Specialization is indeed the essence of success. Across the Library, many specialize in a particular branch of learning, some more sought after than others. Although many say that 'specialization' is for insects, the sheer vastness of the Library prevents one from knowing all that it has to tell.
-Cogitor Erglo, 2XH2, Gathering on the Federation for the Discussion of the Allocation of Scarce Knowledge.
"I have arrived with the bounty, L.S." Cypress said. "But who is this youngling? And who is Cypress-"
"Don't move!" Looker yelled. "International Police equipment, Adjustable Handcuffs!"
Looker threw the handcuffs, which slapped around Cypress's arms. Annoyed, the wanderer simply ripped them in two.
"Ridiculous! Do you actually believe that I haven't read a book on how to get out of those things? Also, I assume that this 'Cypress' that you speak of was a great evil-doer in your own land. Do not fear! You may call me Nolek, although I am known by many other names. Incanus to the Southerons, Amlath to the Serpent's Hand, Parmar to the Wilderfolk. Many places I do not dwell long enough to acquire a name!"
"Thankfully, we cleared that little issue right up." Hopper said, thankful that no Docents had been summoned. "We ought to get you three outfitted for the journey, and consult with the Rounderpede before we go off. Follow me..."
The shelves parted in front of Hopper, creating a narrow aperture from the lounge to a smaller, more private room. A great-oak table rested in the centre of a carpet made of parchment, boxed in by rectangular spruce walls.
Nolek set five chrome boxes upon the table, while the passage sealed behind the group. "You will need to get these synthsuits implemented into your musculature. If you happen to go through a world which has either a hostile environment, or alien physical laws."
"So," Anabel said. "What do these suits have installed? How do they work?"
"How do they work?" Nolek said. "I could tell you all the necessary steps to make one, and you still wouldn't understand. What they have installed in them...well, a portable Scranton Reality Anchor, neodye pistol, adjustable antiproton raygun, argon shifters, liquid recirculators, nutrient processors and absorbers, Serpent-grade basic protection spell, universal language decoder, memetic hazard SCRAMBLE-level prevention module, Way locator, relativistic quanta couplings, solanium-distilled bait, foe-finder, climate weave-"
Tess was getting a headache. "Okay, we get it. We'll read the manual later! What now?"
"This."
Nolek whipped out a black, conical device, and scanned Tess, Anabel, and Looker. All three felt a tingling sensation, nothing unpleasant, merely alarming.
"That just registered your exact physical characteristics," Nolek explained. "Now, the protoboxes will adapt to your liking. With a wide variety of beings of differing material bodies, such diversity in craft is necessary for my craft. Humanoid creatures are the most common being originating from the Mind of Elyon, but there are many strange, at least to you, creatures in the Library that have need of such suits. L.S and Agent Hopper here have already been scanned for the synthsuit network."
Anabel nodded, looking at the chrome box. "Is it ready?"
"No. Give it three hundred years, maybe..."
"What?!"
"Just joshing you! Actually, it would be about twelve-point-three trillions decades, give or take. Accounting for relativity, two hours."
Tess sighed in relief. "And what do we do in the meantime?"
L.S gestured toward a blank wall, which opened into a library room, full of shining glass mirrors and tall shelves. "What do you think, youngling? Read!"
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And Tess did read, for a little while, at least. Picking out a book bearing the title of Concrete Wizards and the Dialectical Metaphysical Relating to Them, Tess sat down on a comfortable armchair to read.
"...when one sees a strange, paint-covered hippie in a paved lot at night, do not be alarmed! They may indeed be one of the Concrete Wizards, casting spells of virtue on mixed rock. Old women will trip less, falls will be less fatal, witches will avoid the area. So, leave all that you see alone, lest you interfere with the necessary duties of the Concrete Wizards. But how does their magic function?"
Huh. Not the best, and although that short bit was enjoyable, she needed a book that she related more to. Was there anything on Pokémon?
A Docent materialized, holding out a book. Tess, albeit startled, grabbed the volume, causing the Docent to vanish. The book was titled The Legends of Arceus, a thick, antique volume, like a old lore scroll.
Opening it, Tess saw that it started with a dream sequence, Arceus was talking to...who? Ah, Rei Berlitz, of course! There was a conspiracy brewing in the north...
From the first chapter to the Fall of Logaria, Tess has finished the book. That couldn't have possibly been under two hours, right? That kind of book would take many days to read thoroughly, which Tess had done. But the cubes were still processing the data that Nolek had given them.
"Hey," Tess said. "How much time has passed?"
