The sky was dark with the clouds of an approaching storm, and the wind blew a sinister chill, though not nearly as sinister as the ship’s cargo. This was a prison ship bound for Skyrim, and just below deck were some of the most twisted criminals in the empire. First to be caught was a High Elf Pyromancer, who had burned down several villages in her quest to obtain power. Second was a Nord who had taken down almost a dozen guards before being subdued. Third was a Wood Elf who had amassed a small army of Atronarchs to overthrow the emperor. The guards had just barely won. Fourth was a Master Thief Khaajit, who even as he was getting on the ship had stolen 3 of the guards wallets and tried to bribe them with their own money. But the fifth one… most of the guards aboard the ship didn’t think he was natural. Some of them though he was part dragon. Others flat out called him a demon. Whatever the creature was, he had killed 7 Officials, 4 Local Guild Leaders, and countless innocents, all for petty cash. If this was Morrowind, and he was a Morag Tong member, it might not have been so bad. But he was associated with no guild: he had no loyalties, and nothing holding him back except the restrictions of his employer. And if the poor soul who hired him was unable to pay…well, it’s common knowledge you have the money before you hire the assassin.
These were treacherous waters, and it was definitely the most dangerous part of the journey. An unskilled Captain would succumb to such conditions, and the crew had to be ready to fend off attacks from various sea creatures. But the crew was well trained in combat, and the Captain with years of experience traversing these waters. Still, one must always be ready for surprises, and the crew was ever vigilant.
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The cell mates looked at each other, both in disdain and fear, but all with respect for the others accomplishments. The Nord broke the silence first. “So, Wood Elf, think your Frost Atronarchs could do any real damage to me?”
The Wood Elf glared at him. “If it weren’t for these bracers, I’d gladly see how you fare against a Flame Atronarch.”
The High Elf interrupted. “Ladies, Ladies, you’re both incredibly ugly. Now let’s focus on how we’re going to get out of here.”
The Nord spoke again. “I hate to say it, but the Elf’s got a point. Any bright ideas, Khaajit?”
“If the Guards would come closer to the door, I could easily take the keys.” The Pros of all the criminals being from land of the Imperials is that there were no confusing accents to distract them from their goal. The Khaajit continued. “But it would not matter, since there are too many guards on this ship.” The others nodded in grudging agreement. The
Wood Elf then noticed something off.
“Hey, how come the Lizard doesn’t get Bracers?” The guard turned and answered them. “Because that creature isn’t strong enough in body or magic to escape that cell and because he didn’t try to steal anything. Yet.” The Guard glared at the beast. In its dark corner, one might mistake it for a Dark Elf due to its uncut black hair. But a closer look would reveal scales and the tail that only an Argonian could have. An even closer look would reveal dark yellow eyes, with the pupils just a narrow black slit. It spoke in a slithering serpent voice.
“Do I scare you, officccc-“It said, accentuating the s-sound like a serpent in the night, “-ccer? Good. You’d be wissssse to do ssssssso.” The guard, though battle hardened with years of experience, still cringed.
“Stop that. You can talk like a sane person, can’t you?” The creature raised its head.
“Of course I can. In fact that’s how I usually talk.” It lowered its head once more. “But only to disguissssse my inssssanity”
The guard turned away, doing his best to ignore the beast. The Wood Elf suddenly perked his head up. The others turned to him in interest, save the Argonian. “What is it?” The High Elf inquired. The Argonian suddenly perked up as well.
“A chance for me to escape, of course.” The guard turned to face the prisoners. “What are you two talking about, your ‘chance to escape’?” Suddenly, two soldiers came rushing below deck, yelling only one word. “Dragon!” The officer rushed up deck to see if the claim was true. The Nord groaned.
“Well if there is a bloody dragon we’re all going to drown in this cell.” The Khaajit smiled and turned look outside the cell. In his rush to get topside, the guard had dropped his set of keys. The Nord reached out to get the keys, and then pulled back. “It’s too far out. I can’t reach them.” Suddenly the keys started to shiver. They did a small jerk toward the cage, then another, then flew right through the air into the Argonians hands. He smiled a sinister grin. “And they said I lacked the Magic to get out of this cage.”
