Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy — Okay-Authoritarian
Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy — Okay-Authoritarian “Any plans now that you’re in Goldenalden?” Caprica asked. She leaned forwards and set her teacup down with a faint clink of porcelain on porcelain.“We have a few,” Amaryllis said. “Mostly, in order to see where everyone stands, we want to speak with the representatives of each nation attending the summit. Otherwise, I think Broccoli wants to play tourist a little.”“And we promised to clean up the local Exploration Guild!” I added. “Oh! Actually, that reminds me. Bastion told me something and I kinda forgot all about it.”“Oh?” Caprica asked.I nodded. “Yeah, he mentioned that there was a library in the capital that could help with skill-related stuff.”“Do you have issues with that?” Caprica asked.“A bit? I got a new skill called Proportion Distortion, and I don’t exactly know what it does, or how to train it. I’d like to know if it’s useful at all before investing in it,” I said. “I did receive some less than useful skills before, so I’m hoping that this one isn’t like that. Actually, that’s another thing I’d like to look into, how to get rid of terribly unfair, no-good skills.” Like Adorable, but I wasn’t about to admit to that skill aloud.“Proportion Distortion, can’t say I’ve ever heard of that skill,” Caprica said. “The library is open until decently late, and it’s only barely noon. If you want, I could escort you over? Perhaps we can grab something to eat on the way? I rarely have an excuse to try food outside of the palace.”“You’d do that?” I asked.“Of course! As long as you tell me more stories about your adventures with Bastion,” she said. “Besides, the library won’t give you trouble if I’m there.”“Is it a private establishment?” Amaryllis asked.Caprica shook her head. “Technically, it’s entirely public. But the librarians are quite jealous of their books and institution. They tend to show ruffians the door if they’re too noisy, and they might not offer to help someone that they think looks... bizarre.”I glanced at my friends, then up to the ears hovering on the edge of my vision. “Yeah, we probably don’t look like the most normal bunch, do we?”Caprica giggled. “I’m sure Bastion didn’t think of that. He’s a great sylph, but on occasion he forgets the impact that a paladin has on the citizenry.”“What kind of impact is that?” I asked.“People tend to be on their best behaviour around a paladin. Not just because of their abilities as law-enforcement, though I suppose that is a factor, but also because... there’s a certain romanticism about paladins. Those like Bastion-who tend to embody every part of that ideal-most of all.”That made some sense. If he was a respected person, then people would treat him with respect, and he might not notice that those same people weren’t treating others the same way.I could remember people who were popular and had lots of friends failing to notice those who had none, because to them, it was normal to have a lot of friends.I glanced at Amaryllis and Awen and noted that they were both done with their tea. “Well then, maybe we should head out? We can talk on the way, and I bet you know all the best places to eat in Goldenalden.”“I know a few good spots,” Caprica said. She stood and tugged her coat’s lapels on tighter. “Do you ladies mind giving me just a moment? My station doesn’t afford me the ability to leave on just a moment’s notice.”“That’s fine,” I said.Caprica smiled and walked off towards the room’s exit. The guards there were so quiet and had moved so little that I only noticed them now that one reached out to open the door for Caprica.“She’s pretty nice,” I said to my friends, voice low enough that we wouldn’t be overheard. We weren’t saying anything mean, but it was still a bit rude to talk about someone when they weren’t around, even if it was mostly to compliment them.“She’s strange,” Amaryllis said.Awen stifled a giggle. “Strange? I think she’s okay. She seems to, ah, really like Bastion.”“Yeah, to get a whole class with one of your friend’s names in it, that’s something,” I said.Awen’s cheeks reddened and she nodded. “I think, ah, well, it’s none of our business, I guess. Maybe she’s being nice because she’s jealous?”“I don’t think being jealous usually leads people towards people being nice,” I said.“No, no, she’s, ah, is it envious? Right, she’s envious that we spent a lot of time with Bastion, so now she’s being nice to us so that she can find out what happened when we were with him,” Awen said.