1 Soul Bound
1.3 Making a Splash
1.3.2 An Allotropic Realignment
1.3.2.17 Shrdlu
Kafana pointed at the apprentice, who hadn’t reacted to her words in the slightest. Now she was used to the skin she realised his upper body was more developed than his legs; his shoulders were hunched with muscle and a thick neck led up to a strong squarish face. Angular eyebrows above near slit-like eyes made his appearance more unusual, and his dark hair had two white patches at either temple, that could almost be mistaken for horns.
Cardano: “You want to meet the devil?” He shrugged. “This is Shrdlu.”
She felt outraged on the lad’s behalf. He didn’t look up, even with that. Was he used to being insulted?
Kafana: “I’ve been to the Inferno, I’ve slain thousands of devils. He’s no devil. Why are you being mean to him?”
Cardano looked surprised.
Cardano: “You mean you actually want to talk with him about printing, rather than mock him or treat him as a curiosity? My apologies. Devil is his job - that’s what we call the person with the task of sorting type read for reuse. Shrdlu was born unable to hear. It’s not uncommon amongst the part-Zeradan, but society doesn’t treat them well - they have a reputation for stupidity. Unfounded, I might add. Nobody taught Shrdlu how to read - he taught himself.”
Wellington, meanwhile, had picked up a composition stick and assembled a line of text:
Hello. We are the Wombles.
Bungo: {Ask him: What is your quest?}
Wellington: {And then what? Ask him what his favourite colour is? No.}
Bungo sounded plaintive: {I wasn’t going to. Though I do want to know why his skin looks like that.}
Bulgaria: {That’s not our business, unless he wants to tell us. I suspect everyone asks, and he’s bored of it. Ask him about his favourite book.}
Shrdlu:
Hello. I am the typo typographer. Thank you for your hearts.
Cardano: “His parents were illiterate. He means his name is a typo. He’s rather proud of the fact - he loves puns.”
Tomsk: {Hearts?}
Bulgaria: {The Hearts of Light we crafted, that let the Red Death be cured as a non-magical disease, instead of endangering the life of every healer who tried.}
Kafana thought about her gems. The unique holy artifact she’d gained as a reward for the quest to deal with the plague had been Zer’s Heart of Light:
Zer’s Heart of Light (HOLY ARTIFACT)(UNIQUE)
+30% light attunement.
Immunity to poison and disease.
Regeneration (+500% to HP regen rate. Even severed limbs will grow back in time. Immune to maiming or disfiguration.)
This pink sapphire was gifted to Kafana directly by the deity Zer
Durability: 100000/100000
Did the immunity to maiming and disfiguration work by stopping external forces manipulating the image of its ideal self held by her body? Was that connected to magic that allowed people to shift their own shape? She didn’t know.
Knowing. What would be useful here was the Stone of the Mind Healer she’s been given by Flavio, who’d taken it from Isabella who’d received it as a gift from Dottore, her father.
Stone of the Mind Healer (UNIQUE)(ARTIFACT)
A target to heal may only be selected with the target's consent
When the wielder is in physical contact with a valid target, grants two-way telepathy and empathy with the target
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Other than from a valid target, this stone prevents the wielder's mind being affected by all spells and effects.
+100% willpower
This amethyst from the Northern wastes was gifted to Kafana by Flavio
Durability: 100000/100000
She could use it to talk directly with Shrdlu, mind to mind. Except, of course, she’d vowed not to do that sort of thing, until she removed the curse from Flavio and he’d no longer be put at risk of fleeing Torello if anyone read her mind as she read theirs. Damn, she really really needed to find someone to train her how to use mind magic properly. How much would the communities of people with part-Zeradan ancestry benefit if they could use it to help with their speech and language difficulties? Now she’s seen several of them, it was obvious to her that Pierrot, the mute orphan Dottore had taken on, must also be one of them.
Wellington:
Pedantry is its own punishment. What is your favourite type of book?
Shrdlu:
Pendants should be hung. I found TNCGTTOT to be most useful.
