"I'm not the only one who thinks this is incredibly, stupid am I?"

Alec was the first to speak, but I could see from Brian's face that the sentiment was one that seemed to be shared by at least one other in the group, a fact that Lisa seemed to glean relatively quickly.

"Okay, let me put this another way: if we don't do it then all of our funding gets cut and we get to try holding our territory using our pluck and shared sense of unity." Lisa's voice was nearly acidic in her reply, the stress of the situation obviously getting to her despite doing her best to hold a calm face.

I could understand why in a way. After all, the task that we were being asked to perform was certainly above our normal grade of job . This wasn't just a simple smash and grab mission where we had an objective, an exit point, and a plan.

Sitting on the desk between Lisa and the rest of the group was one of the fabled Invitations of the Library, a recent phenomenon that had occurred after the massive pillar had appeared in the ruined section of the Bay a few months after Leviathan had flooded almost the entire city during its rampage.

Nobody knew where exactly it came from, and as far as anyone could figure out it was impossible to get into it by normal means. A thick fog surrounded the building that seemed impossible to navigate, disappearing for a few hours only to find themselves walking out of a different location around the pillar than the one they entered. Any attempt to reach it from the sky was met with equal difficulty, as any helicopter or other vehicle started to fail the moment it went over the mist.

Thankfully the news helicopter that had been the first victim of the mist hadn't resulted in any fatalities, the crew simply wandering out of the mist they had crashed in with a few bruises and cuts but still keeping their lives.

How? why? Those were questions that still held no answers.

The general response to the pillar had been that it didn't seem to be harming anything, and the broken and flooded buildings that it had replaced weren't even good as a shelter from a light wind, thus it should be left alone until further notice.

Things rarely stayed so simple however, and if the PHO boards were to be believed soon after all around the city various 'invitations' appeared to a number of influential people in the Bay's underworld with a tantalizing offer written on them.

Dear Guest,

I formally invite you to the library. The Library's books can provide you with all the wisdom, wealth, honor, and power you seek. However, an ordeal will await you in the library.

If you cannot overcome this ordeal, you will be converted into a book yourself.

It had sounded like a low effort prank at first, the kind of thing that Uber and Leet would post on their website with a big 'gotcha' while making a lame joke or the effort of some new cape trying to make a name for themselves.

But that illusion had disappeared when news had leaked that Night and Fog of the Empire 88 had signed an invitation with a number of their goons and disappeared without a trace. It was a week later when a video actually showing the events hit the web.

The villains and their crew had appeared on an odd broken floor surrounded by blue sky with chunks of buildings floating around in the same way one might find a cloud in the sky.

They had been greeted by a tall man with blue hair and four other well dressed men and women behind him. Apparently they had talked philosophy for a short time, though the audio was grainy at best, and afterward there had been a fight.

Well at least it could be called a fight, but despite being well armed and having two parahumans backing them up the Empire's forces had been smashed in short order. The difference wasn't just one of power, but how the blue haired man had led his forces, like a well oiled machine against the Empire's desperate flailing to try and do anything they could to fight back.

Ever since that point the talk of the underworld had been about the invitations, the possibilities behind what was being offered, and of course of the man people had dubbed 'the Librarian'. I wasn't sure how many other big names had gone into the Library; according to Lisa, most everybody was being rather quiet about the whole situation.

"I agree with Alec, I don't mind getting in a fight but we don't have any actual information about what we would be going up against." Brian spoke up, but from the expression on Lisa's face it was obvious that our 'employer' wouldn't have his mind changed by a rational argument no matter how good it was.

"I say we take it," Rachel crossed her arms and glanced at the group. "I'll bring my best dogs and we'll beat the shit out of them. That's all there is to it."

"I agree with Bitch." Aisha blinked into existence, or rather perception, as she spoke, looking around at the group. "It's not like we're going up against the Triumvirate."

I could see the reason for caution, but at the same time I couldn't help but feel that we had no choice. "We don't have a choice, it's like Lisa said we can't hold our territory without the backing we've been getting." I knew at this point that I didn't really have a say in anything that happened here, not after my 'undercover' operation had been revealed to them. The most I could do was support the argument I was in favor of.

The Library was terrifying, but trying to live in the hell that the Bay had become without the funds that had made our operations possible was even more so. I wouldn't join the PRT, and all the other gangs in power were equally horrible. This was the only place I belonged.

That seemed to sober the room, and even though I could tell that Brian and Alec both still had arguments to make.

"Can you at least buy us more time, we could get our hands on some equipment, weapons, some body armor at least." Brian seemed like he was trying to force some level of control over the situation.

