Steel, Fire, Honor and Ruin
Chapter 5
what lurks in tomorrow
/ooooooo\
Location: Nuln, city-state of the Empire
Day 10
It was early morning and Maria Shepard pushed back the covers and sat up from the bed, her feet hitting the cool wooden floor boards, which would have probably helped wake her up, if it wasn't for the fact she had already been lying awake for the past three hours.
She had always been a light sleeper, and the city of Nuln woke up early as its citizens got a start to their day, the docks alongside the inn a bustle of activity; but she had been awake to see the light orange haze of sunrise coat the city and hear the first horses and carts on the cobble stone streets below.
Bringing a hand up to rub her eyes before running it through her hair a few times, she looked over at the desk and the gathered star maps. The parchment scrolls unrolled and piled together across its surface.
After leaving the university yesterday evening Maria had gone straight up to her room and began examining each map thoroughly. She had spent hours at the desk with her omni-tool lite while tracing out every single last ink dot to try and find a single recognizable constellation. The maps weren't the best, compared to Alliance standards they were barely useable, but they at least gave a good depiction of the major stars seen from the city of Nuln over the course of the planet's year.
And not a damn one had matched the records in her tool.
With a sigh, Maria looked away and pushed herself up off the bed and to the wardrobe that held her armor.
Honestly, while the news was disheartening, Maria knew the odds were long that the maps would have held the info she needed. That librarian, Nikolaus, had said himself that they weren't the best. If Maria really wanted to see any map of value she'd need to do what he advised and contact the Celestial College in the Empire's capital city, Altdorf.
That didn't mean she would stop scanning the night sky though. Her tool would pick up on the smallest motes of light and eventually find a star system it recognized.
It was just a matter of time, obviously…
Safely tucked inside her collector armor once again, Maria completed her attire by throwing on the long black coat and thick leather gloves, put on the wide brimmed hat, and checked herself in the mirror to ensure the armor underneath was hidden.
It was as she finished carefully packing the maps back into the borrowed bag that Maria realized she had been so busy at the university that she had neglected to do something over the course of the entire past day, and now it hit her like a vanguard's biotic charge.
She. Was. Starving.
/ooooooo\
The inn's large dining hall was nearly empty with only a few tables being occupied, just over a dozen people eating breakfast. Most of the patrons were civilians by Maria's estimation considering their state of dress, but one table stood out. There were five men sitting together, and they were all wearing metal chest plates, helmets pilled on the table beside their plates. Each one was wearing a sword at their hips and had uniforms of green and yellow.
Following her nose, Maria noticed a long table along the far wall that had food a plenty. She wandered over to it and laid out buffet style were muffins, donuts, loafs of toasted bread, sausages, strips of bacon, cooked eggs, and a variety of fresh fruits.
By the time Maria was done she had completely filled two plates with a little bit of everything. Balancing all the food together, she chose an empty table for herself and took a seat. Placing the bag with the star maps on the ground beside her chair, she also took off her hat, placing it on the tables opposite end, and quickly ran a hand through her hair.
She was just about to dig in when she glanced up and noticed everyone else in the dining hall looking at her.
Maria frowned back at them and shook her head and shoulders, as if to say 'what?'
A majority of the civilians quickly turned away with varying looks ranging from confusion to open disgust, but the soldiers laughed openly with a pair of them raising their mugs to her with wide smiles on their faces.
"Long day ahead, eh?" one of the soldiers said with a laugh.
They seemed sincere enough, so Maria gave them a smile in return, before focusing back on her meal. She was on her fourth mouth full of food by the time a familiar face made its way to her table.
With a head of slicked back brown hair and a freshly shaved face that stood in contrast to the beards and mustaches that seemed filled this world a plenty, the owner of the inn, Antonio Valentino, stopped beside her table wearing a dirty apron over his cloths and Maria could smell the breakfast she was now enjoying around him.
He looked down at her two filled plates with an appraising look.
"I'm all for guests with hearty appetites, but you eat for two every morning and I'll be forced start charging for breakfast." He started with a straight face but soon lost it to a smile. "Good morning to you miss Shepard."
He placed a tall wooden cup on the table in front of Maria. "Here you are. Raine squeezed the oranges just this morning and they are the freshest you'll find." Antonio then shrugged, "Well, the freshest this far north of Tilea at least. Can't beat the ones picked right from the orchards, now can we?"
Maria recognized the nation mentioned from her studies the previous day. Located hundreds of miles south and past even Bretonnia, Tilea was another nation of humans. While militarily far weaker than both the Empire and Bretonnia, Tilea was known for its fair-weather year-round and was a valuable trade partner for each of the larger nations.
She lifted the glass of juice to her lips and took a sip. Considering all she had drink for the past few days was water and the weak beers offered, this glass was a welcome and tasty change of pace.
Licking her lips Maria smiled up at Antonio and gave him a nod in thanks. She than quickly filled her mouth full of food again before the man decided to question her about her coming day.
Unfortunately, the tactic didn't work.
"Glad you like it." He glanced down at the floor, more specifically the bag resting against her seat, and noticed one of the scrolls sticking out.
"Busy evening for you witch hunter?" he started casually. "Didn't' see you down for a meal last night. Whatever you've got there must have been interesting enough for you to forget to come down and eat."
He was doing an excellent job sounding like any other person just trying to strike up a conversation, but the way he looked at her bag made Maria think if her stared hard enough the man just might develop x-ray vision on the spot and learn all she had hidden away in the bag.
Deciding to humor the man, Maria surprised him by reaching down and pulling one of the scrolls free. Holding it up to him, she took another large bit of her breakfast.
The look of initial surprise on Antonio's face was priceless, he obviously never expected a witch hunter to be so forthcoming, but the careful speed and enthusiasm with which he took the scroll from her hand was only matched by the utter look of confusion on his face when he unrolled it and noticed it had nothing on it but a map of the same stars in the sky he saw every night.
Maria had to fight down a laugh as she swallowed her mouthful of food and watched Antonio look over the map as if there was some hidden meaning he had some how missed the first nine times his eyes had already scrubbed over the piece of paper.
She was basically being cruel at this point and she knew it. Antonio was hoping to find some piece of information that would tell him why a witch hunter had decided to stay in his hotel and instead she handed him a simple star map without any care in the world.
