Over the next 6 months, Viktor helped a wide variety of people. A dark skinned man trying to learn how to forge undead-repelling weapons, a woman who wanted to work with exotic materials, several adventurers looking for rare weapons, and an odd young wizard looking for a way to use blood magic to enhance his physique.
Viktor didn't help everyone, particularly the last fellow, but he'd extracted promises of favors, affinities, and more from almost everyone who had come by the library. As the date for Zachary's caravan to arrive quickly approached, Viktor decided to open up to his fellow librarians more than he had previously. With his soul being returned to him without the brand on it that his coworkers had, he was ready to leave and take on Purgatory with his own strength.
Since that first night after Zachary had left, Viktor had taken to eating dinner with Hooch and Timothy at least a few times a week. It was good to bond with them, and kept Viktor grounded in reality. Tonight, as they sat eating another hearty meal, Viktor broached the topic of his departure.
"So, gentlemen, I think I have something I would like to discuss," Viktor began. Timothy fixed him with a stare, not quite accusatory.
"Is it how you started being able to do magic like other people?" He asked. Viktor paused, thinking of how to respond.
"You knew?"
"Well, it's not as though you've been exactly subtle about it," Timothy said. "Hooch has been in the arena and seen evidence of your spell practicing. Your imps--I'm assuming they're yours, anyways-- aren't exactly sneaky when they fly away from the tower or bring you letters in your suite. Not to mention the secret deals you think we don't know about with many of the people that come here? I'm not exactly oblivious, especially when even the ones I help with advanced magical topics request to meet with you afterwards." He laid out the facts plainly, and Viktor had to admit that his limited resources had definitely made sneaking around with secrets for most of a year extraordinarily difficult.
"I see. Hooch, you knew too?" Viktor checked. The bigger man, looking just as big but with muscles a bit more well defined after all his 'breaking', laughed heartily.
"Yeah! No magic, you are bad at breaking!" Hooch explained enthusiastically. Timothy had tried teaching the man how to speak properly, but it never seemed to take. Whatever magic Purgatory had worked to wipe his memory had done seemingly irreparable damage to his speaking abilities. Or maybe he'd always been that way... Viktor didn't know.
The man was, unfortunately, correct. Despite his incessant training with fighting, Viktor was much better equipped to spend time dodging attacks rather than making them. Without the inherent strength that Hooch had or the limit-breaking life force available to other residents of Purgatory, he simply didn't have the raw power necessary to punch through the hard armor of stronger creatures in an efficient way. He could get in a few good swings, definitely. He could wound most creatures he'd tested himself against, sure. But the fact of the matter was, it just wasn't worthwhile yet for him to get into the fray. He was best at avoiding serious threats rather than meeting them head-on alone. As he'd collected more affinities, he could use several combat spells rather effectively, but he still lacked the massive mana reserves that might come with strengthening his soul, or even having one.
"Well..." Viktor thought best how to proceed, "I... apologize... for sneaking around behind your back. It was not my intention, and is, Timothy, the reason I wanted to talk to you now. I have a method of trading affinities with others. Timothy, I know that you have been enamored with magic since you arrived here. I mostly wish to apologize to you for withholding the ability to do magic. The truth is, I am intending to leave this library soon. I want to make my parting gift to you the ability to do magic, if you want it."
Timothy stared at him.
"So... just to be clear... you haven't always been able to do magic?" He clarified.
"What? No. It was only after Zachary visited, and then only after a lot of practice," he said.
"So this has something to do with those pointed questions about affinities and devils you were asking me shortly after, I assume then?" Timothy interrogated.
Viktor sighed.
"Yes, it does. The short version is that my many-great grandfathers made a deal with one of the archdevils of Purgatory that allowed him and all of his descendants the same contract-making powers of an archfiend. After being banished here to Purgatory, I've been slowly taking advantage of those powers to prepare for my exit." He explained. There was no reason for him to get into the details of Claire or his motivation for leaving, really.
"But why are you leaving? Everything we could ask for is here in the library. We get food, beverage, comfortable lodging, safety, and access to information and knowledge that most everyone else could only dream about accessing!" Timothy exclaimed, lifting a glass of red wine to emphasize the point.
Well, shit.
"Look, you just... wouldn't get it. I've got something I'm aiming for. A goal. And I can't... get to it from here. I've got to leave," Viktor explained haltingly. Timothy nodded in understanding, and Hooch continued to eat his meal.
