Chapter 8: The Case from the Past (Part 2)
This was the first time that I had met Melvin. Even though I didn't know him well back then, he later became my best friend in Clock Tower. But for that time period, it was as if fate had given me someone, since I didn't have any friends and tended to do things on my own.
"Waver Velvet, can I be your friend?"
"Huh?"
Suddenly, the student coughed and spewed up a small puddle of blood. The dim lighting of the library during the late evening made it look like a horror scene. Small splatters of blood hit the bookshelves and some of it got on Waver's pants and vest.
"S-Sorry, I tend to do that. Don't worry, I'll get an assistant to clean the mess for us. I just need to get my pills again."
Is this the guy that had been following my movements? This person?
Waver slowly got up from the floor and wiped off some of the blood off his clothes with a handkerchief. After a while, he went back to the study table to organize his books and clean up the mess he made earlier.
"What do you want from me? I was studying here."
He continued to put some books into his backpack before packing up to leave the library.
"It's getting late. Maybe we should talk another time. Goodbye."
He quickly scurried out of the library, hoping that the student didn't follow him back. The sudden proposal of friendship was shocking, but he didn't want it to distract him from other things he needed to do. It felt like a close call.
Why did he need to scare me for? Does he bully me like the others did? He should leave me alone…
"Waver, were you planning to do something? Something that you could get in trouble for? Like stealing a book from the library?"
"…"
The student had cut off his path right outside the library. Despite his fragile appearance, he managed to corner him so easily. It was as if he had many eyes surrounding him. He came forward to him and grinned towards Waver.
"Let me introduce myself properly this time. My name is Melvin Weins. I have been observing you since we were in Professor Kayneth's class together. But who would have thought that you were planning something like this? You definitely sound like a good investment."
"Investment?"
Melvin snickered at Waver's remark.
"Of course! Investment of 'fun'. Or anything that catches my interest. How do you like my response?"
What is with this guy? He seems strange, but aren't a lot of mages strange to begin with? Maybe I should give him a chance…
Waver sighed. He turned his attention away from him, looking down on the ground.
"How can I trust you? You already caught me red-handed. What do you want from me?"
Melvin happily put his hand on Waver's shoulder.
"I want you to accept me into your plans. Money isn't an issue here; I can always give an offer when needed. I can also provide you with equipment, so we won't be handicapped during the mission. Plus, it's too risky for you to do it alone. They could have many lethal magecraft and creatures in there for security."
He has a point. But should I really say that it's for an assignment to him? I just want to prove myself worthy as a mage for once…
Waver quickly took Melvin's hand off of his shoulder and glared at him.
"Fine. I will accept your help. But please don't tell anyone about this. I-I will accept you as a friend, we'll go with that. Do we have a deal?"
Melvin winked back at him.
"Sure. Oh, I'll be showing you something later tomorrow. It's already getting late right now, and I don't anybody following us. See you later, Waver!"
He waved happily and disappeared into the night, leaving Waver pondering outside in confusion. The sudden addition of a student he never anticipated surprised him, let alone asking him to join in on his plans.
Would Melvin trick me and trick me to turn me in? I don't know. But I don't sense any malice or trickery coming from him. Otherwise, he would have gotten me in trouble way earlier if he knew about this…
Waver would have to wait and found out in time.
The next day after class, Melvin led Waver into a more secluded area of the Clock Tower. The corridors were not as clean and well maintained as the other parts of the buildings. There were not many students coming and going from the place, so the rooms around the area seemed abandoned.
But to Melvin, it was a perfect for intel gathering and experimentations.
"This place is ideal for safekeeping items here as well. That way, we can bring the book you want here after we get it from the library. There are other students that are also interested in their own research and wanted me to help sponsor them sometimes."
Waver looked over the rooms through the corridors. There were many areas that had hidden passageways and different exits around the perimeter. It looked unsuspecting to any outsider, but it seemed like there were students that knew about the place other than Melvin.
"Are you sure about this? This place is safe?"
Melvin nodded.
"It is. The people I have bribed and given offers told me that it's a great place for many hidden activities so you should be safe here."
What kind of friends does this guy have?!
"Are you sure about that? Won't people try to steal the book if we put something like that here?"
Melvin chuckled at Waver's question. Waver gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Calm down, Waver. I want you to trust me. From the looks of it, you don't really have anyone to tell secrets to. I'm just showing you this place to help you on the heist you're planning. This is also a good location for our plans and meetings if you want to keep it that way as well."
"So, something like a secret hiding place inside Clock Tower?"
"Basically something like that. Now, wasn't there an adult mage that you talked with at that activity event not too long ago? What did you talk to him about?"
Huh? What kind of questions is Melvin asking? Is he interrogating me?
Waver shook his head in confusion.
"Why do you want to know so much about me? Let's just cut to the chase here. One thing at a time, what kind of person are you? Do you just see me as some investment? Why are you even helping me in the first place?!"
