Meanwhile, elsewhere in the academy
Nfirea felt like he was free falling, but no air brushed past him on the way down. He half-wondered if he was floating, in the deep, dark abyss that the shadow beast had dragged him into. There was nothing as far as the eye could see, only an infinite void into which he fell.
Am I dead? Was everything I just experienced some pre-death hallucination? Am I still trapped in the graveyard of E-Rantel?
When he looked down at his arms, he could see he was still holding the emerald book and pen-wand. He could feel their texture, sense their weight against his body, sensations he imagined he wouldn't have if he was well and truly dead.
He was amazingly calm throughout all of this, if only because he heard what the monster said to him, when he made it clear as to his standing with the masters of the academy and what they commanded of all their servants. He realized then that's why he couldn't be dead either, because the beast acknowledged him, and said "I know".
Had he instead been transported to another place, or was he in the middle of being taken there? If so, this method was well beyond his comprehension. It was barely his first day, but already he felt like he was less surprised that a creature of that caliber existed for his teachers.
Which made it all the more shocking when he was unceremoniously dumped into the next area. He landed on his front with a meaty thump, knocking the wind out of him temporarily. He kept the emerald book and pen-wand close to his chest, which added onto his temporary pain.
Taking a cautionary look around, he saw this new place was properly lit up, so he had no need for a [Continual Light] or the lantern to show him around. It was an almost exact copy of the previous room he had been in, only there was no pedestal and the mirror looked decrepit and dusty, completely shattered.
Just to be sure though, he double checked the door beforehand, seeing that it was fully closed. Unlike the previous room with the shadow beast, there was a doorknob on the inside, so he could safely open and close it without fear of being trapped inside… again.
There was some extra furniture here too. Just a small, round table and two chairs, as well as a wash basin to clean himself up. There was a musty cot in one corner, but he chose not to get close to it, as he felt he wouldn't be staying long anyways.
He groaned, staggering back up to a standing position. "Uggh, couldn't I have been dropped off a little easier? It might have been nicer if I didn't feel like I just got sucker punched."
This was said primarily to himself, but a gust of warm air like a breath tickled his face, and then he heard what sounded like a sigh. Something bumped against the tip of his shoe, to which he saw the lantern he originally brought with him. He bent down to affix it to his belt, his hand brushing against the wand that Enri had given him.
I forgot I still had this with me. Enri told me it has spells on it, and it has the ability to extend itself into a staff. Except now I have the pen-wand, so what do I do with this extra wand?
Tucking the book under his arm, He took the wand he brought with him off his belt, staring at the piece of magical equipment with fondness. His thumb brushed the polished surface, appreciating the simplicity of it.
It was an ordinary wooden wand, looking quite primitive in comparison to the one he acquired in the room with the mirror and shadow beast. He imagined the pen-wand was vastly superior in capabilities, given it could quite literally power itself from spells written on paper, but the thought of giving up the wand Enri gifted him was unthinkable.
A lamp lit itself in his head, an idea coming to him when he thought about the pen-wand's power. He lifted it up to the same level as the wooden wand, feeling a familiar tingle of mana dancing across his palm. However, this was different than when his talent was activated to disable a restriction.
No, rather, this felt like when the wand activated and absorbed the spell right off the page. When he brought the two wands together, the tingling sensation became stronger, almost electrifying.
The tips touched one another, and the wooden wand glowed white-hot. He could sense the latent spell stored within it transferring over to the emerald pen-wand, but also something denser. The process only lasted seconds, and then the glow died down. Nfirea winced when he saw what happened, staring at the pile of ash that was in his left hand.
I didn't realize this new wand was so powerful. Well, it does belong to Hermetis, and all the magic he's displayed so far through the academy itself is way beyond anything I could feasibly do myself. I guess I'm not surprised that it was able to accomplish such a thing.
Turning it over, he noticed there was a new button on the item, right below the one that could change it between its original form and the one it was in now. He pressed it, a dull click filling his ears when he did so.
Both ends shot out, extending fully to become a staff, like the wooden wand once did. There was a point on the end that shot out away from him, where he could likely shoot out the spells stored inside its shining green length.
He gasped in wonder, holding it reverently with both hands and flipping it in his grip. "Incredible! This wand doesn't just have the ability to use spells stored in paper, but it can absorb attributes from other, potentially lesser wands? Just what the heck is this thing?"
Sadly, his solitude prevented him from receiving proper answers to his questions, just like before. He sighed, pressing the button to make it return to the desired length of a pen. He placed it in his pocket, and grabbed the book from under his arm to flick through the contents.
For a few minutes, he leaned against a wall, reading through as much as he could. In the peace and quiet he now had, he figured there would be no better opportunity to study its contents and not have to worry about something stalking him from the corner of his eye.
To think there's so much detail to each of these pages! Just notes and notes about what I think are alchemical recipes, higher tier spells, certain types of creatures, magical items, and more. I could sit here all day and peruse, but I still want to go and find the library.
Reading until his frustration at being unable to translate the text boiled over, he snapped the book shut, tucking it back under his arm. The pen-wand shifted as he moved, reminding him of its familiar weight.