Hopper checked a holographic watch. "In this pocket area, about thirty minutes. Have you been experiencing the effects of reading a book? Time is different. The LEgends of Arceus in particular has that effect. It is a pure story, which makes it more absorbing. It is easy to get lost among the aisles, be careful not to lose your Willpower. Try another!"
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit..."
"Jake Rogers stood clutching the sweat-soaked stock of his six-shooter, wondering how a simple game of craps had gotten him into this mess..."
"It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking fourteen."
"This is my favorite book in the word, although I have never read it."
"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number six, Privet Drive, were sad to say that they were partially normal, thank you for nothing..."
When Tess had finished, only thirty minutes remained. She decided to put the books aside, and look into one of the mirrors.
A warning label was placed under one mirror, a quicksilver-stained oval within a setting of black onyx. Warning: All recollections are stored within the Shadow Market. Consult the Head Minder for exceptions. What you see may be misleading. Take what is visible with a grain of salt, there are things that even the Library does not know. Ask, and see what you will.
How tempting. What to look for...
"Show me any time in which Arceus protected me."
Immediately, a image of Anthien City appeared, under assault by the frigate of the Eclipse Alliance. Tess was running with Bronze, and a piece of debris was about to hit her in the head...
One of Arceus's servants, as bright as the rising sun in the deserts of Aredia, materialized. The heaven-forged blade of the elohim took physical form for a instant, deflecting the falling metal. The scene faded.
It worked! "Show me where Jake is!"
The scene changed, an ominous black mist covering the sheen of the glass. Jake was sitting on a chair of black stone, overlooking many lands. He was dirty and bloodied, but his spirit was strong regardless. Chains around his wrists bound him to his throne...
Tess called out for him, but a crown, a single iron crown, covered her vision. The eyes under the helm were searching, searching inside the Library, and then they perceived Tess and her question. The mirror swiftly dulled the image, before removing the vision altogether. The setting of the mirror was smoking.
"Everyone!" Tess yelled. "I saw Jake! He was chained to a throne, and there was a iron crown with eyes that saw me-"
"Hold!" Nolek commanded. "Youngling, do not trust the mirrors. Only the mirrors in the Quadrant of Foresight are wholly reliable, and these are only for the pleasure of viewing them. While you may think that you can separate fact from falsehood, such things lie with Elyon only. You will receive more information on the fate of your friend from the Rounderpede, but know that he is alive."
"The Rounderpede?" Anabel said. "What's that?"
"The Head Librarian, appointed by Elyon." Hopper said. "I will not go into the exact appearance, but it is probably not what you will expect..."
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"Done!"
The chrome cubes now were the shade of a evening sunset reflecting off of cast iron. Nolek arranged them in a circle, and pressed the top in. "This might sting a little."
A twisting, metallic insect crawled out of each of the cubes. Space shifted around it's infrared receptor, and Tess felt like the blood in her veins slowed, for just a instant. The air thickened, and the cubes vanished.
"You have been giving a nanite injection, aided by a thaumotological stabilization spell," Nolek said. "Those things are flowing in your blood. Don't worry. we have fallback systems, in case a twisted Mentat or Tanji-wielder tries to turn the nanites into hungry little bastards that will eat you from the inside out. Now, think about a suit covering you, a impenetrable barrier against all the harms that the multiverse has to offer.
Tess did so, and a translucent sheen crawled over her skin. It looked like a nearly invisible...spacesuit? No, it was too advanced to be called that. It had magical protection systems, high-grade weaponry, and so many other things.
"This suit has many functions," L.S said, showing the three wanderers her own synthsuit. "Too many to list in the limited time that we have. If you think about it, you will see a manual explaining these diverse utilities. It would normally be pre-installed, but this model of synthsuit must accommodate for a wide variety of exotic sensory systems. A menta-link is the most satisfactory way to control the suit."
"Sensory systems?" Looker asked. "Like what?"
Nolek shrugged. "What do you want me to say? A species that can only hear? A stone that pseudopods rub in order to interpret binary information? A jar of cyanide that can be smelled so that certain areas of a species' nervous system get aroused? We have things like that, although such creatures are rare. Of course, the books appear in whatever language that one knows, and can be read even if a being does not have any prior reading experience, aka, illiteracy. Some tomes that cater to more unusual sensory systems, but those are only found in certain parts of the Library."
Tess thought about a manual for the suit, and it was there, in her mind, but just as present and tangible as a physical book. Time to take a look...
"Welcome to your SynthsuitTM Interface! In short, your suit protects you from the many dangers of sporadic universal travelling. You will not need to eat, drink, absorb, propagate, or mutate while in this suit. The antiproton firearm may be adjusted for your comparative height and strength. Memetic anomalies will appear as blurred while the SCRAMBLE-unit is active. The Scranton Reality Anchor is more effective when used in tandem, SEE-Prometheus Labs debrief. Next: Neodye pistol, and the proper use of such..."
