Sachihiro
Coming out of the library I feel I’m the same but different, I am completely healed of discomfort, my injuries have closed and the skin is flush with new blood.
I look around at the struggle playing out before me more dispassionately than I did before I went in, its muted, like I'm not part of it, less important. I assess the situation which has escalated to a powerstruggle between the most powerful while the few mercinary warrior mages remaining pull resources to launch an occasional distracting attack.
The battle is intense, Castro Black has whittled away large portions of the blakck seperntous creature’s large form. Chains from spectral portal sigils hold it in place whilst it coughs black fire at him and those around it poking with hand-sticks shooting ice and light at its huge form of fiery darkness.
Glowy, the telekinetic being of light is immobilised in a translucent sphere that has it trapped but it won’t hold for long by the looks of it. A formation is being erected around the trapped figure hastily by robbed enchanters defended by warriors sweating behind door shields blazing white against an invisible force vibrating loudly rattling the metal shields.
They won’t hold long.
Few fighters remain standing, arsenals of enchanted equipment are scattered haphazardly amongst the stink of bloody guts.
I take it all in in a moment.
The temperature is hot but pleasant on my sensitive skin, the underground has never been more full of light and colour in all the time I’ve been here. It's quite beautiful to look at. Tremors reach my feet and through them I know the whole place is becoming increasingly unstable.
All this is information coming within the first few breathes I take after the dream has ejected me from its library.
The large creature struggles with titanic might against the floating Black sorcerer, breaking chains that quickly reform to bind it again with crushing power. Pressure from their struggle casts a suppressive effect that pulses uncomfortably with every spell cast. Such power.
The fight shakes the ground to crumbling in places.
I flow with the undulating ground surfing the tremor in a wave as it passes.
This feels kinda nice as dangerous as the situation is.
Cackling, crackling light-works bloom gay colours sizzling, guzzling and bellowing at each other as energy abilities are cast and conjured about. darkness covers all but Glowy as the black serpant casts darkness.
The whole experience of combat is beautiful taken in with all the senses, the challenge to test yourself after hours of discipline with your life on the line is excuisite. Battle is beautiful but It’s pointless, so removed from me personally. Its time for me to head home with all speed, the library is such a fascinating place though. And that experience, was that how structured Awakening is like? I want more of that experience at least explore the other options besides Manna: Energy that were offered to me.
I turn around heading back to the fissure in space I now feel so clearly with my senses.
''The library of dreams can only be accessed through the main entrance until recharge is complete. Please proceed to main entrance.''
More rumbling has stone falling from above as a path that previously wasn’t there appears a distance away. The path to the main library I presume.
Can’t be anything else with that aura of solidity in all this instability.
I take a breath experiencing myself ecstatically, taking everything in as joy blooms in my chest.
Physically I feel great, there is no doubt in mind that I now have a Tier 3 Awakened body just by how good it feels being inside my skin. It’s an exponential increase from Tier 2 that makes Aeonian’s feel permant, like he said, I was going to be this way anyways.
It’s a good breath; my lungs are trees, my bones are supple, circulation is smooth, my flesh is tight.
That was Library of Dreams awakwning was quite an experience, I wonder how long recharge will take.
''Recharge in 82 standard planetary revolutions.''
That answers that but I’m not sticking around for months twiddling my thumbs.
I am heading straight for the entrance calling to my attention hurriedly. I’m not planning on staying, but if the back library entrance gave me so much benefit it would be remiss of me not to check the main place out.
I spot Aeonian skip, hop and float towards me from the side. I loose track of him, spot him again quickly as he curves through the air before disappearing again and appearing much closer.
As I reach the path placing my sandaled feet on unshaking ground he is beside me. Having covered the distance much quicker than I can account for when gauging his speed mentally.
"What’re you doing?" he asks unusually cheerful a step behind me.
"Shouldn’t you be out there fighting?" I ask not slowing my steps.
The passage is ringed of ashen stone pillars arched triangularly at the top with golden script vining along the walls and ceiling.
"I’m not much of a fighter," he shrugs floating after me looking at everything with gleeful curiosity. "You disappeared for almost an hour, where did you go?"
I was in there that long? "I’m sure the are greater curiosities to interest you here than how I react to near death experiences," I say stretching my previously broken neck with a click.
"Mmmm, you’re stronger," he says touching a pillar inquisitively looking at the script written on the solid object with gleeful eyes.
We see the entrance. Large stone double doors stand open ahead, the width of them a solid metre of heavy stone. Crossing the distance that seems to have muted the outside struggle takes longer than it reasonably should.
I place a hand on the hard cold stone, gazing at the wooden inner doors lying disappointingly immutably closed.
