I woke up to find myself staring at a red ceiling….this wasn't my floor. I looked to my left and saw gebura. Holding onto me wearing red pajamas with her hair down. I tried to loosen her grip on me. But she wouldn't let go…i sighed. And just let her use me as her teddy bear…i wasn't going to get up anytime soon…
5 hours later.
"Your really late today jon." roland sighed.
"Apologies. I had to wait for gebura to wake up. Wouldn't let me go otherwise…so who's our next guests?" i asked. The screen came on. And our next guests were more god damn robots. The gaze office. Dalloc. I'm guessing a girl. Really hard to tell considering her head was mash of cameras and tiny screens. I only know because of her voice. Another. A guy named alloc dressed in an outfit straight from an old detective cartoon like wyld hare. Albeit with a robot head. And finally bono. A robot taking a book from doctor octopus from those spider man comics. But with the addition of his head also being replaced with metal like his two buddies. Apparently they're trying to figure out the singularity of the warp trains. A job given to them by cane office. Two million was the offer. Makes sense. Pretty close guarded secret. Though bono is a bit nervous. Because of r corp has w corps back meaning if they slip up and get caught. One of r corps teams will be after them. And as someone who had to deal with r corps clone teams alot…for them that would be a death sentence. They soon found the invitation in the device they were using to track the singularity.
"There are really people trying to investigate singularities?" angela asked.
"Duh, of course. It can bring tremendous amounts of money." roland replied.
"High reward…yet high risk. The corps aren't lenient with those trying to sniff around trying to find their secrets. And as the doctor octopus knock off said. R corp and w corp are working together. Therefore if gaze office gets sniffed out by w corp. One of r corps team will no doubt go after them. And as someone who's had to deal with R corp soldiers constantly. Doesn't matter which team goes after them. It'll be just a different death. Becoming swiss cheese from gunfire. Getting smashed into a bloody pancake. Or getting disintegrated. It's essentially just a roulette on how you die." i said.
"R corp also did work for l corp when we were there. If we needed help with suppression. We could call in a rabbit team." angela said.
"Something i didn't use at all. Survival of those under me was my main goal through all of it. And the rabbit team…they would have been a detriment to that. You call them in. and they gun down anything living in that room. Including employees. The rabbit team was a service I never used." I said.
"Heh. you really live up to your fixer title. Don't you jon?" angelica asked sarcastically.
"I'm sure l corp put a lot of effort into keeping its singularity's secrets too. The eco friendly energy company. Founded after the smoke war! We were freed from that suffocating smoke thanks to your corp." roland said.
"Yeah. and how we got that energy was from creatures born from the minds of people. The abnormalities. That's the singularity that l corp wanted to keep from the public. It's also why working in any of their facilities had such a high fatality rate. One wrong step or any other arbitrary reason for abnormality to get upset. It would kill the person working with it. And then break out possible killing more. Like i said. High fatality rate. Just ask anyone here. And that includes catt taii and rose. Hell rose was on her way to die at the hands of the staining rose abnormality. If not for that. She would have been dead." i said.
"I assume your the reason she's not?" angelica asked. I nodded.
"Yeah. i summoned her taii and catt just as she entered the chamber." i said.
"What about this staining rose? Since you stopped rose from working on it. Doesn't that mean you sacrificed everyone else in that facility just for those three?" roland asked.
"After my chat with the three girls. I went back and destroyed the staining rose. Of course they can't get energy from it now. But energy production was always second to the lives of the people who didn't know what they were getting into when they signed up for this gig." i said. And so we greeted our guests.
"How did you get your hands on the book of molar office? They were supposed to be in the warp train for only a few seconds." alloc said. I looked at angela. She nodded, signifying it's okay to tell.
"Something went wrong with the warp train…instead they were stuck there for hours. We send them the invitation. Which they signed considering it was better to roll the dice with the library then be stuck on that damn train." i said.
"I see. So the singularity can malfunction…thank you for this info." alloc said.