After Tess had familiarized herself with the controls, Nolek installed woven covers over her, Anabel's, and Looker's Poke Balls. "Auto-sythsuits for Pokémon. They won't last in extreme environments, but most perceptible worlds should harbour them just fine."
Nolek had the three wanderers go through several tests, ranging from showing them cognitohazard-inducing images, to firing their weaponry accurately and safely. Anabel's portable Scranton Reality Anchor was on the fritz, so Nolek explained it's function while repairing it with some exotic thaumaturgical screwdriver.
"The Scranton Reality Anchor is the brainchild of the Jailors, also known as the Secure Containment Procedures Foundation. It maintains the 'baseline' reality, or that of Elyon, in a limited area when this 'baseline' is violated. Reality is measured in 'humes.' Read What The Hell Is A Hume, by James Caldmann and Carlos Rzeweki for more information. High hume levels result in supernatural locations and the like, low hume levels result in reality-benders and warping anomalies. Of course, it is just arbitrary. The Scranton Reality Anchor helps you travel through such hazardous locales without too much risk."
After the device had been finished, L.S opened another passageway. "Time to find the Rounderpede. Don't worry, it won't harm you if you are with a member of the Serpent's Hand. Unless you're a Jailor, that is..."
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As the group of six walked through the hallowed stacks, Tess peppered L.S with more questions. The member of the Hand answered every one of them, knowing that there would always be more.
"What is the Serpent's Hand? I did tell you, but perhaps I was being a bit vague. We are not organized. We operate in universal cells, either of one or a few worlds. There are billions of us, because if you say that you are a member of the Serpent's Hand, you are a member of the Serpent's Hand. Our greatest enemies are the Jailors and Bookburners, and the Madmen, or the Chaos Insurgency, to a lesser extent. While neither of these widespread organizations are in directly servitude to the shadow, they violate the Will of Elyon in ways unnumbered."
"The Library is our base of operations. The Jailors cannot breach it, except with great difficulty. The Bookburners are the greater evil in our eyes. They call themselves the Global Occult Coalition, as the Jailors deem themselves the Foundation. We fight on a universe-by-universe basis, sometimes winning, sometimes failing utterly. In our mission to prevent the supernatural from becoming visible, we clash oftentimes with the Jailors, who wish to lock away wonder, and the Bookburners, who wish to utterly destroy it. There are many books on us that you should read."
"I wonder what these Jailors are like." Looker said. "How do they function? I will have to get a book, I suppose."
Hopper scowled. "I was once part of their dictatorial organization. But then, my anomalous ability to shift worlds was recognized, and I was locked away. L.S came for me in a raid on a Jailor stronghold. I have dwelt in the Library ever since, but I have a habit of disappearing through realities. It happens every week, or so. But enough about me. I can tell you, the Jailors are not evil, just cold, possibly cruel. Still, they cannot defeat the Hand, and the Hand will never defeat them. The resources of the Library are better suited to fight the Shadow, instead of relatively neutral actors like the Jailors and Bookburners. Sometimes, these two organizations actually do contain or destroy a servant of the Darkness."
"So," Tess recapped. "The Serpent's Hand is basically the non-evil Team Eclipse of Pokémon liberation, but now it's with the supernatural and anomalous. I bet you guys have a wide variety of views, since you aren't very organized. Like, are some of you guys the PETP of the supernatural, or are some of you just in the Hand for self-preservation? If the average Hand 'member' saw a reality-warping earthworm charging at them, would they sit back like a mystical hippie and just let it eat their face off in the name of nonviolence?"
L.S laughed. "Views do vary. Most of us are just rational beings from a variety of worlds and backgrounds, objecting to the tendency that the Jailors and the Bookburner shave to view something as a threat because it is supernatural, along with organizations and people like them. It is just a extension of Elyon's ethics, not a reverence or worship of the supernatural and anomalous. Most would fight said worm. Others would flee. But none, or only a absolute minority, would let the worm eat their face off."
"Is there any way that we can get a FAQ of sorts?" Anabel asked. "I bet the Library gets clueless visitors like us a lot, and sometimes without a guide. Do they hand out pamphlets, or something?"
"We do have a 'FAQ,'" Nolek said. "We just haven't given you one, since it is much more satisfying to merely tell you the answer to what you ask. Any more questions?"