The 5 criminals looked up to the roof. The Khaajit grimaced. “It’s quiet. Too quiet.”
Suddenly, a loud roar was heard as a dying dragon smashed the front half of the ship with its falling corpse, killing the last of the guards on deck. The ship quickly started to tilt forward. “Anytime now, Lizardbreath!”
The Argonian quickly unlocked the cell door. It turned to face the rest of them. “My name is Ashlan, not Lizardbreath.” The 5 rushed out to the hatch that would lead up deck. The Nord cursed.
“It’s locked from the top. They must’ve thought they were going to beat the cursed thing! Argonian, you swim around to the top and unlock it from there.” The group looked over to Ashlan, who was removing his shirt. “Hey, Ashlan, you hearing us?” The High Elf inquired.
Ashlan stepped chest deep into the quickly rising water. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t be seen associating with criminals such as you. It would tarnish my valuable reputation.”
The others looked angrily upon him. “Is this some kind of joke?” The Wood Elf yelled. Ashlan didn’t reply, instead choosing simply to dive below the wreckage, dropping the keys halfway through the wreck. Ashlan surfaced on the outside of the wreckage, observing the scene of utter chaos. Using his tail to keep himself afloat, he placed a single claw into the air. After waiting a minute, he turned west and said, “Land is that way.” And with that, he started to backstroke in a western direction, choosing to ignore the angry cries of his former cellmates, the carcass of the dead dragon, and the bodies of the guards floating at various depths of the water, instead choosing to focus on a song he heard a bard singing at the harbor, humming the tune to himself as he swam. After all, he would need something to occupy himself for the next 16 hours of swimming ahead of him.
Chapter 1: A Diamond Opportunity
The trio of diamond dogs continued drudging along the shoreline. The short stout one that looked like a pit-bull spoke up. “Boss, how much longer do we have to going? It’s almost dark out, and we have got anything.”
The exceptionally large one, like a Saint Bernard, spoke out as well. “Yeah, we ain’t gotten nothing.”
The mid height one, like a beagle, hushed the two, “That’s exactly why we can’t go back yet. We haven’t got anything yet, and you know how the Alpha feels when we come back empty handed.” The others whimpered at the thought of incurring the Alpha’s wrath.
“Yeah, so we have to find something before we go back. The Saint Bernard one looked over to the beach and grinned.
“What are you smiling at you-?” The Beagle said before following his eyes and smiling as well. The pit-bull looked as well.
“Hey, that’s one of those Argonians isn’t it? Like, from the empire?” The trio waltz over to the unconscious Argonian.
“Gee, it sure is, ain’t? Way he’s dressed, I’d say he just escaped a slave ship. We should help him out. Let’s take him back to the den, and help him. Right?” The Saint Bernard went over to pick up the body, when suddenly its hand clamped on his ankle. Before the diamond dog could react, a burst of magic flew through the Argonians hand into the diamond dog.
“Hey, Skitz, what’d he do to you, you ok?” The large dog didn’t reply, but it did turn around to face its brothers.
“Skitz, What are you doing!” The pit-bull yelled, “Pick that guy up and-“The dog never got to finish his sentence, as he was crushed by the fists of the larger dog. The beagle whipped out a crossbow and had to empty 5 bolts into the friend-turned-beast before it finally lay still on the ground.
“What in the unholy name of Tartarus just happened?” The leader of the group felt a scaly hand on his shoulder, and quickly found himself unable to move. A voice from behind him spoke, “With my level of magic, controlling your friend was as simple as he was. Thanks for taking him out though. I was not looking forward to fighting him.” The beagle, unable to move his lips, simply shuddered at the voice. It continued.
“Not all Argonians that wash up on shore escaped from slave ships. Like me. I actually escaped from a criminal ship bound for Skyrim. I’m not a slave, but I might use that as a cover story here. Thanks for the idea. As I was saying, I’m not a slave. I’m actually a Master Assassin. So…” Ashlan looked around the area, and then continued. “This is Equestria, that new province, right? The Imperials don’t have a strong influence here yet, so I could lay undercover here for quite some time.”
