Chapter 13: The Library
Everyone agreed to meet after classes the following day to go to the library. Sen and Mori got out of class a little earlier than the others, so they sat on the floor of their room going through everything Mori collected during the festival quest.
It was good to learn what all they had gained, and if they were lucky, they’d be able to find a hint or something hidden among their loot. Whether it told them why the hooded men had taken the students in the first place, or what they were after in general. Any information could be useful.
The most profitable of what Mori collected was the wide assortment of lower-grade magic essence spheres of almost every element. They’d gained nearly a hundred spheres in total. With these, he’d be able to experiment with and create new spells, and he hoped to do so soon. It would be best in a dedicated spell-crafting room, though, and the first years didn’t have access to one. He’d need to figure out a solution for that.
Alongside the spheres, Mori had collected magic beast parts, much of which came from creatures even Sen hadn’t recognized. Though he had little use for them, he took the time to study a few of the more interesting components. A unique wing structure here, an organ for storing elemental magic there. Researching such things would only improve his creation magic techniques. Though that was off the table until he had access to high-grade magic essence spheres again. After a while, he passed the task on to Mori. His replica enjoyed dissecting new creatures more than he did. Once Mori finished, he could pass on any useful analysis.
Essence spheres and magic beast parts. Sen frowned. “This stuff is valuable in bulk, but…it’s next to worthless if they were planning to sell Brightsail Academy students to some foreign nation to fight for them.”
Mori peered closely into the tube of the crab’s leg and nodded as if something had clicked into place for him. He sat it down in the pile he was finished with and reached for something new. This time it looked like a bear's paw, except the wrist of the severed hand had a tiny wing attached to it. “That’s been bothering me as well. Plus the fact that they were so concerned over the number of students they took. Wouldn’t an extra student mean more profit for them? Either they only had the capacity to take so many, or…well, they may have had an agreement with someone.” Mori didn’t look up as he said it. As if the dark thought were too much to face.
That was disturbing. Had someone offered five Brightsail Academy students in exchange for something else? Had Sen interrupted some backroom dealing? The students on the scouting teams had been first and second-years. Easier targets. But why would someone steal easier targets if the goal was to fight in a war?
“We’ll keep an eye on things for now. After we talk with the librarian, we’ll know more,” Sen said.
Mori nodded and focused on his dissection. Sen turned his attention to the real prize of the other day.
Magic artifacts.
He’d seen what one of the artifacts could do, however briefly. It was a glowing sphere that produced powerful beams of light, or, at least, powerful as far as a lesser-grade artifact was concerned. Some artifacts had multiple properties from the start; others gained new properties over time as your mana resonated with it. If this one had any other abilities, the previous owner hadn’t used them during the fight. He set this one aside for now. It was resonating with his mana already, and Tutor would force any hidden properties out before long if they existed.
Besides, the second artifact was much more interesting to him.
This was the artifact one of the men had used to trap him and Milim within a stone prison. It was a long, thin rock wrapped in green plants. It was thin enough to fit up his sleeve or in a pocket. That alone made it more valuable than the palm-sized glowing artifact he’d examined already. He wished he’d used it to trap his hostage from the other day. It might’ve kept Snake from getting to him. The thought still made his nose wrinkle. They wouldn’t need to search blindly if they’d just had time to question the man.
The door guardian stirred as someone approached. Mana rippled along the door while the guardian quickly scanned those approaching. It settled down quickly. A knock on the door came only a moment later.
Mori stood. “That must be them. Ready?” he asked.
The three girls talked amongst themselves while they waited outside. Samara and Ilm had a class together, and Milim had met them on the way here.
It was time for a trip to the library.
The library was in the left wing of the academy, on the first floor. They passed several classrooms and the dining hall as they went. Milim seemed full of energy today. Each step was almost a bounce, and she was chatting more than usual. Apparently, she enjoyed the library. Not that he could blame her. Knowledge had always been a passion of his as well, and though he hadn’t explored the main library yet, the prospect was exciting.
The library doors were larger than the gates to the academy. They were grand in design, and intricate blue patterns lined them. They looked almost like runes, but it was obvious they were purely decorative. Whatever defenses the library had wouldn’t be so prominently on display.
The door handles looked like crashing waves. From far away, Milim held out a hand, as if she were grabbing them, and then pulled. They responded to her mana and swung open on their own.
Sen felt a sense of wonder as he saw the library for the first time. It was larger than he’d expected, and he realized either it extended to the second floor, or there was some kind of spatial magic at play here, though he didn’t detect any, so it was probably the former.
It was surprisingly empty, and there weren’t any other students inside as far as Sen could see.
