The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Advice

Gerardo Guillaume soared expediently over Riverfall, making the most of the still-towering gap between the tallest house spires and the lowest branches of the canopy. His destination was Arambai's house, and despite his lowered visibility from the pounding rain, it soon homed into view.

Alighting on the first floor roof and furling his massive, dripping wings, he rapped hurriedly, desiring to stay outdoors no longer than need be. Fortunately, it quickly swung open, and he excused himself into the house before even checking who had opened it.

"To what do I owe this evening call?" Arambai's growly voice asked from the shadows, before a warm light illuminated the entire room. "Not that I can't make a very good guess, but I'd like to hear it from you. After all, it never does to overextend."

Gerardo nodded, seizing several towels from the door rack in his talons and liberally applying them to his feathery face. "Myself and two others, requesting departure from Riverfall tonight."

"That quickly, huh?" Arambai chuckled. "Sounds like some ponies were eager to skip town. Can't say I blame them. I don't feel up to making offers like that every day!"

"If I might ask, whatever prompted you to make such an offer in the first place?" Gerardo stepped further forward, allowing the door to comfortably close. "Why, just the other day, you were telling us you hadn't even made up your mind on when I could leave!"

Arambai shrugged. "First off, she asked really nicely. And second? I guess I was feeling generous... and maybe a little bad for blowing up that poor filly with another experiment. But what can I say? I've got a good feeling about those two..." He stepped toward the stairs to the ground floor, beckoning. "Come on. Let's talk logistics down here."

---

Soon enough, they were standing by the teleporter dais, Arambai lovingly rubbing a hoof over a chunk of machinery. "So, you're going to Ironridge."

Gerardo nodded. "Indeed, I am going to Ironridge. That is my intent, at least."

"Well, I hope it works well for you." Arambai turned, and marched across to a stack of cylindrical iron drums. "The first thing to remember about Ironridge is that the higher altitude you go, the less trouble you're likely to run into from rogue types, but the tighter security is in turn. Get too low, and you run the risk of bandit attacks, given that you're carrying something they want. Get too high, and you just might tick off some company security guards and make yourself unwelcome around the place. It's a balancing act, you see?" His eyes flitted across a large, ornate sword framed on an exposed patch of wall. "And make sure you stay armed at all times. Either way, it's a good safety practice."

The griffon patted his belt, through which his own sword hung. "I have every intention of it."

"Good, good..." Arambai leafed through a stack of paper, clearly not reading a word. "The next thing to remember is that basically everyone there has a side, and sticks to it like their life depends on it. It's a good idea to be nice to folks and avoid making enemies, but be careful about being too nice, as well. You don't want to get yourself roped into any obligations should things turn messy for whatever reason. If trouble starts and you can walk away without ticking any ponies off, that's always a win for you. Besides, most everyone there has better things to do than chasing after the unaffiliated. Believe me, they know how to pick their quarrels wisely..."

Gerardo nodded. "Unintuitive advice, but I shall take your word for it."

"Third thing is..." Arambai picked up a part and squinted lengthwise down it, as if it were a telescope. "Riverfall is a secret, and so am I. As far as Ironridge is concerned, I don't come 'round those parts anymore. Now, there's so many bogus rumors about this stuff I've got in circulation that you don't need to worry much about letting anything accidentally slip, but it's still good to be cautious. If you do mess up, audacity is your biggest refuge. Too many attention seekers in that city for anyone to give you half a blink of their time if you look like one yourself. And don't you dare go around trying to prove I'm here, either. Of course, I'll cover this one again at the boat, since it's important for the other two to hear as well."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Gerardo said respectfully, standing at attention.

Shrugging, Arambai put the part down. "There's one exception to that rule. Up in the Sky District is a stallion called Dior. He knows I'm here, and he's a good friend of mine. I'm still in contact with him, sort of. He's very cunning, like me. If you ever get yourself in an extreme amount of trouble... say, the group gets separated, or some such... track him down, tell him I sent you, and he'll do his best to get you out of your pickle. Try not to rely on that, of course. But it is an option, should you need it."

"I'll endeavor to keep him in mind," Gerardo replied. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah. And this is the most important one." Arambai's eyes narrowed. "As part of my conditions for letting the three of you out there with all the stuff you know, you need to stick together and watch out for each other. So long as you're within the city limits, you're a team. That means including guarding your precious cargo, you have to watch out for those two kids. Maple's never dealt with big-city life before, and as tough as Starlight is she won't be able to stop her from getting taken advantage of by cheapskates and scoundrels. Especially not when she's used to doing everything for free. You follow? If one hair on their heads gets bent out of place and it's your fault for not doing more, you'll be dead where you stand. Figuratively speaking, of course."

His eyes nevertheless wandered back to the sword on the wall. "That isn't saying that I'm not peerless with a blade. And it's worth mentioning as well that this teleporter's fully operational, and with enough ponies hooked up to it at once, I could probably extend the range far enough to get myself to Ironridge in an emergency. Point is, stick to your friends and make sure there's less trouble for all of us."

Gerardo gulped, sweating slightly. "That sounds perfectly reasonable."

"Good, good." Arambai turned back to the stairs and began to ascend. Halfway up, he looked back and said, "Well, that's what I wanted to say. Stick to the Earth and Stone Districts if you can help it, stick to each other at all costs, and never stop watching your back, and you should be right as rain. Show back up here around midnight with Starlight and Maple, and anyone who wants to see them off. And tell Starlight to bring me back that book I lent her; I don't want it floating around in Ironridge for anyone to read. Too many trade secrets in there. Heh... I wonder if she actually read any?"

"I shall inform her," Gerardo said, making for the stairs himself. "Thank you again for your advice. I do hope this expedition turns out profitable and enjoyable for all involved."

"So do I, Gerardo," Arambai muttered, pacing into the foyer of the house. "So do I..."

Comments

[alamais]

Place ya bets, ladies and mentlegen, place ya bets!

How long in Ironridge till it all goes to hell? Do I have one week? One day? One hour?!

[Texus]

Arambai sounds like seems to be someone I would accept and maybe respect, but never get friends with, I just don't really like how he seems to do things. But I'm not sure how much i can trust my judgement tonight with that headache.

While I don't need anything to evil to happen, I'm curious to see when they finally leave.

[AppleTank]

Ominous

[Cosmic Potato]

8383218
Literally 2 seconds

[StormLuna]

Ironridge is already starting to sound just as bad if not worse than Klugetown. If I know Starlight as well as I think I do, if anyone tries to do something to Maple, she'll imprison them in a crystal.

[Merula]

Yeah, this is going to go to shit the instant they get to Ironridge, I can tell