once more, snarling closer to the earth, spitting a payload of fire to keep Topaz from advancing to the right, the blob exploding soon after, Topaz never even budged. Another pair of eyes evaluated Topaz's words and actions, noting her posture was shaken, Yet there, flickering in her gaze was a burn, gold ember, flickering over-and-over, it never grew nor did it allow itself to shrink.
A lengthy pause broke, Ren smiling fondly at the familiar sight, the last of the trees closest to the flames crashing down, "Think you can take it on your own, huh?" Then the Glavenus sneered as if agreeing with the huntress's voice, "You are filled with terror, yet your spirit refuses to put itself out, raging against that frigid storm, just like a Hunter." Admiration filled her smile for the mare.
Topaz tisked, grinding her teeth against each other. "I'm trying Not to panic over here!" She snapped back, her eyes, and Glavenus' hadn't broken, even while the two circled one another. "If you're not gonna help, then I'll do this on my own! Come on!"
Snorting, the Glavenus slapped the ground with its tail, dispersing embers and ash. Glavenus whipped his tail to bite down on its metal jaw, biting down on the rugged surface as the firey jaws tore away the rough texture dulled by its flames. The tail rose to cover half the monster's face with a large, molten, greatsword-like. Topaz, with her legs bent she readied to dodge.
With a low spin, the blade swiped the air, carving out the ground. With one leg it bent back around, tail almost crushing Topaz who ran far to the right. Glavenus simply spun back around, decapitating a tree while throwing several large rocks to intercept Topaz's path. It sliced across the right, then to the left, pinning Topaz between both strikes, a powerful thrust tore into the ground, to Glavenus' surprise Topaz managed to slide under the initial impact.
With a single, horizontal slash with the elegance of a swordsman, Glavenus shaved the treeline back, the crash and tumble of trees hid Topaz's hoofsteps, herself slashing at the backs of Glavenus' heels, splitting the softer scales with ease. Performing a side step itself, Glavenus' flaming tail set fire to the halved trees. It didn't roar, instead, the Wyvern only watched the pony's movements with a sharp eye.
A second later the tail curved, driving it forward into where Topaz was last seen. Now under Glavenus Topaz's sword struck the base of the tail, feeling her magic recoil from the bounce off the hot surface. Moving to avoid being crushed Topaz swung haphazardly, leaving deep abrasions in the Wyvern's hide as it jumped back, moving far slower but scoring the earth with a large wave of fire, nearly burning through Topaz's armor.
Glavenus roared, immediately spinning once, raining molten slag in a wide arc. Topaz performed a hoofstand backward, evading the flames while shaving a number of the scales with an overhead slant. "Just keep moving, try to stay in the blind spots of that tail."
Topaz went for the attack but Glavenus side-stepped, lunging with a flaming chomp that locked with Topaz's longsword, throwing her far into a tree that broke her fall while her magic to cushion the impact. Crying out from the sharp pain that tore across her side, Glavenus took the time to clamp down on its tail, sparks of gold flying while Topaz shook her head clear, sensing the oncoming danger as she rolled under a fallen log.
In a manner, unlike any monster, Glavenus tore across the treeline, the tail-edge carved through walls of trees, and scorched the earth with the massive halo of tiger-orange embers. Now, its gleaming blade swished in a hasty 'X' behind it, knocking Topaz and the tree away, though her shield aided in protecting her from the flames. Glavenus gave her a little warning, smashing its tail downward then with an almost immediate reaction it brought it down in the same fashion to the left, grazing Topaz's left forehoof.
With a hefty curl, the tail was ground against its crooked jaw, red-hot sparks seething against flames as the ear-piercing shriek of metal resounded. The tail jutted out from the applied force, a mere centimeter away from expelling said force in a massive slash of sharpened metal. That imminent threat suddenly skyrocketed inside Topaz, her weapon poised in a way Glavenus had never seen, wisps of gold particles rippling across the mare's body like the flames of a Teostra.
Glavenus swung outward in one massive spiral, carving the earth and all debris that stood in the wake of its blade. Fortunately, Topaz was no longer one of these obstructions, rather, the beast's crimson gaze caught the blur of marigold that slid under the curvature of its attack, falling under its legs. Several powerful slams of cold steel struck Glavenus' underside and legs, bringing it to stumble forwards. Glavenus snarled, leaping away to crush the pony under a tail-slam, only for its tail to meet dirt, light secretion of acid from Topaz's gauntlets eating through the metallic appendage.
