//------------------------------// // Chapter 38: The Imperial City // Story: The Equine Scrolls: SkyFiM // by FireOfTheNorth //------------------------------// Chapter XXXVIII: The Imperial City “The Mages are said to have a great library of precious books, but they jealously hoard them for themselves.” At last the Imperial City appeared in the distance, our destination in sight. Above the city rose the White-Gold Tower, home of the Unicorn Empire’s leader. The Imperial City was built on an island, and the only way to reach it was by using a bridge on the city’s southern edge. To reach the bridge, we’d need to follow the well-used cobblestone path that circled the lake. The weather here was crisp, nearing winter, but still warm enough to travel comfortably, nothing like the blizzard that had been raging a short distance north. As we traveled the Red Ring Road around Lake Rumare, a group of armored ponies jumped out of the trees. “Well, look what we have here,” the leader said, “Travelers, and judging by the jingle-jangle of your saddlebags, you’ve got more than enough gold to spare.” “We don’t want any trouble,” I told the pony, who was obviously a bandit. “Well, you came to the wrong place then,” he said, drawing a greatsword off his back. Before his first stroke fell, Calcion’s Cleaver flew from its sheath, knocking his blade away. The other bandits both behind the leader and behind us drew their own weapons and charged forward. My sword met the leader’s again, the blades screeching against each other. He jumped back as I shot fire at him, giving me some space. Drawing the Blade of Hoofingar as well, I swung at the bandit. He blocked with his greatsword, then swung it around toward my knees. Jumping back, I brought my ebony sword around at his neck. As he blocked it, I swung Calcion’s Cleaver up into his chest. He slid off my blade, falling to the ground dead. Another bandit, an earth pony with a mace, jumped over his body. With Calcion’s Cleaver, I blocked her swing. Before I could get my own strike in, she swung the mace at me again. Repeatedly she smashed her mace into my ancient earth pony sword until it discharged lightning up her weapon, making her flinch back. While she was at a distance, I drew the Axe of Whitetrot. The next time she swung at me, I blocked with Calcion’s Cleaver and hooked the Axe of Whitetrot around it, locking it in place. Sliding it down the blade of my sword, I threw her weapon from her mouth. Now that she was disarmed, I followed up with a strike to her side with my sword. Ahead of me, Steadfast was holding off two bandits at once with his warhammer. An arrow bounced off the back of my helmet, just above the neck, before I could rush to help him. Craning my neck, I could see a pegasus with a bow fire another arrow at me. Dodging the deadly dart, I shot lightning up at the bandit. Eventually, I managed to land a hit on her, causing her to fall from the sky into the path of Mystic’s magical attacks. Turning back to where Steadfast was fighting, I fired a few ice spikes at the remaining bandit. Suddenly a bandit came flying out of the woods and ran into me, knocking me off the path. Retrieving my weapons from where they’d fallen, I turned toward the bat-pony who’d knocked me over. Blades splayed from the ends of her wings, she flapped toward me. Using both my swords, I blocked her attacks. She was still able to force me back toward the waterfront, separating me from my friends. Eventually I was able to seize the upper hoof and slash the Blade of Hoofingar through her wing. The sword cut through the bone and membrane, bending the metal frame over the wing that held her blades. Now that she only had weapons on one wing, it was a little easier to hold her off. As I blocked the blades on her good wing with my ebony sword, I brought Calcion’s Cleaver around toward her other side. The blade dug in, catching at her wing joint, and I ended up hoisting her in the air and depositing her in Lake Rumare. “Everything covered down there?” Mephalda called down from the path. “Yes,” I called up, cleaning my blades, “I just hope we don’t encounter any more complications before we reach the Imperial City.” ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ Thankfully, we made it to the Empire’s capital without any further interruptions. Crossing the long bridge that stretched from the mainland to the island in the middle of Lake Rumare, we entered the ivory city itself. The Imperial City was built as a perfect circle, with the White-Gold Tower in the center and walled-in districts surrounding it. We entered through what had once been Talhooves Plaza. During the Great War, the Pegasari Dominion had invaded the Imperial City itself, and though never fully taking it, they had managed to seize control of Talhooves Plaza. Destroying the statue of Talhooves in the center of the district, they erected stocks and execution blocks in its place to deal with all Talhooves worshippers. When the war ended and the White-Gold Concordat was signed, banning Talhooves worship, the stocks and execution blocks remained in place, and Emperor Brass Tax renamed the district Silver Coin Square after his great-grandfather, the first Emperor in his royal line. It was obvious who was in command here, as banners bearing the bust of the Emperor fluttered from the highest buildings in the district. Imperial Legion soldiers guarded this city, standing at attention on nearly every street corner, ready to step in at a moment’s