Chapter

“It is indeed, great,” Librarian said, “This is the greatest repository of information in the known universe. It is the definition of great.”

“And yet I’ve never heard of it. I wasn’t exactly in the training yard every minute of every day - I spent a lot of time with books and old scrolls and maps. Not once did I hear about this place. Why's that?”

A hum sounded around Mikel which passed along to him the feeling that Librarian was thinking - but only for a moment. She responded before he’d had time to put together another line of questioning should this one not pan out.

“Like the knowledge deemed too advanced for certain people, knowledge of this place is kept locked within engramatic keys. It is entirely possible you read, heard, or even spoke to someone about this place only to have it locked away in your mind until you found or accessed a certain key that would allow the memories to flood back. Does that clear up your concerns?”

“Yes, but it also creates many more. How often do you erase people's minds over violations of potential ability versus permitted knowledge?”

“Thousands of times every minute. As I said, this place is huge, nearly infinite. Every thought and every written word is cataloged. There are thousands of access points like this very one scattered across real space and The Market. People come seeking answers and they always leave with them.”

“But it is entirely up to you whether they remember those answers or not, correct?”

The hum again, then Librarian spoke.

“It is true, I have some latitude in allowing information to cross the boundary back into The Market, but some rules are set in stone even and I cannot tamper with them. Many rules lay in the foundational structure of The Library.”

“Are there any subjects you can’t tell me about at all?”

“That list is pages long. If you wish to learn if a topic is on the list please ask and I will tell you if it is restricted or not.”

Mikel groaned. He had a lot of questions and not a lot of time in which to find out some vital information. He began to think about how best to parse through what seemed like an infinite sea of information, all the while fighting the feeling he’d probably had his mind tampered with on at least one occasion in the past. Probably more. He made a mental note to ask Librarian about that soon.

It was obvious whatever Librarian was, "She" seemed to be entirely intelligent and self-realized. If there had been some sort of construct across the table from him resembling a human, Mikel wouldn't have thought twice about whether or not he was speaking to another human.

He was about to start brute forcing the issues he had in mind when he lit upon an idea that seemed to address most of his problems at once. If Librarian allowed the inquiry, it would save him hours of interrogating the automated system; and if Librarian shut him down, the same would be true.

With a swift motion, he yanked down the neck of his shirt and pulled out The Callisto Jewel.

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Immediately, the blue fires dimmed by half, and the smell of fresh roses was replaced with a dead, cold scent that reminded Mikel of walking alone near a graveyard at night.

He didn’t care for the shift in ambiance.

“Librarian, what’s going on?”

The hum came again, and when the voice answered it wasn’t in the pleasant tone which she’d used up to this point.

“What’s going on is that you brought that… Thing in here.”

Mikel had never thought it possible to hear such a tight, angry tone in a monotone voice. And yet somehow, Librarian did it.

“You couldn’t sense it when I came in?” He shook the gem at the desk, not sure where else to point, as the dim lights turned the gem a vicious purple instead of its usual blood-red hue.

“I am limited in my senses. You are bound to The Jewel, and your personal signature is now tied to its signature. I would not have noticed if you hadn’t brought it out.”

“Do… You want me to leave?”

The hum again.

“There is no forbearance on bringing deific artifacts here - but there are dangers. There are things within the stacks that will sense the power you’ve brought with you, and they will seek you out to claim it as their own. The Sunken Folk aren’t as dead as humans would like to believe and some of their creations remain amongst the living. If you proceed with your inquiry, know that you take your fate into your own hands. I and this place are not responsible for your well-being which we would normally afford to guests. Your very nature is partially anathema to this place, and in some ways so similar as to be un-differentiated. You bear The Jewel - you and it are one.”

A shiver rattled up Mikel’s back as Librarian’s words settled in.

“Should… I be aware of anything which will hurt me at the moment?” His hand slid to his short sword at his side - after the tough night he’d had, the first thing he’d done was to retrieve the thin blade. It wasn’t magical, nor particularly special, but it was sharp and he could cut well enough with it.

“Nothing at the moment is near enough to this point of entry to cause you harm. Should you venture into the stacks in search of something that status will change.”

“Can you alert me if I get close to something, or something gets close to me, that's... dangerous?”

“I can, to a degree. I am aware of all living creatures within these bounds, but the unliving are beyond my sight. They travel here, forever, lost and alone. They in particular will seek you out in an attempt to claim The Jewel for themselves. They seek to return to life, but even The Jewel cannot grant that which they most dearly wish for.”

“Why is nothing ever easy?” Mikel asked the air, tucking The Callisto Jewel away, “Why can’t everything just be straightforward. Oh,” he said to the air gesturing mockingly, “I’m Telgil, let me take you to my magical library but NOT tell you that you could die by being in here. Don’t worry about anything!”

He rolled his eyes and glanced back at the empty chair before laughing nervously and scratching his head.

“Sorry… That was a bit of a tangent. It just seems things are overly complicated for the sake of being complicated.”

When Librarian responded her tone had returned to normal, but the lights remained dimmed and the smells muted and cold.

“It is quite alright. This place is a place of passion and knowledge. Your outburst wasn’t nearly as bad as some. One time, many years ago, a particularly angry wizard tried to burn the place down when he tried to leave with knowledge deemed too weighty for his power. He managed to singe one book before the defenses inset in this place… Removed him.”

“Removed him to where?” Mikel asked as his throat tightened.

“He is now one of the undead things lurking within the stacks. He wasn’t powerful enough to harm this place but wasn’t weak enough to die entirely. He is what you might call a lich, and he would find great joy in finding you and stealing The Jewel. Although he will never return to life, The Jewel would make him powerful enough to cause… Issues for me.”

Mikel gulped the tightness down at the thought of an undead, violent, and quite possibly deranged wizard hunting him at this very moment.

If time had been of the essence before, it was now beyond paramount he got what he was after and left as soon as possible. Although the temptation of staying here and reading forever was strong, almost as strong as The Reverie outside had been, that temptation wasn’t enough to fight against the promise of death Librarian seemed to be hinting at.

“Alright… Well - let’s get going. Are you ready to help me with my inquiry?”

“It will be my pleasure, Master Raithson, to help you and to see you leave my walls before you cause me trouble.”