Milim seemed to sense their confusion. “It’ll be busier later tonight. A lot of students use it to study at night, but right after classes it’s usually pretty quiet. It’s my favorite time to come.”
As they crossed the threshold, the smell of old paper and wood filled his senses. There were plenty of light brown, square tables around with chairs that matched. In either direction the tables continued, and seemingly endless rows of bookshelves lined up on either side of the sitting area. Directly ahead, past the tables, a wide staircase led upwards before splitting into two opposing staircases that both led upstairs. It was up there, behind the railing, that Sen spotted the front desk. At it, an old librarian carefully thumbed through one of the thickest books Sen had ever seen.
“This library is quite impressive.” Mori stared at the depictions on the ceiling and gasped. Sen followed his gaze and saw a massive mural showcasing his battle with the Dreadgiant King Garlon. Garlon’s illustration was surprisingly accurate, but Sen didn’t have any idea why the artist had drawn the God of Magic nearly naked. A simple white cloth covered his crotch.
He shuddered.
Tutor, remind me not to look up as much as possible.
[I understand you’re disappointed about the cloth, but exhibitionism is wildly inappropriate for a public library.]
Samara threw her arms up. “This place always overwhelms me. I’d rather some old person tell me what I need to read to get stronger. I don’t wanna sort through all this myself.” She paused, looking at Mori. “Hey Mori. What should I read?”
“Don’t ask me! I’ve never been here before.” Mori paused. “And, hey! I’m not old!”
Technically, he had the body of a twenty-five-year-old, but he had lived alongside Ragmár for just over a century. In a way, he was a little old.
A book slammed shut, and all of them looked up in the direction it came from. The librarian was staring down at them. He held a finger to his lips. “Shhh!” He blinked and leaned back when he noticed Milim. “Milim!” he shouted, far louder than any of them had. “How are you?” His hair was pulled into a short ponytail at the top of his head, and he had a thick, white beard that hung down past his chest. His green eyes looked stern, or they had until he’d noticed Milim at least.
“Didn’t he just shush us? Why is he yelling?” Mori asked.
Milim smiled. “Hello Orttha!” She turned back to the rest of them and waved them forward. “Come on! He’s who we came to see.”
Mori looked dumbfounded. “Wait, we aren’t going to read?” he asked.
Ilm let out a sigh of relief.
They followed Milim as she jogged up the stairs. Orttha welcomed her with a warm smile. “I wondered where you were today! Quite the crowd you’ve brought.”
“These are my friends. We’re investigating something, and I thought you might be able to help, if you have some time?” Milim said.
Orttha nodded. “Of course. What’s the topic today? Did you want to talk more about the God of Magic? Or perhaps another lecture on stat point theory? Oh! We just got a book recently on modification analysis! I bet you’d love it. Let’s see…I know I had it somewhere.” He turned and hurried over to his desk.
“Actually, we wanted to discuss cults. If that’s okay with you, Orttha,” Milim interjected.
Orttha’s head snapped. He turned wide-eyed to face them, then brushed past and leaned over the railing. He quickly scanned the library and then flicked his hands. The doors of the library slammed shut and several locks clicked into place. “We must be careful. Warn me ahead of time in the future so I can prepare. We can talk here, but I shouldn’t keep the library closed for long. Come, come.”
Orttha hurried past again and over to his desk. Rather than walking around it, he went over it. Walking as if invisible steps led up and over his desk. When he turned to face them, he leaned forward and waited for them to follow.
This Orttha was interesting, to say the least. Sen followed him. “So, you can tell us about the cults?” Sen asked.
The librarian stared into Sen’s eyes. It wasn’t unusual for people to notice. Red eyes were uncommon among humans. They were much more frequent in demons. “Milim, are you absolutely sure you trust everyone in this room? I’ll take your word for it, but if you aren’t positive, we should stop here and hope we’re spared if we’ve offended anyone present.”
Milim nodded. “These are the ones who helped save the students the other day. I trust them.”
Orttha thoughtfully stroked his beard. “I see. I had heard about that. It’s good everyone made it out okay. Well, aside from the kidnappers. But…” he shrugged. “What do you want to know?”
Sen leaned forward. “These men wore dark brown robes and covered their faces and hands. Most of them were, uh…unidentifiable after the fight. But they had some kind of underground warehouse with spheres and magic beast parts. Does that remind you of any cult you’re aware of?”
Orttha thought for a moment. “Before I speak, I need everyone to agree that this information doesn’t leave the library. I still have plenty of books I’d like to read before I croak of old age. So don’t go getting old Orttha assassinated saying he was spreading rumors about the cults, alright?”
