Chapter 17.2: The Makings of a Plan

That first night very little changed. Most of the group was left to themselves in the main hall of the Priory while Ventyr met with the magister and Velm found them bunks in the overcrowded dormitories.

Minkus had taken the time to explore, discovering an immense supply of historical documents to thumb through that spanned topics from the birth of the nation of Orr all the way to the Guild Wars. He knew only a small handful of the stories, and he couldn’t say he’d quite followed all that the tomes had to say even on those, but every page still spurred his wonder. The tomes he’d held that night were not only records of the past, but pieces of it brought out of time to share truth that went deeper than knowledge, and in the Durmond Priory, he was surrounded by people who actually knew how to interpret those truths. More than once, he simply gawked at the explorers and scholars passing him.

The norn finally did return. He led them past the gate, down the stairs, and to their quarters. Since night had long since fallen outside, the stone halls were quite dimly lit, and aside from a few silent Priory members still walking the halls between stacks to tend to research, Velm and the small group behind him were entirely alone. Together, they slipped into the dormitory where Ventyr was already asleep, and quickly they followed suit.

The next morning, they rose to the sounds of a much different environment than anything they’d seen yet. Where the main level of the Priory had been sharp, orderly, and grand, the dorms on the lower level weren’t quite the same experience. Better descriptors for this level were plain, disorderly, and unkempt. Dormitories and stacks alike were strewn with open tomes, unrolled maps, and a smattering of other unfamiliar objects.

Before even leaving their quarters, Penny had laughed at it more than once. She said it was everything she’d imagined for a horde of scholars left to their own devices in the heart of a mountain, as though the members of the Priory were as likely to cuddle their scrolls to sleep as they were to read them in one of the library chambers. Minkus still looked on in wonder at all the history around him, but with a chuckle, he had to admit she was right.

One thing the lower level of the Priory was not, though, was quiet. Up and down the circular central hall, novices and new scholars passed in chattering droves. Charr, human, norn, sylvari, and asura were all represented in those milling masses of robed figures, moving from one room to another, and for every one that read silently, there were two engaged in active, often loud debate. According to Yissa, the milieu was indicative of a break between lectures given by explorers and historians recently returned from active duty. It was some kind of Priory gathering to teach the next generation of scholars.

The bits of conversation they heard ranged in topic from ancient, dwarven weapon-crafting to the movement of the cosmos according to the jotun. Minkus grinned ear to ear hearing it all, but he was certain only Jinkke was understanding everything they heard. She repeatedly nodded her head at this statement and shook her head at the next as they wove their way through the flowing crowd. A time or two, she actually stopped to engage the speaker. One Charr seemed particularly put off by her refusal to believe golemancy was a direct derivative of necromancy.

“Oh, no,” she refuted, crossing her arms indignantly at both the speaker and his associate. “I’m familiar with Oola, and she is no evidence of ancient connections between the two arts. Her experiments were something unlike anything done by her peers or predecessors, the ramifications of which have made such activity near criminal in civilized circles. If there were even the possibility that such a practice was used in eons past, there would have been others pursuing the same links, but there haven’t been. And that’s to speak nothing of the birth of golemancy with—”

“Um, Jinkke,” Minkus intoned, tapping her on the shoulder.

She slowly turned her head. “What is it, Big Brother? I was just explaining to this gentleman here that— oh, hello Sergeant.”

There stood Ventyr, Yissa, and Magister Makkay, hovering silently behind her brother and Penny. “Come with me, everyone,” Ventyr instructed. “We need to discuss our travel plans.”

The group followed as the magister led them back down the hall they’d just come through. Jinkke took a moment to turn back to the large, orange charr. “I can’t continue explaining, but suffice it to say that you’re seeking answers in the wrong skritt hole. Read some Blimm if you’re really interested to learn where Oola got her crackpot notions. Alchemy’s luck to you.” With that, she spun and followed the others down the hall. The charr shook his head, and he and his partner walked on.

Penny, Minkus, Skixx, and Jinkke were ushered into the private study of Magister Makkay, just behind Ventyr and Yissa. The space was very little like the other quarters, offices, and stacks of the Priory’s lower level. As far as the structure and design of the space were concerned, it was identical to any other room they’d seen, but the decor, the atmosphere, they were crisp moonlight to the chaotic dayglow of all the others. Where other chambers were covered in disordered scrolls and relics, Makkay’s office had twice as many tomes and antiquities as any other, but in perfect arrangement, shelved in exact alignment. No spine spilled half-an-inch further than any other. And where the other chambers had had no lack of dust from probable seasons without tidying, this one had none. In fact, any surface that could have a sheen, did: dark mahogany chairs and desk, relics carved of onyx, an enameled globe of tyria, and the frames of countless paintings all shone brilliantly where the torchlight met them.