notice. But we weren’t here to visit any of the elite living in Silver Coin Square. Nor were we here to buy from one of the many vendors who’d set up a makeshift market in the town square, much to the dislike of the district’s residents. We had a goal, and that goal was on the northwest corner of the city. Passing through the Pegasus Gardens, another housing district whose residents tended to be of the winged variety, we made our way to the Arboretum. Expansive gardens stretched through this district, giving the rich residents of the Imperial City a place they could escape from the endless stonework without leaving the safety of the city’s walls. They had suffered some extensive damage during the war, and some of the scars still showed beneath the greenery. The Arboretum, however, was also not our destination, so we swiftly passed through, following the carefully tended paths that ran around the plant life. Into the outer wall of the district was set a large gate similar to the one that we’d passed through to enter Silver Coin Square. Through it was a bridge that led out to the Arcane University, which held the Mystic Archives where we’d hopefully find the words to Dragonrend. I nearly skipped for joy as we neared the gates. “Halt!” the Imperial guards ordered, crossing their pikes in front of me before I could pass through the gates, “Papers, please.” “Papers?” I asked. “Yes, all ponies wishing to enter the Arcane University must have Imperial Consent Forms,” the guard explained. “Where can we get those?” Mystic asked. “Imperial Consent Forms can be procured from any mages establishment within the Empire, or requested from the Ministry of Magic,” the guard said blankly, sounding like he was reciting a well-memorized form. “Well, I’m a member of the College of Winterhorn,” Mystic offered, “I’ve even got proof of membership.” “The College of Winterhorn, being built in Stormcloud territory, is not recognized as a legitimate mages institution at this time,” the guard responded. “All right,” I said, “Where’s the Ministry of Magic.” “White-Gold Tower, enter through the south doors and turn right immediately.” “Thanks for your help, anyway,” I told the guard and turned to leave. Hopefully, we’d be able to convince whoever was working at the Ministry of Magic to get us the papers we needed to get into the Arcane University. The White-Gold Tower wasn’t far away, just a walk straight through the Arboretum, and we’d be there in no time. “Excuse me,” a cream-coated unicorn spoke to us as we passed through the gardens, “Were you trying to get into the Arcane University?” The mare patiently waited for our response as I sized her up. Despite the fact that she was wearing an elaborate gown and had her cherry red mane done up in elegant curls, she didn’t seem as stuck up as many of the other residents I’d seen roaming the gardens. Of course, she could have just been trying to pry into our affairs for her own benefit, but I decided not to judge her too fast. “Yes, we were,” I admitted. “All these new rules they have,” she scoffed, “I really see no need for it. Yes, the University may be a battlemage training center now, but that’s no reason to close off its more civil parts to the public. I’m Gilded Armor by the way.” “Sapphire,” I introduced myself, shaking the hoof she offered, “and this is Mephalda, Steadfast, and Mystic.” “A pleasure making your acquaintance,” she said, sounding completely genuine, “You know, I do have a bit of pull around here. Perhaps I could get you ponies into the Arcane University.” “Could you really?” Mystic asked anxiously. “Of course,” Gilded Armor said, “It would be my pleasure.” “Now, if I was in charge around here, we wouldn’t have all this time and money-wasting paperwork, only the essentials. Why, this Empire could run twice as well with half the fuss if we just-” she said as we trotted toward the University entrance before suddenly stopping at the tinny sound of a bell. “Oh no!” she exclaimed, “I’m late for the Equine Council meeting! I don’t suppose I could trouble you to come along with me, and we’ll straighten out this University business later?” “Well, I suppose so,” I said, since she had been so nice to us and willing to help us get into the University. “All right, this way then,” she said, leading the way through the Arboretum to the White-Gold Tower. At the center of the city was Green Emperor Way, a circle of land dedicated to memorials to the great Emperors and heroes of the Unicorn Empire and its predecessor, the Alicorn Empire. Empty bases showed where statues to the Alicorn Empire’s first Emperor, Emperor Talhooves, had been removed in accordance with the White-Gold Concordat. In the center of the Green Emperor Way was the White-Gold Tower, rising up to the heavens, the dragonfire lit by Empress Mystica still burning at its top. Following Gilded Armor, we rushed into the building and up the stairs to the observation area for the Equine Council. Our guide had her own box reserved up front, and ushered us in before she joined us and listened at rapt attention to the Council below. The Council Chamber itself seemed very bare, with only seven of the many seats reserved for Council-members filled. There were spots marked out for all the Jarls of Horizon, but each one of them was empty. It appeared only the Counts of Unicornica had bothered to make the trip for today’s session. Well, all except for one. “That’s odd,” Gilded Armor said, “I don’t see Blazing Amethyst, Stablehall’s