Act 2 - Concerning the Arts of War
Scene 1
"There," I said, slotting the Earth mirror into the final hole on the map. My magic was turning out to be incredibly useful - branding the surface of this wall from a time long past had been a map of Gaia, and all I had needed to do was gouge out the four circular depressions and the tracks connecting them all together, and . . . ta-da! A reminder of the shrine locations and a fitting place for the seal all rolled into one.
"Are you sure the seal will be safe here?" Taharka asked gruffly.
I smiled. It would seem that Gaia had a whole host of creatures I could bend to my will if I so wished it, and Taharka had been no exception. But, his question was valid. I nodded confidently at the floating monster.
"Even if someone should, by chance, rediscover this continent or its lost building, I doubt they will be able to fight their way to the top. Whoever built this castle obviously didn't want anyone to get very far inside." I grimaced. Planets often had magical 'hotspots', but this place was ridiculous. There had been a complete reversal of natural physics here. The monsters it held had fortunately posed no problems for me. But it wasn't as if the place had anything to hide. I was pretty sure I had scoured every inch of it, and had come up with nothing valuable. "And if they should reach this point, then you'll be here to stop them getting any further, won't you?"
Taharka grumbled, curling in on itself defensively. "Yes, master."
"Good. I'll leave you to it, shall I?"
I had further reassurances than the semi-powerful Taharka. Even if the mirrors were recovered, the seal wouldn't open until they had been placed inside their respective shrines - a problem for anyone because of the four Chaos guardians brooding in their places of choice. There was only one thing I disliked about making Terra so inaccessible: when the time came for my revenge, the seal would be, for lack of a better phrase, an absolute bitch to open back up.
Ah, well, I'd deal with that when I came back to it.
"One task down," was my greeting to the silver dragon as I emerged from the castle. The Invincible was already waiting for me in the upper reaches of the planet's atmosphere, and . . .
I glanced at my escort, a slight smile on my face.
Its eyes were closed and it wore an expression of extreme pleasure.
"You are enjoying the climate, my friend?" The Mist wasn't nearly as thick over this side of the world, and the sun was warm, heating the rocks underfoot.
"I find Gaia's weather quite pleasant."
"I'm inclined to agree with you." Anything over the nauseating Light, stagnant water and sterile air of my home world. Although Gaia was, in fact, the origin of the Light, it was not visible to any of my senses while I was actually on the planet's surface.
"What is your next task?"
"One that you will find quite boring, I'm afraid," I said sadly. "I have a lot of research to do. Garland told me of a library I can use for that purpose. I would ask you to convey me there, Silver Dragon, and then I shall leave you to your own devices."
"For good?" I couldn't tell whether it was pleased at that proposition or saddened by it. From the slow whirling of its blue eyes, my thoughts preferred the latter.
"No, not quite. There is still much to be done, but this will take some time." With ease of practice, I vaulted to the dragon's back. "We go to Daguerreo at once."
***
I was quite impressed with the library that Gaia had to offer me. Terra's was large, but this one, while lacking in audio-visual references, was vast. One could traverse its watery pathways and find anything desired, watery because of a great dragon god's influence on the mountain retreat.
So it was that I found myself standing at the entrance of cavernous Daguerreo, the Lost Library. Considering that the place was apparently 'lost', there were many people here - scribes, wise men and, indeed, wise women, mages, scholars and thrill-seeking treasure hunters. As I viewed the walls of the Library, shelf after shelf of every book probably ever written on Gaia, I realised how daunting my task actually was. There were no librarians in Daguerreo; the texts weren't arranged particularly well, often mixed with inappropriate subject matter. Scouring this readers' haven for what I needed could well take years. I doubted that I could have read everything I'd have liked before I died of old age . . . or Terra reclaimed my soul and gave it to an awakened human who didn't deserve it.
My soul . . . mine.
There were no references to Gaia in Terra's library, besides a scientific analysis of the planet and its suitability for absorption. That meant I'd be starting from scratch.
It was a good job I so enjoyed reading, otherwise I'd have given up right there and then. Even the Second's help would have been beneficial for this part of my mission - no. I didn't need the Second, and besides, he was about as active as the rest of Garland's race right now.
Gaia's language had been a necessary part of my Learning as a Genome, so I would have no trouble deciphering the many texts. It was good job, as much of what I eventually scanned was nearly illegible. Did all wise men have crabby handwriting?
It wasn't even as though I had a predetermined list to work from - all I had was my own initiative. But there were key things I needed to learn, and needed to learn fast.
I had to disrupt the cycle of souls of this planet. Part of that had already been accomplished before my existence had even been thought of. My job was to increase the destruction on Gaia, no mean feat to accomplish. No extraordinary numbers of deaths meant not enough souls being released, and I had to remedy that. And the best method of bringing about destruction?
War.
Logically, I realised that I could barely start a grand-scale war on my little lonesome. Even if I did, the only ideas I could think of would have everyone ganging up against me alone. No, that wasn't a good idea at all, and not very practical besides. To create a decent feud, I would have to get in with the top brass, so to speak.
