The Last Philosopher

Hardly working

As the headmaster started shouting, Isath bowed in total resignation. It was a hotshot grovelling posture of his own design, pressing every drop of humility out of his tiny body. Glegur, his fellow administrator, took his cue and attempted the same. But to achieve his skill in subservience took years of dedicated practise. Like any skill boot-licking required dedication to master.

Dealing with sorcerers was a delicate matter, and this wasn't just any sorcerer. It was one of the five heads of magick. They never came to the cavern themselves, but it wasn't his place to question. As the ways of subservience said, 'the sorcerer is always right!'

"Why Master come see lowly Knomes? If can help, be our joy to help Master with simple Knome skills," Isath said in fluent cowering.

"Yes of course, the looking-glass, I believe that is one of your... inventions?" The headmaster made no attempt to hide his disgust.

"Is Knome making yes." As the chief administrator he was impervious to offence, but not to curiosity. "How master know poor invention?"

"I have seen them in use."

Isath's brow furrowed at the cavern's dirt-floor. Only pirates were allowed to buy kiks. The unnatural order decreed that telescopes were part of the cowardice in their cultural identity.

"But what I need is not a regular telescope," the old sorcerer continued as if everyone was listening. "This one has to see into the dark beyond the sun that spins around Huom."

"Yes master, please sit, is long Knome talk now."

Isath ushered the headmaster to a throne looking seat that stood alone against their least filthy wall. Except for the colour, it was exact replica of the ones in the sorcerers' council chamber. Because all sorcerers thought they belonged in one of those seats more than anyone else.

After slowly backing away, bowing with each step, he pulled Glegur close. They whispered frantically for a moment and the brown-haired Knome ran off. It wasn't long before Isath had a fluctuating huddle of experts. Representatives from every related field of study had turned up, and more than a few from unrelated. Word had spread that an interesting problem had turned up on their doorstep. And there were few things Knomes liked as much as a quandary. Even so, both types left as soon as their ideas had been heard. Exiting through holes into the deeper tunnels.

"What exactly are you doing over here?" Isath jumped with surprise, interest beyond the end-result wasn't normal for a sorcerer.

"We plan, need big building, take much time, very sorry Master."

"So, you can make it?"

"Not sure Master, must check, scale up small model, tricky lens work."

Isath tried a furry little smile. Maintaining a positive attitude was important. Unlike them, sorcerers never wanted to hear about problems, interesting or not. Since the headmaster seemed satisfied, he turned back to his ad-hoc work group. It currently numbered fifteen Knomes of varying heights. Three of them were true tinkerers, who were often women, and he listened reverently to their input.

A few hours passed, and he was impressed not only by the tinkerers. Most customers couldn't wait to leave, but this headmaster had stayed. Even displaying slight signs of curiosity. But they had one problem that was less than interesting. That the looking-glass invention was restricted by the unnatural order.

Looking around, he realised the sorcerer had left. Most of them made sure to yell some more so he knew they were leaving. For a second he hoped that the order would be cancelled, but there was a note.

'If things go well, I will return in a few days to check on your progress.
-Lyeasrakardsul, Headmaster of Dalmicir magick.'

Isath was thinking and biting his nails when Glegur appeared at his side looking smug. "I found the solution!"

"What are you talking about?"

"We've already built a giant kik."

"What? How's that possible?"

"Because they called it an observatory. The administrators back then decided that technically it's not the same as a looking-glass. Since that is used to choose the most defenceless prey and this is used to watch the heavens. So it doesn't go against the unnatural order."

"Oh, thank you Glegur, that is a relief."

"And you said I was being work-averse when I went to check the records, but in fact, I was being efficient."

Isath wasn't a supporter of Glegur's theory of hardly working, and their discussions about it were too confrontational. It just wasn't Knomeric. One of their talks had escalated to the point where Isath almost used the l-word... lazy. Knomes had no word for laziness, but it was the sorcerers favourite word for Knomes.

"I'll grant you that this time you were effective. Can I then also assume that you will explain to the headmaster why it's already been built?"

"W-e-ll, it was there before Empris." The shorter Knome grimaced and drew a hard breath between clenched teeth. "But we can't tell him that, can we?

"You know we can't, that would mean admitting that we've built something in Empris without their permission! A headmaster won't care that it was built before they came here!"

"You know, you make being a Knome a lot harder than it has to be!" Glegur pulled at the frayed neck hole in his sack.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. Why don't you go get the specs for the observatory, and we'll see what we can come up with?"

Updated: 16.11.2023