//------------------------------// // The Last Charger Interlude 2 // Story: The Last Charger // by Chengar Qordath //------------------------------// I wasn’t sure what to make of the Kicker clan’s compound. I suppose I’d always imagined something akin to my old family home. Perhaps not as opulent, but even in the days of Old Pegasopolis the Chargers had always been the most worldly of the clans. No doubt part of why we’d done the best out of all the exiles in Freeport ... at least in the short term. The Kicker Compound was something quite different. I suppose the clear unicorn influence on the entire thing should have been no surprise, considering they’d built the compound on top of an old Unicornian fortress. Still, it was curious to see a clanhold that eschewed so many of the trappings of Old Pegasopolis. Then again, they’d turned on Pegasopolis and helped tear it down. Small surprise they didn’t feel the same compulsion to honor its legacy. I made my way to one of the clan’s smithies. I only knew the stallion I was looking for by name and the rough description Evergreen so generously provided me. For this particular outing I’d dressed a touch more drably than I would have preferred. It seemed unwise to openly walk about the Kicker Compound whilst advertising my identity. My uncle’s folly was only a decade in the past, and some would no doubt still hold a grudge. I eventually found him at the forge, hammering away at a spear upon an anvil. The steel grey coat and close-cropped light blue mane matched the description from Evergreen, as did the ugly old scar ‘tween his ribs. A young child who looked too similar to be anything other than his daughter sat nearby, watching him work his craft. I felt a curious sort of nervous excitement. Small surprise, considering his identity. “Excuse me. Might I have a moment of your time?” The blacksmith looked up at me, hiding a scowl behind a carefully neutral expression. “Ah. How might I help you?” Not the warmest welcome. “Would you happen to be Mist Kicker?" “I am.” His eyes narrowed. “And I know who you are. The one all Canterlot has been talking about ever since you showed up.” “How delightful, my reputation precedes me.” I smiled, which just made his scowl get all the deeper. Not promising, but I had not come all this way just to be deterred by a less than warm welcome. “And I believe you once went by another name.” His scowl turned downright furious. He turned to his child. “Frost, go see if your dad needs any help at the shop.” “Why?” the child asked innocently. “What does he mean about you having another name, Father?” “Go. I’ll explain later.” He set his spear to the side and glared at me until his daughter left and was well out of earshot. “I haven’t been called Mist Charger in a long time. I left that name behind for good reasons, and the last thing I need is you coming here and digging up ancient history. Why are you here?” I sighed and shrugged helplessly. “I haven't seen another member of my clan in years. Perhaps it was thoughtless of me to intrude, but...” Mist sighed and waved my apology away. “I haven’t been a Charger for a long time, but I can understand why you would come. I half-expected you to come looking for me once everyone started talking about a Charger coming to Canterlot.” He looked me over and grunted. “Something to drink?” “I would appreciate it.” I found a reasonably comfortable seat on an empty shelf while he stepped inside, and came back out with two glasses of something that passed for ale. “I imagine you've heard about why I’m in Canterlot.” “Hard not to when you’re the new darling of the Court,” he grunted. “Heard you were trying to drag Equestria into a war.” I sipped at my drink. “We're putting an end to slavery in Freeport. I was hoping you might be interested in joining our cause.” Mist drained his glass and glared at me over the rim. “Why should I?” He had no intention of making this easy for me, it seemed. “Because it’s the right thing to do. And ... because it would be nice to not be the only Charger in this war.” Mist scoffed. “I’m not a Charger. Haven’t been since the war. And even before Magnus’ Folly, I was only a bondpony. You’re high-clan. The only time you and yours ever called me kin was when they wanted something from me.” I sighed. Clan politics. “Considering how few of us are left, the way things used to be hardly matters. Mors was a bondpony, but he refounded our clan in Freeport.” Mist closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “And what, you want me to help you repeat what Mors did? Restore the Charger Clan once more? No thank you. I have a family here, and a clan. One I can actually be proud of.” I grimaced. “I know our clan had its flaws, but—” “Flaws?” Mist snorted and set his glass down with an audible thunk. “Maybe you were too young to remember, but our clan was more than just flawed. We were