Touch of Fate

Chapter 99: For Love of Learning

Mike walked across central campus and approached The Spire. As he got closer, he noticed that there was a circular structure built around the base of the towering shard of crystalline material. Judging from the traffic, this was the entrance.

An ornately carved archway led into a wide staircase heading down underground. There were two doors to other portions of the circular building, one placarded with 'Secondary Library,' the other with 'Administration.' A sign hanging from the ceiling read 'Main Library' with a simple arrow pointing down the staircase, which seemed to curve gently to the left. Crystalline fixtures set into the wall bathed the passage in a steady white light.

Deciding that the Main Library sounded like his best option, he started down. After descending for a few minutes, he began to wonder how much longer he would be walking. He'd passed a few weary students who were trudging back up the staircase, pausing every once and awhile to catch their breath. It seemed like the height of folly to have this kind of set up.

[I wonder if the Secondary Library is where they store the books for general readership, and they keep the actually valuable volumes in the Spire itself. It would be silly to make students climb up and down these steps every time they needed to visit.]

After approximately five minutes he reached the bottom of the stairs, which opened up into a large lobby-like chamber. Several people dressed in simple grey robes were working behind desks. Another archway seemed to lead into the library itself. Two armored figures stood guard next to it, evidently monitoring the entry way.

Not really sure what else to do, Mike walked up to one of the desks carved with the words 'Collections Management.' A young female dwarf was working there. It was the first time had seen women of the race up close, and was surprised to find that they didn't look too different from humans.

She was definitely shorter, maybe 120cm, but broad of frame. Her limbs looked powerful, but her motions still carried a feminine grace. Chestnut hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, displaying a wide, rounded face.

"May I help you?" She asked a little gruffly, since he had been staring a bit too long.

"Ah, sorry. Its actually my first time visiting the library, and I wasn't sure what I should do." He replied apologetically.

"That's a bit of an issue. Ordinarily, I would send you up to have your account registered, but our account manager is currently out, and the University in its infinite wisdom hasn't bothered to have him replaced in the meantime. Without an account, you can't check any books out, nor access the more restricted sections." She replied with barely concealed frustration.

"I see....Do I need to come back later?" He was hoping that his trip down here wasn't wasted.

Sighing, the dwarf woman set down her quill. "No, I'll help you. With the current term coming to a close, my workload is quite lenient at the moment. If you'll follow me, I'll take you up to the Account Management Office."

She started walking through the guarded archway, and passed by it with a casual nod to the guards. The archway led into another crystal-lit hallway that terminated in a series of three doors. Turning towards him once they were through, the dwarf gave him an appraising look. "So what brings an adventurer to the library?"

"Eh? How did you know?"

"Lucky guess, mainly. The way you hold your self betrays martial training, but your not as stuck up as one of the knights. You aren't well-dressed or groomed enough to be one of the noble brats that end up here, thinking they own the place since their dads rule some backwater in the middle of nowhere. You definitely don't look smart enough to be a scholarship student for any of the more intellectually minded departments, and Martial Arts students don't usually bother with books until fairly late in their studies, once they've realized that there is more to fighting than simply hitting things with sharp bits of metal."

She stopped and gave him a flat look. "I'd guess that you got in with a recommendation, which means you did something pretty impressive for someone pretty important. Since you aren't a knight or a noble, they most likely option would be an adventurer. Now if you don't mind answering my question."

Mike laughed, "I'm here to explore mainly. I start classes tomorrow, and I wanted to get a feel for the library and the resources it offers before I get too involved in my studies."

"Fair enough." She said while turning around and leading him through one of the doors. They entered a small chamber, with a lever built into one wall.

[This couldn't be...]

The dwarf must have caught the look on his face, because she laughed as she pushed the lever up. With a rumble the chamber began to rise. Mike started once he realized he could actually see the stone of the walls move.

"Bet this is new to you. One of the wonders invented by generations of faculty members here. A innovative use of magic and technology that demonstrated the cooperative creativity of the University. Or so they would have you believe. Honestly, I think they just got tired of walking up the stairs."

"Pretty impressive."

"You haven't seen anything yet. By the way, I don't think I caught your name."