"Well, this is… ah… interesting," he rolled the piece of paper back up and handed it back to Maria. She stuffed it back into her bag and looked back up to offer him a shrug and a sympathetic smile.
Antonio's noise scrunched up and he scratched the back of his head, staring down at the bag and scrolls for a moment before forcing a poor smile on his face.
"Hope your day fares well, witch hunter," he said simply before turning away from her table and waiting on the rest of his inn's patrons.
/ooooooo\
After Maria had eaten her fill she still grabbed some napkins and took a pair each of some fluffily baked muffins and crisp apples, which she wrapped up and deposited into her jacket's deep pockets. It was always a good idea to be prepared, even more so when you're a calorie destroying biotic. And as a bonus, she reasoned, breakfast was free, so why not stock up?
Leaving the inn, she made a quick stop to the stables next door and found Steven, nibbling away at his own breakfast of hay and grass provided by the two stable hands. Both of whom gave her polite nods and quickly kept at their jobs. Maria retrieved one of the apples she had so recently stashed and provided her horse with a tasty addition to his meal.
Spending a few minutes giving his head and neck a scratch and ensuring he was well, Maria then left the stables and made for the university. She needed to return the scrolls she had borrowed from the library and try to convince Nikolaus to continue helping her translate some more books.
On her way through the bustling streets of Nuln, Maria decided it was time to practice some sorely out of date skills and maybe even decrease the financial burden she currently faced.
Keeping her eyes open for any tightly packed areas or gathered crowds of people, she quickly found the ideal spot down a side street where the shops on either side had booths and tables of goods piled into the street, accompanied by customers blissfully unaware of their surroundings as they leisurely perused the selections.
A pickpocket's idyllic hunting ground.
Now, since joining the Alliance Military, Maria Shepard had never once needed to rob someone blind just to survive until the next day. However, orphaned, homeless, Maria Shepard had, and did, on many occasions. And she had never lost a night's sleep over it. Stealing a few credits off someone just meant that person had to go to the nearest bank terminal and withdraw some more. Maybe a little angrily, and perhaps a bit upset that such a thing had happened to them, but they could always get more. As a child, Maria didn't have that option available to her; and it wasn't even until she joined the Tenth Street Reds, the growing local street gang, that meals and a warm place to sleep was even a reliable guarantee night after night.
She had been gifted with quite the sticky fingers and Maria had never been caught once. She had been chased, sure, but never caught. It was always a tricky balancing act between knowing when to strike and knowing when the risk of discovery was too high, and she had pushed that boundary often. But it helped that no one really saw a young girl walking down the street past them, or bumping into them on a crowed intersection, as a direct threat to their wallets.
So as Maria started down the busy street filled with shoppers and horses and wagons and carriages all packed together and jostling for the needed space to go about their day, she was supremely impressed and ultimately dismayed at how effective her disguise as a witch hunter was truly turning out to be.
There was no real room to be found, but some how everyone gave her the required space to proceed down the busy walkway unobstructed.
Groups of men and women folded into one another just to give Maria an inch. Horses and wagons were guided by their drivers into spaces that hadn't even existed mere moments ago.
And everyone watched her with guarded expressions as she walked by, almost as if looking for the slightest movement signaling an attack on her part, against their person.
Before Maria realized it, she had walked down the entire narrow street and reached the next main thoroughfare without so much as a bump of cloth with anyone else she had passed.
Maria stood stunned on the side of the roadway as she tried to wrap her mind around what just happened and the sheer impossibility of how it was achieved. She looked down at her gloved hands and the heavy trench coat she wore before letting out a sigh and continuing toward the university.
"I'm still keeping the hat and coat," she mumbled to herself, tight pout on her lips as she walked.
/ooooooo\
Maria had reached the university grounds when a noise stopped her mid-step. And by noise, she meant an explosion of sound. Several explosions to be exact, all beginning to ring out in careful, choreographed synchrony. Maria instantly knew what the sound was, and her soldier's instincts almost had her ducking for immediate cover.
It was the sound of artillery fire. Didn't matter how primitive the devices were, big guns meant to pound the enemy from afar all generally sounded the same.
But despite the noise, Nuln's populace reacted by, well, not reacting. Maria looked around only to see everyone still going about their day.
Her curiosity piqued, Maria turned and left the university grounds and started a quick walk towards the sounds of cannon fire. Considering her circumstances, it wasn't as if she wouldn't have the chance to visit the library at a later date.
Following her ears had Maria walking in the direction of Nuln's factory district and the dozen rising smoke stacks still belching out the thick black smoke that had first guided her to the city. Reaching the district, she was surprised to see it entirely walled off and the nearest gateway leading inside heavily guarded by the city's soldiers.
Every man, and a few women, that were either entering or leaving the area were being stopped and made to display some sort of paperwork that must have proved they either worked inside or had permission to pass. Reasonable, she supposed, since the place must be responsible for supplying the city's military with their gear and weapons; but with the sounds of cannon fire just beyond the gate, Maria's desire to see the goings on won out her desire to remain unnoticed.
Reaching into her pocket she pulled out the silver badge that marked her as a member of the order of the silver hammer and pinned it to her chest, pulled the rim of her hat down, then the coat's collar up, squared her shoulders and marched straight to the gate.
The guards of course spotted her approach, and by the time she had gotten close enough for them to see the badge on her chest, all of them had straightened up and held a few of the civilians back so Maria could pass through the gate unobstructed. The event had passed by even easier than when she had first attempted to enter the city. No hot-headed young soldiers trying to prove themselves here. Only trained veterans who knew to respect the chain of command.
The factory grounds were a hot bed of activity. As Maria passed through she saw any number of horse drawn carts pulling loads of coal and wood most likely meant to feed the roaring furnaces and smelters within the buildings surrounding her; and just as many carts pulling the factory's completed works.
Maria spotted swords, spears, halberds, crossbows, muskets, metal plate armor, shields, and of course the thing she came here to see, cannons. And now that she was passing by a pair being pulled behind a horse, these cannons were impressive to say the least. She wasn't going to hark at them being simple gunpowder weapons. These cannons were longer than she was tall and twice as wide. If the ammo they fired was proportionally sized, then damn, she wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of these things.
