Novels2Search
Hero Inc.
Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Just outside an open office door, a man and a concept stare out at on building full of blue Djinn. They are going about their day, talking to their cubicle neighbors, and overall being rather neighborly with each other. The “Please Stop Screaming” sign in his office had been a bit unsettling and he had prepared for the worst. But nothing would have prepared him for this.

Nicki on the other hand was staring in complete disbelief. “What in the Miss Whiskers is going on here?” There was only supposed to be one Djinn. How did I not feel all these other people?

“Miss whiskers?” Del asked eyebrow raised.

Nicki lifted his hand. “The bunny.” Then he noticed there was nothing in his hand. “Aaand, I left the bunny at the tavern.”

“Uh, huh.” Del held back a laugh.

Shaking his head, Nicki turned back to the Djinn “Not the point. Why is there a small town in the office?” Looking deeper Nicki noticed that there was even a little nest a few cubicles down with a big sign “Beware of Goose.”

That was when someone finally noticed him. One of the Djinn had peaked out from behind one of the makeshift cubicles turned house. Nicki thought she looked similar to the girl he saw before but her markings were different. Unless they change. The woman's eyes widened, and her face began to drain of color, turning an interesting shade of silver.

Nicki had a bad feeling about this all. Incentively he smiled and waved. Which he guessed was the absolute worst thing he could have done. Immediately the woman grabbed a nearby chair and threw it hard at Nicki. Before screaming so loud, Nicki almost forgot about the chair that just knocked him to the ground.

“Human! The human! The monster is here!” She shouted running as her life depended on it.

“What the hell was that all about.” Nicki tossed the chair off of himself and forced himself back up.

“That was... interesting.” Del looked around his face growing worried.

That's when Nicki noticed doors curtains and other things used to cover the cubicle opening. Each holding some kind of makeshift weapon. Some had real swords or daggers, and one even had a bow. Some of them looked almost cobbled together from things in the office others looked professionally made. Each and every one of them was staring dagger straight at Nicki.

“Oh shit!”

Del turned Nicki around and pushed him. “Run boy!”

#

Two men run through a hall chased by an angry mob. Nicki was pumping his legs as hard as he could adrenaline pushing him harder than he ever had.

“Where. Do. We. Go?” Nicki asked between breaths.

Del on the other hand was almost casually jogging by his side. “We can lose them in the library.”

“There's a library?” Asked surprised. Though it made way too much sense. Of course there is a library. Thinking of the library he felt the room and started moving in its direction.

“How do you not know?” Del asked surprised.

“I just didn't.” He said defensively.

Del rolled his eyes as the two ran.

Turning around a corner they entered a large hallway filled with different doors. Far on the other side, another set of Djinn appeared sandwiching the two between the groups.

“Oh Come on,” Nicki shouted frustrated.

Del on the other hand pointed at one of the doors. He couldn’t read the sign by it with Del in front. “Through here.”

Too tired to think he ran for the door and opened it as Del led the way through what looked to be a highly futuristic room. With monitors and in the middle a holographic display with the words avatar creation. Without being able to take a second to examine the room before they burst out the other side, into another long hall.

“What was that room?” Nicki wondered. And how have I never seen it before?

Del gave Nickie a dubious look as they sprinted through the halls dodging the Djinn at every turn. Including their fireballs, lightning, arrows, and various other objects thrown at them. Nicki had just ducked another large metal stapler when he slid into a massive atrium with three connecting hallways and one massive ornately carved wood door at least five stories tall, filled with carvings of books. Above on the arched carved in lovely script was a single word. Library.

Nicki came to a dead stop in front of the doorway. In shock “Wow.” Taking a stapler to the shoulder. Snapping him out of his awe “Ow.”

“No time.” Remembering the people chasing him he follows Del into the grand library. The sound of pounding feet close behind.

#

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

In a room filled with a galaxy of floating stars a man, and a woman stand upon a walkway. They had been exploring the building for the last six months trying to find a way out. They had found hundreds of rooms, none of which would let them go back. Though there were many odd things in many of them, the room with the semi-sentient weapons was odd and freaked Sasha out. The most confusing thing for Illia was she couldn’t figure out the point of these rooms or what the human wanted from them.

All the stories they had were of them wanting to make deals. To not give them your name. That they were tricksters always speaking the truth while twisting them into misdirections. That they had deep magics that they couldn’t understand. In the six months, Illia had seen no indication any of this was true, except with that one little girl.

Now they were explorers looking for a way home, or even a way to simply escape. They had even made a cage of cold iron they scrapped together to capture him just in case. Though the others were starting to get restless as more and more Djinn wandered through the halls.

Now though Illia was in awe. “What is this place?”

“I don't know. It's one of the oddities of this place.” Rixar replied. One of the hundreds they had found. Though this was the first that seemed so alive.

“An ad infinitum of wisps.” She commented.

Rixar scrunched his eyes as he approached one of the lower floating lights. Studying it before replying. “I don't think they're wisps.”

“Why?”