He glanced over at her, noticing that she was still examining him out of the corner of her eye, but looked away when he notice.

"You can call me Mike. How about you?"

"I'm Rusilka, daughter of Grunyar and Inek. Don't worry about trying to remember it. Most of you tall folk just call me the library dwarf, when they think I'm not listening."

"That seems kind of rude." He replied with a frown.

"Meh, I'm used to it. You humans have short memories, so I can't expect too much out of you. Anyway, get ready. We're about to see the most impressive sight in the University."

Shortly after she announced it, the stone walls gave way to the translucent crystal of the Spire. They apparently entered the structure at some point. He was surrounded by the breathtaking view of the campus laid out before him in every direction. It seemed like they were already tens of meters above the ground, and still ascending.

"In a typically human fashion, once the original discoverers of the Spire learned that there was an underground entrance to the structure, they promptly proceeded to build their own bits at the most inconvenient part of it. A tradition that the University continues to this day." The dwarf added sarcastically while they were still ascending.

Looking up, Mike realized that the inside of the Spire was largely hollow, only a thin layer of transparent crystal separating them from the outside. The elevator they were riding was quickly approaching a section of wooden and steel scaffolding simply built into the sides of the Spire. The remnants of a spiral staircase could be seen along the edges, although it was clearly in disrepair.

"I can imagine that climbing this would get quite tiresome after awhile." He muttered, trying to imagine how unpleasant it must be for someone without supernatural stamina.

Rusilka laughed at that. "Can't understand it myself. Some jumped up bastard thought it would be a great idea to build himself a home at the very top of this thing, no matter the expense, and I'll be damned if he didn't see it through. That kind of stubbornness is admirable in a way."

Mike felt a little strange about a dwarf calling anyone else stubborn, but had to remind himself that the stereotypes from fantasy fiction back in his old world weren't necessarily accurate for the people of this one.

The elevator soon passed through the reinforced floor of the library structure built into the hollow center of the Spire. They passed a floor that seemed to be devoted to maintenance and storage, but stopped at the next. Rusilka led him out into a hallway filled with offices, and up to a door marked 'Account Management.'

Pushing it open, she motioned for him to come in. "Alright, Mike. I need your student ring."

As soon as he handed it over, she plugged it into a boxy device with a slot seemingly designed for the process. It started to hum for a moment, emitted a few strange chirps, and fell silent. She plucked the ring back out of the device and handed it back to him.

"Alright, now you can check books out at the desk downstairs. There are a few rules that I have to go over, so pay attention. First, you are limited to three books at a time, and you can only check them out for a week. Each of them has been enchanted with a basic anti-theft spell which will alert University security to your location should you try to leave with any books that haven't been checked out."

"What happens if you are late turning them in?" He asked, having a lot of personal experience regarding that in his old world.

"Depending on the number of times you do it, they'll either issue a warning, suspend your library privileges, or cancel them entirely. I recommend that you return them promptly and on time. Alright, now for the second rule. As a first year student with basic access, you can only visit the first level of the restricted section. Your department can grant you permission for more at a later date."

"How many sections are there?"

"Stop interrupting." She paused, then continued. "There are five total sections, because everything in your culture has to be divided into fives. Now, the last and most important rule is simple. Don't intentionally damage any of the books or the library itself. Any violations will be met with immediate cancellation of all privileges and possible expulsion. Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good." They exchanged stares for a few moments, before she broke the silence. "Well off you go then, do your exploring." She made a shooing motion.

"Thank you for the help Rusilka, I appreciate it."

"None of that now. I was just doing my job." She said while pushing him out of the office. "Just head down that way, and you'll see the stairs to take you to the next floor, which will be General Collections. After that will be the restricted section."

"Gotcha. Thanks again." He said while walking down the indicated passage.

Following the dwarf's directions brought him into a wide open area filled with bookshelves and tables. With the exception of several support pillars the sides of the chamber were left open, displaying a view of both the campus and the capital itself. Students in varying uniforms could be seen milling about or studying at one of the tables. A handful of people dressed in gray robes performed the clerical duties that kept the place running properly.

Looking around, Mike only had one thought.

[Alright, now where the hell do I start?]

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