Pulling her gaze away from the weapons, Maria crossed the reaming grounds and found herself nearing the edge of Nuln. The city's large protective wall loomed ahead, and the sounds of gunfire were coming from just beyond. More than before, now she could hear small arms fire as well. The muskets most likely. But this part of the city had no outer gate, so Maria had to walk the wall's inner edge until she came to a staircase leading up to one of the perimeter towers spaced along the stone wall.
She climbed the tower stairs and about three-quarters of the way up a doorway to the side allowed her to venture onto the wall itself. Maria took it, walked five steps out onto the wall and looked out at the meadow just beyond the city's edge, and completely failed to stop her mouth from dropping open in astonishment.
What she saw, was the army of Nuln.
"Woah…" Maria leaned up against the stone as her eyes swept across the field.
They weren't that far away from the wall, the soldiers in the field, and there were thousands of them… maybe even tens of thousands.
Maria saw the cannons first; the army was facing away from the city, so they were the closest. With a burst of fire and blast of noise, a line of twelve cannons fired out above the army ahead. Several seconds later, and a very long distance away, Maria noticed the geysers of dirt from the shells striking home. But the cannons weren't the only heavy guns firing away. Another grouping of twelve artillery pieces fired off next. Maria recognized their stunted length and thick girth as well. These were mortar units. Thick, miniature cousins to the cannons, these fired explosive shells high into the air where they then rained down directly on the enemy force. Her assumptions were proven correct when the mortar shells exploded a few seconds later along the same line of dirt the cannons had struck moments before.
But the line of guns paled in comparison to the force arrayed just ahead.
The army was broken into smaller regiments of several hundred men each, and all of them were wearing the city's colors of yellow and black. Maria could see groups of them armed with heavy shields and spears marching in line at the head of the force, with another line directly behind, all of these soldiers armed with swords and shields. At both flanks of the army were groups marching with heavy headed halberds on their shoulders.
Farther behind this forward defense were the ranged units. Regiments of crossbows and muskets would march in formation, then hold position, load their weapons, and finally fire over the heads of the groups in front of them.
And despite all the noise being made Maria still heard the oncoming thunder in the distance, and she leaned over the walls edge to see a massed formation of fully armored knights riding in at full gallop toward the force. Just when they reached the edge of the infantry line the knights split away with an impressive ease into smaller groups that continued on in between the spaces of each regiment still marching and firing away. They rode through the entire army, still at full run, and upon reaching the opposite side came out of the infantry, regrouped again, and turned to face forward into what would have been the flanks of the imagined enemy force.
Maria couldn't help but let a whistle at the scene. The army of Nuln was imposing to say the least. Between all the regiments of infantry, she could spot a few men on horseback riding around. The captains at work directing their men and keeping them in perfect formation.
As the time passed by and Maria watched the army continue to drill, it suddenly hit as she watched the massed groups wander about the battlefield, that despite how primitive their weapons and armor was, the generals of Empire knew how to brandish their armies with the deadliest of results.
It had taken her awhile, but with an elevated view, she was now beginning to understand just how brilliant these infantry maneuvers really were.
Not one regiment was ever undefended or on its own. As the spears in the front moved and spread out to contain an enemy charge, the swordsman just behind were always moving to fill in the thinnest line of spears.
And as the swords and spears would reform and pull back, the groups of crossbows and muskets were always massed behind these lines to provide covering fire, before then moving back to their own pre-determined spots to cover the entire army.
The halberds on the flanks moved seamlessly between thick blocks to absorb an enemy charge and longer lines to prevent an enemy from getting behind the spears. And of course, the mounted knights provided the hammer to the anvil, moving between the forces to strike whatever flank happened to be weakest on the enemy's side.
Maria leaned forward against the stone and settled in to watch the mock battle.
"Looks like Herman finally got his spearmen in line."
A voice to her side startled Maria back up and she looked to her right to see a pair of soldiers with crossbows slung across their backs standing a few feet away. No one had come down the tower Maria had come up, so this must have been a patrol already on the wall when she had arrived.
Neither of the men paid Maria any mind though. Just like she had been, they were both standing relaxed and watching the army practice. It seemed her disguise was still working well.
The partner to the first man huffed. "Took him long enough. Surprised they didn't take the regiment from him sooner. Last thing a spear-wall needs is a few men out of position come the charge."
"Nah, he's never been that bad," the first man replied. "Just look at Strauss and his swords. Now there's a whole regiment that could use the blunt end of a sword to their backsides." He chuckled to himself and nodded out to the field. "Too late. Looks like Liebwitz has seen them. This should be a show."
Maria frowned and tried to follow the man's gaze. From what she had been able to tell, all the groups had been doing a fantastic job moving about in formation.
But she did see Liebwitz, who the soldier had been talking about. A fully armored man on an equally armored horse came riding out from the army's center, between the groups of ranged units. Even from this distance Maria could see the man's horse covered in yellow and black ribbons while he himself wore a bright, full yellow cloak and had a group of yellow and black feathers sticking out the top of his helmet.
He was being followed by another small grouping of knights, and Maria knew enough to notice a protective detail when she saw one. This, Liebwitz, was most likely the army's general, and even if he wasn't, he must have ranked fairly high.
She watched Liebwitz ride through the force before coming to a halt directly before a regiment of swordsman. She saw the flash of reflected light as the man pulled out his sword and began swinging it around and pointing violently to portions of the field around him.
Both the soldiers to Maria's right laughed and she couldn't help but smile herself as she watched the scene. It was clear Liebwitz was pissed, shouting down his soldiers and getting them back into position himself. The regiment responded quickly and under the general's direct gaze moved twice as fast as they had been moments ago.
"There we go," the first soldier commented as the regiment was moved back into flawless positioning. "Should be interesting hearing Strauss's excuses tonight after – "
The man was cut off when a sudden and violent blast drowned him out and made the two men and Maria all flinch back as a fireball rose into the air where a cannon and its crew had been mere moments ago.
It appeared that one of the artillery pieces had misfired, and with the worst possible luck, the explosion sent flaming debris into the nearest two cannon crews and the wagons of gunpowder and ammunition behind them.
