The unicorn pulled back on his fishing rod, not held in hoof or hand but with the force of his dimly glowing horn. Unlike Equestrian unicorns, the glow was subtle and more of a general light than a bright specific color. "Curious place to come visit, but there isn't a rule 'gainst it."
"We have sailed from far away." Zecora pointed up the river they had just come from. "Just to arrive this day."
Jon advanced, the boat/box tucked away. "We're looking for a siren."
The unicorn's ears pricked upright. "The siren?!" He glanced left and right. "What siren?"
Sonja's brows fell at the reaction. "Check your sight!" She tossed her head at the walled town beyond the unicorn. "We heard she was here and we want to chat."
"I can see just fine." The rod whipped back, sliding in against the pony to be held by a loop without further need for lifting magic. "I see a bunch of troublemakers, making trouble. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
Jon raised his hands placatingly. "Not here to cause trouble, just talk." He bowed with a sweep of a hand towards Zecora. "She's from the siren's home."
"Huh." But the unicorn was leaving as he promised, slow and easy.
Sonja raised a hoof for the others to not pursue as she turned around to face the rest of the group. "We'll have better shots in the town, which we won't get into if they lock the doors on us for chasing them around outside of it."
Sues inclined his head. "Perhaps a touch of friendship, si? We should approach with smiles and warm cheer."
"Not the first time I entered with doubt." Zecora nodded as she started towards that walled town. "Let's go and see if a siren is about."
"Already off to a great start." Dark prowled along with a soft chuckle. "Oh, adventure. I thought I'd forgotten you, but you never really forget, do you?"
"Not a shot you forget," agreed Sonja as she walked. "Now, I hear they have weapons, and armor, of note. Not firearms, but maybe almost as good?"
Jon laughed at the idea. "Almost as good as a gun? If you're saying that, I'm going to take it seriously."
"Good," huffed Sonja. "Anything I say should be considered on target."
The walls of the town seemed to grow larger with their approach. Solid surfaces of stone, with no brickwork to be seen. Jon went up and rapped on the thing, though there wasn't much echo to reply. "That is kinda thick." He leaned back as he looked right and left. Ah there. He began towards a gate that didn't seem to be trying very hard to advertise itself.
Zecora trailed afterwards. "It matters not how thick the wall, once an open gate you install."
Sonja was examining that gate as they came closer to it. "Wouldn't be so fast. That looks like they can close the choke pretty well."
The guards at the gate were not unicorns, at least not just unicorns. They were clad in armor, but it was not a padded armor, easy to move in and light, nor shining plate armor, to deflect blows and look stately. They were wearing strange harnesses that glowed with curious unnatural colors along their limbs, their eyes, visible, watched the group with an intensity.
"Suddenly Tron," noted Jon, to the confusion of all else present.
Sues advanced to the fore, raising a hoof as he went. "Gudde mëtteg," he called in warm greeting. "Luminace sends her greetings and her curious."
The guard on the right advanced, her tail giving a light twitch. "Luminace is welcome here, as are her adherents." Her eyes went suspiciously to the others. "Which I do not imagine they all are."
Sues nodded back at his party. "I am on a journey of friendship, and these are new friends I have made along the way. Are they not the treasure Luminace sends me to find?"
Black burst into laughter, a bit of a cat's meow mixed in there. "I am treasure now? Far better than some of the other labels I have had. Good day." He waved a paw at the guards. "We're not troublesome sorts, oh no. Just a riddling sphinx, a lost human, an equally lost zebra, and two zebras that seem to know the way."
The guard on the left, also female, stepped forward to match the other. "That is actually a helpful description." Her eyes went from figure to figure, placing them among those mentioned. "Is he one of the ones that knows the way." She had fixed on Sues penetratingly. "Luminace is known for guiding the lost."
"Guilty as charged, sinjorino." Sues dipped his head. "We wanted to talk with the siren, Adagio? Is she still here?"
Both guards tensed at that, the one on the right speaking first, "If that question came from any other, this conversation would be over. Even you bring questions. What need has Luminace or her priest with the queen's siren? Your curiosity is unwelcome when it begins to involve secrets of the empire."
"No going off half-cocked," scoffed Sonja with an agitated pawing at the ground. "We're here to talk, that's it."
The one on the left frowned. "Then you should at least know what you are doing. This is a military community. Any person you see can and will react. Queen Iliana--" The name got a salute from the other guard. "has the final say, with only the local leader having a higher position, and only because she happens to be closer. If you insist on this." That most of the group was already nodding was answer enough. "I will bring your request, but I need your agreement to leave if they decide that is what shall be. Any questions?"
"Just one." Jon was pointing at the guard. "What's up with the armor? Is it magic?"
