For the Emperor (Mirage)

[Axel Steinsaltz]

1st of Searing, 122

8:00 AM, Apartment in the Southside

“Look at you, moving up in the world eh, Lieutenant Colonel.” Claudia congratulated him as she helped adjust his collar. “A representative of a noble house in the North and now his greatness Emperor Abelard Fürsten himself.” She whispered in his ear before lightly biting it.

“Now, now we don’t want to keep the Emperor waiting right?” Vincent replied

She smirked as she pulled back and worked her way around the tie, “I guess the fates wanted you to finally meet with your old man.” Then, she teased, “The White Rook himself.”

“And then I’m going to run into his warm, loving embrace. Truly a touching father and son reunion.”

Claudia snorted, “and don’t forget the red carpets, the rainbows and shits in the background. Truly a fucking happy ending.”

“Then we go to Rieger’s, and senior Rechcigl would stand up…….”

“Stop it,” she pinched his cheeks.

He then raised his right index finger. “Back in the old days…….” Vincent made his best impression of Claudia’s grandfather, which was met with a slight pounding on his chest, followed by her hand covering his mouth.

“Stooooppp. We don’t want to keep the Emperor waiting, right?” she smiled playfully and bit her lower lips as she pulled the tie and tightened it. After she finished helping him get ready, they made their way to the first floor of their apartment. Claudia then made her way toward the kitchen, opening drawers on her way.

“Catch,” she tossed a brand new pack of cigarettes and the keys to his motorbike.

10:00 AM, Palace of Spire’s outer checkpoint

“Halt, state your name and business.” The soldier guarding the outer perimeter stopped Vincent.

Vincent took out the letter from the palace and showed it to the guard. “Axel Steinsaltz. I have an invitation to the palace.”

After verifying it, the guard opens the gate and lets him through. He made his way to the designated parking spot and parked his motorbike. Let’s hope that I will not run into that old geezer. He sighed and shivered at the thought of meeting his father. His fist clenched. He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, turning his head upward, he took another deep breath, “Sorry, ma, I couldn’t forgive him yet. Sleep well.”

He slowly made his way up the staircase and stopped as he reached the top. Damn, it looks much more magnificent up close. He thought to himself. After standing in awe for a few minutes, he continues walking inside. The guard directed him to another official sitting at a nearby circular desk.

“Hello, my name is Axel Steinsaltz, and I have an invitation.” He greeted the officers and handed the letter.

[Mirage]

The woman behind the desk looked up owlishly through a set of horn-rimmed glasses. Her suit was neatly pressed, hair tied into a professional bun and her hands barely paused as her fingers typed rapid letters on the typewriter in front of her. On the collar of her vest was a crest in the symbol of the Emperor, the same symbol which was sealed on the official letter of invite.

"Axel Steinsaltz." she said, taking the letter and examining it. She ran a finger over the official seal, and then took a small vial with a dropper and let 2 drops of a dark liquid fall on the paper. She studied the paper for several long seconds before nodding and setting the letter aside.

"Your appointment is in an hour. Take a seat in the room over there, and someone will be by to collect you shortly." She indicated a door to her right, and then turned her attention back to her work.

The building Axel was in was not a true part of the Palace itself. It was more akin to a guard house, or administration building, and was the defacto entrance into the main palace grounds. The main room was rectangular, with simple grey walls and white trim, and white tile floors. Large paintings of past emperors lined the walls, and the door which Axel was to go through had a gold plack on its front which read "Waiting Room".

Inside the room was a long table with chairs arrayed around it. The table and chairs were made of dark wood, the molding elegant and smooth as one might find in a noble's manor. A small couch was against the wall to the right of the door, and against the back wall was a small table on which sat a coffee pot atop a metal stand with a red dragonshard beneath. Porcelain cups sat on a stand next to the pot, and several glass containers contained sugar, powdered creamer, and several other things that could be added to coffee as well.

The wall on the right was taken up almost completely by a flat metallic square which gave off light. As one walked to the front of it though the colors resolved themselves into pictures, still images of the empire, scenic parks of Gel'Grandal, and captures of exciting events that took place during the last magic games the previous year.

On the table was a stack of flyers with drawings of the city in black ink across its pages. Opening it was a map of the city itself, with the Palace of Spires being located in the bottom right corner. Several parts of the city were circled in red, indicating areas of interest to visit. A clock on the wall steadily ticked by, and after about 30 minutes a door near the coffee bar would open and a man in uniform would step inside. His uniform was generic, difficult to place, and showed no ranking. The man himself was older, perhaps in his mid 50's, with grey hair and a beard.

"Axel, I presume." the man said, adopting a stiff posture with hands folded behind his back, "I am Norman Callwell, steward of the Wester Palace District. I am told you have an appointment today, and I was asked to give you a tour while you wait."

.

[Axel Steinsaltz]

The way the woman greeted and looked at him made him feel like he was back in his training days. He couldn't help but feel anxiety, closely watching as the woman picked up a small vial with a dropper. I need to get one of those too. It would help sort out the fakes, especially when I'm working for the Emperor. Several long seconds passed, but to him, it felt like hours.

"Yes, thank you very much." He thanked the woman and made his way toward the indicated room. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at the large paintings of past emperors lined the walls. As he pushed the door to the waiting room opened, he was taken amazed by the furnishing and design of the room. Waiting Room, huh? Damn, it's even better than my apartment.

He walked over to the edge of the long table and ran his fingers on it. Smooth, as expected. A light knocking on the table followed after. I'm no expert, but I'm sure it must have been made from the highest quality of wood available. He turned his head and spotted the small table on which sat a coffee pot atop a metal stand with a red dragonshard beneath.

"Jackpot" He grinned and made his way toward the table. Leaning forward, he opened the top of the coffee pot, brought his nose closer to it, and took a deep breath. A smile formed on his face. "Now that's what you called high-quality coffee," Axel exclaimed and poured himself a cup. Bringing the cup closer to his nose, he took another deep breath, inhaling that fruity aroma. He shivered as the brown liquid touches his tongue. Damn, I could even wait for more than an hour. It tasted so good even without adding the sugars and creamers. Hopefully, I could get in contact with the Palace's coffee supplier. I need to upgrade my inventories.

Axel turned his attention toward the flat metallic square on the right wall. Strolling toward it while taking a sip from his cup. "What could this-" He stopped and took a step forward, then backward. "Huh, isn't this Rosenholz Park? Isn't this one of the parks in the Reichtum?" Axel leaned forward and studied the different still images on the metallic square. "Aha." He exclaimed as he moved the chairs and sat at the table.

"Now that brings back memories." He smiled as he took another sip and closed his eyes. The sight of airplanes roaring in the sky, the chanting of the crowds echoing throughout the arena, the intense feeling, adrenaline rush, flooding his memories. It's just like when he first participated in the games. You can never get used to it, even after participating in it for several years. He thought to himself.

He was brought back from his trip down memory lane when the man introduced himself. Axel stood up and lightly wiped the table's surface he was previously sitting on. “Ah yes, I’m Axel Steinsaltz. Nice to meet you, Herr Callwell." Axel greeted Norman and made his way toward him. "Yes, Herr Callwell, I'm looking forward to the tour." He placed the empty cup on the table, "Oh, Herr Callwell, and if it's allowed, could I also bring the cup of coffee?"