The stone door is light, moving on smooth hinges despite it’s great size and the passage of time. The whole thing is reinforced with interconnected internal wires vibrational sense tells me. Very durable this door.
More than the actual enchanting which I can’t make heads or tails of this place is an extraordinary feet of genius architectural craftsmanship.
I take my arms out of the stifling robe tying it tightly around my waist exposing naked torso to the elements before heading for the inner door.
Aeonian floats behind but sticks close, why isn’t he rushing ahead to make first claim of whatever lies beyond?
The doors rumble open with a crack of soft light as I close in. The squeak of the hinges stretches in the silence of the place bringing my attention wholly to the opening in anticipation.
Is it a trap, is it an invitation, why is the door opening by itself?
I walk forward quickly, I’ve come too far not to go the whole way.
I pass the threshold into a comfortable homey atrium open in it’s appearance yet intimate in it’s feel. It’s like I can find privacy behind any corner yet be able to glance and see who’s walking in from anywhere within.
I step forward heading directly for the few shelves I see arching like living trees whose bark is the outer covering of wooden spines of books.
"Be welcome sir, I am a librarian. How may I best direct you?"
The figure appears suddenly before me as silently as night creeps on dusk.
Dark twisting horns spiral out his forehead going behind his head, an impressive beard of fur hangs heavy around his strong lean face. His eyes are pleased, his aura at ease with empty hands clasped behind his back.
He bows deeply, not posing an immediate threat but impressive in his silent power, I'm not sure how I’m gauging him but this is not someone I want to mess with.
"I need access to the library," at least I know how libraries work.
"Of course sir, you have access to the library. Would you prefer privacy or will your acquaintance be joining you?"
Just like that? Why the welcome, and does that imply I have priority over Aeonian?
"I’ll be doing my own browsing," he responds quickly floating forward studying the librarian with open interest.
I don’t like that sparkle in his eye, I suddenly feel possesive and responsible for this place.
"Please don’t break anything," I admonish as a being very similar to the librarian before me appears and leads him slightly to the side yet out of sight and hearing.
My attention doesn’t leave the silently impressive being before me. Librarian huh?
"What are my privileges here Librarian?"
He smiles, pleased, looking at me strangely behind his bushy brows.
"You may receive my assistance in inquiry and clarification, you may explore, you may read."
Deep smokey voice, no weapons on his person. No objects at all in fact as far as I can tell, those jacket buttons are a bit too energetic to my senses though.
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"May I take some items with me, I don’t plan to be here long." If you’re gonna help might as well help me loot the place of as much of it's secrets as I can carry.
"If you would be of service to the library the library would be of service to you," the words are deliveried with a deep nod.
A pitch? I wonder what they want, I wonder if it’s worth it, I wonder if I'll have to compromise myself somehow. Our eyes don’t leave each other, there is nothing malicious in his but I am weary of his gaze nonetheless.
"How would I be of service to the library?"
Show me your hand I might show you mine. I take everything in, I take myself in as well. Gauging myself continiously as I move and interact with my environment, everyhting feels new.
A cloudy grey pearl appears in his palm held up for my perusal.
"This is a library token, you may store information from books into it and have it filtered to us through it. The library may use it to pass information from books through it to you from a distance."
Immediately tempting offer, "you would allow me access to this library through that from anywhere in the world?"
"Yes."
If what they say is true then that’s too good a deal not to be a trap unless they have nothing of value here. So either its a trap or they have nothing of value which makes it a trap anyways.
"What else does the library token do?"
He indicates I follow him, we move together with me a step behind.
"This orb is made from an eye of an Argus, an all seeing giant. It will watch you and all around you as you watch it, it will keep record of all your deeds, all your interactions as well as everything within it’s vicinity so long as it is activated by your energy."
Sounds invasive. I imagine they've been starved of new information being trapped down here however long they have.
"For how long would I have to carry it?"
"For as long as you wish remote access to the library."
That’s a hard bargain to swallow, I have to make sure I can get out of this deal when I need to.
"What happens to the record of my deeds?"
"They are perused by the librarians and copies are made into memory crystals and books for the reading of library members with high enough access if they are deemed noteworthy."
The place is luxurious without being overbearing. It’s cosy, a number of times I’ve suppressed the urge to pull a spine and lie on one of the many lounging chairs or soft carpeted floor amongst the forest of furniture, stone and trees inlaid with books.
"What constitutes high enough access?" I want to know who would see the record of my deeds if I agreed to carry this thing around.
"That will be made clear if you choose to accept this membership."
So it’s a membership now?
"How much access would I have?"
He gazes at me even as he slowly explore the place whilst leading me where he wishes. "As a working member you’d get access to everything that has been produced in this world that doesn’t have any special restrictions. Level 3 library resource access."