"There's plenty to learn in the library. Secrets worth just as much as w corps singularity. If your interested and ready to put your life on the line for that big ass paycheck. Step on through. Win and you get the juicy info. Lose and your books for the library. Everything you know on pages. If your willing to take the risk. Step inside. May you find your book in this place." i said. Gebura took this one. And despite not having mimicry. Instead having the standard issue black sword for the librarians of this place. Though hers was different as it was much bigger than the swords everyone else got. Fitting for the former red mist. She easily smashed gaze office like I expected.
The next reception…almost made me lose my lunch. As we came back to the two lovers, Tommy and merry. Still stuck on that damn train. They were approached by a nurse and doctor. Elena and jae-heon. A nurse and doctor…but I could feel it in my gut…those two were distortions. Though for some reason. None of them were hungry or thirsty. Despite being on a train for days with no food or water. Though 15 days in…things started to get bad. As people was starting to lose their damn minds. One guy slit his own throat. But still couldn't die as a bit of flesh barely held his head on. And it only got worse and worse with people beginning tearing each other apart or self harming. The train was now a god damn civil war between the sane and insane. And with no other hope. Tommy and merry agree to some operation…and it took me every bit of strength to not vomit at the abomination they were made into. To make matters worse. Any bit of sanity they had left even as that…thing was gone. Courtesy of being stuck on that damn train for 724,284 days. I'm not sure how many years that is. But it's no doubt centuries. Any sanity of the people on their was now lost as the train became "Love town." not seeing any of the love. I'm seeing a lot of blood and guts covered walls though. Elena soon gave tomerry the invitation. Which meant we had to face that thing.
"Do you…need a bag?" angelica asked. Noticing how green my face was.
"No…i managed to hold it together…that was horrifying." i said.
"So…gonna find a way to separate them?" roland asked.
"I'm not sure if i can…but i'm sure as hell gonna try. Those two poor kids. Just a couple wanting to take a warp train…only for it to become centuries of madness on a train stuck in god knows where. And the only way to survive is to become an abomination that would even horrify abnormalities. They didn't deserve this…nobody on that train deserve that." I said.
"Umm quick question. How are things going on out there?" angelica asked. Clearly worried if we've been in the library for centuries. Angela came back after vomiting. Not that i blame her. It took every bit of strength for me to not do the same.
"N-no need to worry. Less than an hour has passed for us. Considering we watched snippets of the process." angela said.
"What about the outside world though?" roland asked.
"It would be the same…well. Time to greet this guest…but first i need to get a soda or something to wash out the taste of bile out of my mouth." angela said. We greeted our guest. And god it's even more gross up close.
"Mommy told me to come get these things called…books?" tomerry asked. Oh god the fact that this creature had the mind of a child added a fucked up cherry to this cake of horror.
"Do you remember tommy and merry?" I decided to ask.
"Tommy? Merry? Who's that?" tomerry asked…it doesn't even remember who it used to be. This just gets worse and worse.
"Your misery will soon end…may you find your book in this place." i said. This one i took…i just wanted to put this thing down as soon as possible. Which I did. It put up a fight though. It fought as hard as the horror it generated. After the battle. I immediately grabbed the book and focused with all my being…praying that these two innocent lovers can get the lives they lost because of the eternity trapped on that train stolen from them…and I succeeded. In my hands was two separate books…the book of tommy and the book of merry. With a sigh of relief. I revived them both.
"W-where are we!?" tommy yelled.
"Easy there…you're both safe…this is the library. I need to ask. How much do you remember by the end of it?" i asked.
"I remember being put under for elena's and jae-heons operation…but i don't remember anything after that." merry said.
"Good…believe me when i say this…you don't…want to remember." I said. I was envious of these two. They don't have to remember the horror…but even if we never talk about love town again…the horror of it will stay with me for the rest of my days. After that. I led the two to the leyline fountain I opened on my floor. And with it. I led them to the part of the city they were trying to get to. Finally able to get to their date. After that I warped back to the library.
