The Scroll of Exalted Ponies

Retrieving the sonic device and then heading down into the armory, Shimmer showed Speaker the artifact that had caused the crystallization phenomena in and around the Gunzota redoubt.

The device itself sat in a white jade chest, roughly the size of a pony. It mostly looked like a big water-melon sized ant egg: A big tubular milky-white object with rounded and slightly tapered ends. On its surface were bands of old realm symbol etchings that shimmered with crystalline inlays – and through the semi-translucent surface swirling forms could be seen that constantly shifted and moved.

“Any idea what it is?” Shimmer wondered.

Speaker had no clue to begin with, but after a moment of thought and beard-stroking he recognized some of the first age glyphs and pictograms: “This is some kind of essence-reformatting device… I remember fiddling with something similar back when I briefly worked on the Eye of Autochton, because this thing is primordial too. They were used as weapons against villages and towns, dropped from the air by flying demons. Crystal-fire bombs, that’s what they were called”

“A primordial weapon… used by demons? How did Lookshy get their hooves on this thing!?” Shimmer asked, shaking her head in utter disbelief.

The best guess Speaker could come up with was that Lookshy had – at some point – found a first age cache of confiscated weapons dating back to the primordial war: “The Solar Deliberative put a lot of effort into erasing yozi remnants from Creation – but not everything could be destroyed… some things could only be hidden away”

On that somber note Shimmer asked Speaker if what Tiger Eye had said earlier was true, that the redoubt was supposed to still have a full complement of artifact weapons and whatnot.

“Of course – those things don’t degrade from exposure to the elements… they might need some polish and repair from dirt getting into their hinges and whatnot, but it should all be salvageable” Speaker noted, looking around the armory… and realizing what Shimmer was talking about.

The armory was devoid of all weapons – aside from the crystal-fire bomb.

“Shimmer… what happened here?” Speaker wondered, it being his turn to be in utter disbelief.

A quick bit of recon of the rest of the redoubt confirmed it: The place had been picked clean. There wasn’t a single sword, suit of armor or even rusty remains of such anywhere in the redoubt.

“….and here’s your culprit” Shimmer suddenly noted as they walked by a crystallized wooden door that had been broken down.

Speaker wasn’t sure what to look at until Shimmer pointed out some scratches in the crystal. It looked like a wild animal had used part of the broken crystal door as a scratching post. Apparently it was actually a secret Lunar scratch-based cipher.

“It says ‘This lair of fools has been liberated of all things worthwhile by… oh gods..” Shimmer chocked, looking horrified.

Mainly curious, but also interested in having someone to blame for the missing weapons that the general staff would no doubt want to recover, Speaker urged Shimmer to finish reading the message.

“It’s a name… gods… so the stories were true. He’s still alive after all this time” Shimmer said, stepping back from the writing.

“Shimmer” Speaker said, sounding ever so slightly not in the mood for melodrama.

Shimmer threw Speaker a very upset look: “Ma-Ha-Suchi! Do you even know… I mean, remember who that is?”

“Partyboy? He’s still around?” Speaker mused, surprised to hear the name of the famed first age master of seduction – the Lunar who successfully wooed and bedded every single celestial exalt, or was working on it at least… what would he need a fortress worth of magical essence artillery for?"

Shimmer appeared to have a slightly different understanding of who Ma-Ha-Suchi was: “Uhm… no, he’s one of the most crazed Lunar elders who hasn’t been put down – I was warned in so many different ways to stay the fuck away from him and his territory”

Leaving the redoubt, the two were greeted – half a mile away from the redoubt – by the rest of the circle and Tiger Eye, who in turn were quite happy to hear that the redoubt was safe to enter once more.

“One thing though – Tiger Eye – the first thing you want to do is have someone go around and catalogue everything as they are right now. There are events frozen in time that all ponies in Lookshy needs to know about. Use a couple of recorders of everlasting glories if you have any here” Speaker suggested in a very serious tone, trying to calm the ecstatic officer.

After explaining what the crystal-fire bomb looked like and how to activate it – so it wouldn’t be - Cash asked if this meant that they could return to Lookshy. Neither Speaker nor Tiger Eye saw anything wrong in doing so.

As the circle mounted up on Han, a scribe gave them Tiger Eye’s report for the general staff, including an official notification that the Gunzota Redoubt was now occupied by Lookshyan forces once more.

