Hurt, everything just plain hurt: Her wings hurt, all four of her legs hurt, her back and flank hurt, and her head sure as spit hurt. But Amber didn’t have much time to wallow in this pain when a fresh new wave of it entered her system. Something hard and solid struck her gut and sent a shockwave through her entire body. Her eyes shot open with a gasp revealing a hazy blurred world that continued to spin out of control around her. Before she was fully collected another blow slammed into her stomach again. She tried to curl herself up on instinct and lessen the pain somehow but found herself unable to move. A tight binding cut into her limbs and refused to budge even an inch. When her vision finally started to clear she saw that she was in a dark room that was dimly lit by sconces along the walls. Her nocturnal eyes could see that the room was lined with dank, dingy stone while the pungent smell of mildew and several scents that chilled her filled her nostrils.

What’s more, she wasn’t alone: Standing in front of her with the darkly clad intruder she’d dealt with, his skull mask once more hiding his face.

“Hello there little birdie,” he said with a cheerful tone. "So glad to see you are finally awake."

Her first instinct was to ram her hoof into that arrogant face of his but once more Amber but her forelimb refused to obey her mental commands. Shifting her gaze up and down she found that she was bound to a large table that sat an angle to the floor. Her legs and midsection were bound by thick leather straps that held her down and cut into her skin beneath her fur. The more she struggled and the harder she fought the restraints the tighter they felt. Moreover, her uniform and armor was gone, leaving her exposed and vulnerable.

His hand roughly grabbed her by the jaw and forced her to look him in the eye yet again with careless abandon. “You have caused a lot of trouble in just one night,” he told her while leaning in closer. “Because of you, several years of planning and preparation to bridge the gap between your world and ours has been put to ruin by your bungling. Magus Lorenzo is not pleased.”

“My deepest apologies,” Amber snarled at him. “If you have a problem with my conduct, you really should take that up with my commanding officer.”

“Such a brave girl you are,” he praised her. “Do you have any idea what’s about to happen to you?”

“First guess,” she tugged at her restraints again. “Something I normally don’t agree to without a few drinks first.” Despite her situation, she smirked. “Be gentle - it’s my first time.”

“How droll - did you think your sense of humor would see you through this?” He reached over to a table that sat beside hers and picked up a long serrated knife. In the dim light of the braziers that lit the room, it showed signs of caked material from use without cleaning. Her captor brought the blade close to her face to show her the weapon before he playfully dragged it across her cheek, just barely pressing in enough to shave some of her fur off.

“In any case, as I said before, you have cost the Empire much,” he whispered to her. “It will take a great deal of time before we can use the mirror again and by then your people will no doubt be ready for another incursion. So, you are going to tell me everything about your military and what they are capable.”

“You wanna know what we’re capable of?” Amber asked with a smirk. She reeled her head back and let fly a wad of saliva that struck the front of his mask. “How’s that for a start?”

He roughly took her by the neck while his strong grip pressed tightly into her throat and began cutting off her air supply little by little. She could feel his glare on the other side of his dead mask boring into her. The blade he had been holding in the other hand slammed into her table just beside her face, close enough to cut a line of red through her cheek. He took a few calming breaths and slowly let her go while a low chuckle started to grow in his throat. Inwardly Amber smirked at this-she’d found something she could dig at for the time being.

“That was very rude of you,” he warned her.

“Believe me pal, that isn’t even the tip of the iceberg,” she sneered in return.

“That will be a problem, I really do not like rude women,” he reached over her head and began tightening the straps on her forelegs.

Amber bit down hard on her lip as she held herself in check from screaming, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “C’mon, is that all you got ya hairless ape!?”

He took a step away from her and started to busy himself with his tools. “Perhaps we should just escalate things.” He suggested. “When I was a child, I used to catch little birds,” he told her in a calm casual tone. “I would cut their wings off and then throw them to my cat.”

Amber’s eyes started to widen in fear as his story started to make sense with her current situation. To her horror he picked up a large gnarled cleaver and walked over to her side. She started to struggle violently against her restraints now while her wings clung tightly to her sides. His hand took her by the left wing and fought with the surprisingly strong limb. Eventually he managed to pin it against the table and hold it in place.

“That fear I see in your eyes, are we ready to talk yet?”

“Go to Tartarus, you fucking bastard!” she hissed at him with her fangs bared.

