(POV: Celestia)

I stood there staring at the massive crater in the sand, the magic I felt off the girl was nothing I have experienced before. It was almost raw power she was emanating, and her companions were no lightweights either. The big one smashed and bashed his way through everything that came near him while the other girl gave support from her bow. Everything they did was like a well oiled machine, it takes years to refine that kind of teamwork. There’s no doubt about their skill in their trade, perhaps my sister overpaid them, but seeing them in action and doing what seventy of my guards could not do, it was well worth the money. Not to mention that huge monstrosity that rose out of the sea, and they just defeated it like it was just an average day on the job for anypony.

I shake myself free from my thoughts to see the mercenaries heading back to the camp

“Excuse me, Kasula was it?” I ask, catching up to the three of them as my guards dispersed back into the camp now that there was no more threat.

“Yes, that is my name. What do you require Princess?” The lady turns to me as she motions for her companions to continue onwards.

“You have to tell me what were those spells you used against the monsters.”

“Ah, Princess, that kind of information will cost you some more bits.” She says with a sly smirk.

“You can’t be serious, you could save lives with the information you’re withholding. Do you not care about those around you?” I ask her, somewhat appalled that she would demand money for information that could save Equestria from these attacks.

“Excuse me Princess, but where I come from there’s a saying ‘Cash makes the world go round.’ and that’s true everywhere in the world. Even here I’d imagine. You want information from our guild, you pay for it.” She tells me with a hit of annoyance in her voice.

“Fine, how much do you require?” I sigh, if I have to pay a some bits to save the lives of my little ponies then it’s a small price to pay.

“100 bits.” She tells me with an innocent smile.

“100 bits!? Why would you need that much for information on a few spells?” I reply

“Supply and demand Princess, You need my information badly and I so happen to have it, so I can charge whatever rate I want. Oh and before you think about asking the other two, they’ll charge more for less info than I got. The only information we give out for free is cooking lessons from Zurug, only because he enjoys that stuff. So what’ll it be?”

“Fine. 100 bits for information of several spells. Including.” I state, raising a finger when she opens her mouth to interject. “The one that did that. I finish, pointing my raised finger at the glass lined crater in the beach.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you since you’re paying, but before we can even get to any of the high tier stuff we need to see what your magic level is at. So, let me cast a spell on you which will determine what magic level and type you are.” She explains to me, to which I just nod. Kasula raises har hand and points to me and mutters something to which I spot a small rune appear at the end of her finger and glow a variety of colors.

“Hmmm… that’s slightly troubling.” She says after she’s done casting the spell. “Your magic type is that of pure magic.”

“Is that a bad thing…?” I ask cautiously.

“Well… Yes and no. While pure magic is some of the most useful magic in terms of assistance it is limited to just telekinesis and enchantments and some light teleportation even though it can be cast as much as you wanted. For the spells you want to do, pure magic will not cut it even close, even though you have the biggest pure magic store I’ve sensed in an individual thus far. You’d probably only be able to make it to third tier magic.” The girl says, holding up three of her spindly fingers to illustrate, reminding me of a spider in how they seemed to dance and curl on themselves as she spoke.

“I’m sorry, but could you elaborate on what this ‘tier’ system is? And is there a way I can cast that magic you used to crush the tall creature.”

“Hmmm… I do know a way that might help with casting higher tier spells. Although it involves changing your magic type. I have heard some rumors of pure magic users changing magic types, but I’ll have to do some research and get back to you on that one. As for your first question. The ‘tier’ system is used to cast certain spells, for example, that spell I cast to bash the creature into the ground with space rocks is a ninth tier spell while the fiery explosion was only a third. The tiers go from zero to nine, each tier of spell you know gradually gains in power as your overall magic level goes up. Which reminds me…”

“Yes…?”

“Your magic level is… if I condense pure magic into the spells… you're at a level five in magic.”

“Wait, didn't you just say I could cast tier three magic? What’s this magic level you’re talking about?”

“A Magic level is how many spells of each tier you can cast. There is a perfect equation for each level. I’m assuming you’re at a level five with just pure magic but I’ll have to do some more extensive studies on your magic to be exact. Also, even though you have a huge pure magic store in you it is very light, the spells I use are more condensed thus packing more of a punch.”