corrupt. You claim to want to free the slaves, but do you know how many slaves the Charger Clan owned?” I grimaced and ducked my head, conceding the point. “I know our clan practiced all the same crimes as any other Necrocrat, but we can choose what our new clan will be. We could restore it to greatness.” Mist scoffed. “Why should I risk everything when I’m happy here? There’s nothing for me in Freeport but bad memories and people that want to murder me. I’ve got a husband, kids, a home... and I don’t have to wake up wondering what awful orders I’m going to have to follow today. I already have a great life.” I sighed and set my own drink aside. “Even if it means the Chargers will never be restored? Our clan and its legacy will die out, and fade into history?” “Maybe it should.” Mist growled. “What the clan was when it fell... it was evil. Do you know what Magnus had planned for Equestria if he won? For all the talk of restoring our clan and reclaiming lost glory, there was no shortage of cruder motivations. Magnus promised a fortune in booty and slaves to all who fought beneath our banner. Some of your kin—your cousins told us we’d all own our own plantations after we won the war. For all the talk of noble motives, the clan sought wealth and power above all else.” I had suspected as much, though confirmation was still unpleasant. “I know our clan fell far from its standards, but surely we can reclaim our legacy and become who we always should have been.” “Our clan’s legacy?” he repeated incredulously. “And what, pray tell, is that legacy? The one where the clan became a bunch of Necrocrats and slavers? Or when we fell in with warlocks and Nightmare Moon to take over Equestria? Our ancestors swore to protect the innocent and defenseless ponies of Equestria. We haven’t followed the ancient oaths for centuries. The Kickers are the only clan that’s honored the commitment all the old clans made to Equestria, and all too often we’ve been the ones they needed to be protected from.” I found myself at a loss for words. What could I even say to that? He was not wrong in anything he said, and yet I could not let it rest there. “If we end slavery...” Most rose from his chair with a snarl. “And then what? You think the people of Freeport will want us there? Do we just let anyone take over? How long before Freeport returns to being a bunch of pirates? Do you think the slaves will be able to resist becoming the slavers when they raid Equestria’s shores? Do you think anypony’s going to want to grow the sugarcane that’s Freeport’s lifesblood? Or is it going to be Equestria’s job to ‘fix’ Freeport?” I slumped down in my chair. “I don’t know. But slavery is evil, and I can't let it stand unopposed. I think that's what our ancestors would've wanted the clan to do. If I can make myself a worthy addition to that legacy...” Mist slowly shook his head. “Torch, do you recall the tale of The Nameless Clan?” I could hardly forget it. Once there had been five great clans of Pegasopolis, each holding a seat on Ephorate. The Chargers, the Strikers, the Doos, the Kickers, and what became the Nameless Clan. Their paterfamilias grew too ambitious and made a pact with dark forces. "Of course you know the tale.” Mist’s eyes narrowed. “And you no doubt recall how the other clans responded to the fall of the Nameless.” I sighed. “Xiphos Charger led the loyal clans in a total purge of the Nameless. No members of the clan survived, and their very name was struck from the pages of history.” Mist nodded. “Just so. What do you think the clans of old would have made of the Freeport Chargers? I believe Xiphos would have wiped them out, and have felt righteous doing so.” He let out a bitter chuckle. “Then again, we met our end at the hooves of the other clans, did we not? Perhaps that was a twisted sort of justice.” I could not think of any way to answer him. Whatever my clan’s crimes, I saw no justice in their annihilation. I rose from my seat. “It seems we have nothing further to discuss.” I made my way out of the Compound, and left Mist Kicker to his clan and family. Evergreen was waiting for me in her sanctum when I returned to the palace. “How did it go?” I sighed and shook my head, saying nothing. She took a breath and slowly let it out. “For what it is worth, I am sorry.” She rolled out a map of Freeport and lay it across the table. “The others will be here soon, but there is one matter I would attend to before we begin our war council meeting. This comes directly from Her Majesty.” I summoned up a wry grin despite my mood. “I thought she had no knowledge of this?” Evergreen waved me away. “I will stand on pretense for this.” She pulled out an envelope and offered it to me. “She gave me this, directly from the Black Archive.” Equestria’s deepest, darkest storehouse of dangerous and forbidden magic? How intriguing. “And what, pray tell, is it?” She shrugged. “I