Gray III

It had taken about half a day worth a walking before the battalion made it back to Talabheim. Privately, Gray wished he had traveled alone, considering it may have been quicker without the marching soldiers. But when he arrived at the city, he was beyond awed.

When they were approaching the city, Gray could see what looked like massive walls over the tree line. But then he got closer, and he realized they were massive walls. Apparently the city had been built into a crater, with the walls having various alcoves across it, which Gray figured were gun ports. They approached a fort that had a walls maybe twenty feet tall, with series of towers, along with a portcullis. Guards armed with what looked like rifles paced the walls. As they went through it, the only way in seemed to be a long tunnel into the city.

After going through the tunnel, Gray was awed by the entrance to the city. The way up into the city proper (which was absolutely massive), the way through the gate, which was another portcullis, was framed by massive walls. If anyone tried to invade the city, they'd probably get blown to pieces by the soldiers on the walls.

The captain lead Gray through the city, which was filled with people bustling around selling their wears. Soldiers carrying halberds, as well as what looked like rifles marched through the city in formation. Soon they passed what Gray figured as the town square, where there was a golden statue of a crowned man carrying a hammer.

"Who is that?" Gray asked, pointing at the statue. At first, Olaf looked at him in shock, but then apparently remembered Gray wasn't from the Empire.

"That's Sigmar, our first Emperor," Olaf said, "One day he left into the mountains, where he ascended into godhood. I'll admit, I've never been a devotee of Sigmar myself, but I will not deny what he accomplished, and what he is." Gray whistled. He remembered hearing about how Acnologia was originally a human who turned into a dragon; maybe something like that happened with this Sigmar guy.

"Come, we must speak with the count," Olaf said, as he lead Gray further into the city.

"So aside from its founding, what can you tell me about the Empire?" Gray asked.

"What exactly are you curious about?"

"I don't know, the government I guess?" Gray asked with a shrug.

"Well," Olaf said, "As you might guess, the ruler of the Empire is the Emperor. It is divided into multiple separate provinces ruled by counts, like the one present here."

"So the count's sort of like a governor then?" Gray asked.

"Not necessarily," Olaf said, "Count Feuerbach rules the lands on his own authority, with proper deference to the Emperor. The rest could be said for the other counts." So it was so much a true empire, as it was a federation of different provinces. Doesn't seem like that efficient a government Gray thought, but he figured it was best to keep it to himself.

"How many emperors have there been?" Gray asked.

"Oh, I'm not sure, a couple dozen perhaps," Olaf answered, "There was a point where we had four emperors at once. I'll admit, I do not envy the counts. When the election comes around, I can only imagine the politics the counts must deal with."

"Election? What does that mean?"

"The title is not dynastic," Olaf explained, "Rather, upon the Emperor's death, the Electorate gathers to elect a new Emperor." That sounded even less efficient. Gray heard countries outside of Fiore which had elections, but he'd never actually seen one in process. Frankly, it seemed to make things overly complicated. As they were talking, they came up to what looked like a castle, at the back of the city.

"Alright," Gray said, gesturing, "Let's go talk with this guy."

"Now be warned, the count can be rather…. temperamental. I would consider my words when speaking with him." Gray made a mental note of that, as he was lead in, and down the hall. Soon enough they got to a throne room, that had various tapestries, animal skins, and shields decorating the walls. At the end was a throne, that had the same symbol that was on Olaf's breastplate. Aside from a few men in robes that Gray knew were advisers, there was nobody, until someone came out of a door to the side.

"Presenting Count Helmut Feuerbach!" an announcer said. From the same door, in walked a tall man with a thick brown beard, and short brown hair. He wore a large hat that had a feather in it. He promptly sat in the throne, and looked at Gray, as the captain fell to one knee before him. There was a silence for a second, as everyone apparently waited for the count to speak.

"Who the fuck is this?" the count eventually asked, gesturing at Gray.

"A wanderer I found to the South, your Excellency," Olaf said.

"My name is Gray Fullbuster," Gray introduced.

"Speak when spoken to outsider," Count Feuerbach spat. Gray glared at him, but he was ignored.

"So what does he matter?"

"He is a wizard, Count. He wields Ice Magic." That got some of the advisers talking in surprise.

"Ice Magic?" Feuerbach asked, "Is he of Kislev?"

"No, he is apparently from a distant country." The count frowned, as he looked at Gray.

"So tell me boy, where are you from?"

"A country called Fiore," Gray answered.

"Never heard of it," Feuerbach said. Of course he didn't Gray grumbled in his head.

"Let us see your magic," Feuerbach said, gesturing. Gray promptly obliged as he clenched his fists together, and used his magic to create a morning star made out of ice. That caused a series of awed whisperings around the court, and even the count leaned forward in surprise.

"Amazing!" he said, "You can create ice out of nothing!"

"Well, its a bit more complicated than that," Gray said.

For the next hour or so, Gray was pressed with questions by the count about where he was from, and what he could do. Many of the questions he was asked were asked multiple times, but Gray managed to keep his frustration down. Eventually, Feuerbach either got bored or ran out of questions, because he departed, allowing Gray to do the same with Olaf.

"I was worried, but I suppose you're magic put him in a good mood," Olaf said, as he lead Gray back out of the castle.

"Yeah that's all well and good, but I need to find my friends," Gray said, "Where could wizards go to get work or something?" Olaf paused as he thought some.

"You may want to start with the College of Magic."

"The what now?"

"It is a great place of learning for those in the Empire with magical prowess," Olaf explained, "Many wizards and mages gather there to hone their abilities. If you are looking for other wizards, that is the place to be. It is based in the Imperial City of Altdorf."

"Well, I guess Altdorf it is then," Gray said, "I'll leave tomorrow."

"That is inadvisable."

"Why?"

"It takes five days by the road to get to the capital," Olaf said, "You would have to march through the forest a great distance. I would advise waiting a couple days."

"Why? I thought we took out the Beastmen," Gray said.

"That was just one branch of the tribe. According to scouts, the tribe is on the march through the province, though we have no idea where exactly they are. They should have passed out of Talabecland within three days, two if they have somewhere to be; assuming they pass through the towns, maybe four or five." Gray sighed, as he rubbed the back of his head, knowing Olaf was right.

"So, what do you guys do to pass the time here?"

Note: So Gray's now going to Altdorf. Gray seems to be having a relatively easier time than his guild mates. At least he's not being pulled into wars, feuds, or prisons.

Gray's story will naturally progress the slowest, mostly because of where his travels will take him. Not to mention, compared to some of his comrades who are either in a place ruled by dinosaurs, undead pharaohs, or forest spirits, he's in the most "normal" place.

From what I've read, Count Feuerbach of Talabheim is known for his throughly bad temper. I tried to represent that, but the lore I've read wasn't particularly descriptive beyond that, so I had to do some guessing.

Please review. Juvia's coming next. Three chapters to the end of Part I.