Chapter 100

The group encountered no problems getting to the library itself. Jay guessed that someone must have been through earlier and that the monsters must not have wandered back yet. It was excellent timing for Jay and his friends and M'redith carefully opened the door to the library instead of crashing through it as they normally would elsewhere.

Their group had passed in to the dim and quiet library and Glenda closed the door behind them almost silently with a soft click. The sounds around them became softer and more muffled. It was like walking in to a tomb, only it smelled like an uncountable number of well cared for old books.

“What now?” Aiden asked softly. Everyone was watching a different direction and it was M'redith that answered.

“We map out the librarian's paths and then we try to sneak around them.” she answered as she adjusted her location slightly so she would have a better view.

“Just want to point out that none of us are sneaky. You sure sneaky is the way to go?” Aiden asked. He was standing with his head tilted back slightly and was rubbing his sore neck. He hadn't slept well, again.

“I sneaky.” Glenda said, her head directly next to but slightly behind Aiden. She spoke directly in to his ear and he leapt away from her, stumbling a bit as he did so. Thankfully he did not cry out.

“GODDESS don't do that to me Glenda!” Aiden complained as some of the color returned to his suddenly pale white face.

Almost everyone else was smiling after seeing Aiden's leap away from Glenda.

Jay had noticed her out of the corner of his eye sneak up on him and hadn't warned him. “She is pretty sneaky.”

Glenda just shrugged as Aiden finally smiled but still shook his head and tried to glare at her.

M'redith hadn't joined them but instead had taken up from where the group had left off the day before and Jay was helping take notes as she watched. He wrote everything down in his Mighty Book.

They all settled in to different positions and kept watch as M'redith mapped out their future path to the central desk. If they could just make it there they would be fine.

Except life didn't work like that. Just because they accomplished their primary goal – reaching the central desk – that did not mean that returning the book would be easy. It also did nothing to help them get out of the library.

So M'redith was marking out two paths really. One path leading to the central desk and then another that they could follow on the way back.

“I love the smell.” Norri finally said after it had been quiet for some time.

Aiden chuckled.

“What?” Norri demanded.

Aiden was about to say something but Jay spoke first.

“It does actually smell nice in here.” he said as he scribbled a new path on to a page in his book.

Aiden closed his mouth then tried again. “I just find it amusing how you can find the best in a poor situation. It's encouraging.”

“It's a deadly room for us to be in but it does smell nice, I'll admit it.” M'redith finally said after it had gone quiet.

Glenda as was her usual did not speak as it was obvious the librarian would find the smell of books enjoyable.

“Ok.” M'redith said a while later as she got up slowly and stretched her arms over her head before leaning forward and touching her toes.

Jay chuckled. “Show off.”

M'redith didn't pop up but looked at him from her bent position with her head turned to the side to face him. “You can't touch your toes?”

Jay shrugged, “I never could.”

M'redith eyed him steadily, “Sure, but have you tried recently?”

Jay understood what she was really trying to ask – had he tried since he arrived on Eden?

Jay's eyes narrowed as he stood and bent at the waist.

He easily touched his toes.

When he bent back upright he was smiling widely, “I just touched my toes! I never could before!”

Aiden grinned, “Good job little buddy!” he said, teasing Jay.

“See?” M'redith said. “You should give things a try before you say you can't do it!”

She finally stood up straight and looked tired. “I think I have a route we can take – plus, a route back as long as things don't go too horribly wrong in the meantime. There's no way I want to run it today though, it's already past lunch time.”

Aiden looked horrified but it was true, the group had camped out in the library for most of the day. It had taken hours for M'redith to plan the perfect routes and timings but she seemed confident that she had done so.

Jay smiled at her warmly, “Great job M'redith. Thank you for doing that.”

She smiled as the others thanked her as well. As the tank M'redith would be at the front of the line when they ran. Since she would be in front she was the one that would need to memorize the route. If something happened to M'redith then the path would be blown anyway as she had a very demanding timetable she had to go by in order to avoid all of the patrols.

If something found them there would be no following a path and timetable, just a mad dash for safety.

“Ok, head to.. what, the map room? Or the cafeteria?” Jay asked.

“Cafeteria,” M'redith answered after a moments thought. “We need to refill our water bottles.”

Aiden hadn't thought about his water bottle all day and took it out. “Mine's still full.” he said.

“You were supposed to be drinking it throughout the day! Aren't you thirsty?” M'redith asked in an exasperated voice. Her bottle was just about empty.

Aiden smacked his lips and opened the bottle. He took repeated sips for a minute before finally stopping. “You're right. My bottle needs a refill.”

