Chapters HehHehHeh ,So you want to hear a story, Eh? Well, Once upon a time- Oh, not that kind of story?... Ah. What you want is a legend. Very well then, gather round children...
Legend tells of a lost civilization, deep in the heart of what is now the Badlands, once known as Elysium. It is said that the nation was just a city-state but was so immensely advanced, that it's technology and magic could make it shine like a beacon in the shadows of the night. It was ruled by a being only known by one name, Blackburn. But with this one name, came hundreds of titles. Blackburn: Lord of Elysium, Blackburn: Slayer of the Elder Dragon Tiber, Blackburn the Wise, Blackburn the Mad, The list could go on for miles.
But even with those titles, the rest of the world, save for Equestria, had one thought in their mind. Conquest. They all strived to take Elysium for the technology it possessed. They had all prepared their armies for the attack. One million of the finest soldiers of all the nations were positioned to charge the city, to steal and pillage anything they could... And then they attacked.
To say it was a massacre would be putting it lightly. Few were able to flee the battlefield and even less kept their sanity. There was always a constant between their accounts, wheather it was in the most detailed reports of the sane or the mad ramblings of the others. The terrifying blue eyes of Blackburns' armies...
Of course, their home nations started asking questions to the City-state, wondering if some of those rumors might have been more. But they received nothing. No response, no caravans, nothing but silence from the City. Messagers came back asking if the location given to them was correct, stating that there was nothing but abandoned buildings and strange statues.
Soon after, something unheard of before happened. Information of Elysium was purged from almost all records. Trade routes, literature from Elysium, medical practices, everything gone. Some things were recreated, but with the others taking credit.
But not everything was gone. Books describing the City, songs praising it, dozens of things could be found. Even now, there are some things out there with Elysium as its inspiration, scattered throughout the world. And eventually, it became nothing but a myth. A romur to be said from treasure hunters and madmen... And no one knows who was responsible.
But this was more then a legend, My children. Elysium is waiting for him to awaken. The one in black.
-=|=============================|=-
It was cold and dark, I had no clue how long I had been there. I stopped counting after year 419, even though I'm sure my count was off. It's near impossible to tell time without some way to see the moon. "Luna..." The name brought memories of a long time past. Mostly of pranks and jokes.
But anyway. I was stuck there for a very long time. Left me time to think. Mostly about how I ended up here.
-=|=============================|=-
It was just another regular day... For me at least. I was gasping for air and tearing my room apart. "Inhaler. Inhaler. Where the fuck is it?!" Yep, just another day. As you can tell, I wasn't doing too well. It was then that I saw the faintest hint of dark blue and cyan poking from under the box spring to my bed.
I quickly snached it from the floor and took two or three puffs. "Oh shit. *gasp* That was close..." Yep, asthma's a bitch. Why am I telling you this? Dunno, just thought it would be an interesting place to start. So before my asthma attack, I was sitting at my desk playing a game online. Now it wasn't a normal game like an FPS or a Platformer, more like a text base nation simulator. If you're interested later, The name was 'NationStates'. Now I'm not gonna bore you with explaining how it works, just know that you get 'Issues' to solve and how you answer affects your nation... Or at least, it should.
Now after my asthma attack, I was reading a strange issue that popped up at random. I already answered the morning and afternoon ones, which is why this caught me off guard. Usually I only get two a day, but today I had three. The title only said 'A Simple Choice [Easter Egg?]'. "Strange... I thought. "Ah well. More awards for me."
The issue read as such: "A strange man enters your office offering a choice of three gifts. He says you can only take one." If that wasn't weird enough, these were the choices:
Now personally I would have chosen the ring because Peridot is an awesome birth stone, but for some reason the Golem Kit had my interest. Because it was part of an easter egg, I was almost certain this choice would make something ridiculous happen. Boy, was I fucking right for once. Soon after I made my choice, I had an e-mail from NationStates with the subject being 'Good Choice'. When I opened the e-mail, all it said was, "Have Fun for me, eh? -Mr. M"
"Well that seems odd." I said out loud. A little bit afterwards I felt tired and was getting a headache. If I had known what would happen next... Ah screw it, I would have still done the same shit. Before I even touched my bed, I was out like a light. Right after everything went dark, the words "Have Fun for me, eh?" echoed in my mind.
Only one thought passed by my head, "I swear, If this is some shitty fan-fiction."
-=|============================|=-
Now to say I was pissed when I woke up was an understament, but more on that later...