Melvin just laughed. He seemed to enjoy Waver's expressions and frustrations with him so far. He just shrugged as they walked along into another room that was quiet and sparsely used. Waver noticed a few holes and dark splashes in some corners of the walls, but Melvin ignored them.
There was a small table with chairs inside the room. A few lights brightened the room, not making it not look so abandoned and shabby.
"Maybe we should stop with the questions and just help each other. You can just treat it like some sort of collaboration, Waver. I know that you have that library map somewhere on you. Probably inside your backpack. Let me look at them."
Waver grunted and put down his backpack that he was carrying.
The library map he had gotten from the homunculus assistant was filled with scribbles and hallmarks on places that he had visited around the library. Waver had tried to find openings and entrances around the library, but there seemed to be Bounded Fields in certain locations.
"There was one area that did have an opening. But it was on the second floor of another room. I almost got caught by the assistant that was checking up on me. The library seems to be hiding a lot of areas away from the students."
Melvin came forward to look closely at the map.
"I see that you have found some hidden areas so quickly. Not bad."
"What do you mean?"
"The library's space is distorted by Bounded Fields in certain areas. Based on the information I had gotten from others, there is a secret passageway somewhere inside the library that can lead into the hidden book area that you were looking for."
Waver pointed at the small mark he made on the map, with a scribbled hole on it.
"I did notice something strange around the edges of the study room, but the room next door is filled with homunculus assistants. They all go in and out of that place, so it might be a trap. I don't think we should go there, Melvin."
Melvin nodded in approval.
"Maybe we should check the library together this time, Waver. How about the librarian? Is she available?"
Waver sighed. He did remember one thing he overheard from the assistants.
"Miss Lucia is about to go on vacation in a few days from now. But I don't know if we should do it right after she takes a break. The security might be stronger without her there. We might need to double check on her status before we do anything."
"Understandable, she could report us if we get caught. What about the homunculus assistants? They probably move in a certain routine that they follow to check up on the students. Man, there really is a lot to consider when doing this heist, huh?"
"Shut up! I didn't ask for your help to begin with. I'm only accepting your offer so that there is an increased chance of success. So, what about you? Don't you have anything?"
Melvin was silent for a moment before he started to laugh. Afterwards, he stopped himself and patted Waver on the back.
"Didn't I say that I will help you? Don't worry, I'll get us something to help us during the heist. But right now, we need intel and information on the library in the first place. How much time do we have left before she goes on vacation?"
Waver thought for a moment before answering.
"I'm not really sure. Miss Lucia knows me as a regular inside the library, but she did deny me access to the book because I didn't have the permissions for it. It's possible that she could suspect me…"
"Alright. Let's go with that. Let's meet up in a few days at the library then."
Melvin quickly wrote down their times for their meetups, with certain locations scribbled out. Waver wanted to see what he wrote but Melvin didn't let him look.
"It's a surprise, Waver. I'll let you know in time."
"…"
This is so troublesome. But I'll make do. I really don't understand Melvin at all. I don't get it. I don't get it at all…
Waver slowly walked away from the lecture hall as the class was finished, a couple hours later since his meeting with Melvin. A drove of students walked around him, with some of them running towards their classes.
Everyone with their cliques. Everyone with their groups of friends.
Even if no one knew of their plans, Waver did feel a small ting of excitement from being able to do it with someone. For once, he felt like he belonged to something.
Even though I got help, we still need to make sure the plans can succeed.
As he walked along, he felt someone watching him again. This time, it didn't feel like Melvin at all. A mysterious adult within the crowd inside Clock Tower. Waver turned around and didn't spot anyone coming closer towards him.
It was probably my imagination. I can't get paranoid now! Focus! Focus!
But before he could make a move, someone touched his shoulders out of nowhere.
The voice sounded familiar.
"It's nice meeting you again, Waver Velvet."
Nijima and Waver were sitting at one of the rest areas around Clock Tower. The young man looked more worn out from the last time Waver saw him. Tea and cakes were being offered towards him, but he declined it this time.
"Nijima? You're still here? You didn't need to scare me like that!"
Waver sighed and shook his head. He didn't realize that the adult mage was still around Clock Tower. He was too busy dealing with the current assignment and forgot about his request for help a few weeks ago.
"Waver, I got something for you. Here, take this."
"Huh?"
Before he knew it, a small bag was placed in front of him. It was filled with various items and treats. Waver spotted one of the items looking like some sort of map. It looked like a Mystic Code. He wanted to look what the rest of the items were, but Nijima stopped him.
"You can look into them later. Waver, are you doing well on your assignment?"
School questions again? This guy isn't my parent…
Waver glared at him, slightly confused.
"I'm doing fine. Just having a little trouble here and there. What about it?"
Nijima grinned. Waver felt like he could read his mind, based on his expression.
"So you really do need some help after all. Let me help you with that."
Huh? Does he know what I was planning to do?
