“Fantastic,” Riley said. “So then tell us where we’re going.”
“There is a main hallway that runs the length of this floor. Like I said earlier, this end of the library houses all of the laboratory rooms. I believe that the undead specimen is being kept in the lab on the northeast corner of the building. We should be able to head left from here, and it’ll be the last room on the left.”
“Sounds easy enough. Let’s do it!” Melissa said, resting her hand on the door.
“Wait!” Riley interjected quickly. “Let’s move a little more carefully – Ethan at the front of the group; Melissa supporting him in Sneak. Emma, Lucas, and Cecil stay in the center. Marie and I will cover our rear.”
“Look at you being all tactical,” the rogue replied.
“We just got attacked by a dragon,” Riley responded in a dry tone. “We may also have a group of warrior librarians chasing us in a moment, and I’m skeptical that this floor isn’t going to pose any problems.”
“I agree,” Marie said, glaring at the red-haired woman. “We could afford to be more cautious.”
“I second that. Or third, I guess,” Lucas added, looking at Emma’s blood-stained robes.
“Fine. Fine. We will move in formation,” Melissa said, waving her hand.
The group filed out of the staircase in an orderly fashion, taking up the pattern that Riley had described. The hallway on this floor was dark, only the occasional crystal sconce faintly illuminating the corridor. The sound of the alarms was more muted here. Perhaps the librarians didn’t reasonably expect anyone to make it to this floor.
They moved down the hallway slowly, following Riley’s instructions and staying on high alert. She couldn’t begin to imagine what might attack them. She was prepared for fire-breathing unicorns at this point.
Despite their caution, the group arrived in front of the labs a few minutes later without incident. “Well, that was anticlimactic,” Melissa said in a bored voice, yanking open the door to the lab and stepping inside.
Shaking her head, Riley followed her. The laboratory was a mess. Rows of tables lined the room, oddly-shaped instruments and equipment riddling their surfaces. She saw what appeared to be a half-dissected eel sitting on one table with brightly-colored crystals lying beside it. Cages lined the walls of the room, a veritable menagerie of magical animals shifting within the enclosures and eyeing them curiously.
What caught and held Riley’s attention, however, was the large metal cage on the far end of the room. Her eyes lit up as she saw it. It looked like the type of thing mages might use to hold a human-sized undead prisoner.
Moving across the room with quick steps, Riley soon stopped in front of the cage, her brow furrowed in confusion. “There isn’t anything in here,” she said, turning to look at Clarence. “Where is the undead?”
The young man walked up beside her, inspecting the cage calmly. “I assure you that this is where the undead specimen was being stored. Perhaps he was moved recently.”
“Is there a log of where the ‘specimens’ are stored or moved?” Marie asked, eyeing the equipment on the tables.
Clarence nodded. “Yes, of course. Let me just check the register for this room. It’ll only take a moment.” He walked off to the far side of the laboratory, where a line of bookshelves rested against the wall. The remainder of the group instinctively shied away from the books. The memory of being attacked by a library was just a little too fresh.
“Melissa, perhaps you should go keep watch outside,” Marie suggested, eyeing the bored-looking rogue. “Also, this should go without saying, but please don’t start a fight for no reason.”
The red-haired woman sighed and headed for the door. “Yes, ma’am,” she offered with a mock salute before vanishing through the doorway.
“What are these crystals?” Lucas asked, plucking at an object on a nearby table.
Cecil glanced at the various tools laying on the worktable. “They are intended to measure magical affinity. It’s important to measure a creature’s mana during experimentation since it is easier to combine certain types of affinities. Just lift one and see for yourself.”
Lucas picked up the crystal gently. After a few seconds, it began to glow a vibrant yellow, indicating his air magic affinity. “Interesting,” he murmured, handing the crystal to Emma. As soon as the light mage grabbed the instrument, it shifted to a bright white – the light much more intense than when Lucas had held it.