He gave her wing a painful twist until she let out a yelp for him. Her masked captor dragged the chipped blade of the cleaver across the limb of her wing to let her feel the sharpness of the weapon. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to put this out of her mind, she couldn’t talk, she wouldn’t talk, Equestria depended on her.

“Am I hurting you little bird?” he whispered into ear. “My leg still hurts too you know. I suppose this will make us even.”

“Let me off this thing and I’ll tear the rest of it off!”

The cleaver fell with a flash of metal after her response and Amber let out a shout as she braced herself for the coming pain. She stiffened at the thought of looking down and seeing nothing but a bloody mess where her wing used to be. But she felt nothing. Cracking her eyes open she saw that he slammed the blade into the torture table just short of cutting into her wing. Then he did something that cut even deeper. He laughed.

“Did I scare you little bird?” he asked while retrieving the cleaver. “This is your last and only chance to save your pretty little wing. Tell me what I want to know.” He whispered sweetly into her ear.

She glared as hard at him as she could. The raging torrent of fire in her breast burned and tore at her soul as it pushed its way through her veins. Amber could feel tears starting to form and well up around the edges of her baleful eyes the more she stared down her tormentor. Breathing heavily, she said the only thing that came to mind. “Screw you!”

He brought the cleaver up yet again and once more Amber shut her eyes tightly. Her mind for just a moment though about how she would never again soar through the night sky with her brothers and sisters. She would soon be half a Thestral, bound to a life crippled and chained to the earth she strode upon. The held back tears started to roll down her cheeks and the once strong guardsmare let out a quiet prayer to Celestia and Luna to somehow deliver her from this. But it wouldn’t be them that answered her pleas.

As if in answer to her prayers the door to this dungeon was kicked open. On the other side stood another of these creatures, his features were softened by youth and marred only by a scar that cut a path down the right side of his face. His head of shoulder length blonde hair was tied back out of his deep blue eyes. He possessed a slightly smaller frame compared to her torturer yet he looked to be no stranger to rigors of hard work judging from the strong build he possessed. Over his modest clothing was a breastplate of armor and a torn ragged tabard that bore the image of a silver dragon upon a blue field. A pair of gauntlets and thigh armor provided more protection for him while a broad bladed sword was held at the ready.

Her captor let several choice words of rage before yanking the knife from the table and facing the intruder, a blade in one hand and the cleaver in the other. “What’s this, a baby dragon come to have his wings plucked as well? What brings you here boy?”

“I've no words for you, Reaper, only steel,” the newcomer snarled before rushing towards him.

He swung his weapon with a practiced motion at the darkly clad sadist’s chest but it found only air as his opponent leapt backwards. In answer there came a rapid flash of cuts that the young warrior wasn’t fast enough to dodge. To his credit, he was able to meet the smaller faster weapons with his own to shield the blows. Taking a step back, he used the longer reach of his sword to keep the skull masked Reaper at bay.

Amber's neck craned and jerked about as she watched the exchange play out just a few feet away from her. She could see that younger swordsman, while clearly knowledgeable in how to use his weapon, was at a slight speed disadvantage. The skull masked Reaper was far faster and more precise with his blows as he probed the armor for any gaps he couldn’t immediately spot. She couldn’t help but think of how one sided this fight might have been if he wasn’t still limping from the injury she’d given him. With a low growl she fought against her restraints yet again, hoping against hope that maybe this time they might break and she could join the fray.

There was a loud clang of steel as the Reaper locked the sword between the dagger and the cleaver. “Tell me boy, where’d you find this sword and tunic? Steal them off a dead Chevalier did you? Hoping you could make yourself a knight with their order dead?”

The young man growled in anger as he lashed out with his shoulder to force his opponent away. When he tried to advance on him, his opponent kicked the table of torture tools into him causing the swordsman to stumble. This was quickly capitalized on when the masked sadist rushed forward and knocked his armored foe to the ground. The Reaper was quickly on top of him and stabbed his knife into the unarmored meat of his arm causing him to shout in pain as well as loose his grip on his sword.

"Such a shame, with a bit of training you might have actually been a challenge," he taunted him before bringing the cleaver up to deliver a killing blow.