He quickly touched Waver's forehead and flicked it. Waver was reminded of what Professor Kayneth did to him since the love magecraft lecture argument. But he felt like time had skipped many hours as he spent time with this strange adult mage.
He didn't seem like he wanted to do harm. Yet seemed a bit too nice.
Now I have given you some more information on the plan. You will receive them within the library in time…
Miss Lucia…
Secrets…
Openings…
Waver awoke to find himself asleep next to the bag Nijima gave him on the table. His head felt dizzy and muddled as he tried to remember where he was. He rubbed his eyes, feeling like he just had a nap from exhaustion. Nijima was nowhere to be found, but Waver remembered talking to him a while ago.
"What was that all about? Where did he go?"
But before long, students were coming his way, preparing for to go to class. Waver checked the time with his watch and noticed his meeting time with Melvin. It was getting late, so he had to hurry.
Might as well take the bag. Melvin will judge me about it later. We still need to check out the library area again and find a proper entrance this time.
Waver double checked to make sure that nobody was watching him, so he quickly grabbed the bag and put it inside his backpack. With another horde of students coming into the resting area, he blended through the crowd and went on his way to the library.
"Took you long enough. Did you take a nice nap without telling me?"
"Shut up! I'm here now! Sorry if I made you wait, Melvin."
Waver blushed in embarrassment as he grudgingly followed Melvin towards the library entrance. There were many homunculi around the premises, checking up on the students. It was still late evening, but there were many students inside the library, studying and doing their homework.
They walked through the entrance together, with Waver carrying a library map pamphlet. He leaned forward towards Melvin, whispering into his ear.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? There's so many people here."
"What's wrong with a lot of activity? We get to see how the library functions during its busy hours at its peak. Plus, no one would suspect us if the homunculus assistants were doing their usual routines right now."
He…does have a point. I can't argue with that. But hopefully we can discover the entrance to the location of the book that requires permissions to enter. This doesn't look simple at all. We might not make it…
Waver sighed and turned to the side, where he saw the front desk. Miss Lucia was strangely still there, but she was ignoring them this time. He remembered that she should be taking her vacation by now. But he couldn't remember for how long.
"What is it? Why are you looking at the librarian for? She's ignoring us, so let's keep moving!"
But Waver quickly walked in front of Melvin and got him out of the way from within the librarian's eyesight. They hid behind a bookshelf before Waver said anything. He quietly whispered to Melvin in a hurry.
"She's not supposed to be here! There's even more homunculi around the library than usual as well. What's going on here?"
Melvin shrugged. He didn't seem fazed by the situation at all.
"I don't know. You're the regular here. I don't really go to the library that much. But we'll make do with our situation. I can always bribe her…"
"…"
What's with Melvin and bribes? Is that how he got information on me in the first place? This mage really is strange. What does he see in me anyway?
Waver shook his head in dismay. They had waited at least a week, hoping that the librarian would have left for vacation, yet she was still there. But inside his mind, he felt strangely calm and was not panicking with her presence there.
It was as if it was going to help them with getting the book instead.
The feelings of success. The feelings of hope. The feelings of accomplishment.
"We'll be fine, I'm sure of it."
His mouth said those words out loud without thinking. But it felt like those were not his words, but someone else's. His mind felt buzzed at times, numbed by something.
"Waver? Are you still there? We can't stand here all day by the bookshelf."
Melvin's voice immediately snapped Waver out of his minor trance. After rubbing his eyes, he looked up to find himself still holding the library map on his hand. The bag that Nijima had given him was still inside his backpack.
"Why am I so tired lately? I'm probably not getting enough sleep…"
"So you really were taking a nap?"
"Shut up! Let's just get on with this task before it gets late!"
After some bickering, the two of them began to explore the library together. Since Waver was a regular, he was able to show Melvin the common areas where students congregated. They managed to find all the Bounded Fields that were on the library map.
But Waver still felt a certain location inside the library felt off.
"There's something over there."
A Bounded Field was left slightly ajar, leaving a small opening through the barrier. Waver checked to make sure that it wasn't a trap before coming closer towards it. As they got closer, it emitted a faint signal towards his backpack.
Was it reacting to? Something in my backpack?
He slowly put down his backpack and checked what kind of item it was responding to. It was coming from the same bag that Nijima had given him a while back.
"What's in your backpack, Waver? Did you bring anything new?"
"Well…"
Waver took a closer look inside the bag and noticed the map glowing faintly blue. Its connection towards the Bounded Field inside the library showed that there was some connection between it.
Then he began to hear more voices inside the back of his mind.
The Bounded Fields react to the map as a Mystic Code. Use it to get within the Bounded areas and get inside a passageway that is hidden within the library. The Book of Amoretto is located within the confines of the 2nd floor. It is…
"Melvin, I don't think this area is it. It is definitely connected to the inner workings of the library, but the real location of what we're looking for is somewhere else."
"Somewhere else? Interesting."
Waver tried to put the map away, but Melvin got too curious on what it was.