I hoped the next reception wouldn't involve an abomination. But this one was still a kick in the balls. Considering we see where Philip went too after he made a run for it. Another fixer office it seemed. A couple of…little maid girls with big spears?...whatever. They brought him food. But he didn't want to eat. He's definitely beating himself up over what happened to salvador and yuna. The two maids were being pretty harsh alongside oscar. The guy who was the head of the office most likely. Wielding a similar spear. He was dressed similar to a certain eldritch horror hunter from a tough as nails game i played a while ago. Wedge office and dawn office were close. Oscar and salvador knew each other. The reason they weren't there with dawn office was due to dealing with the "eight o clock circus." my guess another fucking distortion. Apparently pamela and pameli the two maid girls were nearly killed. The damage was so bad that the only hope for survival was essentially to get new bodies. Fixer insurance is wild. As long your head's intact. You can have a whole new body and get back to work. Even if you're not a fan of the new body. As pameli currently is. At least philips skill with korean tea hasn't changed…i still ain't drinking it. Call me picky. But a tea with egg yolk just sounds fucking disgusting in my eyes. Oscar asked about the library. About how the associations and the fingers are clueless about it. Of course philip wants only to get the books of his colleagues back. Oscar gave philip a lecture. About how the city is filled with cruel and greedy people. Not saying anything i don't know already. But thinking that your fighting for others. For some higher cause is nothing but pure selfishness.
"That philip guy is hurting but i agree with oscar there. Few things are as dangerous and nasty as selfishness in the guise of for the sake of someone else." Roland said.
"The determination to work for the sake of others can be dreadful and loathsome weapon…but it's one I wielded for years…and I've mastered it…I don't care who thinks i'm selfish…maybe they're right…but i couldn't less what some old asshole cosplaying bloodborne thinks of me." I said.
"Huh so that's how you really feel?" angelica asked.
"Nice to see you being open with us man." roland said.
"How about some champagne?" angela asked.
"Maybe when we're done with this." i said. And as usual. We greet the guests with the usual greetings.i blocked the spears with my light swords. "Save the aggression for the reception maid lolis." I said. The two were annoyed.
"So you're the white messiah? Why are you working with her for this bloody game of hers. I thought a man like you hated this kind of meaningless violence." oscar said.
"It involves a science experiment that has haunted me for years and i just want finished so it will stop haunting me…let's leave it at that. One of you has been here before so you know the drill. May you find your book in this place." I said. I took this one. Which turned out to be a good decision after killing and booking oscar and his two loli maids. Philip was once again alone and wounded. As i went for the killing blow. Something that I wasn't expecting happened. Philip's arm was soon covered in armor that also gave him an angel like wing with a new long sword. All of it looked like it was made of stone. All leaking an orange lava like substance. Giving him fire power. It was an E.G.O. albeit an incomplete one. That didn't make it any easier. After all that sword was now a permanent thousand degrees knife. Which meant we had to be careful. One slash of that fire sword could mean being in two. It took a lot of dodging and sword swinging. We defeated philip and i made sure he couldn't run for it this time as i pierced my blade through his heart. Finally booking him.
And soon i revived both the wedge office and the dawn office. And made the same offer. But i also added something for philip…training on how to fully manifest his e.g.o. It was powerful but it was incomplete. No doubt he could be a powerful fixer if he could activate his new power. So they agreed. Having two powerful fixer offices with us is cool…but god i hate that korean tea they seemed to adore. Blegh.
The next reception was against the musicians of bremen. A syndicate of psychos wearing animal masks like hotline miami. Hell have the same colors too. I say their psychos due to the fact they worship the pianist. The monster that killed got knows how many people. But they loved his tunes. Not only that. But their instruments are made from bone and gore. But i did learn something interesting from these freaks. That the pianist was believed to have been killed by the black silence..
"Looks like we stole your credit jon. Sorry." angelica said.
"No worries. I prefer to be under the radar anyway…though it seems as though i wasn't as subtle as I believed myself to be…as several of our guests seem to know who i am." i said with a sigh.
