“So the other wings, any idea what they are?” Andy asked their new associate.
“I’ve got some theories for a couple, but I’m sure you could make some obvious guesses yourself. Considering we are in the What Is wing, there is probably a wing tied to the future, or maybe a wing for things that don’t exist anymore. Beyond that, it starts to get a little hard, though. What we really need to do is get this Librarian up and running again. I bet they can tell us all kinds of neat things now. Any guesses on how we might do that?” She asked in return
“Hrm, let me take a look.” Andrew walked over to where the Librarian’s limp form had been laid on the floor and started examining the body.
“Well, he’s doing that. We may need to consult an expert,” Serilina said.
“What kind of expert? And how exactly are we finding an expert trapped in here?” The thought of meeting more of the residents of this place wasn’t something Andy was inclined towards, but he doubted he could avoid it forever.
“In this case, we probably want one of the tea drinkers. They seem to know the most about the background functionality of the library. I have a feeling they used to be, or even still are, staff. It’s hard to say who the staff are. But anyway, they tend to prey upon newcomers. They’re extremely dangerous, but I’ve got some tricks to keep them mostly settled.” She answered.
“Wait, I think Bill and I met one of those during our first time here. It became outraged when we slid a mirror under the door to get a look at it.” The first night of terror was still burned deep into Andy’s brain despite how many years ago it had been.
“Yeah, it didn’t really like our logic games of trying to allow it in, as long as it could give itself permission to get in,” Bill added on.
“Oh, you figured out the mirror and logic tricks? Good job. Yeah, they work a lot like vampires. Do they have those in your world?” She asked.
“Not that I know of, but there are a lot of stories about them. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were true.” Andy wondered just how many weird Earth legends were in actuality based on some sort of actual incident that the locals had no idea was tied to mana. The Ancient frog mana master probably had some answers there, but who knew how long it would take to get him to trust them?
“So I can see the joints of where this was built and assembled. I’m reasonably sure I could also disassemble it, but as I don’t know how the data is stored within it, it is likely a bad idea to just pull it apart. I believe you said something about being able to consult someone with more knowledge. I would like to do that. It has been far too long since I’ve been able to talk to another expert.” Andrew dropped the Libarian’s arm he had been holding in front of his face as he spoke.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The joints were obvious now that he had pointed them out. It almost looked like an action figure assembly. Did that mean there was some factory somewhere churning out Librarians for the Under Library? Andy wondered how something of that level even would operate.
“Alright, let’s get this mirror on the wall over there. Once we have the tea drinker inside, it will need to be kept in front of it at all times. That shouldn’t be too hard as long as we manage to both keep interesting it with questions and keep its cup full. Now, the worrying part is that that red book is out and about. That can sometimes make some of the residents erratic and unpredictable, but hey, it wouldn’t be fun if there wasn’t a little chaos, right?” She winked at Andy with her last words.
“Go ahead and listen to her for now. Twonger, can you get the mirror mounted where she wants, and Bill please start working on brewing some tea.” Both listened to Andy without question. That was a bit of a surprise when it came to Twonger, but it seemed like this place had started to cow his less pleasant tendencies.
“So next up, we need a lure. I’d ask for volunteers, but it’s probably best I do this. Just make sure you let me back in as soon as I start knocking. Got it?” Andy nodded at her instructions.
“Mirrors up. So why’s this guy afraid of his own reflection anyway?” Twonger asked
“I don’t know if it’s fear so much as they dislike having their true form revealed to the people they were planning to make their prey.” She answered.
“Hrm, It’s rude to prey on anyone who can actually think. I don’t like this thing already.” Bug said, and the other Dogs joined her in several words of concurrence.
“Sure is, but sadly, not everyone thinks that way. Alright, time to catch a tea drinker.” She walked out of the room before Andy or anyone else had a chance to respond.
Mr. Wiggles moved directly next to the door, sat down, and stared at it. He looked to be waiting. The dogs walked over and joined him.
From outside of the room, they all heard Serilina’s voice.
“Did anyone lose a teacup? I found one, and I wouldn’t want anyone to go missing theirs.” She yelled out.
It was answered shortly by a second voice with the same familiar British accent that Andy had heard on their first night here.
“Oh yes, thank you ma’am. I was wondering where I had misplaced my cup.
“Of course, it’s my pleasure to help a fine gentlemen such as yourself find a lost possession. I know how beside myself I’d be if I lost something in here. Would you like to come inside and join me? I’ve got a nice tea brewing, and my group and I would enjoy sharing it with someone so scholarly.”
“That does sound pleasant. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to enjoy a good cup of tea and conversation. Please lead the way.”
The knocking on the door started. Andy quickly opened as per her instructions, and in she walked followed by a man with a handlebar mustache and the smile of a monster.