Someone was outside my actidental prison, I could hear them. "SOMEONE'S OUTSIDE?! FINALLY! Took them bloody long enough! Geez, I wasn't even far from the city! I've been trapped in this bunker for years... Okay, time to plan. When I get out first things first, Ice Scream Bar if it's still there. Love that place. Next, um... New golem designs, yeah. Then... Shower. I must smell horrible."
My thoughts were still active with excitement. "So who's it going to be? One of my Excavator Golems or maybe it's gonna be some youngling just messing around and exploring. Either way, someone is gonna have a holiday named after them. Yes, move all those rocks and just you wa-"
I stopped mid thought "Why is there a changeling here?"
Author's Note
First story ever. WOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
Since this is my first time writing a story, any advice on how to get better would be appreciated .
Chapter 1: Cruel Revelations
"Why is there a changeling here? I could have sworn we exterminated the local infestation... Wait. It's coming over here? Okay Blackburn. Just don't move, It'll just think you're a statue. I will say though, it's a biggun. And it's mane is short and that kinda bitching flame orange color... Is it wearing a dress?"
"Ah, this will make for a fine temporary hive." She said.
"HolyShitItSpoke! Wait... Hive?!"
That was my cue to speak up, "Oh no you don't! I will not allow another hive here after the last one!" The moment I said that, She turned to me and froze. It was honestly creepy after three minutes.
-=|=============================|=-
Queen Metamopha POV: Present
I heard a rough, slightly distorted voice behind me. "The hell? Who dares to-" When I turned, My instincts kicked in. "Predator, Killer, Slayer, Destroyer, FIGHT OR FLIGHT!"
So I did what anyone would do... I begged for my life...
-=|=============================|=-
"Um, What? What just happened?" One second she's standing there like a dear in headlights, next she's groveling and begging for me to spare her. I decided to look for answers so I gave her a chance to explain, then I could kill her. "Last time I checked, Changelings didn't speak, they only made clicking noises. What is your business here, Young one?" What? Everyone's young after you've lived as long as I have.
She was trembling but at least she wasn't knealing anymore, "I-I am Q-Queen Metamopha. Queen of the Badlands Changelings. My hive was destroyed by a massive cave in a few months back. My children and I have been searching for a new home ever since." One thought entered my mind. "Children?"
I looked to my left and sure enough, There where about 8 Drones standing there trembling. "Hmmm-"
"AHHHHHH!" They all screamed in unison. I wasn't in the mood for it so-
"Stop screaming!" I shouted. Afterwards, I could swear I heard some whimpering coming from dogs... "Now, How did you get past the citys' wards and my Golems?"
"It can't be..."
"The what and what?" The queen asked. I could feel my heart skip a few beats. I charged outside the bunker, "No no no no no..." It was as I feared.
My city, My kingdom, My Home . The majestic marble and lapis city was destoryed. I could feel myself fall to my knees with water dripping out the mask I wore. Elysium in ruins, my people gone, my armies in a deep sleep.
I could feel something welling up inside, fighting to be let out. It won over my attemps to stop it. "NOOOOOOOOO!" I fell to the ground sobbing. They trusted me to lead them, to create the greatest civilization yet... And I let them down. I was trapped in that damn place because I neglected to tell them where I was going.
This was my fault...
I could hear hoof steps behind me, but I didn't bother to look. It took all my ability to sit back up cross-legged, looking towards my ruined city. The voice behind me sounded sympathetic. "W-Was this Elysium, The mythically advance city? What happened?"
She was awful caring for a Changeling. "I failed them." It was the only thing I could say, both because I couldn't bare to say anything else and because it was the only answer that my mind was willing to make. I could hear the Drones steping closer to me and I could sense their willingness to attack me, Though it was more to experience then any super sense.
"Stop, My children." I could hear Metamopha say. "He has been through enough." I could see her turn to me from my peripheral. "I have an offer for you."
I was intreged to say the least. "What is the offer?" I felt like I should at least hummor her.
"My children and I help you rebuild your city, in return you allow us to remain here as citizens." I felt a shiver run down my spine.
They were insects, parasites to most creatures, pest! But I found myself considering it... I made my decision... Kind of. "I'll accept. You may stay if you help rebuild." What? I wanted to give her a chance. She was smart enough to speak, that alone was leaps and bounds from the last Changelings I saw.
I looked to the group. "But reconstruction will take a long while with only the ten of us." She looked surprised for a moment then nearly burst laughing. "What's so funny? I'm stating fa-... There's more of you, aren't there?"
"Definetly more. About 2000 give or take." At the metion of 2000, I sucked in too much air and started coughing. "Oh dear, are you alright?"