"I won't say I get it, Viktor. But I do get that we're different people. From the start, you've been different. I've learned a lot about magic, yeah, but you've done so much. I mean, what? You speak... four different languages decently? And read how many others? You answer questions about identifying runes faster than me, you're better at choosing fighting styles for adventurers than Hooch, and you're a walking GPS for half the locations or items that people walk in here looking for. I can't even remember the last time I was working on a floor you had access to without seeing a gopher poofing in and out to grab books, scrolls, or tablet rubbings for your desk. I've seen your robes with the blood on them. I know about your physical fitness training. The letters. the deals. The magic. The notes. The fighting. All of it. But for all that I see, I don't understand.
The truth is, though, I don't need to," the slighter man continued passionately. "I'll admit. I extended the hand of friendship at the start, and I was disappointing when you didn't reciprocate. Even now, I wouldn't call us friends. We're acquaintances, sure, but there's a wall between us. I know you think of Hooch and I more like your charges than as your equals. Like you're better adapted just because you're ready and prepping for the dangers out there while we're content to do our assigned jobs here. And maybe you're right. It doesn't matter. However you've thought about us, you have tried to include us more. The dinners, the conversations, the research discussions, all of it. You were doing your best to treat us well in your own way.
So, with all that being said, I would like to inform you of a few things. First, that I will help you with magical knowledge you require. Until you leave and after, consider me your expert on all things magical. Second, that I wish you the best of luck in your struggles. I'm not quite the eloquent speaker that you seem to be, so my previous words might have been harsh. I'm not used to long speeches, and I've worked on this one in the mirror for quite a while. I do like you, Viktor, and whatever it is you're searching for, I hope you find it. Third, lastly, is a word of advice: you cannot push away others like you have here. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but it starts with a knife to the back because you didn't let anyone in. You'll lead a lonely life, and when it all gets put on the line, no one will be there to support when you need it most. The people you've contracted are just that: contractors. Foster true loyalty or die."
Viktor sat there, staring at the normally quiet man in shock. Hooch nodded in affirmation.
"Yeah," Hooch added.
Viktor'd never heard Timothy speak so much about anything other than research. He raised good points, and it hurt to hear them. Viktor had brushed off the other two librarians initially. He had done a poor job of turning them from colleagues into friends. He still wasn't treating them like they were friends. He was treating them like pit stops on his road out the door. House plants, just maintaining them until he was gone. Eating meals a few times a week, chatting sometimes. He'd never once opened up to either of them. Even now, with his decision to withhold the information about Claire, he was reinforcing the nature of their relationship and the wall between them. He set down his fork.
"You... raise good points, Timothy. I'm sorry for all of that. I won't make excuses for my actions or the way I've treated you. You're right in that I've viewed my time here as largely temporary, and that hasn't changed. I appreciate your words of support and the advice you've given. I'll do my best to take it to heart." Viktor finally responded. He gave it a moment, waiting for Timothy to talk, but the other librarian had returned to his meal.
"So, then, about my preparations."
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
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Another week went by, and Viktor received word that the caravan would be there within a day. He jumped into action from his desk. A wave of his hand and a spoken word opened up a portal to his territory in Mephistopheles' realm.
"Varkul," he greeted the greater imp, now approaching 4 feet in height.
"My master," the imp said ingratiatingly, bowing. Viktor waved the formality away. He understood the value of it, but now wasn't the time.
"Where are we on the recruitment efforts? I have need of more administrators now. Succubi? Incubi? A few imps? What are we working with, have you struck any deals with the limited compensation I can provide?" He interrogated his fiendish second-in-command. For months, Varkul had had instructions to search the netherworld for devils and even tolerable demons for those willing to contract under him for dubious compensation. He typically granted 1% affinity, held in escrow by Varkul, to these early signers, and promised to support them in their growth if they remained loyal. He knew it was a longshot, but he was hoping he'd at least get a dozen devils on board with his cause.
"Ah, yes... Well, we have indeed signed on a trio of succubi, my liege..." Varkul explained hesitantly.
"That's good, what's the catch?" Varkul, unsure of the imp's hesitation. Succubi were demons, rather than devils. They fed on the lust of mortal men after seducing them with the form of a beautiful woman. Usually, feasting on their lust was a fatal experience. In some cases, though, they could be reined in and the experience could be quite pleasant for the mortals involved without death.
