A rust red carpet with cream accents in a floral pattern led us through a second interior set of doors into the long hallway-like section before the tower. Sun light cascaded into the massive chamber from skylights that spanned the entire roof, their iron support beams cast long ribbed shadows against the stone titled floor and menagerie of art before us.

  Sectioned off by orange dyed velvet ropes, hundreds of art pieces were on display on either side of the wide walkway to the spire, interrupted only by a small squared room by the doors with the words ‘Municipal Records’ inscribed above the entry.

  Nora and I walked in silence down the corridors, each of us in awe of the beauty and mastery of the works we passed. Every medium represented and preserved, a dedication to the artists and crafts folk in the city.

  My steps echoed slightly off the polished stone floor as we came to a stop in front of a massive stained-glass piece. Sunlight glimmered off the golden chains that held it up and cast the image in light against the wall behind it.

  Spearpoint driven into the earth before her, the woman in the center of the piece had her hand held out to a small child who reached up to grasp the hand. The child’s face was less defined than the woman’s. Hundreds of little pieces of glass depicted every line and contour of the woman’s face while the child’s was left so it could have been anyone, boy or girl.

  The woman’s head was ringed in a halo of green the small color as the walls’ lights and in the background Dustreach burned. Landmarks depicted broken or in ruin and red and orange-stained glass showed a city on fire.

  I turned my attention from the glass to the projection on the wall behind it and felt my jaw drop.

  “Nora look.” I said, not really believing what I saw.

  Behind the piece, the static image moved. Projected onto the wall, the woman’s halo pulsated in strength, and the fire dance. Flicks of ember rising through the grey sky above. Almost tentatively, I watched as the child reached up and grabbed the woman’s hand and, through the projection, the woman smiled down at them.

  “Wow.” Was all Nora could say.

  Breaking my gaze off from the projection, I looked down to the large plaque on a small stand Infront of the velvet ropes that portioned the piece from the rest of the room.

  ‘Duchess Katherine Dustwarden. First of her name, and Matron of Dustreach.

  Made by Lialle Dant Tier 8 [Glassbound Weaver], Tier 6 [Dye Hound], Tier 12 [Joyous Illusionist]; in the 35th year of the Reign of Runic Tides.’

  We left the piece in silence, both awed by the mastery on display, and continued down this hall of wonders. We passed statues, tapestries, light displays, armor, weapons, books and more, but eventually we both stopped in front of a series of three paintings. All three framed by a silver border inscribed with images of the sun and moon.

  The first of the three was a dance of orange and green paint. With those two colors, the painter showcased all of Dustreach. The strokes were loose and the buildings more impression than anything, but they still managed to make me realize I was looking at a top-down view of the city.

  The city itself wasn’t importance in this painting, however, it was the color. Red and green fought a war for dominance over the center of the painting, the two coming together to form a gradient so fluid I felt like I could watch the red win with the rising of the sun.

  The next painting was of the city at noon. Gone was any of the green except in small pockets of shadow where the sun refused to reach. This middle painting was a love letter to the city itself. The painter, in excruciating detail, painted every district of the city, and included all the little cultural details in each one that made its city unique.

  The final piece of the series was of Dustreach at night. Green now dominated the piece, and red limited only to the small sections of the city that still operated without end. Off the sides of the mesa, the elevators bloomed and streets I assumed were hearts of night life blazed bright with torchlight. Bastions of fire against the runic light of the wall.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  ‘A City in Flux

  Made by Ardor Darrick Tier 9 [Art Warden] Tier 7 [Arcane Impressionist] Tier 7 [Aerial Surveyor].’

  “[Art Warden]?” I asked aloud, the question more meant for myself than Nora.

  “What?” She asked, breaking her gaze away from the first painting.

  “Do you know what an [Art Warden] is? It’s the painter’s highest class.”

  “Oh! I’ve heard of this!” Nora almost bounced in excitement as she rushed to read the plaque for herself. “Sometimes, when an institution is around for long enough, the System makes classes based around them. The Guild’s a pretty famous example of that with [Hall Masters] and everything.

  “The Dustwardens must be old enough to have their own classes now. I’ll bet you five gold this guy’s some kind of art historian who specializes in art from Dustreach.”

  “No bet.” I said with a laugh as we continued to walk down the corridor.

  I started admiring the last piece in the hall long before we reached it. We passed hundreds of other pieces, but all of them rested under the shadow of a massive wooden pole, carved into the shape of various animals on top of one another and painted a wondrous mix of greens, reds, whites, purples, and blues.

  Wide enough that three of me couldn’t wrap my arms around it, the top of the pole depicted a scarred bear reared up on its hind legs, teeth bared in a snarl, a white painted scar stretched across its lips. Underneath the bear was an eagle, its wings stretched wide enough to almost span the entire back wall. Beneath the eagle’s talons was a snapping turtle, jaws wide in anticipation, its eye ancient and knowing.