"Apologies, A sudden intake of air isn't good for anyone, I imagine... Now, 2000 you say?" To say I was shock would be an understament. "Just what did I agree to?"
"More or less, yes. Never got an acurate count while we were searching for a new home. But that problem is solved now, so a proper count is in order. Dominic." One of the Drones with us stepped forward. He was larger then the rest by both width and hight.
"Yes, Mother?" He asked. His voice sounded praticed, even, and commanding.
"Tell the others to gather in the city square. We shall introduce our new host before we begin the counting." The queen ordered. The Drone, Dominic, flew off instantly. She then turned to me. "Let us be off then. I don't want my children waiting too long now... And what is your name, by the way? It doesn't feel right just calling you the 'Host'."
"My name is Blackburn. And yes, Let us make haste." It felt strange to be working with a race that was so... 'Uncivilized' centuries ago...
Chapter 2: Sleeping Guardians
As we were walking to the square, I decided more questions were in order. "Tell me, what is the date? I've been trapped in that cave since Discord was still causing chaos in Equestria."
She stared at me wide eyed. "That either makes you very old or pretty young. But let's see um... If I remember correctly, it's June 23, 1345. But if you were trapped there for that long either way, how did you survive?"
"The cave you found me in was originally a bunker made to shield the inhabitants of Elysium from disasters both natural and unnatural. We were adding the final touches the day I was trapped. A minor earthquake shook the entrance and caused it to cave in. Luckily the food stores were fully stocked and the preservation spells were still in place." I explained.
"Amazing. Is there any food left? We've been homeless for weeks and my love can only feed my children so much..." I could see her sad, pleading eyes from the corner of my vision. You could almost say it broke my heart. Almost.
I told her the truth. "I'm not certain how much is left exactly, but it was stocked to feed all 40,000 citizens for, at most, a whole year. And I'm certain I couldn't have eaten all of that even if I tried. So I'd say about a good four or five months."
I could see her visibly brighten at this news. I was about to continue, But something caught my eye before I could. There was a rusted suit of armor slumped against the wall to a building with a very faint blue glow emanating from the helmet. It was one of my Golems, and it was still relatively intact. I walked to the Golem and kneeled down to lift the helmet off. As I suspected, The rune carved into it's head was cracked and damaged.
Metamopha was close behind. "Is something the matter? And is that the 'Golem' you were talking about?"
I sighed before answering her. "Yes, one of them at least. Are any you strong enough to carry it to the square with us? It's mostly the armor that is heavy, the Golem itself is only hardened clay." Two of the Changelings with us stepped foward and slung both arms of the Golem over their shoulders. "Thank you."
While we continued to walk, I took note of the Changelings around me. They where all wearing clothing made of burlap except two of the larger ones in front, who were wearing some kind of burnt orange armor. I decided I would ask about it later.
As we were nearing the square, Metamopha asked me a question, "Why are these Golem things made of clay?" It was an easy answer, actually.
"Oh, it's because I was experimenting with which body type would most benefit them. I tried wood at first, but found it was a tad bit too weak and well... Flammable. After that I though stone would do, but soon after I found that it was too difficult to shape the stone. Clay on the other hand, that was ideal. I could easily make around five a day, and afterwords I could harden them to make them much more durable." I explained. Metemopha was fascinated by what I was telling her.
"From what I remembered before I was trapped, no other creature alive can make Golems. This is an ability only unique to me. Sure, others can command them. But only if I allow them to. It makes them ideal for a military force, in my opinion. Thousands of identical soldiers charging on, without fear, without pain. They can be a force to be reckoned with." Still fascinated. Good.
"I can still remember the text on the wall of the Golem creation center." It was time for the finisher. "They shall be my finest warriors. From clay shall I mold them and in the fires of war forge them. They will be of iron will and steely muscle. In great armour shall I clad them, and with the mightiest weapons will they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease, no sickness will blight them. They will have tactics and strategies such that no foe may best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Terror. They are the defenders of Elysium. They are my Golem Soldiers... And they shall know no fear."
Yes, I shamelessly ripped that from Warhammer 40k. Sue me. But it did the trick. Metamopha and the Changelings with us had their jaws to the floor, and were now stunned until we made it to the square. And let me tell you, 2000 Changelings staring right at you is a very intimidating sight.