Ashlan paused for a second, causing uncomfortable silence. “I though slavery was illegal here. I suppose a criminal like you should be punished, shouldn’t you?” Ashlan didn’t wait for a response, simply and unceremoniously strangling the diamond dog. After laying the body on the ground, he checked their pockets. Normally he didn’t pickpocket, but once his target was dead well…they weren’t going to need it, right? Not that he was a grave robber. Far from it. The dead deserved to rest in peace, and Ashlan detested necromancy. But his designated targets, and anybody who threatened him, were fair game.
After finding several diamonds and emeralds on them, Ashlan made haste to find the nearest path to the city. He found not too far from the shore, and along the way he found many reagents which would be great for his…trade. It was a skill that took a longtime to develop, but it was possible to be able to recognize the alchemical properties of different objects on observation, even if you have no previous experience with the reagent in question. It wasn’t simple to explain how it worked, but it takes a great skill in the alchemical arts to do. The best part is that some potions were worth much more than the base alchemical ingredients. It was a very profitable business, but Ashlan preferred his line of work much better. Granted, being an assassin meant you didn’t have a lot of friends, but half the fun of the job was keeping it a secret. Following the dirt path, Ashlan took in the scene around him as he walked. A field of various wildflowers which he was unfamiliar with grew to his left, and the vast ocean with its many riches at his fingertips. It was a breathtaking sight…Ashlan couldn’t wait to see what he could do with those flowers. But there were more pressing issues at hand, like finding a place to buy his tools of the trade.
He would need a Marksman’s tool, preferably a bow to a crossbow. Most people would prefer a crossbow because of its power and ease of aim, but they also had a limited useful range, and they took a lot longer to reload. Skill with a bow, on the other hand, would guarantee quality marksmanship at the same range as its mechanical counterparts, and at longer ranges for the more skilled. There was also the fact that most enchanted marksman ammo came in the form of an arrow, and, if the situation called for it, you couldn’t load multiple bolts into a crossbow. This was a skill Ashlan was proud of, because he could load three arrows into a bow and hit three individual targets from a fair distance away. Ashlan would also need a Short Sword, because not all of his targets would be able to be hit from a distance, and, worst case scenario, they got close and fought back. Ashlan preferred a short blade that was about ¾ the length of his arm. It was short enough to be carried stealthily, yet long enough to redirect the blows of larger swords. Finally, he would at least a Journeyman’s Mortar and Pestle and Calcinator, which would be rather expensive. Many people believed alchemy involved just potions to drink, but a skilled alchemist knows there are many other uses for their skill, such as fine and rough powders. Fine powders were easily hidden and rough powder easily disguisable as salt, sugar, or other condiments one might see at a table. A highly acidic potion practically eliminates the need for a lock pick, and potions with harmful effects could just as easily be thrown at foes. Not to mention potions with…unstable properties, which could be attached to the ends of arrows. Another benefit of using a bow. Potions that dry quickly can be used to copy keys and make molds. Luminous potions can be used to reveal fingerprints and other traces of evidence. There were also at least a dozen reagents that when combined have many leisurely purposes. Yes, there were many uses for alchemy people didn’t realize, and sometimes Ashlan pitied potion makers with limited imagination who called themselves alchemists. They had no idea how much fun they were missing.
Leaving his train of thoughts behind, Ashlan came upon a crossroads to the south and east. A sign indicated continuing south would lead to the city of Las Pegasus, while taking an eastern path would lead through many smaller towns and villages, eventually leading to the capital city of Canterlot. A worn wooden map board denoted a map of the entire province, and although it could easily be outdated, one thing would be the same: Las Pegasus would be a big city, and the Imperial Legion would likely have a more hefty presence there than in the small villages to the east. Combined with the fact that many merchants would be setting up shop in these villages for wandering adventurers, and the best choice was obviously to head east. Ashlan would have to make sure he had his tools before reaching Canterlot, that was all. Although there may be dangers of wild animals and highwaymen, he was skilled enough in magic and unarmed fighting to not have to worry about it too much. Eyes on the horizon, Ashlan turned and headed away from the beach.
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After walking for quite some time, Ashlan came upon a small town called South Hoovesville, causing prompt wonder where its Northern counterpart was located. Even a town as remote as this one had still felt some influence from the empire, as was noticed by a small family of Nords, a middle-aged Imperial Trader, and a young female Breton Alchemist. Ashlan decided to visit the Alchemist first, as he would probably get a higher price from the gems he had taken from the diamond dogs. The familiar ring of a shop bell greeted him as he entered the Potions Shop. The Breton turned to greet him.