It looked futuristic, but with hints of magecraft all over it. If it weren't for its faint blue glow in certain areas of the map, it would have looked just like any ordinary street map from the outside. It looked more like a detailed version of the current library map they had on them.
"Waver, where did you get this?"
Where did I get it? Wasn't it inside a bag that Nijima gave me? Although I don't remember what we talked about….
Waver shook his head. He would have to tell Melvin about the adult mage he met from the activity at some point, but not inside the library. But he didn't understand why this man would give him items to help them on their plans without telling him.
"I'll tell you about it later. Let's look for the other Bounded Fields near the 2nd floor first. We might find something there."
The assistants around the library weren't following them during the rest of the mission. Waver thought it was strange, but he persisted anyway. They found themselves in the same location where Waver was trying to for an opening from one of the bookshelves not too long ago.
"So it really was here? Maybe we can find a proper way to open it this time."
But before he attempted it, Melvin grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.
"Waver, there's students and assistants still walking around the library. Try using the map on the bookshelf when there's a better time. And, there's a homunculus assistant looking at us right now."
"Huh?"
The two of them turned around and spotted the female assistant glaring back at them. Waver remembered her as the one who gave him the library map pamphlet and gave him a book off the bookshelf, near the same location where they stood.
What is she doing here watching us?! This is not the first time this happened…
"Sir Velvet. Sir Weins. Do you two need any help?"
Waver winced at her words. He tried to remain calm after seeing such a sharp petrifying expression coming from her.
"Well, I—"
But Melvin was calm and relaxed. He quickly whispered into his ear.
"She might know something. Maybe she will help us on how to get through the Bounded Field without attracting attention. Let's just ask her."
"But—"
But won't she get us in trouble? What's going on here?
Melvin smiled and waved at the assistant. She smiled back and walked closer towards them. He came forward and gestured her to help them with their problem. It was as if she knew him beforehand.
"Miss, can you show us where the books that require permissions are kept?"
Did he just ask just like that?!
The assistant bowed and pointed towards the bookshelf they were next to. Her reactions looked like she knew Melvin beforehand. One of the book glowed a faint blue, before it stopped emitting the signal. He thanked her and she went on her way.
Wait. Was Melvin in touch with the homunculi this whole time? Is this why they wouldn't tell me his name until he approached me himself? Huh?
"Why are you so shocked for? She left us alone now. We just need to be careful about opening this area once we get inside the building."
"Isn't the library closed at certain times though? We can't just go in when everyone is watching us…"
Melvin winked back.
"Don't worry. We'll manage. It's only just a book we want, and I can help us get us inside in the library. Now, all we need is to decide on a time and place to do it and prepare ourselves."
That was quick. He really wants to support me with this kind of activity? Won't he also get in trouble for helping me? I don't understand anything!
Waver sighed and checked the Bounded Field again. It was already strange that people already wanted to help him, and even at times felt too simple or easier than he expected. But he needed to get the book for his assignment and would probably need to pay back Melvin with an offer in the end.
The world of mages was still unknown to him.
"Alright, I'll trust your knowledge on these things. Let's just hope we won't get into too much trouble for doing this, Melvin. You know more than me on how magecraft works and understand mage society better than me."
Melvin smiled and looked back. They still had many things they needed to prepare for.
"So that was the adult mage you were talking about, Waver?"
"Yes, that was him. Makoto Nijima."
Waver nodded, drinking some tea. They were sitting together at their secret hideout at the edge of Clock Tower, with some equipment and plans ready for the heist. Melvin shook his head in approval at Waver's plans and ideas towards getting the book.
"Not bad at all. The more help we get, the better. It would also make this plan even more interesting. He might betray us depending on whether we manage to complete the task or not, but we'll be fine. Mages can be like that."
"Mages?"
Melvin shrugged and continue to sip his own tea.
"Everyone has their own ulterior motive in mage society. Apart from reaching the Root, they still want to make sure that their genes and Magic Circuits gets passed down properly. I think you already knew this already; we learn it all here at Clock Tower."
"I get that, but if you know these things, why would you trust people so easily? You're not wary of me at all?"
But Melvin didn't respond to Waver's question and continued to talk about something else.
"So, how about we setup something inside this room? Waver, we need to know how much mana output we have to know our output for the task. What do you think?"
Doesn't sound like a bad idea for once. We don't know how much mana we can use during the heist after all. Maybe I'll take his idea on that…
Waver put his hand on his chin, thinking up something to show their mana output. It had to be something portable and small and had an effect on the object based on mana.
"How about…gems? Or something related to rock and stone."
Melvin smirked at Waver's suggestion.
"That sounds like something from the Mineralogy Department. Using rocks and minerals as a general mana output measure. That's not a bad idea at all. I can probably get someone to give it to us to use. That way, we can figure out how much mana we can use later."
Waver nodded and thought about their plans. They would have to get into the library when it was getting late, yet also when the assistants around the area were busy. They couldn't risk getting seen by the skeleton golems that were night guards and janitors around Clock Tower as well.