Metamopha was lost in thought, but soon realized we arrived at the square. She cleared her throat and addressed everyone in the square. "My Children, Today is a momentous day! We have found our new home and enough food to last us for months!" All the Changelings started to cheer. "But..." And in an instant, it all stopped. "We must complete a task before anything else is to be accomplished. We must help Blackburn, the Lord of Elysium, rebuild the city to it's former glory! In return, He offers to shelter us and protect us with his army of Golems!" Once again, they all erupted into cheers. I could hear my name being called from the back, which slowly made them chant my name.
"Blackburn! Blackburn! Blackburn! Blackburn! " It felt so good to be a lord.
Chapter 3: Reconstruction
After the cheering had died down, we took a head count. The final number was 2437, which honestly was lower then I expected. 200 were sent to collect any other Golems they could find around the city, 600 went to see exactly how much food was left in the bunker, while the rest started work on the reconstruction. And I will say, they were quick little buggers! Get it? Cause they're Changelings! HehHehHehHeh... It's funny.
Anyway, We decided that the first thing to get restored would be the palace. It was one of the few buildings that didn't require much repairs and we needed a place to sleep in quick. The sun was setting and it was getting colder, but we managed to restore the building enough to where it could keep in the warmth from earlier. Well... They restored the building. I was busy searching for a false wall in my office.
I had finally found it, it was near my Mahogany desk, behind the matching Mahogany chair. I pressed the false wall back and slid it to the side, revealing a very large wooden box. On the top the words "Golem Kit" could be seen, while the bottom had wheels to move it. "Alright, time for the next phase of the plan." I said to myself.
"What plan?" I heard Dominic ask from behind me.
I visibly jumped. "Ah! Don't sneak up on me like that. And to answer your question, the plan to bring Elysium to it's former glory as quickly as possible. Repairing the city is only the first bit. Now we have to begin restoring Elysiums' connections to the other nations on Equus. I'll be sending ambassadors to Equestria and the Gryphon Kingdoms first."
"Um..." Dominic looked nervous after I mentioned Equestria. It wasn't hard for me to take notice.
"Why do you look nervous, Dominic? Has anything happened in Equestria?" I had my suspicions, but I was hoping they were wrong...
"Well, yes. Another hive that was located in Equestria may have... Totally destroyed a wedding being held for the Princess of Love at Canterlot... And may have tried to take over a small town to the south named Ponyville." Unfortunately, I was right. At least I got a time frame for the show.
"Ah, one small group ruins it for the whole bunch. Typical. I guess we'll just have to... Improvise a bit." I said. And improvise we did. Man, I wish I could have seen the look on Princesses faces.
-=|=====================|=-
Canterlot was unusually calm today. There weren't many ponies is the streets and most shops were closed for the day. Even the Day Court in the castle was passing by quickly, so quickly in fact that Celestia had a pit in the bottom of her stomach. Canterlot is only calm like this when something bad or unexpected happens, and she knew this very well. Even her toga was moving too perfectly.
She just hoped that Day Court would be over before- "CELESTIAAAAAA!" Of course not, cause the universe hates her on these days.
Suddenly, a strange being claded in armour with wings burst through a window to the throne room. The being looked familiar, as if it was a... "Could it possably be..." The creature lifted it head to reveal its blue glowing eyes. It was one of Blackburns' Golems.
"By my own beard, it is." Thought the Solar Diarch. The Golem was kneeling in front of her, with a fist on the floor and its other arm placed in front of its chest.
"Princess Celestia of Equestria. Lord Blackburn has ordered me to deliver a message." The Golem said, its voice sounding painfully fabricated. "He states his desire to regain diplomatic relations with Equestria while he and Elysium's new inhabitants rebuild the city." As the Golem finished, it reached to its side and grabbed a scroll. It then stepped forward to hand the item to Celestia.
Snatching the scroll from the Golem, Celestia quickly read the letter.
'Dear Princess Celestia (And Luna, if she is awake when this reaches you),
After being freed from a cave that has served as an accidental prison to me for somewhere close to 1400 years give or take by Elysium's newest residents, I have found that both Elysium and it's diplomatic ties are in ruins. And though it will take a long while to rebuild Elysium without some kind of aid, Our embassies are another matter entirely.
As you may be able to tell right now, I am requesting for us to exchange embassies once again. I also request aid to help rebuild Elysium. Anything you can spare will be acceptable, and we are willing to pay. The Elysian Vault is still intact, amazingly.
I have also come to find that Elysium has fallen behind in terms of technology, So aid in that as well would be most appreciated.
Finally, In light of recent news (To me, anyway), I feel that you should be warned. So far the population of Elysium is one hundred percent Changeling. No, They are not from the hive that attacked Canterlot. If you are wondering why they are here, It was because they offered to help in the reconstruction process in return for citizenship. In other words, Actions against the Changelings of Elysium are actions against Elysium itself.
