Draith
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Chapter 86 - Unlisted Priorities
🕑 Added 2025-04-27 14:00:13 +0000 UTCWith Tamrie recruited as my assistant, one of the first things she did was get me to establish a list of priorities.
We’d remained on the pier, though I’d at least retreated out of the main thoroughfair.
“Master Temill said it weren’t worth skipping out on taking the time to get organized, as you’ll just end up wasting it anyhow,” Tamrie explained, scratching at her cheek with a pencil she’d had tucked away with her hammock. She was writing in one of my spare journals I’d pulled from my storage ring. Apparently this was something she'd done with her master Temill every week. “Course, master Temill had a habit of running off-topic anytime a visitor asked her a question. Speaking of, I’ve got a fair number we need to cover if you want me to get this sorted all proper like.”
I nodded, pulling out my own journal to reference my own thoughts.
Even as Tamrie asked questions, I started realizing how many of Books lessons I'd been neglected to implement. Not to mention the lessons from my other books, the ones stored in Memory Palace. Sure, I'd occasionally delegated a task to someone. But I had no leadership council, no education, no… organization.
Tamrie took me through my priorities, one by one, and as we got near the end, I cracked my neck. As I did, I noticed another ship approaching, loaded with refugees. It came up along the south side of the pier, since all the ships from our long term residents were parked along the north.
"I don't have the time to do interviews for council members," I replied to Tamrie, answering a question I’d only half registered. Xoth walked past us, approaching the new ship with a small crew of Tethered following behind him. For a second, I considered Xoth. Was pretty sure he'd object to being put on a council if I brought it up though.
"Ser Calbern can find them," Tamrie said, having grown much more confident after we'd finished negotiating her wages. "He's a Knight. Good at reading people, sure as anything."
"If he doesn't blow me off," I muttered glancing towards Tamrie.
"I'll set him to it," Tamrie said, nodding to herself while writing in her journal. It was impressive how much certainty she had.
I… kinda wanted to see that.
"And while he's on that, your friend can do the scouting you wanted. You said she was supposed to be doing that anyway?" Tamrie asked, tapping her pencil against the journal.
"I mean, things came up," I said, watching as Xoth greeted the captain of the ship. Then he started directing the refugees towards the waiting basket-lifts.
"Life happens, right enough," Tamrie said, jotting down a note. "Any reason we can't set her to it now?"
"We were working on gliders," I replied.
"Uh… wait, your friend is the clanker?" Tamrie asked, hesitating for a second. "Right. Be a waste to have her mapping out. Get her an apprentice or two, would be better. Maybe get ser Calbern to hook up a couple of your Tethered with some wings."
"The Tethered?" I asked turning away from the refugees.
"Mhmm, they're already flying all 'bout the place," Tamrie said, waving her pencil in the direction of the cliff. As if to prove her point, several Tethered were indeed descending the side of the cliff with barely a hand on their ropes.
"Huh. Shoulda thought of that."
"Now, it's best we get you back to your workshop. And where is this rope-cat? Neta, you called her?" Tamrie asked, finally looking up as several of the newest wave of refugees walked past, causing her to blink.
"Neta's been reluctant to leave me alone since the fight with Red Beard," I admitted, running a hand over the ropes hidden just beneath my robes. A cat-shaped head appeared near the break in my robes, pressing against my hand. "I don't think she trusts me not to get myself in trouble again."
"Even more reason for you to be there," Tamrie said, grabbing my sleeve and tugging me towards the cliffside. "According to everything you want to do, our big limit is enchanting. But no call to do it all your lonesome. We've got enough materials to trade for a passel of Shapers to come out to do the work. Only need em for a couple days, unless you wanted more done. Better to trade them dust, otherwise they get greedy."
"What exactly does a librarian normally do in Spellford?" I couldn't help but ask. I couldn’t imagine how knowing how to deal with enchantments had anything to do with being a librarian.
Tamrie just shrugged, wrapping her hand around one of the simple rope loop lifts. I took one beside her. We waited for the team of Tethered to release the counterweight, a dozen of us ascending at once. Despite my recent aerial adventures, I still felt my stomach flipping as we ascended.
When we got to the top, I stepped out onto one of the log walkways that we'd cantilevered over the edge, waiting for my stomach to settle. Before I got the chance, Tamrie was already tugging at my sleeve. As we were walking, she continued asking me questions, clarifying what I wanted done next.
