Piercing the ghostly veil

Ash looked at Pyro for a moment when she mentioned that there were those that looked a lot like him that seemed to be causing trouble, if not the whole situation. However, he doubted Pyro had anything to do with it. After all, he had never been in the fog prior to them meeting up as far as he knew. If anything, it only meant that anything like Pyro was probably hostile.

"Don't worry there Scale, like I said, we'll do everything we can to help," Ash said.

"Ape-like beings... no offense... with same clothing, one different than other slightly deformed... and they were able to use magic just like our Pyro here.. interesting..." Griff thought to himself out loud, trying to connect the dots. "Well at least it's a small lead as to who may be responsible for all of this. He curiously eyed Scale, pondering. "Say... how did they speak, if you remember? And were they showing any more powers other than the transformation one used on you?" the hawk asked. It was best for him to know everything he could about his enemies before confronting them.

Pyro had been standing there all but confused together with cryo as they listend to scale's description of her parents kidnappers, the thought of more humans in equestria spun his mind, for one he was glad more of his kind where present and he wasn't the only one, but for rememberedther he heard that they sounded nothing like where he came from as he frowned.

"They sounded very primitive I guess...? They didn't speak our language atleast, but more of a verbal mess of words and grunts" scale responded back to griff as she thought "I...I think there where more that could do primitive magic besides bone head who transformed me, i remember something about some of them wearing horned skulls on their heads, their claws or apendeges i guess...?"

"I think you mean hands" Pyro said as scale didn't know what to say there "right, those where Balled into fists and had fireballs around their fists" she explained what she remembered, the group now reached the land masses as cryo disembarked first to solid ground

((I think I know what these humans are from.))

"Fireballs around their fists?" Ash asked to no one in particular, "That'd make it hard to pick things up, but great for giving out a mean punch. I bet Pyro could do that easier than they could, and better too."

Once they reached land, Ash set himself down on it, quickly making sure there wasn't anything that could harm them. The fog, as usual, wasn't helping, but he didn't want to let his guard down. He'd only do that once they reached a safe zone.

Griff pondered while flying, making sure to dodge the low hanging branches . "So... hoomans like Pyro but they can all use magic and wear similar clothing... really sounds like a cult of sorts... Could they be responsible for this?" he asked no-one in particular, soon landing on Ash's back and preened his wings. "We might be in for some tough fight if they can utilize their magic well, so we might need something with range to attack them." He said, waiting for other opinions about the matter.

cryo nodded to griff about this could be a tough fight ahead of them "do you have anything with range on you griff or speed? since you seem to be more on the shape shifting side, and ash, how good are you with that bow of yours?" cryo asked the 2, cryo himself has his runes toghether with pyro though with not meeting with the potentionaly enemy they where not certain how strong they where.

pyro later dissembarked the lilipad last before scale scribe swam besides them in the murky green waters and under the bridges as cryo was walking on the same bridges connecting to a cluster of small landmasses and tiny islands, that is untill later on that cryo stopped and looked att the ground curiously ahead of him.

the ground they have been walking on earlier was dry and a bit mossy and grassy, but the landmass he was on was connected to solid land by wet soggy ground, there was little to no grass on the short strech of land and looked like the ground had been raized from the bottom of the waters to make a landbridge, and just ahead behind a large bush was the dancing light of fire, and a figure moving around it, but the bush made it hard to see what it was

"I'd be dead if I wasn't as good as I am. Tell me to shoot something, I'll hit it," Ash said. He wasn't lying, he was a very good shot. Quick shots were always hit or miss, especially if the shooter's attention was divided.

When they came to the land bridge, along with noticing the fire and the figure moving around it, Ash kept low to the ground, not wanting to draw his bow quite yet. He wanted to get a good view of whatever that figure was before it saw them. He slowly flew to the bushes, not trusting the soggy ground to not make too much noise.

Griff slowly shook his head at the question. "No ranged here, as much as I'd love to have something. As far as speed goes, I got that." he answered. As the group disembarked, Griff landed on Cryo's head, making sure to watch his talons and not injure Cryo underneath him. For a hawk, he seemed pretty light. "Yeah no way I'm stepping down there for now." He said to himself quietly, making himself comfortable on Cryo as they walked. When they got a sight of the figure, he tried to get a good look from behind the bushes. "I don't think he'll suspect a hawk to be something, different, huh?" he quietly whispered to the group. He might as well act like a regular bird and get a good look of what's going on, in hopes of not becoming a dinner for the being.