Taking a deep breath, he marched to the door and slowly cracked it open, the groan of its exotic wood impossibly loud to his sensitive ears. There was just enough space he could peek out without fear of getting snatched by an unseen assailant, which eased his mind a bit after all his trouble.
He saw what appeared to be a living room, with a short table in front of a long, comfortable couch. There was a nightstand with a lamp sitting on it, lit up with a soft glow. It seemed rather homey, almost like his old living room was back at the Pharmacy in E-Rantel.
Staying there for a moment, he continued to observe until he was fully satisfied there was nothing lurking. Save for the one lamp, it was a bit darker than he was comfortable with, so he pulled out his own lantern and lit it with a puff of fire from the pen-wand.
Illuminating the walls, he saw they were brimming with an assortment of weaponry. The sheer amount staggered him, as he felt there was more metal than wood just because of the volume of the instruments of war.
"Axes, swords, halberds, daggers, maces, who would even need this amount of weaponry?" He asked himself, walking along the perimeter to admire some of the pieces that caught his eye. "There might be enough in here to arm the city guard back home, but some of these look less than ideal."
Sure enough, just as there were extravagant, flawless pieces of equipment, there was an equal amount of rusted and chipped weapons. Some were in such disrepair they looked ready to crumble to dust from a mere touch.
Which is exactly what happened when his hand brushed against a malformed, bent warhammer on the wall. As soon as his fingertips touched the head of it, cracks appeared in the body of it and imploded, sending out a wave of rust-fused dust into the air. Nfirea coughed, waving away the nasty particles before they could get into his lungs.
Seriously? Who leaves weapons like these just sitting here? The cabin itself looked out of the place in the forest, like it had just been made and sat there, but with how old some of these weapons are, I can't help but wonder just how old the academy is itself.
All around the room, this rust spread like wildfire, jumping from weapon to weapon and infusing itself to the pieces and completely disintegrating them. This had the added effect of spreading vastly more dust, continuing the cycle of destruction that went on around him.
Nfirea gagged, trying to turn away from the storm he inadvertently caused. He could feel it getting everywhere on him, scratching up his body and making him itch all over. He swore it felt like there were a million bugs crawling all over his body.
His vision was tinted red, and he could barely see until the rust began to settle towards the floor, covering it in a fine layer of the material. The young alchemist took the time to wipe his eyes with the inside of his shirt, trying to get as much of the rust out as soon as possible.
It was as he did this that he noticed the rust had completely destroyed everything present in the room, including the furniture. There were only mounds left to signify there was something that once existed. Strangely, only the walls weren't coated, save for a specific section that strongly resembled a door.
Nfirea got closer, peering warily at what appeared practically out of thin air, or rust rather. "What's this doing here? Were these weapons hiding it behind themselves, or did I release some sort of magic to make it happen?"
The telltale sign of mana crackling across his palms wasn't there, and he couldn't feel anything simmering in the air either. It was entirely likely the weapons had been placed over the door to help conceal it, and that he had been meant to uncover it of his own initiative.
He waved his hand over the door to check if there were any magical restrictions placed on it. His palms tingled slightly, indicating that there had been a restriction once but that it was nullified. He reached for the handle with confidence and turned it until he heard an audible click.
Before him was a dim hallway, lined with some shelves of sparse vials and books. He hesitated entering, but at least he could see a rectangle of light down a ways into the hallway. The other side would lead into a well-lit room, one that hopefully wouldn't throw any unwanted surprises his way.
Once he passed the threshold, however, his feet felt like they got heavier, the same feeling one might have if they were wading through water. He lifted up a foot, checking to make sure no actual liquid was attached to him. It was dry.
He proceeded as normal, walking down the hallway and seeing the shelves on the walls gradually fill up with more books and the light at the end becoming brighter, illuminating that end of the hallway. There was no door to impede him, so he could just stride on through.
The new area he found himself in was a massive, circular space that consisted of three levels. Spiraling staircases lead up to each level, but on the ground floor they sank into the foundation of the academy and seemed to spiral into a repeating loop of the place. Along every wall was lined rows upon rows of books, proving that he was finally within the library.
In the direct center of the room sat a great, stone sphere, carved and painted intricately to represent what he thought at first was the world itself. It was easily taller than he was, double his size. Arranged in half-circles around the miniature world were mahogany tables and chairs for the people to sit at.
An ornate chandelier hung directly overhead, illuminating everything brightly. Even in places where the light shouldn't logically reach, there were spots where the light bent to bypass any obstacles in its way. This made it so alcoves, which were situated at random intervals around the room, were well-lit for those who wished to sit in them.
Marble busts of various men and women were set-up too, their names written beneath in expert calligraphy in the same language he couldn't translate. He assumed they may have been the ones who compiled everything that existed within the academy, or contributing members to the knowledge Secretorum Hermetis promised him.
Nfirea couldn't help but to grin, joy and elation at having made it to his ultimate goal. Discovering so many different treasures, all on the same day no less, was a rush he never before experienced.
"I'm finally here! This was way too much trouble for me to find after only being here for one day," Nfirea said, going up to inspect some of the bookshelves. "I can't read any of these titles though, so how do I even know what to look for?"
"There's so many books stored within here that I can't imagine where to begin. If this is the library though, then that means there's a librarian, so I just need to try and find someone who fits that description."