"That should be expected when you go around hunting distortions, some people are going to see you do that. No matter how much of a ghost you try to be." roland said.
"Yeah, I should have worn a creepy mask like you." i said.
"It's not that creepy is it?" roland asked.
"It makes you look like you have a dark hole for a face. So I would say yes." angelica said. We went to greet our new guests as per usual. Meow the leader. Immediately attacked us. I pushed angela out of the way. Taking a nasty blow to my head.
"Guess even messiahs can bleed! Hahahaha!" meow laughed. Now my head hurt and I was pissed. I ran up to her and broke her arm. She screamed in pain.
"Now that's a song i like. I believe it's called. "Screams of monster worshiping psychotic human filth!" Now get in there! Win you get the books lose and your books for the library. Though one's not worth reading. Nothing worthwhile learning can come for your rotten broken brains! May you find your book in this place! Rabid animal freaks!" i yelled. Angela warped them in. this time they faced the floor of general works. Meow's arm was healed. Gotta play fair i guess. It didn't matter anyway. As oink and mumu fell and meow was on her knees wounded. Angelica approached her.
"Before you die. Just letting you know. You were barking up the wrong tree. The black silence wasn't the one who killed the pianist…it was the white messiah." angelica said and swung her mace at meow's head. Spilling her brain matter on the floor. As the curtain fell on this reception. Angela was looking at my head.
"Your wound is healed. How?" she asked.
"Healing factor…courtesy of my armageddon knight/nahobino heritage. Doesn't do anything for the headaches I get from those blows to the head." i said.
"Did you really have to do that?" angela asked.
"Yeah i did. Because there seems to be something you're not grasping. Your human now…which means you can die! No backing up yourself into a new body like you used to do back in lobotomy corp. Once you're dead. You're dead! And I'm not losing you now." i said. Angela's eyes widened. Seems like it's finally donning on her the price she paid for her freedom from ayin's chains. She hugged me.
"Please keep protecting me…" angela said. Sounding like a scared child.
"I will, that's a promise." I said hugging her back.
"Ahem." me and angela heard turning to see gebura with her arms crossed. "Angela…you me and catt need to talk." gebura said. And soon angela and gebura disappeared.
Gebura pov.
On the couch on my floor. Angela and catt were sitting there waiting for me to speak…time to show who's the top girl and lay down the law.
"I know both of you have a crush on jon…to be honest. It doesn't surprise me. That dork has always insisted on being a hero. Hell if he didn't do his work unseen. He'd probably have a line of girls outside ready to receive his "blessing" i said with finger quotes. I lit up a smoke and inhaled and blew out the smoke. "I'm open to sharing…but remember who's the top girl! You two are not allowed to go further than I have. If either of you do. You'll be punished." i said.
"Is that what that's for?" catt asked. Pointing to the big red strap on. I thought i hid that…gotta be chesed again. Why does that coffee lover keep trying to fuck with me? Oh well. At least this time he helped me out a bit.
"Yes…and I won't be gentle." I said sinisterly. The shiver of fear from both of them showed that I put the fear in them. Hmm. good.
"S-so how can we go with jon? Are we not allowed to kiss him?" angela asked.
"Me and him kissed when we gave me a human body and restored my memories back in x-394. That's on the menu. What isn't on the menu is sex. The one who's taking the dork's v card is me!" i demanded.
"I-i'm nowhere near ready for that…" catt said her face red. Steam coming out of her ears
"S-s-so ami." Angela said. In the same state. I giggled under my breath. Who'd have thought that the ai that's been through countless years of hell. And a l corp employee who cut off her emotions to survive in her facility could be so cute and innocent… Dominance asserted. Now back to work.
Main room/jon's pov.