do not know, and I suspect I am happier for it. Do not open it until you are certain you are alone. What is inside, it is surely dangerous.” I quickly tucked the envelope away. “I will bear that in mind.” We said nothing more as the rest of the impromptu war council arrived. There had been quite a bit to deal with in the days since Belladon’s abrupt and acrimonious departure, but at the moment my chief concern was with Talon Striker. The bags under her eyes spoke to troubled nights with less sleep than her body needed. Not that it was hard to guess why. As the two of us were the first to arrive, I took advantage of the opportunity to speak to her. Even if she was perhaps a touch old for me, she remained a handsome woman. “You seem troubled.” “I seem that way because I am,” she grunted. “A week ago I was the second in command of the Striker’s Tenth Company. Now ... well now I don’t know what I am.” I could think of many answers to that question, but I doubted paying her compliments would do much to help her already darkened mood. Instead, I followed one of the few good bits of advice my uncle had given me—he might have been a necromancer, a poor strategist, and a disastrous leader of the clan, but he had a few worthwhile insights. Perhaps Talon just needed a sympathetic ear. “Would you like to talk about it?” She responded with another of the laconic grunts so typical of her clan. It was hard to tell if that was an answer in the affirmative or the negative. Fortunately, she decided to elaborate. “It’s hard, losing the company I’ve been in for the last decade. Not to mention Belladon. I suppose ... I suppose I’d hoped that leaving would be some kind of wake-up call for him. That he’d realize he was making a mistake and change course.” She let out a bitter snort. “I suppose I should have known better. He was always too damned stubborn to change his mind once he’d made it up. Perhaps if I’d...” She trailed off uncertainly. I sighed and put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “You can hardly hold yourself responsible for his failings. I think perhaps he needs some time to find his own path first.” I thought on it for a moment, and decided to share something with her. “Tell me, do you know what Ushabti’s unique talent was?” “I would assume necromancy,” Talon answered with a listless shrug. “A common misconception.” I tapped Chainbreaker’s hilt. “Necromancy was his passion, and something that by all accounts he was quite good at, but not what made him unique. He had a certain ... insight. Not proper divination or foreknowledge, but he had a certain instinct for the right people he needed, and finding the right moment to act. It’s how he went from an exiled necromancer to ruling over his own nation.” “Fascinating,” Talon answered with a clearly sarcastic undercurrent. “And why, pray tell, did you want to share that?” “The point, my dear lady, comes back to this.” I let my hoof pointedly rest on Chainbreaker. “I imagine you know that he was the one who made this sword. It’s perhaps a touch fanciful to imagine he put a bit of himself into the blade, but ... well I have a feeling about Belladon; that he still has an important part to play in all this. Perhaps I’m wrong, but time will tell.” “It always does,” Talon agreed. If my words offered her any comfort, I couldn’t see it. She was very good at hiding her emotions. She sighed and slumped down into her chair. “But there’s nothing more we can do about him at this point.” “No, at least not for the moment.” I might have said more, but Evergreen’s arrival put an end to that conversation. When Gaspard entered the room shortly after her, I decided to change the subject. “Well then, shall we begin?” Evergreen smiled and nodded. “Of course. It’s a pity Belladon won’t be joining us, but my understanding is that he left his company behind.” “He did,” Talon confirmed. “The last anyone saw of him, he was heading back to Manehattan planning to take the first ship he could find back to Freeport.” Her lips curled in disgust. “Not to mention he was three sheets to the wind.” Gaspard snorted and shook his head. “I was hoping my old friend would join us on this grand adventure. A great pity, that. Will you be taking over the company, Talon?” She grimaced. “I’m afraid there’s not really a company to take over. I tried talking to them after Belladon left, but between the controversial nature of my decision and Belladon’s departure, I couldn’t win them all over. If Belladon actually fought me for the company instead of drowning his sorrows, he would’ve kept most of it.” She shrugged helplessly. “A platoon of them are on board, but others want to go back to Freeport and sign back up with a different clan company. Then there are the ones who are taking the opportunity to retire from mercenary life, especially when things look a lot more hospitable in Equestria. As for the