It was ten thirty when I walked out of the forest with my sacks full of trophies and fresh meat while the blood of the beasts dried on my weapons, claws and fur. I had killed a total of eight creatures which had me slightly concerned. Four was the average of beasts that I normally fought on my patrols and in one night it had doubled. When I got home I saw that the Buzzing Manticore was still opened. Placing my trophies and weapons in my room I washed the blood off my fur and claws and headed out. When I entered the tavern I was hit with the sounds of song, boisterous noises and general merriment. “Ajax! It’s good to see you. How can I help you?” Berry Punch said as I approached the bar.
Giving her a toothy grin I said. “I need something to help me unwind after my patrol. What do you recommend?” Then my grin turned into a frown as I sat on a stool.
Berry sees my frown passed me a tankard of brown liquid. “First one’s on me. So what’s got you down?”
“It’s mostly that Mantistaur from yesterday.” I said before downing the drink. As it went down it burned my throat but for some reason I didn’t mind. “I mean if a second one got that close to the forest’s edge in one day of me being gone then how many more are going to try?”
“That’s why we have the Guild Ajax. It’s part of your job to figure this kind of thing out.” Berry said before she smirked. “But never mind that for now. I’ve never seen anyone take a shot of my home made ale in one go like that on their first try. Most people have to take it slow due to its kick.”
“Guess having draconic traits has some unexpected benefits.” I shrugged. “But its good stuff. Say is there any way I can contact the Guild from here?”
“You bet!” Berry said before pointing to a corner where I could see a writing pad made of dark pink crystal’s with a stack of papers on it. “Write what you want on the Crystal Pad and it’ll be sent directly to the Guild’s Message Center. They have staff there all day so no matter when you send something in they’ll get it. Every Tavern has to have one of those. It’s how most Adventurers or a member of the Guild sends in information when they’re not using a Messaging Stone.”
“Thanks Berry.” I said “Know how I can get one for myself?”
“Just make an inquiry at the Guild, that’s the easiest way unless you know a Magi who’s willing to make you one.” Berry replied. “Now if you excuse me I’ve got other customers.”
Making my way over to the Crystal Pad I wrote down my report on what I killed and my current concerns. I know I might be over reacting but it’s better to be safe than sorry. When I finished the Crystal Pad glowed and the paper I was writing on disappeared leaving the rest of the stack. Once that was done I tuned only see three clearly drunk men surrounding a tall woman sitting at a table with a single tinkered on it .She has a large grey Mohawk and wearing a brown robe who looked more annoyed at the situation than anything else. The one directly in behind her said. “Come on babe. Let me and my friend’s show ya a good time.”
“Your true purpose you cannot hide. For I see not but lust within your eyes.” The woman said.
One of the men growled and grabbed her arm and jerked her to her feet. “Well yu’ll be commen with us now! So be a good…” *CRACK* “AHHHH!” As he spoke the woman easily slipped out of his hold and in the same motion broke one of his fingers. I meanwhile got behind his friends and tapped them on the shoulders.
When they glanced over their shoulders they went pale as I gave a large toothy grin. “I don’t think bothering her is the best idea don’t you? I mean considering how easily she broke your friends finger what do you think she could do to the rest of you? Then again you could always continue this fight and see who well you do against me.”
The two men grabbed their friend and rushed out of the tavern. “Thank you for helping me. I am Zecora it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance but I fear that those three got off to lightly.”
“Ajax.” I said with a nod. “Aren’t you the one who lives in the watermill that I heard Spike talking about?”
Zecora nodded. “I use the water in my potions after it’s be purified by the wheel, but most of the ingredients in the forest that I need are as hard to get as a slippery eel.”
“You know I often patrol in the forest so if I find anything you’re looking for I could bring it to you.” I offered.
Zecora looked at me for a few moments as if trying to find something. Then she said. “I suppose I can agree, but what you are looking for I cannot foresee.”
I chuckled. “When I heard you made potions I was hoping you knew out to make ones that can help heal injuries and if you did I wanted to buy some. So the way I see it if I can help you get ingredients I can buy some potions. Heck I have a lot of monster parts that might you might be able to use in potions.”
