Chapter 12 - Paradoxical

Ordrigg would have considered it incredibly inane not to take precautions against a group that shivs the sheriffs and uses rabbit holes to turn black to white. Otherwise how could he fear ending up at the end of the blade. He looked toward one of the walls, and noted the time on an old grandfather clock. The way time was denoted deviated a little from he was used to: the clock held a 3D interface with 8 different hands in their own orbits. The inner three stood for moments (sec), lunarhens (min), and astral bands (hours), while the other hands corresponded to lunar moments (days), lunar cycles (months) , lerpas (years), lerpadecs (decades), and Centurions (Centuries). 18:40 read on the clock, he had around 11 astral bands before the end of the lunar moment, and more importantly he noted a little before that time as the time a certain group may make their visit the bath houses daily. Not that they would be able to distinguish him from the rest of the incognito suits, but he would prefer not to run into them.

He found it odd that the archives did not have any mention of a person as prominent as Drazel. Surely someone as venerable as she claims would have made it into the annuals, unless that information was redacted or he was lied to. He would check the royal library to see if there was any information that delineated from his last installment. He asked the remaining servant, if he could visit the archives. The servant responded in premise with "only the first 3 levels, the 4th and 5th you do not have access to, however that may change soon. Under the designation of Princess Oxana, we servants are under orders to monitor your actions. If the possibility of your betrayal is imminent, we are tasked to escort you to her highness." From the serious tone, he could tell how 'jubilant' she was to be looking after him. Although it might be a temporary prison watch, he still felt as if there was a fine line between him and permanent death row inmate. Granted it was within his expectations to limit the information for someone whose affiliation has not been completely confirmed. It just made his next decision ever so discernible. "take me to the second level".

As the first level would probably contain rudimentary information that he had already ascertained, he needed more information pertinent about the factions, trade customs, military, and technology. As a secondary note, a little information to placate his boredom, and look into the specific foraging methods of plants found in the deadly garden would be nice as he was feeling a little bare on the offense/defense. The servant stopped for a moment and said, "We should wait until guard Rundell comes back. You should know how dangerous you are and how dangerous the people who are searching for you are." This guard was blunt but incredibly forthcoming, Ordrigg did not know what to make of this servant.

Letting him know that he was not safe even within the kingdom was disgruntling as it proved a witch hunt was in effect to find the double agent. He wanted to believe the two servants were her most trusted and loyal aids but he had yet to confirm with Oxana about that. As his detective skills were subpar, his judgement in that field was questionable. From a logical standpoint, he would at least try to make the spy have a disadvantage in acting out against him by congregating in areas with more guards, otherwise he be sticking to areas that would limit their propensities. He did not act in mania, but with cold and calculated precision. He thought about the group of six from earlier, could he use them to take the blunt force for his trouble. His ethics were morally grey, but in terms of pawns, if he could sacrifice the questionable variables rather than harmless ones, he was fine with it. It was just a matter of setting up the two groups.

Just in time for the end of his thoughts, the servant can back, blood dripping down the right hand. Not dripping too much, but enough to draw his attention."Mind filling us in with the details, since the last encounter", Ordrigg inquired. Rundell replied,"The card was indeed a tracker. When I went to a reclusive area to discard it, a group of mercenaries were conveniently in the vicinity. This would not be strange except for the fact that they had obvious aggressive intentions towards the one who bore the card. After taking care of them, I promptly put the card in one of the mercenaries shoes and came back here." Shortly after he started to clean a small wound on his knuckle before taking to Ordrigg's other side. Tsk..Now that a mercenary group had conveniently attacked the person with the card, Ordrigg wanted even more to conveniently impart the mantle of his trouble to them."Let us proceed to the library 2nd floor. Take the recursive royal pathway " Ordrigg did not need to mince his words, the servants guided him to library without issues or mishap.

Coming out from the garden, the comically large double door entrance standing at 20 meters high by 5 meters wide made its appearance. It was made a dark metalline material with a luster that gradually reflected some the of light of the sky. Approaching the library hundreds of guards could be seen making their rounds in the front of the building, while only eight were stationed by each door. The library looked closer to a mighty cathedral or last bastion than a place where books were being held. True to the grandiose appeal were the intricacies splayed on the walls and columns. Many peculiar vantage, choke, and advantageous positions intertwined within the brilliant display. They would have hidden during war time and provide a headache for whomever decides to the raid the library. Ordrigg only hoped that the books were as catalogued the formations of this place, lest he waste his time coming here. When he came to the door, two of the guards from the door asked for identification and inquired the state of their business.

The servants to Ordrigg sides operated their suits to casual mode. As the guards saw their true appearances, they moved out of the way and a loud mechanism for the door could be heard. The clinking of metal, the grinding of gears, and toiling of bells, and the screams of chimes. Quite the overt and needlessly elaborate mechanism to open the door, but It just told of the confidence that engineering had in this society. The doors opened slowly but just enough for a small group of people to go in. In the middle of a large hall an indiscernible and ocean amount of tall bookshelf was a stair case leading to the next floor. Guards in purple robes patrolled each and every aisle. The group simply walked passed all the guards and came to access a podium on the right of the stairwell. The guards bowed and let the green crystals touch the podium. The small clink sounded which indicated access to pass.

As the group walked up the stair several biometric and magnetic scanners monitored their every step. Ordrigg simply shrugged it off, as experiencing the security in the front would lead him to believe it to be odd if anything was different. They had to cover several flights of stairs before they came across a circular golden vault like door with a hexagon indigo sapphire gem in the middle. In the middle of the sapphire was an orb that looked at the group before shutting, similar to monocle of sorts. The door rolled to the side. Four guards in green garbs nodded and asked what books Ordrigg was trying to find. He gave them a list of subjects, a green mosaic pattern grew on the ground tiles. The guards told him to wait before following the tiles and getting the books. After roughly twenty moments, the guards came back with thirty or so books with different titles and styles. The guards told him to follow as they traveled across the second floor to a luxury section. Only in the luxury section could he read these books.

The second floor was roughly the same size as the first floor, but any non blind person can tell it received more care and the guards in green garbs were more trained than the purple robed individuals. All throughout the library, just the sounds of the occasional foot step could be heard. They traveled for five minutes until they came across a set of stairs that led up to a small closed pavilion.