remnants ... I don’t really have the skilled officers and infrastructure to run them as an independent formation.” Gaspard cleared his throat. “Assuming I’m not ruffling any feathers, I could try and recruit as many of the Tenth Company as I can into the Free Companions. We could always use the numbers, and it’d be a pity to let so many experienced mercenaries drift away.” Talon shrugged. “I have no objection to it. I can’t hold them together on my own.” I caught her eye. “Though that does beg the question of what you’ll be doing, Talon. While it would be a pity to hide that lovely face behind a mask, I’m sure the Council would be happy to have you if you’d like to properly join us.” Gaspard smiled and spread his arms. “I wouldn’t mind having you as a fellow Companion either. It would make it much easier for the other recruits from the Tenth Company to adjust, and I always thought Belladon was very lucky to have you as a second. I might even be able to make you a company commander if we get enough recruits.” Talon frowned and shook her head. “No offense, Gaspard, but I think I’d like to try something a bit different than jumping right back into mercenary life.” She turned to me. “And ... as much as I like your cause, I’m not wild about the idea of living as an outlaw on the run either. I want to help, and I am in the mood for a change, but that’s ... a big change. I’m not sure I’d do well as an outlaw rebel.” Evergreen tapped the table, near several model ships indicating her current fleet deployments. “If you’re interested, I have an idea. I could offer you a position in my task force, and a commission in the Equestrian Navy. Your knowledge of the Freeport archipelago alone would be valuable for our operations, not to mention everything you know about Freeport’s local conditions and players. EIS reports are good, but a spy learns different things than someone who lives there.” Talon frowned and cocked her head to the side. “The Equestrian Navy would take in a clan-member and a mercenary?” Evergreen smiled. “They will if I tell them to. Like I said, it’s my task force.” Her smile turned wry. “Admittedly, I’ll express it with a bit more finesse when I actually talk to Admiral Sails. Regardless, I doubt your link to the Striker Clan will be much of an issue. For most of Equestria, the clan rebellion is ancient history. Or at the very least, the wider cause and current realities are far more important than that. I won’t say there will be no issues, but the higher-ups will understand the value you bring.” Talon leaned back in her chair and didn’t say anything for a while. When she finally broke her silence, there was a carefully neutral sort of contemplation in her voice. “It’s an interesting offer. One that, no offense to Torch or Gaspard, I find more interesting than theirs. If it’s alright, I’ll need to think it over for a bit longer before I commit.” “That’s fine,” Evergreen assured her with an understanding smile. “Accepting a naval commission is a rather life-altering choice.” I rose from my seat and paced about the room. “And so ends the Tenth Company of Clan Striker. Not in glorious battle or a fabled last stand, but through simple dissolution.” “Quite so,” Gaspard agreed. “I’m surprised Belladon just gave up on his own company like that, especially after a decade of sticking it out like he did. I always thought he was far too much of a stubborn old man to give up on anything.” “I doubt it was a conscious decision on his part,” Talon pointed out. “He just crawled into a bottle to drown his sorrows at a time where the company desperately needed leadership. The two of us were the only real leaders in the company, and most of them didn’t want to follow the direction I had in mind. Knowing him, every bit of bad news made him just have another drink instead of waking him up to the situation.” “That’s the normal pattern for a drunkard.” Evergreen’s disapproving frown was hard to miss. “Perhaps it’s for the best things worked out that way. Even if he’d signed up with us, it’s not as if he’d embrace sobriety along with abolition. I know he tried to hide it, but it was hard not to notice that he came to some of our meetings hung over. Things are hardly going to get easier as we dive into the campaign against the Necrocrats, and if he fell apart on us at a critical juncture...” I sighed and nodded along. “It’s been a real problem. He would’ve been an asset to our cause if he was at his best, but I don’t think he’s been at his best in a long time. I would have hoped that finding himself in our cause would help him through that issue, but he almost seems afraid to make that change.” “Breaking a decade’s worth of bad habits isn’t easy,” Talon agreed. “He was a much better stallion before he turned to drink. Maybe I should’ve pushed him harder about that when he started ... but I think things have gotten to the point where