Andy and Bill had spent the first night huddled in the reading room, doing their best to ignore any further knocking. The British shadow had been enough to destroy any hopes of restful sleep Andy had, but he tried anyway. He needed to do something to pass the time before he felt like opening the door was a reasonable idea.

He woke up to Bill shaking him gently. He felt like he hadn’t slept at all.

“What’s going on?” Andy asked the capybara.

“The knocking stopped about an hour ago. I haven’t been able to sleep at all. I considered just letting you sleep, but I think we should use the lull to find our way back to the librarian. I want to ask that puppet some more questions about our predicament.” Bill had a somber tone to his voice. Andy could see the fear in his eyes. There was the possibility that he started all future loops here.

“Yeah, good idea. We left the supplies in the place we came in anyway. We might as well collect those if we can.” Andy opened the door and poked his head out. He didn’t see anyone or anything.

“Looks clear, let’s go.” He pulled the door shut behind them, and they both broke into a run back the way they had come the day before.

“There, up ahead and to the left,” Bill shouted, having spotted the librarian’s desk.

“Hello and welcome back, stewards. Did you find what you needed?” The puppet asked them as soon as they were in front of the desk, not giving them a chance to ask their own questions yet.

“No!” They both yelled in unison.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“What are the things that knock on the reading room doors?” Bill asked

“Oh the library has many guests, they are not allowed in occupied reading rooms unless one of the current occupants lets them in. It’s generally best to not do that.”

“Yes, but what are they?” Andy asked this time, his voice full of anger.

“They are many things. The infinite roam the library seeking answers. Some find them and leave. Some find them and stay. Others become lost for eternity.”

“Are they dangerous?” Bill sighed and leaned against the desk, his exhaustion was becoming evident.

“Everything is dangerous in its own way. As the stewards, it will be up to you to determine the relative danger of any current guest.”

“Can we remove the guests?” Andy asked.

“Information restricted.”

“Great, just what I wanted to hear. Is there any faster way of transport around the library?” Andy followed up on his previous question. His anger was quickly growing.

“Of course, all means of transport are available to you. The books can help you assemble whatever it is you wish to use.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Fucking hell, this is getting us nowhere, Bill.” Andy’s frustration finally broke free, and he pounded his fist on the desk. The puppet stood up.

“This is your first and only warning. There will be no violent action within one hundred feet of the reference desk. Any further action will result in your access being permanently revoked.” The puppet sat back down.

“Well, good job, Andy. We know how to get them kicked out if we just lure them to attack us here, I guess.”

“Not an answer I like. How long can we use a single reading room?” Andy asked.

“As long as you would like. There is no limit, but the books are only reserved for a year at a time. You will need to check them back out at their corresponding console once the year is up.”

“Why aren’t the guests constantly trying to get to us? What makes them stop?” Bill had two good questions there that Andy hadn’t thought to ask.

“Guests tend to avoid the janitorial staff. Confrontations are ill-advised.”

“When do they come out?” Andy followed up.

“When they need to clean a mess. There is no set schedule.”

“Alright, let’s drag the crates back to the reading room while it seems quiet. Maybe we can get some real sleep now.” Andy suggested to Bill. He was not at all pleased with how the conversation had gone.

“Yeah, we may as well. We’ve got a ton of books to pour through, and we both need to figure out what magic we are capable of as well. So we may be stuck here for now, but there is plenty we need to accomplish.”

They managed to drag several of their crates back but had to abandon the last one after seeing a figure in the stacks approaching.

“Leave it. It’s just extra food. We don’t need it.” Andy ordered.

“Roger.” Bill took off in a run, followed closely by Andy.

“Wait, I just want to talk. I promise I’m not one of the weird ones. I’m just trying to find my cat.” The voice called after them.

“Sorry, can’t risk it,” Andy yelled back to the voice right before slamming the door.

No knocking came. Andy considered that the voice may have been telling the truth, but that wasn’t something he cared to test at the moment. It was time for sleep. Tomorrow, it would be time for books.

And that is exactly how they spent the next several years, going over the books closest to their room. They ignored all knocking or anyone else they spotted in the library. No risk was considered worth it until they had a way home. Their last crate had disappeared to who knew where. They made no effort to find it.

In between their studies, both of them tested out their new abilities. Andy was able to generate balls of gravitation distortions. Essentially, he could change anything’s gravity within the field. On the other hand, Bill could move existing magic using his powers. He could also take some control over it. They weren’t sure if this would extend beyond their bond at the moment, but if it did, Bill would be a potent force in a battle of mages.

One of the problems that concerned them both, though, was just how to increase these powers. They had no spiritual realm that was growing. All they had was this unending Under Library full of monsters.

Monsters and knowledge, Andy realized. One of the books here may be able to teach them how to evolve their abilities without the use of a mana spirit. This meant they would need to return, assuming they ever figured out how to escape. That wasn’t a great thought.

Finally, after nearly a decade of studying the local books, they hit a snag.

“The books we need to continue this research are much deeper into the stacks, Andy. We are going to have to find a new reading room.”

“Yeah, I was worried that was coming.”

“According to the console, we will need to head directly into the stacks. The trip is going to take us a day, maybe two. I’m hoping we can find reading rooms along the way for safety's sake, but I have no idea.” Bill’s face had a look of fear as he spoke.

“It’s alright, Bill, I get it. Let’s do one more night here, make some meals for the trip, and head out.”