The Equine Scrolls: SkyFiM

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 58: Secrets of Talhooves

Chapter LVIII: Secrets of Talhooves
“Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony.”

After the destruction of the Shrine of Ponyrite, we traveled back to Leyawhinny. Just as we’d hoped, everypony was now cured of the mysterious plague. Unfortunately, we were too late to save everypony. A mass funeral was held for those who had died from the disease, among them Leyawhinny’s count. His son, who’d taken his place as the town’s ruler, thanked us for curing the plague, and insisted that we stay in Castle Leyawhinny for the night.

We left the next morning for the Imperial City, following the path to Red Ring Road. It wasn’t far, close to the distance from Stablehall to the Empire’s capital, and the White-Gold Tower came in sight in no time.

As the Red Ring Road came in sight, a roar suddenly came from the trees around us. Trunks tilted as a creature went barreling through the forest to get to us. A manticore of normal colors emerged from the trees, sliding across the path in front of us. Digging into the ground with its claws, it managed to turn itself around to face us.

Snarling, the best charged toward us. Mystic put up a ward immediately, which the beast slammed into. The rest of us drew our weapons of choice to defend ourselves. Mephalda and Steadfast snuck around one side of the manticore while I snuck around the other.

Mystic was forced to drop her ward and retreat as the manticore brought its scorpion tail down at her. I ran toward the beast, cutting a gash in its foreleg with Dawnbreaker. It howled and turned toward me, only to be hit in the cheek with a swipe from Steadfast’s warhammer.

It swung its scorpion tail around at him while keeping its attention on me. Its claws slashed over my head, cutting through the air as I ducked down. I swung Dawnbreaker up over my head, cutting through its paw. I shot fire at its torso, lighting the fur on fire as I ran to escape the claw that swiped down at me.

Ice struck the manticore’s head, coating it in frost. Arrows from Mephalda penetrated the thin layer of ice, sticking in the manticore’s face. With a swing of his warhammer, Steadfast crippled one of the creature’s hindlegs. While it was trying to catch him, I galloped up and swung Dawnbreaker through the manticore’s tail, leaving the stinger end twitching on the ground.

The manticore swung around at me, hitting Steadfast with what was left of its tail. Robbing it of its extremity had made me a prime target for its wrath. It swung its claws at me, and I was hard pressed to avoid them. Eventually one connected with my head, knocking my helmet off. As the manticore roared, I jumped forward, plunging Dawnbreaker up through the roof of its mouth until it protruded from the top of its head.

I pulled the sword out and wiped it clean as the beast collapsed to the ground. We did the decent thing and pulled it off the path, at least, before moving on. The Imperial City loomed large ahead, hiding secrets about the Elements of Harmony we’d come to unearth.

◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊

This time we had no trouble getting into the Arcane University. Finding Star-Swirl, on the other hoof, seemed to be next to impossible. He was the key to my plan. Shadowmere had said that the Secret Book of Talhooves was somewhere in the Imperial City, and if anypony would know where, it would be Star-Swirl. He also was the only pony I’d trust to return the Equine Scroll to without being executed immediately.

I knew exactly where his office was, but none of us knew how to cast the spell that would transport us there. Instead, we headed to the Mystic Archives, passing by the battlemages-in-training. Once within the Mystic Archives we found Ambrose, the only pony we knew here besides the Imperial Battlemage, and asked her to fetch him.

“Do you think it might be here,” I asked, looking around the vast library as we waited for Ambrose to return, “Hidden among these books for centuries?”

“I doubt it,” Steadfast said, “I’m sure that if it was here it wouldn’t be secret anymore. Somepony would have found and divulged Talhooves’s secrets.”

“Still, it’s worth a try,” Mystic said, and began to cast the searching spell she’d used back in the College of Winterhorn’s library.

It took a bit longer, but soon all the books in the Archives were lit up with the same color as Mystic’s magic. A brilliant overglow sprang up around her horn as she struggled to keep her focus on the thousands of books simultaneously.

“Let’s narrow it down with ‘Elements of Harmony’ first,” she said.

All the books suddenly fell back into place on their shelves. A single book flew through the air toward us, still covered in Mystic’s magic. The cover read Ancient Legends of the Earth Ponies, and Mystic flipped it open to the page her search had returned. Only a small blurb was written regarding the Elements of Harmony.

