Architecture & Adversity Read online

  Potion Voyages®

  Book 8: Architecture & Adversity

  By Jeremy Dwyer

  Copyright 2018 Jeremy Dwyer

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except in the case of brief quotations for the purpose of articles or reviews, without express written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to real locations, objects, events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental, and not intended by the author.

  Potion Voyages® is a registered trademark of Jeremy Dwyer.

  (Last Revised Wednesday, October 17, 2018)

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I’d like to thank my wife, Rachel, and our son, Ethan, for allowing me to work the long hours required to write this book.

  Ebook Cover Design was done by http://www.ebooklaunch.com.

  Visit the official website at http://www.potionvoyages.com for more information.

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER 1: Design for Innovation and Inspiration

  CHAPTER 2: Mission of Survey and Acquisition

  CHAPTER 3: Fortress of Crystals and Lights

  CHAPTER 4: Sounds of Pain and Suffering

  CHAPTER 5: Faith in Suns and Spirits

  CHAPTER 6: Tales of Battles and Treasures

  CHAPTER 7: Citadel of Knowledge and Pleasure

  CHAPTER 8: Knowledge of Future and Sky

  CHAPTER 9: Dominion over Spirits and Gems

  CHAPTER 10: Navigation across Sea and Stone

  CHAPTER 11: Land of Cruelty and Oppression

  CHAPTER 12: Mysteries of Stars and Sounds

  CHAPTER 13: Watchers of Seas and Skies

  CHAPTER 14: Warriors of Rationality and Efficiency

  CHAPTER 15: Experiments on Water and Emotion

  CHAPTER 16: Preachers of Suffering and Salvation

  CHAPTER 17: Advancement of Trade and Design

  CHAPTER 18: Games of Chance and Depravity

  CHAPTER 19: Tyrant over Farmers and Miners

  CHAPTER 20: Harvest in Faith and Fire

  CHAPTER 21: Architect in Mind and Emotion

  CHAPTER 22: Plans for Marriage and Business

  CHAPTER 23: Heart of Vengeance and Cruelty

  CHAPTER 24: Citadel in Darkness and Light

  CHAPTER 25: Boldness of Words and Actions

  CHAPTER 26: Building of City and Faith

  CHAPTER 27: Need for Sacrifice and Worship

  CHAPTER 28: Marriage for Peace and Longevity

  CHAPTER 29: Betrayal of Marriage and Mystery

  CHAPTER 30: Citadel of Powers and Temptations

  CHAPTER 31: Warriors in Mind and Body

  CHAPTER 32: Demand for Knowledge and Power

  CHAPTER 33: Ruin of Citadel and Spirit

  CHAPTER 34: Lives of Regret and Judgment

  CHAPTER 35: Beliefs about Suffering and Salvation

  CHAPTER 36: City of Wealth and Opportunity

  CHAPTER 37: Accumulation of Wealth and Power

  CHAPTER 38: Island of Danger and Wealth

  CHAPTER 39: Endangered by Hate and Pride

  CHAPTER 40: Temple of Hate and Lies

  CHAPTER 41: Surrounded by Corruption and Peril

  CHAPTER 42: Discovery of Knowledge and Purpose

  CHAPTER 43: Warnings of Lies and Destruction

  CHAPTER 1: Design for Innovation and Inspiration

  Fantine stood next to the base of a ninety (90) foot tall curved constructor pillar, which was eleven (11) feet wide at its square base and tapered toward a four (4) foot wide square at its top, and capped with a nineteen (19) inch wide sapphire. The base of the pillar was situated in a field just south of the Port of Kemalorin, her primary town of residence, lying along the southwestern coast of the continent of Baradaxa. She drank anew of the water of the Kazofen Ocean from a vial she wore on a chain around her neck and she was thereby energized with the power to manipulate crystal. Fantine held a large blue sapphire – nineteen (19) inches across – in her hand and inspected its low level structure for imperfections, finding several deviations from the necessary geometry. She began to mold the sapphire as if it were clay, altering its structure to remove the flaws, aiming for nothing less than perfection, and focusing only on that task. It had taken her two (2) years of careful study and experimentation to refine various aspects of the constructor after the work on the wall – the supposedly protective wall which had since crumbled for various reasons: partly because of the necessary direct interference to put an end to the irrational actions of Sebastian and partly because of design flaws in the constructor itself. For her latest work, Fantine was surrounded by a crowd of thousands of other people, each with their own agenda, waiting patiently – or impatiently – for over three (3) hours. A great many of them admired Fantine’s work and saw the architect as an enlightened leader because of her magnificent structures and the machine she had which built them so quickly, before their very eyes.