The trip back to Lookshy included a two-day stop at Sunhill. Han was swapped out with Nah, and Cash and Sunrise apparently had fun setting up some kind of welcoming committee… they were apparently expecting visitors. In connection to this Cash asked Sunrise to remain in Sunhill: “We need a presence here – and I think you need to have a crack at spreading the good word of Celestia to our newly minted armed forces”

Upon return to Lookshy without Sunrise, this time landing in front of the main gate into the city, which caused a great stir - because flying yeddim - the circle entered the city under slightly more normal velocities, though the stir only got greater as Cash couldn’t resist grandstanding by loudly declaring, from atop the howdah on Nah, that they had just undone the curse that had held the Gunzota redoubt for centuries – freeing it up for Lookshy to rightfully helm once more. At first the ponies in earshot didn’t believe him, but the fact that he had a very official looking report with him which he was able to display to the crowd around Nah via his recorder of everlasting glories, turned that part of the market district into a small street party. The social charms used to generate an intense feeling of joy probably helped with that.
As justicars arrived – in force – to break up the happening the circle was long gone.

It was clear that the general staff hadn’t expected to see the circle back any time soon – especially not less than a week after giving the circle the original assignment. Thus, with various members of the general staff having left Lookshy to resume command of various operations throughout the east, or attend to other pressing matters, the Circle had to settle with meeting the two only general staff members left in Lookshy: Karal Linseed and Maheka Feldspar – and while both once seemed to have already been informed of the circle’s success then they both took their time reading Tiger Eyes’ report.

Peering up from the scroll with no small amount of distrust in her eyes, Feldspar beheld Shimmer: “You just walked into the redoubt”
“Indeed – protected by my moonsilver tattoos” Shimmer stated, adding that the crystal-fire device still leeched all her essence away, preventing her from using charms.

Taimyo Feldspar looked neither pleased nor impressed. Linseed on the other hoof appeared more appreciative: “You’ve done an invaluable service to Lookshy. Now, regarding payment for services rendered – the things that you asked for… we cannot simply divert wounded Lookshyan troops to your Sunhill facility without vetting it first, and the same goes for giving you access to a factory cathedral Speaker: We won’t have any artifact production facility available for the three or four months”

While Speaker was quite disappointed to hearing this – having spent most of his time while the circle was flying around on Han and Nah since being given the assignment to remedy the Gunzota redoubt thinking about what he would want to make – but Cash in turn took it in stride: “That’s understandable, but that simply means that we shall have to undergo such a vetting process. Good thing we planned for visitors. As for the factory cathedrals, then have any of them begun a production run without having started yet?”

Deferring to Feldspar on the topic of factory cathedrals, the gens Maheka Matriarch noted that the Gazebo of Pasiap had just begun its initial purification rituals three days ago – though what it was set to make was scheduled to take well over six months.

“Excellent – let Speaker helm that process to prove that he can fully use such a place. His crafting charms should also speed things up considerably. As for the vetting then I can fly an inspection team to Sunhill and show them around personally” Cash said confidently.

It was difficult not to smile at Cash, with his infectious charisma. Even Feldspar, in her gruff appearance, looked as if she found it difficult to simply dismiss Cash without at least putting up a good argument for why – though that didn’t mean that she didn’t have some reservations: “As far as I know then Speaker is only a trained physician and surgeon – not an artisan. Letting him waste time in a factory cathedral when valuable magical weapons and armor could be made there would be a crime”

“Why not let Speaker demonstrate his skills? Is there a nearby workshop of any kind?” Cash inquired innocently, yet with a coy smile.
Giving Cash a brief glance of dissatisfaction, Feldspar turned to Speaker: “That depends, what would you make in a factory cathedral?”

“I’ve been thinking about that for the last few days…” Speaker said, retrieving a scroll with a ludicrously complicated schematic for what Cash could only identify as a roughly circular device.

Feldspar’s frown turned into a somewhat more appreciate if not neutral grimace. Linseed mainly looked confused: “What is it for? And did you draw this up yourself?”

