Everyone has been silent during the trip to the G.C. I don't blame them. We're the first Spartans to attack a true Unfamiliar location since the Burial, not to mention this mission won’t be an easy one. They match our technology. They have their own casters. They might have air support. They might also have griffin support. Based off previous scans, the settlement doesn't seem that big. It's settled in a small valley nestled among three large mountains. They'll see us coming. I'm almost certain of that, but they can't escape that easily either. The scans show a castle in the middle of the valley, heavily fortified with a small suburb to its north. That's our first objective.

I've pulled two Aquilas from Topaz and two more from the surrounding territory. I also brought a second I.T.A. with additional military bots for support. That, and I have my Spartans. I left Frank, Sledge, and True Will back at Fort Corium Gutter, but the rest are with me now. We're all fully loaded: multiple grenades, additional ammo, and encrypted shoulder walkies. We have a plan of attack, a plan of defense, and a meeting point should things go belly up. We have the gear to be successful; it's just up to us to succeed.

This is the first true counter assault on the Unfamiliar in over four thousand years and I'm going to make a difference this time. We're not just going to kill them all. If my assumptions are correct, then this might be a civilian holding. It took a lot of thought and reflection to come to this decision, but I decided that we will not be the monsters that they are. We will not be killing the civilian populace, but we will destroy any that take arms against us. We will be the first to attack and the first to take prisoners. It's quite the day. I guess Celestia is starting to rub off on me after all…

"Sixty seconds out," Easy tells us from the cockpit. We all go through our third round of checks. Ammo, check. Grenades, check. Weapons loaded, check. Armor secured, check. I press a button on my restraint to give the green light, as do the rest of the Spartans. My seat begins to shake as we begin to ascend the mountain side. The winds are rough, but we power through it. I pause for a second and psych myself up before I speak to the others.

"This is it!" I yell out, getting their attention. "Remember your training and stick together and we will get through this alive! Slow and steady! Remember your cause and-"

BOOM

Just as the ship started to level off something explodes just outside the door and we begin to drop quickly. Alarms are blaring all around us as all of the lights turn red. I grip the handlebars on my seat and brace myself for the incoming crash. The ship is fighting to stay airborne, but it's a losing fight.

KA-THUD

I shake violently as the vessel hits the ground. The ship bounces back into the air and starts to gain forward momentum. I can hear multiple shots being fired all around us, but our ship is either spinning to avoid them, or we lost two engines and are falling uncontrollably. I contemplate for a moment about throwing a shield up, but I don't know what good it'll do. I can't throw it outside of the ship because I don't have line of sight out there. And throwing it in here seems useless. If they break from their seats they'll die from the crash regardless. I tighten my grip on the bars and hold my eyes shut, waiting for the ground.

KUUUUUUSH-FWUM

I feel my stomach lurch when we hit the ground and flip into the air. I keep my eyes closed as we twirl around, quickly coming back towards the ground.

THUD

And just like that everything went quiet. There's still some gunfire going on outside, and the alarm is sounding off in here, but it all seems so quiet comparatively. I slowly open my eyes are look around. Everyone seems to be in their seat, and upside down. A few of them are stirring, while a few aren't. I look over and hit the emergency release, making the restraints snap off. I fall to the ground and groan as I feel a throbbing pain in my shoulders. I do my best to push the pain away as I go about getting the others out as well. Storm was directly to my right, but he hit his release just as I stood, so I go to High Flyer and hit his. He falls to the ground and stays still. I reach down to feel a pulse... he’s alive, at least for the moment.

PA-PA-PA-PA-PA

I look over to see Raz standing at the entrance. He's using one of the jets as a rest for his machine gun as he fires down range. His right arm is hanging limply at his side, most likely broken. I look around and see that all of the other Spartans are getting up now as well, so I move out beside Raz and take a look out at the city.

In the early night and with the shadows of the mountains, it's fairly dark out here. But red tracers fly at the city as green and blue bolts whiz all around. I see the two Aquilas have landed a bit before us to provide cover. Their chain guns are lighting up the oppositions pretty well too. The other I.T.A. is set up directly behind them, dropping off bots. I can see that most of the opposition is situated in the castle, but there are a few in the small village just outside the walls. The outside seems to be where the small arms fire is coming from.

"Orders sir!" I glance to Raz for a second before I tap his back and head back into the ship to gather my weapons.

