Adam placed the completely black card on the compass and pleaded for it to work. This was really the young man's last option; if it didn't work, he would have to resort to finding a magical mask like the ones the wizards he had met carried, and that could take years.
As he placed the card on the compass, the green fire in the fireplace suddenly went out, leaving the room in complete darkness. The absolute darkness filled the room, scaring Adam, but Elias' voice interrupted his thought of using his finger to light up.
—Seems like you're lucky, and we've made contact with some brotherhood— Elias commented cheerfully in the pitch-black room, unable to see Adam —Stay in your seat and answer the questions... If there are any questions... We've had two times when they ignored that rule.
Adam understood that the darkness was part of the experience, so he listened to the advice and stayed seated, waiting. After a while, he felt two large hands grabbing his shoulders.
Adam lifted his head to see who it was, but the darkness prevented him from seeing anything other than blackness. Immediately, murmurs started to fill the room, making Adam feel like the darkness was full of people.
But no matter how hard the young man tried to see who was whispering to him, everything was black. The murmurs were quite varied; some sounded like people discussing things, others were of people fighting, some laughed, others cried, and most of the murmurs were nonsensical.
Adam felt the long, large hands palpating his whole body, as if the person behind him was blind and trying to understand his body. He felt quite uncomfortable being touched, especially when the man's hands under his tunic began to reach towards his groin.
When Adam felt the touch on his skin, he realized that the person's hands felt like they were wearing latex gloves. Luckily, feeling the gloves instead of the person's skin prevented Adam from feeling too violated, and he didn't get up from the seat.
But when the long hands began to slide over his body, seemingly wanting to reach his groin, Adam's discomfort reached another level, and he tried to raise his hands to push the harasser away.
However, only then did he realize that his hands were stuck to the seat, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move them. Realizing he couldn't move, Adam tried to shout at the harasser to stop, but his lips seemed stuck together, and he couldn't open them, making his words incomprehensible and sounding like someone trying to talk with a sock in their mouth.
When the person with the long hands reached Adam's groin and found nothing there, they slowly moved their hands up and took them out from under the young man's tunic. The man placed his hands back on Adam's shoulders and squeezed them with a little more force.
—Your name is Adam, right?— the person on Adam's back asked. The man seemed to have a cloth in his mouth, making it difficult to understand what he said when he spoke.
—Yes— Adam responded involuntarily, as if the answer was forced out of his mouth.
Adam noticed that the murmurs in the room ceased when he answered, and instead, a static noise began to envelop him. The man on Adam's back tightened his grip slightly on the young man's shoulders and asked, his voice mixed with the static of the room:
—What does a Sombrin look like, Adam? Can you describe it?
—The Sombrin is a black, furry creature— Adam commented somewhat uncomfortably because the man's grip from behind was getting stronger and it was starting to hurt.
—Did anything about the Sombrins catch your attention, young librarian?— A woman murmured in Adam's left ear.
Adam instinctively turned his head because he felt the woman's breath moistening his ears, but he couldn't see anything in the darkness. However, Adam felt like a woman was breathing very close to his mouth, making him uncomfortable. With some fear, Adam responded:
—Sombrins always kick you when they hand you their books and help you when you're unconscious.
—Have you read any of the books that Sombrins give away?— A child asked from one of the corners of the room, while the static noise grew louder.
—Yes— Adam involuntarily replied. As he answered, he felt the grip of the person behind him loosening, but the static disturbing his ears was getting so loud that it was starting to daze him.
—What does a Toy Maker look like, Adam? Can you describe it?— the man on Adam's back asked, as his long hands slid from the young man's shoulders to his neck and began to squeeze it gently.
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—The Toy Maker is like a librarian, but much taller and with longer limbs...— Adam responded with difficulty, as the person on his back was now squeezing his neck with more force.
—Did anything about the Toy Maker catch your attention, young librarian?— the woman murmured in Adam's right ear, while she sucked and put her tongue into the hole of his ear, making Adam even more uncomfortable.
—They... don't move... when you see them— Adam replied with some effort, as the man on his back started to choke him. Realizing that the situation was getting out of control and becoming more dangerous, Adam wanted to say the magic words to escape with his shadow, but for some reason, the young hero couldn't remember them!
—Have you read any of the books that Toy Maker give away?— the child asked, though he was no longer in the corner of the room but seemed to be bumping his forehead against Adam's forehead.
*hhhss*... Adam couldn't respond because he was being violently choked.