Nodding, Speaker retrieved Gift from elsewhere and put it next to the schematic: “I have been thinking about making a worthy homage to this”

“What in the name of the dragons is that” Feldspar said, her voice giving way to genuine curiosity. Even Linseed had no clue what Gift was.
Cash suggested that Speaker demonstrate the device: “Preferably in a sturdy dojo… with some practice dummies you won’t mind seeing cut in twain”

“That thing is a weapon?” Linseed noted, sounding doubtful. It was clear from the deceptively young-looking Taimyo’s expression that she was finding the orichamcul disk’s potential as a martial device dubious.

Pulling an essence-lense out of a pocket and briefly giving Gift a look-over, Feldspar nodded: “Oh it is – I suggest we go to one of the dragon dojos to test this”

Leaving the meeting room in the old hotel in the legion district, Speaker noted to Cash that Shimmer had gone missing: “Strange, she didn’t even say she was going anywhere”

“Good point… she was talking earlier – hey, did any of you notice Shimmer leaving?” Cash asked the two Taimyo that Speaker and Cash were following. They had not.

A short while later in what turned out to be a gens Yoshoto-owned dojo elsewhere in the city designed for training in magical martial arts – hence the extra sturdy stone and jade-steel reinforced structure – Speaker demonstrated the use of Gift and the magical martial art designed for its use.

Using a mix of his jumping charm, perfect balance charm and the various attack-charms of the Thousand Wounds Gear style that he knew, Speaker made short of well over a dozen target dummies of increasing toughness, ultimately sawing into a wooden target dummy and leaving deep marks in a dasling display of blazing golden essence and noisy discy cutty fun. Speaker certainly enjoyed himself – it was nice to lot lose without having to be in a fight to the death.

The ponies present, mainly young Lookshyan unicorns learning to wield their elemental powers in a propper martial fashion from various elder Lookshyan unicorns, as well as two Taimyos and each of their entourage, were very impressed. Mastery of a truly heavenly magical martial art was something that often took very long – but for Speaker to have ‘re-learned’ such in less than a year…

Afterwards at the dojo’s small smithy – a humble little workshop where a team of young bladesmiths and carpenters worked to maintain the training weapons of the dojo – Speaker was told by Feldspar to ‘show her what he could do’. Bowing, Speaker floated up a large chunk of raw iron ore and a bit of charcoal, then walked out of the workshop, back into the dojo.

In the middle of the dojo, on the worn mat that covered the floor, Speaker performed a miracle: With but essence and an intense glare he transformed the ore and coal into the finest masterwork chakrams of high tensile steel that Lookshy had ever seen. Later it would become known that the bladesmiths couldn’t even dent the things without using jade smithing hammers… an unheard of feat for weapons not of magical materials.

Suffice to say that Feldspar was suitably impressed.

Speaker stayed the rest of the day at the Gens Yushoto compound with Shimmer, while Cash left on Nah with a group of Lookshyan inspectors to vet Sunhill for suitability to handle 7th legion wounded.

At dinner Matriarch Risotto informing Speaker than him and his circle were welcome to stay there any time they visited Lookshy: “Also, I hear that you impressed Feldspar today”

“Yes… and she told me to report tomorrow at The Gazebo of Passiap tomorrow at dawn – where is that?” Speaker said, enjoying the fine cooking that the Yushoto chefs had come up with – wondering if Sullen Hoof had snuck into the kitchen without him knowing.
The Matriarch said that she’d have a servant ready to show him the way in the morning.

The Gazebo of Passiab, one of Lookshy’s still functioning first age factory cathedrals appeared deceptively familiar to Speaker as he was brought up to the roof level of a large foundry in the district of craftsponies: Atop the stone brick building with its arched windows and heavy buttresses was a large garden, in the middle of which was a very picturesque gazebo large enough to house hundreds of ponies… and indeed, several dozen ponies were inside of it waiting for Speaker.

As the sun crept up over the horizon to the east Speaker couldn’t help but recall how he had built this place in his past life. The garden of Kadesh it had once been called – though what Kadesh was escaped him. A strange but pleasant feeling of purpose and inner strength surged through him as Speaker recalled many of the wonders he wrought into being within the place.

The forepony helming the gazebo, a lithe unicorn who was blind on one eye with an ugly scar over his face, was about to say something when Speaker brushed him aside with a quick flip of the hoof and a trick of essence – removing the unicorn’s scar and restoring his eye in the same instant.