“Well, you’re a new face around here. I won’t bother offering you anything, because you probably already know what you’re here for. Unless you ask of course.” The young woman had a bright personality, and obviously enjoyed her job.
“I’m actually here to sell some reagents.” Ashlan said, placing the gems down on the counter. The Breton’s face dropped. “Well, I hate to tell you this, but gems aren’t actually worth that much in this part of the empire. They’re actually quite common. In fact, I’ve heard some species here have actually evolved to eat precious gems. Isn’t that crazy?”
Ashlan’s face dropped as well. “Well, is there anything here that is worth a significant amount of money?” The woman thought for a moment, and then replied, “There’s actually a famine in the region right now. If you have any kind of grains on you, I could probably buy those for a decent price.”
Ashlan sighed. “That’s actually the only kind of reagent I didn’t bother to collect on the way here.” The woman thought for a moment, and then said, “Well, I’m sure you could find some way to earn the money. Like-“ she paused. “No, that’s way too dangerous, even if you did have some kind of weapon.”
“What?” Ashlan inquired. “Well, there’s a den of diamond dogs to the north that apparently have a huge stockpile of food with them. If you could clear them out and get the food back here, I’m sure you could make a fortune.”
Ashlan smiled. “Is that all?” The Breton was taken aback. “You don’t understand. Diamond Dogs are strong as a Nord, and-“
Ashlan shushed the woman with his finger. “I took down 3 on the way here without even breaking a sweat. An entire den is just the next step up on the ladder. They’re probably already looking for me. Trust me, I can handle this.”
Ashlan didn’t wait for a response, choosing to leave the shop and head for the north part of town. When he reached the north road, however, a small Equestrian child stopped him. All the rumors Ashlan had heard about the Equestrians were true. They had hooves in place of feet, and most of them were ridiculous bright colors, probably to blend in with the bright foliage around them. They came in 3 main variants, the ones who were incredibly strong, the ‘Earth Ponies’, the ones who were fast and agile, the ‘Pegasus’, and the ones who had a natural proficiency for magic, the ‘Unicorns’. The child approaching him appeared to be a Pegasus.
“Excuse me, but if you’re leaving town that way, be sure to watch out for diamond dogs. They took my brother when he was out looking for food last week. The den’s out that way, but no one knows where it is exactly.”
Ashlan looked back on the small child. Although compassion wasn’t exactly a trait of a good assassin, he wasn’t on the job right now.
“Listen,” he said, crouching to the small Pegasus, “I’m going to find these guys, free everyone, including your brother, and bring back all of the food they have. I promise.”
The young one’s face brightened at this news. “Really!” Ashlan nodded. The child then pulled something from his pocket. “Here. It’s a throwing knife. I enchanted it myself. It was supposed to do a fire attack, but when I use it, it doesn’t do anything.” Ashlan pocketed the knife. “Thanks. I’m sure I’ll find a use for it.” And with that, Ashlan started down the path leading toward freedom.
To the north of the town was an immense forest, filled with many different trees and bushes. The setting sun added to the majesty of the scene. Almost as soon as the town was out of sight, he was greeted by a Dark Elf.
“Greetings, traveler. Where are you off to this late in the day?” Ashlan knew this type. He was either a highwayman or a slaver. He’d had experience with both. He also knew how to properly respond.
“I’m off to find some diamond dogs.” The elf was intrigued, and started to follow.
“Why would you look for diamond dogs? I hear they’re very dangerous.”
Ashlan scoffed. “Well, I’m pretty dangerous myself. So if you’re going to lead me into a trap, I suggest you think twice.”
The elf scoffed as well. “Well that’s a racist comment. Greeted by a Dark Elf on the side of the road and assume he’s a slaver. I see how it is.”
Ashlan faked letting his guard down. “Sorry, guess I’m kind of paranoid, being argonian and all.” The dark elf laughed.
“It’s ok. I can understand your concern.” There was a four-way crossroad not too far in front of the two. Ashlan slowed his walk, eventually coming to a stop.