It was then that when Nfirea turned his head to try and search for such a being, his gaze landed on a lone figure who stood amongst the bookshelves. It was a woman from the looks of it. Her back was turned to him, but she was clearly flicking through the pages of a book she was reading. He prepared to go up to the person, only to step back when she shifted and he tried to process what he was seeing when she faced him.
She appeared to be a young woman slightly older than him, with fiery-red hair and startling yellow eyes, rings orbiting around her pupils. Her face was soft and lean, the skin a deathly pale color. Her mouth was curved up in an amused smile the whole time.
The attire of the woman reminded him of the blank-faced servants, only it was white instead of black, that same strip of cloth was tied around her neck, inky black and trailing to her navel. The vest was absent, showing only a simple but rich button up that was tucked into the dress pants she wore.
There was a poise and elegance to the air of professionalism she held, indicating she was of a high rank among those who lurked in the academy, perhaps on par with the very masters who ran it.
What ruined the image of her, however, was that she was sliced into different layers that hovered over each other. The cuts were clean and precise, and done only at the major junctions of the body, like the brow line, the neck, the chest, the waist, and the knees.
Inside each layer, a pitch smoke billowed out, wafting aimlessly around the library. There were various eyes the same color as hers with feline slits situated in her body, darting around aimlessly. At times, it was hard to see them because of the way the smoke obscured things, but they were always there.
This same smoke hung over the library with a heavy, oppressive air, a slight whistling accompanying it. When Nfirea traced the path the smoke followed, it twisted and weaved in on itself, coalescing and dispersing all at the same time.
His eyes widened as he began to see colors that had no name, and witnessed looming shapes that rose and fell out of the infinite sea of black that sank to the floor. A whirlwind of noises and smells overstimulated him to such a degree that he felt like he was being forced out of his own body.
From a third-person point of view, he was slack-jawed in awe, witnessing himself ride a wave of reality-bending smoke, distorting into all manner of shapes and sizes. There were stars above him, a nebulous sky that exploded into an array of beautiful swirls and the same type of wavy patterns he saw carved into the walls of the academy.
It was then he realized that whatever the smoke was, it unveiled the hidden wonder that he instinctively detected but was unable to physically see. Truly, there was no comparison he could conjure up to make sense of it all.
Until the tap on his shoulder came, shocking him back to the present, Nfirea would've been content to just sit back and enjoy the sights before him. He doubted he would ever experience such a show again, but he resigned himself to the fact that he had a goal to reach.
The librarian tilted her head at him, her arms crossed in a patient but demanding manner. Her questions couldn't have been any clearer than if she outright asked him. Why are you here? Who are you?
Nfirea chuckled nervously, holding up both hands. The book was still tucked under his arm and he held the lantern. "S-sorry! I guess I got a bit lost in thought there. I saw what your smoke did, tearing away the illusions of this place. That-that is what happened, right? Anyways, I've been searching for this place for a while, needed to gather some material for my education. Could you help me, perhaps…?"
In lieu of a response, the woman tapped his forehead, a sort of bell ringing away in his mind. A flash of memories, both cherished and cruel, swarmed his consciousness, stealing his breath away as he was forced to relive everything he'd ever lived through in an instant.
He collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily with the weight of his trauma on his body. "What did you just do to me? That felt like mind magic, the way my memories all rushed like that. How-"
Scuttle. Scuttle. Scuttle.
All around the library, an explosion of activity occurred. Books fell off the shelves inexplicably, and various chairs and marble chairs flew from their places, transforming in mid-air.
Insectoid limbs grew out of the inorganic pieces, propelling them along as numerous eyes and needle-teeth erupted into existence. Portions of the books would split to create the mouths which housed those dangerous instruments, or the legs of chairs would unnaturally bend to become larger, more dangerous pincers. The marble busts split to reveal fleshy, steaming shells of chitin beneath.
They swarmed around his legs, blending in with the darkness the librarian exuded from her sliced body. He yelped as he felt a few of them begin to crawl up his legs, their sharp legs pricking him. Drool hung from between their teeth, lashing tongues dangling freely.
By the Four! They're all over me! Where did they come from and how did they move so fast! Get them off, get them off, get them off!
A sudden wave of nausea overtook him, the implications of their abilities slamming into him all at once. A part of him realized insects shouldn't be able to camouflage themselves as ordinary objects. Just what sort of creatures were his would-be teachers keeping?!
One of the insectoid mimics, as he would call them for the time being, crawled all the way up his shirt and up to his neck, sniffing him the whole way. It had originally taken the shape of a book, the cover split in half vertically to display many rows of teeth. A prehensile tongue licked his shirt, and the mouth opened wider in animalistic glee.
It was quickly shooed away by the librarian, using one of the trails of smoke as an impromptu fly swatter. It chittered in outrage, but ultimately relented and rejoined the horde of its brethren.
Climbing up the bookshelves, several of the insectoids burrowed between the books and began pushing out specific titles. They fell to the floor with a clatter, and then other mimics zoomed along to place the books on their back and brought them to the feet of the librarian.
In due time, a sizable pile was built up. Nearly a dozen books were stacked in a haphazard group. By the time all was said and done, that initial amount doubled, and the creatures relented in their pile building.