"Or how about we just say fuck it and just go solo?" Alec glanced at the rest of the group. "I don't know about you, but throwing away my life for money we could steal anyway doesn't exactly sound like it's going to make things any better for us."

"When did you become such a coward?" Rachel leveled her eyes as Alec, seemingly challenging him.

Alec laughed, a dangerous move to be sure but he didn't seem in the mood to take any shit at the moment. "How about when we all saw a bunch of gunmen and two Empire parahumans get their shit wrecked by a bunch of fucks in suits?"

I couldn't exactly argue with Alec's reasoning, if the video was to be believed then the individuals that the Empire goons had fought were at least low level brutes and movers, and well trained on top of that.

Lisa rapped her knuckles on the table. "How about this, everyone who goes gets an extra ten grand on top of their usual pay for this month. Triple that if we bring back something of value."

Brian and Alec both turned at that, suspicious about the sudden offer. Aisha flashed back into reality with a grin on her face, and Rachel seemed pleasantly surprised.

However I couldn't help but feel more worried than before at the sudden offer, it was likely that Lisa wasn't telling us everything if she was willing to go this far. Going so far as to bribe the group into this job didn't really fit her, meaning that there was likely something she was keeping to herself about the job, or about the threat of us not doing the job.

The allure of extra money seemed to pull in Alec, who simply gave a soft. "Fuck it then." and took a seat.

Brian however kept a close eye on Lisa for a moment. "Do we have a chance at this?" The question was rhetorical, I could tell by his voice that he was likely in, despite misgivings.

"About the same chance as we have if we don't go." Lisa clicked her pen and looked over the group. "So, let's get going."

Roland

"It seems we will be receiving new guests soon after all, and quite an interesting group as well," Angela glanced toward me, as if awaiting some form of reaction. Ever since we had arrived in this odd place after having to escape a sudden event she had seemed oddly intense. Though I could also chalk it up to her still being in the process of readjusting to life as a machine, instead of the vestiges of humanity she had gained during the last days of our time within the City.

"Looks like a group of kids that got caught up in something above them and don't know when to call it quits," I replied in a relaxed manner, though I had to say that my true thoughts were a bit more muddled than that. Even a veteran of the City such as myself didn't exactly relish the idea of ending the future of a bunch of kids.

"You seem like you're experiencing some doubts about the situation, are you sure that you want to be the one to receive them?" Angela's voice almost bordered on something resembling kindness despite her usual aloof nature.

"Ha, when did you become so aware of others' emotions? A shift in character like that doesn't suit you at all." My smart comment earned me a harsh elbow from Angela, and I played it off as much more painful then it actually felt to help the mood. "Even with all my hard work I still have to deal with such harassment."

"If you are able to joke so easily then I withdraw my previous concern, ready yourself for the reception as usual. Just because they are young doesn't mean they deserve any less than the best our Library has to offer."

I waved off her concern and watched as she disappeared to the entry hall to greet the guests, the 'Undersiders' as they seemed to call themselves, not a half bad name for a Syndicate from the City honestly.. Despite not being as harsh as life in the City it was hard to say that the people of this world had it easy. Life in most places was more comparable to living within a Wing than the harsh existence of the Backstreets of the City—I had to admit to a slight feeling of jealousy.

If I had been born into this world and met Angelica here, maybe the two of us would be able to live the idyllic life we had both wanted…

I drew in a deep breath and killed that thought before it could properly grow roots. I would always miss Angelica and not a day would go by that I didn't think of her in some way. But I had dirtied that memory enough with my regrets and rage. "That's that and this is this." Talking about regrets at this point wouldn't change the past, so I would simply turn my face forward and do what needed to be done. That was simply the way of the Library at this point, and even if at times I was forced to do things I would rather not, it was the life I had chosen for myself.

I shifted my focus instead to how I would deal with the reception itself. Most of my subordinates on the floor were still recovering from the damage they had taken from the event that had caused us to leap from the Outskirts of the City and into this world, and honestly I wasn't sure that I needed them in order to get the job done.

"Page select," I held out my hand and the various 'pages' collected from the battles of the City appeared before me. They appeared like a holographic display before me, various names and abilities tied to them, the essence of the people that had been reduced to books once upon a time, their skills, power, and even weapons able to be worn like a well tailored suit with only a small push of force.