“The intensity of the light usually indicates the strength of the creature’s affinity. Of course, there are more accurate measuring tools, but these crystals can be used as a rough test. It looks like they were trying to combine an Elonquin Eel with air magic crystals…” the enchanter trailed off as he observed the creature on the table.
Cecil’s eyes then jumped around the room, noting the cages filled with strange animals. “A Fire Pixie, a Ravenous Mole-rat, a Thunder Hawk,” he said under his breath, naming each of the creatures. “This is an interesting assortment of creatures and affinities. I wonder what they were trying to do in here.”
Riley was only half listening to their conversation, her eyes on Clarence. They had come a long way and had risked quite a bit to break into this laboratory. If the undead prisoner had somehow vanished along with the logs, she wasn’t quite certain where they should head next. She could feel her stomach drop as she noticed the normally robotic librarian’s mouth twitch into something resembling a frown.
“What is it?” she demanded, calling over to Clarence.
“There is no record of the undead being here,” he explained, walking back over to the group. “The page with the recent logs has been ripped out.”
As she took the book from him, Riley could indeed see where a page had been torn from the log book. She just stared at the page for a long moment, her mind whirling as she considered what to do next.
“So, this was all for nothing?” Ethan demanded, grabbing the book from her. “How could an undead person just disappear?”
“Maybe we could search the floor?” Marie suggested, her expression troubled. Riley could see that Lucas and Emma looked stunned as well. Surprisingly, she didn’t see the “I-told-you-so” look on the light mage’s face that she had been expecting.
“Um, folks,” Melissa said, appearing at the door and slamming it shut behind her. “We have a problem. The librarians may have started catching up to us. And by that, I mean that they are barreling down the hallway right now. I strongly suggest we get the hell out of here – like immediately.”
“How are we going to do that?” Emma demanded. “We certainly aren’t going back through the library.”
Cecil sighed. “I thought this might happen. I just need a few minutes. Can the rest you hold them off?”
Ethan shrugged. “We can try. Why don’t we move these tables around and block off the door? Here, Lucas, give me a hand.”
As the group started moving around her, Riley stood still – her thoughts spinning. What had she missed? There had to be something. After everything they had been through, this couldn’t just be a massive dead end. She forced herself to calm down, taking a few deep breaths. She needed to think about this logically.
What did the cultists want? The answer seemed to be mana. If that was the case, the plague might be manufactured to collect mana from those afflicted with the sickness. How would they have created that plague?
A clatter echoed through the room as Ethan swept the instruments off a nearby table, the crystals bouncing off the floor. He then shoved it toward the door. Riley’s eyes skimmed across animals in cages around the lab. They might need to use someplace like this lab.
How could they get in here, though? Even her group had difficulty and Clarence had been clear that this area was restricted to high-ranking mages. Maybe they had infiltrated a major guild hall? But that didn’t seem plausible. The lower ranks were possible, but a Master or Prefect? If she ruled that out, who else had access?
Riley heard a crash and
could see that Ethan and Melissa were straining to hold the tables against the door as the librarians beat and pushed at the other side of the mound of furniture. They only had a few moments before they would breakthrough. Meanwhile, Cecil was doing something to the window near the door, muttering under his breath as he pulled an assortment of powders and crystals out of his pack. Marie and Emma stood near Riley, readying their weapons to fight off the librarians. And, finally, Clarence stood at the back of the group, calmly watching the commotion. His face was as placid and emotionless as ever.
Riley froze.
There was one group that had unfettered access to the labs, wasn’t there? How had she missed that connection? The librarians had free rein of the library. They would have had access to the children that were running books. Hell, they could have even tampered with the log books to lead any investigation to the fire guild, and a librarian could have easily ripped the page out of the lab registry.
But if she was right, which librarians were actually cultists? All of them or only a few members? How could she tell? How would they have managed to infiltrate their ranks? The questions swept through her mind in a wave.