"Yinbie! Get out there andprovide covering fire with Raz! Everyone else, we're making a run for the Bots up ahead. From there, Jumpers will flank left while Beserkers flank right. Leaf, Storm, and Si Ye will press forward with me. Understood?"

"RAH!" I nod to them and move to the open side of the ship, readying my rifle. Yin moves beside Raz and starts to lob grenades toward the enemy. I wait untill I hear the first explosion before I charge out into the fray, getting everyone to follow after me with a loud battle cry.
The fury of the tracers intensifies as we run through the darkness. I try to pay it all little mind, but a few get rather close at times. I keep running. There aren’t any last second thoughts to have. All there is to do is run and hope I make it to my destination. A few of the others have passed me. All of the Jumpers have taken to the air and are now practically at the destination. Those naturally faster than me have pulled ahead as well. I could use magic to get there faster, but I want to save as much energy as possible for the fights to come.

FWTANG

I fall forward when something slams into the metal plating on my thigh. I let out a quick yell of pain before I push myself back up and continue to run. Every step burns as I force myself along. I'm almost there... just a little bit more...

"You alive!?" Storm asks when I make it to the ships. I nod to him and try to catch my breath. "What are you thinking? Split Legionnaires and take the M.G.B.s for a run?" I wince from a sudden sharp pain and reach behind myself, pulling out a Quick Fix syringe. They're one time use healing spells that act quickly. They won't fix a broken bone, but they'll take the edge off. I bite the cap and yank it off before stabbing it into my thigh, aiming right between the metal plating. It stings at first, but a cool healing feeling washes over fast enough.

"Sounds like a plan. Legionnaires! Six left, six right! Military bots; five left, five right, the rest on me." They all salute and move into position. The legion bots form their phalanxes while the Military bots take up positions behind them, raising their weaponized arms above the shields. "COVERING FIRE!" I raise my rifle and start to fire up at the castle, setting the first level of enchantment to cause additional damage. Raz and Yinbie stop firing and begin to run towards our location just as all of the others begin to fire with me. It doesn't take long for them to reach us. After a brief moment to reload, everyone gets into position and waits for my command.

"... CHARGE!" They all let out another round of battle cries as they take off again. "Those with me, covering fire!" I raise up my rifle and begin to fire again. The tracers intensify from both sides as our units move into position. I motion for our Aquilas to move forward before I reload. Once I'm ready, I signal to the others with a tap on my chest. Once all of the others are ready they tap their own chests as well. I take a few deep breaths before letting out another powerful yell and charge the city.

It becomes difficult to see what's actually around me. All around me is darkness with wisps of red and blue flying all over. I see a few dark figures move past me briefly. Most likely Raz and the others moving ahead of me. When we make it into the city area they should let up, assuming their own citizens are there as well.

WWWWWWWWWUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAHHHHHUUUUUUUU

I slow for a moment when I hear that familiar noise. I've heard it before, back during the attack on Topaz. I steel myself to run faster as I search for the M.R.W.; Mobile Rail Walker. I find it sitting on top of the castle walls as it starts to charge up, the lights on the side of its barrel growing. I reach up to my comms and-

PWWWFFFFFFFF-TINK

A wave of air knocks me over as a metal slug flies straight through one of the Aquilas. I try to get up to run away, only to fall back down when the Aquila crashes behind me and explodes. I hear a few missiles fire from the other vessels and the roar of that machine again. I go to get up, but stop when I see a little girl ahead of me.

She can't be older than seven. Long blonde hair, light pink nightgown, clean white face, and fuzzy pink slippers. I assume she was asleep when this all started. She seems so perfect in contrast to all of the destruction around her. I reach out for her, knowing the danger that lurks around the corner, but she pays me no mind. She just wants the doll at her feet. She didn't ask for any of this, she just wants the doll-

"MILES!"

"DOLUM!" I yell when someone grabs my arm and starts to drag me forward. I blink a few times until I realize where I am. "Storm! Where are the others?"

"Clearing the first building. Are you injured?" he asks as we make it into the stone village.

"I'm good! You?" He gives me a look before moving beside a door, waiting for me to take my position. I move to the left and ready my rifle before nodding to him.