But they still had to make an effort and get through with it. It would be up to fate to see if they succeeded or not.
Even if we knew our mana outputs, we can't rely on our mana for everything. It would be best if we can conserve our mana for more vital things, such as dealing with the dangers around security and magecraft from within.
But magecraft is all about taking risks. Isn't that why they always research and experiment to reach the Root?
"And we still need to bring some weapons, and some form of light so that we can see. It's possible that the passageways could be dark and murky. Some minor magecraft enhancements would be useful as well."
Melvin happily patted Waver on the shoulder.
"Now, we're talking! Let's bring something to show each other in a few days. Then let's prepare for the actual mission!"
Waver felt embarrassed by Melvin's words and actions at times but didn't say something.
This will still take some getting used to…
In almost no time at all, Melvin managed to get a mana detecting stone from the Mineralogy Department. The sparkling red gem glowed bright when it was activated by mana and turned back to neutral blue after use.
Waver wanted to complain about the quality but decided not to. They still had other matters to worry about. But there were few cracks here and there around the gem.
"This gem looks like it was used. Did you just ask to borrow it from them, Melvin?"
Melvin shrugged.
"I told you, I have connections and know people. You don't need to worry so much about that. I'll take care of it. Is it still good enough for testing our mana output, Waver?"
Waver inspected the gem a bit more. Even though it wasn't powerful or anything special, he was able to inject some of his mana into the gemstone. It would have to do for their mission.
The two of them inserted part of their mana into the gem, testing their outputs.
"Not a bad amount. But it's still lacking. Waver, how about I help Tune your Magic Circuits for you? That way, you can use your magecraft better."
"Huh? You're a Tuner?"
He never told me that before. Why didn't he tell me earlier that he could do it?
Melvin looked slightly embarrassed for mentioning it, so he tried to explain himself.
"I can adjust Magic Circuits so that it could work better, but I'll need a Mystic Code to do that. Something that uses frequencies and sound within a room. So the things I use tend to be instruments for that…"
Waver then stopped the mana output process and put the gemstone down onto the table. It was glowing bright red, reflecting off his and Melvin's mana. After a while, they calculated their results to see how much mana they could use during their mission.
"So we still need an outside light source after all. We don't have enough to do much. But it's alright, we can use Mystic Codes for that…"
Waver took out something out of his backpack. It was covered in a small case for protection. The map that Nijima had given him was still inside, to help them later on. Melvin peeked inside the case to see what Waver brought.
"I-Is that a wand? You're going to bring that?"
"Don't judge me! It's more useful than it looks!"
The wooden wand looked worn and used, but it was well kept inside its case holder. Small pieces of wood flakes were all over the coating, so Waver shook some of it out. The tip was still usable, with some adjustments engraved all over it. He shook the wand to make sure it still worked.
"It's an old wand I made a long time ago. It might not look like much, but it can double someone's current mana output temporarily by using it. In a way, it counts as a Mystic Code for magecraft use. It's made from holly wood, a wood that was used by the ancient mages back then. So this wood would have some properties that is useful in magecraft."
It might not seem like much, but I hope it can help us with our mission. I don't want to let Melvin take the lead in everything I want to do. I want to prove myself with this as well!
A small sparkle of flashy dust and static hit the ceiling as Waver tested the wand. Melvin didn't look impressed but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he went to take out some equipment that would help them on their heist.
"Here's what I brought with us to help you with the mission. It's not much, but we can find a way to use them. Let's see what we have here…"
Melvin took out a small mana detecting device, in the form of a compass. Instead of detecting time, it detected the presence of mana and pinpointed its location with its needle direction. There were other tools around him, each serving a different purpose.
"How's this? We can use this to find the book you're looking for inside the library. Didn't you say there was some gem on it?"
"Well, yes but—"
Waver turned around and immediately saw the sheer advancement of magitech from Melvin's items. The combination of magecraft and technology had advanced way farther than he had expected, with many of its uses incorporated into modern materials.
What is this?! They're so shiny and advanced! Is this what magecraft has become?!
He felt compelled by the amazing technology using magecraft but quickly stopped himself. He didn't want to look like he was weak towards Melvin's things that he showed off to him. He couldn't let it distract him from his own sense of prestige that he felt he deserved.
"Do you like it? No need to be shy, I can always get more of these if you're so interested, Waver. I have even helped funded some experiments in Clock Tower, but I don't know what happened to them."
"Experiments?"
"You know, something like a Reality Marble Machine. They haven't gotten back to me yet, but they said they will show me when they're done."
"…"
Did he just get scammed? How easy is he really to fool? Is he smart or dumb, I can't tell at all…
Waver scratched his head and tried to organize all the equipment they would need for their mission. He looked fondly at his own measly wand, which couldn't compare to Melvin's items. But it was something he made, hoping it would be useful when they do their heist.