However, unlike before, a number of the pages were covered by static, unable to be selected but still taking up the space. Even after the Library had been ejected by the Head the pages had still been cataloged, even with those who had been turned into books set free apparently the echoes of their skills and powers were still held within the memory of the Library itself. But the jump had caused some form of corruption within the systems, and while it wasn't like we were starting from scratch, until we found some way to clear things up we would be missing quite a bit of firepower from our arsenal.

Thankfully, however, there was at least one page that I didn't have to worry about, because its owner was still going strong. I selected the the Black Silence's Page, feeling my skill at their prime flowing through me as black gloves appeared over my hands. "And for old times sake," I willed my old mask back to my face, the one that would perfectly obscure my features.

No matter how I steeled myself I wasn't going to be comfortable with ending the lives of a bunch of kids, but they deserved for their executioner to at least not look down on them with pity in his eyes. I would do what was necessary, but I could at least make it quick for them.

Taylor

The transfer to the Library was near instant, one moment we were sitting in the ruins of what might have once been a nice building and the next we found ourselves in the entryway of the Library, rows of shelves surrounding us and the entire area gilded in more wealth then I had ever seen in one location before. At the very least the boasts about being able to obtain riches from this place seemed to be solidly set in reality. I could practically feel the nerves radiating off of Lisa and Brian, though the others seemed to be doing more of a solid job keeping control of their emotions.

A sound not unlike a particularly loud snap rang out through the room, and in front of our group appeared a pale woman with blue hair and a professional dress. She was almost doll-like in a way I couldn't quite explain, beautiful but with some sense of artificiality and fragility behind it. Still I prepared myself for whatever was about to happen, the bugs I had hidden on myself for this mission heeding my commands to be ready. From all around me the rest of the Undersiders seemed to be preparing for a fight as well.

For my part I reached out with my power, only to find that there were no insects in this place, not even a common ant or non-venomous spider. I couldn't remember the last place I had been that didn't have some form of insectoid life around for me to command. Other than the few highly poisonous spiders I had kept on my person for emergencies it seemed like I would be forced to stay back and use my gun for covering fire.

Before anyone could start a brawl Lisa raised a hand. "I'm pretty sure she isn't the one who is going to fight us." I could tell that Lisa was trying to slip into her Tattletale voice, the one she used to help mask the fact that she was terrified at the moment but wanted to keep a sense of control over the situation.

"That is correct, dear guests. I am Angela, director and librarian of my role's namesake. As you've read over the invitation you no doubt understand well enough the risks you are taking here, correct?" Her voice was cold as ice, but at the same time I couldn't see any hatred or disdain in her eyes. In fact there was something more akin to sadness in them, though I might have just been projecting onto her otherwise blank expression.

"We did," Rachel stepped forward and sized up Angela, apparently not being impressed. The two massive tanks that she called dogs bare their fangs at the 'head librarian', seemingly ready to attack on a command. "Maybe you should just make it easy for yourself and give us what we want."

Whatever Rachel was expecting to get from her threat, I somehow doubted it was the result that happened. Angela laughed softly, not in a condescending way but as if hearing an old joke that still brought a smile out. "Unfortunately, the Library has its set rules: if you wish to gain you must risk loss and undergo a trial. If you are prepared, I will send you along."

I felt my mouth go dry, but I knew there was no point waiting any longer. Lisa glanced back to the group, getting a few nods from the group before looking back to Angela. "Yeah, do it."

"May you find your book in this place." Angela snapped her fingers and suddenly we were no longer in the gilded entry hall of the Library, but in an unfamiliar location.

It was a long stone path, a number of books piled up here and there in an almost haphazard manner, towers of books reaching skyward rising from either side of the path as if they were stand-ins for mountains. And at the far end away from our group was a single man wearing a black mask and a well pressed suit, standing in a relaxed manner even while facing us.

I heard a gasp from the back of the group, turning to see Lisa's eyes going wide from under her mask. "No—"

What happened next seemed to occur in a flash, a burst of air being the only alert that something had moved through the loose formation we'd been in. The masked man had somehow burst forward from across the bridge, a longsword in his black gloved hands in a downward position.

I saw the diagonal gash Lisa's body, blood spraying against the black mask of the man.

"I'm…sorry."

She turned to look at me for a moment, her hand reaching out before she seemingly exploded into glowing pages before my eyes, disappearing as if she had never been there to begin with.

In a matter of moments, before we could so much as raise a defense, Lisa had been killed. The one who had first reached out a hand and brought me into the Undersiders, the one who'd brought me back to the Undersiders, who had been the closest thing I had to a friend after all these months had been killed in the span of a second. A soft sound seemed to escape from the man, akin to a sigh through heavily muffled by his mask.