“That is strange,” I said. “Then again, I’d love to make friends with my friend’s friends, if they had any.”“Somehow, I feel insulted, but I’m not entirely sure why,” Amaryllis said.Caprica returned, now wearing a coat over her uniform-like outfit. “I’m ready to head out. I hope the presence of a guard doesn’t distract you?”“Of course not,” I said as I bounced to my feet, then turned to help my friends up. “What kind of street food is there around here?”“You won’t find much in the purple district,” Caprica said. “But further south there should be a few places where we can grab a bite. Street vendors are considered a bit crass, but they need to submit to frequent inspections, so there’s little to worry about.”“Huh. Yeah. So far Sylphfree feels very... rule-heavy, and streetfood is like, the opposite of that?”“How is street food anti-authoritarian?” Amaryllis asked.“Well, it’s kind of messy but it tastes good,” I said.Amaryllis rolled her eyes. “You’re entirely nonsensical at times, I swear.”Laughing, I wrapped an arm around her wing, then turned towards Caprica. “Let’s go? You can tell us about the city on the way. We haven’t had time to do all the tourist things yet.”The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.“Certainly.”When Caprica mentioned that she would need an escort, I was thinking something along the lines of a chaperone. Maybe that paladin whose name I never caught who delivered her letter to us at the guild.I wasn’t expecting to follow Caprica-who was making smalltalk about the palace and its various additions over time-to the main entrance hall of the palace where a squad of soldiers were waiting.“Oh, you’re here already,” Caprica said to the soldier that looked like she was in charge.“Ready when you are, ma’am,” was her quick reply.I didn’t see that many girl soldiers around, but half of this little unit had girls in it. Maybe that made sense, if they were going overboard with the protection like this, then they’d probably insist on following Caprica to the washroom and such.It was a bit much in my opinion, but maybe the streets of Goldenalden were a lot more dangerous than I expected them to be.Caprica had to prepare a few things quickly, mostly that involved quick instructions to serving staff while my friends and I and the soldiers waited around. At least the lobby was quite nice, with tile walls all delicately placed to create pretty patterns that rose up to the arched ceiling above. It was more artful decoration than I was used to seeing in Goldenalden.“All done,” Caprica said as she returned to us. She tugged on a coat around her shoulders, the fur inside looking nice and soft. “Shall we?”“Sure!” I said. “Lead the way.”We stepped out into a bit of chilly weather. There were big lazy snowflakes coming down from above, and the wind, though weak, had some bite to it.“Snow!” I cheered. I bounced up and caught a flake on the tip of my tongue. “I haven’t seen snow in forever.”The wind was carrying great white sheets across the mountainside, some of it rolling up and towards the peak of the mountain on which the capital hung.“It’s always a bit colder up here,” Caprica said. “We’re a ways to the north, and we’re high off the ground as well.”“It’s pleasant,” Amaryllis said. “The Nesting Kingdom often has to deal with cooler winds and snow, though we have the warmer wind from out west to keep things mostly mild in the warmer seasons.”“It’s c-cold,” Awen said.I spun towards her to find my friend hugging herself and looking even paler than usual. “Oh no,” I said before I moved to her side and wrapped an arm around her back. “You poor thing.”“Is she well?” Caprica asked. “I can give you my coat. The staff will throw a snit over my being outside without a coat, but I’m quite used to the chill.”“A-ah, it’s just, um, colder than I’m used to,” Awen said. Her coat wasn’t made of a material suited to the environment, it was more of a windbreaker in that way, and the little bit of armour she wore likely wasn’t helping.I nodded. “We should find you a blanket before we get too far. Caprica, I don’t mean to impose, but do you think there’s a spare blanket around?”“I’d be quite surprised if there wasn’t at least one in the entire palace,” Caprica said. “Although, Lady Awen, do you know any fire magic?”“Ah, not really? Enough to light a candle?”Amaryllis huffed a ‘I’ll handle this’ huff and walked over to Awen. “Give me your hands. Caprica’s likely thinking of a simple warming spell. There are a few that we use in the Nesting Kingdom.”“Can you apply that on someone else?” I asked.