Very little is known about the legendary Elements of Harmony, mainly due to the fact that the earth ponies, even the ancient ones, knew very little about them. It is not the largest among the earth pony legends, but is perhaps the most intriguing. According to the most popular view of the legend, the Elements were an ultra-powerful super-weapon composed of several parts, each representing a virtue the earth ponies admired, such as honesty, loyalty, and generosity. Most likely this legend was created to encourage the virtues the Elements represented, and contains little to no actual historical fact.

Well, I knew that couldn’t be correct. I had proof that the Elements did exist, hanging around my neck. The book appeared to have nothing else regarding the Elements, even though I flipped through the entire volume.

“Did you find what you were searching for?” Star-Swirl’s voice suddenly came from behind me.

“Star-Swirl,” I greeted him, turning around to see him standing just paces away. How he snuck up on us like that I’d never understand.

“Well, you certainly took your time to return,” he said, trotting closer to us, “You’ve been busy, I presume. So, what has brought you back to the Arcane University?”

“Well, this for one,” I said, pulling the Equine Scroll from my saddlebags and passing it to him, “It did work, by the way, to stabilize the time travel. Sorry for stealing it, but I didn’t see another way.”

“Of course,” Star-Swirl said, taking the Equine Scroll from me.

“That’s it?” I said, “You’re not even mad that we stole it?”

“How can I be?” he said, “I practically told you to do so. No, I know that it was of better use to you than it would have been tucked away beneath the Imperial Palace.”

“Oh, all right then,” I said, completely taken off guard by Star-Swirl’s complete lack of care that we’d stolen one of the Empire’s most valuable possessions.

“However, I doubt you came here just to return the Equine Scroll, else you would have returned much sooner,” Star-Swirl said, “What brings you here.”

“This,” I said, pulling the Element of Honesty out from my armor.

“What is that?” he asked, leaning in for a closer look.

“An Element of Harmony,” I explained, “With all six, hopefully we can defeat Alduin.”

“Just one problem,” Steadfast cut in, “We’ve got no idea where the rest are.”

“And you were hoping that the Mystic Archives would hold the answer,” Star-Swirl deduced, “Did they?”

“Not exactly,” I said, passing him Ancient Legends of the Earth Ponies, “This is the only mention the Archives have of them.”

“Hmm, yes, I see, not very helpful,” he said, “Is there anything else possibly related to the Elements we could look for instead?”

“Well, Talhooves’s Book of Secrets,” Mystic said.

“Ah, yes, now that is just a legend,” the Imperial Battlemage said, “Conspiracy theorists have searched unsuccessfully for that book for centuries. I’m afraid it doesn’t exist.”

“We have it on good authority that it does,” I said, “Likewise we know that Talhooves searched for the Elements like us. He had to record it somewhere.”

“Well, I’m not sure where you got your information,” Star-Swirl said, looking perplexed but not asking who our source was, “But I’m afraid that Talhooves’s Book of Secrets doesn’t exist, or else it’s hidden extremely well.

“Then it’s the second one,” Steadfast insisted.

“We could look through some history books regarding Talhooves,” Star-Swirl gave in, “Perhaps we’ll find something that could tip us off, but I wouldn’t get your hopes too high. Nopony’s found anything before, and I don’t expect it to change.”

Star-Swirl looked through the history section, as well as the section dedicated to Emperor Talhooves, pulling down any book he thought would help. Soon we had sizable stacks piling up around us. Minutes turned to hours as we sorted through the vast piles of knowledge.

I learned more than I ever wanted to about Talhooves and the time he rose to power, but nothing about the Elements of Harmony. Well, nothing explicitly mentioning the Elements. Still, I noticed a pattern forming around his conquests. In each of the battles he fought to unify the Northlands, he succeeded against all odds, mysteriously winning in a fight nopony else could. Some might attribute it to skill or luck, but I began to wonder if he had a secret weapon. A weapon we were now searching for.

The feeling grew stronger as we went through even more books. In each and every conquest of a rebellious nation, Talhooves won with only a fraction of the forces of his opponent, unless he wasn’t present. When he was, his enemy was crushed quickly, and there were no remains mentioned. Somehow, Talhooves himself was wielding a higher power to conquer the Northlands.

“Sapphire, I may have found something,” Star-Swirl’s voice came suddenly from right beside me.

I dropped the book I was holding and jumped in surprise.

“You almost gave me a heart attack,” I told him, clutching my chest, “You’ve got to stop sneaking up on ponies like that.”

“And how would you propose I do that?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I said, “Maybe if you wore a . . . bell?”