That was actually really impressive. They just calmed down at her command, all at the same time. I wonder how long it took to be able to train them to react like that.
There was an air of expectation in the room, Nfirea glancing around in worry at all the scurrying insects glaring up at him. One lifted a leg and pointedly jabbed it in the direction of the librarian. He had to think about it, but he eventually got what they were indicating.
He bowed his head. "Thank you, miss. I'm… not entirely sure how you did that, but you were able to help me get the books I needed. The only problem I have now is that I don't know how to read them. I'd need a translation cipher, and a lot of time to decode these."
Once again, the woman responded through actions instead of words. She reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out a pair of golden-framed glasses. Nfirea hesitated, his eyes flickering between her and the glasses, fully expecting the item to come alive and lunged at his face.
When nothing of them sort happened, he gingerly took them. "Thank you. I'm guessing this will help me to read these better. Would it be alright if I stayed here a while and took a look through all of them? This is a lot to have to take back, especially in a place as winding as this."
The librarian nodded, the smoke of her body flowing outwards with greater force. The entire pile was lifted with little effort, deposited onto a nearby table that could house all of them. The table-top groaned but otherwise held, to which Nfirea breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks again. I'll, uh, I'll just get to work on these. I'll let you know if I need anything else," he said awkwardly, not sure what else he could do to convey his thanks and avoid the wrath of the library's denizens.
Thankfully, he didn't have to do much more, as the mimics scattered and returned back to their original posts. Their eyes never left the former alchemist, even while he sat down at the table and pulled a book from the very top of his new pile.
He set down the emerald book, his lantern, and put the glasses on. At first, they looked too large for him, but he felt them magically resize themselves to perfectly fit the contours of his face.
How very convenient. Now let's see what we have to work with here. This first one is called "The Dragons of the Mountains". An exotic name to be sure. This one is called "Dwarf in the Flask", and the one right here is called "One-Hundred-and-One Ways to Master Alchemy". And then we have-
So it went on, until he had adequately found and learned the name of every last book they gave him. Some of the books seemed straightforward and easy to follow, the exact sort of texts he would expect to find an alchemist perusing through and studying.
"What kind of text is 'The Abyssal Watchers' or 'The Call of Cthulhu' ? These seem more like fiction than anything else. Actually, maybe that's what they are, and I was given these just to relax and enjoy a good read. I doubt it, given the nature of this place, but one could never know for certain."
He picked up The Call of Cthulhu first, thumbing the spine and enjoying the golden designs that were embroidered on the cover. They created a frame around a strange, tentacle faced monster with massive, bat-like wings and a humanoid body.
For whatever reason, this particular book stuck out to him, so he naturally felt he should give the book a try. Even if it ended up becoming just a piece of fiction, it might grant him some insight into his teachers. Clues as to where they came from or what their background was like could prove beneficial.
Flipping the first page open, the library around him darkened considerably, blotting out everything except himself and the book. When he looked down, he seemed to be sitting on nothing, the book resting in mid-air. None of his items were with him, nothing except himself, the open book, and a pitch-black sea that roiled beneath him.
The pages of the book turned rapidly on their own, settling on a new page he hadn't chosen. The scenery shifted on its axis, becoming a blur as colors exploded into existence and painted a new background around him. He became dizzy trying to keep up with the movement, but was able to ground himself once it all stopped moving.
Everything was bathed in a murky, dark blue light, a variety of fish and ominous shapes swimming about in this landscape. Right before him rose great towers of dark stone, carved into nonsensical, geometric shapes. There were squares of light he thought were windows, and in which he could see humanoid figures lurking, going about their days without a care in the world.
Circular in design, the entire area spanned as far as the eye could see, rising and falling in its height from the alien architecture which populated it. He got the vague impression it was a city of some kind, but given how the buildings were, he couldn't help but to wonder who exactly lived there.
Countless statues ringed around the place, resembling the creature that was drawn on the book's cover, and more flanked a path that led up to a terrifying monolith of incomparable size. It was far taller than any other building, designating its importance in his mind. Similar decorations of statues and intricate designs filled the city, creating an identity unlike any else.
Am I underwater? This must be a sunken city then, but it appears people are living here, or living beings made their home here at least. This place… There is no mention of it in any literature I've ever read, and I've never heard any stories from the people I knew. The world is a large place though, so there could be other places that knew something similar.
Once again, the scenario changed, but it brought him closer to the inside of the monolith.
Now, he stood before a gargantuan pair of double doors, ones that made city gates look diminutive. He was an ant relative to their size, unable to measure up to the craftsmanship and scale of such stone. No regular creature could push them open, or even attempt to move them.
Which is why it was such a shock when the doors opened on their own, an immense scraping emanating as several tons of rock slid apart, pouring out lime-green light from within. It took several seconds for the doors to slide open completely, but the whole while, Nfirea's anxiety rose to near unbearable levels, waiting to see what would be on the other side.
At first, nothing came out of the doors, save for the line-green light. It was actually rather peaceful to look at, a beautiful sight to contrast the dissimilar architecture of the city. But all it really did was serve was as a pre-show show to what would come next.