“Riley!” Ethan shouted from across the room. “Snap out of it. They are going to be inside in a moment.”
Riley’s gaze darted to the doorway, where she could see the blockade beginning to crumble. It looked like the librarians had brought in some reinforcements. Then her eyes darted to the crystals along the floor, the recent conversation between Cecil and Lucas flitting through her mind. Acting on instinct, Riley grabbed one of the crystal instruments and crammed it into her pocket.
“Okay, I’m ready,” Cecil shouted over the crashing sound of furniture as he darted across the room. “Everyone get over here.” He motioned to the far corner of the room away from the windows. The group sprinted to the corner, huddling behind Ethan as he raised his shield.
“Close your eyes and cover your ears,” Cecil ordered. “We have about five seconds.”
Riley just barely squeezed her eyes shut in time, pressing her palms to her ears. She could feel the explosion reverberate back through the stone floor, and an immense pressure pushed her back into the wall and her teammates. As she opened her eyes, Riley gaped in surprise. A massive hole had been carved in the side of the library where the window had once stood. The explosion had also destroyed the blockade at the door and caved in the side of the wall leading back into the hallway.
“How…?” Lucas muttered.
“There aren’t any wards on the inside, boy,” Cecil grunted. “But we don’t have time to chat. The second round of bombs will go off in less than a minute.” He shoved the mage. “Now run! Everyone stay near Lucas.”
The group threw off their stupor and raced toward the opening. Ethan grabbed Clarence and forcefully dragged the librarian along. “Wait, we’re like three or four stories up,” Lucas shouted in a panicked voice. “And why are we staying near me?”
“It’s time to earn your keep, mage,” Cecil replied. “You better have picked up the Gust spell.”
The group jumped through the hole. Riley felt her feet leave the ground and her stomach lurch as she dropped. Time seemed to slow as the ground loomed in her vision. A massive blast rocked the laboratory behind her, rubble and debris rushing through the air around them. Meanwhile, rain splattered across her face, the cool drops slowly sliding across her cheeks. Her mouth was pressed into a grim line as her eyes pulsed with dark energy. She had a promise to keep, even if it meant that she had to hunt down the librarians one by one.
Chapter 25- Infectious
“Cast now!” Cecil shouted, grabbing Lucas’ shoulder as the group free-fell toward the ground. The cobblestones were approaching rapidly.
The skinny mage fumbled slightly, his fingers attempting to pass through the gestures of a spell as tendrils of air curled around the head of his staff. Just before the group slammed into the courtyard, Lucas’ spell finally completed.
A massive gust of air shot forward, crashing into the ground and cracking several of the cobblestones. The force of the blast mercifully slowed the group’s fall, changing their headlong rush toward death into merely a bone-rattling fall. Riley hit the ground and rolled forward, her Dodge and Dexterity once again assisting her to avoid most of the damage.
“Damn it, that hurt,” Ethan muttered a moment later, slowly pushing himself back to his feet. Riley could see that the group’s health had dipped significantly from the fall.
Riley gave the light mage a hand up, noting the appreciative look in her eye. “Emma, can you get us healed back up please?” she asked.
“Of course,” Emma replied, white light already beginning to glow around her staff. She moved over to Lucas where he sat on the ground in a daze, one hand cradling his arm while his weapon lay on the ground beside him.
Riley’s gaze turned back to the library behind her. They were now standing in the courtyard near the entrance to the building, raindrops splattering against her hood as blocks of stone and debris crashed down around her; the result of the second explosion. She could see that a massive hole had been carved in the top of the building several stories up, smoke still drifting through their makeshift escape route.
“Ugh, this isn’t going to go over well,” Cecil muttered, checking his bags as he glanced up at the library with a worried expression.
“Especially since we ended up empty-handed,” Marie added, walking up beside Riley.
At that comment, Riley turned, finding that Clarence had regained his feet. He was looking around himself with his usual unperturbed calm.