Norri chuckled in the background while Glenda shook her head.

“Everyone drink up if you haven't already and we'll head to the cafeteria,” M'redith said with a sigh.

Everyone took at least a sip or two of their water as they were all thirsty. Once they had repacked their bottles everyone lined up behind M'redith in order. M'redith, Norri, Aiden, Jay, and Glenda. Aiden and Jay would sometimes swap their positions but the other spots were pretty much set in stone.

M'redith carefully opened the door a crack and peered through the opening. She saw nothing in the hallway. She opened the door all the way and ran out of the library room, her group following directly behind her. After about a minute of running they were really starting to get a bit tired.

As they ran down the corridors M'redith saw something cloudy up ahead and she immediately looked at her feet, slowing to a jog. “Fog monster!” she called back behind her.

Jay nodded and took out a pinch from his Starburst Pouch.

Starburst Pouch – Rare – A small pouch containing fine black sand. When a pinch of sand is thrown on the ground a blinding white flash is produced along with heavy smoke, concealing the user. The pouch carries enough sand for three pinches after which it will require 24 hours to recharge. This item must be bound before use.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Jay slung the pinch of sand in a low arc over the heads of his friends and the sand landed with an explosion fifteen feet in front of them.

“Follow me!” M'redith said as the sand exploded in a burst of light and sound – it traveled like a wave and struck the group with a physical force.

Jay hoped it was doing far worse to the enemy fog.

M'redith didn't wait but ducked down a side corridor and led the group away from the monster which had not pursued them, being far too busy dealing with the explosion.

A number of turns later and they finally came to their intended destination. They burst in to the room, thankfully it hadn't been locked. They weren't actively being chased and so didn't bar the door behind them but instead shut it until it clicked closed.

“I hate this cafeteria.” Aiden complained as everyone collapsed in to chairs at random tables, not even making an effort to sit together they were so exhausted.

Norri grinned, “I love this cafeteria if it means we can stop running.”

Aiden laughed, “Ok, I changed my mind. Loving the cafeteria right now.”

They had missed lunch and it was already getting close to dinnertime so everyone broke out their travel ration wafers and washed them down with the last of the water in their water bottles. Eating the wafers was a struggle but the alternative was worse.

It was right there, reminding them that it could be worse. They could be eating the gruel in the large black pot set in front of the tray line at the far end of the room.

No one traded for gruel and everyone finished around the same time. There was no trays to bring up but Norri refilled everyone's water bottles and canteens for them, one at a time.

They all sat back down at a single table and M'redith leaned up against Jay's shoulder with her eyes closed.

“Is it bedtime?” she mumbled.

Jay chuckled, “I don't think it's that late, but it could be. Does everyone want to call it an early night and just go to bed?”

Aiden shrugged, “It's barely five in the afternoon I bet. Too early for me but I would love to go to bed early tonight.”

Glenda smiled. “Too early.”

Norri grinned, “I don't want to go to bed yet!”

Jay laughed, “Your energy seems limitless Norri.”

Norri nodded, “So we don't have to go to bed yet?”

M'redith shrugged, “Why not check out a room? Then we can head to our rooms after that and go to sleep. Sound good?”

Everyone nodded and Aiden spoke up, “So, what? We're going to just pick a random room to go search?”

M'redith shook her head, “No. I've been looking at the map for this place in my head for the past few days and there are a few spots that don't make sense. Rooms that have odd geometry or are far too long or too wide. They're just.. senselessly large.”

Aiden looked at M'redith thoughtfully.

“I'd like to check one of those. There's one nearby we can check out – as long as we can avoid the monsters. It is in an odd spot and there aren't many secondary routes. It's also near a few bottlenecks so we have to be careful. If we get jumped close to the room we have to fight through them to the room. It's dangerous.” she said as the others thought it over.

Glenda adjusted in her seat and everyone turned to her. “I fight through. We ok.”

Jay looked up at her giant frame and agreed. They would probably be ok. Glenda had yet to use her full strength, thank the Goddess, Jay thought. If the time came Jay was sure she could deliver an amazing combat performance.

Aiden nodded seriously, “Still, lets lean more towards the sneaking in undetected rather than the fighting through the mass of teeth and gaping maws method.”

Norri made an ewww sound and Aiden reflexively apologized, “Sorry.”

M'redith smiled, she had noticed that Aiden and Norri had been getting along together differently lately. They treated each other like siblings at times. Norri's personality was younger and even more immature than Aiden's in some ways. He had begun to act almost like an older brother around her and they occasionally fought like siblings now. Sharing a room together had only increased the effect.

