Sunset scowled as she sat in front of the Campfire, the glowing piece of magic that shielded her from danger and healed her exhaustion. She had entered a pact with Melina, for better or worse, but was now faced with a choice. Either go through the Gatefront and head directly to the castle now or stay back and do a bit more exploring.

I could barely defeat that monstrosity back when I first stepped over, and couldn’t defeat that armored knight. If I head off now there are probably going to be foes just as strong, if not stronger...I’m going to need to make myself stronger before I can attempt something like that.

With a small groan, Sunset got to her feet, brushing off the dirt from her pants. Right down the dirt road from the massive stone gate and the ‘Site of Grace’, as Melina described it, were the stone ruins of a barracks. Sunset had previously snuck by it instead of just charging in, but if she played her cards right...

“I wonder what other weapons and armor rest in that camp,” Sunset muttered to herself. “Well, only one way to find out.”

Sunset crouched and slowly snuck her way toward the ruins of the barracks. On her left was a large black hearse with a soldier guarding the back of it. Further inside a few soldiers sat around one of two bonfires alongside dark grey wolves. Most likely trained attack wolves, if their lack of hostility towards the soldiers were any indication.

Using her skills in stealth, Sunset was able to creep over to the side of the hearse without the guard noticing her. The side facing away from the guard held nothing, so the mage slowly slipped toward him. Sunset pulled out her dagger with almost exaggerated slowness, preparing to stab down with full force. Once close enough she leaped forward, plunging her dagger into his neck with one hand and preparing to cushion his fall with the other.

Thankfully she didn’t need to do that, as he crumpled into her arms and turned into dust. Sunset waved off the dust from her face and turned to the black and iron chest - her prize. She cracked it open, wincing at the loud squeak that issued forth from the rusted hinges - and smiled at the blade inside. It was a greatsword with a golden hilt, looking like the longswords the soldiers wore except grown to greatsword size.

“Hmm...I don’t think I’m physically strong enough to use a sword like this.” Sunset grumbled and rubbed her chin with a hand. “I could try to do that ‘hammerspace’ thing that Celestia taught me.”

Sunset picked up the greatsword, one hand on the hilt and one hand holding the sheathed blade. Closing her eyes Sunset imagined that she was in a house built in her mind with her magic - a Mind Room if you would. Inside were a few knick-knacks and books she kept in there, alongside a large pile of parchment and inkwells for easy summoning. On a table sat a bag of bits and a small pile of strange golden coins.

Sunset frowned and stepped over to the mysterious addition to her Mind Room. There looked to be a little over a thousand of those coins, all glowing with familiar magic. They reminded her of the Campfires, or ‘Sites of Grace’. Maybe these were the Runes that Kale and Melina were talking about.

The mage put the thought aside to ask for the future and instead moved over to one wall. With a flick of her wrist she made several different weapon racks to store any blades or armor she found on her journey. Wouldn’t do to try to carry all of them after all, that would throw her back out.

Opening her eyes, the sword was gone, safe in her Mind Room. Sunset smiled at both the success and the fact that she could still access the Mind Room in this new land. She rose from her kneeling position and moved back into the brush, moving to the second hearse on the other side of the camp.

Halfway there the bushes had been cleared out for a small dirt path where a soldier stood, staring out into the distance under his bronze mask. Sunset moved to sneak past them but apparently ran out of luck. A rock slid under her boot mid-step, forcing her to fall to one knee with an obvious clank of metal on the stone.

The soldier turned around to face Sunset, who gave an awkward smile in return. “Uhhhhh...I’m friendly?”

He growled and grabbed a horn from his belt, putting it to his lips and blowing the alarm. Sunset jumped to her feet and tried to stab the guard before he could but was slightly too late. The soldier died with his horn to his lips as Sunset’s sword and dagger plunged into his lungs, crumpling into dust like his brother-in-arms beforehand. But the alarm had already been raised, and all around Sunset were the sounds of guards jumping to their feet and grabbing their weapons.

“Shit.” Sunset groaned, holding her straight sword and dagger in a ready position.

Seven soldiers gathered around her, five holding a sword and shield and two standing back with a heavy crossbow in their hands. Slowly walking towards the group was a much more fancily armored soldier, his full steel helmet affixed with a red plume that caught the eye. In his hands was a spear with a wide tip as well as a red great shield gilded in gold. The three tamed wolves ran around his boots, barking in excitement as they followed their master.

“As a Knight of Godrick, I give you one chance Tarnished.” The fancily armored soldier’s voice boomed, his higher authority clear in his tone. “Surrender or be slain.”

Sunset grinned, her grip on her weapons tightening. “How about you surrender before I kill you?”

The knight shook his head, and nodded his head, his command clear to his men. Three of the swordsmen jumped forwards, blades at the ready and careening towards Sunset. The other two swordsmen started to pace around, moving toward Sunset’s flanks. Alongside the charge two crossbow bolts came flying toward her, forcing her to move quickly to avoid them.

With a battle cry, Sunset rolled forwards, ducking under the bolts as they sailed over her head. Using the momentum of the roll she slammed her shoulder into the first soldier’s shield, sending him falling back. Sunset quickly took the opportunity to ram her dagger into the soldier’s neck, turning away as he choked on his own blood and died. The other two swung at her, with one attack able to be blocked with her own sword and the other slashing a chunk from her side.

Sunset hissed in pain and spun around, kicking the soldier on her right away as she did so. For the one that injured her, the one on her left, she feinted with her sword and stabbed him in the neck with her dagger. As he died she was hit in the left arm by two crossbow bolts, making her let go of the dagger in pain. Blood seeped down her injured arm from the major wound, but Sunset refused to let that stop her.

