athenaeum
- a library or reading room.
- an institution for the promotion of literary or scientific learning.
- (initial capital letter) a sanctuary of Athena at Athens, built by the Roman emperor Hadrian, and frequented by poets and scholars.
************************
Corvin
took a deep breath. The smell of paper
and parchment was a familiar, almost comforting one. Breathing in the distinctive smell of the
library was always welcome for him. It
was less so for his young student, Edmus.
The teenager had little trouble voicing his opinion regarding the visit.
“Why did
you drag me here?” Edmus asked his mentor.
“We should be out in the field, completing quests and going on adventures
and stuff.”
Corvin
sighed deeply. Edmus was a good kid, he
really was. He just lacked perspective. That, when combined with just enough skill to
not realize just how unskilled he was, and he could get himself into some
serious trouble.
“We
will.” Corvin said. “I’ve got some
decent quests lined up that should suit you.
And that’s why we’re here.”
Edmus
looked at the large warrior with skepticism.
“You took a quest in the library?
What are we supposed to do, help sort book?”
“No. Although, I’m sure the librarians wouldn’t
turn down help, as long as you do it properly, that’s not the quest. I took a basic goblin subjugation quest.”
“Alright,
now that’s what I like to hear.” Edmus said, maybe a bit too loudly. It earned him a few cold stares from the
staff, and a few patrons. “What’re we
wasting time here then? Let’s go and
bash some skulls in.”
Corvin saw
his student’s hand brush the hilt of his sword eagerly. It was almost nostalgic, really. Corvin remembered being in the exact same
position. The memories were not exactly
fond ones though.
“We
will. But first, research.”
“What?”
“You’re
going to be doing some vital research before going out to do the actual quest.”
Edmus
groaned. “But why? Doing that stuff is pointless.”
“Listen,
Edmus, I’m going to tell you the same thing my teacher said to me. All successful quests are 90% research and
10% action. We’ll go out and kill the
goblins, but first, we have to study and research them.”
“But you
don’t. I’ve never seen you open a book
once.”
“There’s
two reasons for that. The first, and
biggest, is that I’ve already done the research years ago. I spent many a long hours at these tables,
reading on all the most common monsters.
I read so many book on them that, to this day, I can recite most of them
by heart. The second reason you haven’t
seen this part of the job is because I simply haven’t brought you here yet. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been logging the
hours here. Haven’t you wondered how I
always know where to go and what to do? And
you know how I always leave you to do self training for a day or two before we
head out? I wasn’t spending those days
in taverns or shops. It was always,
always here.”
“Okay,
but why? What’s the point?”
“Knowledge
is a powerful thing. A little bit of it,
when applied correctly, can save your life just as effectively as a shield and
armor.”
Edmus
shook his head and shrugged.
“Okay,
let me put it to you this way. What’s
the simplest quest you can think of?”
“Herb
gathering.” The teen said without hesitation.
“Good,
perfect. Do you know the difference
between blue grass and sapphire weed?”
Edmus
thought for a moment before replying that he did not. Corvin nodded and continued.
“Blue
grass is a fairly common herb that grows in many forests. It’s used in mana potions, and various
magical status relief potions. Sapphire
weed, on the other hand, is a deadly poison that grows in the same environment
that blue grass does. They also look
nearly identical. Now, if you got a
quest for blue grass, you might just get a general sense of what the plant looks
like. But, with just that, you will definitely
get some sapphire weed along with the blue grass, which will cause quite a few
problems. But, if you spend the time
here, doing the research, you’ll be able to tell the difference between the
two, and thus save many people a lot of time and headaches.”
“Okay,
that’s…”
“The
same thing applies with every quest. For
monster subjugations, like this one, knowing everything you can about the
monster before you set out will help you prepare properly, and you’ll have well
established tactics and known weaknesses.
I could go on, but maybe a more visual example of how important this is
will be best. Look around and the people
in this library. Who do you see?”
“I see a
bunch of scholars and mages and stuff.”
“Look
closer.”
Edmus
did as instructed. As he really looked
at the library patrons, he saw people that were definitely not scholars or
mages. A man even larger than Corvin sat
amidst a pile of books, while a woman with daggers strapped to her waist
perused a bookshelf. And those were just
two of many. In fact, it looked like
there were more adventurers in the library than actual scholars.
“All of
these adventurers know the value of knowledge.” Corvin said. “And I guarantee that most, if not all, are high
class adventurers. It’s easy to simply
get a quest and simply head out into the wild.
And, yes, it is possible to be successful like that. But the best know how important doing the
research fist is. It always improves
your odds of coming home alive and victorious.”
Edmus
fidgeted nervously. “So, where should I
start?” He did not look happy about it, but the fact that he was willing to try
spoke to his dedication.
Corvin
headed into the shelves of books, pulling out a title he knew well. He handed the book to his student and ushered
him to a table. “Here, take this and start reading.”
***********************
Support your local library, even if you don't use it yourself. They're useful things to have around.
Support your local library, even if you don't use it yourself. They're useful things to have around.
No comments:
Post a Comment