It should still be useful for something. It's all I have got, after all. But with this plan, hopefully it can work, and we can get the book…
He clinched his fists, hoping that things will go well with Melvin.
Since the librarian didn't seem to notice their movements, Waver and Melvin took their chances at infiltrating the library around nighttime, with less witnesses and homunculi guarding the entrances. Waver had prepared more than one flashlight, in case one of them loses battery and light during a bad case scenario. There was also some rope and other items, just in case. With many references to the book from other sources, he made sure he could find the book among the sea of books hidden within the library.
I hope this works. Please, Melvin. We have everything, don't we? This is for the assignment and to prove myself that I can get this book! I can't let this chance get away from me…
The library was strangely quiet that day, without much security surrounding the building. Waver had managed to figure out the patterns that the homunculi assistants moved around from the library, due to his status as a regular. The night guards were another issue, but they managed to get past them without getting discovered.
Waver sighed in relief, thinking about Nijima's map.
"That map really is helpful. But I don't understand why he would give something so valuable to us for no reason. But I can't really fault him for that, but—"
"Waver, the coast is clear again."
"Got it. Let's just follow the plan and hope it gets us through this."
The two of them continued onward, going through the library unto the second floor path that Waver had laid out beforehand. It was strangely quiet, with no assistants coming towards them for suspicious activities or anything. Things almost seemed too perfect.
"Here we go. The Bounded Field will be opened now."
Waver used the map and slowly opened the barrier to get into the inner portions of the library. He felt like he was being watched but ignored it. It was like someone was keeping an eye out for them while they did their mission.
Isn't this going a little too well? Maybe we're just lucky, and everything is going in our favor. But don't think about it too much, I still need to get the book.
The corridors inside the inner library was dim, so the two of them took out their flashlights to be able to see. The passageways looked like those from medieval times, with its old torches dimly lit around the path. The silence was deafening, so they tried to tip toe around the downward spiraled steps into the abyss below.
Where are we going? What is this place? Please be the correct path towards the books hidden within the library!
After snaking through a couple paths, Waver could make out a strange maze with walls around it. Near the end of the exit, he could make out a small set of bookshelves protected by the maze. He immediately remembered about the location of the book.
The book was within their reach, but they had to get through the maze first.
"So, we just need to get through the maze? Is that it, Waver?"
"Be quiet. There might be traps all over the maze. We should try to test its security first."
Waver quickly took out a small rock and his wand. Using a small amount of mana, he prepared to throw the rock through a projectile with his wand. Tiny shots of light shot through his wand, landing the rock through the nearby wall.
Let's see how the rock reacts. There must be traps all over the maze.
In an instant, there was a slight tremor from the maze. But Waver couldn't sense any magecraft and mana from its reaction. He peeked over to see what happened to the rock.
"There doesn't seem to be much magecraft and mana in this area, Waver. The mana detector couldn't sense anything from our location."
"Really? Shouldn't there be more mana presence the deeper we go, not less?"
Melvin shrugged and pointed towards the maze walls.
"We can always climb it instead of going through the maze the usual way. It would take too long, and we don't know what's at the end of it. It looks like treasure."
Treasure?! Those things are bookshelves! The book is somewhere over there!
Waver clinched his fist in frustration and didn't say anything. Melvin's idea didn't sound bad, so they decided to try it. But to climb the wall, they had to use some of the rope they had brought with them. With some simple instructions and directions from Waver, they were able to stabilize the rope and climb the wall to shortcut towards the exit.
Let's get through this…to get the book. For my assignment. Also a chance for prestige!
With each other's help, the two of them slowly walked through the maze on top of the wall. Holding onto their flashlights, they went forward and made sure to be careful to not fall down from the walls below them.
"We're almost there. Just be careful to not fall off from the ledges, Melvin."
"No problem, Waver. Just take it slow and we'll get there in time."
The path snaked around itself as they used the wall next to them to walk on top of the walls in safety. Using the ropes they had around them, they took their turns and rested in between to check their surroundings.
When flashlights were too dangerous to use, Waver grudgingly allowed them to use Sensory Enhancement magecraft so that they could see better in the dark. They inched closer and closer towards the exit, where the bookshelves lay.
We're almost there. Don't make too much noise, Melvin. Hopefully there's nothing at the end of the exit when we get there…
The exit was within their reach. They were almost there.
"Waver, something's wrong. Don't get too close."
"Huh?"
Melvin's sudden movements pushed Waver towards the wall, knocking down a few rocks. There was a strange rock-like figure at the end of the exit. Its shape resembled a golem, but its form was giant and large within the maze and cave system underground. Melvin took out his flashlight and shone it on the thing in front of them.
Its vast size looked enormous. Even from the distance on top of the walls, above the maze, they could clearly see that it was easily three to five times their size.
It resembled a minotaur yet was made out of rock.
"I-Is that a giant homunculus? That's what's guarding the bookshelves below?"