So, first item on the agenda: Gaia's social history, up to and including the current state of affairs.
Secondly, I needed to be on the victorious side, however short-lived that side might be after Garland was through with it. For this, I needed a weapon that would ensure a win. And Gaia's most powerful force was just sitting there, waiting for me, practically begging to be harnessed on a more magnificent scale.
That energy was magic. A slightly vague topic, but a starting point nonetheless. But magic would come second. Until then, there was an entire wall with my name on it, dedicated to The History of Gaia: Volumes I to . . . do numerals even go up that far?!
I remember quite clearly selecting the first tome of that series with a somewhat gloomy countenance, brushing dust from its weathered surface, finding a seat on a nearby stack of sturdy geography books, and beginning to read.
***
It took me many, many months to complete that section of my research. Somehow I managed to scrounge paper and writing materials from the wizened old Gaian in the expensive synthesis shop, and my notes were nothing if not extensive. While the dry rations I had taken from the Invincible's stores didn't exactly inspire the taste buds, I had little time to enjoy what I ate had they been gourmet meals. I defeated my frequent bouts of writer's cramp by leaving the Library occasionally and venturing down the mountainside, fighting and destroying the impressive Grand Dragons that often came lumbering my way. They made excellent opportunities to flex my tense muscles after so long hunched over musty pages, and also made good practice for my future . . . that was, the part that consisted of exacting my revenge on Garland.
By the end, I had a sheaf of notes so thick I could have written my own series of books in my peculiar curling, butterfly-style shorthand. Luckily, I had a good memory so I didn't expect to have to refer to them much. They were just a precaution.
So now I knew about Gaia's social and political situation. And that meant I could get onto the subject my stomach churned in anticipation at: magic. To think, an entire new world with entirely new magical boundaries! I had become so accustomed to Terra's that it had grown to be almost boring by the end, but I had a fresh playground to take my fancy.
Hefting my notes in both arms, I made my way towards the magic section of the Library.
And there, I encountered my first Gaian.
Although many people had wandered past and even perused the same shelves as me in my studies of Gaia's history, none had spoken to me. Indeed, I had been so enthralled in my work that I probably wouldn't have heard them if they had. It's no surprise then, that after sighing at the size of the 'Books of Magic' category and skimming the closest shelf with quick fingers, I jumped at hearing a voice that appeared to be addressing me.
"You've been busy," were the words it spoke.
I blinked, turning slowly to look at whoever had felt the need to converse with me. A red mage was sitting on the floor against the balcony railings, surrounded by several dozen volumes of The Element of Fire series. Her crimson clothing was creased and dusty, and I assumed she had been here a long time. I couldn't see her eyes beneath that peaked hat, but I could feel them focused quite intensely on me. Well, not at me, but at the notes I was clinging to with my right hand.
I hadn't noticed her there before. Nor had I spoken with a Gaian yet.
"Too much writing and reading toasted your tongue, eh?" She yawned, stretching, and tipped her hat back, revealing a pair of rather beautiful blue eyes that contrasted starkly with her deeply ebony hair, cropped short and braided in several places with silver thread. "I know how you feel. You've been here as long as me, haven't you? I saw you when I arrived."
All red mages looked alike to me. Overcoming my initial numbness at being noticed at all, I coughed. "I've been here for . . . thirteen months, nearly fourteen now." By the gods, had a year really passed so fleetingly?
"Tiring, isn't it? All this reading?"
"You don't like to read?" I was shocked. Reading had been the only thing I had enjoyed on Terra.
"Oh, no, I like reading." She scowled then. "Just not this extensively. My name is Faowri, by the way. I extend my warmest greetings to you, stranger."
"I am Kuja," I responded, and then wondered if perhaps I should have chosen a pseudonym for my destructive work. I didn't want any kind of reputation, good or bad, just yet. "You are a red mage, correct?"
"Yes. That's about right." Faowri shifted a little and winced, her back cracking so loudly that it echoed throughout the Library. "Ye gods, how long have I been sat here?" Hopping to her feet, she stretched herself along the banister, groaning with relief. "Ack, my ass has gone numb again."
"Fascinating," I said with a smirk. "Why go through this at all? Are you searching for anything important?"
Faowri studied me carefully. "Would you like me to ask you the same thing?"
"No," was my solid reply.
"Ah, secret agendas, eh?" She grinned, removing her hat completely and running a gloved hand through her hair. "You gotta love 'em. If you really want to know, I'm studying the Elements."
"That much I gathered."
"It's part of advanced training for a red mage," she said, as though I should have known that already. Truth was I knew that she was a red mage and that red mages struck a compromise between black and white magic, and that was about it.
"Of course." Something was nagging at me. I had seen red mages aplenty here, and a few of the now rare white mages, but no black ones. If there were white and red mages, I automatically assumed there would be black ones to balance it out. I longed to ask this Faowri about it, but I couldn't appear overly ignorant of Gaia's unwritten laws.