Another explosion followed the first as one of the wagons and its barrels of powder exploded, forcing Maria and the soldiers to duck back again.
As the second fireball passed above her Maria risked a glance over the wall and saw a pair of craters where the cannon and its wagon had previously been. The two nearest cannon crews on both sides of the explosion were only just getting back to their feet, but a few weren't moving at all. Gruesomely, some of them weren't even whole anymore.
"Holy hell," she heard one of the soldiers say as he looked over the wall as well. Despite the shock and carnage, Maria was impressed and grateful to see the remaining artillery crews responding immediately.
Panicked horses were forced back under control and hitched up to move the remaining cannons and mortars away from the flaming wreckages, while others quickly ran to help their comrades back to their feet and away to safety.
Liebwitz was already at the scene as well, with his knights, and shouting out orders. Behind him the nearest musket regiment was pulled from its position and marching back to help the artillery crews.
The rest of the army continued with its maneuvers, and as unfeeling as the act was Maria had to give them credit. In war such accidents would occur again, and then they would be happening while an enemy force was actively trying to kill you. This is why most military's used live fire exercises to train their forces. You had to be ready for such things.
But one of the soldiers beside her spoke up.
"Damn them," he said angrily. "What the hellish game do they think they're playing at, eh? That's the sixth cannon in only four months! The sixth! Even a fool could see by now the ore we're smelting is tainted foul."
His partner just shook his head, still looking down at the carnage. "We don't know that for sure. Could just be a crack in the casting. Or maybe the crew loaded the powder wrong. There's a lot that could go bad on the whole. Even the dwarfs have misfires."
The first soldier just scowled. "Don't be dense. Six cannons in four months? When was the last time we had such bad luck? Nuln supplies the Empire, and if our cannons are cursed you can bet the gods theirs will be too. I'm telling you something is wrong with the ore, and somebody had better figure it out soon… this is enough to bring the Emperor down from Altdorf."
The second shrugged. "I'm sure someone's on it. Like you said, we supply the Empire. The Countess would never risk the ire of all the Electors." He turned away from the wall, "Come on. You know there'll be an inspection after this. We better get moving."
The two soldiers moved down the wall toward the tower and past Maria, offering her nothing more than a nod in passing, but as soon as they reached the doorway, another, more interesting sound pulled all their attention up into the sky.
"There you see?" the second soldier said. "Looks like the foundry's overseer is already getting answers straight from the experts."
Maria didn't see either of them leave the wall because she was too busy staring up at the sky; watching with wide eyes and fighting a stroke as a familiar buffeting noise filled the air and the unmistakable silhouette flew out over the wall, directly above her head, and past the army below, speeding on toward the horizon.
Somebody on this planet had a helicopter?!.
/ooooooo\
More than once Maria had to remember not to draw attention to herself, so sprinting back to Nuln University was probably a bad idea. A healthy walk/jog was a good middle ground though, she suspected.
The silver badge remained on her chest as she entered the main building and the sprawling library it held. Earning a few curious glances, Maria marched through the place trying to find the man she needed to speak to.
Half an hour of searching later, and he was nowhere to be found.
"Of all the times…" she mumbled under her breath. The whole of the university grounds was to large for her to search, so Maria changed tactics and practically pounced on the first man dressed in the robes and colorful ribbons that marked him as an, well she had never really asked yet, so they were all employees.
"Nikolaus Ebner?" she asked, physically stepping into the man's path and stopping him as he worked to restoke the library's shelves with books.
The man stepped back, clearly startled, and his eyes quickly found the badge on her chest.
"W-what?" he stammered.
"Nikolaus Ebner," Maria repeated, slower than the first time. "Unless you speak my language, that better be enough."
The man shook his head, a little bit of fear in his eyes. No doubt her attire making him nervous. "I'm sorry I didn't understand that," he said. "But if you're looking for Nikolaus Ebner, he is currently preoccupied."
Maria just hardened her stare and took a step forward, further invading the man's personal space. Does it look like I care, buddy?
"B-but he will be f-free it a few minutes time," the man replied quickly, taking his own small step back. "He is in room 241, if you'd like to wait for him."
Room 241? Maria looked around the large inner hall of the library, fully realizing it was a multi-story cathedral filled with rooms and surrounded by several smaller, adjacent buildings.
"Up the staircases leading to the east wing," the man added, anticipating her needs, and pointed over his shoulder. "Follow down the corridor until you reach the auditorium on the far end."
Maria was gone as soon as he finished. She quickly found the stairs he described and took them two at a time. Jogging down the hall, past the numerous residents of the university, she reached the end and found a pair of large wooden doors conveniently numbered with a silvered 241.
She pushed them open and found Nikolaus sitting comfortably at a desk. He had glasses set low on his nose and appeared to be reading a scroll he was holding open with his hands.
Upon her arrival, he glanced up from his reading and his eyebrows rose.
"Miss Shepard?" he said surprised as Maria marched right up to his desk.
"You have helicopters?!" Maria exclaimed in equal parts agitation and excitement. "Why didn't anyone tell me you have helicopters?! Here I am thinking you guys are a bunch of primitive idiots, no offense, that don't even know the basics of aerodynamics and thrust to weight ratios and yet somebody on this planet is already flying through the sky on their very own helicopter!
"When did the Empire first discover flight?" Maria continued as leaned over the front of his desk, her hands spread out on the surface. "Who did it? Where did they do it? Does anyone else have the technology or just you? And how advanced are those machines anyways? Do you use them just for travel or have you adopted a more militaristic approach? The one I saw only looked big enough for a single person to ride."
"Miss Shepard," Nikolaus repeated, this time in an effort to cut her off as he rose from his desk. "My apologies, but you were again speaking too fast for me to understand most of that. Not to mention the fact…"
He trailed off looking behind her and gesturing with the hand holding the scroll.
Maria frowned and turned her head to look behind herself; and then quickly spun around, straightened up, and tried to desperately not let a surprised squeak pass from her lips.
Nikolaus's desk just so happened to be at the bottom center of a large auditorium. An auditorium with over two dozen rows of seats; seats that happened to be filled with people. All of them staring at her.
