Chapter 10 The study of the beas (1/2)
”Alberton! Alberton! Answer your door you deaf idiot!”
Two young Legionaries stood to one side, faces white with worry as they watched the Legion commander smash his ma.s.sive fist repeatedly into a st.u.r.dy, iron framed door so hard that dust fell from the cold stone ceiling into their hair.
These two soldiers were the first see the monster and also had by far the best look at it, so t.i.tus had taken them immediately to the medicus for treatment and from there to the Legion Keep of Liria. Right now they were several floors below ground level and the air was thick with dust and moisture.
To tell the truth, t.i.tus hadn't been knocking for long but it hadn't taken much for the huge man to run out of patience.
”Open this door Alberton or I'll burn your stupid books to warm my backside!” t.i.tus roared.
The door was yanked open immediately to reveal a dishevelled man in a brown robe sporting a hedge like beard that appeared to stab forward from his face like a wall of spears.
”You wouldn't dare t.i.tus you illiterate ape! There's a thousand years of Legion history in here!” the beard shouted back at the commander.
t.i.tus merely grunted. ”Good, your awake” he said as he pushed the much skinnier Alberton out of his way and advanced into the chamber.
”I'm always awake” protested the scholar as he absentmindedly scratched at his robes, ”what time is it?”.
t.i.tus simply shook his head and gestured for the two young soldiers to enter the room after him, which they did with some trepidation.
The room was a mess, every surface dusty and heaped with piles of parchment, book and scrolls of all descriptions. Several tables and a corner desk occupied the center of the room whilst around the walls were huge bookcases that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Every shelf of every bookcase was heaped, stacked full of enormous leather bound volumes each labelled with intricate script on the spine.
Casting a quick glance around the room t.i.tus stuck his head back into the corridor just long enough to bellow ”cleaning!” and as Alberton began to protest that there was really no need for cleaning and they always disturbed his concentration anyway he simply ignored him and started speaking.
”Legionary trainee Mirryn, legionary trainee Donnelan, this is the Legionem Abyssi Loremaster of the Liria legion, Alberton. We are here, Alberton, for you to consult the records and identify a beastie the two trainees saw in the Dungeon today”.
Alberton peered at the two trainees doubtfully. ”Haven't expeditions been banned for a few days now? What could they possibly see on guard duty at the Dungeon entrance that they couldn't identify? Have we stopped teaching legionaries what a thorn lizard looks like?”
”If we have, that would be your responsibility as Loremaster, Alberton” t.i.tus sighed ”Alberton we need you to identify an ant for us”.
The Loremaster froze.
”You mean … Formicidae?”
”Yes”.
Albertons' eyes drifted aimlessly around the room as he absorbed this information. After a moment he seemed to focus again and brought his attention back to the people present.
Without a word he turned and moved to a wooden ladder propped against the wall in a corner of the room. With some difficulty he moved it to one to the shelves propped it open and somewhat nervously climbed it. On the seventh shelf he reached for one of the volumes and withdrew it before climbing back down the ladder with some difficulty.
Thump!
The ma.s.sive volume crashed into the table, spraying dust clouds into the air. The trainees could clearly see the word 'Formicidae' in st.i.tched in gold filigree on the cover of the volume.