"Well, they were tempted by the opportunity to seduce and feast on the lust of a Duke of Hell..." Varkul began.
"So...?" Viktor questioned. That might be what they wanted, but it wasn't what they were going to get. I guess, technically, they had the opportunity to seduce him. They just wouldn't be able to. Varkul shifted his feet hesitantly.
"Varkul, I'm getting tired of this. Send them through or banish them if they refuse to follow orders." The imp vanished, and Viktor counted to 60 before summoning him again. The imp stepped through the portal followed by three scantily clad forms. Each succubus possessed ethereal beauty: colored skin, three different shades of pink or purple, perfectly stylized hair, and exquisitely voluptuous bodies. They wore hardly any clothes, and looked at him with predatory eyes, their plump limps fixed into a sultry expression.
Viktor stared back with hard eyes.
"Ladies, are you here to obey me or are you here to say goodbye on your way to other employment in the hells?" Viktor asked, unflinching as one of the brave succubi stepped up to him and trailed her nails along his chest.
"That depends on what your orders are, my liege," she purred. Viktor closed his eyes briefly in exasperation, and the others must have mistaken it for ecstasy, stepping forward to join their demonic sister.
"Allow me to clarify," Viktor began, unmoving still as their hands roamed his body, "Will you obey all of my orders? I am in need of administrators, servants who will do my bidding and grow alongside me." He understood Timothy's point about inspiring trust and making friends, but demons and devils were not the best candidates. They served best those with a firm hand. The demons molesting him pouted.
"Oh, we won't go talking to any mortals, mister Mephistopheles-spawn," one of them informed them. In an instant, Viktor's hand had snaked around her neck and was in the process of crushing her windpipe. The other succubi recoiled, the assailed one clawing at him with transformed fingers while the others watched. Her sharp nails failed to pierce his skin, though, her powers greatly reduced in the face of one with no attraction to her.
"Sorry, but I belong to someone else," Viktor whispered, dropping her body to the ground as he choked the life out of her at last. He refrained from casting a containment spell on her body, allowing it to disintegrate as it disappeared to reform in the infernal ream in the distant future. He normally wouldn't waste the resources represented by her demonic body, but it was more valuable to make a statement.
"So, ladies, I ask you again: Will you follow my orders, or will you seek employment elsewhere?" He gestured to the open portal. The succubi shared a look, then vanished into the infernal realm. Viktor sighed. So much for the impressive display of demonic loyalty he'd been going for.
"Varkul, do better next time," he admonished the imp, who sighed alongside him before returning to the realm to gather the resources Viktor had requested for the caravan.
The day passed quickly as Viktor grabbed other books and resources he hadn't had on standby. For months, he'd been storing valuable books and the best general-purpose encyclopedias or knowledge sources he could in his infernal territory. The library would register the books as gone or damaged and generate duplicate copies, which Viktor would then take as well. He had stockpiles of the books he felt were most useful, and a few copies of books that were more situationally useful or valuable as trade goods. He'd taken the time to grab as many as he could, making copies of almost any book he thought he'd get some use out of and compiling notebooks with summaries of valuable tidbits from other, less useful books. Now, he grabbed more duplicate copies of books that he'd be handing out just once tomorrow.
After he'd piled stacks and stacks of books up by the door with help from Timothy and Hooch, he retrieved the chest of gold he'd accumulated from dealings with adventurer's over the past 10 months. It totaled just over 400 gold in total. Not a phenomenal sum, but it was enough to make people take him seriously. The vast majority of prices he'd exacted in exchange for his knowledge were affinities or other small favors. Items found near a questing adventurer's destination, letters delivered on his behalf, information on the state of Purgatory and the major players, etcetera. Once he was out in the world, he had plans on how to make much more money. Not least of all was the fact that he held the schematics for an auction house ritual-- a complicated magical device with accompanying ritual spell designed by far more advanced mages than could be found currently. The ritual connected all auction houses that were built with each other, including ones built on other planets in Purgatory. The items were restricted in what they could offer to the new planet, but the main idea was to sell items to the other planets in order to make money faster than Purgatory's newest residents could. If an item wasn't useful to someone Viktor knew and was situationally useful to someone on another planet, it was as good as sold.
