Mother of Learning. Arc 3 Incomplete

Was it just him, or was the academy library a lot less useful than he had imagined it to be? Every time he tried to find something there he got disappointed. Then again, the things he was trying to find information on lately tended to be obscure, borderline illegal or both.

«Oh please,» Taiven snorted dismissively. «Don’t be so paranoid. As if something like that could be right below Cyoria. We won’t be delving into the Dungeon’s depths, for Gods’ sake.»

«I don’t think you should go at all,» Zorian insisted. «I’m getting a really bad feeling about this.»

Taiven rolled her eyes, an undercurrent of annoyance in her voice. «Funny. I never took you for a superstitious guy.»

«Time changes people,» Zorian said solemnly, smiling at his private joke before straightening his features into a serious expression. «But seriously: I’m getting a really bad feeling about this. Is this really worth getting yourself killed over?»

Apparently this was a wrong approach to take, as Taiven’s temper flared immediately. He supposed she perceived his comment as an insult towards her skills as a mage. Before he could apologize and rephrase his argument she was already shouting at him.

«I’m not going to die!» Taiven shouted irritably. «Gods, you sound just like my father! I’m not a little girl and I don’t need to be protected! If you didn’t want to come you should have just said so instead of lecturing me!» She stomped off angrily, muttering to herself about conceited brats and wasted time.

Zorian winced as Taiven slammed the door behind her. He wasn’t sure why she had reacted so strongly to his words, but apparently pointing out the potential danger of the job was ineffective and only pissed her off.

Oh well, he didn’t expect to succeed on the first try anyway.

«Hi Roach!»

«It is a good thing you came, Taiven,» Zorian said with a grave expression. «Come in, we have much to talk about.»

Taiven raised an eyebrow at his behavior before shrugging and sauntering inside. Zorian tried to project a serious, ominous presence about himself, but it seemed to amuse her more than anything.

«So… I gather you wanted to see me then?» she asked. «I guess you’re lucky I decided to drop by, then?»

«Not quite,» Zorian said. «I knew you would come today, just as I know you’re here to conscript me into joining you for a sewer run.»

«It’s not a—» Taiven began, only to get interrupted by Zorian before she could gather steam.

«A sewer run,» Zorian repeated. «Retrieving a pocket watch guarded by some very dangerous spiders from the top layer of the Dungeon under the city.»

«Who told you that?» asked Taiven after several seconds of bewildered pause. «How could they possibly know? I told nobody where I’m going or why I’m visiting you.»

«Nobody told me,» Zorian said. «I had a vision about this meeting… and about what will happen should you descend into the tunnels.»

Well, it was true in a way…

«A vision?» Taiven said incredulously, disbelievingly.

Zorian nodded gravely. «I have never told you this before, but I have prophetic powers. I receive visions of the future from time to time, seeing glimpses of important events that will affect me personally in the days ahead.»

It wasn’t completely implausible — people like that did exist in the world, though their powers were quite a bit more limited than what he had at his disposal thanks to the time loop. From what he understood, their visions were less of a detailed recording of the future and more of a general outline of some upcoming event. The future was always changing, always uncertain, and trying to get a clear image of it was like trying to grasp a fistful of sand — the more you squeeze, the more things slip past your fingers.

Unfortunately, while being prophetic was not impossible, Taiven clearly wasn’t buying his claim.

«Oh really?» Taiven said challengingly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. «And what did this ‘vision’ of yours tell you about the job?»

«That it will be the death of you,» said Zorian bluntly. «And me as well, should I choose to follow you down there. Please, Taiven, I know it sounds ridiculous, but I’m serious about this. The visions are rarely as clear as they were this time around. I won’t go down into the sewers and you shouldn’t either.»

As seconds ticked past in silence, Zorian began to think she would actually listen to him. This impression was destroyed when she suddenly started laughing.

«Oh, Roach, you almost had me there!» she wheezed, breaking into uncontrollable chuckles after every couple of words. «Visions from the future… Roach, you have the funniest jokes. You know, I missed that quirky sense of humor of yours. Remember… remember that one time you pretended you were asking me out?»

How Zorian stopped himself from physically recoiling at that he would never know. She just had to mention that, didn’t she? He forcefully pushed away the memories of that particular evening, determined not to dwell on it.

«Yeah,» said Zorian emotionlessly. «What a funny guy I am.»