Speaker stepped up on the central platform and surveyed the assembled ponies. With only four dozen ponies present this build was without a doubt a relatively small one – and since he hadn’t been instructed to ritually cleanse himself then it likely wasn’t warstrider manufacture: “Bring forth the materials we will be working with”

A small parade of five young adolescent foals brought the materials and molds needed into the gazebo on carts: Three small bars of blue jade, five bars of good steel, a long straight blade mold, a thick and tightly sealed glass jar full of crackling bits of frozen lightning, a piece of wood of a strange pale varity and a cherry-sized uncut sapphire. Speaker instantly recognize what was being made: A blue jade daiklaive.

Upon this realization Speaker stomped his right forehoof onto the central platform with such a force that the white paint on it cracked and flew away, revealing the etched orichalcum underneath: “I assume you all know the dance of the keening edge?”

The ponies around him nodded and got up from their seats, taking position in marked spots on the polished wooden floor. The unicorn forepony gave Speaker a respectful nod: “You’ve done this before”

“I built this place” Speaker said with a smile that radiated confidence. The unicorn’s expression changed into one of mild confusion, disbelief and surprise… but then again, Speaker did seem to know what he was talking about… and so the forepony bowed out, leaving Speaker to direct the ritual of making, while muttering something to the effect of “I guess the battleaxe wasn’t kidding… what do you know”

Now, back in the first age Speaker had at first been ridiculed when he had made a musically themed factory cathedral. To waste magical materials and other exotic construction materials on such a seemingly vain effort looked foolish – but when Speaker began cranking out singing staves and other musical artifacts that brought tears of joy to those who listened made the Solar Deliberative changed its tune accordingly. That the place remained after so long pleased Speaker to no end, as the ponies around him began the ritualistic dance that invoked and praised Autochton – though they likely didn’t know of that – the bits and bobs for the magical sword floated up into the air and began to slowly take shape, all of it sped up greatly by Speaker’s essence and the potent magic of the manse the whole place was part of.

Come sundown Speaker returned to the Gens Yushoto compound in the residential district under great fanfare. Lookshy had never seen so much progress made on such a project in one day. Speaker wasn’t surprised and regaled to what appeared to be a growing number of fans: “Factory cathedrals, despite how fancy their name sounds, aren’t necessarily grand cathedral. The first ones were quite humble. When Autochton saw to the creation of his first temples, it was the workshops of ponies who worshiped him and sought his guidance in the sacred act of artifice. He taught ponies how to harness geomantic powers to create demenses, to raise manses and to outfit such manses with temple-workshops in his name”

“But why make one centered around song and dance?” A young colt wondered.

Shimmer saw Speakers expression – one that clearly signaled his desire to reveal his singing staff – to which she stated: “Not all unicorns are warriors. Similarly, not all Solars or Lunars are warriors – and making a temple-workshop that a Solar who is good at singing and dancing allows them to create magical wonders as well”

“But why are they so special then? I can write calligraphy in my study… I don’t need a library cathedral for that?” another foal asked innocently.

Speaker shrugged: “Working with magical materials is very different from working with mundane ones. Jade, Orichalcum and Moonsilver – it all has to be worked very slowly and many times over. You only polish a steel blade once, but a jade daiklaive you polish ten thousand times to make sure it remains sharp forever – the factory cathedral allows us to get blessings from the gods of artifice, which speeds up that process greatly…”

“So you don’t have to spend a year polishing a single sword?” the foal asked again.

The next day Speaker returned to the gazebo. The air around it was as calm as ever – you couldn’t even hear the nose of the surrounding industry in the district, nor did the noxious fumes of the foundries and metalworks penetrate into the garden around the gazebo. The beautifully pained porcelain flowers that hung under the gazebo roof looked amazing as the last gardeners finished their daily maintenance of the manse garden the helped power the factory cathedral.

As the sun slowly peeked over the horizon Speaker saw the forepony approaching: “Hey, that was amazing work you did yesterday. I have never seen jade melt so quickly”

“Solar crafting charms and factory cathedrals both reduce build time. I think we’ll be done in a little less than two weeks. Could you arrange so the intended recipient of the blade is there on the last day to name it?” Speaker said, basing his estimate on what he could remember from the first it taking his Solar apprentices to make their first daiklaives.

