It was a doubly good thing the dwarves had discovered the advantages of proper plumbing and even installed showers in their guest-quarters, sized to allow pretty much anything smaller than the average elephant a comfortable experience. The first advantage was that, after Sigmir was done with me in the morning, I was quite sweaty and sticky in certain places. The second was that I managed to get Sigmir into the shower with me, allowing her to make sure those certain places were squeaky clean.
Needless to say, it took us some time, even if I knew that my time in the dwarven library was limited. Sometimes, there were more important things than acquiring knowledge or rather, if not more important than certainly more pressing.
To make up for the extra time spent during the morning, my breakfast was hasty and as soon as I had managed to inhale it, I was out of the door, with a quick kiss to Sigmir and a smile on my lips.
“You seem eager, almost as eager as yesterday.” Lenore joked from her Hallow, having returned to it during breakfast.
“Just like you, yes.” I admitted, poking fun at the fact that our method of communication allowed me to feel just how eager she was, to be in the library and learn what they had to offer.
It took me a few minutes to walk up the mountain, to another of the square blocks of stone that the dwarves used to house the entrances to their tunnels. Looking at it from the outside, I was almost unable to make out the differences, only a small sign allowing me to be certain that I had correctly followed the directions I had been and wasn’t about to barge into some dwarven families’ home. The sign, written in dwarven script that I only understood thanks to my connection with Lenore, only said that I was standing in front of the library and it was then that I realised the architecture was also a sort-of defense.
Trying to figure out which of the blocks were the ones leading into important tunnels or which of those tunnels would be interconnected was nigh impossible without serious magical scouting or maybe a traitor or two. And even if you knew where to go, most races would be hard pressed to fight in the dwarven tunnels, with their low ceilings and confusing twists and turns. It also occured to me, that if I were to devise a defense for those tunnels, I’d integrate the light-sources into it, with some sort of function to turn them off or overcharge them to blind would-be invaders. Or both, being subjected to a bright flash when your eyes were straining to make things out in the darkness, maybe helped by dim torch-light would be devastating.
Inside the building, Gelorin, the Master Runecrafter the Thane had asked to assist me, was already waiting for me, sitting on a comfortable couch, sipping some steaming liquid from a mug.
“Ah, good morning, Mystic Morgana. You are later than expected.” he greeted me, looking a little amused, an impression that deepened when I felt my cheeks blush.
“Good Morning, Master Gelorin. I was held up a little by the ingenious contraptions you have in the bathrooms to clean oneself.” I greeted him back, obfuscating the reason for my relatively late arrival with a half-truth.
“Ah, you discovered our showers. They are marvelous, are they not? There is no better feeling than to stand beneath one after a long, hard day working at the forge.” he nodded, his eyes distant, as if remembering one such experience.
“I can only imagine. But, I only have a few days and want to make the most of them. Let’s get to it.” I asked him, no longer willing to reign in my curiosity.
“Certainly, let’s get to it.” he agreed, obviously pleased at my eagerness to learn.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
He stood and I followed him into the nearby tunnel, walking down the stairs to a quite massive looking door, forged from some sort of metal. He took out an amulet from his chest and placed it against one of the runes. A peek with Lenore’s sight told me that he was channelling Astral Power into it at the same time, causing a dense net of magic crafted into the door to react and do something. It was far too complex to understand it at a glance but I could be quite certain that it would be difficult to breach those doors, without the amulet and the right spell. Maybe even the right spell-caster, if there was some sort of signature to ones Astral Power.
“Impressive.” I muttered, as the door swung open, silently allowing us into the tunnel.
“Thank you. Our recorded knowledge is quite important to us, you know?” Gelorin asked, closing the doors behind us. The tunnel we were in was interesting, especially with the help of Lenore’s sight. Unlike the other hallways I had seen, there was no decorations or anything, merely a blank, smooth wall. But Lenore’s sight revealed a dense web of magic, packed into the walls, reminding me of Kolyug, only this seemed less… angular, more flowing and smooth. That was not to say that it wasn’t precise and exacting, but it looked more natural to me.
“And I’m allowed to study it to my heart's content?” I asked, feeling a bit of apprehension, wondering if there was a trap somewhere.
“Yes. I think you fail to see just how important it was what you did for us.” he said, causing my eyebrows to shoot up in surprise that he knew.
“The Thane told me, you scouted a place of wild magic for us, an outdoor dungeon, if you will. They are relatively rare and they can be incredibly valuable to those involved. But they can also be incredibly deadly, especially in the beginning, if you don’t know what you are up against.” he explained, causing me to nod.
“We had no information what we were dealing with, there are other things that can cause changes to an area, some even more deadly than dungeons, others more benign. Doesn’t matter, really. Now, by tasking you, a rather powerful Traveller, the Thane made sure that we would get information, even if only the information on how you perished. Otherwise, we might have had to send groups of our own, quite possibly just to their death, without learning anything. We dwarves are a rather sedentary lot, we don’t produce many with the drive to adventure, to strike out on their own. But only those few truly get powerful and some of them return, to guard the clan, but far too few. And the Guardians only move out of the hold if they have to defend the Clan. They are the bedrock our clan is built upon.” he explained, causing me to nod again.
“Letting you see the library is something that doesn’t cost us anything. The information is not diminished by letting you see it and even if you read everything, it will take a long time for you to fully understand it, to put it into practise and make the magic your own. You can do it, especially given that you are a Sorceress, but it will take time.” he continued, a grin on his face.
“You saw that?” I asked, realising that it must have been something he had seen with his divination-spell the day before.
“Yes, I did, also a few of your titles. But I also got a feeling for your essence, so to speak, what makes you into who you are. You are an interesting one, I have to admit. And your feathery friend is almost as fascinating.” he added, a sly look on his face.
“She is a good friend and almost as interested in magic as I am.” I admitted, feeling Lenore pay more attention to our surroundings.
Our conversation was interrupted when we arrived at another door, this one beautifully crafted and gilded, but just as magically infused as the outside one. Again, he pulled out an amulet, a slightly different one, and used a small edge to draw a drop of blood. I felt a surge of magic before he opened the door, allowing me to look inside.
Stepping inside, I was both amazed and disappointed at the same time. Disappointed, because I had secret images of a library like one would see in a movie, with thousands of books in a magical place with levitating platforms and moving shelves. Amazed, because I was seeing dozens of tomes, sitting on sturdy shelves lining the walls. Other than the shelves, there were a few comfortable looking armchairs, tables and even a lectern, so you could read while standing.
“Now, where would be the best place to start? I want a comprehensive understanding of your magic.” I asked Gelorin, stepping into the library with the solemn mood the room seemed to demand.
“Come, let me show you…” he said, stepping past me, towards one of the shelves. Smiling, I followed after him, looking forward to the information I hoped to learn.