  A wolf was next, its coat a dusky brown and carved so finely it looked like real fur. And finally, supporting the entire pillar was a jerboa. Stood on its digitigrade legs, long ears perked up to scan its surroundings. There was a peace to the creature that emanated out from the carving in an almost physical wave.

  ‘Defenders of the People

  Made by Haderi Hendenne Tier 14 [Ancient Lorekeeper] Tier 17 [Spirit Disciple] Tier 10 [Tree Speaker] Tier 10 [Brush Dancer].’

  Nora and I admired the massive piece for a long moment before we stepped beneath the eagle’s wing and through the overshadowed door, which itself was a masterpiece, worked in bronze in the shape of trumpets and winged spirits.

  The library spire was so huge it was hard to imagine how they built it and the time it must have taken to finish the bare construction. Black and white marbled tiles glittered in the warm light of the massive chandelier above.

  Hanging from black iron chains and wrapped in wire cages were thousands of mana lights, no two at the same height. There was an artistry to the piece and how the light stacked upon each other, but the lights weren’t meant to be anything except pleasing to the eye.

  Dozens of donut shaped floors stretched up into the domed ceiling, the chandelier hanging in the middle and illuminating everything. Massive marble pillars connected each floor and supported the insane weight of all the stone and books above us.

  Near the stairways was a desk with at least fifteen station each staffed by a [Librarian] of some sort, and we got in the shortest line to speak with one of them.

  “Welcome to the Dustreach Imperial Archives. How can I help you?” The woman smiled up at us from her seat.

  Slotted into the stained wood of the desk was a removable plaque that read.

  ‘Mia Luminos. Tier 5 [Luminary Archivist], Tier 4 [Senior Librarian] Tier 6 [Astral Scholar].’

  “Hi!” Nora said after her eyes flicked down to the plaque. “This is our first time here, and we were wondering where a couple of things are?”

  “Of course! What are you guys looking for?”

  “My large friend here is looking for some bestiaries on the local wildlife and wildlife in the Under Tunnels, and I was hoping for some books on local [Playwrights] and public speaking.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem. Just one moment, please.” Mia said and turned to look at something beneath the shelved ledge of the desk.

  “Ah, here we are. Bestiaries are on floor 6, section 13, isles 23-24. Information on [Playwrights] is on floor 15, section 7, isle 64; and public speaking books are on floor 2, section 31, isle 3.”

  “Bit of a hike.” I said and looked up, marveling at just how big this place was. What I wouldn’t have done to have access to this many books growing up.

  “If you’d like, I can collect them for you. It’ll just be a fee of three silvers.”

  “That’s fine, thank you, though. We’d could use the exercise.” Nora said with a smile as we walked away from the table.

  Our trip through the stacks was a lot like navigating through the forest following game trials. We followed small paths and the tracks of others as we navigated the dense and dimly lit interior.

  “How long do you think it took to collect this many books?” Nora asked as she trailed her fingers along the spines of a nearby shelf.

  “A thousand years minimum.” I said, a step behind her.

  “There’s no way it’s that long.” She said and looked over her shoulder at me. “Five hundred at max. Think of how many people are in this city. They must get donations all the time.”

  Later, on the fifth floor, we passed a trio or researches with stacks of books on their tables so high I thought they were another shelf for a moment.

  By the sixth floor, my legs burned from the stairs, and I regretted not taking up the [Librarian] on her offer to collect them for us.

  By the seventh floor, Nora panted, and we had to sit in a small alcove to catch our breath before we could go any further.

  By the mercy of all the Divines, on the tenth floor, there was a small trio of elevators powered through some kind of internal magic. The lines for the elevators were long, but well worth it to not have to climb even more stairs.

  By the time we had collected all the books we wanted, I had three bestiaries and Nora had four on [Playwrights] and another two on public speaking.

  We walked for a while longer hunting for a small study room or a seated alcove that wasn’t already full. The one we settled on was tucked away into a little corner between five shelves at the back of the fifteenth floor, far enough away from the chandelier that four mana lights set in rustic iron sconces lit up the space.

  Nora sat in the highbacked blue and white striped chair to a puff of dust and I took up the slot backed wooden chair before the stained and worn wooden table. The two of us read in silence for hours, each contented to just read before Nora spoke.

  “How long do you think it would take them to find us if we got lost back here?”

  “Not long if we shouted.” I said back. Even at a normal volume, my voice sounded loud in the quiet of the space.

  “Okay, but what if you couldn’t shout and a bookshelf fell on you? What then, smart guy?” She smiled.

  “Couple weeks at least.” I said with a small laugh.

  Nora considered the answer before she nodded with a smile and went back to reading her book.