How had the young librarian known about the register for the low-street children? Why was he up in the middle of the night? He also conveniently knew where the undead specimen was being kept. On top of everything else, she had been able to disable him immediately when she encountered him in the dining hall. Weren’t the librarians supposed to be trained warriors?
“Perhaps not,” Riley said softly.
Before anyone could react, Riley rushed the librarian, grabbing him by the collar and shoving the measuring crystal against his forehead. She held her breath for a moment as the crystal maintained its usual dull appearance. Then colors began to swim through the crystalline matrix – a swirling multihued vortex that glowed with a bright intensity.
Clarence shoved Riley back, his lips curling in a menacing scowl as the group looked on in shock. “Stupid, girl,” he growled. He backed away from the group slowly toward the entrance to the library.
“You aren’t going to escape, Clarence. Assuming that is even your name,” Riley said, the icy chill of her mana throbbing through her skull. She had been right.
The man laughed – a cruel, hateful sound coming from the usually courteous young librarian. “Escape? I’m not the one that destroyed the library.” He glanced at Melissa and Marie. “All at the hands of a band of thieves and murders that infiltrated this city – and a member of the ruling council of the Twilight Throne,” he added locking eyes with Riley.
“The librarians?” Marie muttered under her breath. “How did we not see that?”
“They hid it well,” Riley said. “I suspect the cultists killed several librarians and then assumed their appearance. This would have allowed them to bypass whatever admittance test that they give to the new recruits. From there, they would have had access to all of the libraries’ facilities.”
Clarence smirked at her. “So, you finally figured it out. It certainly took you long enough. Unfortunately, you’re too late. The plague is already spreading through the city, and we will be there to harvest the mana from the fallen.”
The brown-robed man’s eyes took on a manic appearance. “I know who you are, girl. Your little band destroyed our coven north of the Twilight Throne. Stealing people from their homes and sending them north was no longer an option. We needed to try something more ambitious. We will bring a new god to this world – one that affects it directly instead of hiding in the shadows. We will become
his army!”
Cecil glanced back and forth between the crystal that Riley still clutched in her hand and Clarence. “I’m such an idiot,” he muttered, before glancing at Riley. “I had been wondering how someone could sustain this plague. If it was created, then it would have required a massive store of mana to keep it going. Yet if they have control of the library, that means they also have access to its mana crystals…”
Clarence’s eyes widened slightly – a fact that Riley didn’t miss. “It’s true, isn’t it? If so, then that means we may be able to stop your plague. You are also living proof of the cultists’ presence in the city as long as we have one of these crystals,” Riley said, brandishing the instrument in her hand. “We may be a group of murderers and thieves, but I still think that the City Council will listen to us if we hand you over to them.” She took a step forward, grabbing the bow from her back.
The librarian’s expression darkened, his eyes glancing around the courtyard wildly as he backed toward the stairs to the library. “I can’t let you! Nothing can get in the way of the coming tide.” He scratched at his arm agitatedly and began to mutter to himself.
Then he looked up at them as though seeing them for the first time. “I have to stop you. Yes! I’ll stop you – crush you and destroy the evidence. I will be a sacrifice to his majesty.”
He pulled something from beneath his robes, swinging it high into the air. Riley saw a syringe filled with a glowing multi-colored substance. In one swift motion, the cultist pulled back the arm of his robe and plunged the syringe into his flesh, slamming down on the plunger.
“Stop you… I’ll stop you all! No one can prevent its coming,” Clarence’s voice began to thicken and grow deeper. He let out a brief scream mixed with a strangled, manic laugh as he hunched over on the steps. “I will crush you…”
Then his robes tore apart, his skin rippling and contorting. Huge bulbous masses grew on his back and arms, expanding so rapidly that they stretched and split his skin. Clarence let out a tortured scream that echoed through the courtyard and drowned out the muted sound of the library’s alarms and the roar of the rain hitting the cobblestones.
Awaken Online: Retribution (Side Quest) Page 19