“So, um…”
“Amicus is my name.” the dark elf said. “Amicus, how many friends you got waiting for me here?” Amicus was taken aback.
“I told you, I’m not a slaver.”
Ashlan held up his hand, now glowing with magic. “I’d say it’s about four, no 3. One of them is a captive caught from earlier. Either way, I warned you about leading me into a trap, didn’t I?”
At that moment, 3 diamond dogs of a fairly large size stepped out of the bushes. “I’m not a slaver. That was the truth. But they do pay me quite nicely to lead others to them.” One of them pulled out an Iron War Hammer, while the other two pulled out wooden clubs. The one with the hammer lashed out at Ashlan with amazing speed.
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With two of the diamond dogs unconscious, and the third had run back to the den while he had the chance. Ashlan now had Amicus pinned down under the claws on his foot, with an amused look on his face.
“I warned you I was dangerous, didn’t I? So I’m going to make this as simple as possible: Tell me where the den is, and I make your death easy. Tell me where the den is and hand over all your valuables, and you can live. Refuse both, and it gets messy.” Amicus reached into his pocket and threw out a small bag of coins. “It’s in the forest! It’s hidden near the tree with scratch marks in it! When you find the tree, go right until you find a small hill, it’s in there! Please let me go!”
Ashlan sighed. Although the idea had come across him to kill him anyway, he always honored his promises. He removed his foot from the elf’s neck and turned to follow the trail of footprints the fleeing diamond dog had made. They led to the North-East part of the forest, and, true to Amicus’ word, turned right at the marked tree. By the time he reached the hill, it was well past dark, when he heard a rustle in the bushes behind him. When he turned to face the bush, he heard a small gasp of terror. An Equestrian girl popped out, not much younger than Ashlan. Her skin was pure white, and her hair was long and purple.
“I’m sorry for bothering dear, it’s just, well, the way you fought back there was quite-“ The girl took a deep breath. “I’m Rarity. I was trying to get inspiration for a new dress when I ended up getting a little lost. I ended up wandering much farther than I realized, when that elf greeted me. He seemed so nice I thought I could trust him when suddenly those diamond dogs popped out. I thought for sure I was going to end up in the mines again. I suppose I just wanted to thank you for saving me from those hideous beasts.”
Ashlan decided not to inquire about why she said ‘again’.
“Well, you’re welcome. But now might be a good time to stop following me, because I’m going straight into those mines now.”
Rarity’s face was confused as to why anyone would go into the mines, then said, “Well, actually, I was wondering that, well, when you’re done here, maybe you could accompany me back to Ponyville, assuming you know the way there, of course?”
If there was one thing Ashlan hated, it was escorts. The person usually had no idea how to defend themselves, and they ended up being more trouble than the petty reward they offered. Still, he could understand why she wanted his help.
“I’ll think about it while I’m down there. In the meantime, just stay at the town south of here. Tell then I sent you. You might get a discount at inn, assuming they’ve heard about what I’m doing.”
Rarity did a slight bow, then rushed to get back to the safe haven. Ashlan turned to face the wooden door that led below the hill. After checking for an ambush behind the door with magic, he proceeded into the mines.
The mines were much more organized than Ashlan had originally imagined. After taking down two diamond dogs guarding a small room, he found it housed the entire supply of food for the mine. The fact that the storage was so close to the entrance meant that this was a small mine, even though it was definitely the only one in the area. If this was a new mine, the diamond dog would’ve run to the old mine out of instinct. He would have to come back on the way up. After dispatching of two more patrols on the way down, he found the initial mining operation. It was a large cavern, constantly expanding in every direction by means of slave labor. Ashlan observed the scene for a minute. There were at least thirty of them, the Alpha supervising from a small platform overseeing the mine. Though some were working the slaves, most of them were gathered around a pile of barrels, refilling the lanterns that kept the mine lit. The lanterns were lit with oil, which gave Ashlan an idea. He pulled out the knife the small Pegasus had given him. The red glow in the soft light signified it was enchanted, as the child had said. After taking a deep breath and focusing his aim, Ashlan threw the knife in a spiraling fashion at the barrels.