Bungo groaned. {We should pass that one onto Alderney. She’s learning jewelry making with Harlequin, Gustav and Snowbell - she’d appreciate it.}
Wellington glanced at Cardano, who answered the implicit question.
Cardano: “The Night Climber’s Guide To The Towers Of Torello.”
Tomsk: “They allowed the thieves to publish books like that?”
Cardano: “Certainly we would. Bembists believe books are liberty. To love books is to love learning, and it is learning that edifies what it is to be a person.”
Bulgaria: “Three things only do I need: life for my body, libraries for my mind and liberty for my soul."
There was passion in Cardano’s voice now.
Cardano: “Yes, yes. A handwritten book - that is easy for the authorities to track and burn. But a printed book in every pocket? That will not, can not, be suppressed. Printing lets the silent speak. Printing means more information and wider information. Ten voices can be heard, including that of a dissenter, not just one voice; it leads to more informed discussion and more informed criticism of authorities when they threaten liberty. Printing is the very foundation of equality and democracy. Literate thieves are a small price to pay for such a thing.”
Bulgaria: “Tomsk, he only said ‘would’. I believe that book was actually written by a lady who enjoyed partaking of rooftop picnics under the stars, and her lyrical asides about slippery slopes and imperfect roof tiling techniques led to the creation of a whole new school of defensive architecture. Her use of sugar tongs as a rappelling device is still spoken about in certain circles.”
Shrdlu has obviously been following by reading their lips, because he added a final comment before emptying his box and returning to the print room:
One lump or two? Depends upon landing.
*ding* [Your party’s reputation with Cardano has increased by 100.]
*ding* [Your party’s reputation with the Aldine press has increased by 100.]
*ding* [Your party’s reputation with the children of Zer has increased by 100.]
Cardano had wonder in his voice now, and kept glancing at Kafana and the aura she was still projecting.
Cardano: “You, you are all very different. I know they said Questing Spirits came from beyond Covob, but that… it was not what I expected. You didn’t ask about his skin colour. Not once. I would have bet good money against it. I have never seen a person meet Shrdlu for the first time, and treat him so. Wellington. Mathematics. I have so many questions!” his voice was nearly a cry at the end.
Kafana smiled at him, reassuringly.
Kafana: “We are a little different, even compared to other Questing Spirits. But we’re people first, just as Shrdlu is. And we’re primarily adventurers - we’re here to help, to act on Cov’s behalf, doing the things that others cannot or will not take the time to do. There are some things Cov wishes us not to reveal, but we’ll answer what we can. And we have questions in turn. What is the ‘great gamble’ that the widow Manutius referred to?”
She felt her skills working, as Cardano grasped the framework she offered and settled down
Cardano: “A trade? Question for question and value for value? I accept. Obviously.”
From a nearby drawer he withdrew a blacksmith’s disentanglement puzzle, consisting of a string loop woven through a series of 4 rings.
Cardano: “I once saw a peasant using a version of this as a lock upon the door of his cottage. It took him 10 seconds to open. Wellington, how long would it take to open, if there were 14 rings rather than 4?”
Wellington replied without hesitation: “10,922 seconds, assuming he made no mistakes and the time per operation remained constant despite the increase in string length and path taken.”
Cardano nodded.
Cardano: “I concur. But it took me hours to analyse. I have come up with a formula describing the relationship, but it is not yet published and, even knowing the formula, it would take me a few seconds to calculate. What can you tell me of how you did what you just did, and of how I may do the same?”
Wellington took a moment to answer: “The world where questing spirits come from is more advanced in some areas than Covob, but less advanced in others. We have access to mechanical minds that do not think, but which can perform some calculations very fast, in the same way that a printing press can not do all that a scribe can do but, what it does do, it does with speed and precision. I do not know if you could build such a device in your lifetime, and I do not think Cov would wish us to aid you in causing such a disruption, but I am confident that it is a challenge future generations of Covadan will successfully tackle, if Bel does not wipe them out first.”