“A bell?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Never mind, dumb idea,” I said, “So, what did you find?”

“This is an older book on the Imperial Palace,” he said, passing it over to me, “Read this passage here from one of the ponies responsible for renovating it for the Emperor.”

Emperor Talhooves himself gave me a very special project. Unlike most of the workers, I was granted access to complete maps of the White-Gold Tower, including all the sub-basements that stretch through the sewers. But, the Emperor didn’t have me remodel the rooms for his new empire like the other workers; he wanted me to build something new. “I need some personal space for my own uses,” he told me, “Somewhere only I can reach.” I obliged as best I could, carving out new rooms and passages beneath the tower in secret while keeping clear of the existing tunnels. In the end, I was asked to do the most curious thing. The Emperor required that I seal the rooms off when I was finished, making all my work pointless! When I told him so, he insisted the rooms would still be used, but it was too risky for a simple tunnel to lead into them. Instead he had his Imperial Battlemage create another way for him to enter, some kind of teleporter. I had to remodel some of his bedchambers as well then, also for the Battlemage’s use. I never found out what exactly he used those rooms for, nor have I ever asked. It’s not my business, and furthermore I know what happens to ponies who spread the secrets of Emperor Talhooves.

“This is perfect,” I said when I finished reading, “According to this, Talhooves had private chambers built. If he hid his Book of Secrets, he would’ve hid it there.”

“I admit, things do look promising,” Star-Swirl said, “But we still have no idea how to get to those chambers, nor what awaits us there.”

“It says, though,” I said, “They’re sealed off, but they can be accessed from the Emperor’s private chambers using a teleporter the first Imperial Battlemage fixed up.”

“Exactly,” he replied, “How are we supposed to get there? The Emperor’s bedchambers are private and guarded heavily.”

“Oh no,” he said when he saw the look in my eye, “The Imperial Archive is one thing, but breaking into the Emperor’s quarters…”

“It’s really that important?” he sighed, seeing that I still intended to find that book.

“Star-Swirl,” I said, “This may be the only way to defeat Alduin and stop him from devouring the Northlands.”

“Fine,” he said, “But if you’re going to break into the Emperor’s bedchambers, you’re going to need some help.”

◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊

Luckily for us, the Emperor wasn’t in the Imperial City that day, so we wouldn’t have to worry about him walking in on us while we searched through his chambers. Getting past the Imperial guards would be difficult enough without that added complication.

Star-Swirl assured us that he could get us at least partway in, but the private wing of the White-Gold Tower was cut off even to the Imperial Battlemage unless the Emperor summoned him. We entered the Imperial Palace with ease, as could anypony. Of course, being in the company of Star-Swirl certainly helped. We got many more compliments and bows than we would’ve had we wandered in alone.

The Imperial Battlemage led the way up to the Emperor’s quarters, having been there himself before. The guards all let him pass until we reached the Royal Chambers. They were clearly marked, and no doubt locked up. As an added precaution, there were guards in Imperial armor posted on either side of the door.

“I’m sorry, but the Emperor isn’t in at the moment,” one of the guards said to Star-Swirl as we approached, “Shall I summon a scribe to take down a message?”

Instead, Star-Swirl blasted the guard in the head with a blast of magic, causing him to fall to the ground, unconscious. The other guard tried to draw a sword on the apparently rebellious Battlemage, but he too was hit by a blast of magic, this time from my horn. It was a good thing there were more than one of us that knew how to paralyze ponies, otherwise things could’ve turned out much differently.

Before we moved on, Star-Swirl cast a spell on the guards, wiping their memories of the last few minutes. For all they knew, we’d never approached them outside the Royal Chambers, they’d just nodded off on duty. After retrieving the key from one of their bodies, we let ourselves in.

Though the royal family was gone for the day, their quarters were far from empty. Both servants and guards roamed around, and more than once we were forced to duck into a room to stay out of sight. Thankfully, only a very few had to be paralyzed and have their memory wiped before we made it to the Emperor’s bedchambers.

Once inside the opulent room, Star-Swirl cast a spell on the door to lock it, so that nopony would interrupt our searching. Now that we were within the Emperor’s bedroom, we realized we really had no idea how to find the teleporter. Mystic and Star-Swirl used seeking spells they knew to examine the walls. Mephalda searched carefully for secret passageways using her Blackwing training. Steadfast and I did our best to look around with no special skills or training.

“I think I’ve found something over here,” Star-Swirl said as his spell probed the wall.