"I'll try to scout." Griff said and flew up, going through the trees and landed on a branch that gave him a good view of what was going on before acting like he was preening his wings, hoping whatever it was won't suspect a thing while he got a good look at it.

As griff flew upp to the tree branch, he saw another human that almost matched scale scribe's description with long thick pants and a long colored loin cloth ontop of the pants and wearing nothing on the upper chest of the human's body as he joged lightly around a little camp fire, tough whats different is that instead of a horned bull skull as a helmet and fiery balls around its fist, he wore instead a bandana, holding its black hair firmly to not let fall over his face as it wielded a sword and a shield as he was seemingly partolling or guarding the area, and instead of a red loin cloth scale mentioned, it was blue instead, but while runing around the fire he didint seem to take notice of griff upp in the tree

pyro then whisperd to griff, asking him what he was seeing as pyro wouldint want to make noise from the bush by looking trough it

As Ash couldn't quite get a good enough view of the figure without exposing himself, and had nothing to do, he decided to draw his bow and notch an arrow. He didn't draw his bow back yet, as he wanted confirmation from Griff as to what was on the other side. He didn't like waiting with nothing to do. If he did, he'd have joined the guard.

Griff continued observing the being for a few more moments, trying to remember as many details as he could before reporting back to the group. Once he was satisfied with his memory, he flew down from the branch on top of Pyro's head. "Scale's description only partially fits this guy. He seems a bit different, then again, I doubt every one of them is dressed the same. He had a blue bandana instead of a horned skull." he whispered to Pyro. "He seemed to be patrolling around. Also, he had a shield along with his sword so he may have some protection against arrows." the hawk added, looking at Ash momentarily.

"sounds like they have combat experience to boot, now then, forward is our only way right now so we have to get past this guy if we are to proced in finding scale scribe's parents, maybe they know something we dont" pyro said in a low voice to not alert the guard, who was that that moment just shuffling through the bush on his side looking for berries to eat.

cryo then looked around for scale scribe and his eyes widend as he saw the siren filly swim further ahead of them, the splish-splashing caught the attention of the guard as he stood upp and tilted his head and walked over to the water where he heard the noise, scale giving the group a opputunity to sneak past while the guard was distracted

Seeing that opportunity, Ash flew over the bush and past the guard as silently as possible. He hid behind a nearby tree and kept himself as quiet as possible. He didn't want to ruin anything for both him and anyone else by making a stray noise. He still had his bow and a notched arrow ready, just in case.

The sudden splashing of water made the hawk surprised as well, but he soon calmed down figuring it was just Scale.... with a distraction. He did not want to waste the opportunity, even though he would have no problem passing the guard as is, and thus followed the group past the guard while he was distracted.

Once they would be past him, he'd land on Cryo's head again and looking back at the guard. "What if he comes after us?" he whispered. "I think with four of us we can easily take care of him and make sure he doesn't surprise us later on.." the hawk suggested.

pyro and cryo had to carefully move trough the bush to not cause to much noise due to far to narrow sides to pass by the bush, they did though succed with going trough it with minimal noise but they didint notice the leafs stuck to thier clothes that would leave a trail behind them as they hurried away with the rest of the group upp the path.

scale scribe saw that her distraction worked and dived away to catch upp with the group, leaving the warrior alone who then returned to his post, though it didint take long for him to notice the leaf trail and look down the path to see the group, he then began to say something threateing in tribal speech as he held his shield upp and sword ready as he came carefully closer to the group, already seeing ash's bow on the ready.

"Well, so much for that," Ash said when he noticed that the guard had found them thanks to that trail of leaves.

Seeing as the guard wasn't immediately trying to kill them, he decided not to immediately kill him. However, he was going to outdo him in intimidation. He flew back a couple of feet and drew his bow, arrow at the ready. "Yo bud, move an inch and I'll put one right between your eyes."

Griff groaned audibly as the 'human' spotted them and started coming after him. "Told you we should've disposed of him." he comments before flying up high. He wanted others to take his attention while he can do his stuff from behind, as that was his preferred fighting style. Quick ending and no harm ... at least not to himself. He would wait in the branches until the group would have its full attention.

the warrior made a battle cry as he charged towards the group which where a fair distance away, but as he almost reached halfway he started to slowdown, there was something in the very air that caught the warrior's and pyro's attention, cryo being confused what they where doing looking all worried.