This part is easy, yet so difficult. I don't even know how many hours I've spent training for these kind of moments. Person one breaks door and tosses in a flash grenade. Using the bang as my queue, I fall in and validate my targets. Engage, destroy, clear. It's simple enough, in theory. But, in practice...

BANG

I move forward and start with the right most corner. Nothing but furniture. Scanning left, I find my three targets. Two adult griffins and a child. The male has a sword in his right claw as he ushers the other two behind him, though he doesn't know where he's going with both his eyes shut. He's obviously a civilian protecting his family, no need for anything too brash.

FWT-TANG

A single, well aimed round slams into his sword and knocks it out of his grasp. He falls back, pushing his family into the corner of the building. At this point Storm enters the building and moves straight to the stairs, covering it as I move to detain the griffins. Simple enough. But... they can't prepare you for every door.

"Are there any others within the building?" I yell out to him as I kick the sword away.

"Petra?" Dammit, I don't think he speaks English. And I don't know enough griffin to even try speaking with him. Hmm...

"Child! Upstairs!" Storm yells. I step over to him and glance up to see another child standing there. He seems to be about five, give or take. Storm flies up there and grabs him, making him cry out in fear. The woman here begins to scream out for him, but is held back by the guy. I cover Storm as he flies back down and gives the kid to the two of them. He makes some quick motions for them to stay here, getting a nod from the guy.

"We need to get moving!" I tell him as I glance upstairs. "Sixty seconds, mark?"

"Mark!" Storm yells back to me. I take off upstairs and repeat the same process for every room. It's a small house, so it goes by quickly. But it's just as intense as the first room. I don't know what's in there. I don't know what to expect. There could be an Unfamiliar waiting to blow my head off, there could be another child waiting for its parent. I'll never know until I open the door, and that is daunting. I've trained to do this; I'm good at this task, just like the rest of the Spartans. But... you never get used to the unknown.

"CLEAR!" I yell out as I finish up the last room. I walk back down stairs and go to the windows by the door. I stand to the side and look out at the small village. The gunfire has died down. That tells me that they aren't willing to fire on the populace. "Alright, we need to get moving-"

"We can't clear every building on the way to the castle. It would take too long," Storm points out. I nod to him, eyeing the crumbling walls of the castle.

"We'll have to make a mad dash for it then." I look across the street and see Yinbie in the window. He makes a few motions with his arms asking what to do next. I motion back to wait before looking back to Storm. "I'll take center and shield-"

"You want to march down the middle of the street with nothing but your shield? Are you sure you can handle all that incoming fire?" I mull it over for a second before motioning back across the street, telling them to be ready to move on my mark.

"We don't really have much of a choice at the moment. The others are all moving forward by now. besides, any resistance we meet up with will be small arms fire. You ready?"

"What about them?" I look back to the family and shrug.

"They're not doing anything, on my mark?" He nods to me and moves to the door, ready to make a dash for the castle doors. I sling my rifle and take a deep breath before taking my own stance. I seriously hope nothing larger than small arms fire comes at us. "MARK!"

Storm bucks the door open, giving me enough room to run out. From across the street the others do the same and join me in the middle. Once we're all here I throw my arms up and create the dome shield around us. I feel a few rounds ping off it for a moment, but that all ends rather abruptly. I don't waste any time moving down the street. The castle is only a few blocks away. So long as nothing heavy appears we should get there quick enough.

"Eyes open everyone. Watch the roofs, alleys, and the castle walls. I don't want anything getting the jump on us." I tell them. They each nod and take their positions around me. Lief takes the right, Storm covers our rear, Si Ye covers the left with four M.G.B.s and six Legion bots filling in between. A pretty good force if I say so myself.

The march down the road is slow and arduous. Everyone keeps their eyes open, waiting for anything to make the smallest movement. I try to keep a good pace, but I don't want to push myself too hard with this shield either. We have no clue what we're going to find on the inside. I try not to think about it though. Thoughts like that will get you killed. Focus. Keep the shield up, watch for enemy movement, don't rush into this carelessly.

"Enemy on the left!" Si Ye yells. I glance over to see a few people running between buildings. "Orders sir?" Orders sir.... "Captain!?"

"Leave them. They'll come back out soon enough. Just keep an eye out for them until we meet up with the others." He nods to me and watches for movement, we all do. I catch a few glimpses of them moving around. They're clever, if anything else. Small groups, corresponding quickly and never staying still. They know we'll have to come to a point soon enough, and that's when they'll hit us. I think I know where they'll do it too.