Jay nodded, “Ok, I'm in. Treasure hunt time.”

M'redith nodded tiredly but smiled with an exhausted expression on the rest of her face, “Treasure time.”

Norri and Aiden both nodded in agreement and Glenda just shrugged. She would go wherever as long as a library was eventually involved.

Jay and his group didn't understand Glenda. It wasn't their fault. They couldn't understand her. She was a Librarian with a capital L and on Eden that meant something that non-Librarians couldn't grasp.

Librarians were favorites of Gaia, for one, tasked with the cataloging and management of knowledge itself. Gaia's affection for them was plain to see with their immense strength, rumored abilities, even just their towering body frames.

They were designed by the Goddess to be able to fight for their libraries – knowledge was horded by some, hated by others, and Gaia despised those who sought to snuff out or restrict knowledge. Someone would have to protect the books. Someone would have to retrieve the books. Someone would have to protect the books, the library, the librarians.

Gaia's solution? Librarians, with a capital L.

Lower case librarians needed protection. Upper case Librarians WERE the protection, and their adventures in service of their library was a major factor in determining their social standing in the hierarchy of Librarians.

When Glenda returned she would be one of the only living Librarians that could claim to have visited Ashagi and lived to tell the tale. Her standing among her peers would be greatly increased.

That was when Glenda returned. They still had a ways to go before then.

“Ok, here we go,” M'redith said as the group stacked up behind her. She gave the door a few kicks and then peeked out in to the hallway. Satisfied nothing was waiting for her she led the group out at a run.

Their path had been a good one. M'redith had figured out a way to only hit two of the bottlenecks instead of three. Unfortunately the group passed the first bottleneck right as someone else ran down a side corridor.

“Crap!” M'redith said as she led them down a side corridor. The route was becoming complicated in her head as she tried to find a path that would take them back to the bottleneck after the monsters had cleared out. Even though she had decided not to do so earlier she changed her mind and knocked down a door.

Using rooms as a path between corridors seems like a great time saver if it weren't for the fact one still did not know what was on the other side of the other door. Due to that slight problem M'redith had sworn to herself she would not use rooms as side routes anymore but the sudden arrival of another runner had forced her hand.

The other runner had a long line of monsters chasing after them and Jay called out “Train!” as they went by. M'redith narrowly managed to get them in to a room before the enemies noticed them. Glenda slammed the door behind her and quickly barricaded it. The monsters hopefully hadn't followed them.

M'redith paused instead of running out the second door. She kicked it twice, opened it and found nothing on the other side. Yet.

“C'mon, lets try this again.” she said with a smile.

Glenda removed the crossbeam and set it aside before moving to the door across the room and joining the group. Once Glenda lined up M'redith ran out of the room and back towards the first bottleneck. This time it was clear and she and her group ran straight through. A few monsters in side corridors noticed them and began chasing them.

“We've got followers,” Jay called out to M'redith.

“Got it,” she responded as she led them to the second bottleneck. They ran through without incident and M'redith was about to continue on when she threw herself against the right wall.

No one else had a clue what she was doing but she seemed to think it was absolutely necessary so the rest of the group followed her actions and hugged the right wall as close as they could.

A spear shot down the left side of the corridor.

“Seriously? Traps too now?” M'redith complained. She led them further in to the snarl of corridors and finally hit the final bottleneck. Once through they would be trapped with only one way in and one way out. She led them to the correct room at a jog and whipped open the door for the others.

Everyone piled in and Glenda barred the door before a number of thuds and scrapings could be heard. Whatever was out there gibbered madly and made wet lip smacking sounds.

Norri wrinkled her nose in distaste. “I'm glad we didn't get to see that one. I don't think I would have liked it.”

Aiden laughed. “Ya, us neither.”

The room was dim and M'redith searched the wall for a light switch. Finally the room came to life as it was lit up with a soft radiance.

The group's eyes widened. The floor was metal and electrified for a moment, tiny static discharge flickered across it. Aiden walked over to Norri and touched her bare hand. A tiny bolt of electricity jumped from his finger to her hand and she snatched it back with a scowl.

“Ow!” said Norri, at first hurt but quickly switching to playful once she realized that two could play at that game. She zapped Aiden back, using her finger to zap his nose.

Aiden winced and shook his head. “No good. That one was.. ug.” He rubbed his nose as Norri chuckled.

The walls were covered in various papers tacked to the wall with metal fasteners haphazardly. In the center of the room was a square table upon which sat a coil of metal. Occasionally it would spark for a minute before going quiet once again. There were a few cabinets along the various walls and the group spread out to begin their search.

“Treasure time,” Jay said with a smile.