Reception time again. And it's time for what i've been dreading. Time to face my aunt sayo. The screen showed her getting protection money from some unlucky sods from the wing that had facility x-394 in it. When my hatred became the armageddon level abnormality the damage it did left the wing wide open. The folks who lived there are now free game for people like my aunt as proven. When they couldn't pay up. She took one of their hands. And eyes. And even kicked them out too. Ugh god. I didn't realize how evil she was. However they had an unfortunate encounter with a distortion. Some wolf woman named tanya. It came back to me rather quickly. She was an executive of the middle finger. The very one that tried to hunt me down. Oh boy.
"Hey dame! Your name wouldn't happen to be sayo would it?" tanya asked.
"What of it?" sayo asked threateningly.
"You see. Your nephew taught me something important. Of how even the strongest can fall to someone stronger. I thought i was on top of the world. No one can stop us. But we took the job to hunt him down and kill him…a job he made sure we'd regret taking. Killed everyone of the middle finger…well except me. And i'll be sure he regrets it." tanya and her two cronies tried to fight her only to get smashed. Tanya gave them an ultimatum. Go to the library or die here. Naturally they choice going to the library…forgive me aunt sayo.
"That was quite intense." angela said.
"God dammit…first jae-heon now tanya…my past just keeps coming back to bite me in the form of fucking distortions." i said.
"You know those two?" angelica asked.
"Yeah…jae-heon was someone who was trying to bring his son back, the way he tried to do that was building a puppet out of the bodies of dead children. I killed him and the stitched up abomination that he thought his son…his research had to be stopped, he was putting multiple families through the same pain he felt. But he didn't seem to care about that due to a combination of selfishness and insanity. The middle finger was obsessed with being the strongest. And what better way to prove that then the corpse of a color fixer. I got sick of those punch happy freaks finding me and starting shit when i was busy hunting distortions. So i went to their hq and killed them all…looks like I missed one and she became a distortion." i said.
"So want to stay back for this one? This is your aunt coming." angela said.
"No…it's better I face her than run and hide." i said. So me and angela went to greet our guest. But before she could finish her line. Aunt sayo ran to me and hugged me tightly.
"So this is where you've been my cute little nephew!" sayo yelled. Baffling both angela and her two buddies.
"Aunt sayo…need air." i said she finally let me go. I swear that damn bear hasn't gotten that close to breaking my spine. "I saw you aunty sayo…i saw you dismembering than evicting people." i said. Her face twisted in fear. Clearly that was a side of her that she didn't want me to see. "Step through that door. The ordeal begins. Win. you get the books to pay off that distortion. Lose and you become books may you find your book in this place." i said with none of my enthusiasm. Once again roland took this one. After the fight was said and done. I revived her and her two buddies.
"Jon…i." aunt sayo tried to say. But i stopped her.
"Your skills with a blade will be useful to me…but i want you to promise me when the library has fulfilled it's purpose…you'll stop picking on the weak like that." i said.
"And who are the hell are you to-" yang tried to say.
"I promised." sayo said.
"You can't be serious dame!" gin yelled.
"I don't want to lose my family...maya still loves me despite me staying in the life she escaped from. Her husband Desmond accepted me. And meeting my nephew. That cute face is still burned into my brain…i'm sorry. But i can't throw that away. Not even for the kurakumo clan." sayo said.
"That's sweet and all dame…but I don't think our bosses are going to accept our resignation." yang said.
"If maya can escape the thumb…then so can i." sayo said with a grin.
"And i'll gladly help you…not just as the white messiah. But as your nephew." i said with a smile that I knew aunt sayo loved to see. She hugged me.
"Thank you my sweet nephew." aunt sayo said. I hugged her back.
"So…i know this is a long shot but…any place where we can get some sake here?" yang asked.
"The floor of art. Netzach can provide. Provided he's not passed out drunk and naked alongside olga and varissa." i said. Yeah…that's been happening. Much to the annoyance of the others of molar office.
"This netzach sure knows how to party! I'm liking this place already." yang said. With my aunt and her two cohorts on our side. And with this reception done. The library has now risen to urban nightmare rank. Which means even nastier people are coming our way. Not to mention. Our assistants from that world are about to get some payback…