Out of that light came a creature so far removed from Nfirea's knowledge, his experiences, that it served to remind him how small he was to the world at large. He couldn't even focus on the entire creature, as some forgotten instinct warned him that to try and do so would invite madness. So instead, he hyper-focused on a portion of the face, to preserve his sanity.
There was a forest of tentacles squirming and tying themselves into knots. They were a slimy green, each one long enough that it could wrap around the monolith several times over. Suckers on the underside were lined with teeth, ready to tear whatever unfortunate victim caught within its grip to shreds.
The head was a bulbous, pulsating mass, beating along to the same rhythm as Nfirea's heart. Wrinkles covered the surface of its head, leading down to an aged face with glowing, yellow eyes. The pupils were a squarish, horizontal line, which narrowed when they locked onto the former pharmacist.
A sound akin to a building crumbling mixed with a beast's roar echoed out into the city, the mighty monster reaching out a clawed hand capable of crushing the city in one fell motion. Each talon was twice the size of an ogre, jagged at the points and razor-sharp.
Nfirea immediately reached for the book he opened and slammed it shut, the scenery melting away as a result. Just in time too, as the colossal hand was upon him and ready to crush him into pieces. It phased through him and collapsed into harmless mist that blew around.
Back in the library as he should be, he gingerly pushed the book away from, finally releasing the breath he realized he'd been holding. He hadn't been as scared as he thought he would be, more so fascinated by the book's properties and what it had unleashed.
The books must be enchanted with illusion magic to show their contents! Rather than having to read all of it, you can just sit down and watch it all! The literature is beyond anything I know of, but it's such a novel concept that I wonder if every book in this library is similar.
Emboldened by his musings, he set to reading through the other books he was brought, seeing what other secrets they may hold. To his disappointment, not all of them created the same effect as The Call of Cthulhu had, but he found their contents fascinating nonetheless.
Texts such as Dragons of the Mountains and The Dwarf in the Flask proved most beneficial, being straight texts of different alchemy methods that were developed from across the world. Some of it flew over his head, especially in regards to the more symbolic messages that came from "Eastern Alchemy" as it was called. He had no idea the fascination they had with refining "synthetic gold" or how it might lead to an eternal life.
Western alchemy was closer to what he understood, but there was still a fixation on transmutation and how different metal ores could be transformed into something else. Weren't there spells that could accomplish the same purpose, why would alchemy need to become so involved with such a process?
The more he read, the more he felt like what he was reading was an alternative method to the alchemy he practiced. In fact, this alchemy possessed a basis that wasn't necessarily rooted in magic at all, but rather the finite combination of certain chemicals to produce desired effects.
My would-be teachers told me that I would learn a greater understanding of alchemy by coming here. Is this what they meant? Am I learning a history of alchemy that existed long before magic as we know it existed? That has to be the only explanation to it, but if that's the case, then-
"Humans have been using magic for hundreds of years," he mused to himself. "In order for there to be an alchemy that doesn't use magic at all, that would mean this knowledge is hundreds of years older than any previously recorded usage of modern alchemy. This would have to have been passed down over the course of several generations."
An uneasy pit settled in Nfirea's stomach as he considered another possibility, but his thoughts were interrupted as he let out a tired yawn. He startled himself, not knowing just how exhausted he had become over the course of his miniature adventure. He felt a hand rest itself on his shoulder, prompting to check and see who it was that came to him.
The librarian stared at him with that same amused smile, smoke pouring out from her sliced-up from. It wrapped around Nfirea, caressing him and making his eyelids heavy.
"Oh, I'm sorry, was there something you wanted to tell me?" He asked, his words slowing and starting to slur. "I didn't mean to stay here for too long, but now I'm getting pretty tired… I think… I'll…"
He attempted to get up, but his limbs were lead, too heavy to move on his own. His sense of awareness and consciousness was slipping away, his vision blurring as tiredness took hold of him.
Vaguely, he could feel himself slipping out of his chair, about to fall. A pair of strong arms caught him instead, bringing him to chest level as he was held like a child. He could hear a pair of voices speaking to the librarian, but they merely buzzed in his ear, not meaning anything to him in his present state.
With all of his might, he opened one eye lazily to see the one who caught him, who walked at a brisk pace towards the entrance of the library. It was a woman, or at least she looked like a woman. Her skin was pale as snow, with hair like midnight streaked through with highlights of jade-green.
Hints of pink were at her shoulders, part of her outfit most likely, though he couldn't see much from the chest down. He was too fixated on the woman to bother looking. She must have sensed his curiosity, because she glanced down at him then.
Her eyes… there was nothing in them. He didn't mean that they were physically empty, but rather there was no emotion to them whatsoever. They were dull, completely lifeless. It was the same dead stare that a fish would give, devoid of all signs of life. They terrified Nfirea, the feeling tempered by his own drowsiness.
She reached up a hand to brush away the bangs in front of his face. She didn't smile, but she gave an aura of satisfaction when she was able to see the entirety of him. With a polite nod to someone behind her, the woman kept on her course.
What happened next, the young man didn't know, as he finally succumbed to his own exhaustion and fell into the darkness of his dreams.
Tabula's Private Office
An atmosphere of excitement filled the room, mainly coming from Tabula himself. He had out his latest iteration of the Emerald Book, furiously scribbling notes down as he watched Nfirea in the library.