we can’t make excuses for him letting us down with his drinking.” “It’s a pity,” Gaspard said. “We could have done something special together. But Talon’s right. It’s a bit of a shock to see what a sorry state he’s fallen to, compared to who he once was.” Evergreen snorted and waved the matter aside. “Enough of him. We have bigger issues to talk about than one wayward soul who can’t handle his drink. There are thousands of slaves that need to be freed, and a war plan to finalize.” She smirked and inclined her head. “That is to say, we have operations to plan, as Equestria is not in a state of war with the current regime in Freeport, and has no intention of issuing a formal declaration of war.” “A very important distinction,” I confirmed. “I take it that if you want Talon working with the navy in part because she knows the islands, you have plans? So far Equestria’s limited their naval activities to international waters.” Evergreen nodded. “Staying in the open ocean is politically safer, but far less effective. It’s past time we increased the pressure on the Necrocrats and their slave convoys. First, the Navy will be aiming to secure a new forward operating base. Cutting hundreds of miles from our travel times will be a huge help, and allow us to hit Freeport’s slavers all the harder.” “Occupying Freeport’s territory and operating in their home waters?” Gaspard shot her a skeptical look. “You say that Equestria doesn’t want open war with Freeport, but those are both very clear acts of war.” “Yes, if we were doing either of those things.” Evergreen walked up to one of the many maps adorning the wall. “You are, of course, correct that it would be an act of war to have our fleet operate within Freeport’s territorial waters. However, by international law, their territorial waters only consist of any water within ten kilometers of their shores. As I’m sure Talon is aware, many of Freeport’s major trade routes within the archipelago actually lie within international waters.” Talon nodded. “With all the reefs, undersea volcanoes, and underwater wrecks, it’s usually safer to give any land a wide berth. Though it was my understanding that Freeport’s territorial waters included the entire archipelago, and everything within ten kilometers of it.” “You would be mistaken then,” Evergreen answered. “Or to be more accurate, the answer is somewhat more complicated than that. Even if ten kilometers off the coast of Manehattan is technically international waters, we would certainly be upset if another nation had their fleet patrolling just outside that boundary. The same understanding applies to Freeport’s waters: while we would be fully within our rights under the law to patrol within the archipelago, having our ships enter the area is ... discourteous. However, offending the Necrocrats’ sensibilities is not illegal, nor would it provide Freeport with casus belli.” “I presume we have similar technicalities prepared for your forward operating base?” I queried. “But of course,” Evergreen assured us. She tapped several of the outlying islands. “The owners of these islands have established privately owned supply depots to assist incoming ships with repairing and resupplying. We’ve contacted them and come to agreements regarding the purchase of fresh provisions and supplies. The fleet will still need to come back to Equestria for shore leave and any repairs that can’t be done in the field, but fresh food and water has always been the largest limit on our operational range.” “Let me guess,” Gaspard cut in with a smirk. “Part of the arrangement you’ve struck with these suppliers involves having them ferry everything out to your ships sitting just barely outside Freeport’s territorial waters?” “Naturally.” Evergreen gave the map a final tap. “So yes, while this does represent a substantial escalation in the intensity of the conflict, we remain in full compliance with international law and our treaty obligations. Admittedly, sometimes by the barest technicality, but any scholar will tell you that the law is built upon such things.” “Regardless of the law, it still represents a substantial escalation of the conflict,” Talon pointed out. “One the Necrocrats won’t let go unanswered.” “We’re prepared for that eventuality,” Evergreen responded. “We’ve been in an undeclared naval war with Freeport for years, and they’ve made several attempts at covert attacks hidden beneath the shield of plausible deniability. The only thing they could do at this point to truly escalate the matter is to actually declare war on us, and that’s an acceptable outcome.” “Oh really?” I pressed. “Celestia seemed quite certain she didn’t want to get Equestria directly involved in the war.” “She doesn't want to create a situation where Equestria’s conflict with Freeport could be framed as imperialist aggression on our part,” Evergreen clarified. “It’s why she doesn’t want