"Oh, umm, sorry." Maria cleared her throat and turned back to Nikolaus. "I didn't realize you'd be busy. I, uhhh, I can come back later."
Nikolaus shook his head. "I think not. I won't have a member of the silver hammer waiting on me." He then frowned, "I'm done with this sorry group anyways.
"You all are dismissed," he declared loudly to the room. "Try not to be such a disappointment next we meet."
Maria kept out of their way as the class gathered their own things and filed out the auditorium. Men, and a few women, of various ages, all of them grumbling under their breaths while shooting dark looks toward Nikolaus and a few curious glances toward herself.
"Sooo, you're a teacher?" Maria asked as the last of them left the room, leaving her alone with Nikolaus.
"Professor," he corrected, as he began cleaning up his desk. "Not that anyone actually seems to be learning anything from me," he added with a snort. "Thick headed pigs that they all are."
"You don't enjoy it?" she asked, guessing the answer.
Nikolaus looked up from his desk, a little bit of surprise on his face. "No, I have no problem taking time out of my day to impart little bits of knowledge and wisdom to those that seek it. Truly, I don't."
He waved a hand out at the room. "But the lot I've been sent these last few years aren't here to learn or even listen. None of them care to hear why the Empire exists, how it was formed, the tools our ancestors invented on their own against those gifted to us by the dwarfs. Our differences in language, culture, across this great continent when weighed against the Bretonnians, Estalians, or even the Tileans.
"None of them care," he said sounding more defeated than angry. "All they want is that piece of parchment that proclaims they studied at the place Magnus himself founded. Its become nothing more than a status symbol now. They all trust more in feeble superstitions, or falsehoods claimed truth by nobles who never even set foot in this place. Can't remember the last time a student truly dazzled me, let alone thought for themselves instead of being led like blind sheep."
He let out a long sigh. "Makes me fear for the future. But enough of that sour talk. Welcome back miss Shepard. How can I assist you? Something about a, helicopter, did you say?"
/ooooooo\
Nikolaus led Maria back to same room they had talked in the previous day. The books and scrolls he had provided her were still occupying the table, but in much more neat stacks she noted. Nikolaus must have cleaned up a little after she had left.
"They are called gyrocopters," Nikolaus began explaining as he thumbed open a book, and upon finding his page, provided Maria with a detailed picture of the craft. "Only recently built by the dwarfs. Recent for them at least. These steam-powered flying machines are little over a hundred years old. Word is that the High King himself saw the potential for such machines and speeded their construction and design. Known as the Everpeak Aircorps, the hold of Karaz-a-Karak has dozens of these craft devoted solely to the High Kings own throng."
Maria studied the picture. The gyrocopter was a bulbous thing, not nearly as streamlined when compared to the shuttles and fighters Maria was used to, but it did have a nasty looking gun mounted under the nose of the craft. Dominance of the air had seen nations and races to victory in nearly every war the galaxy had ever seen. This may be a primitive first step forward, but at least it was a step.
"Couple things," she said looking up from the book. "What's a throng?"
"Ah, apologies." Nikolaus had an understanding smile on his face. "Men have armies. Dwarfs have throngs."
Maria nodded. "And how many of these gyrocopters do you think the dwarfs have?"
Nikolaus shrugged. "I doubt anyone truly knows but the dwarfs themselves. Aside from the few reserved for their militaries, these machines are also used to ease communication between their mountain holds across the World's Edge Mountains and beyond. What a horse does in weeks can now be achieved in only days."
"They have anything else beside these gyrocopters?" she asked next.
To her surprise Nikolaus nodded enthusiastically. "They do in fact, yes, though I've never witnessed them in person and neither do I have the pictures.
"Over the last decade the dwarfs have redesigned the idea behind the single seat gyrocopter and developed a new, larger, and far more devastating version. Over twice the length, this new gyrocopter allows a dwarf to fly over their enemy and rain a multitude of explosive munitions on their heads.
"But even more fascinating," Nikolaus continued far more excitedly, "is their newest invention. And from one of the minds of one of their exiled slayers I hear! A giant of a contraption. Bigger alone than a single foundry here in Nuln! An, airship, they call it. It floats across the sky, being held aloft by a canvas bag filled with hot air. Under the bag hangs one of the biggest ships you will ever see, minus the mast of course. Rumor says this ship carries not only a fair number of cannons and bolt throwers, but its own compliment of gyrocopters! What a remarkable sight it must be!"
Maria looked back down at the book. What Nikolaus was describing sounded a lot like a zeppelin. No longer used by the Systems Alliance, or the military of any race she knew of, she had read about them once being used in some of the earliest wars on Earth before the planet had been unified under a single government.
So, the dwarfs had primitive helicopters and flight capable aircraft carriers. At this point they sounded like the most advanced race on the planet by a far margin.
But really, what did it matter? Sure it sounded cool, and she wagered any sword or bow wielding enemy of the dwarfs probably thought the world was ending after a wing of bombers flew overhead leaving pure destruction in their wake; but how was this going to help her get back home?
Her earlier excitement faded away at the thought and with a heavy sigh Maria closed the book. Unless she heard of someone on this planet splitting the atom or inventing cold fusion, nothing that made these people gawk in amazement really mattered when weighed against the position she was in.
Not to mention the more immediate problem she faced. A problem that theoretically could be fixed after investing a large and arduous amount of time into it.
"Sounds pretty interesting. Thanks for the info." Maria took her hat off and pulled the leather bag over her shoulder and put it on the table. Running her fingers through her hair, she asked, "I looked over the star maps, didn't find what I was looking for though. Do you have any other classes you need to teach today, professor? Or can a witch hunter borrow your time a little longer?"
Nikolaus sighed good naturedly. "Thankfully I am a free man for the remainder of the day. Is there something else you specifically required?"
"Well…," Maria rubbed the back of her neck and bounced a little on her heels as she weighed the risks of what she was about to ask. "You know I can't read or speak the language of the Empire. Reikspiel, you called it? There is actually a way I can learn both and at a faster rate than you'd probably expect."
"Really?" Nikolaus replied, looking genuinely curious.
Maria shrugged with a small but proud smile. "Not to brag, but I'm fairly quick at picking up new languages anyways, however what I have in mind will speed things along nicely. And I really do want to learn Reikspiel as fast as possible, so I can become a little more self-reliant."