The unicorn – now only with a slightly scarred face and two working eyes – gave Speaker a look utter disbelief: “Look, you do not make a daiklaive in just two weeks. Even with a place like this it takes months, at least two, maybe three to make a daiklaive. There’s the thousand-fold polish, the weeks of…”

Speaker gestured for the unicorn to stop: “If I can’t have this blade ready in three weeks then, I’ll… I don’t know – but I’m staking my reputation as a Solar endowed with first age memories on it”

One and a half week later, as Speaker looked dangerously close to being able to finishing the blade one week ahead of his projected schedule, Cash, Sunrise and the Lookshyan delegation returned triumphantly.

Thus, on the eve of what looked to be the last day of the Daiklaive build, the circle celebrated that Sunhill had been commissioned to treat 7th legion wounded – assuming of course that they could make the journey there.

“Well the point of the contract is to help the average legionnaire, as well as Lookshy’s dragonblooded. With our limb regenerating treatments we can see and grand staff of medical experts Lookshy no longer has to fear theft of its few remaining operational healing artifacts” Cash regaled during the dinner party at the Gens Yushoto compound.

Among the ponies at the party Speaker was… well… missing. Shimmer kept dropping out of the party to check on him – but he kept fiddling around with making a scabbard for the blade he was hoping to finish tomorrow: “Won’t you come down and join the fun. They’re celebrating Sunhill, that’s your creation – come on”

“Nope. This needs to be perfect” Speaker grunted, utterly engulfed in using essence to form etchings into the scabbard lacquer coating as it dried – without making the lacquer crack. He was so absorbed into his little side-project that he didn’t even see Shimmer leaving in a disappointed huff.

The next day Speaker showed up to the Gazebo of Pasiap at dawn and found several hundred ponies, many of which were unicorns, waiting for him in what was obviously dress uniforms. It seemed that word had spread that Speaker was almost done with the sword – in record time.

Taking a deep breath and straightening out his worn and faded red uniform, Speaker strode into the center of the gazebo without saying a word. A buzzing of murmurs trailed the Solar as he raised a hoof demonstratively and struck it down upon the central platform. The white paint was all but gone at this point, revealing the full orichalcum disk with its beautiful sunburst etching. What a pathetic attempt at covering up a Solar creation.

Flaring his anima as the last of the sun crept over the horizon, Speaker turned to the dancers. They were ready and seemed to have dressed extra nice for the occasion. The looks on their faces as Speaker dismissed them was a mix of shock and outrage.

“Calm yourselves – and join the audience instead. This will be my performance to finish” Speaker said, like a surgeon telling a team of nurses to step away from a critical patient that he might have room to operate.

Taking two steps backwards, then spinning, retracing the ancient dance-steps that activated the gazebo’s forges and enchanted workbench, Speaker added a flourish that activated a feature that the unicorns didn’t seem to know of: A small indentation in the center of the platform revealed itself, and as Speaker floated the almost finished blade up to himself, along with a chunk of alchemically treated white marble and the gem meant to become the pommel.

The last few day’s work on the impossible geometry of the thousand-faceted sapphire for the pommel was about to conclude: All it needed was an obscenely accurate set of cuts to allow the marble fitting to hold it.

Speaker know of only one tool worthy. Pulling Gift from elsewhere he floated it before him, above the unfinished blade that gleamed and crackled with archs of lightning.

In absolute silence Speaker suddenly raised a hoof and furiously gestured at Gift. The gyroscoptic chakram burst to life with a huff of steam – but instead of spinning its blade, it instead spun itself – and in doing so it exploded into a million pieces for an instant, freezing in place a split second later like an orichalcum halo above the blade. The crowd around the Gazebo gasped.

The cutting blades of Gift spun inwards, and as Speaker floated the cherry-sized sapphire up the blades closed in.

Through the clarity of the light of his anima Speaker saw every detail of the gemstone as the spinning blades neared it, and observed with a steely gaze as the setting cuts were made. The moment the last cut was made Speaker floated the gem down to the sword again.

Now was time for the final step: Securing the sapphire onto the tip of the handle. This would require manipulation of stone, and Speaker had to bite his tongue not to summon his singing staff forth to do this part… the indentation in the central platform practically screamed for it – but he resisted the temptation: He knew that Lookshy would not let him keep such a priceless artifact…

Thus, channeling his frustration into a whirl of essence Speaker floated the chunk of marble upon the handle. With Solar fury the marble began to chip away as if a thousand tiny picks of light chipped away from it. Three hours later the head of a dragon of air, with its fanged beak and feathery scales, had emerged from the white marble – with the sapphire held tight in its maw.