Fairly yours, Lord Blackburn of Elysium.
P.S. You should come by sometime. Queen Metemopha is eager to meet you and to apologize for the actions of Chrysalis. She hopes to see you soon.
P.S.S. Queen Metamopha has sent Changelings to all major news publishers to announce the return of Elysium. Apologies if that causes any chaos. '
Celestia was having trouble wrapping her mind around this. After hearing nothing from Elysium for a little more then 14 centuries, suddenly she gets a letter from Blackburn himself claiming to have been trapped in a cave only to be freed by Changelings. The fact that the letter was sent by one of Blackburn's Golems, which appears brand new, was cause to believe the letter was true. "But... I can't take the chance." She knew exactly what she would do.
Then it hit her. "Wait, the Queen did wha-" Before she could finish her thought, hundreds of ponies started entering the throne room demanding answers, some waving newspapers around that said 'MYTHICAL CITY OF ELYSIUM IS REAL!' as the headline.
"Buck you, Blackburn." She thought. She could of sworn she heard the phrase 'Anytime, Anywhere. Bring it.' in his voice come from somewhere. "Guards, tell everypony to get in a nice orderly line and wait, then get Luna. I'm going to make myself some tea."
-=|=============================|=-
While waiting for a response from Equestria, I did some more thinking on how I ended up here so many centuries ago. That's normal, Right? Just thinking about your life? Oh well, too late now.
-=|=============================|=-
After falling asleep, I had awoken inside a somewhat thin forest. "Mother-FUCKER!" I had slammed a fist into the ground, which only left me a small imprint and a very sore fist.
After that little outburst of anger, I decided to look around a bit. "Maybe I'm not where I think I am. I could just be in New Mexico..." I said aloud. Talking to yourself is normal too, right?
So off I went. "If I go by the rules of fan fiction, I am definitely not in the Everfree." From what fan fictions have told me, the Everfree was dark, depressing, and creepy. The forest I was in now, while admit-tingly kinda dark, was nowhere near the other two. It was more relaxing and calm really.
I was just about to exit the area I woke up in when I heard something large land behind me. Well, crash would be a better word. Turning around, I was met with a large box with wheels on it. It appeared to be the "Golem Kit" I had chosen, if the label on the top was anything to go by.
I decided to head-
-=|=============================|=-
"Lord Blackburn!" I was suddenly ripped from my thoughts by Dominic, who was carring a scroll and wearing a set of Golem Armor.
"AHH! Damn it, Dominic! What did I say about sneaking up like that?! And why are you wearing that armor?" You would think that the words 'Don't sneak up on me' would be pretty easy to understand. Apparently not.
"Apologies, Lord Blackburn. I was testing the armor to see if it would still be usable in this day and age when a letter arrived from Equestria by magic flame. Also you'll be happy to know that the armor is still usable."
"Let me see the letter then." As Dominic handed me the letter, I started to read.
'Dear Lord Blackburn,
Luna and I are so happy to hear from you again, for we had expected the worst considering your long absence. As such, we shall visit Elysium once again.
We are also bringing construction crews and other such ponies to help rebuild and update Elysium to modern standards, as well as our ambassador to Elysium.
Sadly, our captain of the guard has convinced us to bring at least one guard unit of 25 for protection. We hope neither you nor Queen Metamopha will be offended by such and action.
You may expect us to arrive within 2 days.
Fairly yours, Princesses Celestia and Luna.
P.S. Luna has really been excited to talk to you again.
"Well... This will be interesting." I said as I set the letter down.
Author's Note
Oh god I feel like i'm rushing this. Am I rushing this? I can't tell!
Chapter 5: For Lord and City!
It had been an hour since I had sent Dominic to gather members of their Warrior caste, while I made my way back to my office. On my way back I had ordered some of the more intact Golems guarding the plalace to make a defensive line towards where the bandits were coming.
Now I know what you're thinking. 'Why did you ask Dominic to gather warriors if you have Golem Soldiers? Surely they could handle it.' First; Don't call me 'Surely'. Second; While I doubt the Golems could fuck this up too badly, I'd rather not risk it.
Now don't underestimate them. When in large groups, they are very capable of winning battles and such things. But when alone or in small groups, their... Simpleness starts to show. Of course this could be off set if I, or someone I allow, commands them. The process for this is somewhat painful, but I'll get to that later.