Subtlety wasn't a part of my nature in general. I had a flair for the dramatic. But, nonetheless, the answer to this question undoubtedly lay before me, whereas if I missed the opportunity, I would have to dig through the shelves of books for it, a tiresome task. "Tell me, why do black mages not study here?"
Faowri glanced at me sharply. I could tell that I had made a mistake somewhere, but I kept my expression blank.
"Black mages? There are no black mages."
"Forgive me," I covered with a smile and a delicate bow. "I have been away for a long time on a distant continent and the workings of the rest of the world sometimes escape me."
"Really?" She regarded me coolly. I had a feeling that explanation had not been satisfactory, but I hardly had the time to worry about it.
"Yes, I was researching the nature of the Forgotten Continent." Not a complete lie - I was strangely pleased by that fact.
That seemed to peak her interest. Faowri raised both eyebrows. "For how long?"
"Oh, long enough to fall behind," I said, waving a hand irritably. "Tell me, why no black mages?"
Faowri pursed her lips, and bent over to scoop up some of her books. "A mage has to be in complete harmony with the magic he or she uses. None of the races on this planet are capable of bearing such utterly destructive spirits, so they can't fully devote themselves to black magic in its pure form. White mages are attuned to white magic, the life energies, and red mages assume a combination of both black and white, but you'd have to be . . . immoral or ill-spirited to become a black mage."
"Ah, I see." An idea began to whir in my head. Distractedly, I nodded at the shelves. "As you can probably tell, I'm not all that knowledgeable about things magical, a problem I aim to rectify right now."
"You're going to read them all?" Faowri goggled.
"Quite possibly." I couldn't keep the weariness from my voice.
"You want to start from the beginning?" She smiled. "I could give you some recommendations."
"I would be most grateful, dear lady."
Still smiling, Faowri took the quill from my hand and I offered her a fresh sheet of paper. She began to scribble down various names and writers. "These helped me through my mentor's torturous exams," the mage grinned, and passed the sheet and quill back to me.
"Thank you very much." I nodded my head at her. "You're leaving now, then?"
"By the gods, no!" Faowri sighed. "I've nearly finished my reading on Fire . . . then I have to deal with the other three Elements . . ."
"Looks like we'll have a long while to chat, then," I said wryly, and, scanning the first name on the list she had given me, bent to the lowest shelves and searched for it. "Gods, this place needs a librarian. A's . . . A's . . . Wait a minute, what's this?"
Faowri looked at the book my finger rested lightly on.
"Literature," she scowled. "Not very magical at all. You'd think people would put the books back where they found them!"
"Literature . . ." I repeated slowly, pulling the book from its tight slot and flipping it over in my hands. " 'A Collection of Plays by the Great Lord Avon'?"
"You haven't heard of him, I'll bet," Faowri laughed. "He's a famous playwright, arguably the greatest in history. Alexandrian, you know. One of the old Queens made him a Lord after he wrote his best one. I think it was called 'I Want To Be Your Canary'."
I blinked. Had I even the slightest idea what a 'play' was, I would have responded more effectively.
"Are you okay there, Kuja?" Faowri asked, waving a hand in front of my face. "You look a little spaced out. Maybe you should take a break?"
"Good idea," I said, nodding, and patted the book. "I'm going to grab something more refreshing than rations. Do you want anything?"
"I'll take a cold drink, please." She had resettled on the floor, adjusting her clothes around her, and was cross-legged, a heavy book in her lap with a leather bookmark in it. The mage was just opening the volume to the page it had marked as I moved off.
"I'm going to return this to the literature section," I added. She fluttered a hand in acknowledgement.
To my utmost surprise, the literature area was three times as large as the magic one. Unaware that my mouth was open, I walked down between the dusty bookshelves, glancing at the titles on the spines of the tomes I passed. Stories? Novels? More of these mysterious 'plays'? What purpose did they hold, if not to teach?
The Great Lord Avon had an entire bookshelf devoted to him. Half of the books on it were his actual plays, and the other half consisted of analyses of his work and dedications.
The Nature of Literature was a title that caught my eye. A slim book, it wouldn't take me long to read. Intrigued, I pulled it from the shelf, tucking it under my arm carefully. I had a feeling I'd return to this place often.
Still carrying the collection of Lord Avon's plays with me, I hurried off to the nearest item store. Terra was full of stones that were in abundance and thus no longer precious in that economy, but aquamarine was apparently quite valuable in Daguerreo. Good for me, since I'd had the Invincible loaded to the gills with the stuff to use for bartering.
Two drinks and a selection of fresh food in my arms, I cantered off back to the magic section.
"I thought you were taking the literature book back," the red mage grinned, nodding thanks for the refreshment. "Instead you return with more than you started!"
"I just wanted something to read in my break."
"Your break is supposed to be from reading! Ah, each to his own, I guess. At least it's literature and not linear equations or something."
"Linear equations are far too easy," I said with a snort, sipping at my drink and flipping to the first page of The Nature of Literature.
Faowri laughed. "Whatever you say, my friend. Whatever you say."
End of Act 2: Scene 2