Zecora smiled. “So you’re looking for a partnership is a way. This to me is as plain as day.”
“Something like that.” I agreed.
“What kind of pieces do you have?” She asked.
“I’ve got a lot of Chimera and Manticore teeth and claws along with scales from a Cockatrice and Chimera tails.” When I said I’d killed Cockatrices everyone in the tavern went quiet as Zecora’s eyes went wide.
“To kill a Cockatrice is no easy feat. How did you fight it and live so we could meet?”
“Killed them when they were asleep in their nests and learned how to fight them with my eyes closed.” I said before raising my voice so everyone could hear. “But they are still very dangerous creatures and shouldn’t be taken lightly, even with these strategies in mind.”
Zecora nodded. “Cockatrice scales and eyes are very rare indeed. If you have them I could make some great potions for those in need.”
“How about I bring some of the scales over tomorrow?”
“That sounds agreeable.” Zecora said before giving me directions to her home.
“I’ll try to drop by around noon. See you tomorrow Zecora.” I said before heading to the door.
Berry was leaning against the wall right next to the door. “Good job sending those drunkards runnen Ajax. I’ve tried throwing them out for that kind of behavior and even banned them for a few months before, but they just won’t learn. Hopefully they get the message this time.”
“For some reason I doubt that.” I sighed. “See you later Berry.”
“Later Ajax.”
—Next Day—
After dropping off a half of my Cockatrice scales, one with a third of the Manticore fangs, and the last had a third of the Chimera claws at Zecora’s. I decided to go to the Guild Hall to see what was there. When I got there I couldn’t help but blink in surprise. When I heard that the Guild hall was the biggest in the town I wasn’t expecting it to take up an entire block by its self! It was made of red bricks and what I guess was the main part of the building looked like it could be a cathedral with large stain glass widows showing the symbol of long bow that looked ready to fire a sword instead of an arrow on one and the other had a golden lions head and mane.
Walking in I saw that there were nine large statues lining the walls between even more stain glass windows and what looked like priests and priestesses went about their business. "Guess this place does double as a cathedral." I thought before turning my attention to the many statues the lined the walls.
As I examined the closest one a priestess in soft white robe with platinum blond hair approached and soft green eyes. “You must be Ajax the newest member of Blade an Chosanta, welcome to the Guild Hall and the Cathedral of the Divine. How may I be of assistance?”
“Mostly just looking into what the guild offers a little.” I explained.
“I understand, many new members do that, but if I may ask a question?”
“Yes?”
“You seemed curious about the depictions of the Gods. Do you not know who they are?”
I looked away upset about the small reminder that despite how long I’d been here I still knew so little about this world. “Where I’m from we had…a different pantheon.”
The priestess realized that she’d made a mistake and bowed her head. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to bring up any painful memories.”
Shaking my head I said. “You don’t need to apologies, but can you tell me a little bit about them?”
“Of course.” She said as she turned to look at the statue I was looking had been examining. It was made of black marble and depicted a tall humanoid in a large hooded robe that covered their entire body with what looked like fins poking out of the robes and a golden medallion around his neck with the picture of a salmon on it. On the statue’s pedestal is a single piece of coral as black as marble of the statue. “This is Aquatica god of the Ocean Depths, Fish and Benevolent Darkness. He rules almost all life under the water and those who use Darkness to help people are his servants. Depending on where you are the symbol on his medallion changes but each simply shows a fish that is common in the area. The coral in front of him is his Holy Symbol.”
“I’m surprised that salmon are so common here if they’re his symbol here. Back where I’m from salmon live in the ocean and only move to freshwater to lay their young. Is it different here?”
“In most places that’s how salmon are but there is a lake nearby with a unique species of salmon called ‘The Crimson Gift’. It’s said that Aquatica placed The Crimson Gift in the lake hundreds of years ago when Ponyville was first founded during a drought. Those fish are the reason why there’s still a Ponyville and as such are only allowed to be hunted twice a year. Once for the festival of Ponyville’s founding and once for the celebration of when Equestria’s founding.”