Before the thick rusty blade could make its descent towards the young man's head an arrow buried itself into his shoulder. The force of the blow caused him to topple off of the man he was hoping to kill and drop his cleaver. Amber's eyes tore away from the fight going on before her to find the source of the arrow. He stood in the doorway with another arrow already knocked on his bow string and readied to fire. His features were slight and fair with a touch of stubble and a short kempt mane of brown hair. Sharp green eyes that currently glared harshly at her captor and ears that came to a point. A long brown coat hung from his slim figure and obscured a multitude of tools and what looked to be some slight armor.

"Can't 'ave ye kill'in the squire," the newcomer said sternly. "Not till we been paid anyways."

“Knife eared bastard!” The Reaper shouted before scooping up his discarded cleaver in his still functioning hand and threw it with all his might.

In response to this exchange, the pointed eared archer let go of his bowstring and let the arrow fly. Arrow and cleaver brushed alongside one another in midair before continuing towards their respective targets. The cleaver slammed hard into the doorframe beside the archer’s head causing him to flinch away from the splinters that broke loose and flew at him. The arrow struck the upper corner of his chest and fell backwards to the ground where he laid limply upon the stonework with his blood pooling around him.

"Can stand be'in called a bastard, but knife ear, no call fer that," he said with a snort before looking to the swordsman. "Told ye ta stay ta the plan squire, what do ye do, run off ta find some distressed maiden?"

"Apologies, Rourke," Rictor said as he got back to his feet. "But I will not turn a blind eye to something as loathsome as torture." After retrieving his sword, Rictor looked about the room while a steady trickle of blood ran down his arm from the where the dagger still pierced him. "My lady, you're safe now no need to hide."

"Who's hiding?" Amber asked aloud.

Both of their eyes settled on the restrained Amber with clear shock and confusion on their faces. Rourke looked outside the room for a moment then back at Amber before asking, "Did that tiny horse jus' talk?"

"I... believe she did," Rictor answered with a bit of unease.

"Yeah, hi, name's Amber," she greeted them. "First off, pony, not a horse, secondly, would one of you mind getting me off this thing?"

Rourke roughly nudged the squire forward, who quickly got the message and went to work cutting the bat mare loose. "So, Lady Amber was it, right quick introductions, m'name's Rourke an' this here is one'a me men, Rictor."

"Rictor Laviolette, at your service my lady." Rictor introduced himself to her.

"Private Amber Shine, Equestrian Royal Guard, Lunar Guards division," Amber said in reply. When the last of her restraints was finally removed, the mare eagerly hopped off the table and gave her limbs a testing stretch to weed out any problems. "So where I am anyways?"

"Arse end'a what used ta be the nation’a Drechsel," Rourke replied. "Currently reside'in in a cozy dungeon out here in'a the wonderful Accosstan Empire's lovely little outposts. What brings ye here, Guardswoman Shine?"

"I was stopping that skull masked dink from kidnapping Princess Twilight Sparkle when I tackled him through some magic mirror doohickey. Next thing I know I'm strapped to an oversized cutting board and about to lose my wings. Thanks for showing up when you did."

"Aye, well, should be thank'in the squire," Rourke said with a wry grin. "Jus' had ta come run'in when he heard a lady in peril."

“I would’ve come, lady or not,” Rictor quickly defended with a touch of red in his cheeks. “My code demands I help any in need.”

“Well, now that ye’ve saved yer princess, we’ve got’a job ta finish,” Rourke reminded him before looking back to Amber. “Hope they taught ye how ta fight in them guard'a yers Shine."

--------------------

They silently slipped their way through the darkened halls of the keep while the light of braziers and sconces pushed back the night. Several patrols had nearly found them in their slow but steady advance through the darkness as Rourke led the way. Amber was admittedly impressed by the man's skills in the art of stealth. Her instincts as a guardsmare told her that perhaps he’d had more than a little practice at this. Before long he'd led them through the fire lit halls to a simple wooden door at the end of the hall. He tapped against it with a four knock rhythm which was answered in kind. With an impish grin, he quickly slipped inside while motioning for the other two to follow him.

"Right, so, more quick introductions," Rourke said to the batmare.

The first he motioned to was a stout strongly built broad shouldered man that stood several heads shorter than Rourke. His head was bald save for a ring of black hair that circled his head around ear level with a pair of deep brown eyes. A long thick beard hung from his scar littered face and reached down to his stomach with three thick chains woven into it. He wore a suit of armor and chain that like his face was torn and tattered by past battles while a large thick staff topped with a heavy head of etched stone was propped against his shoulder.