The internal lights, the glow from the forges, the radiance of the delicate gem polishing gear… it all faded as the gazebo sensed that it was no longer needed. Light returned to the gazebo a moment later as the skylights opened up, letting in the dim light of the cloudy sky come in from above.

The crowd erupted into cheers – some more fervent than others – some less so.

The recipient of the blade stepped forth, a very nervous looking junior officer. It wasn’t a unicorn that Speaker had ever met before, but he bid the mare take good care of the blade, and finally: “Now, you must name it”

Floating the blade out of its beautiful blue and white scabbard, which showed a dragon of air soaring to the heavens, the mare looked at the long straight-edged blue blade with white lightning pulsing up its length: “I… I don’t know what to call it”

“I think it looks like a Cloud Piercer” Speaker whispered.

The unicorn nodded and grasped the blade firmly with an obviously hooficured hoof, holding it aloft: “I name you Cloud Piercer!”

As was ancient tradition the unicorn ‘paid’ Speaker with a single coin – one of white jade no less: A real realm Obol. Speaker had never really seen realm currency before. It weighed a lot more than a normal silver coin – though it was the same size, with very fine workmanship.

With that done the crowd cheered once more, though this time more for the wielder of the blade than Speaker. Getting your first daiklaive was a rite of passage among unicorns, indeed across creation possessing such a magical weapon was the hallmark of an exalt.

As the crowd began leaving along with the new owner of Cloud Piercer, Speaker saw Taimyo Feldspar, along with Cash, Shimmer and Sunrise approaching him. This was it.

Taimyo Feldspar, dressed in a ceremonial uniform that was as brightly green as her coarse and thick mane was gravel-grey, looked conflicted. Speaker saluted her as she briskly trotted up in front of him.

“I have seen a lot of dumb shit pulled by green legionaries fresh out of hoof camp, and among them every now and then there is a gem of genious…” she began, the tone of her voice clearly showing that she wanted to shout, that she wanted to be angry: “…but this? Lookshy’s finest artificers and bladesmiths… you know what they’re doing right now?”

Speaker knew damn well not to actually say anything to that question. Cash seemed pleased with that, while Shimmer appeared oddly amused by the situation. Sunrise had hidden her face under her hood.

“They’re crying, Speaker. They’re crying so hard that we could put the damned Saltspire League out of business! I haven’t heard of this much salt since my grandfather told me about back when they closed down the House of Thousand Needles” Feldspar noted.

Speaker didn’t what the House of Thousand Needles were – but he would later learn that it was an atelier manse that was damaged irreparably due to realm sabotage. One could apparently toss a load of cloth or yarn into the place and the flying enchanted needles there would produce whatever clothes the hearth-stone bearer desired. Back when it had worked it had been popular for Nexus and Great Forks fashionistas to buy production cycles there to craft their designs.

“Well that’s too bad for them – How does this reflect on Speaker getting time in one of these places?” Cash inquired, cutting to the chase.
Closing her eyes for a moment and sighed: “I have… the general staff has deliberated on this, a lot. Speaker, the speed at which you made this daiklaive, I assume that any artifact you make would be done at a similar pace?”

Speaker nodded. Feldspar nodded in turn: “Very well – Abut that: the general staff has three requirements for whatever you wish to make”
“I hope they’re reasonable” Cash cheerfully and somewhat sarcastically quipped.

The Taimyo shot Cash a mean frown, then looked over at Speaker: “The general staff requires that whatever you want to make first has its design reviewed at Valkavsen. Secondly, Lookshy will not provide you with any materials. Finally the general staff wants a copy of the design of whatever you make turned over to Valkhawsen”

“Hold on, what is walk-house?” Cash wondered. He had heard mention of it at the Gens Yushoto compound, but it had never come up in conversation.