He was not disappointed by the results. A large explosion echoed throughout the cavern, taking out the large majority of the diamond dogs. The alpha could be heard even from Ashlan’s covered position shouting expletives that would make even a Nord flinch, demanding to know why the explosion had happened for no apparent reason. With only a handful of diamond dogs still standing, the assassin made his strike. Leaping down into the scene of chaos, he easily took out half the slavers before they got their bearings on him. Putting his claws and alteration magic to good use, he turned each of his fingers into a miniature blade, easily finishing off the rest of the diamond dogs who were armed with only their fists. At that moment, the Alpha jumped down to confront Ashlan. He was easily half a foot taller than Ashlan, and he was much faster, stronger, and all-around more skilled in a one-on-one than the others he had seen. The look on his face was enough to let Ashlan know that this one was not in a good mood about having his entire pack taken out like it was nothing. Pulling out a large battle-ax that looked so heavy only he could possibly be able to use it, he spoke.
“So you are the one who caused this explosion. I heard about you from the one you let escape, which is a severe mistake on your part. I know perfectly well what you are capable of with your magic. Now we will fight to determine which of us the better combatant.”
The two started to circle each other in a classic brawl style, when the Alpha made the first move. He rushed forward to swing his ax in a one handed fashion, surprising Ashlan with his speed. Ashlan back flipped to avoid the horizontal slash, recovering just in time to side step a vertical chop. While the Alpha had his ax to the ground, Ashlan ran up the diamond dog and back flipped of off his face, being sure to slash his face with his foot claws. This sent the Alpha stumbling back, but he quickly recovered, blood dripping from his muzzle. He let out an angry roar of a bark, and rushed forward, this time with a diagonal slice. Ashlan ducked under the blow, then, using his magic to amplify his strength, delivered a devastating uppercut to the beast’s throat. The attack actually lifted the dog off the ground, and he fell backwards on the ground. Ashlan cautiously investigated the still body, and, as insurance, slashed open the Alpha’s throat. After rising from his defeated foe, he found the slaves of the mine staring at him in awe. Some had been scuffed from the explosion, but none of them were seriously injured. A tremendous cheering followed once the slaves realized their suffering was finally over.
“Alright,” Ashlan said, “There’s a huge supply of food up near the entrance, and we’re all going to bring it back to the town. I know not all of you are from Hoovesville, but it’s a good place as any to get back on your feet. Now come on!”
After the initial march back to the town, many of the villagers were ecstatic to see their loved ones that had been gone for so long. It brought a smile to Ashlan’s face. It was a tough decision, but he had decided not to charge the townsfolk for the food. After all, he would make more than enough money selling the armor the diamond dogs hadn’t thought to use in their fight. Not a good move on their part. Most of it was in great condition too. Probably because they could take down most opposition without it. Again, not a good move on their part. It was mostly iron and bronze, which would fetch a nice price. Then there was a cuirass made of some kind of light blue crystal. He didn’t know what it was made of, but some royalty trying to become a knight would pay a good price for it. And then there was the Wyvern Hide. Either they had been attacked by a swarm of the creatures and won or had looted a passing merchant, but there was a whole pile of the stuff, when just one piece sold for 100 drakes back in the empire. He wasn’t sure how much it was worth here, but it would definitely earn Ashlan a lot of money. Of course he would keep some of it to make into armor, but that which he sold would earn him enough alone to buy what he needed. With his load in a cart behind him, he made his way to the Imperial Trader he had seen earlier. Entering the shop, he was greeted warmly by the shopkeeper.
“Ah, Ashlan, I presume? I’ve heard nothing but good things about you! Anything you need, I’ll try to help you with if I can.”
Ashlan couldn’t help but smile again. Usually if people even vouched to talk to him, they only said things like, Help, he’s here! Oh gods, he’s here to kill me, which got old after a while. It was nice to be greeted with open arms for once and have to worry about being stabbed in the back.
“I came here to sell some things I found in the mine.”
“Of course!” the man greeted him, “It’s only natural to want to sell some things you find in your travels. Is that it outside?” Ashlan nodded. “Well, then, let’s have a look.” The merchant walked out with Ashlan to appraise the goods.
“Well, for this iron and copper armor, I can give you 40 gold a piece, which brings your total to 160.”