"Yeah." Tess said. "What are the Library's defenses? How many Staff are there? How much power does the Shadow have? What if a Way opened into the vacuum of space or underwater? Who made the Library? Elyon? And why are you called the Serpent's Hand? You serve good, so aren't snakes evil? Does the layout of the Library change? Does this place have Wi-Fi? Are there any sculptures that would kill you if you looked at them? Once we get Jake, could I bring my friend Bronze? Can I access this place again now that I have a Library Card? How common are ways? How can you find one? How many universes are really dangerous? How old are you people, anyway? When are we going to reach this Rounderpede-"
"Haven't you?"
Tess looked up.
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In a multiverse of many diverse and strange species, such things like dragons and ogres were the norm. However, the Rouderpede was still a hardened adventurers bad nightmare.
A writing serpent of chitin and legs stretched down the shelves, the 'head' touching down on the polished floor. The limps looped over each other in a endless dance, while two piercingly white eyes stared into Tess's soul.
"Hello, youngling. Don't let the pincers fool you, I don't bite. Unless you're a servant of the Shadow! Ha! Ha! Wait, you aren't a Jailor, are you?"
The voice of the Rounderpede was like a million insects eating a billion sheets of paper, combined with a salvo of gunfire and the whirring of a chainsaw. Nolek calmly introduced Tess and the others, undeterred by the eldritch behemoth.
"This is the Rounderpede, the Head Librarian, appointed by Elyon. You may oft find it's many heads conversing with wanderers, pursuing the shelves with its seemingly infinite body. The Rounderpede will guide us to the Way that you must venture through in order to reach your friend."
"True, true!" The Rounderpede said. "It is good to see you again, Nolek. Before we go, sing that little ditty that Serpent likes so much. The one about Elyon, and the beginning of all things. My vocal receptors just delight in it!"
Nolek obliged.
The first man stood alone
on the barren field
and in the distance he saw
the locked gate beyond which
his greatest shame was kept.
He turned to the snake
who writhed on its belly
like a worm
cursed for its treachery.
'You tricked me,' the man said
'you led my wife and hand astray,
'and now we are damned for it.'
The snake sighed.
'I gave you that knowledge,' it said
'and with that knowledge
you made the choice you made.
I could not make it for you.'
The man cried out
'All the same, trusting you was
my greatest mistake.'
'No,' the snake said
'your greatest mistake was
believing you had a choice at all.'
"Of course." The Rounderpede said. "He never did, correct? The Garden is the Serpent's place."
"The Garden is the Serpent's place." Nolek chanted.
"Good stuff. But we dally, the Way is only a bit away, a stray shadow in a near-forgotten corner of a row of aisles, books packed as tightly as concrete. I would allow you all to ride me, however, we are close enough. Anyhow, I do not think that you three would think of it as a pleasant experience. And so!"
The Rounderpede slithered up to the heights of the shelves, guiding the six. Tess assumed that the creature was slowing its speed for their sake, since it supposedly stretched across much of the Library. For the umpteenth time, Tess pinched herself to see if she was dreaming. This wasn't a dream, so maybe it was a drug-induced hallucination? Or maybe a Psychic-type Pokémon was causing all this? Or...
After another season of journeying through endless lines of shelves, stopping at a coffee shop for a drink and food, talking with other patrons, asking questions, reading on the fly, the group and the Rounderpede reached a room about the size of a garage, nestled into a shelf-covered wall. A limit, a place without books filling it...
In the aperture was a small vessel, sleek and curved. "This is your vessel," Nolek said. "It will travel through...that particular Way."
Nolek pointed toward a shadow, in a secluded corner. The ship was facing the Way, but that caused yet another question to enter Tess's mind.
"Wait, why can't we just walk through the Way, after we Knock? Why do we need this...spacecraft?"
"It is not a straight journey, youngling!" The Rounderpede said. "I am the only one who knows the Knock for this one. Once you are through...you will be put into a region of a universal plane that appears as the vacuum of space. The ship has a predestined course to the Way in that region that will lead you to the world that your friend is. It will take ten-point-nine seconds for you to reach the other land. Little Sister and Hopper will guide you the rest of the journey."
"If there is a Way to every universe from the Library," Looker said. "Why can't we just use the most direct one to our target?"
"Because no one has found one yet in the Library."
"Oh."
L.S and Hopper entered the ship through a side door, strapping themselves in to one of the, as fate would have it, five seats.
"Why aren't you coming, Nolek?" Tess asked. "Do you have other things that you need to do?"
"Of course! I am always late for something. I will hear of your return from the Rounderpede, and guide you all back to the world that you came from once you reappear at this aisle. May Elyon be with you, safe tidings, g'day mates, and whatever you want to hear."
The Rounderpede obscured the target Way with it's ever-moving bulk, before moving away. The look on the insectoid face suggested that the Rounderpede has just done something very difficult, but very satisfying.
"All ready. Hit it!"