Shock set in for me, but the others seemed less prone to despair as their fear pushed for them to counterattack. Rachel's dogs were put under the effects of her power, becoming larger and stronger before charging at the man. They weren't as well trained as the dogs she had lost before but in terms of raw strength they at least matched up, even someone like Glory Girl might be given pause for a moment by them.

The man didn't give a single moment's hesitation, dodging around them and pulling out a new weapon from a portal that appeared by his gloves, a massive greatsword about as wide as his torso, wielding it with one hand and cutting down both dogs with ease.

I heard Rachel scream in anger, only to be silenced in a single swing, barely comprehending the pages that fell where her body had once stood.

At some point I must have activated my power, pushing away my terror and fear into my insects to allow me to rationally deal with the matter at hand. I sent spiders that had hidden themselves in my suit across the floor, the man's focus on us leaving him unaware of the small scale threats heading toward him. Before he could make another move however Grue summoned forth his darkness to engulf the man, leaving me just enough room to not be swallowed as well.

"Fuck, fuck." Brian was experiencing the same panic I had moments ago, but lacked the same release that I could achieve temporarily through my bugs. But at least he was able to function, while within his shadows the man wouldn't be able to charge at us. "Regent, can you use your powers on him?"

Alec blinked for a moment, seemingly breaking out of a vague daze to shake his head. "I could barely track the guy before, and I can't even get a feel for him in your darkness." It was weird to hear Alec speaking so seriously, giving more of an idea of just how terrified he was at the moment.

But I pushed those thoughts aside, running over to where Lisa had fallen, my eyes desperately looking on the ground and finding her pistol, the only remaining trace of her left on the ground. I quickly picked it up and lifted it, using my connection to the spiders on the man's outfit to track him before firing.

I emptied the entire clip into the darkness, only stopping when the telltale click told me the gun had run dry. For a moment I allowed hope to come that my shots may have finally brought down whatever monster we were facing. But I was proven wrong as the next thing I knew something had struck me in my stomach and threw me off of my feet.

It felt like I had been hit with a sledgehammer, and when I put my fingers to my stomach I could feel them become wet. Some part of my rational mind told me that I had been shot, but my vision became hazy and the reality of the situation seemed to fade away.

From there things came in flashes, the man bursting out of the darkness with a pair of armored gauntlets with each finger ending in claws, pushing a hand through Grue's stomach and tossing his body aside like a doll. Alec met his own end at near the same speed, his throat ripped out with a single movement.

Then he turned his focus on me, the gauntlets disappearing only to be replaced by the longsword he had used at the start of the fight. I looked into the expressionless mask that he wore, trying to gleam even some detail about how everything had gone wrong so quickly. But there were no answers awaiting me.

With a quick movement he stabbed forth the blade, only to hit something between us. For a moment Aisha appeared between us, yelling out something that I could only barely hear.

The shock of seeing Brian's sister impaled before me shocked part of my brain back to reality, reaching out to my bugs and giving the command to attack. Fangs covered in poison would bite into the man's skin, causing him to slap at parts of his body with annoyance. A single bite by most poisonous spiders wouldn't have an immediate effect on most adult males, but the bites he had just taken would be enough to send even a brute-type parahuman into shock.

Yet to my horror he seemed more annoyed than anything, moving toward me and examining me for a moment. "Armor…tough…Workshop…City…" I could only barely make out every other word he spoke. However with my hazed-over vision I saw him take off his mask to look down at me. His face was surprisingly plain for someone so powerful, almost looking like someone you might pass on his way to the office rather than a terrifyingly powerful fighter able to defeat an entire group of parahumans by himself.

I was going to die here, the reality of that crashed down on me. But somehow that wasn't the worst feeling, no rather it was knowing that I would die without being able to avenge my…my friends. That hurt me worse than the gutshot or any other pain I had experienced in life.

It's hard to leave things undone isn't it?

Maybe it was the pain or the blood loss, but I could have sworn that a female voice had spoken from somewhere.

I can grant you power to fulfill your desires, simply give yourself to the Light and allow it to take hold of you.

I didn't care what happened to me, I just wanted revenge for my friends. An odd feeling began to spread throughout my body, as if insects were crawling under my skin, the feeling being somewhere between terrifying and exhilarating.

A look akin to panic came over the man's face, and before whatever was happening could properly take hold he brought down his blade one last time, and then there was nothing but darkness.

Curtain call for the reception of the Undersiders

Books Obtained: Book of Tattletale, Book of Bitch, Book of Grue, Book of Regent, Book of Imp, Book of Skitter.