Aha, and what if half the stuff has 'special restrictions'?
"How should I terminate the deal for the eye when I’m no longer interested in being recorded?"
"You pass it on, or you break it."
The library itself is full of books but they aren’t stacked in continuous long rows instead grown within hand-carved or molten furniture, designed to be the outer bark of exotic trees, or shaped into stone tablets that fit into large pillars or sculptures as shelves.
There are some items and scrolls given places of prominence with the items they speak of on wooden podiums and transparent glass cases we pass.
"I pass it on?"
"You just pass on the library orb to another who accepts it and your automatic level 3 access is void."
"I’ll no longer have access to the library records once I’ve passed it over and it will stop watching my actions?"
"Your membership will be changed to level 2 unless you have enough points and wish to purchase higher access. You can always physically visit the library and lend books, with enough library points of course."
"Of course," he didn’t answer that though. And library points? "So no more being watched by the eye once it’s passed on?"
"None directly but passively if in the vecinity of it's eye."
"What is done with this record of my life besides it being kept?"
"It is just information sir, whoever has information may use it anyway they please." He says bringing us into a circular chamber with a starscape for a ceiling with vaults on the walls depicting names written in starlight.
"These are the masters that have achieved Dao in your world and its tributaries, the records of their teachings from numerous sources are kept here when found. From your previous assessment in the library of dreams I believe some of the material here could be very beneficial to you."
He moves forward to a large shelf of metal and stone placing a palm on it. The shelf slides forward opening itself into a table with standing books locked into sockets of obsidian glass.
"Dao Masters?" My heart nearly skips a beat as those words register themselves in my mind and the implications translate themselves. It can’t be.
The librarian nods seriously, "those in your world that achieve the highest level of mastery achievable. Those that blaze a trail even the heavenly hosts aknowledge as divine."
I reach my hand forward, a shimmering force field keeps me at bay.
"As a level 1 reader you have no direct access to the Dao Master’s thoughts, but those inspired and trained by them are within your current access level."
"The carrot."
"If carrots are things of invaluable value," he nods gravelly without pretence.
"And if I accept this library orb I’ll be able to access this material without issue?"
"This orb will give you immediate level 3 access to library resources. The minimum required to access the work the Dao Master’s left on this world we have in public collection."
"How many levels of access are there?"
"Seven. Would you excuse me, it seems there are more guests vying for entrance into the library."
Seems my time is coming to a fast end. "I will accept this orb and pass it on as you say if it becomes a responsibility I’m unwilling to bare," I say grabbing it from his open palm.
It glows like an egg crackling from within with light, connecting to me spiritually before pulling at my mana until I send a mot thats hungrily pulled into it.
"Congratulations on your level 3 membership," the beastman bows lower, I feel the respect in his aura as he does. He's definetly getting more out of this than is immediately obvious but I can't tell what their game is yet.
I run my energy into the orb unlocking it like opening a book.
I feel the orb look at me intently, even looking within me somewhat. It’s very thorough in it’s scan, I feel it gauging me like many cold fingers creeping within my skin. Even my most recent advancements laid bare before it. I try to ignore it.
"I need to reach Pangaea as quickly as possible, is there a way to use library resources to do so?"
"Of course," he says easily taking a burden off my shoulders. "There are resources you could use though you’d need library points to access our item vaults, and even if you accrue enough you’ll only get access to level 3 membership resources."
I though level 3 access was supposed to be prestigious. I nod quickly, what other ways do I have to raise my membership levels?
"What would get me to Pnagaea quickest with my current membership?"
"A book and a map."
"A book and a map?"
"A map of the old ley traveling lines and a book on how to safely tap into them."
Makes sense, it is a library after all.
"Lead me to them." I don’t have the time to browse around for more options right now without first assessing how viable this option might be for me.
The marble orb in my hand sparkles to my senses drawing my attention to within itself. I access it, it accesses me and we look deeply into each other.
I see a map, a very intricate beautiful map but it’s labelled simply and concisely enough that I can make out what it’s telling me within a few moments of scanning.
Mana ley-lines labelled in different coloured tones snake all-around the penchant in my mind’s eye like rivers.
The book makes itself known to me, titled simply Ley-lines of The Dark Lands and Beyond, the opening page depicting a rougher map of the one I’m seeing and an introduction of the author.
The book is comprehensive with different information on ley lines, only a single chapter speaks about their use in travel.
I peruse.
It isn’t a step by step guide but more theoretic conjuncture and educated guesses. This won’t do for my needs, I do not want to spend the next six months studying Ley-lines only to get the basics and be forced to find and somehow not kill myself as I try to travel through them.
