Who Knows Where

Combat erupted as a great big beast burst from the sand and earth, great snapping jaws reaching simply for any meat they could find. Soldiers scrambled to defensive positions as shields went up and changelings flew high in dazzling movements.

That of course, left the Kid on the ground with his boots. A single grenade had been dropped on the floor, as a discouragement to any approaching lizard-thing as he rolled out of the way of something rumbling below him.

As a shield shattered under the weight of the eel's great maw, he took a running jump off the sand to bring his hammer down on a spiked spine that poked up like a fin.

Big beast acted like a more wild and fish like version of an Ankle Gator. These were no Queen Anne's, but still a conquerable threat nonetheless.

The tunneling worms were known as Quarry Eels to the native pony population. Same went for the changelings that had accompanied the Kid on this souring supply run.

But he knew the eels as only one thing, his next target. He deposited the mortar and began to quickly crank the windlass that allowed the fuse to light. As soon as he heard a whooshing sound, the rest was up to fate and aim taught by Caelondia's finest navy mortarmen.

It hit squarely in the middle of the creature's body, causing a blast that rocked the world and turned the thing inside out as it collapsed with a wet thud on the sand. The force of the impact sent most of the guards reeling backwards and onto the floor.

And here he was thinking that they were at the very bottom of Galloping Gorge. But nope, there was even more of a drop some considerable distance away. Dropping unstable munitions on enemy targets is an unorthodox, but safe and effective method of disposal.

With a practiced motion, he hoisted the mortar up and then dropped the mortar down onto his back, while at the same time picking up his hammer. Now that the guards were suitably disorganized and in no condition to try to chase him, he turned tail and ran, calling out for the changelings to follow.

The sounds of pursuit would be heard in a few moments, but for now they were safely away, a quick leap would bring them to the canyon floor. It was far from safe. As the group of four made their way into the canyon's depths, a deep growling rumbled under the sand, and the earth began to tremble beneath them as the earth quaked.

The Kid glanced at the changelings, still in pursuit of him, and readied his hammer. This is where things got rough. The changelings had slowed to a halt as a great sandstone wall shattered in the distance before them. The great beast that had dug up from the sand below them roared and roared, and its cry would shake the canyon in great gusts of wind as the great eel broke the earth.

The air seemed to freeze, but only for a moment, before it was filled with a crackle of lightning as a shell struck the beast right in its gaping maw. A great blast of flame, sand, and gore filled the air as it fell to the canyon floor in a heap. The beast was dead, and the ground stilled for a moment, the wind ceased, and the eerie silence of death had begun to take hold.

The changelings stood as still as they were when the beast attacked, stunned by what they had seen.

Kid just marches on with a simple handwave for the others to follow. They couldn't afford a theatrical fight at the moment. The Windbags learned that the hard way.

Now that the kid had a core in hand, brilliant azure blue and thrusting with power, the next step was to avoid capture by the Equestrian Military- and subsequently extract back to the Bastion with the closest skyway they could find.

Changelings didn't really know the skyways, after all, they'd been built by the humans and they were usually hidden from the view of outsiders. While he had a good sense of direction, the canyon was vast and he was getting tired from running through it. Not like he would ever voice that complaint.

Changelings flew with their usual lazy buzz, and while it seemed as if they had gotten out of the canyon, the earth around them began to tremble. This wasn't good. He had his mortar, so he could make the best of this situation, but he was still disinclined to rely on munitions, so he picked up the pace, trying to run over the shaking ground, while the changelings followed suit, now visibly disturbed.

A rumble, followed by a crash as a massive eel broke free from the soil and fell towards the Kid, barely dodging the beast and rolling away from its charge. He stood up and swung his hammer, taking a good chunk of the beast as it charged past, hissing and thrashing as it tried to turn around and catch the 'pony' that had hurt it.

The beast would only be met with a blow to the head from a heavy alloy hammer, the kid striking wild and true. He delivered a second blow as it was distracted, and the eel fell back into the hole it came from. It wouldn't die quite so easily, he knew, but at least this one had been dispatched for now.

He walked over to the edge and stared down into the chasm, now that it was quiet, he could hear something deep below, but it wasn't the same something as before. Whatever it was, it wasn't digging up, at least for now, and he wasn't going to wait around to see what was coming.

Back to running away it would seem. He tried to think about where to go, but with all the twists and turns of the canyon, he could hardly find a place he'd remember. Besides that, his mind was preoccupied by how well his hammer had worked, the strength of his swing, and the lack of any kind of resistance from his strikes. It almost felt like the core had helped, he didn't know why or how, but it had felt good to use his weapon.