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The next day, Viktor woke up at the crack of dawn and looked out the window. Varkul entered the material realm at his bidding bearing a few articles of clothing, most of which were actually prepared by the people gathering below. He donned his impressive attire. Fine black linen harem pants with a black linen top accented by crimson silk. A matching crimson sash was wrapped around his waist. The look was completed by gold bracers on his sleeveless arms, spellwork adorning each piece, and a dark cloak made of spidersilk wrapped around his shoulders. Black tabis with tough, flexible bottoms fit his feet snugly, and he smiled at himself in the mirror. He looked imposing, regal, but not too sinister. It was perfect.
The time had come. He walked out the door, chest floating along beside him. Four large carriages sat in the clearing around the library, and Viktor stood at the threshold. A crowd had gathered and stood around him in a semicircle. They wore mismatched clothing: some in armor, some in tattered cloth. Some held staffs of power or weapons, but most were relatively unarmed. A few had craftsmen's hammers on their belts, or other tools. Two women in cloaks similar to Viktor's walked forward and bowed at him.
"Viktor?" They inquired, unable to see his face beneath his hood.
"Hey, Natasha. Sofia," He greeted them, smiling good-naturedly. The twins were the first of an elite fighting and infiltration force that he'd been creating. His Ravens. They would be his eyes and his sword, at least for the first month after his departure from the library. After that, it would be up to them if they wanted to stay with him or leave elsewhere. His contract only demanded one month of service to help him get on his feet.
Zachary was the next one to walk up. Viktor had corresponded with him semi-frequently over the time they'd been apart, and they'd become fairly friendly. The younger adventurer was decked out in worn metal armor. Unlike before, though, this armor seemed to be in shoddy condition due to age rather than poor quality. A closer look revealed that it was carved with runes all over. When Zachary jogged over and clapped him on the back, Viktor could feel the thrum of power in the armor, and he smiled. He was pleased to see the fruits of his first potential friend's labor.
"Viktor, my man! Good to see you up and out of that dusty old library," he said cheerfully. Viktor clapped him on the back in return and gestured to their audience.
"Zachary! I can see you've been working hard gathering skilled parties," Viktor paid a compliment to the audience within earshot. Their faces remained impassive, judging him. He knew he had to address them soon, so he refrained from further conversation from his first trading partner.
"Everyone!" He stood tall, arms spread open in a welcoming gesture. "First off, I'd like to welcome you all to the Library of Thoth! For all residents of Purgatory, it is a limited opportunity to take advantage of the knowledge left behind by our predecessors." A pause.
"For you, though, its opportunities hold no end. I am a librarian of this tower, and I have bypassed its curse that restricts the knowledge inside. We find ourselves in this prison. I was told it was an arena for us to constantly struggle. An arena to prove what we're made of. To earn the respect of the angels."
"I don't know about you, but I've not felt any respect so far. I've done my job as requested, but I've been imprisoned inside of our new prison. I won't lie to you; for those of you that visited, you know that my stay was anything but unpleasant. I had food, I had comfort, and I had books beyond belief. And I want to use those books, my experiences, to help you.
I'm not a charity. Each of you has been chosen to join this caravan because you are, or have the potential to become, great. In 9 years time, our world will open up to every other planet that Purgatory possesses. Alone, we stand no chance of maintaining any semblance of sovereignty. What started as a game or a fair chance at success has been stacked against us. But one thing I learned before I was here was that when the game is stacked against you, all you have to do... is cheat."
Another pause, gauging the reactions. A few people seemed riled up at his words, but their anger was directed at the world rather than him. Perfect. Most seemed calculating, calmly reserving judgement until his offer was fully made. Right now, it was too good to be true. So he'd reveal the catch.
"I'll help you cheat. I'll tear this world apart and examine each of its secrets. Every hidden artifact, ancient spell, lost piece of knowledge. I have it, and I'll sell it to you. For favors, for gold, for something you don't value. I'm the middleman you could never dream of, and the kind of resource that our enemies will have nightmares about." There it was. The subtle transition from a business relationship to something else. Our enemies. Viktor took a step forward, locking eyes with person after person, receiving subtle nods in response, smiles, or other signs of affirmation. A few looked skeptical, but that was okay. They'd come to regret it.
Viktor reached out a hand.
"So come on, everyone. Won't you shake a poor sinner's hand?"