Gaia's Champion Ch. 40 - Teaser (Patreon)

“These books that you require. Many of them are extremely rare to find in this epoch. You are most fortunate that I happen to possess about one third of all the books on this list,” Sigi revealed to the trio.

“You have that many?!?” Phalmina questioned, astounded at their good fortune!

“I do! As I said, the apprentices of Myrddin were a detailed and careful lot. Especially after the betrayal of one of their own, who tried to take Myrddin’s power for their own,” Sigi huffed in remembrance.

“Morgan le Faye!” Jason growled.

“What? By Gaia, no! No, the traitor was none other than his own son, Glastor, his second born,” Sigi stated.

“Hold up a second! Are you saying that the one who betrayed Myrddin and tried to take power for themselves was none other than his own son?!” Jason said with a gasp.

“Yes. Glastor was always the jealous and spiteful sort, believing that he was always being slighted in some way or other. Myrddin loved his son and saw within him the potential to be as great, possibly even greater, than he was as a sorcerer!” Sigi went on.

“What happened?” Phalmina enquired, as she too was unfamiliar with the truth of the Arthurian legends.

“Greed, and the impatience of youth. Plus… there was… something else about the magic he used. It didn’t come from Gaia or any source we knew of. It was something… just as old, yet… wrong,” Sigi replied, looking somewhat confused. It almost seemed like she was having trouble in remembering something. Her focus on the memory was then forgotten at the next question.

“These books you have? Can we see them?” Phalmina asked, excited to get her hands on these tomes.

“I’m sorry, but no,” Sigi told the Fairy woman.

“Whyever not?” Phalmina protested.

“Well, not the originals at least. They are too precious and fragile to be held again. Instead, the shop is now harnessing the magic needed to make you copies of them! That way, the knowledge will still remain preserved for future generations, should they need it,” Sigi smiled.

“Oh!! Well, that’s even better!” the Fairy said with a grin.

“Um… Sigi? If we were to find other copies of rare books and bring them to you, could you make copies of them as well?” Jason asked.

“I can! Or more like, the shop can! Why? Do you have more of these tomes?” Sigi wondered.

“Of those on the list, we are not certain, but there is one I’m sure you will want,” Jason told her. “A book by the Artificier, which contains the instructions to craft a Spellforge.”

“The… the Guidebook survived?!?” Sigi gasped, grabbing a nearby chair for support.

“It did, and wound up in the hands of the Sons of Caesar. After dealing with the chapter, we raided their archives and took every book that they sought to keep out of the hands of Gaians and other spellcasters,” Jason told the woman. Hearing this made Sigi fall to her ass on the floor as she blinked rapidly.

“Sigi? Are you OK?” Sheena asked, moving forward to help the woman to her feet.

“I will be… but learning about all of this is… incredible!! I had always thought that after the fall of several great and prominent libraries, that such knowledge was destroyed!” Sigi breathed as she processed what she had been told.

“I would guess that someone wanted the knowledge for their own ends. Maybe that was how Caesar and his cult got started in the first place? We know they use a corrupted form of Gaian magic, but they had to learn about it from somewhere,” Jason reasoned.