Chapter 5: Too many books
Felix Sythias’ POV (continued):
As I made the final approach to the Third Grandest Library, Alex tapped me on the shoulder. I caught a warm updraft to stop my descent, and I slowed to a hover. I then craned my head back as far as I could and asked him what was up.
“Oh, sorry,” he said. “I just wanted to admire the view for a moment. The library is beautiful from up here.”
That it certainly was. The library was built on one of the larger islands, one with a mini-mountain on it—well, it was just a particularly steep and rocky hill, really. The library itself was built into said mini-mountain and was only accessible by two grand entrances. There was one on either side of the mountain, and they were large. They were built by an unknown civilisation centuries before the Academy was founded and it was one of the campus’ bigger mysteries.
The entrance ahead of us protruded out of a great cliff-side. It was a large square arch at least a hundred meters high and was covered in intricate carvings inlaid with metals of all kinds. These carvings told stories of a time before this world was connected to the larger network of worlds, but much of it was lost to the rigors of time. What remained spoke of a civilization of small humanoids living in the mountains and caves. They fought against spheres deep underground that were able to summon monsters at their command, but from the way neither of them were still around, it was concluded they must have killed each other before the Academy even arrived here.
The entrance was an imposing building. It led to a tunnel lined with sparkling white marble pillars, which led deep into the mini-mountain. There, at the center, was a large stronghold. The Academy had turned it into a large protected archive and library not long after their arrival. Knowledge was power after all, and you protected power.
“And this is only the third largest library on campus?” Alex asked.
“Yes, and no. It’s called the Third Grandest Library, but in terms of size, this is the largest by far. Most of it is inaccessible archives, though.”
“Then why is it called the third grandest?”
“It’s because the others look grander,” I said, pointing to a building in the distance. “The other libraries are completely above ground, so it’s much easier to get a sense of scale from them. This library is mostly tunnels and hallways, so you only ever see a tiny portion of it at any one time.”
“Makes sense, I suppose. Why aren’t we going to one of those, then?”
“The other two are always a lot busier. Besides, this is where they keep all the fiction, and that’s what you wanted to see, right?” He nodded. “The other libraries mostly have books on magic theory and such. The copies anyway, the originals are stored here in the archives.”
We headed down towards the library and made our way inside. The large tunnel down to the stronghold was another reason I loved this library. I could just fly all the way down the several hundred meter length tunnel. Flying underground was a strange experience, but a cool one.
I landed a dozen or so meters from the relatively small doors that were the entrance to the library. As I waited for Alex to unstrap himself, I took in the large brick wall that surrounded the entrance. It was a strange wall, like someone had taken a normal castle’s walls and scaled them up to fit inside the tunnel. With ramparts, a moat, and a drawbridge, it felt weirdly out of place. The doors themselves fit right into the theme, though. With tough, thick wood, metal reinforcements, and shimmering enchantments, I was sure it was harder to break than the actual wall itself.
Alex echoed my thoughts. “Huh, that’s strange. Makes me wonder which was here first, the stronghold or the mountain.”
He fiddled with the straps, and just as I was about to crane my head around to see if he needed help, there was a sharp yelp just as Alex’s weight suddenly slipped off me. There was a hard thud, and I felt one side of the saddle catch on something. When I looked behind me, Alex was sprawled on the floor with one leg still strapped to the saddle.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He let out a sound somewhere between a groan and a sigh. “I’m fine. Though, I think I might have broken my pride.”
“Are you sure? That fall sounded nasty.”
“Yeah, I have the [Blunt force resistance] Skill,” he said, then paused as he rolled onto his back. “It doesn’t do much yet at its current level, but it was enough to cushion my fall. I’ll be sore and I’ll probably have a bruise or two, but I’ll be fine. I’m more worried about your saddle, honestly. It didn’t tear, did it?”
I shook my head. “It’s made from monster leather, and it’s quite heavily enchanted. If you managed to tear it, I’d be very impressed.” While Alex tried to pick himself off the ground, I took a moment to look around. It was a calm day at the library and there wasn’t anyone else around. “And your pride will be fine too, there wasn’t anybody here to see you fall. I can’t promise I won’t tease you about it later, though. How did you even manage that?”
