B4 Chapter 25: The Archives
B4 Chapter 25: The Archives
The dense foliage of the Evergreen Seas---or rather, the Great Ruthin forest, as the elves called it---no longer loomed quite as oppressively as it had before. A large part of that was due to the road that now wound its way deeper within, carving a path through the shaded underbrush and toward the elven city of Flos Aeternus. Though the recent dearth of monsters in the area certainly helped as well. Still, Quintus found himself keeping a keen eye out for any shiny carapaces and thin strands of webbing along their way.
Luckily, they encountered no such opposition. Though the Third Legion did take it upon themselves to clear a few fledgling threats. Sending small groups into the forest to find those monsters proved a good exercise, both for his men's fighting abilities and to ensure their command structures were functioning as intended.
"Legatus, sir! We located a cluster of shadow panthers trying to slink away!"
A centurion called out as he approached. Behind, his trio of contubernia hauled along the remains of the beasts, each already skinned and harvested. A single elven guide walked silently alongside them, a longbow slung across his back.
Quintus nodded in approval. "Good work. Though I'm surprised there are any left by this point."
The centurion chuckled. "So was I. But I won't complain. Octavius makes an excellent stew with them."
The Legatus snorted. "See if he's still able to do so. Though he'll need to share. I don't want a coup on my hands."
The men laughed and continued on past, rejoining the line of Legionnaires. They were in higher spirits than when they'd initially set out. Between Quintus's demonstration at the arena and the fresh troops slowly acclimating to their new classes, they were working out those initial jitters and managing to return the most bigheaded recruits down to earth. Even if some, like Ham, had a few more stripes to show for it.
Overall, things were going well. They were finally beginning to feel like an army.
What's more, the men seemed to look at him differently than before---both the veterans and the new blood. The new blood he could understand. After so thoroughly dismantling a hundred of their number, it was only reasonable that they would be a bit intimidated. But the veterans were different. They had clearly respected him before, as they'd fought along their Primus Pilus for so long. But now... they truly looked at him like he was a Legatus.
Thankfully, that didn't come with the same isolation that Tiberius often cited. If anything, the men were getting more comfortable with him once again. Hopefully things would stay that way. He much preferred it.
They continued winding their way down the path, the trees encroaching further and further until they were forced to march only two men abreast, though it widened at their passage. As they began to near the elven province, they ceased their ranging patrols and their guide took a more active role in directing them down the meandering path.
The elves had been more than a little hesitant to build a road directly to their capital. Which wasn't unexpected, given their long seclusion. But they had deferred to Tiberius's will regardless. However, they had insisted on quite a number of additional defensive measures, just for their own safety and security. As such, even this seemingly straightforward road hid a variety of traps for the unwary traveler, the extent of which Quintus didn't even know.
Luckily, their escort took care of all that. But he'd heard that tales of people disappearing in the woods hadn't fully ceased.
They passed no small number of checkpoints and were saluted by elven druids and scouts along the way. Behind them, he heard a few of the druids begin to sing, a low sonorous sound that spilled through the forest like fresh water into a clear pond. He looked back to see the trees at the edges of the road shifting out of the way, their roots shifting beneath the earth like the tentacles of some massive squid.
"To ensure that no one is tempted to fell any trees as the path expands," Quintus heard the elf beside him say as he stared. "There is an agreement in place that no trees within the deepest parts of the Great Ruthin Forest shall be harmed. As such, we have enlisted [Treesingers] to clear the way through alternative methods."
Quintus managed to keep himself from gaping. As long as he'd been here, there were still so many times he found himself astonished by the supernatural forces that abounded in this world. Seeing trees scuttling about like horrifying spider squids was certainly one of those times.
"What of the grasses and brush?" He found himself asking. But the guide shook his head sadly.
"Nothing can remain untouched eternally. Even we understand that." His fond gaze drifted up toward one of the treetops. "So long as we can minimize the impact on those who shall endure, then we will be satisfied."
It took them an entire day to reach the elven capital. The march did accelerate slightly as the men gained practice and skill levels, but the new Legionnaires were still far from pushing the veterans to anything more than a casual stroll. Quintus had the men make camp in a sparsely wooded clearing just outside the city while he and his officers ventured inward. They had hardly made it to the gates when he spotted a familiar face waiting for him, long hair flowing down his back.
"Legatus Quintus," Iladrien called out in greeting. He made a polite bow. "We've been expecting you."
"I would hope so," Quintus offered a slight smile. "Otherwise, I would question your scouts' abilities."
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The elven diplomat didn't react to the jab. He simply straightened, his ornate robes as immaculate as ever. "Indeed. Legatus Sylendor is currently indisposed, but will return soon. In the meantime, the emperor has instructed me to escort you to our archives. Please, if you'll accompany me."
Quintus nodded, stepping forward. His officers followed close behind.
"Ah," the elf interrupted. "Your men may accompany us. However, they will not be allowed inside of our destination. My apologies."
Quintus's eyebrows rose, but he nodded. He ordered them to stay with the men, taking only a couple of aides along. Just in case he needed to communicate with the rest of the Legion.
They moved through the elven capital quickly. Iladrien's long strides would have made it difficult for most to keep up and made it clear that he wasn't interested in idle conversation. Which wasn't surprising. Quintus had encountered the elf more than once over the past year or so, and he'd always seemed to be a rather uptight sort. Even more so than his brethren.