She looked over the table and picked up one of the thicker books laid out.
"What's this one?" she asked lifting it in both hands and showing the cover to Nikolaus.
He leaned over, and his face immediately fell. "Ah, a historical record of the Empire during the time of the three Emperors, from the imperial years of 1359 to 2145. A dark time of strife and civil war for the Empire, marked by invasions within from hidden, bloodthirsty enemies and terrible, dark forces from without. Truly among some of the worst years we have ever weathered."
"Oh," Maria cringed at the drastic shift in moods. "Sounds bad. But, on the bright side, you're all still here, so things worked out in the end, right? I bet there are still some exciting stories to read about."
Nikolaus shrugged. "A few good souls standing against the tides of evil. Not enough of them in my opinion. But don't let me dissuade you from learning of our history, if that is what you wish."
Well any book would do for what she had in mind, but this one did sound a lot more interesting now that she knew what it was about. But for politeness sake she tried not to seem too interested.
Clearing a small section of the table, Maria pulled out two chairs and took a seat, setting the book down in front of herself.
"So, here's what we are going to do Nikolaus," she began, motioning for him to take the empty chair next to her. "Its very simple. I just want you to read to me."
"You want me to read this book to you?" he asked, taking the seat to her left and lifting up the book. "That is all?"
"Yes, but here's where it gets tricky." Maria took a breath and tried to keep a calm attitude, as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on, even though she was fairly certain she was about to make Nikolaus's brain explode. "While you're reading to me I'm going to be recording every word you're saying, with this."
It was then that Maria booted up her omni-tool, and her left arm and hand glowed orange as the holographic interface appeared.
She prepared herself for a massive shout followed by bits of babbling followed closely by screaming and eventual fleeing from the room, but instead of that, Nikolaus just sat beside her with only widened eyes to reveal his surprise.
"Remarkable!" he leaned down even closer to her arm, his eyes inches from the glowing interface. "I've never seen the like. Is it coming from your gloves? Made by dwarf rune work or magical enchantment from the elves?"
Slightly disappointed over his reaction, not that she wanted him to run screaming from the room, of course, but this was the second time a person from this world didn't really react the way she had expected upon seeing her advanced technology; Maria typed the commands into the tool and found the program she needed.
Imitating her actions, Nikolaus warily tried poking his own finger into the hologram, but without the haptic adaptive interface compatible micro-chips imbedded into his fingers like Maria had in her own, his attempts to even touch the interface resulted in him poking harmlessly through the hologram.
Maria smiled as Nikolaus pulled his hand back. "Sorry, only responds to my magic touch," she said wiggling her fingers.
Instead of laughing at the joke, Nikolaus just looked back at her with growing admiration. She quickly remembered magic was a widely accepted thing on this world and what she just said had been taken at straight value.
Jumping on that thought, Maria cleared her throat and tried to sound serious. "Yes, magical enchantment actually, but not from the elves. This is purely my people. We call it an omni-tool, and it does almost anything you can think up.
"But what I want it to do is this," Maria said motion back to the book in Nikolaus's hands. "I need you to read a few chapters to me while my tool records everything you say. Its going to try and match the words you're speaking to the words its also recording on the paper.
"In the future I can use this to help me translate quick texts, but my ultimate goal is to slowly copy and paste words and their meanings together so I can learn how to speak your language." Maria shrugged with a slight frown. "It isn't perfect, and its by far one of the slowest ways to do this but I don't really have much of a choice."
After explaining out her process she hoped Nikolaus would simply accept it and move on but instead she found him giving her a hard stare. His earlier excitement over the whole thing rapidly forgotten.
"Magical enchantment," he said, "but not from the elves? From your own people?"
"Yes," Maria replied carefully.
"And of course, by your own words, you are not from the Empire," he added. "In fact, you know next to nothing about our lands, the dwarfs, elves, and others far and a field across much of the world."
"Yes," Maria repeated again, now understanding what he was getting at. "Which, again, is why I was chosen for my mission by the order of the silver hammer," she added quickly and as firmly as possible. Trying to remind the man who he was actually talking to and who Maria was pretending to be.
The silence between them lasted a second longer than Maria felt comfortable with, but luckily Nikolaus seemed willing to once again let her lapses slide.
"Very well, witch hunter," Nikolaus said, using her title as he thumbed open the book. "Let's begin then. I will read to you the first few chapters and hopefully that will be enough for your… omni-tool to help you going into the future.
"But, I should note, tomorrow I will not be able to meet with you. Full schedule of classes, not to mention the conference between the Nuln trade ministers and the dwarf and elf emissaries from both Karak Norn and Lothern."
He waved a hand in the air dismissively. "Something trivial of course. Conflicts of interest between ancient trade pacts and new veins of iron ore being smelted in far of Caledor. Seems the Dragon Princes fancy themselves better smiths than the dwarfs and the ministers, eager to fill their pockets, moved faster on writing up the new treaties than the dwarfs were comfortable with. Of course, anything faster than a slug's pace is too fast for a dwarf, especially when the elves are involved, and so the whole thing threatens to spiral out of control. Our Elector, Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz is attempting to sooth egos and reassure long standing oaths before axes and bows become involved," he finished with a chuckle.
Maria stared back at him as she blinked a few times and tried to keep up with what he was even talking about.
"Karak Norn is a dwarf hold, right?" she asked. "One of their mountain cities?"
Nikolaus nodded, seemingly oblivious to her cluelessness, "The closest one to Nuln. Most of Wissenland's mines in the Grey Mountains were built with their help."
"And… Caledor, is a province of Ulthuan, the island continent of the elves?"
Nikolaus just nodded again. "Home to Vaul's Anvil, the largest volcano on their island, and just so happens to be the site of the Temple to Vaul, the smith god of the elves. Apparently, a new vein of iron is being mined there and with natural elf high-mindedness they claim it is better and purer than anything the dwarfs could hope to provide."
"And you were invited to a conference to try and work through all that?" Maria asked, a growing feeling of unease in her stomach.
He shrugged, "I happen to have studied dwarven-imperial relations regarding the economic treaties and pacts our peoples have built over the centuries. I was also invited to Lothern, the elven capital on Ulthuan, and studied under their loremasters for two years. So I have wisdom to impart regarding both sides."