I nodded as we moved to the one standing right next to Aquatica. This one was of a large four tailed fox made of a pure white marble. Carved into the pedestal is a sapphire in the shape of a crescent moon with an open book in the crescent. “This is Sellitetr, Goddess of the Moon and the Written Word. It is she who guides those who travel in the night and was the one who introduced the concept of writing to mortals. Many who received her blessing went on to write some of the most well-known stories in history. Next to her is her husband Kikokumaru. God of the Sun and Fire.” Moving on to the next statue is a large maned wolf with humming bird wings made of a light red stone. The symbol carved in his pedestal is a platinum yellow and bright blue sun. “He gave mortals fire to protect us from the dangers we faced and to bring light to his wife’s night, and his sun bring life and keeps many monsters at bay.”
The next statue was made of a smooth red stone that was a few shades lighter than Kikokumaru. His symbol is two large wings unfurling out of a cloud. “This is Ardeotis Sight. God of Birds and Flight. He gifts humans with the ability to reach deep inside them for the power to soar among his birds which is why we call those who accept the gift of flight Wind Walkers. Not all humans decide to fallow his teaching but those that do are often free spirited and can be as wild as the winds. Next to him is his brother Cabasious, God of Earth, Strength and Agriculture.” A large centaur with a gardening hoe in one hand and a war axe in the other loomed over us. The statue itself is made of a light brown stone and his symbol is his axe crossed over his hoe.
“He taught the first mortals how to grow crops and how to grow strong enough so we wouldn’t have to fear the monsters and beasts that threatened us. In Equestria those who work with the earth or gain physical strength are called Earth Talkers and they are more in tune with how plants grow or the best way to approached working with stone. Many who fallow him can seem as stubborn as stone but their care for those they call friends is truly a sight to behold. Over here is their sister.” Crossing the hall we walked over to the next statue I was slightly surprised to see a Sphinx made of a dark brown stone, the Sphinx. The kind that had both a torso of a human and body of a large cat, this one was obviously female with the cloth tied tightly around her chest. She wore a vale over her face, a witch’s hat and in her hands is a large open tome. The symbol carved into this pedestal is a large book with runes I’ve never seen before.
“This is Jeianogana. Goddess of the Arcane and Knowledge. She gave the gift of magic and wisdom to mortals and guides those who seek wisdom and the power of the Arcane. Those who fallow her teachings in the way of magic are called Magi.” The next pedestal had two figures on it, a man and a woman. The man wore leather armor with a hood over his head, a throwing spear on his back and a short sword on his belt. The woman had armor made of thick cloth, a bandana and what hair wasn’t in the bandana was tied in a ponytail. On her back is a large bow and a hand crossbow in one hand with another hand crossbow on her waist. Unlike all the other statues these two had bright yellow gems for eyes and their symbol is the long bow and sword that I’d seen on the stained glass windows.
“These are the Twin Deities of the Hunt and Nature. The brother is Elsilandra and the sister is Elsilamdra while Cabasious taught mortals how to grow stronger these two taught us how to hunt the hunters. Many hunters who figure out how a new way to kill beasts are said to have caught their eye.”
"I wonder if that’s how I figured out how to kill Cragadiles or Cockatrices," I thought. It was weird thinking that a God or Goddess might have help me considering my life back on Earth. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts I looked at the next statue. It was a giant lion made of light brown stone with a black mane, this one’s symbol is the head and mane of a lion made of pure gold.
“This is Yher God of Courage. He brought bravery and courage to mortals and who’s teaching show us how to stand up for what we believe is right even if we’re scared.”
"That seems fairly tame compared to most of the other Deities." I thought.
The next statue was made of simple marble and depicted goddess that had a human torso, the head of a jackal and legs of a goat and like Jeianogana had a piece of cloth holding back her bust. Around her neck is a necklace with several pendants each with a different symbol on it and her necklace was also carved into the statues pedestal. I couldn’t make out the symbol on every pendant but I could make out a mortar and pestle on one and a needle and string on another. “This is Hacriftana Goddess of Crafts. She taught us how to sew, cook, smith and make potions and medicine. Each pendant around her neck shows a different Craft that she brought to us.”