"Anything more expedient?"
"Not unless you gain another level of access I’m afraid."
I bet Castro Black and his crew or inside by now, I bet other librarians are giving them the same pitch I’m getting if more librarians exist. Stealing or threatening seems out of the question without even much thought, but I don’t see an immediate way to get out of here and get home quickly before the double-cross comes from the Blacks.
"How do I accrue library points?"
"By becoming a contributor to the library resources either continuing on some of the works here, collecting other sources of knowledge from the world that we don’t have or by creating your own original works. Already by giving the orb access to learn of you and from you, mmmh interesting indeed. The library has deemed what it’s recorded from you already worth 14 points."
"How many to level 4 access?"
"100 points."
Yea not enough, I lost all the books and scrolls I had. Some personal letters, the blessed ingots, the blood crystals and the atomic birth particle crystal Master Zaraya swiped for me from the Conclave are all I have in my spirit bound storage item. AllI have left.
''How are these points valued?''
"You must have a very unique constitution to already have so many points," The librarian adds giving me a look seemingly in praise.
"Any new knowledge is given greater value, especially factual or actionable information like spell formulas or alchemist recipes. Physically mapping previously unexplored regions is very valuable as well."
I don’t know any alchemic recipes, I know some warding runes that are unique to the Norse but those are Cicilia's family sacred knowledge. If push comes to shave though.
Ahh, what about.
"What about this?"
I bring to mind the summoning circle Phosphorus had the Acolyte and I draw to summon and trap Airel for the body snatching. Projecting it to the orb, which helps me further focus easier bringing the sigil to my mind as a clear picture.
The orb gazes on it greedily.
The librarian's rumbling throat brings my attention to him.
"A god-tier summoning circle!'' He looks at me aghast flinching away before bowing and nodding quickly, ''very impressive sir, very valuable."
His eyes flash silver then gold then back to a bright brown shining with an inner light. He bows deeply at the waist, "congratulations on your level 4 membership."
The orb opens another path to me within itself. It’s very comfortably clasped in my palm.
"God-tier spell access is usually restricted to level 7 members but that doesn’t apply to the bringer of said knowledge. Special access to this knowledge and the experiments done with it by library members is granted. As the 212th fastest member to ascend to level 4 you get special access to selected level 5 resources."
This is all coming in very fast but I’m paying careful attention, all the while flipping through the book by a Dao Master Carl Gustav Jung that I just recently gained access to.
"What can I access with my restricted level 5 access that can help me get from here to Pangaea as quickly as possible?"
The orb speaks as the librarian and I start walking again. Another path opens between the orb and I, a list of spells that could be learnt and modified for any physiology rolls up.
Teleportation
Summoning
Portal Creation
Could this be real? Could it be really as simple as learning a spell and being able to cross a quarter of the world landing back home? Is this library for real?
The book in hand speaks of bringing to consciousness the unconscious messages locked within ones blood to awaken the different aspects of ones inner powers in broad disciplined called Archetypes everyone apparently already has.
Is any of this real? Are they really giving me access to a guided book on how to Awaken power in all these different ways?
I flip another page on the book in hand looking through a section of personal correspondants.
"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." This form of thinking very similar to my own in the Awakening I just went through.
"Any other personal recommendations that the library might suggest?" I ask as we stop before a shimmering wall at which the librarian places his palm.
"Plenty, but to satisfy your previous request these are some items that can be lent out for points at level 4 access."
Beyond the disappeared wall are platforms going into the distance beyond my sight. On each a single item, each calling my attention with a hint of it’s power in different ways.
"These are the reproductions by some of our top member’s pursuit of learning in various crafts. Many popular items have accumulated from the many ages of this branches isolation," pride and sorrow war in that remark.
So they were isolated? I was beginning to wonder, everything here is so clean and fresh i wasn't sure.
He says stopping before a rack of multi-coloured multi-material leaf shaped shields and gestures in a flourish, "may I interest you in these flight-boards? The fastest capable over 600kmph at only 3 points per month lend and use."
600kmph? That’s faster than a full grown Awakened Corsa, thats faster than I can accurately gauge actually.
"How many points do I have again?"
"614 after the purchase of a higher level of access with 100 points."
I blink my surprise then suppress a grin, I didn’t know what I was going to do with that summoning sigil anyways. "How much to fully purchase a flight-board?"
"30 points sir. A list of available items and personally recommended resources is accessible through the orb."
The spirit kept it’s word and led me to power. A library of such rare knowledge and resources. Knowledge is power indeed. How long would it take to fly across two supercontinents though, years? Maybe teleportation would be easier with this much library wealth.
"Tell me, how many points for full level 5 access?" I can't suppress this grin.