*Puff*...Then, Adam heard a loud noise in front of him, as if a balloon had burst in front of his face, and he felt warm liquid splatter on his face while the man behind him stopped choking him.
The young hero felt some of the liquid on his face slide into his lips, and horror washed over him as he tasted the metallic flavor of blood.
—No, no, and no, those are not books a wizard like Adam should read— the man behind him responded cheerfully, his hands sliding up his neck to his face.
The man behind Adam started to annoyingly slide his hands over Adam's face and asked:
—What is a Inkwell Adam? Can you describe it?
—Inkwell have many faces, all without a chin, and their tongues are very long— Adam commented, feeling extremely uncomfortable as the man's long fingers occasionally entered his ears and nostrils.
—Did anything about the Inkwell catch your attention, young librarian?— the woman murmured, licking Adam's forehead.
*mmm*...Adam couldn't speak because the man's long fingers on his back were now forcing their way into his mouth, seemingly intent on inspecting every inch inside: the large hand's fingers ran over all of Adam's teeth and then went for his tongue, making him feel like he was about to vomit.
*Puff*...The same noise as before could be heard, and warm liquid splattered on Adam's face. Since his mouth was completely open due to the man's fingers, this time the young man clearly tasted the metallic flavor of blood running down his throat, making him try to vomit but not succeeding.
Desperately, Adam wanted to close his mouth to avoid swallowing the blood trickling down his face, but the man on his back wouldn't remove his fingers, and his mouth didn't seem to respond normally.
—A wizard like Adam shouldn't reveal that information to a filthy slave— the man on Adam's back commented as he withdrew his hands from the young man's mouth and slid them up to Adam's hair.
Upon reaching the young hero's hair, the man hidden in the shadows began patting Adam's head as if he were a little dog to be praised, while he said cheerfully:
—Well done, Adam, you meet the requirements to join the brotherhood of the bestiary.
As those words were spoken, the green fire reappeared in the fireplace, and the room was lit once again.
Adam noticed the feeling of being stained with blood disappearing, and he saw Elias looking at his back in a dazed manner. Adam raised his head to see who was still patting him on the head.
The person on his back was so tall that his head brushed against the ceiling of the shop. The tall man was dressed in a formal suit with a blue tie, and a white veil covered his head, making it impossible to see his facial features or hair color. The man also wore black latex gloves on his hands, seemingly not wanting to reveal a single centimeter of his skin.
Adam was completely frightened, not by the man's appearance, but by his height: it was identical to that of the Toy Maker he encountered in his childhood. With a trembling voice, the young man asked:
—Are you a Toy Maker?
—Indeed— the tall man responded, patting Adam's head as if rewarding the young man for correctly discovering his identity —You're a very intelligent librarian, Adam. You'll become a great beast hunter when you join our brotherhood.
—My client wants to know: What are the goals of your brotherhood?— Elias commented, seeming not so concerned about the Toy Maker but rather about wasting too much time in a lengthy conversation.
—To assemble the complete bestiary of the entire library— the Toy Maker replied, continuing to pat Adam's head —As wizards, we can see creatures that are hidden from most people, and our duty is to record them for the welfare of the library. We perform other functions, but everything revolves around beasts, and only a member of the brotherhood can know them.
—Seems like a good brotherhood for you, Adam— Elias commented, giving his opinion —Both of your brotherhoods consist of searching for things, so you'd be following synergistic brotherhoods, which is recommended when following two religions.
—Well... I'll join your brotherhood...— Adam said, still frightened.
With no other possible wizards' brotherhood, the young man ended up accepting. Adam also thought it was a good idea, and the brotherhood's goal seemed exciting to him. The only uncomfortable thing was the Toy Maker touching his head as if he were a pet.
When Adam accepted, the room turned dark, and then all the lamps lit up again. Elias looked at Adam's agitated breathing and reassured him:
—If you died answering the questions, the shop would have resurrected you. There's no need to be so nervous. Now, I'll take the marbles, and in a few minutes, you'll have your black robe with a hood and both symbols of your brotherhoods embroidered on the sleeves. The cost is free for the symbols, and the modified black robe costs one character sheet.
As he said that, Elias picked up the marbles case from the table, then put one marble that was on top of the card back in the compass.
The card on top of the compass was no longer completely black, but in its place, a white room was drawn on the card. In the white room, only a yellow notebook lying in the middle of the room could be seen, standing out for its bright colors, but it didn't seem to be anything special.