Now the reason for their simpleness is rather well... Simple. When making my earlier golems I found that no matter what material I make them out of, I can only add a maximum of 10 runes. It's enough for the required Combat and Movement runes, but that leaves little room for the Inteligence runes. I will go into more detail about this later though, as it could be a legnthy explanation.
Anyway, the Golems were ordered to send a rocket flare, basically just a fancy firework, should they spot the bandits. That flare is the signal for the other Golems in the line, as well as Dominic and I, to advance to that position and engage the bandits. Since I would be involved in this battle, I decided to grab my shortsword from the Golem Kit.
If we were lucky, the Golems could have handled it themselves by the time we got there...
-=|=============================|=-
Dominic had finally gathered the warriors and lead them to my office to be informed of the situation. In total there were six in good enough shape to go to battle, including Dominic and I, this made eight. Eight able bodies to take care of an unknown ammount of bandits... I could work with this.
Just as I had finished explaining the situation, I could hear a rocket flare going off. Looking out a window in my office, I saw a bright green glare rising from the north. "Gentelmen, Time to go." Just before I finished my sentence, The six had already started exiting the room.
It was just me and Dominic in the room when I asked a simple question, "What's with them?" As always, Dominic was quick to respond.
"The fact that you are not the queen could be why they were so quick to leave. You see-" Dominic started.
Not wanting to play catch up, I decided we should start moving. "Walk and Talk, Dominic. We don't want to fall behind."
"Ah, right. As I was saying, the warriors of the hive take an oath to the queen of the hive to always follow her orders and hers alone. But Queen Metamopha ordered them to take orders from you instead due to you being the ruler of this land. Understandably, they have not taken too kindly to this." He finished
"Ah, They feel their oath was pushed aside, by their own queen no less, just because I own this land. Correct?" I could see why one would be upset. But this could be a problem later on, if not right now.
Eventually we made it back with the others and began going over the plan once more. It was an easy plan really. Find the area where the flare was set off, sneak into one of the buildings, wait for the bandits to lower their guard, and capture them. Now if it was as easy in practice was another matter entirely. But before we even got close enough, I heard a sound that chilled me to the bone...
Gunfire...
Author's Note
Sorry for not getting to the fighting yet, Still planning that bit out.
Chapter 6: New Developments
This was not good. This was not good at all! Even when Elysium was at its highest technological point, we were still decades away from firearms. Don't get me wrong, I tried my damnedest to get the weapon research jumpstarted, but even then we only got to crossbows before I got sealed.
The problem was that we didn't have the resources to completely dedicate people to research the project. But that's no longer the problem.
Now I heard weapons that were lost to me for centuries. Weapons that could take down entire armies in mere moments. Ones I was afraid I would never hear again...
"Hold!" I shouted. Hearing me clearly over the sound of gunfire, the seven with me stop in their tracks.
"Yes? Why have we stopped?" One of the older changelings in the group, Samuel if I remember correctly, asked.
My mind was racing. How could they not notice the gunfire? Did they even care? "We have a new situation. I can hear gunfire off in the distance and it sounds fast."
"The bloody hell is 'gunfire'? Is it some spell from your era?" One of the Unblooded asked. Also, 'From my era'? Was this fucker calling me old!?
I sighed deeply. "No, It's not a spell. Gunfire is when a device from my old home, known as a gun, sends out a projectile at ludicrous speeds to hit a target... Are you telling me none of you know what a gun is?" Guns must be new to Equus.
They all looked at each other, until finally shaking all their heads.
I sighed again, not as deep this time though. "Great. That'll make things difficult. Are any of you able to cast any stun spells?"
All of them nod and Samuel speaks up again. "Yes. We are quite capable of them. Why?"
I can work with this. "Alright, Here's the plan. I want all of you to take cover in these buildings. I'll confront the bandits and try to end this peacefully. If they so much as aim a weapon at me, I want you lot to use the stun spells on them. If they prove to be difficult, We'll tie them up and toss them in a cell at the Palace. Sound good?"
They once again looked at each other and said various forms of "Affirmative."
I sheathed my sword. "Let us begin then."
-=|=============================|=-
The sound of the gunfire was now pounding my ears. From the sound of it, they where being fired in burst. It was a quick succession of six shots then quiet for ten seconds. I was getting close, I could tell. After walking out of a backstreet, I saw the ones who had dared to try and plunder my city. They were taking down my Golems left and right, but I could tell they were tired by now.
It was a small team of four. Two gryphons, a young dragon, and a pegasus. This was rare. Dragons almost never work with non-dragons. He also seemed to be the leader as his equipment, though just simple chainmail, was a much higher quality then everyone else's leather armor.