It was in a corner near the exterior wall that he’d found something. With additional probing within the wall, he found the internal locking mechanism, saving us the trouble of finding whatever would open the hidden door. It slid away into the stone, dust raining down. It looked as if nopony had discovered or used the passage since Emperor Talhooves himself, which was quite possibly true.

Within was a small room whose floor was coated in the dust of centuries. Star-Swirl brushed away the dust to reveal a seal similar to the ones in the University carved into the floor. However, he hesitated before stepping inside.

“What’s the problem?” I asked when he made no move to enter.

“Well, it’s a teleporter pad that leads to somewhere we’re not sure of. Also, I don’t think it’s been used in centuries. The chances that something will go wrong are astronomical.”

“We know it leads to secret chambers, and it was used by Emperor Talhooves plenty of times,” I said, “We’ll just have to take the chance.”

“Very well,” Star-Swirl said, stepping onto the pad, “But don’t complain if you get turned inside out.”

“Wait, that can happen?” Steadfast asked as Star-Swirl initiated the teleportation spell.

A moment and a bright flash of light later, we were standing in a very dark passage, the image of the Emperor’s chambers fading from our sight.

“Get down!” Mephalda suddenly yelled, pushing us to the floor with her hooves and wings.

I heard rather than saw sharp blades whisk by over our heads. After a tense moment on the floor, we stood up again and stepped off the receiving pad. As we did so, lights suddenly lit up along the walls, showing us exactly where we were.

The teleporter pad was on a small pedestal that steps led down from. On either side, now tucked into the walls, were sharp blades designed to dismember intruders, which is exactly what would’ve happened to us if Mephalda hadn’t been so alert. They appeared to be dormant now, but I wasn’t taking any chances, and got as far away from them as possible.

A long tunnel stretched into the distance, lit with flickering lights crossed between Minotauran and magical lamps. Side passages could be seen branching off to either side twice down the passage before it reached a heavy wooden door. The blades that had tried to kill us upon our entrance fresh in our minds, we cautiously advanced down the hall.

As we reached the first cross-passage, a rumbling came from the darkness on both sides of us. Out of the shadows stalked clunky automatons shaped roughly like ponies. Their faceplaces slid open and began to glow with magical flames as they approached.

“Iron golems,” Star-Swirl said as he got a good look at the machines, “Get down!”

As we dropped to the ground, magical flame blasted over us, each golem heating up the metal of the other. I rolled forward, getting deeper into these secret passageways before rising to my hooves and drawing Dawnbreaker and the Blade of Hoofingar. I swung my ebony sword at the nearest iron golem, the blade cutting a gash in its armor.

The faceplate slid up as it turned toward me, and twin blades flipped up in front of it. Steadfast had rolled behind it, and he brought his warhammer down on the automaton’s back before it could strike at me. Metal plates popped out of place and the back began to grow red-hot, but the machine still swung its swords at me.

I easily dodged the blades, knocking one aside with Dawnbreaker. The iron golem clumped toward me, its armored tail keeping Steadfast at bay. I blocked a sword strike and tried to push the iron golem back, but it was too strong for me, and I was forced back instead.

Bringing up the Blade of Hoofingar, I stopped both of the automaton’s swords momentarily. While its swords were held at bay, I stabbed Dawnbreaker up into its chest, rending apart its internal mechanisms. Its faceplate opened up to spit magical fire, and I dodged out of the way. As it finished its blast, Mephalda shot an arrow into the still-open head, tearing through the fragile machinery within. The iron golem lurched drunkenly as it tried to roast Mephalda with its fire.

With Dawnbreaker, I sliced through one of its hindlegs, knocking it off balance. With another swipe, I took off the head. When it continued to move, Steadfast smashed in its back, exposing the ruined machinery within. Nearby, Star-Swirl and Mystic were melting down their opponent through sheer magical energy, fusing it to the ground.

My ears swiveled as I heard clanking from behind us, and dragged Steadfast to the ground just in time to avoid being blasted by the magical fire of the new iron golems. Two of them, one from each of the side passages down the tunnel, were advancing toward us. Mephalda shot arrows into them as they came, but most of them bounced off their armored hide.

<<<WULD~NAH~KEST!!!>>> I Shouted, closing the distance with the iron golems.

I ended my charge behind them, and brought my twin swords around at their metal necks. My strikes did some damage, but not enough to incapacitate the machines, and one turned toward me, opening its faceplate as the other prepared to blast fire at my friends.