“There are some that are mostly used to keep little chicks warm,” Amaryllis said. “They’re perfectly safe, though the spell will wear off in a few hours.”Amaryllis took Awen’s hands, and there was an exchange of magic that I could only barely feel. Awen let out a gasp and her cheeks flushed. “Oh, that’s nice.”“You’ll have to teach me that spell.” I said.“You seem to be handling the cold well enough,” Amaryllis said.“Well, yeah, I’m from a cold place, this is nice and comfy weather, but I still want to learn that spell. Imagine getting a hug from someone, and then you feel all warm and cozy inside?” I clenched my fist, a new determination filling me. “It would bring me one step closer to perfecting the hug.”Caprica giggled demurely. “How determined. Are you an expert at hugging, then?”I shook my head. I wasn’t an expert. I was nowhere near as talented as someone like Momma. “Not yet. But I’ll get there one day. Which means lots of practicing on my friends.”Awen laughed. “I don’t mind, hugs are nice.”Amaryllis sniffed, but she didn’t deny the obvious truth.We walked out of the front gate, a group of guards opening the path for us. “I hope you don’t mind walking all the way to the library?” Caprica asked. “We could get a coach, but the fastest route is through a few narrow roads. And stretching my legs would be nice.”“Sure,” I said. My friends didn’t seem to mind either.“So, your hugging, did you try that on Bastion?” Caprica asked. “I can’t imagine his being, ah, willing to do that kind of thing.”“Huh? Of course I’ve hugged him. He’s a bit stiff, but he’s not too bad.”“You, you did?” Caprica asked.“A couple of times,” I said. “He was a member of the Beaver Cleaver’s crew. We’re all very close, you know.”Amaryllis shook her head, talon over her face in the way she did when I said something silly without realizing it. “So, which direction is this library in?” she asked.“Oh? Ah, yes,” Caprica asked. She seemed a little bit flustered. “This way.”And so, with the princess in the lead, we took off towards the grand library, a trail of soldiers behind us like orderly ducklings.
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Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-One — Fortress of Knowledge
Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-One — Fortress of Knowledge “This is it,” Caprica said. “It’s not the most impressive of buildings from the exterior, but the library has been a part of Goldenalden since its very founding. It was actually the second building commissioned by my great-great-grandfather after the construction of the royal palace, not that the palace from back then would be at all recognizable today.”I gawked at the library; it seemed like the polite thing to do. The building was, unlike most of the other buildings in Goldenalden, still clearly part of the mountain. Stone rose up around it on all sides but the front, as if someone had turned the mountainside into wet clay and had pressed an entire edifice out of it.The front was different, made of large stone slabs stacked together, and with a pair of colonnades next to a large doorway. There were windows too, but they were the thin, slitted sort that I’d seen on castles before, not the wider windows you’d expect to see.“It looks a bit strange,” I said. Especially compared to the far more ordinary buildings surrounding it.“The library was built at a time when Sylphfree was still very much plagued by dragons and their offspring,” Caprica said. “It was designed to be a repository for crucial knowledge, books, maps, and scrolls. I think it served as a school once too, for young nobles.”“Was it meant to be hidden?” Awen asked. “The rocks look like they were moved by a geomancer, maybe. I’ve seen places that look a little like that before. The Ostri build huts out in the desert near Mattergrove the same way, though those aren’t as big.”Caprica nodded. “The Ostri are the desert folk, right? I imagine that this is somewhat similar. And yes, the building would be hard to see from above if it weren’t placed in the middle of the city. Thick stone walls, decent natural camouflage. It was all designed so that a creature flying above wouldn’t notice it. I do believe that at the time, the paladins-the order being much smaller four or five generations ago-were skilled with magics that allowed them to hide better as well.”“So the library was hidden in plain sight,” I said.