I started walking towards them, they barely noticed until I screamed. "HALT!" Instantly, all the Golems stopped and stood at attention. The bandits nearly gave themselves whiplash when they turned to me. "And who dares to enter my city unannounced?"
"Your city?" The dragon asked. At this point, I could clearly see all their features. The dragon had dark green scales with yellow markings all over his body. The gryphons appeared to be twins due to their similar coloration. Both had light brown for fur and a deep blue for their plumage. The only difference between them was that one had an eyepatch over his left eye. Then there was the pegasus... Boy was she something.
She was an entire artist color pallet on one mare. Every color imaginable looked to be splattered on her fur, and if it was less obvious it would just look like she was a very aggressive artist. But this was, in fact, how her fur looked. As for her mane and tail, It was just a simple white with a bit of red at the end.
The dragon stepped in front of the team. "I am Sergeant Andros of the Tempora Legion. We're a mercenary group in charge of recovering lost artifacts from abandoned cities. This is my team," He motions to the gryphons. "Baron and Byron," He then motions to the pegasus. "And she's Pallet Swap, a freelance archaeologist we got to help us look for artifacts."
He turns to me and ask, "Now who are you?" while he looks me up and down.
With the most commanding voice I can muster, I answer him. "I am Lord Blackburn of Elysium, the owner of this city and of the Golems you lot have been smashing up."
"Nice try. Now stop lying and tell me who you are." He seemed to be getting angry. Understandable. It's not everyday you are confronted by a legend.
"I have not lied to you. If you can provide evidence to the contrary, I'd love to see it." I'll admit. I don't like being called a liar.
"I'll give you one more chance. Who. Are. You?" At this point, he was ready to just shoot me and be done with it. His hand was even hovering over his weapon, which appeared to be a Flintlock.
"I would advise against trying to harm me. I have a meeting with Princesses Celestia and Luna tomorrow, and I'd rather not have to explain the blood on my suit." What? Do you realize how hard it is to get blood out of a suit?
"Enough of this." Sergeant Andros just started to pull out his Flintlock, when four stun spells hit him dead in the chest. Three more hit the other members of his team.
"Oh well. I tried to end this peacefully." I keeled down to the Sergeant, who was desperately trying to move after falling to the ground. "And I did advise against such action, did I not?"
Dominic, Samuel, and the others had landed near me. "Anyone got any rope?"
I sighed once again. "Fuck."
Author's Note
YES! I GOT A CHAPTER OUT AGAIN!
Anyway, So sorry for the wait. It was a pain to get this one out.
Any errors, Be sure to let me know, thanks!
Through methods I would rather not mention... Ever... We managed to tie up the mercenaries. Since no one wanted to carry them, we had some of the remaining Golems in the area do so. Good thing they can't complain, because all that goo would be hell for them to get off later...
It took us about two or three hours to get back to the palace. And it seemed that the rest of the hive had turned in for the day. It was actually kinda late into night at this point and somewhat chilly, so it makes sense. Even the group I was with were starting to move a bit faster, not wanting to be caught in the cold.
Once we were inside, I decided it was time to examine their weapons and armour. "Alright, strip them of their equipment and put all of it in my office. I need to get a feel for how far technology has advanced since my absence, at least weaponry-wise."
"Yes, Sir." Thank you, Dominic. At least you always followed my orders without hesitation. While he was busy gathering their equipment, I headed back to my office to think on this.
While in my office, I replayed the entire scene in my head. The way they were taking down my Golems... These were no ordinary mercs. If given the chance, I wished to speak to their Organization. This "Tempora Legion". I figured they would at least give me a chance to explain why I have one of their teams imprisoned.
And when I thought about it some more, I realized something. Their weapons, while looking like muskets and flintlock from my old world, had certain characteristic that did not match up in the slightest. I would need to check them myself to make sure though.
But until Dominic came back with their equipment, I couldn't do much but think some more. And just like the past few days, my thoughts went to my first few weeks in this world.
-=|=============================|=-
Where was I last time? Oh right. After the Golem Kit landed behind me, I went to rummage in it. It was mine anyway, so why not?
When I opened it, the first thing I noted were the tools. They were obviously used before, I could tell by how worn they were. In fact, the whole box looked old. Scratches, burns in areas, rusty latches. If the tools didn't tell me, this definitely screamed "Hand-me-down".
Looking around some more, I found something that shocked me. "Is that my fucking phone and laptop?!" Indeed it was. But they were different, slightly bulkier. After pulling them out, I realized why. Someone had strapped solar panels to them. After checking to see if they still worked, which they did thankfully, I set them back. Those could wait for later.