Topaz then heard the snap of Ren's clutch claw, the claw sinking into the scales above Glavenus' eye, pulling forward Ren's foot blocked out the monster's right-hand view of the world, the swaying, and sharp jumps made it difficult to stay atop the beast as her hand was cut by the serrated scales. Ren had two fragments of shrapnel still loaded into the chamber, so, with her bleeding hand holding onto the head of the Wyvern, she plunged the device through the Glavenus' socket, screaming loud as she fired the projectiles through the optical nerve, blood spat onto her armor while she fell to the ground in a heap.
"How nice of you to join in on the fun," Topaz's dry cynicism was not missed, especially as the massive Wyvern stumbled past them.
The girls watched as the Brute stumbled through the thicket of trees, rolling forwards and through bushes and pines as they all fell atop its body, a sharp, strained moan escaping the monster's maw. Topaz's eyes couldn't get any wider, seeing how she was still alive and wasn't frozen to the ground, even as the trees rose and fell in a large plume of smoke, the sunlight casting a dark shadow over the forest if the simmering flames didn't accomplish that alone.
Ren for her part was still somewhat shaken being so close to the flames. It was pathetic, she spouted the same things she was told before many times, trembling at the sight of the flickering wisps Glavenus conjured. Meanwhile, Topaz fought with all she had, despite her smaller stature, if anything, the pony before the hunter should have been scared. How this world continued to amaze the whitette.
"I'm... sorry, I never meant to put you in harm's way, I just felt this was your test for the most part - and, you know, fire... everywhere," That brought out a low chuckle, dripping with mirth. "Besides, this is my job too - regardless of my fears. Now then, let's end this hunt!"
Focus like no other flooded into Topaz's face. "Right!"
The thundering steps were growing, and from the smoke, Topaz's scowl hardened alongside Ren's. They gripped their weapons patiently at the slow approach of the Brute before them. Topaz's heart pumped faster at the images of her mother in her head. The days she spent knowing Zen and Yui and the battles they shared, pulled a real smile to her face.
She charged recklessly with her weapon drawn backward, preparing for a cross-horizontal strike. The Hunter fell into line with Topaz, shifting back a little to counterbalance her longsword, coughing once under her breath while fixing her leer to the wyvern charging toward them. "I see now..."
With a great deal of effort, Topaz enveloped herself in magic, bending at the knees only to charge forward, her hooves nearly gave out while breaking up the land behind her, but the blade's tip was anchored to the Glavenus' heart. The Glavenus brought its tail up and over with a massive wall of searing flames, dividing the two Hunters that effortlessly kicked to the side to evade, the tail swiping over Topaz's head while she spun in a horizontal spiral between the monster's legs, tearing through the muscle fibers of the ankles, causing enough friction to buckle the weight of the Brute toward the left, the tail missing Ren by a hair while her crimson eyes hardened to their mark, blade prodding toward the thick skin.
Glavenus side-stepped her thrust, parrying with its tail, red and orange sparks reacting in the middle until they parted ways. A fire ruptured from within Glavenus for the final time, flames puffed between its jaws, igniting his throat and chest, turning the base of his spines a pale red. The sight frightened Ren, almost unable to draw her blade forward as the tail brandished another wave of fire toward Topaz, the mare narrowly escaping the blast that shook the world and Ren's heart.
"You're not its prey, you are not it's prey!" With her eyes dilated, a sudden, crimson burst of energy filled her muscles, constricting around her sword's edge. Ren swung wide up and around from her right to parry the flaming maw inches from her face, deflecting Glevenus' face to her left. Retracting its neck the brute chomped again only for Ren to spin into a backpeddle, blade held down by her right hip, striking strong and swiftly with an upswing, knocking the wyvern backward with a whine.
Continuing with her forward momentum she swung horizontally in a halo of scarlet, lacerating Glavenus' collarbone. Ren rolled under an swipe of flaming dirt, closing her eyes briefly to ignore the flames. Suddenly, a golden streak sawed through its right hip. Forcing the wyvern to focus on Topaz as itreeled its neck back and spat fire in her general direction. The molten slag exploded against her flickering barrier, shattering it like glass while the mare stared up at the snarling beast. She immediately rolled backward, bucking it with the jagged gauntlets across the jawbone while said jaw missed its chance to bite her in two.