"Up ahead, the road comes to a cross. That's where they'll most likely hit us." I inform the others as we continue to walk. "Legionaries, tighten up. Lief, Si Ye, you're going under. Follow us there and wait for their counterattack. Understood?"

"SIR!" The bots tighten up on us, giving Lief cover to dig a hole through the cobblestone road. Having a Jade Hound has proven to be useful thus far. It almost makes up for the smell. Once the hole is deep enough Si Ye jumps down after him and seals the hole magically.

"Radio check, sound off." Storm mutters into the radio.

"Jumpers sounding off. Fully effective," Rainbow responds.

"Beserkers sounding off. Slight injuries but still effective," Big Mac responds. I nod to that, glad to hear we haven't lost anyone yet.

"You alright Cap?" Storm asks me.

"It's going to take more than a bullet to the leg to stop me." I tell him.

"How about a M.R.W.?" I shrug to that.

"That'll do it. Thirty seconds out."

"Stay here Miles. We need you." I stop in the center of the crossroad and take in my surroundings. This is the main road to the castle. From here it's a straight shot there. I can see movement in all of the surrounding buildings. Windows, alleys, rooftops; we're surrounded. I know we'll have the Beserkers join in on our right flank and the Jumpers from our front, but we'll still have that initial attack.

"Are you ready?"

"Are you?" I chuckle at that. You can't ready yourself for insanity.

CRACK-BOOM-CRACK CRACK CRACK-BOOM

Gunfire erupts from all around us as small explosions pepper the area outside. I feel the lines on me start to push their way all the way towards the center of my back as they continue to fire down on us. Some of those rounds are armor piercing, making the dome around us begin to crack. This isn't meant to break my shield though. They're softening it up for someone else... but who...

"DROP THE SHIELD!" I drop the shield when Storm yells and thrust a hand forward at the nearest building. The corner explodes and sends shrapnel all over our position as Storm opens fire. I spin around in time to see an Unfamiliar land just before him, the fires in his palms slowly dying away. Our bots open fire as well, pepper several of the buildings indiscriminately. I give a few more thrust to each of the buildings as well, clouding the air with the debris of the stone buildings. When the smoke becomes too much to see a loud battle cry fills the air. The legion bots each charge forward as the thunderous stampede comes our way.

I barely have time to draw my weapons before my first target appears. He's wearing armor similar to mine, only his has been painted a deep purple with golden highlights instead. I go to take a swing at him just as he fires his assault rifle at me. A few rounds hit me square in the chest plates, knocking the wind out of me and staggering my advance. I try to take a swipe at him, but he ducks my attack easily. He fires another burst, getting similar results. I give a loud yell as I put everything into a back swing, catching him in the helmet with enough force to knock him over. I step over his body and try to pierce him in the heart, but the armor stops me. He tries to shoot me again, but I smack the gun away with my sword and shove my blade into his gullet. He lets out a loud scream as black blood starts to seep out from in between his armor. I put a bit more weight into my blade until I feel his body go limp.

THWUNK

I fall over when something smacks me upside the head. I roll over just in time to see another Unfamiliar; in similar armor as the one before. He tries to dig his rifle’s bayonet into me. I scream back at him as I grab the barrel of the gun and force it to the left of my head, scratching my helmet. He goes to pull it back, but I kick up at his leg and force him to a knee. I bring my other knee up and force him down, with me on top. With one hand holding the barrel against his chest, I drive my trench knife up into his head, wrestling with him as he tries to break free. The first hit scratches his helmet, while the second one jabs him just below the chin plate. On my third strike I find purchase with the tiny bit of his neck that is exposed, getting a torrent of black to come running out. I twist my blade in the wound until I feel him begin to violently shake, telling me he's done with.

I push myself up and go to retrieve my sword only to get rushed again. Another Unfamiliar tries to get the jump on me, but a legion shield comes out from the smoke and slams into his side, sending him into the abyss. I join the bot as we press on against that fucker, pulling out my revolver along the way. The bot jumps ahead to cover all of the incoming fire from him. I move to the side and send a round into his chest, getting him to stagger back from the high caliber shot. This give the bot an opening to bring a blade across his throat, dropping him immediately.