He and his two other guildmates just watched as Rubedo and Citrinitas carried off Nfirea from the library, the Scion of Gibbeth waving goodbye before returning back to the scholarly duties he assigned her. It was novel to see the summon perform her job so diligently, utilizing her unique abilities to do what no ordinary librarian could.
"Cuttlefish, you beautiful genius. Your instincts were right on the mark to bring out the enchanted copy of The Call of Cthulhu. I never would've expected the flavor text to explode out like that, and to mesh so well with the Scion of Gibbeth's own abilities," he said, not looking away from the scrying mirror.
His fellow illithid giggled. "Now you're giving me too much credit. I had no idea that specific copy would get picked out for him, but I'm glad we got to see firsthand how different flavor texts can interact with each other like that. Makes me wonder just what other combinations there are that we could try out."
"How about we keep the training wheels on for a while longer before the two of you decide to go all in," Tempest Aizawa said, lightning crackling across her cosmonaut armor. "It's only the first day after all, or I suppose the second day now by this point. We don't need to go nuts trying out every flavor text combo just for something to explode in our face, either literally or figuratively."
A wise suggestion, given everything Tabula and his friends learned thus far by watching Nfirea. The giddy occult and horror enthusiast inside of him urged that they continue the testing, allowing Nfirea to continually explore the academy on his own and see what else his intellect and talent might be able to unearth about Yggdrasil mechanics in a realistic setting.
However, the more sage, cautious side of him also warned that to try and push Nfirea too far could result in the young man irreparably breaking, becoming a half-crazed, drooling mess. The fact he almost quite literally dropped from exhaustion and mental wear and tear was indicative they were approaching that limit rapidly.
It really is a shame we didn't find him before his incident in E-Rantel. If he were at a hundred percent of his mental faculties, I'd risk extra testing and allow him to continue on. Ah well, at least the NPCs will be taking him back to his room to recover.
For the time being, he was content with what he acquired thus far. The summons in particular were showing exceptional promise in the new environment. His Scion of Gibbeth were already jotted down for more expansive roles in the future, once the "education" with Nfirea concluded.
"What do you think your librarian showed the whelp? It couldn't have been anything too heinous, since he actually seemed… almost happy when he saw the smoke," Aizawa asked.
Tabula shrugged. "Can't say for sure, but I did instruct her to show him 'whatever he needed to center himself'. I'm just glad she didn't take the phrasing too literally, 'cause then I'm afraid the guy wouldn't stop screaming if he caught a glimpse of her true form."
"She's got some sort of crystal shard as her heart, right?" Cuttlefish asked, stroking one of her tentacles in thought. "I think I saw it from my viewpoint in the mirror. Looked a pale purple."
The brain-eater clasped his notebook closed. "That would be it. That I'm especially thankful Nfirea didn't have to see, 'cause he really would've dove off the deep end. The smoke messed with his senses enough that he never even noticed it, but since we're in a separate room watching it all from the scrying mirror, it can't exactly be hidden from us."
"Not exactly like it would hurt us anyways. Our mental resiliencies are too high. It was a pretty color though, and would fit my aesthetic perfectly if I didn't know ripping it out would kill the poor thing."
All three hummed in agreement. To tear out the core of a Scion of Gibbeth was equivalent to tearing out its very soul. Their entire species were designated as "cursed stars", so really, that one crystal was the total sum of their being. Their true forms were far uglier than the projection the Scion chose to take up, and even then, sometimes aspects of that true form would bleed through.
Unlike the Dreamling of Azathoth, Scions of Gibbeth were a measly level fifty, but their application as illusionary strategists and high mental manipulation made them deadly opponents on the battlefield. Their primordial essence, the black smoke, did well in obscuring other players' vision, provided they didn't have a spell or item or ability which negated such trivial issues.
"Oh, by the way Tabula, I just got a message from those mad scientists you have in the lab. They're done and ready to go on your mark. Did you want me to tell them to just wait, or…?" The air elemental trailed off, waiting to see what her friend would say.
"Hmmm? Tell them to remain on standby for now. They can entertain themselves in the meantime, at least until I give them the call," Tabula waved off, too invested in his own thoughts to really care.
Nfirea shows a remarkable aptitude to use his talent to sniff out potential clues and traps. It's a shame it doesn't seem to work on living beings like the mimics, but then again, it appears primarily to be restriction-nullifying so that he can use certain magical items. Ah well, you can't win them all I suppose.
His very first iteration of the Emerald Book and Stylus were proof enough of that. There was no use for the dusty items in his loadout anymore, since he made far superior versions long ago. As a sort of hidden reward for doing so excellently in the tests he and the others set up for Nfirea, Tabula elected to allow the boy to keep it as a momento.
As time passed, the young human would get to acquire more magical artifacts from the brain-eater's ancient loadouts. There was quite a bit of equipment collecting dust just because he couldn't be bothered to throw it away once he got his Divine Tier items.
What next would he gift him though? He didn't think an outright weapon would fit, since Nfirea was too scrawny at the moment to wield those effectively. Maybe with time and training from Tempest Aizawa that might change, but it was too early.