  Governor Lux watched as the forty-one (41) year old architect – reputed to be the best in the modern world, and, by some accounts, the best in the last eleven (11) millennia – diligently worked the expensive, rare and high quality gemstone in her hands, which he had provided. He trusted that her attention to quality was necessary for some tasks, but he feared too much focus on perfection could reach a point of diminishing returns. He was sufficiently well-trained in calculus, probability and financial mathematics to understand these things, though he was not the primary financial analyst for the central bank on Haza’Kedro’Maral Island in the Pirovalen Ocean. Rather, Governor Lux was their ultimate supervisor – and the supervisor of other bank governors – so he left the detailed investment risk calculations to them. He did know that the bank was not interested in financing structural failure; however, he hoped that, in the hands of this architect, the price of success would not be too high.

  “Will every crystal I provide for you require this much time for alteration?” Governor Lux asked.

  “Perhaps. The requirements for the crystals vary by design complexity, and by the terrain. The constructor has to adjust to the specific geometry of the intended structure, and to the topography of the environment. Each project requires careful adjustment for its specific needs. That is not unusual,” Fantine said, never looking up from her work.

  “I will provide for you additional skilled assistance, to accelerate your labors. The other twenty-two (22) crystals required you four (4) days each. This project is long overdue,” Governor Lux said.

  “I have all the assistance I need at the moment. Some of the time required was due to complex flaws in the constructor’s core design. I first had to understand and correct those, so that subsequent projects will proceed much more quickly,” Fantine said, still focused only on altering the structure of the sapphire in her hand.

  A despondent young woman named Liora – who also drank the waters of the Kazofen Ocean – stood next to Fantine, watching her every move. Liora drank anew of the Kazofen waters from her own vial and was thereby energized. She was able to look into the sapphire and see what Fantine was doing to its low level structure, but she didn’t fully understand the new geometry that the architect was imposing.

  “Why are you altering this sapphire so much? It doesn’t even have the same crystal geometry of the ones on the other pillars?” Liora asked.

  “The intended design is for the constructor to produce an aqueduct, but it won’t be uniform along its length, requiring varied widths and turning several sharp corners and descent along slopes. This different crystal geometry will compensate for those differences. Think carefully about the angles at which the crystal facets meet, and the effect that will have on the
rays of light when they pass through during the constructor process. Trace those light rays out in a diagram, so that everyone can see,” Fantine said.

  Several Chroniclers of the Oath – including Judith, Gisella, Ovid, Ximenez, Silvius, Caemgen and Alonso – also stood nearby. They also watched as Fantine worked, recording what they saw and heard into their books.

  Liora began sketching out what she saw onto a large square sheet of paper – over eight (8) feet wide – that was on a wooden table near the architect. The Chroniclers began copying her sketch, scaled down, into their books. Liora struggled to keep up with Fantine’s nimble work, and this slowed her down in some parts, but she was still quick about creating the sketch. Yet, the Chroniclers had no difficulty following Liora, regardless of her speed. Even Judith was able to copy her simple diagrams. The Chroniclers each drank the waters of the Ursegan Ocean, slowing time for them to allow for careful observation of what their unaided eyes could see, but their eyes had no insight into the low-level crystal restructuring work that Fantine was actually doing. They did not accept the claim that Liora’s diagram matched Fantine’s handiwork, but only wrote their direct observations into their books.