When we went through the Waygate, she finally faltered, the disorientation causing her to lean against the railing. "Right then," she said after she'd recovered, "you go get to work, I'll get started on all this. I'll find you if I can't whip a few fools into order."
"Thanks," I said but Tamrie was already striding towards the Waygate leading back to Tetherfall. She hesitated when she got there, but I'd already walked up behind her. "I'll make sure to get you your own Spellkey soon."
Tamrie nodded, clutching her journal close to her chest as I sent her through the Waygate.
Then it was time for me to… get working in the workshop, I guessed. After a quick stop to check on the Keeper.
I hadn't told her any details about Keeper, other than that it had been what the attackers were after. But mentioning the being had been enough for her to pass on the gossip among the refugees. Apparently it was common knowledge that there was a 'Knowledge Demon' locked away in 'the Magus's secret chambers'. And they weren't referring to Balthum when they said Magus.
Sighing, I sent the Spellcode to the first of the doors, waiting as it slowly ground its way open. I grimaced at the sound. It wasn't supposed to grind. But I didn't have time to deal with such a minor issue. The door should be fine for a few years.
Pulling out my own journal, I started a new page for minor tasks like fixing the door. Having Tamrie was already helping me get organized again, even if it was just reminding me of my own good habits.
It was understandable that I'd let myself get swept away, considering how new I was to everything involved in governing and protecting my domain, but it wasn't something I wanted to continue. Especially cause it was a great way to let things slip through the cracks. Important things, like making sure the Waygates weren't taken over by a bunch of murderous Shapers.
I paused just outside of the Keepers room. During my repairs of the doors, I'd found another few jade memory shards, though they'd all been damaged. That wasn't what had me hesitating though. Knowing that Keeper ate souls had me wondering just how accurate those rumors of a 'Knowledge Demon' were. No one recognized what sort of creature Keeper might've been fashioned to resemble, yet Knowledge Demon… yeah, I could see it.
Patting Neta for reassurance, I stepped into the room. The deep violet eyes flared to life the second I stepped inside.
"Ah, welcome back, young omnivore. What glorious feast shall we partake of today?" Keeper asked, its head breaking free with its characteristic crack. The sound felt just a bit more sinister than it used to.
"Wanted to see if any more of these shards have anything good," I said, holding out the six remaining intact shards.
"Excellent," Keeper said, the rest of its limbs cracking free as it moved closer, selecting one of the shards from my outstretched hand. "This one smells especially poignant."
Once more, the room fell away, another reality taking over.
The shard didn’t turn out to be especially interesting. It was a young man complaining about how the 'love of his life' was marrying someone else.
For me, the most interesting part of the memory was the city in the background, one I only caught glimpses of while the young man walked around his ten room apartment. Damn place was bigger than any I’d ever imagined. The city wasn't like anything Perth had ever heard of and I'd only seen similar in science fiction. It was a city of towers and flying vehicles, though the vehicles were magical in nature. It was also set in the center of a great crater, with a translucent protective barrier visible in every direction, including up. Even the sun was blocked out.
The memory wasn't particularly useful, but Keeper still gave me three shards worth of value for it.
The other shards were similar, documenting people's personal grievances, or in one case, their recipe for pevith soup. Unfortunately, I had no idea what the heck a pevith was.
Keeper only gave me a single shard worth of value for each, but including the original value I hadn't spent, I now had the equivalent of ten shards.
Unfortunately, the price for a third Order spell was twelve. Keeper had given me the restoration spell at a discount because it could be used for repairs. Not that it mattered that much. Wasn't like I could scribe third Order spells yet, despite what I'd implied to Kallum.
"Don't suppose you've got a menu for spells?" I asked even as I cast Second Quill to print out copies of the books I'd prepared for the school and Inertia.
"Ah, to whet the appetite," Keeper said, its head shifting away from the books on the floor. "Such a menu could be made. If you were willing to sacrifice."
"What sort of sacrifice?" I asked as I put the last book on the stack, tapping it with my finger.
"A jade shard shall be wiped clean," Keeper said, holding its hand forward. "And a drop of blood."
"No offence, but I'd rather not give you my blood."
Keeper’s deep throat rattled with laughter as its head slid forward, lowering to meet my gaze. "The blood is to bind the menu. If you had the proper tools, all you would need would be mana, however…"
"Do you have the knowledge of how to make those tools?" I asked, glancing at the stack of books next to me. Just a sample of everything I had to offer from Earth.
