by Matthew Peed
I shook my head, then looked outside. Dawn was cresting over the valley wall as I groaned but got up. I had purchased some dresses from the town, so I went with one of those, as, to be honest, they were easier to move in. I had started carrying several knives along with my large warhammer no matter where I went. I didn’t want to be caught off guard again.
I joined Vern on the deck in preparation for going over to the library later that day. She’d found some interesting books, but we weren’t allowed to remove them from the library. Someone had tried. Let’s just say, they no longer got to enjoy this world. People had stayed away from the library for a few days after that, but the knowledge inside seemed to keep growing by the hour, so it was hard to stay away for long.
“So, what is it that you found exactly?” I asked as we walked over, my guards like a shadow in my wake.
“It’s called physics, Your Highness!” she said excitedly. “I’ve only just started with the basic science, as physics is in the higher realm of the magic. Even though I understand the language rather fluently now, it’s like another language built into it. It’s fascinating!”
“I . . . see . . . So, what is physics, or even this science?” I asked further.
Vern’s eyes focused back on the road ahead. “My apologies, Your Highness. I got carried away. Science is a systematic method of building and organizing knowledge in the form of testable and observable study. For example, what is water?”
“The wet stuff that we drink to keep us alive?” I ventured.
“Yes, but according to the book I’m studying, water basically keeps the entire planet moving. There was so much information on just water alone that it took up nearly thirty pages of the book. The water is absorbed by the ground, where it travels to a water table. From there it is discharged into the oceans, lakes, and rivers. The water then goes through a process . . .” Vern spent the next ten minutes explaining all the details of the water cycle, as she said it was called. Soon, my head actually started to hurt.
Tsuzuki spoke up from the back. “Some scholars had reasoned some of that out by following the flow of water mana. I had no idea it was quite so . . . profound.”
We finally arrived at the library and saw that it was quite crowded, or at least the bottom floor was. People of all sorts lingered inside. I saw adventurers, simple villagers, craftspeople, and even some children in a section off to the side that seemed to have books that contained a lot of pictures.
As we approached the desk at the center of the entrance hall, one of the librarians came up to us. “Ah, Miss Vern. Back again today?” she asked.
“Yup, can’t get enough of this place.”
“My master would be pleased to hear this,” she said and bowed her head slightly.
“Lily, are any private rooms open?” Vern asked.
“Miss Vern, as I have said before, please do not call me that. There are several available on the fourth floor,” the librarian said, exasperated.
“Thanks, Lily!” Vern said with a smile, then dragged me over to the stairs.
“Lily?” I asked curiously.
“Huh? Oh, I had a friend back in Jade Wind that liked to frequent the libraries. One day I accidentally called the librarian by my friend’s name, and it kind of stuck.” She looked around, then moved next to my ear. “I have a theory I’m testing. I think if a mortal forms a bond of some kind with the automata, they gain sentience, at least to a certain level. I’m not sure about the magic behind it yet.”
I looked around nervously. “You sure Regan won’t be upset?!” I asked.
“I don’t think it bothers him. I know he has looked at me several times during my interaction with Lily, but he has never done anything,” Vern said with a shrug.
“Then why keep it on the down-low like this?” I asked, confused.
“Because if everyone started naming them, I would lose my advantage for the book I’m writing!”
“Ah, and the truth emerges,” I said as I shook my head.
We made it to the fourth floor and entered a party room. Most of the others grabbed a book while Sasori kept a guard outside the door. Vern moved over to the wall and tapped a panel. A slightly see-through screen appeared. Then she moved her finger down the list, and the names of the books changed. I stared at it in amazement. How much paperwork would be saved if we had something like this in a government building? She seemed to read my mind and smirked.
“Haha, I know, oh I know. I have already begged the librarians to tell me how it worked, but they only said it wasn’t up to them. I’m not confident enough to bother the host about something like this just yet, though.”
“I agree.”
“Where is it . . .” Vern muttered as she moved down the list. “It gets longer each time I come in.”
She made a happy sound, then pressed on a title. A moment later a librarian walked in, carrying a few books.
“Miss Vern, do you need a translator today?” she asked. I could actually tell the difference between this one and Lily from the tone of her voice.
“I should be alright, thank you,” Vern replied, and the librarian nodded as she set the books down and left. Vern pulled one of the books forward, opening it to a section near the middle. “This is a middle-school-level science book, which I believe means a certain level of the academy from another world. Anyway, the reason I feel this is so important to show you is the type of magic you use, Your Highness.”
“My type? I don’t have a type,” I said, getting more confused.
“I would argue that you are all types,” she said, then showed me a picture of several spheres that rotated around each other. “This is called an ‘atom.’ It is the basic building block of everything around us. I think you affect these on an instinctual level . . .”
After nearly three hours, during which even Tsuzuki joined in, I had a grasp on, or maybe more of a fingerhold on, what atoms and particles were. In fact, I had made the connection that heat was what caused these atoms to move faster, and I felt my fire mana actually grow. After three hours my head felt like it was about to burst, so we went to the roof to take a break. Vern had apparently been there before, and she said that it was quite nice up there.