“So what you’re saying is while I have the power to cast some of the spells you can do, I can’t because of my magic type. Is that correct?”

“Precisely Princess. While you technically can cast the same spells, pure magic is almost useless in any role other than to help power someone else's spell.”

“Alright, next. Do you know what that giant monster was that came out of the ocean?”

“It looked similar to a Myconid, but it had an odd look to it. It shouldn't be that big or even have black and green coral all over it. To top it off, that stuff it was oozing is not natural. If I didn't incinerate it twice over I would have loved to study it.”

“I see, do you perhaps have more knowledge on the other creatures attacking Equestria and maybe a way to defeat them.”

“That depends on what creatures are attacking, it would also help if you didn't have poor quality soldiers who seemed a little distraught at fighting. But I can offer information on the creatures as they show up, for a price of course.”

“I see.Well, I’ll be in contact with your guild. Now, if you’ll excuse me I must prepare the spell to send us all back home.” I tell her before heading back to the main part of camp thinking about all the secrets and knowledge they have about these creatures.

(POV: Kasula the Sorceress)

With a little more gold...er well bits now, in the pocket from some magical information that’s almost useless to her, I return to our portion of the camp… where Zurug is taking his tent down and packing it in his bag.

“Zurug, how many times do I have to tell you not to take everything that’s given to us to use.”

“ZURUG WANTS A COLORFUL TENT, AND HE WILL HAVE ONE FROM THE SMALL HORSE PEOPLE.”

“Well, I do have to agree with him. The fabric on these tents are nice and would make for some nice sheets or even spare materials to repair clothes.” I hear Thalia say just before she emerges from her tent.

“You do realise I have a spell that can repair stuff like that.”

“You’ve told us on multiple occasions, but I like to do it myself from time to time. Keeps me from going nuts around the fort when there’s no jobs coming in. Kinda like right now.”

“Well, I expect that to change here in a bit now that we got to show the royalty our stuff. Anyway, you know the drill, I’ll prepare the teleportation circle to take us back.”

With that being said, both Zurug and Thalia got packing everything they brought with, including the tents. I got a feeling Zurug is going to be sleeping outside in his new tent tonight. Anyway, I start drawing the runes in the ground in a ten foot circle and imbue it with a bit of my magic, when both Zurug and Thalia get in the circle I power it up sending us home.

(A few hours later back at the royal palace...)

(POV: Luna)

“So sister, how was the battle with the fish people.” I say taking a sip from the cup of tea that she made for me.

“Kao-Toa, actually, as I’ve been told. It was, informative. And expensive. And a little horrifying.” My sister responds between sips of her own tea on the other side of the table.

“Care to explain a little more sister? I’m not really in the mood to read your mind at the moment.”

“Well.” She starts, putting her cup on its saucer. “I ended up spending eleven hundred bits on these mercenaries of yours. I found out that they might have all sorts of information on the creatures we face right now. As well, I was given quite the demonstration of Miss Kasula’s destructive ability.”

“Ah, the girl in the red dress I presume? So, what did she accomplish that had you spending over a thousand bits?”

“She summoned four rocks from your sky and brought them down upon the giant creature that towered easily five times my height, killing it and turning a part of the beach to glass.”

I nearly make a spit take with my tea at the notion. “She took rocks from my sky and used them to defeat a creature!?”

“It was more of an incineration, but yes sister.”

“It seems that there is more to these ‘mercenaries’ than we first expected, let alone that they are clearly a different race from any I can remember having met.”

“Indeed, then perhaps-” My sister was interrupted by the dining room door slamming open and a guard rushing in.

“I’m sorry to disturb you your highnesses, but this is an urgent matter.”

“Then speak, what has happened guard?” I ask him.

“Everything in the restricted section of the archives have gone missing.”

“... What?”

“U-um, everything in the restricted section of the archives has gone missing?”

“That’s what I thought you said. I’m afraid, dear sister, that we will have to continue this some other time.” She tells me, exiting the room and motioning for the guard to follow her.