I jumped away from the magical flames, shooting lightning at the golem that wreaked havoc on its internal circuits. It jerked around erratically, but still managed to find me, extending its swords. Star-Swirl and Mystic’s magical attacks overwhelmed its companion, and it turned to watch as the other automaton was reduced to slag.

As it did so, I knocked its swords aside with Dawnbreaker and swung myself onto its back. I hooked my Changeling Axe around its neck, pulling back as hard as I could and crushing the metal plates. While I clung to the golem, Steadfast’s warhammer flew past my head, striking the iron golem in the back of its head. What with my war axe in front and Steadfast’s hammer in back, the head quickly detached from the body, rolling down the passage. Fire spurted from the headless golem’s neck before it fell to the ground and stayed there.

No more adversaries appeared to inhabit this tunnel, so we pushed on and opened the door at the end of the hall. To be safe, we kicked the door open, watching for any hidden blades that would chop us apart if we entered the room. Once Mystic and Star-Swirl’s searching spells assured us it was safe, we passed through the door.

Inside was a moderately large room filled with a wide assortment of things. Ancient relics were piled up against the walls, things Talhooves had collected during his life but mysteriously had never been seen again after his death. I went straight to a bookcase that held many centuries-old volumes.

There were many books there, but only one that I was really interested in at the moment. I searched through the tomes until I found a promising candidate for Talhooves’s Book of Secrets. It was bound in stiff leather with metal rings holding the pages in place. A metal clasp at the other end held the book shut and kept the aged pages from spilling out. Upon the cover was Talhooves’s symbol, a diamond with an alicorn inside.

Hopefully, I cracked open the dusty old volume and paged through it. Everything within was hoof-written and dated at the end of the Second Era and beginning of the Third. Expertly drawn diagrams covered the pages in places, identifying fortresses, relics, and the world before the Alicorn Empire. I stopped and turned back when I saw sketches of a set of amulets, one of them matching the one around my neck.

7th of Rain’s Hoof, Year 4 of the Third Era

I think it’s only fitting that I include mention of my tools of conquest here, as I have assured it shall be recorded nowhere else. Unless somepony discovers this book (which I have gone to great lengths to assure will not happen) the Elements of Harmony shall remain a mystery. None but my closest advisors know of the mystical Elements I wielded, and used to unite the Northlands, and they have been sworn to secrecy on the matter. In the wrong hooves, these Elements could be used for unspeakable things.

When I discovered them, they were but a legend, told to children to make them behave. The Dragon War was far in our past, and nopony could fathom that six Dragon Priests had really wielded mystical weapons representing the great virtues. Of course for the children, it was as real as the aurora in the sky at night, but as I grew older, I too came to think of the Elements of Harmony as little more than a tool to teach honor to the younger generations. That was before I found the first, and witnessed the raw power it held.

After that, I relentlessly scoured Horizon for the remaining Elements, knowing that only complete could they fit into my plan for a unified Northlands. I looked everywhere until I eventually found them in the ancient ruins of Horizon, still on the faces of their masters. When I used them myself, I was surprised to see them transformed! No longer were they ornate masks, but beautiful amulets! (see Fig. 37) With them, I was able to conquer the Northlands quite easily.

Farther down the page was an entry made much later, apparently an addition Talhooves had made in his later life.

20th of Sun’s Height, Year 29 of the Third Era

It’s worth noting that I’ve given up the Elements of Harmony; they are no longer in my possession. I’ve had the oddest urgings lately, so I embarked on a pilgrimage through the Northlands. In doing so, I visited all the old ruins where I found the Elements in the first place, returning them to the Dragon Priests. I intended to have them buried in my secret rooms beneath the palace, along with this book, but it seems they’ve been returned to where they belong. They’ll be far safer than here in Volsteed, Forelhorse, High Falls Ruins . . .

On the next page, where the list of ruins should have continued, was instead a diagram of the Imperial City. I flipped back and forth, searching for the missing page, but it was nowhere to be found.

“Trouble?” Star-Swirl asked me.

“This is Talhooves’s Book of Secrets, it has to be,” I said, passing it to the wizard, “It says where the Elements were found, but the list cuts off in the middle.”

“Yes, I see,” he said, examining the book, “It appears that in the past, somepony may have removed the next page for whatever information it may have contained.”

“But who would do that?” Mystic asked, taking the book from Star-Swirl, “And where would it be?”

