Endros Imperial City

"Young Anna is surely a future master. Unfortunately, they didn't send you here to learn, otherwise we'd teach you much more about these and other Formations", Stephen, one of the masters said. "He's right, under us three masters, you'd pick up the knowledge really well. Besides, we rarely get students, and good students that wish to learn", Lain, the third master added.

"That's a great idea. Why don't you take a break from the Academy and work with us. With our permission, you'll have no issues", Christopher proposed. '... That wasn't expected, but refusing them will be weird', "I like this idea, but I'm on my way to the Imperial City. Once I'm done there, we can go ahead with that plan", I replied.

The three masters were content with my answer, and decided to show me even more, before we arrived at my destination. They explained the Formations in greater details, and how the wind energy lifted the whole Falcon into the air. Their job was to maintain, and of course protect the six wind based Formations.

Though the job didn't sound great, it was actually quite difficult and demanding. The Falcon would stay afloat with only three Formations, and that's how they maintained them. One at a time, and with no passengers. They had to redraw some Runes due to damage, overloads and such.

The Falcon never landed, therefore a mistake in Runes or links could spell a catastrophe. All of them specialised in wind based Formations, as well as another type. The Academy or rather the Imperials, didn't send just anyone to work on these Formations. These three masters were selected for their skills, as were other masters on board of the other Falcons.

About an hour or two later, they finally let me go. "On your way back, be sure to ask for this specific Falcon. Just mention our names, and the clerk should tell you which one it is. We'll await your return, Anna", Christopher said. The others bid me farewell too, allowing me to have a break.

They were nice people, at least when it came to Formations and talented people. I had no plans to actually visit them again, but thanks to my agreement, they taught me much more. Of course such knowledge would be useful, even for us Northerners. Albeit, I wasn't sure what Hatmandor and therefore Grey Lizards knew. Either way, the experience was pleasant, but a bit tiring.

"You took your time. We'll arrive at the Imperial City soon", Dawn said upon my return. She wasn't alone, Teri and Tara were there too. The space inside the room was a bit cramped, but no one complained. Curly tried to return to my neck, but got rejected. "Arf!", she barked annoyed.

"Oh really? Who was it that left me alone?", I retorted then added, "Anyway, are you guys hungry? The three masters spoke so much, I'm exhausted". "I'm up for it, since you are buying, right?", Tara's reply wasn't even surprising. Teri decided to join us of course, but Dawn wasn't interested. Her storage item was full of sweets and other food, she ate that whenever.

"Arf! Arf!", Curly wanted to tag along, especially since we were going to eat. "I don't remember inviting you", "Ar! Ararara!", she jumped at me and acted like a spoiled brat. "Do you understand your mistake?", "Ar!", she barked loudly and nodded. "Good, let's go then".

During our meal, Tara asked me about the Formations, and those three masters. I told her the gist of it, and their proposal towards the end. "Hahaha, nice one. They are s…", I shut her up at that stage. "Don't speak like that, especially around here. Do you want to get us in trouble?", I whispered. "... Sorry", she realised her mistake, and didn't continue the topic.

We could get into trouble for speaking ill about Formation masters. That same rule applied to the Imperials and the famous families. "You aren't going to accept that, right?", she whispered this time. "Of course not. I'm not an idiot to work here for free, or for money. Though copying their Formations was out of question, I've learned something. Besides, we already flew aboard Flacon, there's no need for a second time", I replied in a whisper as well.

After our meal, we awaited the Falcon to dock in the Imperial City. We had to collect our mounts on the way out, but then the view of the city appeared in front of us. "This place is big… At least twice as big as Ortava", Dawn commented. "Yea, there's so much stuff beneath us. How do you plan to find your way around?", Tara asked.

"Maybe there are maps of this place. With a city this large, they should make them", I replied. The city was packed full of buildings, whereas Ortava had the Academy, which took a lot of space. The Imperial City had a spacious area towards the north-west, but the city was much bigger compared to Ortava.

We descended the tower, and stood on the main road, or rather one of many. The only way we'd get anywhere in that city was either by exploring, or asking. We decided to ask, since that was the easiest way. "You guys are adventurers, I assume", "Yes, we're new in this city, hence our confusion where to head. Are there any maps? Or perhaps you could point us to a place we can stay at?", I replied.