  The Chronicler Gisella turned to Judith and said: “Judith, you still look said, but better than before.” She occasionally watched Liora and Fantine, but was very curious about other matters as well. She knew that Lux was a very wealthy man, but he was too cold and not to her personal liking. Gisella was a little disappointed to see Judith alone.

  “I’m fine,” Judith said with a smile, and returned to watching Liora.

  “Not as good as you could be. Still no man in your life, right?” Gisella asked.

  Judith was taken aback – both by the question and by the fact that another Chronicler of the Oath would be so intrusive, which was bordering on interference. Then, she remembered that Gisella had a reputation for that.

  “I live my life according to the Oath,” Judith said.

  “No. You die your slow death according to the Oath. Take some time to have a little fun,” Gisella said.

  The Chroniclers Ovid, Caemgen, Alonso and Silvius merely noted this into their books. The Chronicler Ximenez found this to be a clear case of overstepping and spoke up, saying: “The Oath prohibits interference, whether against a Chronicler or by a Chronicler. You assume too much, Gisella.”

  Judith was relieved at the interruption, as she did not care to share her intimate personal affairs – or lack thereof – with Gisella. In that regard, there were non-Chroniclers she trusted more.

  Governor Lux noted the exchange and, for him, it confirmed his suspicions that Chroniclers of the Oath were fools, lacking in good judgment and not entirely needed by society, especially given their intrusive observation of confidential matters of the central bank. Whereas several Chroniclers remained silent, Lux could see that Gisella was a troublemaker, Judith was clearly depressed and Ximenez was perhaps dangerously depressed.

  “Trustworthy Chroniclers, perhaps a careful accounting of the construction work before us would best serve the Oath to which you are sworn,” Governor Lux said.

  Liora kept sketching out diagrams to describe Fantine’s crystal manipulation work, the low-level details of which she could clearly see but she struggled to understand. She admired the architect – the woman was an inspired, focused perfectionist whose labors never ceased. Yet, Fantine was no ordinary woman: she practically hated all personal relationships, and Liora could sense that by watching her mannerisms. Her struggle in understanding Fantine’s brilliantly complex work was humbling, but it also served another purpose: the void in her life created when Ryan and their child were murdered – an event she could not recall, but was told that it happened – was so devastating that she dared not to let her thoughts linger on it. Yet, Liora felt like she was dying inside while she admired the lifeless work of this heartless woman when all that she wanted was to restore her lost family.

  Governor Lux turned to speak to a young man who stood nearby and asked him: “Niven, do you have the lightkeepers ready? We need accurate images of the completed structure for the investors.”

  “Yes, Governor Lux,” Niven said, while he kept his eyes on Fantine personally, whom he dearly loved, despite her past rejections of him. Niven was well-dressed, unlike the architect, who purposely kept a disheveled appearance, hoping to ward off suitors – especially him. Niven drank the waters of the Trerada Ocean, giving him his fair appearance and robust health. His wealth, however, came from his inheritance of his father’s business of selling high-quality lightkeeper crystals. He held one such crystal in his hand – it was a ‘blank’ which currently bore no image – and positioned it carefully, awaiting the proper moment to capture a permanent image.

  The Chronicler Gisella looked at Niven and knew, by observing associations and business dealings, that Niven was wealthy. She also saw that he was more than a little attractive, because of the Trerada waters he drank, which were obvious by looking at the symbols marked on the vial he wore on a platinum chain around his neck. He was young. However, being six thousand eight hundred sixty-one (6861) years old, Gisella considered most men young, and that made Niven extremely desirable to her. It was clear that Niven’s eyes were on Fantine, and Gisella saw the architect in a different light: she was an arrogant intellectual who would never love anyone but herself, and who designed constructs as monuments to announce her own superiority to the world around her. Gisella, whose own feminine charms had not faded much, moved to be closer to Niven, planning to make a move on the promising young businessman. She didn’t consider flirting to be interference, even if the Chronicler’s Oath, strictly interpreted, suggested that it was.