“I don’t know, but this book could still be of use,” he addressed me, “Have you already been to any of these ruins?”

“Volsteed,” I said.

“Well, if nothing else, you’ve learned the location of two more of the Elements,” he said, “And maybe there you’ll find out where the other three are.”

“That’s true,” I admitted.

We may not have learned where the other five Elements of Harmony were, but at least we now knew to search Forelhorse and High Falls Ruins, wherever they were. We’d have to ask Faniar when we got back. He might not have known where the Dragon Priests ruled, but he knew where every ruin in Horizon was. All we had to do was name it, and he could point the way.

◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊

It took us a bit, but we managed to convince Star-Swirl we had to leave without looking through the hundreds of mystical relics that crowded Talhooves’s secret chambers. The only thing he left with was Talhooves’s Book of Secrets, which he would safeguard and keep to himself. The last thing the Empire needed was for dark secrets about its original founder to surface.

Once we were back in the Emperor’s quarters it was fairly easy to escape the Palace. The guards we’d knocked unconscious before were still sleeping, and we were able to relock the Royal Chambers and return the key to the guard outside the door before he awoke. From there we returned to the Arch-Mage’s quarters in the Arcane University where we chatted with Star-Swirl. It was too late to head for another town, so the Imperial Battlemage offered to let us stay in his quarters for the night. He assured us that, because the Arch-Mage had often had important visitors, there was plenty of room for guests.

It was good to get some time to relax, simply sitting around and talking. The excitement that our lives seemed to center around would resume soon, but for now there was no use worrying. While my friends were caught up in their own conversations, I reflected on the past few months since I’d fled to Horizon.

I’d certainly never been so busy in all my life, running all over the Northlands to clear dungeons and save towns. I’d really accomplished quite a bit, yet my flank was still bare. With all my accomplishments, had I still not really discovered my destiny? It seemed to be impossible. As Mystic finished trying to convince Star-Swirl that he really would look good with a bit of a beard, I decided to ask him a question that had been sitting in the back of my mind.

“Star-Swirl,” I asked, “You’ve written many spells, right?”

“That is correct,” he answered, “Forty-four new spells and one hundred twenty-nine improvements on existing spells at the moment. And I don’t intend to quit any time soon.”

“So, could you make a spell that does anything?” I asked.

“I don’t know about that,” he said, “I’ve certainly never failed before, though it has taken many tries to perfect my spells. Why this sudden interest in spellcrafting?”

“Well, it’s just that I’ve always been a blank flank,” I admitted, “I’m sure exactly what my destiny is.”

“All right,” he said without pause, “And what this have to do with making new spells?”

“Would it be possible for you to make a spell that would make . . . a pony’s destiny known?”

“Hmm,” he said, rubbing his chin, “Theoretically it would be possible. If I could bring one’s destiny into focus somehow, making everything clear . . . Yes, I suppose I could create such a spell, at least I think I could, but it would be very difficult.”

“Oh,” I said, “Well, if it’s too much trouble-”

“Nonsense,” he cut me off, “Besides, I like a challenge.”

“Well, in that case, thank you in advance,” I said, “For whatever you can do.”

At that moment, an urgent knocking came at the door.

“I’m with guests,” Star-Swirl called, “This had better be important.”

It must have been very important indeed, for the Imperial courier hardly waited for Star-Swirl to finish before opening the door and galloping through.

“General Blazing Honor wants to speak to you immediately in the Equine Council chambers,” the courier announced to the Imperial Battlemage.

“Whatever could he want at this time of day?” Star-Swirl asked, though he grabbed his hat and deposited it on his head.

“It’s an emergency,” the courier tried to stress, “A dragon’s been sighted near Kvatch.”

Level Up
Health: 300 Stamina: 280 Magicka: 290
New Perk: Almost the Same [Block] -- When blocking one weapon with two swords, your block is just as effective as if you were using a shield.
New Quest: Origins -- Travel to Kvatch and stop the dragon there.

Comments

[Wolf Wytch]

Great chapter! I enjoyed the little origins story of Star Swirl's beard.

[Constellation]

Before we moved on, Steadfast cast a spell on the guards, wiping their memories of the last few minutes.

Steadfast can use magic!?

Anyway, great chapter, I love the mysteries and suspense.

Oh no, Kvatch is going to get leveled again!

Can't wait for more!

[FireOfTheNorth]

5881431
Whoops, I meant Star-Swirl. Can't imagine how I got the two confused.