"My table holds everything one could need, yes," Keeper replied, its eyes dimming as its head tilted slightly. "Do you believe you have knowledge tantalizing enough to be worth exchanging for instruction in such a valuable craft?"
"You tell me?" I replied, pushing forward the first few books.
It's eyes scanned the pages of the first book quickly. Then it started on the next. Soon it had flipped through the entire stack. When it flipped the last page closed, it shifted backwards. It didn't retreat to its spot in the wall though, it simply settled slightly in the center of the room. "I am… sated," Keeper finally said after a few seconds. There was a strange hesitancy to its voice. Almost as if it was surprised. Then its eyes flashed a bright purple. "The debt is too great."
As it said so, a stack of three books appeared. Before I could even look at them, Keeper’s hand flicked out, retrieving one of the jade shards from where I'd set them after our earlier viewing. The shard flickered, spinning above Keepers palm for several seconds, its eyes glowing bright enough to nearly blind me.
Holding my hand up to block the light, I took a step back. After a few seconds, the glow dimmed, and the jade clinked into the Keeper's open palm. When I lowered my hand, I found Keeper's gaze fixed on me. "The knowledge you bring. It is not of Ro'an."
That statement might've had me panicking a bit before I'd viewed that one Magus's memories. Now I knew that there'd been at least four settled worlds that they'd known about. And given Keeper's response to that shard, it knew that better than I did. "No. It's not."
The ancient being stared silently at me for several moments, the only sound the soft tap of its tongue against the inside of its teeth. "Excellent," it finally said, tilting its head back. "I knew I sensed a great feast dwelling within."
I'd wondered why it refused Kallum. Was it because it could sense what someone had to offer it? Would it stop trading with me once my stores of Earth knowledge ran out? Or was I good, so long as I had something to offer, even if they were jade shards. Figuring I was lucky Kallum hadn't brought any of said shards, I decided to ask about the one it'd given me.
"A morsel of little substance, but useful," Keeper said, holding up its hand. The familiar runes of Memory Palace flashed into place, though Keeper showed a slight modification, highlighted by pulsing purple lines. "With these changes, you can taste the shards within your Mind Palace."
I didn't correct Keeper on the name. Instead, I double checked the spell, trying to figure out exactly what the changes did. From what I could tell, they allowed the spell to interact with any jade shards touching my skin.
Before I could ask more, Keeper started shifting, sliding back into its place along the wall. "Go now, young omnivore, I must… digest. Return soon, for the debt still weighs heavy upon me."
I nodded, even though its eyes had already gone dim. Holding up the new shard, I grabbed the three books as well, using Review Scroll on each of them before flipping them open.
The first was about where jade could be found, how to mine it without ruining its properties, and even how it could be formed. The last section required machines that neither I nor Perth had ever heard of. I could kind of picture what a fifth dimensional mana-press might do from the descriptions, but I had no idea how to build the parts, nevermind the machine itself. I suspected it was something we didn't have a tenth of the resources for, even with the possibility of trade with Spellford.
The second book contained the methods for enchanting blank memory shards, as well as how to craft the tools to do so. It also referenced methods of using the memory shards for learning the basics of a new craft, though the book didn't explain those methods.
Finally, the third book was about all the equipment required to access and maintain the memory shards. Most of it was like the press, and required other knowledge and infrastructure to create. But there was a simple interface that I should have the resources to build myself. It'd need to be nearly as large as Fang itself, and it wouldn't be cheap. But it also wouldn't require anything other than a lot of silver dust and a tier three Celestial affinity material. Something that had been, while not exactly common back in his father's domain, it was common enough that Perth had seen it before.
Not that I had any on hand.
After adding them to Memory Palace, I left the books behind in Keeper's library. I'd already cleared all of Balthum's notebooks off the shelves, and these were among the first literature I'd added. The only other book on the shelves was the collection of stories I'd put together for Nexxa.
My gaze lingered on the cover for several seconds, the crudely drawn facsimile of Earth. I wondered if Nexxa had put together where those stories had come from. Shaking my head, I took a deep breath, moving to the workshop.
Neta and I needed to get to work.
Comments
ThoMiCroN
I'd been neglected->neglecting* to implement.