Count, down there. He never misses a chance to try to boss the Council around.” “Well, I don’t think he’ll exactly be doing that anymore,” Steadfast said. “And why’s that?” Gilded Armor asked, swiveling around in her seat. “We caught him in the woods last night practicing cannibalism,” Steadfast explained, “He’s to be executed today.” “Oh my. I knew he was unpleasant, but I never imagined he’d be a cannibal.” That matter cleared up, I turned my attention back to the Council Chamber. Other than the Counts, there were several Legion Generals down below pushing their own agenda. In the center of the room, surrounded by guards and advisors, stood Emperor Brass Tax himself. Count Rusted Iron, who I knew well since he was Kvatch’s leader, stood and began to propose a strict military action against the Pegasari Dominion for their recent weather inconsistencies. The counts from Brumare, Corral, and Anvil immediately stood to protest the idea of such a thing. After all, if war came with the Dominion, their towns would be the first to suffer. The rest of the counts rose as well, all intent on voicing their opinions. I watched as the Council fell apart. The Emperor tried to convince the counts to settle down, but his efforts were unsuccessful and he gave up quickly. Soon it was no more than a shouting match, the counts bickering about something that would hopefully never come to pass. “Pitiful, isn’t it?” Gilded Armor asked, “Our Empire’s governing body is no more than a sparring ground for stuck-up nobles who care for nothing but themselves. If only my family had a voice in this.” “Why don’t you?” Mephalda asked. “Unfortunately, my family is one of the lesser houses,” she explained, “Our nobility is mostly just a formality, as we have no land holdings to our name. Well, my father Silver Cuirass does own a sizeable estate near Brumare, but we’ve no vassals, so we don’t have a vote in the Council.” “Did you say Silver Cuirass?” I asked, “As in General Silver Cuirass?” “Yeah, why?” Gilded Armor asked, “Do you know him?” “You could say that,” I said, thinking back to the times we’d met. “Wait, Sapphire!” Gilded Armor explained, apparently having an aha moment, “I knew I recognized that name.” “You do?” I asked. “Yes, my father’s mentioned you in his letters. You’re the pony who’s been fighting off the dragons, the only one successful so far. Something pretty important must have brought you here to Unicornica.” “We’re looking for a way to defeat Alduin,” I told her, figuring it wouldn’t hurt, since she seemed to know everything about me anyway. “Wow,” she said, “I think that getting into the Arcane University to look for that is more important than watching the Council bicker. I doubt they’ll accomplish anything today anyway. Let’s get out of here.” Gilded Armor led the way out of her booth and down out of the White-Gold Tower. Once more, we passed through the Arboretum and its gorgeous gardens before we arrived at the gates to the University. “Excuse me, sirs,” Gilded Armor said to the guard-ponies, “I need to pass through to the University.” “Of course, Lady Gilded Armor,” they said, pushing open the gate. “Don’t worry, they’re with me and I’ll vouch for them,” she said when the guards attempted to block our path. I believe I felt giddy as we finally crossed the bridge to the Arcane University, and Mystic was practically jumping up and down with glee. At the end of the bridge was another gate that opened onto the University, which was modeled after the main city with a circular wall surrounding a steep spire. Guarding the gate were two battlemages, but after Gilded Armor assured them we would make no trouble, we were able to enter. It was clear upon entering that the Arcane University was no longer being used as an educational institution. Upon the lawns that students must have once studied, and attended lectures during the warmer months, there were now built temporary wooden barracks for the Legion battlemages trained here. Banners fluttered from the walls, but they featured the bust of Brass Tax, not the magical eye representing the University that could still be seen carved into some of the walls and buildings. A wall cut through the middle of the University, dividing it in half, with only a few gates set into the central tower allowing access to the other half. Gilded Armor led us straight to the tower, pointing out that the Arch-Mage of the University had once lived at the top of the tower, but now it was the living quarters of the Imperial Battlemage. After traveling through an abandoned foyer, we exited into the back half of the University. Here things didn’t seem quite so abandoned as battlemages in training filled the yard, firing spells at each other. Divided into pairs, the unicorns would alternate between casting offensive spells, and casting wards to protect themselves from the spells cast by their sparring partner. It was actually quite interesting to watch the fresh battlemages work out new ways to circumvent their partners’ wards, but Gilded Armor rushed us along to the back of the University. “Have you been here before?” I asked, when it seemed she knew exactly where she was taking us. “Oh, a time or two with my father to inspect the troops,” she replied, “And he likes me to come make an inspection on my own every now and again to report back to him since he can’t be here himself. Of course, I have more interest in our Empire’s politics than our military, so I often spend more time with the Imperial