Behind it, Ren slid across the earth, given her window of opportunity to steady her poise to thrust her longsword through the weakest point of the beast's scales like butter. "Hyrah!"
In a single plunge, she used the anchored edge of her sword to vault over the Glavenus' staggered body, flinging herself between the jagged horns while the underbelly was left exposed for her hands to raise her sword high, the glint of scarlet not lost in Topaz's eyes while she watched from below. The Hunter came crashing down, leaving a massive, vertical slant that pierced the twilight, and in turn, the wyvern that let out a dying roar, blood, and scales torn from its body in a stroke of crimson.
Both combatants stood five feet apart, neither moved an inch as the wind howled only once to signify the end of their fight, the body of the beast finally going limp. Both collapsed to their haunches, Topaz having suffered a gash to the right of her cheek, a few locks of hair trimmed too, while Ren held a hand to her stomach, noting the long gash that pierced her armor across her left hip.
Both glanced at the fallen wyvern, the fire in its tail snuffed out, allowing them a moment to bliss while the adrenaline ran from their veins. "Hey," Ren panted, gaining Topaz's orange eyes, that fire still burning away. With a soft smile, she raised her fist out to the Royal Guard. "Nice work, Guardian."
Chuckling, while noting her mouth was dry, Topaz lifted her own hoof in triumph alongside the huntress, winking under her wild locks. "And you too, Hunter."
The one thing that left Topaz nervous was the slight deforestation of the highlands, a number of logs left crackling in the descending sunlight. "I don't think any amount of paperwork is going to cover this." So while she groaned and fell backward, Ren simply broke into a hearty cackle, falling back herself, smiling at a job well done.
"Well, if it's any consolation... I'll buy you a drink." That was music to her ears.
Arriving in Hollow Shades small tavern after actively reporting the removal of the Glavenus' body, after Ren happily carved what she wanted from its body. The pair made good on their deal, sitting down at the counter in the quiet bar. With everypony still working it left the two and the bartender bat pony who silently served the pair, spotting the girls covered in soot and a few cuts and bruises bandaged up nicely. He grimaced at the stench but placed two glasses before them, filling them with a clear, amber liquid.
Topaz glanced to the side, glaring at Ren before sighing and tossing two bits onto the counter, "Offer a drink and you lack the funds, cheap." She huffed, sniffing her strong drink before chucking a large gulp down her throat. "So."
"So?" Ren mirrored, looking at her reflection in the drink before taking a sip, irked slightly by the strong kick. "Ugh..." That made Topaz snort a laugh, seeing that somepony wasn't tolerant to the taste.
"If you're like somepony I know, what's next? I don't take you as the kind to use magic," Topaz asked nonchalantly, though she did worry somewhat for the human now lost in Equestria, she had no way of returning the way she came, did she?
Ren paused a moment, swishing her drink around in the glass, wiping a stray smug of soot off her cheek, sighing softly with a strong smile. "Guess I'll just have to find my way back."
"But ho-" Topaz felt the fingers touch her lips, observing as Ren gulped the rest of her drink in a single swig, almost gagging as Topaz pushed her hand away to laugh at the girl's failure to act tough.
"*Cough-Cough* Okay, first, this sucks - b-but secondly, I mean it, if I fell into this world there's a way out, I know it," Ren was confident where Topaz still could not find, but that was an issue for another day, right now, she was just thankful the job was done, and with a lighter heart than before. "Thanks though, you're the best partner I've had!" Ren raised her near-empty glass with a toothy smile, enough to force a small, content smirk onto the guard's features.
"Heh, then here's to your journey home, Hunter." Topaz teased
"Pleasure's all mine, Guardian! Haha!" She beamed back
"Cheers!" Their glasses soon clanked, their quest fulfilled.
End
Author's Note
This was fun to write, having a new Hunter on the scene alongside the supporting character Topaz was always something I wanted to do, this was the best opportunity. Also, this wasn't a long battle due to the fact Glavenus was already injured prior to this battle thanks to Ren, just to clarify.
I hope you enjoyed this piece to the Indomitable universe, appreciate the support as always, see you next time Hunters!