Alex, having figured out he would need to free his leg before he could stand up, was busy unstrapping his leg as he responded. ”I leaned over too far when I tried undoing the legstraps. Hey, don’t laugh! It’s only my second time doing this!”
I struggled to stop laughing, but I got it under control eventually. “Okay, okay. Need any help?”
“No… Almost.. There, got it.” He freed his leg, stood up, and stretched. “Now then, you were going to show me the library?”
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“I can’t choose. Do I take ‘Hug Knights’ or ‘At the end of the rainbow’?” Alex asked.
We were sitting at a cozy table nestled in between the shelves of the romance section of the library. We’d been here for more than two hours already, and I was getting hungry. Luckily, Alex was almost done choosing. He was sitting opposite of me, but I could barely see him. He had surrounded himself with piles of books, and had been trying to pick the last one for well over twenty minutes now. So far, he had narrowed it down to two choices.
“You already have nine books, do you really need another one?” He looked at me with a blank stare. “Right, I suppose that was a bit of a stupid question. Let me see them.”
He handed me the two books. I put one down while I read the synopsis of the other, afterwards I read a small part of the first chapter.
He leaned back in his seat, arms crossed and frowning. “You could’ve told me I could only borrow ten books at a time, you know.”
“I could have. But then I wouldn’t have been able to see you lug that large bag around. Besides, what did you expect, it’s a library, not a free book hand-out.”
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He grinned, his sharp teeth clearly visible. “You’re the one that ended up actually carrying the bag around, though.” Alex’s grin faded as he continued talking. “And this is the first library I’ve ever been to. My home village didn’t have one, the ones on my journey had entree fees so high I would’ve had to sell all my stuff to even sniff the air inside, and the one in the branch-location was off limits to non-members. How could I have known?”
I put ‘Hug Knights’ down, it sounded dull, it was about a number of overly affectionate human knights all trying to court the same woman, whereupon hijinks ensued. I had never really liked romantic comedies—especially not straight ones—so I picked up the other book.
“Fair point. So, how do you like the library so far?”
“I’ve never seen so many books in my life, and it’s all in just one place? It’s amazing. When we first entered, I started counting any books we came across. I lost count somewhere around 200, and we barely made it past the first room! I could spend days in here.”
“Oh, so that’s why you went quiet!” I felt a twinge of relief. “I thought you were disappointed, or something. Well, it’s good to hear you like it so much. Though, I’m not sure how much time you’ll actually have for reading once classes start.”
Alex shrugged. “I’ll make time. So, which one should I take?”
“One moment. Talking and reading at the same time isn’t easy, you know. I think I’ve reread the same paragraph five times now.”
Alex let me focus, and I read the last few remaining paragraphs. This one was also a romance book, but one a lot more serious in tone. It was about two guys—elves—down on their luck, chasing a legend of a large pot of gold at the end of some mythical rainbow and falling in love along the way. It sounded cute, and like something I would enjoy, too.
“Definitely this one.” I handed him the book, and put the other one back on the shelf, grabbing myself a copy of ‘At the end of the rainbow’ too while I was at it.
We put the remaining books on the shelf meant for returned and refused books. The librarians did not like it when you grabbed a bunch of books and tried putting them back yourself. ‘We have a system!’ they would say, then ban you from the library for a few days.
We walked towards one of the many desks with a librarian behind it. You could check out your chosen books with any librarian, but the ones at the desks were easiest to find.
“Did you find everything you were looking for?” the librarian asked. We talked to her earlier to find the book I suggested to Alex yesterday.
“We did. Thank you for your help earlier,” I answered.
“I assume you would like to check out some books now?”
I nodded yes and talked Alex through the simple process. The librarian looked vaguely amused that I was explaining it instead of her.. Once that was done, I checked out my own book—I had only gotten one—and we walked back outside. Alex had put the books in the bags hanging on the sides of the saddle. They’d be annoying while flying, as they would bounce around, but I’d make do. While Alex strapped himself in, we talked about where we were going to eat.
“Lunch is on me,” I said. “Is there anything in particular you want to try?”
“Are you sure? I may not have much, but I can pay for my own lunch. Also, you’re picking the place.”
I shook my head. “The conversion is one way, so you can only really spend points here on campus. Well, you can use coins, but you’ll be paying at least double of what’s even remotely reasonable. Normally you’re provided lunches at the dorms, so you wouldn’t really notice.”
