Chapter 105
They ran until they were too tired to run any more. M'redith led them in to a side room to rest for a few moments before the monsters found them once again. As the monsters gibbered and slammed in to one door of the tiny side room she led them out of the room's second door and back in to the hallways.
She had the map pretty much memorized at this point and wasn't too worried. She could always lead the group in to a safe side room should their path become blocked. Thankfully they did not need to do so again and the group finally arrived at the library itself.
Two things struck Jay as they entered the library quietly and Glenda carefully shut it behind them. The first was the quiet. The hallways they had taken there were mostly all stone and tended to echo a bit – the library was the opposite and seemed to suck up sound effortlessly. Everything sounded muffled somehow.
The second thing that struck him was the light. The library was not very well illuminated. Sure, there were plenty of lights here and there but they were mostly over desks or shelves. The actual rows one would walk along were fairly dark.
Everyone gathered up around M'redith – she was the only one perhaps aside from Glenda that had the route they would need to take to the central desk memorized.
M'redith watched silently as things moved about the books, desks, and rows of bookshelves. The things weren't creatures but they also weren't quite human. At times M'redith would make out a librarian quite clearly. At other times they looked more like monsters than humans. Whatever they were M'redith did not want to run in to them if at all possible.
“We good?” asked Aiden.
M'redith turned to look at him in frustration, “No! We're not good! I need to double check to make sure I didn't miss anything one last time before we go. And you're ruining my concentration. Shh!” she said before turning away from him. She stood motionless as she studied the paths the various monsters took.
“Jeesh.” Aiden muttered with a half smile as he shook his head.
“SHH.” Glenda said as she glared at him and he finally quieted down.
M'redith was not in a joking mood and felt more than just a little stressed. The problem was simple. Everything in the room wandered about the library but did so while moving in a clockwise manner. Not all of them moved at the same time however. Because of that if M'redith could time things correctly she could lead her group through the library and to the central desk while avoiding any librarians or monsters.
If she got her route wrong or her timing was off by even a little then the group would find themselves in a fight. A fight would get the attention of all the other librarians if not the monsters as well. They would overwhelm M'redith's group before the group could even put up a defense. Getting caught was a death sentence. They would be swarmed.
The only safety lay in remaining undiscovered. There was nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide. The group would be too far from the exits to make those even an option.
They would get just one chance at moving correctly. M'redith keenly felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders and would have preferred it if it were more of a group effort. She would be the one in front however so it would fall to her and her alone to run the route correctly.
“Ok,” she finally said after she took a deep sigh and let it out slowly as the rest of the group watched her with patient anticipation. Except for Aiden – he was watching with impatient anticipation and Glenda had to glare at him once again to prevent him from talking and wrecking M'redith's concentration.
There wasn't much to say as everyone stacked up in line behind M'redith. M'redith stood facing the library itself and was shaking out her hands as she tried to shed some of her nervousness. Behind her stood Norri who gave M'redith a pat on the back which caused her to turn and look at Norri.
Norri smiled and gave her an excited thumbs up which finally made M'redith smile and relax a little.
Behind Norri stood Aiden who looked very worried about what they were about to do – even more worried than M'redith. Still, he kept his concerns to himself, mostly because Glenda would glare at him every time he went to speak.
After Aiden stood Jay who had collapsed his staff and attached it to his backpack to free up his hands so he could run faster. If things went badly his staff probably would not be the deciding factor in a fight. Behind him stood Glenda, massive and still like a living statue.
“Here we go.” M'redith said without further discussion as she set off slowly towards the first set of shelves.
Looking down from above the library was one giant circle. The central desk was in the center and was then surrounded by rings of shelves and desks. The rings grew larger the further from the central desk they were and were split in to sections. The group was at the very outside of those rings. Their job was to run around the rings as they moved closer and closer to the center without becoming caught.
As they jogged quietly M'redith went silent. She was completely in her head at that moment and was counting out the seconds before they would need to switch to the next ring of shelves, the ones one ring closer to the center.
There was a sound ahead and she slowed to a walk. The group could barely make out the back of some strange monster. It wore a robe and appeared to have too many arms. It moved upright but appeared to float rather than walk. The robes went to the ground and then a little further making it impossible to make out what the monster's process for locomotion was.