We exited through a set of doors, and I saw several other groups of people already on the roof. There were benches, individual chairs, and tables for reasonably sized groups. We made our way over to one side that had a table next to the wall. A server automaton brought us some drinks and snacks that were amazing, nearly out of this world for how good they were.
I was surprised that it only cost a single gold for the entire party to eat. We sat, watching the other people on the roof, as Vern tried to help me understand particles more. Hatsu leaned against the wall when we heard a click. The area around the table seemed to glow, but I noticed just before we were teleported that no one seemed to be aware of this.
When I opened my eyes, everything was a faded white, as if the color had been pulled from everything that my eyes touched. I looked around, but no one was with me. I took a deep breath. Regan wouldn’t go through all this trouble to kill us. He was much more likely to do it with an audience than out of the way.
I looked around again, and this time I saw something new. Hanging in the air was a woman sitting on a crescent moon that had hundreds of runes carved into it. As I stared at it, I could feel my mind being drawn deeper into the meaning behind the runes, so I quickly moved my gaze to the woman. She was almost more mesmerizing.
She wore a dress, but there was armor over it. She looked like a Celestial that was talked about in the Lelune churches. Her hair was a beautiful blonde, and while she looked frail, I felt that if she wanted to, she could destroy the entire mountain.
“Child?” the woman asked after I don’t know how long.
“Y . . . yes?” I replied. I indeed felt I was nothing more than a child in front of this woman.
“I am Saga, keeper of the trials. Do not fear, no harm will come to you here,” Saga said with a so
othing voice.
“Where . . . where are my people?” I asked.
“Why they are in their own trials,” Saga said as if that should already be known.
“I . . . see. Um, what are the trials?”
“Those individuals who seek knowledge instead of power or riches, the Creator has felt that it is best to reward them.”
“Creator. Do you mean Regan?” I asked just to be sure.
Saga squinted at me and I flinched, but nothing happened. Then she said, “That is correct.”
“Ok, so what do I do?”
“The first trial is a set of riddles. Or you can leave before attempting. Most of your friends have already done so.”
I contemplated, then decided to try at least one trial. She said no harm would come to me here, and for a dungeon like Regan, that was a binding thing to say. I looked back up to Saga and said, “Alright, I would like to challenge the first trial!”
“Very well,” she said, then waved her hand. On the wall, words that seemed to blaze with every color known to humanity appeared.
When I am alive, I do not speak. Anyone who wants to take me captive cuts off my head. They bite my bare body. I do no harm to anyone unless they cut me first. Then I soon make them cry.
I read the words several times in my head and even a few out loud. Something was flashing in the back of my mind, but I couldn’t grasp it. Something living that can’t speak—so, a plant. A plant that had a head—that narrowed the selection down a bit. Something that hurts whoever cuts it . . .
The answer flared in my mind from the few times I had tried to help in the kitchen during a dungeon dive. “An onion!” I shouted, sure of the answer.
Saga nodded and waved her hand again, resulting in the words being rearranged into a disorienting pattern on the wall.
There is a house. One enters it blind and comes out seeing. What is it?
While this one was shorter, I felt it might actually be harder. If you enter a house blind and you come out seeing . . . maybe they got healing magic to fix their eyes. That felt too on-the-nose, though. I thought back over my life, to the many times I had entered a house, then moved on to a building. I drew a blank until I happened to remember what Vern had said earlier when talking about the title of that book.
“Is it . . . is it an academy?” I asked, not as sure this time. I had gone in not knowing anything and had come out having learned something new. Blind, then seeing.
“Correct, the first trial is over. Congratulations,” Saga said and waved her hand again. A small book started to float down toward me. “This magic tome can record up to two thousand pages worth of knowledge. A scholar must study to be called such. Before you may partake of the next trial, you must add at least five pages worth of knowledge to the tome.”
“I understand. Thank you.”
“A warning, the tome is not stupid. I would advise not testing it. Now be on your way. You currently have two choices: the library where your journey began, or the second floor of the dungeon.”
Two doors appeared on the wall, and I moved toward the library one. When I emerged, I saw the others sitting at the table like nothing had happened. Once the spell finished, it was like time started moving again. We all jerked weirdly as our bodies seemed to catch up with our minds.
“Was that a dream or did everyone else just experience the trials?” I asked out loud.
“Yes, Your Highness,” Vern and Tsuzuki both answered and held up their tomes.
“Leave it to Regan to have something for everyone. Kind of surprised the passage is hidden like this, though. Once it gets out, it’s not much good to have it here like this,” I said, then turned to look at the spot Hatsu had pressed, only to see the symbol was gone.
“Your Highness, I’m afraid to say that we have all just been assigned homework,” Tsuzuki said with an amused look on his face.
“Well shit!” I groaned as I rested my face on my arms. I sighed, then went back downstairs to leave for today. As I was leaving the library, a messenger handed me a letter.