"That there’s Ogrham Hammerbeard," Rourke said.

The next was a woman, at least Amber guessed she was female from the thin, curved form. She had long black hair that reached to the small of her back and was tied into a ponytail. What truly set her apart from anyone she'd seen thus far was her crimson skin and the horns atop her forehead that curved around the top of her head. Deep red eyes stared in boredom at the world around her while a long serpentine tail swayed back and forth. Her curvy form was dressed in dark, form fitting clothing with a long dark cloak that was draped around her shoulders. Around her waist hung a belt with a number of pouches and small satchels along with a curved dagger that had a highly stylized hilt.

"Our squire’s lovely sister, her ladyship Sabine Elisa Laviolette."

The last one was by in far larger and thicker than any she'd met before towering above even a minotaur's she'd met back in Equestria with just as much muscle. He was covered from the shoulder down in thick armor plate that looked to have cobbled from other sets. His shaved head showed signs having at one time had a mane of red hair while his mostly unmarred face came to a squared jaw. At his side hung a thick a axe while a heavy metal shield sat upon his back. Despite his large and slightly frightening appearance, his soft green eyes shone with an air of kindness.

"An' this hefty feller here is one Frank Jenkins."

"And I am certain there is a reason you are introducing us to a mutant pony?" Sabine asked with a critical stare aimed at Amber. "For that matter, where did you come by this creature?"

"Ye know me yer ladyship, always find'in strays," Rourke replied with a smile.

"And that creature has a name," Amber snapped. "I'm Private Amber Shine of the Equestrian Royal Guard, Lunar Guards Division."

"Bloody 'ell, the damn thing speaks," Ogrham said through a thick accent. "Wonder 'ow they got the wings ta stay on."

"Have a care Lord Hammerbeard," Rictor hissed at him. "She was being tortured by a damned Reaper when we found her, the bastard was about to cut the wings from her back."

"Reapers, Accosstan monsters what they are," Frank said in a sullen tone. "Sooner we leave this place the bett'a I says."

"Be leave'in soon as we do our job," Rourke assured him. "Private Shine's gonna help us too."

"I'm doing what now?" Amber deadpanned.

"Lest ye'd rather go back to be'in their guest?"

----------------------

Amber, Rictor and Sabine quietly made their way through the night-soaked halls of the keep. The thestral's superior hearing and night eye made her invaluable in avoiding any of the guards that patrolled the halls. Under Sabine's direction they eventually made their way to an open yard at the rear of the keep. A number of soldiers in red and white armor milled about with their nightly duties. Several small fires dotted the area where soldiers gathered about to tell tales, some tended cooking pots while many simply had a good laugh to share with friends. Just beyond this small scene was a barracks that had been built against the back wall of the fort where several others came and went from. All of them however were unaware of their presence just a yards away from the other side of the a wall.

"What exactly are we doing here anyways?" Amber asked in a hushed tone.

"We're to create a distraction," Rictor whispered back. "Something to draw attention away from the front gate whilst the others open it."

"And how do we go about that?"

"Normally I would suggest simply setting the entire keep ablaze," Sabine stated flatly. "Unfortunately I am without proper components for such a task." Her gaze scanned the area until it fell upon a wagon heaped with hay and a wicked smile moved over her face. "But as always, improvisation is the salvation of the destitute."

The red skinned woman guided her companions to the cart at the corner of the walled in backyard. She muttered "Ignis," while waving a hand over the straw and much to Amber's surprise the strands of dried grass sparked and caught fire and quickly began to spread. Not wanting to waste time asking questions, she quickly fell in alongside Rictor and helped him lift the wheels free of blocks that kept it in place and started rolling it towards the soldiers. When it caught speed it quickly rolled away from their grasps and continued to barrel into the unsuspecting group.

One man in particular that was minding a stewing pot of meat and vegetables happened to look up just in time to see the rolling cart of fire. Shouting in alarm, he managed to duck out of the way before being run down. The cart however did not slow its pace until it smashed into the front of the barracks and launched its flaming contents inside. Screams and shouts filled the air alongside heat and smoke as the fire quickly spread throughout the building.