  Judith watched and knew, but said nothing at the moment. Neither Ovid, Silvius nor Alonso gave this flirtation by Gisella any notice. Caemgen did notice, remembering Nina’s advances toward him, and how he had only limited interest in pursuing that. He found it remarkable that Fantine was clearly less interested in romance than anyone – man or woman – whom he had ever met. Ximenez also noticed Gisella’s movements and said: “That would also be a form of interference, Gisella.”

  “Only a few more adjustments are necessary,” Fantine said.

  “Good, please be expeditious about this,” Governor Lux said.

  Liora continued in her struggle to keep up, but she did manage to produce a complex diagram of crystal structure and light rays on the large square sheet of paper, and all of the Chroniclers, except for Gisella, copied this into their books.

  ~~~

  The Regional Surveyor Seventeen (17) – a one-hundred fifty-four (154) foot long vessel, with two (2) pairs of double-masted sails, each thirty-three (33) feet high – arrived in the Port of Kemalorin. On board were experienced officers of the Jenaldej Empire – Nathan, the resource coordinator of the northeastern region and Romana, a careful scholar, theologian and occasional farmer. The captain and crew remained with the ship, but Romana and Nathan walked down the boarding ramp into the port town.

  “If the constructor succeeds, and its results can be scaled cost-effectively, we will replicate its design. However, if the economy of scale does not prove efficient, we will have to commission Fantine to make improvements,” Nathan said.

  “I have confidence that she can improve it,” Romana said. Yet, she had misgivings about the architect personally, who was, in her assessment, a woman with dubious intentions. Fantine was undeniably brilliant beyond every recent architect – Romana’s own research in Emeth verified that the designs by the architect simply outclassed anything she saw in pure skill – yet, this was partly due to the waters of the Kazofen Ocean which Fantine drank in a highly purified form. The rest, of course, was innate potential that she had for those waters. Romana knew where that innate potential came from – the One True God. In fact, the great oceans had the same ultimate Creator. However, Fantine was a devout disbeliever in matters of faith, and made no secret of her disdain for theology.

  “Of course, the marginal
gain in improvement has to be worth the cost of her research. We already have aqueducts and a process for maintaining existing ones and building new ones. Her approach, using the constructor machine, is faster; yet, it has material costs and had severe accuracy limitations. When last we met, she admitted as much, and has been taking quite some time to overcome them,” Nathan said.

  “At least she is aware of some of her limitations,” Romana said. She hoped that Fantine could eventually be won over to admit that her own abilities came from a higher power, and that the architect could let go of her hubris, and heartlessness. It wasn’t that Fantine was cruel, of course – she certainly made a point of being very helpful during the inferno and saving lives with her design of the crystal archways. Rather, it was that Fantine did not know what love was, and this concerned Romana, who knew that a woman who could not love another person who was visible to her could also not love God who was so much more difficult to fathom, requiring a leap of faith. Sadly, Nathan was little better, but Romana had at least not seen any arrogance in the man. Nathan was not a man of faith, but he also never had a crowd of admirers of his work, which was the noble-yet-boring balancing of multivariable resource management equations.

  Romana and Nathan walked toward the field, south of the port town, where the crowd was gathered. They saw the tall, curved pillar at the center, and begin approaching it, assuming that Fantine could be found there. After working their way through the crowd, Romana and Nathan found their assumption justified.

  Judith saw Romana arrive and approached. The Chronicler forgot herself for a moment and hugged Romana as a greeting to her dear friend. Romana, reflexively, responded in kind.

  “Thank you for coming,” Judith said, with a smile so bright that Romana couldn’t help but smile back. At some level, this was more important to Romana than anything else that happened – or would happen – that day.

  “We’re here to assess the costs-effectiveness of her latest design work. But I plan to stay for a little while – for us to have some time together,” Romana said.