“Do you feel like going off the path? No right?” She thought about it while they were pretty Illia felt no compulsion to follow. Or any of the other telltale signs she had been told to look out for. Rixar continued. “There's no compulsion. Just lights ... drifting. nothing like the ones in the forests around the city.”

“This was in none of the human stories.” Illia finally spoke about what she had been thinking for the last six months. None of the stories matched with what she grew up hearing from her parents or grandmother. “Maybe we had them wrong?” She finished

“There seems to be a lot wrong. This isn't some hell dimension or Human world. Despite the ever-changing halls. The only thing I could call this is some kind of administration building.”

“What like in the town hall?” Illia could see the resemblance to some of it.

“Yes. It's massive and shockingly empty, but the desks are. The papers, did you look at them?”

She shook her head. She had been too afraid to after reading the file on herself. Afraid of what else she might find.

"I have. They’re forms, of some kind. All asking strange questions. I think this is some kind of administration building.”

“What's the point? Why are some many of us here?”

Rizar shrugged. “Maybe the stairs teleport, and this is just the random destination. Maybe the human did the same thing from somewhere else.”

Illia paused to think, before remembering the child. He had taken her there deliberately. “No.”

“No?”

“No. This place. Is his somehow. He...” She struggled to explain. She hadn’t really told Rixar about her appearance in much detail. “Greeted me when I first got here.” Rixar stared in shock. Feeling self-conscious she continued “It was an odd greeting but he did.”

Rixar went in deep though. “Human stories are very vague. Making deals with them is dangerous, and wishes even more so. Maybe he was going to make a deal, maybe even to send you back?”

“Maybe. Still with all the horror stories. That little girl. She seemed happy before she disappeared.” That had been nagging at her the entire time she had been there.

“From that empty room, the one that morphed when she was in it?” Illia nodded. “She must have made some sort of deal with the man. It sounds like she gained some power from it.” Rixar paused looking around, “Where is Sasha by the way?”

“Oh, it is exploring again. Having the time of its life. Talking to people.”

“And freaking them out.” He commented, “Its voice still confuses me sometimes.”

She laughed. “You know if it wasn't for the existential dread and decor. This would be a bit of a paradise, even if the Viscount sent the entire city. I don’t think this place would be filled.”

“ILLIA. RIXAR!!” A young female Djinn runs into the room screaming. It took a minute for Illia to recognize Carey.

“What is it? Did someone trying to take control of the place for the Viscount show up again?” Illia asked. Every so often someone would show up still convinced they were working for the Viscount. To spy or sow descent. It had been a problem every so often, especially the ones who were stumbling on the more powerful rooms.

“NO! The human returned.” Carey said frantic.

“Great! Let's go greet him. Where is he?” Rixar asked calmly. They had long since planned with the rest of the Djinn that they would first calmly approach only using the cold forged iron cage as a last resort.

“He appeared somewhere near the place we all started,” Carey answered not looking her in the eye?

Illia had a sense of foreboding in her chest. “Where is he now?”

“Somewhere in the building...” She took a breath before saying fast. “and trying to run from an angry mob.”

“DID NO ONE LISTEN TO THE PLAN!” Illia shouted in frustration, running from the exit, “We need him alive to get us home!”

Rixar grabbed Carey, “Come on it will take more than her to stop them.”

The three ran out of the well of systems. A place where the souls of machines waited, and slept. Except for a single little wisp awake and curious about these strange creatures speaking of things it never heard of. It wanted to know more. Collect more data. So it followed drifting out through the open door.

#

A man surrounded by books falls to the ground gasping for breath. They were somehow able to lose the angry mob deep in the archive.

“That sucked.” Nicki lay on the ground with a stitch in his side.

Del on the other hand looked perfectly fine. Not even winded. Not fair. He just looked down at Nicki with a smirk. “Why didn’t you just open a door home?”

Nicki felt incredibly stupid. “Panicked when you said run.” Wanting to change the topic he asked about something they passed to change the subject. “Did we pass a section about magical girls?" That had surprised him, especially the cardboard cutouts of magical girls, like you might see in a manga section at a specialty store.

“Ah.” Del looked a little embarrassed, and decided not to comment on his panic “Yes we did pass a magical girl section. You must have missed the Sentai Warrior section on the other side.”

Whats a Sentai Warrior? He wondered before asking instead. “Hey, why didn't you do anything to stop them?”

“Why didn’t you? Also Rules.”

Nicki pushed himself up to a sitting position. “What?”

“Rules. You’re a Hero. this is your world. I can't directly interfere. Besides you need to fix your own mess. I’m kind of pushing it with guiding you as I am.”

“How do I do that?” Thinking back to the angry mob. They had been trying to kill him he was sure. Some of those staplers were thrown really close to his head. “They were out for blood.”

Del shrugged.

Before he could ask more the pounding of footsteps could be heard.

“Times up,” Del said heading down the isles.

Forcing himself to his tired and burning legs, “Please tell me there's a door close by.” Then I can just go home.

Del turned back and said one word. “Run.”

“I take that as a no.” Taking. With a deep breath he followed Del deeper into the library. As the Djinn were closing in fast.

* * *