It had been so long since he'd felt the weight of a hammer in his hands. The sheer strength of it, the feel of wood as it gave way, the cold of metal against his hands. He felt whole again, the pieces of himself that he had lost returning after so long spent without his life long friend in action.

He could do this. The thought lingered in the back of his mind for a while as he fought, not even pausing to glance back at the eel, for he knew that the thing was down for now, even if he doubted that it wouldn't come back. Instead, he focused on keeping the changelings at his side. They had proven their value today. He couldn't have them killed just because he got into a situation he was over his head with. He was getting sloppy, and he would have to correct that.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like his actions from when he was on the Wall were being reflected here. He'd just let his instincts take over, and while that had been good enough to survive, it didn't solve the problems. He had to be smart now. Use his head, use his talents, use his strength. And above all, never stop moving.

So he kept running, not even glancing back as he reached the canyon's edge, leaping out with the changelings following after him. He still hadn't lost his direction though, he knew where he was going and he knew how to get there. All he had to do was use what he was taught, and he'd find his way back to Rucks.

With a several foot drop ending into a skillful and nearly harmless roll into more sand and pebble riddled ground, he got up and turned back. The changelings set themselves behind him, covering his sides. There was nobody, nobody at all following them.

Maybe they'd managed to give the pegasi the slip and left them infighting among the beasts.

Now all they needed to do was get back to the Bastion, deliver the core to Rucks, and let him... Do whatever it was that the old man did.

He turned back and took more steps that lead him forward, looking with his eyes and feeling the gentle tug of what power remained in the crest that rested upon his back to find a skyway. He searched for the faintest glimmer- the sparks of energy, of wind being gathered. A spark. A glimmer.

It was right there.

There were no tunnels here, no beasts, no traps. Just the single skyway that would take him back to the safety of the Bastion. He walked closer to the light, not even bothering to check for anyone before jumping on. It had always worked before, and he knew that it would work this time as well.

This time.

As he landed, he could hear the whooshing noise of a powerful gale. A whirlwind.

A moment later, he felt himself being swept off his boots and carried up, up, and away into the sky.

The changelings flew alongside him, buzzing in confusion and surprise. As they looked down, they could see the earth far below, the great stone wall that marked the edge of the gorge, the twisting canyon they had run through, and the great pit where the eel was waiting. It was only when the wind stopped that they looked up to see what was happening, and their buzzing got faster.

Skyways were a rather quick form of transport. One that the kid was well used to by now. This was how he'd come to the Bastion in the first place, and he had only gotten more accustomed to the experience with repeated usage. However, the changelings had taken the long way around to the Galloping Gorge, by flight.

So for possibly the first time, The Kid, though landing face first onto the grass- was not the only one. Several changelings preceded him, their wings buzzing quickly as the ground below came up to meet them. The landing wasn't too harsh, considering the softness of grass, but that didn't mean that it wasn't anything but pain for a moment.

The Kid got up, spitting some grass out of his mouth before standing up. They were back at the Bastion. Good. He felt the change of air pressure in his crest as it began to settle, the signal that their job was over, but as he turned to head inside, he was greeted by a familiar, but unwelcome sight.

He'd thought he'd have enough time to go inside, get cleaned up and return to Rucks for further orders, but his day had apparently not been going according to plan. Chrysalis stood there, with a clear expression of displeasure on her face.
"Do you have the core?" She asked simply.

With a firm face and a nod, he withdrew the jagged and glowing blue crystal, presenting it to Chrysalis with little fanfare. It wasn't as if she was asking him to show off, he had more than enough experience with less savory officers to know that she wanted a core, and the best thing for him to do right now was to give it to her.

"You did well... Kid." The emphasis she put on the name was something that he had come to expect, and was not surprised at all by the implied accusation of some sort of failure. "Your group is dismissed, now go and get yourself cleaned up. You have one hour." And with that, she turned to walk back into the Bastion.

The two changelings that had accompanied the Kid stepped forward to leave, but were stopped by a glance from him. The look in his eyes was a silent one, and after a few moments of silence, the two nodded their heads and left.

For the first time since he had returned to the Bastion, the Kid felt completely alone. And that made him uneasy. He knew why it was so empty, it was because everyone was off on other jobs or other missions. It would take some time before Rucks could get back with a proper plan to make the changelings their own Bastion, and until then they were all going to be out there working and risking their lives.

That was fine. He understood that. What he didn't understand, was why Chrysalis had made such a big deal about taking care of it herself.