Chương 23: Chapter 21

The sound of the carriage changed as they entered the first layer of Arcadia, the wooden boardwalk replaced with packed dirt roads that made up the island's lowest area. Shaya remembered stalking the roads and rooftops here with Rel when they were younger, stealing whatever food they could get their grubby hands on. Despite the city growing, times appeared harder here than ever. Fruit stalls were empty and unmanned, and crowds of thinning people in loose clothes lined up at whatever bakeries they rode past.

She saw more than one fight break loose over what looked to be thin, burnt bread and wished that more of the grain Kredig was shipping survived. Dirt roads were replaced entirely with stone carved into the mountainous plateau as the carriage trundled along into the second layer. It had grown denser, the buildings forced to grow up while The Blight could expand outward. Shaya remembered homes next to shops, but now every building on the road appeared to be a shop front with more floors added above.

Residential areas of homes had been replaced with larger tenement blocks, with more people packed into the smaller spaces. The narrow roads switchbacked up and around Mount Arcadia in this layer, the mountain's striations coloured a drab tan at this level. The third layer was ever similar to the second; where the second layer offered simple shops and services, the third catered to the upper classes. Even the mountain's colour became more exotic, with the drab tan seeing more and more deep red stripes.

Smithies here offered gilded full-plate and gemmed swords rather than plain iron tools, and more esoteric shops existed, offering potions to fix any ailment or gems the size of your head. This was where she and Rel operated the most as thieves, the wealthy merchants and their inflated egos striking the best balance for risk and reward. Maybe I'll patron a few of the shops we took from, to make up for it now that I'm in a position to do so. Gods, the things we did to survive… at what cost to others?

The carriage slowed as they neared a gate up to the fourth layer and Shaya noticed that the effects of the famine were less perceptible here. Many of the merchants still looked plump under their frilly, begemmed clothes, but there was still a tension amongst the crowds she saw. She sensed an awareness that they were next to lose their privileges, if the Empire demanded it of them. Shaya was forced to show her letter from the Academy to the guards at the gate, who looked at it and her sceptically.

After long moments of scrutiny, they handed it back to her and let them pass. She saw their hands fall back to the truncheons at their waists as the guards turned their attention back to the merchants. Entering the fourth layer was like stepping into an entirely different world. Mount Arcadia took on a deep red hue here, with black and metallic yellow streaks breaking it up.

Wide streets were magically shaped into the plateau and tall mansions of different styles dominated the area, with few people on foot or even riding mere horses. Nobles from across the Empire staked their claim here, representing their Kingdom's interests, and with such diversity of people came a diversity of servants and beasts. The Imperial Guard had a minimal presence here, the nobles instead allowed to rely on their own personal guardsmen for protection of their property.

A few of the more powerful nobles relied upon constructs and automatons, with looming gargoyles favoured by Zothirians, stone lions by Veyeirans, and bizarre clockwork knights by Ionians. Aethercyte glittered on all of them, powering their existence and often offering additional abilities beyond brute force. But many of the noble houses still relied on living beings.

Lythranian compounds were stalked by tamed beasts and alchemical monstrosities, while the few Kelahkese and Ashan residences Shaya managed to see were guarded by elementals. More common still were guards garbed in the myriad colours of each noble house and bearing armaments that put Shaya to shame. Even these guards, however, all appeared to be nephilim. Likely lowborn nobles and knights serving their masters, with the occasional bastard child mixed in but never acknowledged.

I think I might be the only one here without two or more drops of divine blood. When she and Rel had done her final job here, she didn't remember this level of extravagance. Now, Zothirians rode pegasi, Lythranians their broken and tamed drakes, and Shaya even spotted one Kelahkese noble riding a gryphon. The full-grown gryphon screeched as a drake flew too close to it, the drake and their rider veering away from the dominant predator to give it space.

Quill emitted a loud screech in response and the larger gryphon's head turned towards Shaya's carriage before its rider reined it in. The carriage passed through the gates of the fifth layer after another checkpoint and minutes later pulled up to an enormous, walled complex. Even with each plateau shrinking in size, the complex was huge, roughly the size of Olin—a duchy's capital city and bustling centre of trade—and that's just what Shaya could see from the side of the bend.