A massive tree loomed before them, so wide around that its trunk may as well have been a wall. Even its lowest boughs were hardly visible when Quintus craned his neck upward to look at it. But he barely had time to take it in before Iladrien disappeared into a hollow arch at its base. Shaking his head at the elf's rush, he followed.
The interior of the tree was almost as impressive.
A wide chamber ran through the center of the tree, shelves and passageways spiderwebbing through it while somehow managing to not kill the thing. Every surface was honeycombed with shelves, hollows, and various other spaces that held neatly organized collections of books and scrolls of every description. As Quintus watched, he saw flickers of colorful birds flitting between the shelves, busily plucking at wayward pieces of paper and clutching books in their tiny talons. carrying pieces of paper to and fro in some attempt to organize them even further.
"The archives," Iladrien announced, a hint of pride tinging his voice. "A collection of all our knowledge, and that of our ancestors before us. It is our most sacred of places---even among us elves, there are restrictions placed on those who can visit."
Iladrien turned to regard Quintus seriously. "The emperor has decreed that you shall be among those permitted to enter."
"...It is an honor," Quintus replied. Truthfully, he'd never been one much for libraries or reading in general. But he could certainly respect the sheer scale of the place, as well as the importance of his presence here. "I assume you know what I'm meant to find?"
"Indeed. Our people have already assembled a collection of information that you may find useful. Please, come with me."
The elf guided him down a series of passageways and staircases that spiraled through the living building. As they descended into the tree's roots, Quintus saw the texts alongside him grow older and more yellowed with age. By the time they finally reached a small room lit by glowing crystals, he feared simply breathing on the scrolls nearby might turn them into faint dust.
"Scribe Gwendolyn," Iladrien called into the room. "Legatus Gaius has arrived."
Quintus looked around, but saw no other figures within. Not until a sleepy voice called out in response.
"Hmmm? Oh? A visitor?"
There was a soft rustling of dry leaves as the far wall shifted to reveal an elven woman. Her slender form stepped out from the wood surface of the wall, some of it clinging to her body like a stiff dress. She yawned, and opened her eyes, their startling green hue glinting in the crystals' light.
"Scribe Gwendolyn is one of the oldest and most experienced archivists we have," Iladrien explained, inclining his head toward the woman. "She has been working tirelessly to gather all the information we have about the old empire---specifically, the fighting style of their Legion."
The elven woman smiled dreamily. "Indeed. As long as our memories are, it seems that much has been forgotten. But it is only to be expected. That is what I am here for."
With a wave of her hand, a platform raised from the center of the room, its surface already laden with scrolls and tomes. It took a slight effort for Quintus to tear his gaze away from the woman. He'd seen plenty of elves by this point, but this one was... different. More beautiful, yet also more ancient than any he'd seen by several magnitudes.
Gwendolyn stepped forward, delicately picking up a book and cradling it as though it were a child. "There is so much to speak of. Histories, tales of brave men long dead, the conquests of our ancestors... Where should I begin?"
"The emperor wishes for me to investigate the combat methods of our ancestors. How they used the System and its skills to best effect in their fighting style." It was what Quintus was most interested in as well.
Iladrien nodded. "A wise idea. While the elves have maintained a Legion, the [Legionnaire] class has not been seen for some time. As such, our combat methods have diverged quite significantly from what they once were, simply as a matter of necessity."
"Even there, we could speak until the newest sapling grows into a mighty oak and still not cover everything... Alas. Humans lead far too short of lives for such a thing." Gwendolyn sighed, setting the book down gently and retrieving another far newer one. "It is not unexpected. As such, I have taken the liberty of summarizing some of those findings here."
She motioned toward Quintus, who stepped forward to take the book. He flipped through it curiously. The tome was still thicker than he would expect of a mere summary, and it quickly became clear why.
Gwendolyn had been rather thorough in her "summary". Within the tome lay detailed accounts of several historical battles. Additionally, an entire third of the book was dedicated to several skills that the old Legionnaires had apparently used in their own combat---descriptions, examples of their use, as well as guides on how to earn them in some cases.
Quintus was speechless. "This..."
Gwendolyn simply smiled. "I would warn against taking any information as complete certainty. There were quite a lot of sources to keep track of, as well as several inconsistencies. However, I did the best that I could to piece things together."
Quintus began reading through some of the skills. One in particular caught his eye. [Limit Break]. A skill that, apparently, allowed one to imbue their other skills with a massive amount of energy and force, at the cost of an obscene amount of stamina.
"These skills... why have they not been used before?"
"Because they simply weren't effective," Gwendolyn answered easily, following his gaze. "Some come with far too great a stamina cost to be useful to any normal individual. Others are only useful in conjunction with others who share the same skill---otherwise, they are rather useless. With how individualistic people tend to be with their builds, it rarely works out for one to dedicate more than a single slot to such things. Not to mention the difficulty of so many people earning the same skill, especially at higher rarities... It's all rather impractical."
He nodded along. It was clear the woman had done more than simply compile the information. She understood it as well.
Quintus met the elven woman's eyes. "Thank you for your efforts. Already I have many questions."
Her smile broadened. "Oh? Then ask away. It has been so long since I've had good company, after all."