--------------------------

At the front of the keep, Rourke and the others waited in the shadows for the distraction they needed. Ahead of them was a wide open courtyard encircled by high walls that several Accosstan soldiers kept a vigil upon while a pair stood guard beside a massive wooden double doors built into the wall of stone. Scattered about the area were a number of braziers that cast a dim light against the shroud of night that currently fell upon the fortress. Right on cue plumes of smoke started rise into the night sky as well as many shouts from within the fortress walls. Much to Rourke's joy, half the men stationed at the gate left their posts and headed towards the commotion leaving only five men to deal with.

"Right then lads, time fer some fun of our own," pointy eared arched chuckled.

Rourke was the first to dash from the shadows. With long-practiced and honed motions, he jogged and hopped from object to object until he was perched upon the wall's walkway. He took careful aim and let fly an arrow that managed to catch one of the archers on the wall unawares. The shaft buried itself deep into his back until the head pierced through his chest. Sputtering and coughing up gore, he toppled from the roof and hit the ground in a limp heap.

Ogrham let out a loud shout in his native tongue as he bounded out across the courtyard, his warhammer raised high over his head. Close beside him Frank kept pace with the howling dwarf, his shield raised up and ready to defend and his axe in hand. Several arrows flew from the wall aimed at the pair, only to strike harmlessly against the strong material of the shield. Ahead of them, a pair of soldiers armed with spears rushed forward to meet them in combat.

One of the two remaining archers on the wall had little time to ready another shot when and arrow from the other side of the courtyard pierced his chest. His lung seized causing him to gasp one final time before falling to the ground.

Ogrham met the spearman head on and made no move to dodge his thrust. The tip pierced him in the shoulder where his armor gapped for moment. He grunted in pain before the bearded warrior to let out a boisterous cackle. His hammer fell hard upon the shaft, snapping it with ease. Before the opponent could react, the stone head of the war maul swung upwards and caught the man in the jaw. The force of the blow lifted him several inches into the air with the sound of snapping bone as his opponent’s jaw and most of his face was forced into the rest of his skull. He managed a gurgling noise before falling to the ground in a growing pool of blood.

Frank flinched when the spear struck his shield, but he kept his head enough to turn the blow away from him. Stepping into the opening he'd made he brought his axe down against the other man's shoulder. The force behind the blow was enough to break through skin, muscle and bone, hacking all the way into his chest cavity. Shortly after this victory however, Frank let out pained shout when an arrow pierced him through the lighter armor between his hip and thigh. The mountain of man stumbled forward but stopped himself with the edge of his shield buried into the ground.

Before the last remaining archer could knock another arrow to fire at the hulking man a voice bellowed loudly. "Fulmen Ignem," a streak of flame hit him in the side. The man was set ablaze and screamed in pain before dropping from the wall. Sabine gave the still smoldering corpse barely a glance as she passed it.

As Amber and Rictor followed close behind the dark woman, Amber could not help but give the burnt remains a sad look. For a moment she cursed her tribe's enhanced sense of smell and hearing. The stench of burnt hair, flesh and tissues filled her nostrils and tried to gag her while keen ears could hear the bubbling of the skin that still burned and the cracking of what had cooled. She was snapped out of this stupor by nudge in her side by Rictor's scabbard.

"Plan'in ta set the whole place on fire?" Rourke asked loudly.

"You have your distraction, thief," Sabine warned him before making her way towards the slightly hobbled Frank. "Dearest Franklin, are you alright?"

"Aye, m'lady," he said with a forced smile as he rose back to his feet. "Can still fight."

"Bah, the boy'll live lassy," Ogrham said with a snort before pulling the spear tip from his arm. “Oi, pon’eh, squire, gimme a ‘and with the door. Sabine, signal, now.”

Amber fell in along with the others, she and Rictor went to either door while Ogrham brought his hammer down upon the thick plank of wood that kept them barred. The hammer's blow shattered and splintered the wood with a single blow. The squire and the guardsmare pushed hard against the heavy walls of wood until they started pushing open. Over her shoulder, a ball of green flame shot into the sky and exploded with a bright loud pop.

"Okay, so, anypony mind telling the new girl why we're doing all of this?" Amber asked.

Before she could get her answer, several armed Accosstan troops poured back into the courtyard while several fresh bowmen took their positions on the walls. Amber braced herself for yet another fight, her fangs bared and wings spread out to their fullest. Her ears twitched as a thundering in the night grew louder and closer. Out of the black came a small sea of horses the likes of which Amber had never seen before. They were tall, strong and in some cases even armored. Moreover, they each bore a rider in dulled armor of various makes and materials while overhead they flew a black flag with a golden eagle. The riders let out a shout as they rode through the crowd of soldiers, hacking and slashing them apart in the process.