“We have a restricted section?” I can’t help but question the furnishings in our tea room, the thought of something like that confusing me.

Since when where we anything but open and honest with all of our little ponies?

(POV ???)

I give a sigh as I wing myself forward through the night air, boredom having set in long ago after I began this particular trip and the steady brightening on the horizon spoke to just how long I’d been flying.

As the sky brightens further I find myself looking down at a beach, the lighting turning the sand gray and the depths of the crater near the water’s edge pitch black. Giving another sigh, this one in relief at finally probably arriving, and making a mental note to start counting just how many times I sigh in a day, I pull my wings in and start an aileron roll, using the centrifugal force to launch my sword blade first at the sand, and dropping myself soon after.

Landing in a crouch and kicking up a plume of sand, I look around as I stand, taking my sword in hand and making my way towards the crater I saw from the air. On my way, I spot several forms, shadowed in the dim lighting hunched over something. As I draw nearer I gather their attention in turn, the lot of them hissing expletives in fishic, a sub dialect of Draconic I have a passing knowledge of, and charging straight at me with little regard for subtlety or technique.

It takes a matter of seconds for me to unwrap my blade and dispatch my four assailants with its spine, taking a moment to examine one of the bodies and finding a Kao-Toa. Dreadful things that they are, with their bulbous eyes and general lack of any kind of decency. I’m sure there’s a decent one, maybe even more than one out there somewhere, I just haven’t met them yet.

Finishing my inner triad as I approach the thing the Kao-Toa were huddled around, I find the half eaten remains of another of their kind. ‘Lack of decency indeed’ I think to myself with a derisive ‘hmmph’ and continue on my way to the crater, dispatching more of the Kao-Toa as they notice me and invariably attack. With each group of them gathered around the corpses of their fallen and more sprouting from the sea at a respectable rate, likely drawn in by the scent of recently spilled blood, I make my way along easily enough, most of the Kao-Toa distracted enough by the smell of ‘food’ such as it was, that they didn’t bother with me unless I was directly in their sight.

Approaching the crater I notice the sand getting, sharper? Looking down I see glittering shards of shattered glass covering this part of the beach, a piece having gotten lodged between a pair of scales on my foot. Quickly picking it out, I continue forward, largely unconcerned by the dull pricks.

At the edge of the crater, made entirely of broken, sharpened glass, I look into the abating darkness to the sight of something absolutely huge and charred beyond recognition lying at the bottom. Jumping into the darkness and landing heavily on yet more sharp pieces of glass, I come face to smell with the stink of pure corruption encasing the corpse before me. Figuring that it’d be best to finish destroying it rather than wait for the darkness to seep out of the hardened flesh of what this thing used to be, I take a breath, almost gagging at the taste of the air down here, and push, sending a jet of flames at it and setting it alight, illuminating the area arounds me and sending spots of light dancing across nearly every available surface as it was reflected by the innumerable glass shards.

Figuring I’d best leave the impending inferno before my clothing was singed I leap out of the hole with the aid of my wings, landing once more on the significantly less gray sand. And as I look around the beach I come to a decision, it was time to clean. After all, it wouldn’t do to leave all this filth mulling about.

Hours later, I’m left sitting on the perfectly sand colored sand next to a 30 foot tall bonfire and staring at the sun finally making it’s way over from the edge of the world. Looking around I feel a sense of satisfaction, there were no bodies, hostile fish, or glass shards waiting to catch the unwary and fragile off guard.

Getting up and turning back inland in preparation to head home I catch sight of something interesting in the distance, a rather expensive looking city was mounted on the side of a mountain.

“Well… Might as well see what that’s about.” I tell myself, before looking down at my chest. “After breakfast and a bath though. It wouldn’t do to introduce myself while I’m covered in blood and sand after all.”

Author's Note

'Chapter 8: Communication and Cleanliness' was made possible by the joint effort of: kamachkta and SovietVodkaMix

Soon all will be revealed about our mystery person. Soon...

....Yes....

On another note, to keep in mind that if you spot any errors in the work. Please do point them out, we'll fix them as soon as we can.