They held their breath as the thing tarried for a bit. It stood between them and the end of a row. Once the monster moved they would need to move in to the open space between rows and then in to a ring closer to the center. The monster was not moving however.
The group heard a scraping sound behind them. Something was approaching. Jay looked behind him but could make out nothing in the dimness. He wanted to put his mask on but there was no time for that now. Jay faced forward once again and caught Aiden looking backwards with wild panicked eyes. They could hear whatever it was dragging itself across the floor as it moved closer and closer towards them.
The group wanted to let out a relieved sigh as the robed monster in front of them moved along to another row of books. After it had disappeared M'redith broke in to a run and the group sped out of their row of books and darted in to another row.
They were now committed. There would be no going back. M'redith tried to focus on what she was doing and kept quiet as she did so. She ran them down a row before doubling back down a different row. She led them on a winding course that sometimes would force them to backtrack before making progress.
She made no errors. Every twist and turn she took them down was planned and the longer it went on the more difficult it became for M'redith to keep track of where in the path they currently were.
Thankfully the rest of the group left her to it and didn't attempt to interrupt. She would have lost it completely had they done so. Instead she managed to bring them on a twisting journey through the stacks of books and rows of shelves.
It seemed to Jay that they had been stuck in the rows of books forever when M'redith ran them in to a final unused looking section of books and then stopped. Ahead Jay could make out the central desk. Between the group and the desk lay an open stretch of carpet. Jay watched as a robe clad librarian moved past close to their position. The entire group held their breath.
The librarian paused for a moment and appeared to look about as if searching for something. It was tall, seven feet at least, and almost completely covered by a dark brown robe cinched shut with a single cord wrapped about its waist. It had two sets of arms, one of which hung loosely at its sides. Bending over the librarian picked up a book that had been dropped on the carpet and walked off to shelve it.
Jay took out the book they needed to return. M'redith motioned towards him and Jay ran across the open carpeted area. There were no monsters there currently but plenty were on their way. Monsters seemed to pass over the open area of carpet fairly frequently.
As Jay rushed towards the counter he knew immediately that something was wrong. His book was large and rectangular, thick and heavy. The book return slot in the central desk was far too small to accommodate his book. Jay thought quick as he ran faster towards the desk.
A scratching sound came from his left and he hunched his shoulders as he ran as if that would somehow keep him from being caught. The sound was getting closer now, he was running out of time. As he reached the desk Jay jumped and landed behind it in a heap. Jay landed oddly, rolled, but kept a hold of the book.
Now collapsed behind the desk Jay went still and held his breath as the scratching noise came again, only this time it was coming from right in front of the desk he was hiding behind.
The sound changed in pitch and Jay could tell that whatever it was now was actively searching its immediate area for prey.
Jay squeezed his eyes shut and tried to be invisible. He said a mental prayer to Gaia that he would not get caught. He expected what usually happened when he prayed – nothing. Instead he heard a light laughter in his mind as if he were being silly. Jay shook his head, unsure if that was a reply to his prayer or just an overactive imagination.
The sound stopped and the scratching moved on, away from the central desk.
Jay almost sighed but caught himself. Instead he quietly let out his breath. He was running out of time, his friends were in a bad spot and they would have to leave soon if they were going to make it out alive. Jay looked around behind the desk, it wasn't really lit up that well.
Finally he found where the book return slot emptied in to. A completely normal looking book bin was pressed up against the desk under the slot. A few books were sitting on the bottom of the bin arrayed haphazardly. Jay carefully took his book and set it in the bin. As he did so a bright blue notification popped up in his view.
Congratulations! Your group has successfully returned a book owned by the Ashagi library. You are no longer marked for death.
The notification faded and Jay felt relieved. They'd done it! There was no reward. Although it did say that they were no longer marked for death. That was a pretty good reward.
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After a brief moment a second notification screen triggered and appeared before Jay's and his fellow group member's eyes. It was more along the lines of what Jay had been hoping for.
Welcome Traveler! Ashagi gives your group a choice, and fifteen seconds to choose:
1. You will be flagged as a non-combatant for the next 30 seconds which should provide enough time to escape the library without a fight.