"Probably. There's always homunculi all over the school and Clock Tower anyway, so it wouldn't be so strange to use it to guard the books that need permissions as well."
"What?!"
"Waver, calm down. I'm sure there's a way to defeat them or to get past them."
Waver felt fearful and intimidated by the creature but tried to remain calm. After giving himself many deep breathes, they decided to rest nearby before planning their next course of action. The giant golem had begun to move around and was moving around the area in circles.
How are we going to defeat that? Do we can even have anything that can go against it? I should check what we have to use against it…
He checked their items, to see what he could use. Some of them were Melvin's miscellaneous items, with random uses for each one of them. Apart from the mana detector device, the rest didn't seem that useful. They had plenty of rope left over, due to Waver's handiness in recycling them as they constantly used them to get over the maze.
"How are we going to defeat that thing? Melvin, why didn't you bring anything useful?"
"What do you mean useful? You can test the items if you want against that golem!"
"That's not funny! Do you want me to die?"
"Fine, fine. Let's try to remember anything about its weakness. Rock-based golems are more old school magecraft, using rock as a body instead of a human. There should be something powering it, so a source of mana somewhere over its body. We just need to find it."
"And break it?"
Melvin smiled and nodded.
"Definitely. That's the only way to defeat it, Waver. Do you have any ideas?"
My wand. It can double my current magecraft using it. That's all we have right now. But I might not be strong enough to destroy it with my magecraft and mana alone. I would need help.
Waver thought about what to use against the golem. Its sheer size was intimidating enough, but they also had trouble seeing as is. They needed another source of light and find a way to distract the golem themselves.
I can try to test the distance and how far we are to go toe to toe against the golem with some rocks. Based on the sound from the walls and the maze around us, we can figure out how to control our space inside this place.
"Melvin, should one of us risk it and go down from the maze wall that we're on? Someone has to go to test things around this area. And the other person needs to make sure that the coast is clear and that there isn't any danger nearby."
Melvin didn't take long to respond.
"Then why don't you go?"
Me? A scrawny student who isn't good physically? I don't know if I can even outrun that giant golem down there! Why me?!
"…"
"Waver?"
Waver gritted his teeth in frustration. There really wasn't any choice in the matter at all.
But I can't trust Melvin to do what I say either! Gah! This really is rough. So I'll really have to go down there from the safety of the maze walls in the end. There is no other way.
"Alright! I will go! But not until I make sure the surroundings are safe and manageable first. Wait a moment, Melvin…"
After a moment of silence, Waver slowly threw rocks towards the maze with his wand. Testing its distance, he tried to see if the maze was reacting to any sort of noise or movements in the area. Each flick went towards different parts of the maze, testing the space around it.
"What are you doing?"
"Shush. I need to make sure that there's still no traps or anything down there. It's so dark in here that there could be something invisible hidden that we couldn't see inside the maze."
The wand continued projecting the rocks, testing each new angle. After a while, Waver waited to check if there was any reaction from the rocks. He took out his flashlight again, checking to see if the rocks went anywhere.
"Where did it go—"
He felt a slight sharp pain from a rock going past his cheek.
Did the rock bounced off of something? It just reflected back at me!
But they still couldn't see well enough and needed a better light source. But it looked like something was bouncing back off from the maze that Waver was shooting them from. Waver squinted his eyes to get a better look at their surroundings.
It was possible to trap the golem within the maze.
"But how do we crack the golem's rock-hard skin? Melvin, where is its power source?"
"I don't know. But the most common location is on its belly. So we can try making it fall somehow and crack it that way."
"Making it fall, huh? We still need something to trip it and it shouldn't break under the pressure…"
Waver looked through their items again, making sure they had enough rope or trap for his plans. But he still needed better equipment to see better in the darkness of the underground cavern they were under. After a while, he managed to find something sharp.
"Melvin, did you bring anything that can cause explosions? Or something impactful?"
Melvin shuffled through the bag and brought out a couple of round-shaped objects.
"You can try using these. They're reactive towards noise and sound though."
They look like bombs, but I hope it isn't something like that…
Waver sighed and took some of it to use for his plan. But he would need to rely on Melvin to give him the rope and set up the trap during the bait that the golem would fall for later. With a flick of his finger using the wand, he threw one of the bombs at the golem.
Crash. Crash. Stomp. Stomp.
The giant golem was now looking around and checking for intruders. It circled around the exit but wasn't looking inside the maze yet. Melvin gently pushed Waver as it started to spot them above the maze walls, resting on the ledges.
"Go, do it. I'll help you from above. Trust me for once, Waver."
"…"
"Are you scared?"
"Shut up! I'm not scared! We have to do this! We're so close to those books over there! I can't let a golem ruin our chance at getting it."
Melvin smiled and winked.
"Now that's more like it."
The plan began, with Waver making sure the maze area he was going to was safe. Taking a small mirror with him, he checked to make sure if it reflected off anything. The Bounded Fields around the maze were like an invisible wall, acting like a dead end to intruders.