to take that step without international consensus. If Freeport is the aggressor declaring war on us ... well that’s a completely different matter.” “Is that your endgame, then?” I asked. “You want to find a way to provoke Freeport into a declaration on Equestria?” Evergreen met eyes. “My endgame, as you put it, is the abolition of slavery in Freeport and the rest of the world. How we pull that off, I’m much more flexible on. An internal revolution is a lot cleaner, but if this ends with an Equestrian invasion and occupation... well, the important thing is that it ends.” Talon frowned at her. “I didn’t sign up to hand my homeland over to Celestia for annexation.” Evergreen didn’t flinch. “Can you honestly say the islands wouldn’t be better off?” She snorted and shook her head. “Regardless, annexation isn’t on the table. If it comes to war, Equestria might invade and occupy, but only for long enough to set up a new regime in line with our own ideals before departing.” “Like you did in Westmarch?” Talon challenged. “A puppet state is better than outright conquest, but I still don’t like it.” Evergreen crossed her forelegs over her chest. “If you’re going to join the Equestrian Navy, it might be best to remember that your first loyalty is to Equestria, not Freeport.” She closed her eyes and took a breath. “That said, Equestria’s influence in a hypothetical post-war Freeport would be strictly limited by international realities. The other nations of the world will allow Equestria a freer hand if Freeport starts the war, but that doesn’t mean they’d be fine with us seizing a major strategic and trade hub. Celestia’s stepping so carefully precisely so we can avoid a great power war. We lost our appetite for conquest after the Morning Wars.” Talon took a deep breath, then slowly nodded. “Yes. Of course. Sorry, it’s just ... well, Belladon was talking about that being your goal before he left, and then you said...” I set a hoof on her shoulder and tried to move the conversation to safer territory. “Evergreen, I believe you mentioned something about playing the Necrocrats against each other as well?” She seemed grateful for the opportunity to move along. “Yes, we were hoping that by killing a few of their numbers we can destabilize their power structure. We all know that the Necrocrats are only nominally on the same side. The only things keeping them together are fear of us and each other, and they’re always keeping one eye out for the chance to betray their fellows and seize more wealth and power for themselves. With the right spark, we could set off the sort of infighting that could cause far more damage than the Council ever could.” She briefly turned to me. “Meaning no insult to the Council’s capabilities.” “None taken,” I assured her. “It’s always been a part of our plan to make the Necrocrats turn upon each other. The Council doesn’t have the resources to take down the Necrocrats in a straight fight, and without open support from Equestria and other major nations, we never will. Besides, I would know better than anyone just how quickly they’ll turn upon their own at the first sign of weakness. The biggest risk is that we show a bit too much of our hand. The smarter Necrocrats would have to know what our plan is.” “We’re exploiting an obvious and well-known weakness,” Gaspard agreed. “The key will be to make sure they don’t know what’s going on until it’s too late. No doubt that will be part of my role in the piece, to play the mercenary working for an unknown benefactor. There will no doubt be suspicions that we’re taking Equestrian coin for the job, but they’ll also suspect their rivals and other ambitious Necrocrats. Suspicion, fear, and uncertainty work to our advantage.” “Which is why we’d be targeting the most level-headed Necrocrats,” I pointed out. “We need the impulsive idiots making the important decisions.” “I do see one problem with that,” Talon spoke up. “From what Belladon said on the way out, it seems like Atramentous wants to use the chaos we’ve created to take over. If we thin the herd too much, one of them just might kill off all their rivals and cow the rest into compliance.” “It’s a known risk, but one we can account for,” Evergreen declared. “If one of them starts looking too strong, they’ll be our next target. It will keep the situation fluid—not to mention with a group like the Necrocrats they’re all going to start sharpening a knife to plant in the back of whoever’s on top of the pile.” Gaspard shrugged. “And in the worst case, we only have one Necrocrat to deal with. I’ve heard Atramentous is strong, but his minions will have been whittled down taking power. Not to mention he’ll have to kill off quite a few of his fellow Necrocrats to secure power himself, and if we take him out of the equation, it’ll kick the chaos and infighting into overdrive.” Talon nodded. “It’s a lot easier to kill one