Chapter 10
Louella
I stood next to Ezal as the adventurers gathered outside the town. There were nearly two thousand people in the raid, all hailing from different backgrounds but all bound to the creed of the adventurer. The B-rank adventurers really stuck out, though, as throngs of people formed around them. I looked back at my own group and chuckled to myself because we stuck out nearly as much as they did.
Ezal was handing out commands like a champion, and everyone had an assignment to fulfill. Some of the heavy hitters were to have extra protection as they performed their spells. Supplies were to be guarded, paths of retreat were planned, and scouts were placed every kilometer or so for rapid communication. Many more details were being worked out by Ezal, Cassie, and some of the more strategic-minded adventurers.
I looked into the distance where two large obelisks that dwarfed the ones in town stood as if performing as sentries to the valley. I had asked Regan to make these much larger than the regular ones, not only for the new travelers that still streamed in but also to have this force checked as they left the valley, while increasing the awe factor. I really didn’t want another stab in the back to happen. Ezal fully agreed with me.
I looked over to her. She was putting all of herself into this, like she wanted to distract herself. Not that I could blame her, after hearing the father of the child she was carrying was dead. Bruce stood nearby like a silent statue. He watched everyone that approached her like a hawk waiting to strike. I shook my head. The man was barely able to move, yet he insisted on following his late master’s orders.
“Attention!” a magically amplified voice called through the area. Everyone turned toward us as we stood on a stage. Ezal turned to Cassie and nodded her thanks, then said, “We have one mission. To eliminate the horde of monsters gathering to the west. Once we set off, it will take us two days to reach their location. During that time all scouts will be inspected by these two.” She gestured to Julie and Wrakras. “The dungeon has given them an artifact that will mimic the obelisk ability to detect necromancers.” She paused to let that sink in.
“I know many of you are worried about this mission, but if we work together, I know we can succeed! We have many powerful parties and adventurers with us that will relieve the burden. I’m not saying it will be a walk in the park, but we can succeed.” She raised her arm, the one Regan had replaced, palm up into the air. A swirling vortex of flames burst from her palm and soared into the sky, where it branched out like a tree. Soon, it looked as if the sky were covered in flames. I had to admit that it was one of the most awesome displays of power I had ever seen. “WE WILL SUCCEED!”
The crowd cheered with tremendous energy. People started to slam their weapons on their shields or the butts on the ground. The sound was powerful and inspiring, and it got my heart beating rapidly.
“Ooh, there’s going to be lots of death,” Julie muttered beside me.
“Yeah, monsters’,” I replied.
She turned toward me and tilted her head, which was creepy with her mask, and said, “That’s fine by me,” then started laughing.
I shook my head, and noticed a moment later a shadow flowing over the gathering. I looked up, glad that we had Izora joining us on this trip. We had requested her help yesterday for defending the skies, as there would be several bird-type monsters. Her airship hovered over the gathering along with three other merchant vessels that had been reinforced with iron plates and some magical weapons. I was extra glad to have the gnomes, as they were able to finish the changes in less than a day.
“Let us teach the culprit behind this horde that we’re not afraid!” Ezal said as Feuer floated around her, emitting a blinding light, and everyone cheered in response. Ezal burst into the air with a jump, then landed on one of the mechanical wolves that Regan had sent us. Feuer landed in her hand, which she thrust forward. She took the lead as she made her way out of town and through the twin obelisks, Br
uce right behind her.
I watched as the force of adventurers gathered their gear and equipment and started to march for the gate after her. It wasn’t the most organized force I had ever seen, but it was still quite the sight to see. Julie, Wrakras, and I jumped on a wolf each and got ready to follow after Ezal. I noticed Julie’s wolf try to bite her as she jumped on, and she just popped it lightly on the head. I didn’t even want to know what that was about.
I turned back to the stage. “Iveta, you’re basically the only other person I trust in the town. I leave it to you to hold the fort. Just . . . make sure Regan doesn’t accidently blow the place up.”
She saluted me and said, “I’ll . . . do my best.”
I laughed out loud. “Fair enough.”
I tapped my wolf’s head, and he shot toward the front of the line. While we would move to the back of the line after a few kilometers, a leader should lead her people. Even if Ezal was in charge, people were still going to be watching me, so I had to make sure to put my best foot forward.
I pulled up next to Ezal as we caught up to her. “I felt that went well,” I commented.
“The necromancers need to pay for the suffering they’ve caused!” Ezal said as the flames in her eyes flared out a little.
“I agree. I would like to be able to walk down an alley while only worrying about the regular threats.” I glanced over to Julie. “Getting kidnapped just because I haven’t tasted a man . . .”
“Little girl . . .” Julie said as if she were disappointed, “it’s more than just that.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, curious.
“While you being a virgin does help, it’s only like adding one and one together and getting two. No, in your case, it’s related to the way your life has turned out. You have people who are fairly powerful mana-wise and whose fates are tied to you, and a few harder-to-explain details that all add into the reasons I wanted to kidnap you.”