TRIGUN BETA: Series I
Episode 06: By the Books, part 2
.o.o.o.
Vash could here the noise getting louder and began to make his way back the way he came, but something burst through one of the shelves and cut off his escape rout.
It appeared to be some kind of monster, yet it was made of paper that was shaped in the form of a giant dragon.
Instinctively, the gunman drew his customized weapon and fired upon it, but the rounds simply passed through the soft outer hide of the creature. It stared him down fiercely. Vash gulped and stepped back, until he bumped into a book shelf.
"Uh oh." He remarked as he looked up at the advancing paper dragon. It lunged at him, but he ducked out of the way at the last minute and escaped it by moving deeper into the library.
.o.o.o.
Meryl looked up, in the distance, she heard a crashing sound. It didn't take long for the field agent to recognize the commotion as violence. "Vash!" She exclaimed.
.o.o.o.
Maggie sifted through the papers on her desk, listlessly going through the paperwork. Even for a quiet, reserved person like herself, such things eventually grew tiresome. She felt as if she wanted something more, something more exciting.
"So dull. . ." She complained as she worked on the papers and filed them again. She longed for an excuse to get out and see the world. Yet, in a way, she felt tied to family duties. Her family had tended to the library for generations.
Could she simply walk away from it all?
A few moments passed in silence till she heard the sounds of crashes going on in the depths of the library. "That guy?" She murmured.
She reached for her coat and slipped it on. She then began advancing towards the path that the stranger had taken. "What the heck is going on now?" She spoke softly.
"Hey!"
Maggie turned and spotted a short girl in white jacked and skirt with a matching cloak and black legging. "Who are you?" Maggie asked.
"My name is Meryl Stryfe and I work for Bernardeli Insurance." She replied. "Have you seen a man in a red coat with blond hair about. . . height." Meryl added after looked at the other girl and having too look up meet her gaze.
"Yes," She replied at length. "He went into the inner depths." She replied and pointed to the shadowy areas dominated by towing book shelves.
"We need to find him." Meryl announced.
The two began to go after Vash. Maggie stopped and looked at her. "By the way, I'm Maggie Mui."
Meryl smiled. "Good to meet you."
The two vanished into the inner depths, and after a time, and old man with a long white beard. He wore a long black cloak with the hood down a strange cap over his head. His old eyes looked around, through old spectacles.
Another figure appeared beside him. "Honored Grandfather, is Maggie here?" He asked. The young man wore a blue suit and had long black hair that was braded in the back.
"She is near, young one." The old man replied. "Come now, Samuel, we must find her soon."
Samuel nodded and the two of them began to search the area.
.o.o.o.
Vash ran frantically through the seemingly endless maze of shelves and walls. "What is this thing?" He exclaimed, rounding another corner.
He was thoroughly confused. He was being chased by a giant dragon creature made out of paper that could not be harmed by bullets. And on top of this, he was hopelessly lost and getting further and further into an area that he knew nothing off.
"I can't believe this is actually happening to me!" He cried out in frustration.
He had to keep up the pace- he could here the thing not too far behind him and he feared that it was only a matter of time before it caught up to him.
.o.o.o.
Maggie and Meryl made their way through the winding paths of the tall shelves.
"What caused that hole back their?" Meryl asked.
"I'm exactly sure, but I have few theories about it, and none of them are very comforting." She replied softly without looking over her shoulder back at the other girl behind her.
"What kind of theories?" Meryl asked apprehensively.
Maggie stopped and turned around to look at her. "There are more powerful things in this library beside books." She replied. "Ancient texts capable of forging dangerous creatures out of common place materials."
"How?" Meryl asked.
"The books build them, but with out a person who has relieved proper training in the arts can control them." She answered. "These people are paper masters- like me." Maggie finished.
"Paper Masters?" Meryl asked.
Maggie nodded. "Yes, the ability to manipulate forms through the power of the mind, and in our case- paper." She explained. "My family has been studying and mastering the art of Telekinesis with paper."
"So, if one of these is on the loose, than only you can stop it?" Meryl asked.
"Conventional weapons will be ineffective against him, the only was to stop is for a Paper Master to deactivate it." Maggie finished.
"But why are they loose in the first place?" Meryl asked.
"That's what I'm wondering about as well." Maggie answered with a sigh.
Meryl shook her head. "Our first concern should be finding Vash before on of them gets too him first."
Maggie nodded.
Then as scream cut through the area.
"Oh no!" Meryl exclaimed.
The two of them took off to find Vash before it was too late!
They rounded a corner in time to see a snake-like creature staring down at them. Before they could react, it lashed out of them and sent them flying into a bookshelf that collapsed onto them!
Clouds of dust shot up around them and filled the area with dust clouds.
Meryl crawled out of the rubble and looked towards where Maggie lay, not moving. She then looked up at the monster advancing on them. Maggie was pinned under the shelf and Meryl could do nothing to get her free. However, she was also unwilling to abandon her now found acquaintance. She began to feel trapped.
It looked down at them evilly and hissed. Then, the beast exploded and scraps off paper flew out in all directions and rained down around them.
Maggie began to stir and look up. Weakly, she squinted and spoke. "p-p-Paper m-Master?" She mumbled.
-End of Chapter 6-
.o.o.o.
Well, I tried to make this one a bit longer than the previous installments. Hopefully, this one had a bit more depth to it than the last.
I'd like to say thanks to everyone who's been kind enough to support me with their reviews. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.
Later,
-Seras B. North