2. You will be flagged as an enemy, must find your own way out of the library, and must do so within 5 minutes. Succeed and your group will be offered a rare quest.
A timer popped up with a 15 in the corner of his vision and began to count down to zero.
Jay peered over the desk and could make out his group waiting for him at the end of a row of bookshelves. M'redith and Glenda were both waving a hand with two fingers on them at him.
Aiden was vainly trying to raise a hand with one finger up but Norri was pulling his arm down and putting up her other arm with two fingers extended.
It appeared that they wanted option two. Jay grinned, that was the option he had hoped they'd pick. Jay chose option 2 and the notification disappeared. The number in the corner of his vision changed to 300 but did not tick downward. The timer appeared for his group as well but they were too far from him to tell him that.
Jay looked over the desk once again. There would be no withdrawing books that day, the rare quest was just too tempting. Quests were already rare. Most people thought they were a myth. The idea of a rare quest was that the rewards would be something that no one else had. Rare loot and rewards were the entire reason some people adventured in the first place.
Jay's group was definitely loot oriented and tended to choose whatever path had the coolest rewards often with little to no regard for safety. Option 1 was to leave peacefully. Option 2 was a mad dash for safety while being chased by certain death all for a rare mystery reward. It hadn't even been a tough decision for the group.
Jay got ready and peered over the desk once again. Remembering something he paused and looked up. Above him roiled the hovering thick liquid mass that was Ashagi itself. It made no sound but appeared as if it should, the liquid movements across its surface bubbled and frothed at times.
Shaking himself Jay returned to what he was doing and waited until there were no librarians or monsters coming and leapt over the counter.
In the movies a leap over a counter is a bold move, it makes the main character look impressive and aggressive. Jay however got his rear foot caught on the lip of the desk as he leaped over it and it sent him tumbling to the ground in a heap. A nearby librarian made a hissing sound and turned to approach. Jay got up awkwardly and stumbled back towards his group, the librarian following slowly and hesitantly as if tracking his scent.
M'redith didn't wait. Her timer now read 299 as did everyone else's. The race was on.
She bolted down the row they were in before remembering that she had to use a completely different path to get back. She got her group turned back around and ran down the correct aisle.
They ran so fast that at one point M'redith had to stop as they had almost caught up to a librarian. They could see it waving some of its hands in the air as it used other hands to set books on to shelves in their proper places.
While they stood silently waiting their timer slowly ticked down faster than any of them would have liked. Finally the librarian appeared satisfied and floated off to a row closer to the center.
M'redith ran them at a breakneck pace through the stacks of books along a path quite different from their first one. They frequently caught up to librarians only to take a turn at the last moment and avoid them and their interest.
Finally they reached the exit and M'redith looked at her timer. 187. Not bad. They had moved very quickly. She peeked out the door and saw nothing there and the group exited the library without a word. Instantly the group was rewarded with a notification.
Congratulations! You have successfully returned a book and escaped without aid and have been rewarded with a rare quest. The quest has been autoaccepted and may not be refused.
Congratulations! You have been awarded a World Event Quest. This is a group quest.
Quest: Accidental Librarian
Task: Use the remainder of your time to escape Ashagi's Library! The doors to the outside are unlocked and await your arrival! Avoid the patrolling monsters and find a route to the exit and leave this place before time runs out! Once shut the doors may never open for you again.
Reward: ????
M'redith looked up in to the corner of her vision. 180. 179. “Crap!” she hissed, “RUN!”
She took off at an absolute full out run and the group would have lost her there completely had they not been paying attention. As it was they barely kept up with her when she did not stop upon exiting the library but instead picked up speed.
They turned a corner and a thin framed monster blocked the hall in front of them. M'redith looked at the timer in her vision. 176. No time.
She lowered her shoulder and thrust with her knees as she struck the creature with the full force and momentum of her running body. The creature cracked horribly, its body crumpling to the ground. It was stomped on as the others in the group ran right over it without slowing.
M'redith took them around a corner then down some stairs. Across an open area were a matching stairwell and she ran towards it as she drew her sword. The top of the stairwell held only a single monster once again and she slashed it until it withdrew for a moment.