I turn around and take aim at another Unfamiliar as he charges at me with a blade aimed right at my throat. Just before he could pierce me though, a burst of fire explodes from his back as he drops to the ground. I take aim and put some magic into my gun before I fire at the Unfamiliar that tries to stab Big Mac. The round hits him square in the head and crushes the helmet, getting him to drop quickly.

We're even.

Eeyup.

After our silent conversation, the rest of the Beserkers join me in finishing this fight. It doesn't take us long to kill the remaining three, but I have a feeling the others ran off before the dust could settle. At least we're only down two bots. Though we all took some serious hits. I can see a few blood splotches, and plenty of scratches and dents. The others look to me and wait for their next orders. I look out and see Dash leading the Jumpers towards me, so I wait for them to make it here before I address them.

"Alright, let's head for the castle now. We're going to detour through the alleyways in an attempt to keep them from firing their larger ordnance. These buildings aren't tall, so I want all Jumpers in the air to watch the higher levels. Bots will take point, understood?"

"SIR!" We brake for the alley way and take up formation, Jumpers in the air just below the rooftops and bots taking point. The rest of us form two lines and file in after the others, watching every window, door, and alley as we make our way through the narrow passage. We keep close to the walls as well, in an attempt to avoid incoming fire. Along the way we see plenty of the locals peering out through their windows. The griffins here are scared, for obvious reasons of course, but they aren't doing anything directly to us. Though, after some closer inspection, I realize that there aren't any young griffins looking out at us. Elders, young ones, and the sick look out at us; but there seems to be a clear demographic missing from here. Strange...

"We're at the wall sir! Do you want us to clear the top?" Rainbow asks. I peer up and give it a thought.

"Clear above the gate. Engage at range, but don't vacate the area. We need to stick together inside the walls. Understood?"

"SIR!" The jumpers take off, racing towards the top.

"Double time to the gate!" I yell as I drop the shield. I doubt that they'll be able to do any major attacks on us down here.

When we make it to the gate without resistance, I start to get paranoid. They're either trying to make a break for it or are holding up inside. I'm hoping they're waiting for us, oddly enough. I don't want to chase after them anymore than I need to. We walk in slowly, forming a half circle as we check each possible point of attack. Windows, balconies, doorways, anywhere and everywhere we check and double check. But the attack doesn't come. Where are they? Where are they hiding? We rush to the main doors and force our way in finding the door unlocked. From there we rush towards the throne room where we find a single Unfamiliar man standing there.

He's... nothing I've seen before. He's only wearing a white wrap around his groin. He has a bald head with a long white beard that goes down to his stomach. Every inch of his body is covered in what looks like Kroth text that's been burned into his skin. Maybe burned isn't the right word... It’s more like the text has been carved into his skin. His eyes are a milky white, with no pupils. He's smiling at us, waiting patiently for... something to happen. I keep my rifle on him as I close the distance between us, having the other Spartans cover the other areas.

"You don't have to worry, they've left already." His voice is old and raspy. But there's also an odd sense of cheer in there as well. I motion for a few of the Spartans to search the area before I step before the Unfamiliar, eyeing him carefully.

"Who are you?" He chuckles at that, making me even more nervous.

"I do not have a name. Not anymore at least. Lost that... I can't even remember anymore. My children call me the Nether Walker, in your tongue at least. Though, now it's become ours as well it would seem-"

"Where did the others go?" He stops for a second, looking up for a moment. I don't follow his gaze though. If there is something there, someone else will get it. I keep my focus on him. "Well?"

"Well... I have stayed behind in hopes of bartering their freedom, however long that may last." This time I laugh.

"Did you now? And why are you worth all of them?" He chuckles at that. I was about to say something to him when he turned to walk away, only he disappeared entirely instead. I raise my rifle and sweep around the room, looking for any abnormalities in the area.

"Why do you think they call me the Nether Walker?" I spin around when he starts to talk.

"How did you do that?" High Flyer asks in astonishment. I shoot him a glare, getting him to back off.

"I am a disciple of the Nether, the... eeeh... the Darkness. I've spent my entire life learning its ways, devoting my very being to its laws. My children look to me as.... eeeeh... like a holy person, of sorts. There... isn't a word that translates well enough. Well, not to my knowledge at least-"

"Do all of the Unfamiliar follow you?" I ask, getting a serious look from him.