More rummaging later and I found a note from, surprise surprise, "Mr.M". Guess he wanted me to read it, so with nothing else to do, I did just that.
Greetings friend!
Good news and bad news. Bad news first. I accidentally sent you to the wrong place. You were meant to be in the Everfree, but my cat jumped onto my keyboard and changed where you started. Ha, just kidding. It was my pet raccoon. Anyway, This means that you don't get an easy start. You were supposed to meet Princess Luna and tell her you were "Lord Blackburn" , a royal from a far away blah blah blah, you get it.
She was supposed to help you get accustomed to "ruling again", but that is not gonna happen now. So yeah, now you have to start from nothing.
Good news! Someone is coming to see you! Bad news! You'll need to defend yourself. Good news! You have a weapon! It's that steel stick you seem to fancy using. Oh man, Remember that time you almost killed that robber with it? Wait, getting off track. Anyway, It's at the bottom to the left. Also included a shield for you. Kite shield. Same place. Hopefully you know how to use it.
Now, if you want some help, I also included some pre-made Soldier Golems. All you need to do is screw them together. There should be four of them. Be warned, they aren't the brightest.
'Til next time, Friend!
PS: Might want to put that mask on, don't want to scare the locals.
"Scare the locals, What could be so scary abou-" I then remembered who he called me. 'Lord Blackburn' . I slapped my hand to my face to feel it, and it was as I feared. Scars and burns everywhere.
"You son of a bitch." I guess you could say... I was really feeling the burn. Okay, I'll end the chapter now.
Author's Note
I'm sorry. The ending kinda just... happened.
And sorry it's a short one, didn't want another 3 month wait for you.
Chapter 4: Trouble on the Horizon
The next day was rather exciting, to say the least. The Changelings had been working tirelessly to get some basic nessesitys up and running, such as pluming for the restrooms and water flow for the farmlands. The efficiency in which they did their assigned jobs was so frighting that I had to ask the queen how much stamina a single changeling had. My answer was just a small chuckle and the word 'Enough.'
Apparently something else of note was that Dominic, who was still wearing the golem armor, was silently appointed as my assistant. It was mostly because he was around me a lot to begin with. Now personally, I didn't object to the choice, but I would liked to have chosen myself. Too late now, I suppose.
Anyway, the days agenda was simple: Check the Golem Creation Centers to see if anything needs repairs or needs to be replaced. Something interesting about the Golems that I use is that I don't directly have to craft them. The bodies can be mass produced, but I have to create the runes. Though I did find another loophole. Note that I said "create" instead of "carve" or "chisel". I really didn't expect it to work, but I can just stamp the runes onto the soft clay bodies of the Golems.
Of course, if I decide to heat them up to harden, I'd have to leave the stamps in them to avoid ruining the imprint. But that's why I decided to make ten of each rune stamp. I was explaining all this to Dominic, though sporadically since I still had to step over the rubble in the back streets, when my Golem to the Gryphon Kingdom nearly crashed in front of me.
To say the Golem was a bit banged up would be an understatement. The thing was damn near destroyed with bits of its armor punctured or completely gone. Before I could ask what happened, it started jittering and tried to speak. "Bandits northward. Fifty miles. Runes damaged." It seemed it was the speech and movement runes that were damaged, if it's jittering and two word sentences were anything to go by.
Suddenly, the entire Golem fell to pieces after stuttering one last sentence. "H-H-Heading here." That was all I needed to hear.
"Dominic, Gather some of the warriors from the hive. If those bandits are heading here, We must defend Elysium."
"Um, Sir? Why not just swarm them? There are over two thousand of us here and I'm fairly certain that some bandit group wouldn't last five minutes against all that."
"True, but I'd rather not risk it. We don't know who they are and for all we know, they're some type of infamous bandit group feared around the world... No swarming, this must be done with strategy..."
After turning towards him, I could see him contemplating my words. "Hmm... I shall do as you asked then. Would you rather I choose the experienced warriors or the unblooded?"
Assuming that 'Unblooded' meant the newest warriors, I decided a healthy mix was in order. "Get some of the experienced along with a good amount of the unblooded. A One to Two ratio should do fine."
"As you wish, Sir." With Dominic flying off, I considered my options for the city's defense.
"Hmmm... I'm gonna need some miniatures for this..."
Author's Note
I'm so sorry for this being such a short chapter. It's just hard to push through this block. ;.;
But at least i got something out of my head... Again, sorry for the shortness.