Battlemage. Emperor Brass Tax just appointed a new one not too long ago, and I’m not sure what to think yet, but he seems a decent pony and a competent mage, so I’m sure things will work out all right.” As she finished her speech, she seemed to have found the building she’d been searching for. Pushing open the heavy wooden doors, she ushered us inside. At first there was little to be seen, but soon the magical lights became active and lit up the massive room so that we seemed to almost be in daylight. “Welcome to the Mystic Archives,” Gilded Armor said, gesturing around her. The Archives were larger than anything I could’ve imagined, with shelves of books stretching off far into the distance. Above us were two more tiers of decreasing size also filled with shelves of books and scrolls. It was almost too much to take in; I was caught breathless. “Someone there?” an elderly pony asked as she slowly trotted into the Archives from a side room. “This is Ambrose,” Gilded Armor introduced us to the pony, “Caretaker of the Archives. She can help you find whatever you need.” “Help these ponies out, Ambrose,” Gilded Armor told her, “They’re my friends. I need to get back to other business. See you later.” “So, what is it you’re looking for?” Ambrose asked us once Gilded Armor had left. “A book on Dragon Shouts,” I told her, “Specifically one regarding a Shout called Dragonrend.” “Well, we can start over in the reference area,” the elderly librarian said, slowly making her way over toward a set of shelves on the far side of the room. Joining her, we began to search through the seemingly endless supply of books. There were compilations and compendiums of practically every kind of magic, but a book regarding Shouts was rare and hard to find. Eventually, we had enough picked out to search through. Carrying them over to a few of the tables set up for studying, we began to look through them for any mention of Dragonrend. After some time paging through the old tomes and a few searches using Mystic’s magic, we still had nothing. A few of them mentioned Dragonrend, but they only contained theories on how it could possibly have been created and used. After flipping through another book that had nothing useful in it, I remembered there was one other way to narrow down our search. “Ambrose,” I called, startling the pony a bit, but getting her attention, “Do you have any books on Shouts by Arias?” “Arias, you say?” Ambrose asked, “Yes, I think we have some of his volumes somewhere.” We continued to look through books while the librarian slowly made her way to where the books by Arias were kept. When she called that she’d found them. we dropped what we’d been doing and rushed up to the second tier, where she was beginning to carefully pull some extremely ancient books of the shelf. “This is one on unusual magic,” she explained her choices as she passed them over to us, “This one covers wonders of Horizon, and this one is on Shouts.” Being extremely careful with the dusty volumes, we carried them to more of the nearby tables and began to look through. The first two books were complete busts, without even a mention of Dragonrend. The third, however, proved to be mildly useful. It mentioned Dragonrend; in fact, it had a whole page on Dragonrend, but there were no word of power written in Draconic or Equine, only a description of what Erik Hammerfall had told him about the Shout and how dangerous it was. “Is this all there is?” I asked disappointedly. “I’m afraid so,” Ambrose answered, “Those are the only books by Arias that I know of that mention Shouts. If you want, I could fetch the Imperial Battlemage to see if he could help you.” “I’d appreciate it if you would,” I said, and Ambrose slowly trotted off. I didn’t want to have come all the way here for nothing. In Erik Hammerfall’s letter, it had said he’d shared the words to Dragonrend with Arias, who had written them down. But if they had been written somewhere, they appeared to have been lost to time. I had no idea how the Imperial Battlemage could help us with our problem, but I was open to anything at the moment. Ambrose was a slow-moving pony, and we had no idea how long she would take to fetch the Imperial Battlemage, so we set about searching the Mystic Archives for any possible book that could help as we waited. Ambrose had chosen well in her selections, as we found not even the slightest clue to Dragonrend in our search of other books. “You wished to speak with me?” a stallion’s voice asked from near the Archives’ entrance as we set about putting the books back where they’d been taken from. Standing just inside the doors was a light grey unicorn with a slightly darker mane. On his head was a wide brimmed hat with a drooping cone on top and on his back was a mage’s robe. Both of his articles of clothing were decorated with moons and stars arranged in various constellations. He was a young stallion, only a few years older than me, yet he seemed to have seen his fair share of struggles in his short life, as his mane was already beginning to lose its color. “I am the Imperial Battlemage,” the pony introduced himself, “My name is Star-Swirl.” Level Up Health: 230 Stamina: 230 Magicka: 220 New Perk: ‘Tis But a Scratch [Restoration] -- Your mastery of healing spells is now great enough that life-threatening wounds that would’ve been unhealable previously are now within your skill. New Quest: Master of all Magic -- Get assistance from the Imperial Battlemage in learning Dragonrend.