Makkay passed around her desk and sat in the padded, black seat behind it. “So,” she began, folding her hands on the desktop, “I’ve found an explorer willing to accompany your team on the rest of your—”

“Actually, Magister,” Yissa broke in, raising a hand. “I was considering all the options you’d discussed with me yesterday—”

“We did not discuss options,” Makkay said coldly. “I told you we would be sending one of our most experienced explorers from the Tarnished Coast, as soon as we had instructors ready to fill in for him here.”

“Yes,” Yissa agreed, “And I thought that was a fine idea—it really was—until I realized that, while Raeph would be excellent in the environment, He doesn’t know a thing beyond basic human history regarding the mursaat or their creations. Yes, he could get them there, but once there, what would he do? Recite to them the story of D’Alessio’s rebellion? That has no value to either anything they’re trying to accomplish or anything we’re trying to accomplish.”

Makkay shook her head. “And your point, Scholar?”

“My point, Magister, is that in light of those entirely factual and non-judgemental realities, the only logical candidate for this assignment is me. For the last five years, I’ve researched nothing but the mursaat, their constructs, their magics, and every record of their history and culture collected over the last two-hundred years. I am as knowledgeable on the subject as anyone here, perhaps with the exception of Magister Sharpeye. My ears, he’s studied mursaat magic for longer than—”

“Yes, Yissa,” Makkay interrupted. “I am very familiar with both your expertise and that of Magister Sharpeye.” She put a hand to her temple as Yissa looked on expectantly. “Fine, Scholar, I’ll give you this assignment, but you’ll need to find others to cover your studies and lectures while—”

“I already have,” Yissa squealed, beaming at her superior. She stepped forward, only just taller than the desk itself, and placed a sheet of parchment on the polished mahogany. Makkay quickly slid it toward herself and read. “I knew you’d see the wisdom of sending me,” Yissa went on, “so I took the liberty of planning my replacements ahead of time. I have several volunteers willing to attend to my duties in my absence—except for that good-for-nothing Thel—”

“Thank you. You have this assignment. That is enough.” Makkay turned her attention to the sylvari as she extended a hand back to the scholar. “Sergeant, your new Priory representative.” She took a moment to look at the others in the room, one by one, though she still addressed Ventyr. “Do you trust everyone in your party with this information?”

Ventyr quickly surveyed the room as well, his eyes stopping longer on both Skixx and Jinkke than the others. He shook his head slightly and returned his attention to the magister. “I suppose I do. Though I haven’t been left much of a choice.” He cast a quick glance at Yissa.

Makkay nodded. “Very well. We can see you supplied and readied tomorrow to leave at first light the next day. There is no way to make it to the haven in a single day, though, so as I said, I recommend stopping in Bouldermouth Vale after the first day’s travel.”

Skixx had been absorbed in thought when the magister’s words struck him. “Bouldermouth Vale?” he questioned suddenly. “Alchemy, that’s where I’m going!”

Everyone turned.

He met their curious gazes, almost indignantly. “What?”

“You sound pretty excited about this Bouldermouth,” Penny remarked with a raised eyebrow.

Skixx coughed lightly into a balled fist, clearing his throat. “I— yes. It’s just that it’s where my buyer is.”

Penny nodded. “Must be some buyer.”

“In any case,” the magister interrupted, leaning forward on her desk. “Stop and stay the night there. Do your business,” she nodded at Skixx, “and then carry on the next day to the haven. There are vendors there, so you needn’t carry anything more than you’ll need in those two days. From there, it’s another two-day’s journey to Lion’s Arch. The length of your journey beyond that depends heavily on Scholar Yissa’s findings from the last day.”

Both Ventyr and Makkay turned their attentions to Yissa, who stood gazing at the purple shard in her hands. The attention of the others followed the sylvari until all eyes were on Yissa.

“Oh,” she popped, suddenly aware of the attention. “Yes, yes Magister, the asura gate. Yes, we’ll take the asura gate to Rata Sum, the closest point possible to Brisban. From there we can make our way on foot, since I’ve not yet been registered for waypoint travel—though I’ve certainly put in my request enough times. Even still, the Sergeant here isn’t registered either, so it would be a moot point, though I would like to point out—”

“Yes, Scholar, I am aware.” Makkay held her poise tightly. “The question is not, nor has it been, how you will reach the Wildland once you’re in Rata Sum. The question the sergeant presented earlier was whether or not it was safe to travel by asura gate with a magical object of this nature. Have you reached a conclusion on that matter?”