"Yes." The guard scowled at Jon with a new round of ire. "And that is exactly as much information as I will share. Want to know more? Make it through basic training and swear your fealty." She turned sharply. "Watch the gate." Not that the other guard really needed to be told that. She marched away from it, towards the great citadel that rest in the center of the town.
The other guard moved towards the center, with no other guard to balance with. "Stay where you are and make no suspicious moves. We will wait for her return, or you can go home."
Dark sank to his haunches. "I'd be a bit surprised if they made me come all this way just to give up at the first hint of resistance."
Sues sat right next to Dark. "That'd be a terrible story. Author interdire. Luminace expects better of her subjects than giving up on a friend's need so easily."
Jon remained standing, one hand going for his side, only to stop when the guard starting eyeing him. He realized his hand was straying towards his sword and drew it away, to the guard's visible approval. "It worked out well that you came with us, Sues."
"Princess Luminace, she sends friends where they are needed." Sues nodded in deference to his divine patron. "I did not know this was... specifically... an imperial fortress." He leaned in closer to the others. "I heard it was epeyce the bandit fort for quite some time."
"They have proper weapons." Sonja was eying parts of the wall around the gate. "Got us right in their sights. Probably ready to put holes in us if we give 'em half a reason to."
"Magic weapons?"
Sonja peered at her human party mate. "You are easily fascinated by talk of magic. Still, probably. That matches the length of the barrel." A sudden grin spread. "Wonder if they have any magic firearms. I bet you'd like that."
"Very much," nakedly admitted Jon without hesitation. "Going to guess now is not the time to ask."
The guard snorted softly, but didn't otherwise react to their words.
"Probably not." Sonja shrugged softly. "If we get inside, then we can try to shop. You still have money?"
Jon jingled his pockets. "Sure do. Though a thought just hit me."
"Painful things." Black shook his head sadly. "A thought can leave a man dead, or wishing he was. What thought dealt you a mortal blow today?"
"Nothing that dire," Jon assured quickly. "Just... our friend, the one that died. He had... a lot of interesting stuff. What happened to that?"
Zecora turned her head to gape at Jon. "You would take a fallen one's things? Great misfortune is all that brings. Show some respect to the past. That is the least that can be asked."
Sonja shrugged softly. "If I have enough to drag me back, do that. If I don't, whatever. I'm not there, take my gun if you think you can use it." She smirked softly. "About the only time I'd allow it, over my dead body."
Jon snapped his fingers. "There's another thought. Even if we didn't want to keep any of it, selling it off to pay for bringing him back wouldn't be that disrespectful, would it?"
"Merde." Sues shook his head slowly. "Not an invalid thought, if they had enough in valuables to afford it. The city we left would have priests powerful enough for the incantation, but we are not there." He pointed at the gate they were gathered in front of. "Right now, we should focus on this. Tell you what, if you know where your friend lies, I can check that out afterwards, if me and Sonja return without you two."
"As if I wouldn't take the shot." Sonja frowned at her fellow zebra. "If we're both there, I'm helping. Aerorean and I are friends! And I'll get to tease him for years if I drag him out of whatever restful nook of the afterlife he's cozied up in. He'd do the same for me."
Sues laughed at the idea. "I look forward to helping either leg of that journey. It's settled then."
Sonja turned to look at Zecora. "You were there, right?"
Zecora flipped an ear back. "I admit, this is a strange new thing. To consider death as only a mild sting. Where I'm from, that is a final step. No return once one passes the final doorstep." Spotting Jon about to say something, she rose a hoof at him and quieted it.
Sues giggled at that silent exchange. "Don't poke at her rhymes when she's clearly upset. Unhöflich, that."
"While we're asking questions." Jon was quick recovering, already on a new topic. "What languages do you think you are talking? They sound like a lot of... different ones from back where I'm from, but all human ones."
Sues aimed both ears at Jon. "Let me turn that around. What language are you speaking right now?"
"English?" Jon shrugged softly. "Why?"
Sues looked to Sonja. "What language is he speaking?"
Sonja frowned at the both of them. "You're both shooting without loading. That is obviously sylvan. Never heard of 'English' before. I told you I'm not a linguist like some zebra." Her glare shifted to Sues specifically, glancing at Zecora as a secondary.
Jon staggered a step back. "Sylvan?!"
"That is the language," noted the guard, clearly able to hear them. "The official tongue of the empire, 'common' around these parts. Not so common outside of it."
Sues began to clop his hooves together. "What a delightful mystery. You hear my verbiage in different tongues you knew? You must be a linguist to recognize so many."
"Uh, not quite." He rubbed behind his head. "It's not uncommon for people, where I'm from, to recognize a lot of languages, but only speak one, two or three on the outside, but usually one."
"Only more mysterious." Sues began to prowl the human in a circle. "What riddles you carry without thought. Luminace was kind to send you to me, if you don't mind my wondering."