Instead, she channeled her pain into her magic and pointed at the left crossbowman, firing off a bolt of concussive magic. The soldier was too busy reloading his crossbow to notice the attack and took it head-on. The concussive blast sent him flying into one of the ruined stone walls, both him and the wall shattering on impact. The second crossbowman took a step back in surprise, turning back to the mage just in time to watch the bolt of fire that lit him aflame smack into his chest.

The swordsman still on her right once again stepped forwards, shoving his shield into her shoulder in an attempt to force her off balance. Sunset instead rolled with the impact, using it to put a little bit of distance between her and her opponent. For him, she grabbed the dagger from the ashes of his friend and launched it, the extra force from her magic allowing it to pierce through his shield and straight into his heart. He collapsed and turned into dust, only his sword remaining.

The final two soldiers charged forwards, blades held high and war cries on their lips. Sunset grit her teeth and channelled her magic, firing off a fireball at the two. Both soldiers died screaming as their flesh burnt and armor grew molten in the head, a terrible death. Sunset couldn’t help but fall to one knee, her magical exhaustion from firing off so many attack spells hitting her hard.

“Hmph. You are a powerful mage.” the Knight grunted, leveling his shield and spear at Sunset. “Perhaps I won’t kill you. After all, you would be a powerful gift to Lord Godrick.”

Sunset scowled, grabbing the fallen soldier’s longsword and rising to her feet. The two straight swords were a strange pair in her hands, but felt almost natural to wield together “I am nopony's ‘gift’.”

Sunset tightened her grip on the two blades, breathing out slowly in an effort to calm herself. Almost instinctively she crossed her blades, conjuring up the magical potential held within her golden blade. A golden tree symbol appeared before her for a second before fading away, her swords now glowing with a golden light.

The knight readied his shield and thrust his spear forwards, forcing Sunset to roll to the side to avoid it. As soon as she began to roll the three wolves jumped her, maws wide to rip and tear. Sunset growled and shoved her blades upwards, skewering one of the wolves through the stomach. The other two were able to land glancing bites, one tearing a chunk out of her jacket and the other nearly landing a kidney shot.

Sunset roared and ripped the blades from the dying wolf, nearly tearing it in half in the process. The dust didn’t have a chance to settle before Sunset leaped through it, blades at the ready to stab the knight. With a speed borne from the grace of her golden blades, she launched several rapid strikes at the heavily armored opponent. The knight readied his shield deflecting almost all the blows with his well-crafted tool. The second to last strike finally broke through his guard, forcing his shield just enough to the side to allow the final strike to land.

With a harsh cry of metal-on-metal, both blades punched through the knight’s chest, the holy fire horrifically burning through him. Angled upwards like they were the swords carved through the knight’s lungs, forcing the air out of him. Sunset grit her teeth and crossed her blades, carving through his heart and making the wound in his back all the bigger. The knight dropped his spear to the ground as he sagged in his death throes, his hand instead reaching out to Sunset.

“Your journey is in vain...Godric-” The knight choked out before Sunset shoved him back, her swords ripping out of him with a squelch.

Sunset spat on the defeated knight as he faded into naught but dust and ash, leaving his spear behind. The shaft was made of a simple golden-lacquered wood while the steel tip was solid and wide. Panting Sunset whirled around to face the two wolves that were circling behind her. She let out a loud shout and stepped forward, blades above her head to make her look bigger.

Thankfully the wolves ran off, scared by the death of their master and Sunset’s intimidation. Once they were far away enough Sunset fell to her knees, panting as the adrenaline slowly faded from her body. Her left arm was starting to completely fail, the two bolts in her arm causing her to bleed everywhere. The other various wounds all over her body sang their own chorus of pain to her weary brain.

“Must...not...pass out...yet...” Sunset groaned in pain as she forced herself back to her feet, her wounds sapping her strength and magical exhaustion nearly crippling her.

Sunset stepped over to a now abandoned wooden table, setting the two blades down upon it. With a huff she ripped off the bottom half of her shirt, giving her some material to work with. The former unicorn had to grit her teeth as she pulled the two bolts out, the heads of the bolts ripping her flesh out as it went. The makeshift bandage was wrapped tight around the large wound, tight enough to prevent too much blood loss but not too tight to cut off blood flow completely.

She let the other wounds sit as they lay, as they weren’t too deep to bother her yet. The blades were wiped off before they went into their scabbards, including the dagger she threw earlier. Now that the ruins were completely depopulated, she walked over to the final hearse, flinging the chest open to find a flail.

“Great. Something I don’t really need.” Sunset grumbled under her breath. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the weapon into her Mind Home, to be used sometime later.

Sunset squinted her eyes as she saw another one of those Sites of Grace further down the road. With a shrug she made her way over there, ready for its protection to properly bandage her wounds. She closed her eyes and waved a hand over the golden magical light, letting the wave of holy magic wash over her. Suddenly no longer feeling her wounds Sunset opened one of her eyes, seeing that all that blood was now gone.

“Well, that’s convenient,” Sunset grumbled under her breath.

Author's Note

Welp, there is 90% of Sunset's combat spell repertoire shown. Minus teleporting and shields, hard to do that when you're being swarmed after all.

Also, Sunset has now gained: Lordsworn's Greatsword, Lordsworn's Straight Sword, Flail, Partisan, and 500 Runes!

Up next for those interested: The Boc, The Samurai, and the Pot