"Yes, they sell maps at one of the squares. That place is quite popular with adventurers and warriors, since you can get a job there as well. Let me see… Follow this main road for a while, then turn left… Hmmm, You'll pass three roads on your left, so the fourth one is the right one. Then continue straight for a while, until you reach an open area. That's where you can find everything you need", the stranger replied.

We thanked him, and followed his directions. We got easily lost, since we didn't know what he meant by 'roads'. After asking another passerby, we were indeed lost. "Return to the main road, and count… I'm pretty sure it is five left turns. Once you get to the sixth one, continue straight". We did that, and finally arrived at our destination.

"Who'd guess it would be so hard to navigate this city", Teri commented. "Yea, when he said roads, he meant the large ones. We were apparently counting alleys… They need a better definition for an alley", Tara added. "Either way, we're here. It's getting late, and we need to find a place to stay. I'll go inside and get us a map… Hopefully", I said and left Turry in their care.

There were some people around the building, even though the sun almost set below the horizon. One thing connected them all. They wore all sorts of armours, and wielded all sorts of weapons. A few soldiers guarded the door, but didn't stop me from entering. "How can I help you?", a clerk asked once I approached one of the counters.

"I'd like to get a map of this city. Do you have them?", "Yes, we do. Do you want a detailed map, or just a rough one with most of the crucial locations listed?", she asked. "I'd like a detailed one", "Certainly, that's eight gold coins, please". Though the price seemed a bit steep, I paid for the map. "You must be new here, do you have any questions?", she asked after selling me the map.

"Actually, what is this place, this building. Can you also tell me about the city?", "Ah, yes. This place is an Adventurer's Hall. We deal with jobs, information and as you already noticed maps. We offer maps of other regions and cities. Therefore you can be prepared when visiting new areas of our Empire", she replied.

"The city, as you probably know, is called Endros Imperial City. You can find much more in the Grand Library, which is pointed out on the map you bought", she added. "What sorts of jobs and information do you offer?", "We offer a wide range of jobs. Subjugations, escorts, guarding and even collection of rare animals or materials. We provide information to our members about all sorts of things. That includes areas, animals, beasts and so on. You have to be a member, in order to take jobs or buy information. Would you like to become one?", she replied.

"Not at the moment, but thank you for explaining everything. Take care then", I replied before leaving the building. 'That place is interesting. Maybe we can take on a mission or two, just to try them out. Maybe they can provide us with some information too. Though I'm sure they wouldn't tell us much about Imperials, or their plans', I figured.

"Took you awhile. Were you flirting with someone over there?", Tara tried to tease me. "Yea, with your father. Happy? Anyway, I got the map, and a detailed one at that. We shouldn't have issues with finding someplace to stay", I replied and we checked the map. There were a few large taverns around the city, and a few smaller ones.

We decided to visit the bigger ones first, since our Tauruses required a place to stay as well. I didn't want to leave Turry and others far away from us, and a tavern with its own stables wasn't impossible. Since Ortava had them, the Imperial City had to as well.

The first tavern we visited was mostly occupied, and they had no more space in their stables. We checked out the second one, but a similar story greeted us. Fortunately, the third tavern has enough rooms available, as well as loads of space in their stables. 'I wonder why this place is emptier compared to the other two? Maybe it's the area?', I asked myself, but the answer became clear really fast.

"A single room costs three gold coins per night, while a double five gold coins. There's a daily charge for the stables, and each mount costs fifty silvers per night. How many rooms would you like to take?", the woman behind the desk asked. 'No wonder this place felt more lavish compared to the other two. It's about twice as expensive', I figured.

"We'll take two double rooms, and pay for four mounts. Can we extend our stay if necessary?", "Of course, you only have to notify me, and pay for the additional nights in advance. How many nights would you like to rent?", she replied. I wasn't sure how long we'd stay inside the Imperial City, but four days seemed decent for the start.

"Four nights, right? In that case, the total comes to forty-eight gold coins", the clerk said. Once I paid, she handed me two keys with numbers, and told me where to find our rooms. She also gave me a written note, and told me to show it at the stables next door. With our accommodation sorted out, we could finally relax a bit.