If it weren't for them climbing the maze walls and using the shortcut, they could have been easily trapped within the maze. With his rope connected to Melvin from above, he could easily climb on top of the walls if he needed to in case of any danger nearby.
Now I just need to get the golem's attention. And lead it somewhere inside the maze.
With a deep breathe, he rushed towards the giant golem, preparing himself to meet the monster face to face.
Stomp. Stomp. Crush. Crush.
The giant golem's heavy footsteps were vibrating the ground as Waver slowly got closer towards it. Hiding himself behind the maze walls, he moved around a small rat distracting a cat looking for prey. Its sheer size still made him freeze up, feeling like he was a grasshopper to such a giant being.
Concentrate. I have got to do this. I have to trust Melvin on this. He won't get me killed I hope…
"Hey! It's me! I was the one who threw the bomb at you! Come get me!"
The golem immediately reacted to Waver's call, stomping towards him into the maze.
Uh oh. It really is coming for me, huh? And look at its thick rock-hard skin, how am I supposed to break that?! I really have to make sure it falls down and breaks the skin on impact!
Waver started to lead it into the maze, catching its attention. Melvin looked down below, preparing his end of the plan. He was writing some inscription into a rock, using his flashlight to see in the dark. Afterwards, he waited for Waver to get it into a certain position so that he could aim at the golem when it reached near their field of vision.
Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.
The golem tried to grab Waver with its fists, almost knocking him off balance from the wind impact. Using some rope, he made a short trap near another path inside the maze. With the short spikes that Melvin had given him, there was a chance that it could trip over and fall.
Please work! I don't want to get killed for this! Maybe Melvin should weaken it more…
"Melvin, did you bring anything that deals with frequencies? Maybe you can distract it with your Tun—"
"I didn't bring anything like that."
"What?!"
"It was too heavy to bring with me. Sorry about that."
So much for that. We can't take advantage of sound and noise to use against the golem…
"Useless! Useless! Fine, I'll try to figure out something…"
Waver had no choice but to make it fall himself. Using his field of vision, Waver tried to use his wand and aimed it at its eyes. But it was too tall for him to aim properly. And with himself inside the maze, everything was limited around his view.
I need it to smash into the Bounded Field nearby. That should be enough impact once I trip it with the spikes and the rope on me…
With the golem closing in on him, he used a temporarily Strength magecraft to enhance himself to be strong enough to pull on the rope. Everything had been enhanced to deal with the golem's own sheer size and strength against a small ant like him.
"Come on, come closer and try to reach me!"
Its long rocky arms almost grabbed Waver, but the rope was finally pulling in on its feet, leading it to fall straight into the maze. With Waver's proximity to the Bounded Field nearby, its impact was able to reflect back onto the golem.
Part of the belly had been ripped open, revealing a shiny gemstone inside it.
That's it! That's its weakness! Now I just need to hit it…
Waver pointed his wand at it, but there were rock debris all over him. The wind and debris all over the maze made it hard to see within the darkened maze, with only a few lights around the area. He felt himself winded and worn out, wanting to sleep.
But he can't. He just needed to hit the gemstone and then get the book.
He was almost there.
No. Don't pass out now. Keep your eyes open!
The golem was trying to get back up, rumbling the ground again. He only had one chance to break its gemstone. If only he had enough energy and mana left.
"Waver!"
Melvin jumped from the maze walls and ran into Waver and quickly held Waver's wand. The two of them put what was left of their mana supply and magecraft into it, to blast at the gemstone. With one final push, the wand's magecraft and mana overloaded, and shot a giant beam of energy into the golem.
Crack.
The gemstone inside the golem began to crack, sipping mana out of it. The golem was moving slower and slower before it dropped to the ground from the slow mana depletion from Waver and Melvin's combined magecraft.
"We did it! Good job, Waver! Now you just need to do is just to get the book!"
Melvin turned around to see Waver's wand slowly disintegrate into dust. They had overloaded the wand, and it broke from the impact and force from their magecraft and mana together. Maybe it wasn't meant to be used like that.
"My wand…"
It's gone. It's really gone. Yes, it wasn't that great of a Mystic Code but still…to break so easily…
Waver grieved for a moment before he got himself back up. But even his weapon ended up being useful throughout their book heist. So it had done its job and is now rested within this place.
But he had something else now.
Another companion. Or something of a friend.
Don't be so sentimental right now, Waver. Go get the book right now! Don't stay inside this maze forever!
He slowly stood up and shook his head at Melvin. The two of them quickly climbed over the maze walls to reach over towards the bookshelves in front of them. Using a guide from another book, Waver spotted the book with a strange gemstone engraved into it.
The Book of Amoretto.
He quickly grabbed the book from the shelves. There seemed to be no other security measures based on their movements, so they sat down and rested. With a sigh of relief, Waver took a quick look at the book.
So this is it. This is the book that I was looking for. We finally got it…ourselves.