"Nikolaus…," Maria started slowly, "I know you're a professor and everything, but now hearing you've been personally invited to a meeting deciding the political and economic future of this province… just how smart are you?"
With a smile that made her stomach drop into her boots, Nikolaus looked her in the eye, before glancing at her omni-tool, and then right back at her.
He shrugged once more, cleared his throat, and propped the book up in his hands.
"Now then, lets start at chapter one, shall we?"
/ooooooo\
A few hours later Maria left the university, a fresh group of books packed away in the leather bag she had slung over her shoulder, including the history text Nikolaus had started for her. The time he had invested reading to her was truly generous, but Maria spent all of it trying not to let the sweat on her forehead hit the pages of the book.
This was the second time in just two days that she had pushed her luck with the one person in the city she could reliably interact with. But it was either that, or, what? Was she supposed to just mime and point and grunt for the rest of her time her?
At least back in familiar space, even if you couldn't speak the language, most other species were willing to lend a hand in translations. Not to mention the fact, that once again, everyone had translators. They were inexpensive to build, cheap to buy, and almost every other species saw it as their obligation to provide their citizens with such devices to ease communication throughout the galaxy.
So why did she feel guilty in the first place? It wasn't her fault this planet and its peoples hadn't invented English to French/German/Elven/Dwarven dictionaries.
"Why is nothing ever simple in this galaxy?" Maria said with a sigh as she walked. Then she frowned. "Better question is why am I the one who has to deal with this? The collectors better have all died in that explosion, or when I get back, I am absolutely, positively going to shove my boot up the asses of whoever's left standing."
Even the thought of getting back into the thick of things against the horrors of the collectors was enough to re-open the pit in her stomach. To get off the planet, she'd need a ship. To run the ship, she'd need a crew. To fight the collectors, she'd need a trusted squad that was willing to follow her into hell and back.
She'd need everything she'd lost…
But luckily this time she had something to fill that empty feeling. Reaching into her pocket, Maria pulled out one of her rolled up napkins and began munching on a stored apple as she walked.
/ooooooo\
Walking down one of the main streets through Nuln, Maria was only a few bites into her apple when she came to an open courtyard, interconnecting the roads around. Just on the opposite side, she saw four figures, all of them wearing attire identical to her own. Long, thick black coats and wide brimmed hats on each.
They were witch hunters, real ones, and they were standing in a line, facing the oncoming street.
Maria was ready to make an about face and head in the opposite direction when, ahead of the witch hunters and coming up the street, came a line of horses and armored knights. They were riding faster than what would be considered safe through the streets of the city and a number of citizens had to scramble out of their way or risk being trodden on.
Curiosity getting the best of her, Maria crossed the courtyard to stand just behind the four witch hunters. On the way over she removed the pin from her coat and also took off her hat, running a hand through her hair a few times.
Being midday and in the bustle of the city, she hoped that would be enough to hide herself in the crowds.
The mounted column of soldiers began to ride by at their brisk pace. Maria counted twelve fully armored knights at the front and they were immediately followed by another twenty riders, each of these only lightly armored with chest plates and helmets, and most seemed to be riding with crossbows slung across their backs; but Maria did spy a few with pistols and rifles.
They all passed by quickly enough but riding at the rear of the column were two more black coated figures. These two witch hunters broke away from the column and rode up to the four that had been waiting.
One of the original four, the tallest and biggest Maria noted, stepped forward as the two riders dismounted. He brought his right hand over his chest and offered a slight bow.
"Commander Schaeffer, welcome back to Nuln." He had a hard voice Maria instantly attributed to a sergeant she had butted heads with during the earliest years of her military career. "I apologize, we didn't realize you'd be back so soon from Altdorf. I would have sent some riders ahead to escort you in properly. There are dangers in the forests around."
Maria worked her way closer and faced slightly away so as not to draw attention. She caught sight of the commander as he offered the reins of his horse to his companion and pulled off his hat.
He had dark brown hair, long enough to be pulled back into a ponytail, and while he didn't have his own full beard or mustache it was clear from the growing stubble that he hadn't had the time to shave for several days.
Commander Shaeffer scratched his head and looked back at the man with a frown on his face.
"And why are the forests a danger, eh, Jakob?" Maria picked up on the dangerous undertone in the commander's voice. He was pissed.
He put his hat back on. "I met that patrol four days out and we traveled back to Nuln together. On the way, we encountered a trading caravan, only a day's ride west of the city. Everyone was dead. Ripped apart by those thrice cursed beastmen. They'll be sending out another patrol to collect the bodies later today."
He paused, and his gaze hardened. "Only a day's ride from the city."
Maria noted that every one of the witch hunters shifted nervously under his gaze.
Commander Schaeffer waved a hand and started walking down the street. All of the witch hunters fell in behind him.
Maria had a second to decide what to do herself, and with another bite into her apple, she decided this was a conversation worth eavesdropping on.
Doing her best to keep close while still overhearing what they were saying would be difficult, but it helped that no one knew she was there and no one was willing to draw the ire of the commander by falling behind.
"We have disturbing news from across the Grey Mountains," Schaeffer began saying, the witch hunter, Jakob, at his side. "Parravon has been attacked. A warherd of beastmen assaulted the provincial capital only a few days ago."
And now Maria was glad she followed along. Wanting to hear all she could, she got even closer to the group.
Jakob huffed, "Even a whole herd of the beasts couldn't take the city. What'd they hope to achieve dying en masse like that?"
"Far more than you'd think," Schaeffer replied harshly. "Parravon's forces were away, aiding their neighbors. And the beastmen weren't acting alone. We received accounts stating that the skaven were involved."
"The rat-men were moving openly?" Jakob sounded like he didn't believe it.
"They were." Schaeffer let those words hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "Parravon still stands. The beasts managed to breach the city's walls but were ultimately repulsed."
Maria left out a breath of relief hearing that. The city had survived. Hopefully that meant Vincent was alive and well.
"And now I return to Nuln," Schaeffer began, his tone dangerous once more, "only to see evidence of beastmen far closer to the city's edge than is acceptable. Countess Emmanuelle's demonstration of power fall drastically short of desired results when one of our great cannons misfires, taking out the war machine and its crew. The sixth such piece to be lost in only four months.