Thunder roared among the swamps thick treetops as the area was being drained of its colours around the clearing the group and the tribal warrior was in, a black sticky liquid started to push upp from the center of the ground near the warrior as a golden royal guard helmet fell from the sky on the ooze as it mounded upp underneath before a thunderbolt struck the ooze and helmet, the warrior caught in the thunderblast sending him flying towards the group Rolling on the ground dazed as the ooze grew from the energy of the thunder as it seemed to constantly shift between 2 forms with its mass, one like the tribe warrior but the other was of pony form, a jagged beast maw was in place where a mouth would be as it spoke with hatred in its echoy voice.

"you...left me...! you left me....to the beasts....! left me for dead...did not save me...,i...can repay...the favor...you....feel my wrath...!!!"

Ash almost let his arrow loose on the warrior when he started slowing down. The sudden storm, rising of the ooze and the lightning strike definitely became the bigger worry. He recognized who was speaking from that ooze, and suddenly felt a little bad.

"Um, is it too late to say sorry?" he asked while putting his regular arrow away. He then pulled one of his ice arrows out and aimed it at the ooze. "If it is, take this one in advance," he said just before he fired.

Griff was just about to jump on the warrior from above when the thunder shook the sky and made him rethink that decision, watching the warrior get thrown on the ground towards the group even confirmed it. "What the.." he thought to himself as he looked around and listened. "Who the... what?.." he asked mainly himself and flew back on Pyro's shoulder. He knew that the voice should've been familiar to him, but he just couldn't put his hoof on it. Watching Ash shoot arrows at the ooze made him decide to wait a bit before attacking himself. He wanted to see what the ooze would do with attacks and what to watch out for.

the ooze guard in its pony from stomped the ground hard with its forehooves as it temporarly created a large hardend ooze spike from the ground infront of it as it aimed directly att the frost arrow, the spike's impact on the body of the arrow caused it to snap off from the tip containing the magic, making the rest to fly off course but its tip was embeded in the ooze without trigering it, that it untill the tip was launched back towards ash.

"you....will feel...my anguish and pain.... suffer now!!!" the ooze guard said before it roared with its large maw as it clrealy grew more feral in its pony form, it then promtly went to charge towards the group, sending globs off ooze from its back as projectiles to slow on target impact

Ash barely had time to duck under the ice arrow tip as it was sent back at him, whizzing through his mane, the ambient temperature around it freezing his mane in place through the middle before hitting a tree behind him.

As the ooze guard charged, Ash took to the air, using the trees and branches to better dodge globs of ooze. He fired a couple regular arrows once he was behind him and hoped they'd hit. If thy did, he'd be more confident about using his magic arrows after losing that ice arrow.

"Okay, so stay off the ground.." Griff murmured to himself, watching the ooze charge towards them. "... and melee attacks seem like a dumb idea. Even dumber when they're all I've got." he said a bit more audibly so only Pyro could hear him. "This seems like your sort of fight, do whatever you can from range, I'll try to distract him while you do so. Can't do much more myself against such enemy." he said and flew off, before repeatedly beginning to swipe down at the ooze to grab a piece of it with his talons and throw it away. The ooze didn't seem to have any eyes or sensitive parts, so maybe taking it apart piece by piece might help. Right now he had only hoped that the ooze won't actually come back together again like such things usually do.

the ooze guard's body opend upp holes on its back to catch the incoming arrows from ash as it seemed to also be aware of his location even though it vissibly didint have eyes on it as the guard kept sending a steady barrage of globs towards the group, pyro having manifested a sword from one of his runes cut the globs in half, the magic guiding them gets nullified and the ooze just splashes harmlesly to the ground but its rather sticky, something griff soon notices as he tries to pull the enemy appart.

the ooze on griffs talons slowly crept upp on him as he continued but he would soon feel the wheight and stickyness of it as it grew more harder for him to move, back to ash's side, the guard would turn around from pyro and cryo to ash with a snarl from its mouth as it charged towards him seemingly using its mass to grow its maw, threatening to capture ash inside, pyro took the opputunity as the ooze guard turned its back towards them but its arrows it had captured from ash shot out from its back towards the human and unicorn att high speeds, both gurading with shield and spell, and supprisingly the warrior steped upp and helped guard against the arrows with his iron shield.

Ash was getting rather annoyed at the ooze guard. Arrow weren't doing anything because they kept being caught, and melee fighting was clearly not a wise option.

When he was about to be eaten, however, he flew with all his might to escape the massive jaw, firing a random magic arrow into the maw of the thing in hopes that it would help in some way. He ended up firing one of his shock arrows. He didn't care where in the maw he shot, as he was more concerned about not being in it.