"Long story short, Shine," Rourke answered her. "We're open'in the door fer our friends outside."

An arrow brushed past Amber's cheek leaving a shallow gash across her face and reminding her of the current battle. She quickly ducked behind the heavy door before another pair struck the thick wood with a loud THUNK. Tentatively her head poked around the corner to see the chaos erupting throughout the keep, even her new allies had joined the fray.

Ogrham was already wading his way into the thickest of the fighting, his massive warhammer striking at anyone brave or foolish enough to get within range of the stout warrior. Sabine continued to cast her spells with devastating effects upon the archers on the walls, showering them with ice, fire and lightning while Frank stood guard at her side. Any who broke away from the melee to challenge the red skinned mage soon found themselves face to face with a hulking mass of metal wielding an axe. Overhead she caught a glimpse of Rourke as he darted about sending arrow after arrow into any target he could spot. Across the open gateway she saw Rictor, praying?

He had taken to one knee and pressed hand-guard of his sword to his forehead and his mouth moved with the softly spoken words that escaped. Through the sounds of metal striking metal and the screams of the dying and wounded, Amber's thestral ears picked out the young warrior's voice, "Bahamut, watch over us and guide my blade." With his peace said he rose to his feet and rushed around the corner, blade in hand and ready to join the fight.

Everyone had joined the battle, everyone but her. Here she was, a member of the Royal Guard, a weapon forged by the fires of Equestria's military and deployed in direct service to the crowns and she was hiding. Anger and shame burned through her body and filled her contempt for herself. This wasn't her fight, her war, her country or even her people, but one of them had risked everything and nearly died to save her. The least she could do was protect one man.

She spread her wings and with one strong flap she was launched high into the night sky. Soaring overhead, she could survey the fight with ease and quickly found her first target, an archer that had survived both Sabine and Rourke's attempts to clear the wall. Her sharpened predatory eyes honed in on him as he was drawing back on his bow and taking aim at Rictor while he crossed the open field of the courtyard. Tucking her wings against her sides, she went into a quick nose dive . Amber cut a path through the air right to Accosstan soldier just before he could lose his arrow. Her forehooves connected with the top of his head with a loud bone shattering crack before her wings shot out to halt her descent.

Amber gave a quiet thank you prayer to the Goddesses for making her and her pegasi cousins so resilient to falls. The bat-pony and the squire locked eyes for just a moment, she gave him a proud smile and nod before another projectile narrowly zipped past her flank. Hissing in annoyance, she went airborne again and quickly closed the gap with the soldier as he knocked another arrow.

Her hooves shattered his bow but his own reflexes allowed him to jump back before she could connect a blow to his body. The Accosstan drew his sword wasted no time in trying to hack away at Amber. She ducked and dodged as best she could, tumbling across the wooden planks or hopping through the air just out of reach. Her lack of armor kept her cautious while facing an enemy with a sword and her own lack of weapons kept her options limited. Thankfully she was a fast target and was able to outpace her armored and armed opponent. She needed to end this fight though, before one of his comrades joined in and made it harder than it was already.

Amber darted towards her enemy, just barely ducking under a swipe that would have cleaved through her neck. As she ducked between his legs, her long leathery wings acted like a pair of hands and grabbed him around his shins. Her already built of momentum coupled with the surprising strength of her wings yanked his feet out from under him and sent him toppling face first. Seizing the opportunity she now had, Amber took one quick jaunt into the air before coming back down with all her speed and force focused into one hoof that struck his spine. She could feel his entire body tense all at once with out loud painful scream before limply laying there with a last breath escaping him.

Breathing heavily, she trotted over to her felled opponent's weapon and took the sword between her jaws. She had a weapon now and that caused her confidence in this chaotic melee to sky rocket. Grinning inwardly, she took once more to the air and began scanning around for her next target.

------------------------

The battle did not last long. With the first rays of daylight far across the horizon, Amber, her current companions and the riders in the night had routed their enemy. Many who had worn the red and white were now laying dead whilst others had been rounded up as prisoners and kept under guard.