For that same reason, armor was out of the question too. Robes or even just nicer clothes would suffice. He'd be sure to send some shoggoths to stock up his "apprentice's" wardrobe in the future. Not anything too peculiar or far removed from this world's fashion, but definitely better made. He wouldn't let someone be caught dead in such shoddy attire.
I think for now, just an outfit change and my old Emerald Tablet and stylus will be fine. If he earns more equipment from his studies, I can easily find more gifts to grant him. If not, then he should be content with what he's already got.
Nfirea snapped awake, breathing heavily. His body weighed down into the bed like a sack of bricks, but at least this time he could move around. He brought his hands up to his face, flexing his fingers and watching the muscles move to make the motion happen. His breath steadied, a sense of calmness overtaking him.
Gradually, his sense of awareness returned to him. He found he was back in his original room, laying down in bed and under sweat-drenched sheets. Everything felt hot, and when he checked under the covers, he saw he was still in his outfit. His mind felt hazy and his throat parched. A shame he didn't have a glass of water to drink and splash in his face.
I was just in the library, wasn't I? I had been at one of the tables, reading through the new material that the librarian gave me. There was some… truly amazing material to sift through, but that's the last thing I remember. Did I-Did I pass out from exhaustion? Seriously?
Despite sleeping, he didn't feel refreshed or revitalized at all. For once, he couldn't recall any dreams either, which he took as a good sign that his usual nightmares hadn't plagued him. It was the sort of restless, dreamless sleep that comes from absolute exhaustion, both mental and physical.
Shame bloomed in his chest, his fingers tightening on the hem of his blanket, a fine silk worth more than an entire house. Every step he took forward, he stumbled back two. This was the most progress he made in weeks, but even now, the weakness inside him was too overbearing. When would he get better? How could he? Why-
"Heya! Do you feel thirsty? Did you sleep well on the way over, Prince Beauty? I hope you didn't get jostled around too much, but then again, Rubedo can be rough at times, even with that machine precision Dad gave her."
Nfirea startled at the new voice essentially in his ear, sliding over to the opposite side of the bed to make room for the newcomer. What greeted him was a peculiar sight, but it was easily the most tame so far out of the entirety of the academy.
The one who spoke was another woman, thankfully whole and not sliced into layers. She was surprisingly human, a healthy tan with spiked, brown hair and bright eyes. Her smile ruined the illusion, though, for they were sharper than a troll's canines.
Her attire consisted of an odd, white jacket with many buckles dangling loosely from the chest and arms. If they were strapped up as they should be, he got the impression both arms would forcibly cross her chest and render them immovable.
The pants were baggy and bright-orange, almost an eye-sore. Her feet were bare but clean, though he wondered if she had to deal with splinters and sharp rocks often. Overall, her build seemed lean and predatory, bursting with an excitable energy that could see her close the distance in a wide-open room and pounce on her prey.
Right behind her was a familiar person, whom Nfirea recognized from the foggy memory of a woman picking him up and carrying him out of the library. He could study her in full, and he raised an eyebrow at what she was wearing herself, nearly finding it nonsensical.
Light-pink pauldrons covered her shoulders and led down to sharp plated gauntlets, with spiked finger-tips. Red bands criss-crossed her chest and secured at the waist to hold down the armor. This left her chest wide open, revealing a skin-tight, purple suit.
Long socks that reached up to her mid-thighs were in place of pants, but the boots she wore matched the scheme of her upper armor. All of it came together in a clashing design that implemented devastating protection with near-naked freedom of underwear.
What the hell…?
"Hello, world to apprentice? You're not dying on me are you? Do I need to administer some healing magic on you?" The woman asked, her smile fading a bit. Nfirea noticed the glass of water she was holding in her hand, and he gently beckoned to it.
She acquiesced, to which he greedily gulped down the drink. Some of the water went down his trachea from his haste, causing him to cough violently. She patted him on the back, not saying anything but offering that same, toothy grin.
"S-sorry, I didn't mean to freeze up like that. You just caught me off guard," Nfirea said, trying to smile in return. "Were you guys the ones who brought me back to my room? If so, thank you for the assistance."
"Yep! That would be us. Pretty impressive by the way, going through the whole academy like that. I don't think any other human would've been able to make it like you did, not without getting eaten and maimed, or without the protection of our dad."
"Your dad? What does your dad have to do with this?"
"Our father is Hermetis," The pale, dead-eyed woman said, her voice quietly monotone. "This is his academy. You are his student. Logically, you would not fall to harm."
Nfirea's face flushed with embarrassment. "Oh. When you put it like that, that makes a lot more sense. You're both his daughters? But you don't look- er, that is to say, you don't have any sort of… resemblance?"
The spiky haired woman barked a laugh. "Yeah, but that's mostly by Dad's design. He wanted me and my sisters to have each a distinct look and 'feel' to them, ya know? I doubt he would have appreciated it if we all ended up looking and acting the same now, would he?"
Their father's design? She makes it sound like she and her sister weren't born, but rather built. That's impossible though, I can't think of anyone who can just make an artificial being like that, with magic or otherwise.
Given where he was though, Nfirea knew deep down that every conception of the world he ever made had to be thrown out the window. He was in uncharted territory, dealing with people and creatures and magic that blew the scope of his knowledge apart like tinder paper. It didn't matter what he thought was "impossible" here, since a vast majority of it was already proven the opposite.