vampire than a whole group of necromancers. Not that I’d want to get into a one-on-one brawl with a really old and strong vamp like him, but I doubt the plan is to take him on in a straight fight.” She patted her newly enhanced crossbow. “This could do nicely for delivering a stake to his heart from several hundred paces away, ideally before he ever knows I’m there.” “It reminds me of one of the lessons I learned from the previous captain,” Gaspard said with a grin. “If you can’t win a fair fight, cheat.” I chuckled and nodded. “I think the cause we’re all working towards is more important than going along with the Necrocrats’ sense of fair play. As for the plan itself, there are a lot of little details to work out, but I think that's a viable path forward.” “It’s a bold plan, and we’ve all got a lot on the line, but the greater the risk, the richer the reward.” Gaspard smiled at Evergreen. “Certainly the pay we’ve been promised for this venture helped win my soldiers over. Though there is one matter of concern to me: baubles.” Evergreen raised an eyebrow. “Baubles?” “Baubles,” Gaspard confirmed. “Talon’s mention of her lovely weapon of choice reminded me of the matter. You see, my dear Archmagus, I can’t help but notice that both of my counterparts have very impressive magical weapons. Now, I can hardly begrudge Torch for carrying a family heirloom, but the magic on Talon’s crossbow wasn’t there the last time I saw her. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the coin, but sometimes a few little extras to spice up the deal make it just a bit more ... exciting.” Talon chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Are you saying you want your own enchanted sword then? Is it really that important, Gaspard?” “No, but also yes.” Gaspard smiled at her. “It's a matter of prestige, Talon. Would you have the captain of the Free Companions run around in a fight looking like a pauper? My opponents would be so embarrassed at the sight of me they wouldn’t even give me a fight.” He chuckled. “Not to mention the pay has to be split with the troops, and outside of my retirement fund, most of the excess will go into building and expanding the company. It would be irresponsible of me to spend a small fortune to commission an enchanted blade when that much money could outfit a dozen troops. It would still be nice to have one, though.” Evergreen shot him a flat look. “You’re a sword-user, and I’m a dendromancer. I can make wood do a lot of things, but even the best ironwood doesn’t make a good sword. I could probably make it work with enough magic, but it would be a lot of time and trouble to make a wooden sword that at best wouldn’t be any better than a steel one.” Gaspard shrugged. “I’m perfectly happy to accept the work of a crafter who can work in steel, so long as I get something to impress my troops and frighten my enemies.” Evergreen thought it over for a moment, then nodded. “I think something could be arranged. Let me have a word with Her Highness after this meeting.” She paused, then pointedly looked around the room. “Ah, forgive me, I misspoke. What I meant to say is that I will illegally acquire something from the royal armoury without Her Highness’s express knowledge or consent. How silly of me. Naturally, I’ll be adjusting your pay to account for the value of the blade.” “That’s only fair,” Gaspard agreed. “As to how you come by the sword ... as long as it doesn't result in me getting burned to ashes, I'm quite happy to avoid asking any troublesome questions about how you came to possess it.” I grinned. “After all, it’s entirely possible the Archmagus might have made the sword herself. True, it’s not made of wood as one would expect of a dendromancer, but an Archmagus should have skills outside of her immediate area of speciality.” Evergreen smiled and nodded. “Oh, that’s quite true. Part of being an archmage is having a broad mastery of magic, even if I prefer to capitalize on my talents for the most part. When it comes to working in steel ... well, stranger things have happened. I could spin you a yarn or several just about my family’s history...” I leaned back in my chair. “Oh, if we're discussing colorful family stories now, then I have quite a few to share.” Not that all my family stories were happy, but I much preferred to remember the pleasant ones and put the less enjoyable parts behind me. Gaspard chuckled. “You know mercenaries love to sit around telling tales of what we’ve gotten up to. Every once in a while the stories are even true.” Even Talon managed to smile. It was good to see her starting to shake off the black mood that Belladon’s departure had left her in, especially when there would no doubt be darker times ahead for all of us. But that made the joyful moments like these all the more precious. I leaned back in my chair and made myself comfortable. “Well ... who wants to start?”