The last Deity depicted didn’t have a statue or pedestal instead there was a tall willow tree with a wooden figure growing out of the trunk. The figure had several golden leaves acting as long flowing hair and wore a snow white gown. “This is the Goddess of Life and Healing, Hieallana. She taught us how to heal sickness and injuries and while Kikokumaru’s sun allows life to grow it is Hieallana that is the true source of all life. There are a few other Gods and Goddess that are commonly worshiped in Equestria but you’ll have to travel to other cities to learn about them. If you’re truly interested in learning I suggest the Grand Cathedral in Canterlot. You could learn about all the Gods there.”
“Thank you for telling me about the different Deities. It was very informative.” I said.
“You’re welcome.” The priestess said. “Now how about I show you around the rest of the Guild?”
“I think I can handle that.” Turning I saw Twilight standing behind me with a smile. “I’m glad you’re here Ajax.” As Twilight spoke the priestess bowed and walked away to help another visitor.
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Remember when you told Princess Celestia that you wanted to test if you could turn others into Lycan-Scales?”
“I do. Did the necessary equipment for the test arrive?” I asked.
“Yup, it arrived this morning and I set up in the Guild's Hospital.” Twilight said gesturing for me to fallow. As we walked through the halls I saw see many people who looked more like scholars then warriors. As if sensing my confusion Twilight said. “Despite the Everfree being very dangerous Ponyville doesn’t have many resident Hunters. Most Hunters just visit for a week to take care of a couple Manticores or Chimeras before moving on.” I grunted at this annoyed that the Everfree was basically being ignored. Looking over her shoulder Twilight said. “Don’t worry. With your discovery of the Mantistaur the Princesses are talking with Mighty Swing about sending some Royal Guards to protect the town until we have more Hunters.”
“Good, I’ve lived in that forest long enough to know just how strong the beasts are.” I said. “So what does this test entail?”
“It’s rather simple actually.” Twilight said as we entered a large white room with serval beds, some table and on one of the tables was an odd machine with a few rubies and emeralds attached to it and a large slab of raw meat on a plate. Hanging on the walls there were a few paintings of Hieallana. Walking over to the table Twilight said. “All you have to do is bite the meat then I’ll use this device to scan the saliva to see if it carries something similar to the curse of Lycanthropy.”
“Alright, so let’s get this started.” I said as I grabbed the meat and took a large bite.
“Now place back on the plate and I’ll take over.” Twilight said before she got to work.
“How did Lycanthropy start here? Back home there were a lot of different stories about Werewolves and even a few depicting the first back during the… Grecian Empire I think? It’s been a while since I had a chance to review old legends.”
Twilight stopped for a moment then took a deep breath. “From what we can gather the power that turns peoples in to Werecreatures is a very old and powerful form of Dark Magic but we haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly where it comes from.”
“You ok Twilight?” I asked.
“Shining and I… we lost our parent’s to a Werecentipede. The person just walked into the market transformed and started killing people and escaped before the Guards could kill it. Shining was still a recruit and away on a training mission and Princess Celestia was teaching me about astronomy at the time.” Twilight said a few tears sliding down her face.
“Oh…sorry I brought it up.” I said rubbing my right arm.
“It’s not your fault. Not even my friends know about this.” Twilight replied wiping away the tears. “It’s just not an easy thing to remember.”
“Well thank you for sharing this with me.” I said as I moved to stand on the other side of the table and look directly into her purple eyes. “And I’m going to make you two promises Twilight. The first is I won’t tell anyone about what happened to your parents. That’s your secret to share not mine. The second is if I get the chance to kill that Werecentipede I’m going to. Not just because you lost your parent’s or how many people they’ve killed, but because I also know what it’s like to lose a family member to a murder and while I couldn’t get closure on that I can at least give it to you an all the others they’ve affected.”
“Thank…thank you Ajax.” Twilight said. “Now let’s finish this experiment!”