“More or less. Come on, it should be open at this hour.”We followed Caprica into the library, some of her guards forming up next to the entrance both inside and out.I was expecting the interior of the library to be fairly fancy. Maybe some big room, with plenty of lighting, but instead it was relatively cramped within. Thick walls and lots of small rooms except for a big stairwell right in the centre where stone steps led up and to the floors above.A counter to the side had a nice librarian sylph behind it, perusing a big tome that looked like it was filled with names and addresses and the names of books. A system to tell who had taken out which book, maybe?“Hello,” Caprica said as she walked up to the counter.The lady behind it stared with wide eyes. “P-princess,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. How can I help?”Caprica smiled. “I have a few guests here, friends from... well, all over, really. We were looking for some information. Ah, Captain Bunch?”“If you’re a friend, you should really be calling me Broccoli,” I chided softly. “Then I can keep calling you Caprica, because if I’m your friend, then you’re my friend too.”Caprica’s cheeks actually warmed a little, which I found very cute, but I wasn’t about to tell her that because it was far too rude. “Thank you, Broccoli.”“Ah, very well then, what is the captain looking for?” the librarian asked.I leaned onto the counter, a big grin on. “I was told that the library here had a sort of record of all the classes and skills.”“We hardly know all of them,” The librarian said. “But we do keep a record of both.”“Neat! I got a skill recently that I was wondering about, I don’t really know what it does, or even what I did to get it. Could you help me?”“Are you looking to merge it into something better, or do you just want to know what the skill does?” she asked.“Uh,” I said.Caprica laughed demurely. “I think perhaps we can look at both options. What was the exact name of the skill again?”“Proportion Distortion,” I said. “The description only says that it can help me fit in and out, which is very vague.”“That is rather on the vague side,” the librarian said. She pulled out a notepad and scribbled something on it. “I’m afraid that I’m not the most qualified to assist you. Forgive me. But there is an archivist on the second floor, the blue room. He should be able to assist you, and is more familiar with the stacks, besides.”“Thank you!” I said.“Awa, is there a section of the library with, um, blueprints and mechanical things?” Awen asked.“Those would be in different sections,” the librarian said. “But I can help you find both.”I turned towards Amaryllis. “Are you going to look for something too?” I asked.“I don’t have anything I need in particular here, though I wouldn’t mind perusing, if that’s permissible. Or perhaps I can look at whatever spells they have publicly available here.” Amaryllis’ eyebrows rose. “Actually, disregard that. I’ll come with you, Broccoli. If this archivist knows anything about skills, they might know of some skills that I could merge to help me reach my goal.”“You mean your goal to turn people into meat puppets?” I asked.“Please, please don’t call it that,” Amaryllis said.We started up the stairs, only one of the guards following us from a slight distance. “Meat puppets?” Caprica asked with an amount of concern that was probably warranted.“Amaryllis has a cool Puppeteering class,” I explained. “She can control puppets really well.”“I’m still far from skilled enough to call anything I do with the art proficient,” Amaryllis said.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.“Puppetry is an interesting hobby,” Caprica said. I had the impression that she really didn’t care all that much, but was being nice anyway.“Anyway, Amaryllis’ main class is electricity-based, and people’s nerves use electrical currents to signal their muscles to move, so she’s combining the two to make spells that allow her to puppet people’s bodies with magic.”Caprica blinked, then stared at Amaryllis.“It was an idea I had,” Amaryllis dismissed. “It’s still very experimental.”“That sounds quite terrifying,” Caprica said.“It’s of limited use for now,” Amaryllis admitted. “I think most strong combatants would be able to work around it. Some magics counter it entirely, and it doesn’t prevent a spellcaster from casting spells, not unless they still need to gesture to cast. That’s not counting adversaries with strange biology. We frequently run into bizarre creatures in dungeons where my skills would go to waste.”“Yeah, but then you can just blast them with lightning, that usually works too,” I said.