The group ran past it and by the time it had collected itself it was facing a Glenda sized opponent instead of a M'redith one. The monster fled. It preferred more uneven odds in its favor.
M'redith ran a twisting route through a series of branching corridors that all seemed to look alike. 143 read the timer. They were taking too long!
The timer continued to count down as she led them in to a darker area and stopped for a moment. Glenda took out a hand lantern from her pack and passed it over to M'redith who nodded in thanks and broke in to a run.
127.
They were now in the darker areas, closer in appearance to where they had first arrived. M'redith slowed and came to a stop. She turned about for a moment before she opened a nearby door and peeked inside for a moment before looking in another.
She matched up the shapes and locations of the rooms to the map in her head until she found where she was. It was the first time she had lost track of their route and she was becoming frustrated.
88.
“Crap!” she hissed.
Jay spoke softly, “It's ok. You got this. Just go slow. Don't worry about the timer. Focus on the map.”
Norri smiled encouragingly in the dim lantern light as the others clustered behind M'redith.
Finally M'redith appeared to figure out where they were and ran off down a side corridor. Ahead Jay could make out a set of double doors.
The group picked up their pace and gathered around the doors. The same doors they had entered through originally. They were shut tight and refused to open.
“They're supposed to be unlocked!” Aiden hissed as he tugged on the handles. The doors did not budge.
Jay looked at the timer in the corner of his vision. 23 it read before changing to 22. This wasn't right.
“No cheating!” Norri said to the room in general while looking clearly upset. They had reached the exit but Ashagi had locked it. It seemed they were perhaps never intended to reach the exit in time. They almost hadn't to be honest.
19.
M'redith looked hopeless. After all of that they would lose. It was a rigged game to begin with. Ashagi never intended to let them go.
18.
Aiden looked over at Jay. “Any crazy ideas?”
Jay shook his head and laughed. He had hoped he wouldn't have to do this. “Sure do. Everyone back up!”
Jay took a few steps back and dropped his backpack, his belt, everything in a big pile and handed it to a confused Aiden to carry. Jay took out a cylindrical rod with a red tip and walked towards the exit.
It was important that Jay not be wearing any of his magical items. If he were to use a regular Rod of Siphoning while the magic items were on his person the rod could suck the magic right out of them. That was if he used a normal Rod of Siphoning. Jay had a suspicion what he held was a bit stronger.
“I don't know if you can hear me but I'm guessing you know what this is?” Jay said as he waved the rod about.
It was a Rod of Siphoning. Not just any Rod either but a beefier looking version of the other rods that Jay and the group had found. Jay had found the item all by itself and unlike the other rods it had a red tip.
Jay had guessed what it might mean. Danger. The rod was bigger and Jay assumed the red tip meant that this rod was a little stronger. The room around them seemed to darken as Jay waved the rod about carelessly.
Ashagi could sense what went on inside its walls and also knew exactly what the rod was even if Jay had only suspicions. Ashagi, the ancient unknowable trans-dimensional being was terrified and mostly just wished that Jay would stop pointing it everywhere.
Ashagi wanted that Rod gone – away from itself. Far away was preferable.
Jay pointed the red tip towards the doors, “I'll do it, I'm not kidding. I have nothing to lose!” he practically shouted.
His timer ticked down to 8. Then 7. The air around the doors rippled and the air felt hot.
At 5 the doors swung open and Jay and his group stumbled out of the darkness and in to the sunlight. As the last of them, Glenda, left the library the doors slammed shut behind them and they were alone.
The timer had stopped at 2.
A sigh rose up from each of them as notification screens filled the air.
You have completed a World Event quest! Accidental Librarian: escape Ashagi 1/1!
Congratulations! You will receive the following:
500xp
Small Group Treasure Chest
Title: Pan-dimensional Librarian – Your library card is good anywhere! +1 INT. This title does not need to be visible for the bonus to take effect and is always active.
“Sweet Goddess I'm never going to the library with you lot ever again,” moaned Aiden as he sat on the ground with his back up against the shut doors.
Norri smiled but everyone was too tired to laugh and dropped to the ground to sit and catch their breath.