Ashlan blinked. “Forty a piece? Look, I know I just became a hero but….Isn’t that a bit much?” The shopkeeper laughed. “Well, you see, gems and jewels are plentiful here in Equestria, but materials like iron and steel are a bit harder to find. They’re as rare as dragons hide, which there is no shortage in the volcano range in the south east part of Equestria, but as hard to get as ever.”
Ashlan nodded. He’d have to remember this. “I also wanted to know about this.” He said, pulling out the crystal cuirass. The merchant’s eyes widened at the sight, which Ashlan assumed meant it was worth a lot. “I think I’ve heard of this piece before. If this is what I think it is… May I?” He asked.
“Sure.” Ashlan said, handing him the armor. The merchant held up the piece to the light, turning it one way, then the other. Ashlan noticed it turned a variety of colors while he was doing this. The merchant set it back down in the cart.
“I’m sorry Ashlan, but I can’t buy this.” “Why, is it illegal?” Ashlan asked, suddenly worried.
“No, because I wouldn’t be able to pay you enough for it. It’s a long story, but put simply, you’ll want to take this to the Canterlot Museum of Artifacts out east. You’ll definitely get the money for this up there. If I were you, I’d take the train there as soon as you can.”
Ok, it’s definitely some kind of artifact, Ashlan thought.
“And what about all of this?” Ashlan said, gesturing to the hides. “I want to keep some for armor but I thought I could get rid of the excess.” The merchant looked at the pile, and then said,
“I can only afford so much of it, but you can take the rest of it to the alchemist. I can give you 750 gold for half the pile, plus the armor.” Ashlan smiled for the third time that day.
“Alright, you’ve got yourself a deal.” After making the trade and bidding the merchant farewell, Ashlan made his way to the alchemist’s shop.
Ashlan was once more greeted by the slight ringing of a bell. The Breton alchemist greeted him even more warmly than before.
“I can’t believe you actually did it! The entire town is talking about you like you’re some kind of celebrity. So let me guess, you found some reagents in that mine other than the food, right?”
Ashlan presented the sack of Wyvern hide he brought in from outside. The alchemist whistled.
“Wyvern hides. Not as good as actual dragon hides, but still plenty of great alchemical uses. How much you want for it?”
“Actually,” Ashlan said, “I was hoping to trade them in for a Journeyman’s Calcinator.”
The Breton laughed. “With all of this? You could get the whole set! Why just the Calcinator?”
“Ashlan laughed. “Fine then, throw in a Mortar and Pestle while you’re at it. I might need something in a hurry.”
“Sure thing, hero.” She said, pulling out the alchemical tools Ashlan had requested. With a sarcastically humble gentlemen’s bow, Ashlan backed out of the shop. After another brief rendezvous with the trader for a Bonemold Longbow, a short blade that the trader called a ‘Wakizashi’ that was exactly the length Ashlan needed, and a quiver bristling with arrows, Ashlan prepared to set out to continue on his way when a voice called out to him. Oh, right, Ashlan thought, remembering the promise he had made to the Equestrian girl. Rarity rushed up to his side, holding out a map for him to read.
“There’s a quaint village just south of here with a train station, we should be able to get there by noon, darling.”
Ashlan studied the map, and said, “First off, don’t call me darling. It makes us look like we know each other. Secondly, if we leave now, we can reach Ponyville by nightfall.”
Rarity looked over to the map. “But the path goes around the Everfree forest; it will take us at least two days to reach it. My friends are probably worried sick about me; we must get back to them as soon as possible.”
Ashlan sighed. “But this path,” he said, pointing to the map, “Is a straight shot to Ponyville from here, and it will only take us till sunset at worst.”
Rarity grimaced, “But-but that path goes straight through the Everfree forest! There are many dangerous creatures there and it is simply too risky for us-“Ashlan shushed Rarity with his finger,
“I just took out an entire den of slavers with my bare hands. I have weapons now. Nothing in that forest stands a chance against me. If you want to wait for a train, be my guest. As for me, if you really want to get home so fast, I suggest you follow.”
Ashlan didn’t wait for a response simply choosing to follow the path to the Everfree forest. After a few seconds of silent debate, Rarity followed.
End of Chapter One