"War is no trivial matter gentlemen, and the Empire lives or dies by its men, their faith, and their machines of death. Further disasters will force the Countess to explain herself before one with even less patience than myself. She will expect change and a response to these debacles immediately."
Jakob snorted at that, and sounded sour as he said, "You talk as if we face the same threats as those dolts, the Bretonnians. The Empire is the strongest realm of men in the world and we haven't had to face the skaven in open conflict since Emperor Mandred defeated the ravenous hordes over a thousand years ago. They are gone from our lands."
Commander Schaeffer raised an arm out and abruptly stopped Jakob and the rest of the witch hunters in their tracks. Maria nearly bumped into the rearmost man herself. Schaeffer stepped to stand directly in front of Jakob and had a dark look in his eyes.
"And for his victory Mandred was assassinated by the rats later in his life." A scowl marred his face as he ground his teeth together. "I'd expect a captain of our order to remember his history better.
"Beasts move through our forests and encroach on our lands every day. They grow bolder with each incursion. If we don't force them back on every occasion we risk them banding together and unleashing their destructive habits on every town and city in the Empire.
"It wasn't so long ago that this city suffered under the threats of the undead and their Vampire masters. We pulled the masquerading blood drinkers from their lairs, within these very walls no less, and burned them in the open sun. And make no mistake, I promise you, we haven't gotten them all. The movements from within Stirland and Sylvania have drawn the eyes of Altdorf, and it is forever a stain on our orders honor that the Emperor himself was once threatened under our watch.
"And now I return to Nuln only to discover another artillery piece destroyed by, what, I ask you? A simple malfunction? Flaws in the metal? An inept crew? Or perhaps just wet powder, on this bright and sunny day?
Jakob attempted to take a step back from the commander and coughed into his hand. "We don't know as of yet to what caused the explosion on the training fields –"
"Then we're failing in our duty Captain," Schaeffer declared loudly, cutting the other man off. "Once I report back to the Iron Tower I will be taking command of this investigation and we will uncover the source of these events and what links them. In the mean time I want you and your men to begin questioning the foundry's overseers."
Jakob straightened up and nodded, accepting the order.
"Anything you want specifically asked, Commander?"
Some of the anger left his face as Schaeffer folded his arms across his chest and brought a hand to his chin in thought.
"Anything and everything," he finally said looking back to Jakob. "Leave no stone unturned in this Captain. Once you've spoken to the overseers move on to the workers. All of them. From the smelters to the miners, I want everyone who touches even a part of those great cannons during their construction interviewed.
"We can't afford to move slowly on this, understood?" Schaeffer declared leveling a stern look on each of his men. "The Empire cannot afford weakness, not now. Be it common rebel, vile cultists, the rotting undead, or sabotage from the verminous hordes, the Empire must be stronger than ever to face what, may lurk, on the coming horizon…"
Schaeffer finished off unexpectedly quiet and his men exchanged looks of confusion.
"Commander?" Jakob asked. "Of what threat do you speak?"
The look Maria saw on his face proved Schaeffer was deeply conflicted and disturbed by whatever it was he had heard.
"The Emperor's spymaster has received… nothing more than a murmur as of now," Schaeffer added quickly, almost in argument against what he was saying, "but its enough given the threat. Rumblings from the far north, beyond Kislev."
"Beyond Kislev…" Jakob repeated. "You can't possibly mean –"
Schaeffer held up a hand, cutting him off. "You know what I mean, and I won't discuss this now, not here, not in the open."
Maria had no idea what they were talking about but based on the look on Schaeffer's face it was almost as bad as someone discussing the end of the world. She knew what that was like; it had been how she first talked about the Reapers and the threat they posed to the galaxy.
Commander Schaeffer suddenly looked up and around their group, as if he expected to see someone or a group of people spying on him and his witch hunters.
Unfortunately, in Maria's case, this was exactly what she was doing and before she could look away Schaeffer's eyes met her own and Maria's heart skipped a beat.
She fought down the urge to turn and run. If you ran from the cops they would chase you whether you were guilty or not. Instead, Maria held his piercing gaze for only a second longer and then calmly looked away, taking a bite of her apple as she did, and forced a leisurely pace as she turned and walked back into the crowds going down the street.
Keeping her pace, Maria never once looked back as she made her way toward the Laughing Bear Inn. Her fear of being found out slowly disappeared with the more time and distance she put between herself and the witch hunters.
But those thoughts weren't the ones racing through her mind.
Well now you know Parravon still stands, Maria thought to herself. That was a weight greatly lifted off her chest. But what the hell was that witch hunter talking about?
First off, beastmen were a continental problem, not just a national one. Apparently, there were so many of the ugly bastards that entire armies could move through the forests without detection.
And speaking of problems, the skaven have been a plague on this world for at least the last one thousand years? Walking, talking rodents with the intelligence of human beings evolved on this planet and have been fighting for dominance longer than humanity, her humanity at any rate, had had formal relations with the Citadel Council and wider galaxy.
Rats… in some cases giant, in others knife throwing and lightning wielding rats…
Seriously?
Of course, she couldn't forget the whole, dead not being truly dead, thing. Vampires were everywhere as well, even here in Nuln. That witch hunter had openly admitted as much.
Maria already knew she was double checking those locks on her door and windows when she got back to the inn. Because a thin pane of glass and small metal lock would obviously keep out that Vampire she had encountered back in Blood Keep.
…right?
But the best part of all, that Commander Schaeffer was clearly smart enough to know when a simple accident was actually an act of malice against the city and its people. Sabotage. Someone, or more reliably with the way things were, something, was actively working to hinder Nuln's production of artillery for itself and the wider Empire.
And he figured this out right before refusing to speak of something occurring in the far north of this world.
Maria stopped just outside the Laughing Bear Inn and looked up at the cute, smiling bear on the inn's sign. She took another bite of her apple and watched the bear gently swing back and forth in the breeze.
How the hell can any of this be real? How can any of this even be possible? How did I survive the collector's station blowing up around me, only to then find myself falling face first into this quagmire of impossible things?
What do I do now?