“True,” Amaryllis replied. “The puppeteering skill is meant to be used as more of a force multiplier. If I can control someone’s body, then I can take them out of the fight with far less effort. It’s greatest advantage, I imagine, is in subterfuge and from a more psychological perspective.”“I see,” Caprica said. “Is everyone in your crew quite so fearsome?”I laughed. “No, of course not! I only have Cleaning magic going for me, and some weird bun martial arts. Awen mostly uses her mechanic’s skills to fix and use her crossbows. I think she’s still working on her Glass magic. We’re not actually all that focused on fighting and stuff.”“I suppose that's one of the advantages of being more exploration-focused. Though from the reports Bastion filed, you were in quite a few high-risk adventures.”“Not that many,” I dismissed. “We had entire days go past where nothing happened.”The archivist’s room wasn’t too hard to find. Not only did it have a coloured door, there was also a plaque next to it that read ‘The Archivist’ which was very handy. Grinning, I stepped up to the door and knocked twice. “Hello!”My ears twitched as I heard some shuffling on the other side before the door opened. A man stood there, a sylph who was on the shorter side, with frumpled robes and a big scowl on. He adjusted his glasses and fired off a glare at the three of us. “Yes?” he snapped.“Hi! I’m Broccoli, and I was told that we could find the archivist here? For skill stuff?”“For skill stuff,” he repeated before scoffing. “Let me guess, one of you three unlocked some skill you’ve never heard of in your short, poorly educated lives, and now you think to bother me about it?”“I mean, essentially, yes,” I said. “I got a new skill and I have no idea what it is or does, and I was told that the people here could help?”“Then search the stacks, that’s assuming you’re literate at all?” he said.This man was being very rude, but it wasn’t nice to be rude back to someone, even if it might feel better in the moment. “I think all three of us are able to read, yes,” I said. “But if we weren’t then we’d still ask you for help. It’s not fair to discriminate against people like that.”“Ah yes, because why would I discriminate against a bun and a harpy of all things?” he asked.A hand grabbed onto my shoulder, and I half turned to find Caprica smiling past me while carefully pushing me aside. “Hello sir,” she said. “As I understand it, you’re unwilling to assist these two?”The archivist frowned. “They hardly look like they belong here, do they?” he asked.“I see, thank you for your time then,” she said before turning. “Come on, the library is technically run off of the royal coffers. I’m certain that the head librarian would make time for a quick visit.”The archivist snorted. “Are you done bothering me then?” he asked.“You wouldn’t happen to know if the head librarian is in, would you?” Caprica asked.“If he is, I doubt he’d want to speak with...” he paused to stare at Amaryllis and I. “Ruffians.”Caprica nodded, then she turned to the soldier waiting behind us on the top of the steps. Judging by the way the archivist blinked, he hadn’t noticed them. “Could you inform the head librarian of my upcoming visit? A minute’s warning is better than none.”“Yes, Princess,” the soldier said before doing an about-face and running off.“Princess?” the archivist asked, his voice losing some of its surety.“Yes,” Caprica said. “I was escorting these diplomats around, showing them the great luxuries of Goldenalden when one had a question that we thought an archivist like yourself could answer.”“Oh,” he said. “Well, I’m certain I can answer any question,” he replied.Caprica looked very unimpressed. “I think you’ve answered plenty of questions,” she said. “Captain Broccoli, Lady Amaryllis, if you wouldn’t mind following me, I’m certain we can get everything sorted out in no time at all. I’m very sorry for this entire thing, you don’t deserve such treatment.”“It’s okay?” I said as I followed after her. Had that entire thing been... speciesism? I reached up and tugged at one of my ears. I’d been told I couldn’t do things because I was a girl before, but never because I had big ears and a tail. “He was very rude,” I said, even though I knew that the archivist could probably still hear me. It felt very... vindictive.“I’m sorry,” Caprica said. “I wish people weren’t like that. Once we find the head librarian I’m sure we can sort everything out.”“It’s fine,” Amaryllis said. “I think we expected some level of such treatment on arriving here.”Caprica’s frown suggested that she was very much not pleased with that answer.
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