He frowned. “Still. It wouldn’t feel right taking your money like that.”
“I appreciate the concern, but I eat out a lot and I eat big, so it doesn’t matter.” Confusion flashed across his face, so I clarified. “I eat a lot, so my father gives me a rather large allowance for food. Your lunch would barely make a dent. Save your coins for things you really want or need, or for when you’re off campus.”
“Fine. But since you’re paying, you’re choosing the place.”
I tried arguing with him, but he insisted, so I relented. After checking he was securely strapped in, we were off.
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Felix’s notebook: notes on the archives
The archives are located deep within the stronghold of the Third Grandest Library. It is inaccessible to the public and requires the archivists that work there to be at least level 200. If a member needs something, they can request it for a small fee. In rare cases, they can be let in with strict supervision.
More often than not, you can find whatever you need within the three libraries themselves, where copies of most things are kept. Only really old and outdated information and knowledge can be found here, as well as really fragile originals.
I requested access a while ago, but was denied. They told me to try again when I was a higher level so I wouldn't accidentally crush a book with my low control. So, note to self: Go back and figure out if they have anything on dragons.
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In the end I picked a place that I was already familiar with. The Minty Pig. Which, despite the name suggested, did not actually serve anything with mint. What they did have was a lot of meat. And I came here often enough that they kept extra meat on hand in case I came by, so I knew they would have enough. It was always an issue when it came to new restaurants.
I had asked Alex if he had any specific dietary needs. From what he told me, I concluded that he was a lot more flexible than I was when it came to food, but that he was still primarily a carnivore. That made things a lot easier.
I wasn’t sure what Alex would enjoy—and he wasn’t telling me—so I ordered a variety of meat. To me, mundane meat was just food, and not much more. I could eat just about any type, but nothing really stood out. Mana-enriched meat, or monster meat, was where I really started to actually enjoy what I was eating. Or just the opposite and not like it at all. What I ordered was all just mundane meat though.
I also ordered some greens and a small plate of bread for Alex.
After taking our order, the waiter went back inside the restaurant. Like most places, the restaurant wasn’t built with a dragon in mind, so there was far too little space between the tables for me to fit inside. So instead we sat in a small courtyard behind the restaurant at a table they had dragged outside for us.
Isolated from the busy streets around the restaurant, it was rather cozy back here. The sun warmed our scales, and the occasional gentle breeze kept the air flowing nicely.
“Now will you tell me why you were so stubborn about the food?” He had been stubborn about making me choose since the moment I offered to pay. Some petty revenge, maybe? Or a small sense of guilt over having me pay that was making him act weirdly?
He leaned back in his chair, a grin spreading on his face. But there was a hint of discomfort there. “No.”
“Alright then, keep your secrets,” I said with the same wide grin, playing along. “But next time you’re picking.”
“No, um… ” he said, pausing with a slightly panicked look in his eyes. His tail twitched uncomfortably behind him. “I really don’t mind if you just pick. Please.”
Not sure what to say, I did the only thing that came to mind, and agreed. “Alright. I can do that.”
He leaned back in his chair, and we both sat in uncomfortable silence for a time, while I thought of what to say. I wasn’t expecting such a strong reaction.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, not able to think of anything else.
“I, uh… I mean…” He took a deep breath. “Not really, no. Sorry.” He looked away.
“You don’t have to apologize for that. We can talk about something else,” I said, then paused before adding what I would’ve liked to hear in his talons. “Just know that if you do want to talk about it, that I’m there to listen.”
His smile came back slightly. “Thanks,” he said, before falling quiet. Neither of us really knew what else to talk about. All the topics I’d had in mind had been blown away like leaves in the wind. In the end, he was the first to speak again. “So, next time, huh? Had something in mind?”
I smiled. “Yeah, actually. I was thinking maybe you’d come over to my place. The couches are very comfortable; I figured we could do some reading together.”
“Sounds good. How about tomorrow afternoon? I have to go pick my classes in the morning, but after that I’m free.”
We made plans for the following day—I would pick him up after dropping off some of my stuff at the dorms’ tower. In a couple days, I would be moving in. I was both excited, and filled with dread about that fact.
“Oh, speaking of your house,” Alex said, “I completely forgot to ask, but how was your hatchingday party yesterday?”