"The Kroth listen to me, in part. Most listen to Kileh at the moment... but we are getting side tracked. As you can tell, I can be a formidable adversary. If I surrender to you, do I have your word that you will not hunt down my children today? No matter where you go?" I stare at him in utter confusion. He has the power to decimate us, yet he surrenders himself to protect the others. He could have killed me a moment ago, no doubt about that. There's something he isn't telling me, something I want to know.

"What happens when I say no?" I ask him, getting him to chuckle.

"Then at least I gave them a start on the head."

"... you mean a head start?" Storm asks.

"Oh! Yes! A head start! That one!" He seems... too happy about all of this.

"Why are you happy?" I ask, walking around him slowly. He just stands there, smiling away.

"Because I have no reason not to be. As I told you, I am a servant of the Nether. Would you kill me now, I would simply fade into the Great Nothing. Live... well..."

"Well?" I ask as I come to a stop before him, getting him to look me in the eyes.

"Well, how often does one get to meet an entity of the Nether?" Is... is he talking about Corpus? "You are... a strange being, Miles Eremita. Strange indeed. Many strings on you, each one pulling you towards a similar fate."

"And what would that be?" I ask, a bit of malice dripping from my voice. Strings? I have no strings! I determine my own fate.

"Hm. I don't know yet. But it's big. Big enough for an entity to willingly reside within a mortal. But, we can speak another time. You must decide now what course of action you will take. Take me prisoner and let my children go, take me prisoner and hunt my children, or kill me and hunt my children. What will you chose, Nihili Hominem?" I eye him some more before stepping away, motioning Storm over.

"What do you make of this?" I ask him through our internal comes.

"He seems nuttier than squirrel poop-"

"I like that one!" The Unfamiliar man says joyfully, appearing beside me. "But, what is a squirrel and why is his-"

"Back off!" I warn him, pushing him away. He shrugs and disappears, reappearing up at the throne. "I don't like this."

"I don't either, but... switch to command tone." I nod and switch channels, nodding for him to continue. "My honest opinion, lets take him and run."

"Run?"

"We just invaded the G.C. Miles. The rest of the world won't like that, not one bit. And if we're trying to win over favor with the other world leaders, we need to play it safe. Plus, I know a lot of the Spartans would like at least a few days rest. Most of them did just finish training. We just lost an Aquila and several bots, I don't feel good chasing after them without proper support. Let's take what we can and try again another day, when we have the advantage."

I think about it for a moment. It's true that most of the Spartans did just get out of training, some rest would be beneficial. And the other Unfamiliar are probably taking designated escape routes, meaning they'll be waiting for us to chase after them. We've lost the element of surprise now. And if his word is anything to go by, I doubt they'll shoot down the aircraft that carries him...

"Bag him and tag him Spartans, we're heading back. I announce out loud, getting everyone to move him.

"But... my people?" The Unfamiliar asks, sounding serious for the first time.

"So long as they don't fire on us, we have no reason to search them out." He relaxes a bit, until Lief and Yinbie grab his arms. I walk right up to him and remove my helmet, glaring down at him intensely. "But that doesn't mean this is over yet. Not by a long shot. We're coming for them, all of them."

"I don't doubt that. But, I bought them today, and that is enough for me. Let us be on our way then. You will find no resistance from any other Kroth on this day. You have my word-"

"Your word is meaningless to me. SPARTANS! Let's move out!"

"UH-RAH!"

This is it. The moment of truth. The Power Moot. Maant and I made it here early and waited patiently for this to finally start. My mother, on the other claw, decided to sleep in and isn't here at the moment. When we walked back into the moot area, a few dragons tried to start fights with me. Nothing major happened, but it was a nice reminder that I'm not wanted here. Maant has been silent this entire time too. Though I imagine she's nervous about what's to happen. If they don't accept my offering, that's the end of the line for her. If they do, then she has a long road ahead of her. She keeps eyeing the Virgum de Marcas, though I doubt she'll try anything stupid.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWW." A random dragon in the distance starts to roar, slowly getting all of the other dragons to join in.

"What's going on?" I yell to Maant.

"It's about to start!" she yells back before she joins in the screaming. It's about time they started. Bolas comes thundering down in the center of the crowd, silencing the others. I stand up and wait for... whatever's going to happen. I don't really know what to expect here. Bolas stands there for a moment before he starts to look around, eyeing each dragon along the way. Most seem to shy away from him, but the few that don't he snarls at; making them do so. When he finally makes eye contact with me, he grows a large smile.