She had no idea how much further it extended around the ring. Towering walls of smooth, pure white stone travelled to the plateau's edge, standing in stark contrast to the mountain's red. Veins of silvery-blue metal ran the entire length of the walls, magically shaped into runes that Shaya couldn't identify. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Yet, she thought to herself as she got out of the carriage, Quill following closely behind.

Thank the gods the rain stopped, I might need another day just to wander the campus. Slinging her pack over her shoulder again, she flicked another electrum to the driver and approached the Academy's gates. Shaya swore that the gates were so large that a true Titan could have walked through them without ducking, if the guards were inclined to allow them. The gates were of the same silvery-blue metal as the veins in the walls, runes of their own embedded in them in the form of crushed Ambercyte.

Towers flanked the gates, each one topped with a glowing Rubycyte the size of a wagon instead of a normal siege weapon, and before each tower stood a ten-foot golem crafted of stone and sculpted to appear as animated platemail, including filigree and the Academy's crest on each breastplate. Their aethercyte cores were buried within their chests, but Rubycyte was embedded in each helm's visor and suggested even more lethality, much like the constructs found within the noble district.

Just scaled up, she thought to herself, this place puts everything I saw up to this point to shame. Weird the golems only have two arms though. It would be WAY cooler if they had four. Lost amidst the splendour and dangers were two bored-looking guards in bronze armour and the Academy's teal livery. She and Quill walked up to them, eyeing the defences around them warily in case one of the golems got twitchy and tried to incinerate them by accident.

While the golems watched her approach, one of the guards gave her a casual wave and held out her hand as Shaya approached.

"Letter first, then I'll give you your bearings, cadet." Shaya handed her letter over again, wondering if that's what she'd be doing all day. The guardswoman scanned it and handed it back to Shaya.

"Welcome to the Imperial War Academy," she said, giving Shaya an appraising look.

"You're a bit later than we usually like to see our cadets report, but we'll give you a pass given where you came from."

"Thanks," Shaya said, not really meaning it.

"Your first stop is the administrative wing, where you'll need to register your presence, fill out more paperwork than you've ever seen in your entire life, and then get sanctioned." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder, pointing to the west side of the complex.

"You can't miss the building you're looking for, regardless of where you came from. It's the giant one surrounded by statues commemorating our fallen heroes. Walk up the path flanked by the largest statues, enter through the double doors, and the front desk will get you sorted. You'll receive further instructions then. Any questions?" Shaya tried not to gawk at everything—she didn't want to look like the bumpkin she was—but there was one question she had to ask.

"Is all that silvery-blue metal…mithrite?" The woman rolled her eyes as she sighed, likely having answered the question a dozen times in the past day, or maybe even hour.

"Yes, cadet, the door in front of you is worth more than your entire kingdom. Any pertinent questions?"

"No, Serra," Shaya replied, bringing her eyes back to the guardswoman.

"I'm off to the administrative building on the west side of the complex, signing my life away in blood, then doing whatever I'm told to do next." Smirking, the woman replied, "You might want to rein in that tongue of yours, cadet, then you might just make it. Best of luck."

"Thanks." This time Shaya meant it. Rather than open in their entirety, a small giant-sized door built into one of the greater mithrite gates swung open for Shaya, admitting her to the Academy. With a deep breath to steel her excited nerves, she picked up Quill and stepped through. It shut behind her and she realized that no one on either side of the door had opened or closed it physically. I wonder if I'm ever going to get used to this.

Shaya looked around the sprawling campus and walked towards the administrative wing, still doing her best to stop gawking. Huge stone spires, some climbing at least a hundred feet into the air, erupted in locations around campus. Parts of the mountain were transmuted to hold dirt and soil, with parks full of exotic plants from across the empire adding much-needed greenery and a bouquet of rich scents.

There were squat bunkers similar to Olin's Alchemical Academy, where she imagined mages practicing explosive fireballs and conjuring powerful spirits. A number of glass domes dotted the campus as well, each one containing a different type of terrain and the animals that might call it their home. Don't look like a tourist! she willed, but failed. Nephilim wandered the campus, almost as far as the eye could see.

They moved about in small groups or individually, accompanied by familiars, animal companions, and personal constructs. Some carried stacks of books, others bore heavy arms and armour, and very few looked like Shaya did. They didn't fail to notice that.