Once more she hurt all over, Amber had not shied away from the skirmish that had followed with opening the gate. She fought with everything she had alongside the warriors of that flew the eagle flag and was feeling the price. Now that adrenaline had worn off she was no longer able to block out the pain and fatigue. Trotting her way to a fountain she took one of the buckets and poured it over her head. She could feel the caked gore and grime strip away from her while icy cold water soaked through her coat and into her muscles. Sitting on her haunches she tried to ignore the obvious curious stares she was getting from everyone around her.

"Well fought, lady Shine," Rictor's voice caught the mare's attention and drew her gaze towards him. Like her, he was caked with a fair amount of sweat, grime and gore that stained his armor and clothes.

She forced up a smile through her growing fatigue. "Honestly, I was just following suit with you and the others," Amber said in a hoarse raspy tone.

"You look to have taken quite a beating," Rictor commented.

Before she could answer him, he placed a hand gently on the side of her neck. A soft white light spread from his palm and moved itself across her body, filling her with a soothing sensation that radiated through her core. As she came out of this relaxed state, she looked herself over and saw that the cuts and bruises had all but faded with only the faintest evidence of them remained.

"Healing magic," Rictor answered her before she could even ask. "While I'm not as skilled as our master dwarf, I can mend most wounds to an extent."

"So, any chance I could get the full story about what's going on here?"

"You deserve that much," Rictor agreed before taking a seat upon an overturned bucket. "You've come to our land in the middle of a war, though many say the war is long since over and that we've clearly lost. This land, Drechsel, was once a small but strong kingdom that shared a border with the far larger Empire of Accossta. Many argue on either side about who started things, but in the end more than half of Drechsel was taken by Accossta and the remaining lands left to fall into ruin. These men you fought with are all that remains of the nation, remnants of the army, farmers turned freedom fighters, and rebels that want to see their country freed."

"So that's what you guys are then, a bunch of freedom fighters?"

"It’s a bit more complicated than that. Suffice to say... we’re on their side as them."

"And what happens to me now? I don't wanna sound ungrateful for the rescue or anything like that, but I'm a foreigner in these lands with no real stake in this war. Besides that, I don't even know where or how to get back home. All I have to go on is what that creepy skull mask guy said about bridging our two worlds. A lot of this is way over my pay-grade."

"I suppose, Lady Shine, that you'll have to decide that for yourself."

--------------------

Rourke made his way into the small chamber deep within the walls of the small fort. There he found his comrade Sabine already engrossed in work. The demonic looking woman was already hard at work sifting through stacks of notes and charts as well other things. It looked as though everything had been taken in a hurry. Torn scraps were still hanging from walls where they had been hung when they were still whole. At the center of the room was a large circle painted onto the floor containing a number of strange runic symbols.

"It's blood," Sabine said with a straight face as she kept going through the notes and letters left behind. "Elf blood if I am correct."

"Aye, an' what're they use'in so much'a it fer?"

"If these scraps are to be believed, interplanar travel."

"Explains our new friend outside."

He made his way to the center and knelt down. "Looks like some'in was kept here fer a while, bit'a floor's discolored."

"They clearly took whatever their catalyst was with them. It would appear they conducted the ritual and fled before we arrived."

"Aye, very thing we came ta stop, think they were made privy 'bout us?"

"Perhaps, or perhaps they simply did not feel this location suited them any longer. If the girl's story is true though, then she disrupted a rather intricate plan that would have taken years of preparation on the Grand Magus's part. He will be seeking her head to line his study."

"Ye 'spose she'd want'a job?" Rourke asked with a devious grin.

-------------------------------

The heavy fall of boots on stone echoed loudly off the walls deep below the conquered fort. Two lightly armored men wearing the gold eagle standard plodded their way through the lower halls going from room to room.

“Jus’ don’t see why we gots ta leave this place soon as we gets it,” one of them complained as he popped his head into yet another room. “Seems a waste after all that trouble.”

“Ye heard what the Colonel said,” his companion reminded him. “We ain’t gots a force that can make a stand yet, not even from a place like this. Gonna need a real fight’in army first.”

Eventually their trek brought them to a dimly lit room lined with a number of cells. At the center of the room was a large thick table that sat at an angle to the floor with a number of straps built into the surface. Looking closer at the room they could see a congealed pool of blood on the floor beside the table with a pair of arrows laying in it. Beyond that the room was empty, not even a body.

“Right, that should be the last room an’ not a soul to be found.”

“We’d best get go’in soes we ain’t left behind.”