Yissa set the stone down on the desk and straightened. “Yes, Magister. I just spent two hours with Scholar Keemka, refreshing myself on the nature of asura-gate magic, and we’ve drawn some strong conclusions on the subject.”

As Yissa continued speaking, Minkus tapped Penny’s thigh with his elbow. “See? Magic,” he whispered.

She looked down at him, her confused expression souring when she recognized what he was referring to. “Thanks, professor.”

“What are you two jabbering about?” Jinkke whispered, getting a step closer behind them.

“When we met,” Minkus snickered, “Penny didn’t think the asura gates were magical. She lost a bet.”

Jinkke grinned. “Oh, bookah, you poor idiot.”

Penny glared back at her. “Look, little one—”

“Ahem!” Scholar Yissa snapped, pulling their focus back. “When you ladies are done, please feel free to rejoin our conversation on the importance of not dying in an asura gate.”

“But he—” Penny began, pointing at Minkus.

Yissa’s hands went to her hips as she slanted her brow at Penny. “Don’t you try to snake out of this, human. He didn’t have anything to do with it, and you know it.” Yissa batted an eye at Minkus before carrying on. He didn’t know why, but it made him squirm.

“Let’s just get back to what I was I saying.” Yissa paused. “What was I saying? Oh yes, my studies with Keemka. Based on the standard polarity of a gate’s iris, only one or two types of magic pose a serious risk. Preventing dangerous interplays, according to Keemka, is exactly why that polarity is used. I’m certain there will be no undesirable interplay between the spells generally attributed to the creation of mursaat constructs and the magic of any standard gate. It is by far the best method for getting us to our destination as quickly and safely as possible, which is our ultimate goal, after all. I cannot wait to see a living construct for myself! I mean, if there are any more—which of course we hope there aren’t, because that, as we mentioned, would be catastrophic. So no, there will be no constructs. Obviously.” As her words trailed off, she bit her lip in a curious mix of embarrassment and exuberance.

Makkay simply shook her head. “Very well. Thank you, Scholar. Are there any further questions?” She scanned the faces of their guests, but it was Yissa who spoke again.

“In the event that we do encounter a living construct, should I—”

“In the event that you encounter a living construct, Scholar, do not engage unless absolutely necessary.”

“But,” Yissa quickly retorted, “we could study—”

“Scholar,” Makkay interjected firmly. “This is strictly a research venture. If you encounter opposition, return immediately. The magisterial council will determine what course we take next. Do not elicit a battle for the sake of your studies.”

Yissa looked at her feet, mildly scorned.

“Do you understand, Scholar?”

“I understand, Magister,” she mumbled.

“Good.” Makkay turned her attention to the others. “Are there any other questions?” After a moment of silence, she addressed Ventyr specifically. “Sergeant, if you have any further concerns, see the grounds manager. He’ll be arranging your provisions and any equipment you may need. Otherwise, Scholar Yissa is your liaison, and will help you with what you need. I, sadly, have too much to do and will not be at your disposal beyond this point.”

Ventyr bowed. “I appreciate your assistance, Magister.” He turned. “And yours, Scholar. I hope to have this behind us soon.”

With that, farewells were exchanged, and the party moved on out of the magister’s office and back to their quarters.

As everyone settled in again, Jinkke left to go engage with more of the researchers in the stacks. She told Minkus she particularly hoped to encounter the charr with the strange necromantic theories again; there was more she believed she could teach him. Skixx quickly made his way out and into the hall without a word as to where he was going. That left Minkus, Penny, and Ventyr in the room by themselves, all sitting on their respective beds. In the sudden silence, Minkus felt both a tension and ease fill the space between them. He didn’t understand how both could be, but he felt them.

Penny slid to the end of her bed and tapped Ventyr on the shoulder. “Looks like the bookworms are a bit more efficient than the soldiers,” she said with a wry grin.

“Seems that way.” Ventyr had been sitting in silence. Minkus assumed he was meditating, which he continued to do, his eyes still closed despite now talking to Penny.

Minkus sat silently as well, watching as Penny looked at the sylvari more intently. Her smile fell away. “You know, Carrot-stick, you actually look like you’re almost at ease.”

He nodded. “I almost am.”