So far, all he'd done was flounder and stumble his way into success. Maybe his teacher's daughters were correct in that he never would've made it to the library on his own, not without outside interference. That dimmed his triumph a bit, but he supposed there could've been worse fates for him in store.
Actually, now that two of the daughters of Hermetis were here, maybe he had the chance to clear some things up, and better understand the mindscape that was the academy.
"I just realized, I don't think I caught your names. I don't want to appear rude, not when you've been so gracious to me already," he started politely. He slid back to the women, closing the gap and becoming more amicable.
The woman bared her teeth in another wide grin. "Look at that, he has good manners too! You did a really stellar job helping Dad pick out his new apprentice, sis. I'm Citrinitas, the middle child of four sisters."
"My designation is Rubedo," the other woman said, "I am the youngest of my siblings. Father did not need my aid. He would have chosen Nfirea without input."
"Uh huh. Anyways, congratulations to you Nfirea! I'd say you did well for your first day, and you haven't started your education yet. Do you feel proud of yourself yet? Or maybe you're still confused about everything that happened to you? My sister and I were told to try and help you out if you needed it."
Help me out, after I just finished what I wanted to accomplish too. It's so ironic I'd laugh if I didn't feel relieved to be sitting here. All those monsters, all that magic, I don't-
His head snapped back like he'd been punched, the force of common sense smacking into him. Of course they could help him! Their father was the master of the academy, right? That meant they'd likely have inside knowledge of how the place worked, so they could answer his questions after the fact.
"Nothing in this place is as straightforward as it seems," he began," Especially not the path towards just the library. Was I led there, or is this place really just that much of a maze?"
"Powerful magic was used to make this place. It responds to the will of the traveler. Those who made it are free of its design. You are not free," Rubedo responded ominously, more than she probably should've, which her sister picked up on.
Citrinitas waved her hands as if to push aside the dreadful tone. "Now it's my turn to say sorry, 'cause my sister tends to get a bit blunt like that. What she means is that the magic used to create the academy activates most directly to the ones who made it, so only my dad, his friends, and their servants get the most straightforward paths. Anyone else is sort of… guided along to their destination."
Nfirea nodded in understanding. "Okay, that makes sense I guess. And what about the room with the mirror? The emerald book and stylus I found?"
"That was part of a test Dad and the others set up for you beforehand. They wanted to see your aptitude for magic and how crafty you could be. It's not exactly alchemy, but alchemy requires a specialized intellect and ability to spot minute differences in your tasks and what you've been given, don't you think?"
"I-I suppose, sure. If that was a test, then what about that room with all the weapons I got deposited into, the one that also had rust covered pieces of equipment?"
This time, Rubedo answered for her sister. "That was a special Dissolution of Illusion powder. It activates via touch, and immediately spreads to the surrounding vicinity. It can dispel even higher level illusions. However, it is very expensive, and used sparingly."
"Oh, I didn't mean to use it!" Nfirea quickly said, "I just wasn't expecting to be dumped where I was, and when I got to that room and didn't see a door, I didn't know what the think, I thought I might've been trapped, or-"
"The use of the powder was deemed acceptable. Father and the others wished to know the extent of your talent's abilities. Their desire was to confirm if it could detect if restrictions previously existed on an object. Can you confirm this?"
"Yes, I was able to find that out. I've learned over the years I can use it to find out about an object's current state. Like with the door, my talent would let me know if, once upon a time, there was a restriction or not. Granted, it's not something I really get to practice with, but the few times I have, it was one of the first things I noticed."
The two sisters looked to each other with satisfaction, or Citrinitas did at least. The young man noticed that Rubedo held up two fingers close to her left ear in a strange gesture. Did she have a headache? He hoped he hadn't talked their ear off by accident and now they were only acting polite out of necessity.
Last thing I'd want to do is somehow offend them. If their dad really is Hermetis, then they probably grew up with way different customs and traditions under his tutelage. Well, actually, they mentioned they were "designed", so does "growing up" really apply to them? I won't know until I get to know their pasts better.
For a few more minutes, their conversation winded down to pleasantries mostly, Citrinitas carrying the majority of their talk while Rubedo sat reservedly. That didn't stop the pink armored woman from boring a hole into Nfirea with her dead stare, however.
Eventually, Citrinitas stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "Welp, I think we've learned everything we needed to know. We'll get out of your hair and let you rest. One of the shoggoths will come by later and give you an idea of when your first classes start. You won't see us for a little while until then."
She gestured towards the pale woman, who got up without a sound from her own chair. Before they could depart the room fully, Rubedo took one last glance at him over her shoulder.
"Memorize this well, Nfirea," she said in a tone cold as ice. "Perform excellently, and you will gain much. Father has much faith in your abilities, as do our other masters. Do not fail them. Do not betray their generosity. There are grand stakes riding on you. Failure will not be tolerated."
Having said her peace, she turned away and left. Citrinitas gave him a sheepish smile and closed the door with a click, leaving Nfirea alone in the room with his thoughts.
For the longest time, the only thing he could think about was that great nebula of stars, and of the beast that lived under the sea, in a great tomb-city of stone, forgotten by time, but not forgotten by his disciples.