“You needn’t worry. We’ll place you under our protec—” Sen stopped before he finished his sentence. He wasn’t a court wizard or acting as the God of Magic right now. He was a student. Offering to place the head librarian of the academy under his protection sounded pompous at best and idiotic at worst. He would take precautions, especially if the old man had good information. But he should choose his words more carefully. “We’ll keep this a secret. You don’t need to worry.”
The others nodded their agreement.
Orttha held up a hand, and figures appeared on his desk. Each wandered randomly, in different colored robes with symbols all around them. “Each cult is different. They often wear robes that signify their allegiance to their god. There are a few cults that wear darker colors. As far as brown ones…not any that are currently active. Many years ago there was the cult of Harpis.”
He pointed a finger at a figure in a brown robe that looked similar to the ones they’d seen in the sewers. The miniature figures were faceless, which made them look even creepier underneath their hoods. “But Harpis and his followers were wiped out centuries ago. It was a good thing to. He was powerful and killed many people, but he’s long gone now. There are shady groups that impersonate cults at times, as stupid as that is. The fact that they had a warehouse means they could’ve been smugglers or thieves hoping to deflect blame.”
Mori crossed his arms. “Well, it’s working, considering the dean seems reluctant to label this the work of a cult.”
Samara groaned. “Why is everyone so uptight about this, anyway? The dean, the professors, and now even you shut down the entire library just to talk in secret? Why is everyone so afraid of a bunch of freaking weirdos?”
Orttha flinched. “Because enough people who disparaged the cult publicly didn’t wake up the next morning. Or their friends didn’t. Or their families didn’t. It’s all too common, or at least, it was for a long time.”
“If the cult of Harpis was wiped out…it doesn’t really make sense that someone would pretend to be them, does it?” Ilm asked. “Everyone already knows they’re gone.”
Sen frowned. He thought of the warehouse and everything they’d found. Magic essence spheres were commonly used to fuel spells. With enough of them, weaker magicians could cast magic well above their rank. Magic beast parts were commonly used in creation magic. With the right materials, you could create a hybrid creature with the strongest traits of its parts. It dawned on him that there was a chance these weren’t just common criminals. There was a chance this wasn’t someone pretending to be the Cult of Harpis. This could be a reemergence.
Tutor, I need you to analyze something for me. He sent a quick set of instructions to his interface.
[Analyzing.]
Someone knocked on the library door.
Orttha sighed. “A moment! Just a moment!” he called out. “We need to wrap up before I lose my job.”
Mori perked up. “Could you tell us about the Cult of Gom?”
Both Orttha and Milim brightened at that. “Oh, I could, but we’d need an afternoon and refreshments for that. They wear white robes, like the God of Magic did.” Orttha turned and flicked his hand again. A few books hovered toward him. “I’ve got some books on the subject of cults, but if I loan them to you and they’re discovered, I’ll deny you got them from me.”
Mori bowed deeply. “I’d be eternally grateful.”
Orttha snatched each of the books from the air around them and placed them in Mori’s arms. Afterwards, Orttha ran a hand along the sides of the books. “Hide Knowledge,” he said.
The titles of the books changed at once. Instead of referencing cults, they changed to titles suggesting things such as horticulture, shopkeeping, and the art of mindfulness.
Sen nodded approvingly. A useful illusion, and a quick scan revealed that the fake titles would remain in place indefinitely. At least until Orttha or someone else removed them.
They headed downstairs, and Sen caught Milim lagging behind.
She and Orttha talked in hurried whispers. The old man’s eyes widened. He turned and locked eyes with Sen. When he realized Sen was watching, the surprised expression on his face faded away instantly. He laughed and waved Milim off. “Silly girl, don’t let your friends leave without you.”
Sen waited for Milim to catch up. As they walked down the stairs after the others, he studied her in his peripheral vision. Her strange behavior was starting to add up. She’d been able to tap into his Mana Encapsulation technique, and she’d described exactly how he’d allocated his stats in the past during history class. Now, this weird exchange with Orttha. Something was going on, and he’d keep a careful eye on her until he figured out what. He didn’t think she was a threat. Only time would tell whether or not that was a mistake.
[Analysis complete. From what you and Mori gathered on the magic beast parts, I believe your theory may be correct. It’s possible the resources taken from the warehouse were intended for use in a ritual spell.]
He’d worried that was the case. If this was the Cult of Harpis, if they really were preparing for a massive ritual, there was only one thing they could be after.
The resurrection of their god. They were trying to bring Harpis back.
Calabari
He looked over the list again in the comfort of his office. This was his chance. The dean had placed him in charge of the Academy War. If he could deliver a victory for Brightsail Academy, he’d more than make up for his mistakes in the past. They’d have to end his probation. But if he wanted to win, he’d have to be willing to use whoever he needed to.
Even if that meant throwing the new first-year student into a competition designed for third and fourth years.