"Dovah! Vos mii koraav fos tir lost drun us mii dahsul! Ahrk vos mii maat mok naal ok ofanaat, ful tol rok aal aav un leyk! " The others roar in response, some even sending plumes of fire into the air. I didn't quite catch everything he said, but I got the general gist of it. It's time to see if this will work or not. "Spike, what do you bring us?" I walk out into the opening, having several dragons snarl at me along the way. I stand there for a moment before I lift the metal bar above my head, getting a few growls sent my way.

"THIS... IS THE KEY TO MY POWER! WITH IT, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MATCH THE POWER OF EVEN BOLAS HIMSELF! AS OFFERING, I WILL TRAIN A SINGLE DRAGON TO WIELD THIS POWER JUST AS I DO!" I motion for Maant to step forward. She takes a deep breath before walking out into the open with me, trying to look strong with me. It stays quiet for a moment... a really long moment. I start to sweat when I begin to realize that they don't care if I train someone. Why would they? They want the power, not some girl they don't know! How could I have been so stupid!?

"HAHA!" Bolas laughs triumphantly, making me deflate slightly. "Rok lost unadaan liin! Fos saag hi?" Wait what? I've chosen a what now? The crowd erupts in a thunderous applause. I look over to Illit and see her just as red as I am, if not more. Bolas drops down to all fours and peers down at the two of us, still chuckling.

"We what now?" I ask, still confused as to what just happened.

"It is good that you found a mate. Hopefully this one will bring you great fortune. I always thought you needed a dragoness to temper you. You have my blessings."

"...what?"

"Go, consummate your union, and then you will become a Dragon of Power, a... Dovah do Suleyk." I stare up at him and start to rebut him, when he cuts me off. "Unless, that is, you do not wish to be a part of our Moot. Then reject my blessings. But, just know that no dragon will even listen to your plight if you do so. What will it be, kul do Drul Rigir?" I look over to Maant and stare at her for a second before I sigh and motion for her to follow. She blushes deeply, but follows anyway.

We walk together to a nearby cave where we leave the view of the other dragons. Once we're deep enough inside I start to punch at the wall. Each punch makes a small crater form, slowly getting deeper and deeper. Once a good portion is out, I lean against the wall and drop to my knees, letting my head rest against the cool earth.

"W-we don't have to-"

"Yes... I do." I cut her off, slowly opening my eyes to stare at the ground. "As much as I don't want to, I have to. He's right. If I refuse his offering, no dragon will ever listen to me. This is more than just the now. This is my future as well. For better or worse, we're-"

"Spike." She rests a claw on my shoulder and kneels beside me. I look up to her and see the pain in her eyes. I sigh and wait for her to continue. "Dragons... mate for life. I... I don't want to do this if... if you aren't going... this is bigger than... it... I..."

"This is your last chance Maant. If you walk out of this cave right now, I'll hold nothing against you. But... if you stay... then stay for the right reasons." I'm so sorry Rarity... please forgive me.

She thinks about it for a long time. I just sit there and wait for her to make her decision. I don't know how long it took her to come around to it, but in the end she makes it. She grabs the Virgum de Marcas from my claw and sets it aside before leaning forward and kisses me. I tense up from the kiss before leaning into her, taking charge over the kiss. I turn towards her and guide her down, slowly getting on top of her. She accepts my position easily enough, letting me take the lead.

There was little passion, if any at all. It was me, her, and the simple action. The entire time I couldn't stop thinking about Rarity. How is she going to handle this? How will everyone look at me now that... now that I've done this. What will Mom and Dad think now that I'm married. With all of this in my mind, we finish consummating our union and leave the cave...

There was little passion... and just like Rarity always says; 'If there isn't passion, there isn't love.'

Who is this mysterious new person? How will Rarity react when she finds out about Maant? When will I update without long ass wait?! Find out next time on MAN OF WAAAAAAAAAAAR!!

All silliness aside, this could have been here faster, but my father has been admitted to the hospital (I'm going to leave it at that for personal reasons, obviously). As such, there will probably be a period of slow updates... though I can see it still being the way it was like it is now. Essesitally, I could have updated all of my stories last weekend (If by post) but stuff happened.

Brony on!