Feldspar shot Speaker an annoyed looked, and a split second later Cash perked up as his social charms allowed him to intuit the information he needed, informing him that Valkhawsen was Lookshy’s academy of sorcery, arcane science and magical artifice: “Ah ok, I understand. Now, this review process, would this include giving approval for the design to be built? It would be terribly petty if Speaker finds that he is only allowed to make something that the general staff feels that the 7th Legion needs”

The stone-grey maned unicorn was about to speak when Cash continued: “Oh, and including a vague and potentially unreasonable stipulation simply so we won’t question the other requests? I personally favor honest negotiations, though if deception is to used I prefer the subtle kind, not this kind of amateur stuff”

For Speaker it was difficult to tell if Feldspar was simply pleasantly surprised, or shocked and outraged. The battleaxe had always been known for being slow to anger, but holding grudges like nobody’s business. Her face seemed to oscillate between forced smiles and looks of worry.

“When I… how did you – argh screw it: Yes, there’s no veto power in this, but the remaining stipulations are non-negotiable and we won’t let you make anything that would harm Lookshy as part of making it. Lookshy can’t be caught resourcing Solar ana- Exalts, not with how things are right now” Feldspar forced herself to say, looking annoyed – but not as much in an angry sense, but more in a begrudgingly respectful way, like trying to graciously admit defeat to a superior general who just outmaneuvered you in battle.

Cash nodded, Speaker nodded and Feldspar breathed a sigh of relief: “You have two weeks to present a design. The Gazebo of Pasiap will be on standby for you to begin, otherwise we’ll start something else here and you’ll have to wait in line”

The Taimyo left as Speaker was about to question Cash’s tone against the Taimyo, but a sudden burst of intense strayberry scent suddenly overwhelmed them, as a round and fuzzy winged messenger sprite appeared before them with a scroll in its mouth. It spit the scroll into Cash’s face, wetly so.

Skimming the scroll Cash’s expression changed from bemused smugness to one of frustration: “We just can’t win this, can we?”
“What is… ok, running” Speaker said, as Cash had already galloped off, shouting for Sunrise and Shimmer to follow suit.

At the yeddim stables in the market district Cash finally explained what was going on: “Ok, the good news: Chung Onyx has apparently hired a court sorcerer, so he has someone on staff who can send us magic messages”

“…the bad news?” Shimmer wondered out loud.

Cash frowned, deeply: “Do any of you remember the three Fu Daimyo? And Daimyo Lang Tung Ting? It seems that the three got their shit together, had Lang Tung Ting and his heirs assassinated, swept in with their troops – and then Fu Yu, the eldest of three, she had her brother and sister imprisoned. She now rules both Tung Ting and the Fu lands… and has split her forces. She has most of them camped outside Chung Do with an ultimatum to Chung Onyx that he’s to step down and let Fu Yu take over. The forces from Daimyo Jade Anemone garrisoned in the city won’t hold more than a few days if they attack”

“If Sully was here we could just send him to assassinate Fu Yu…” Sunrise noted.

Cash leapt up on Nah’s howdah and floated the reigns over to himself: “Speaker, if you want to stay and make nice that’ll be fine – just don’t agree to anything long term without consulting us first”

Sunrise climbed up to Cash, who gestured for Shimmer to come as well: “We’ll need something to halt their army – without Red that’s you. You can fly back to Speaker when that’s done – I should be able to talk Fu Yu down once her army is routed”

“You be ok now” Shimmer said to Speaker, giving him a big hug.

Speaker gave Shimmer a kiss on the forehead: “I’m in good hooves here. Try not to kill anyone – remember levied troops are just armed peasants - they probably don’t want to be there”

“I know. And you be careful too: There are still ponies here who don’t like Solars, plus I think I smelled a sidereal the other day…” Shimmer warned, as she shapeshifted into a seagul and flew up on the howdah to the others.

It was with no small amount of frustration that Speaker saw his friends fly off. He had hoped to see the circle help convince the general staff to attack the Bodhisatva – but hey… he wasn’t doing so bad himself, right?

Returning to the Gens Yushoto compound, Speaker occupied an office there and began working on proper detailed schematics for his artifice project. True to his caste name he worked well into the wee hours, with several days worth of work still ahead to refine the design – and then he would have to somehow find the materials himself? Maybe he could ask around in Valkhawsen and work out a deal with them for some of the things he would probably need… and what was the time? Gods… it would be dawn soon… better go to bed.

A short while later Speaker awoke groggily in pitch darkness, chained to a very uncomfortable iron chair to the sound of an iron door being slammed shut not far from him. The echo of the sound hinted that he was underground.

“Fuck” Speaker said to himself.