Library System Reset: Overdue: A Magical Library LitRPG Adventure, page 44
"Yes. Thank you. I appreciate you."
The golem stopped and turned. "We appreciate you too, Librarian," they said. "Thank you." And with that, Misha was gone.
Quinn groaned. "Why can't I do that?"
"Because you're not actually part of the Library. You're just linked to it integrally. When the power reserves are filled, and you've got more power available to you, however, you should be able to do something very similar." Milaro smiled.
"Like teleport?" she asked, incredulously.
"Within the Library, yes," Milaro amended slightly and then paused. "Well, I guess that depends on your physiology, but I don't believe being from a human would prevent you from doing so."
Quinn mulled that over for several seconds before nodding. Getting more books back seemed utterly imperative. "I might want to double-check that being human won't end up in a squashed mash of flesh if I teleport, but otherwise I'm excited for that." She laughed, trying to take the edge off the words.
Milaro smiled and ushered her toward the door. She thought he looked a bit worse for wear, tired, and harried. He caught her looking and grinned, but his next words reassured her he hadn't guessed her thoughts. "Harish and Siliqua have updates for us, but nothing groundbreaking that can't wait until you've regained some of your strength."
Even the way he spoke the words soothed a portion of her enough that she felt about to sink into relaxation. She nodded.
"Today's training session was harder than we expected. You must focus on your mental capabilities, on strengthening your mental protections. I don’t believe Lynx would have sent you to retrieve that book from Kajaro if his memory had been completely intact. There are levels of manipulation through the system that would suggest this was deliberately set in motion." Milaro paused at the room threshold, and she could read something like pity in his gaze.
She'd never been a fan of pity. It made her stubborn. Not that she was angry at Milaro, but at whatever, or whoever had caused Lynx and the Library to lose so much, and with their loss came the whole universe. The sadness in Jasshu the Schmectectoid's voice when they'd mentioned being a victim of the chaotic magics running rampant…
Someone needed to pay for that.
Quinn nodded emphatically agreeing with Milaro. "We'll get to the bottom of it."
Aradie hooted at the end of the sentence as if to provide punctuation for it.
If he was surprised by her vehemence, Milaro didn't show it. Instead, he simply inclined his head in acknowledgement.
Just before she left the room, he reached out and caught her arm and spoke to her in a lower tone. "Also, I apologize for dropping the ball and giving you ice books first, as my grandson is heavily chiding me through mental communication right now. I simply assumed your affinities would function precisely as those I've previously had experience with. Now that you have the correct tomes, though, it should provide you with a better understanding of the elements that make up that particular affinity. Thus the ice abilities, and the way to control them, should come much easier to you, instead of accidentally freezing an entire lake, your hand, and other things."
She studied him through eyes that felt heavier than cement, grasping onto his words and attempting to understand them. Along with the mental fatigue from battling the hostile trap in her mind, it seemed she’d utilized most of her physical energy as well.
All she got out of Milaro’s small speech was that her affinities were maxed out, but didn't necessarily reflect the way they usually presented themselves in others. She digested the fact and flashed a belated smile at the elf king. "Well, hindsight is always 20-20, right?" she said before gently disentangling herself and trudging her way to her quarters.
Back up in her room, Quinn decided that she didn't need more sleep.
What she needed was some more energy balls, and a long-ass, scalding hot shower.
It was the first time since she'd arrived that Quinn really took stock of the majestic bathroom she now found herself in.
The walls were tiled in a pale terracotta shade. She didn't think the actual tiles were terracotta, but the color was very similar. It gave off soothing vibes, as did the steam, as it billowed out of the oddly modern plumbing fixtures she'd taken for granted until this moment.
Surely the plumbing here had to be done by magic? Although, perhaps engineering was a sort of magic if she thought about it long enough.
Sighing, she leaned forward and let it wet her long, dark hair, aware the whole time that Aradie was perched at the top of the shower keeping a watch over everything. Not for one moment did Quinn doubt that Aradie could use her beak with lethal force.
The heat eased muscles she didn't realize needed it, and unsurprisingly, helped clear her thoughts. Rejuvenating as she'd hoped, the shower was everything she'd wanted it to be.
After she was done, she toweled herself off with a huge, plush bath sheet and rifled through the closet for something comfortable. To her surprise, she pulled out a soft pair of sweatpants and a large hoodie with one of those front pockets that went all the way across.
Hadn't she only just thought about that sort of comfort?
"Do you, like, create stuff when I think about it?" she asked the Library.
Not in the way you mean. But yes, sometimes. It's more fleeting thoughts you've had about things that would make you more comfortable in your new life. We never intended to steal you away from the things you loved. Being a Librarian is supposed to be beneficial for you, too.
"Thanks," Quinn said, genuinely excited to have something fleecy and fluffy to sit down on the bed with. "No time like the present to get stronger."
She grabbed the two packets of food she still had left over from what Cook had given her, and pulled the books onto her lap, ready to absorb information that could likely save her, the Library, and the universe's existence.
50
CURIOUSER
The next days passed in a whirlwind. From morning till late at night, Quinn worked on mental fortitude, learning how to defend herself, how to seal away offensive attacks, and how to reflect those same attacks back at her assailants with extra force. She learned how to combine her combat magic and make the most out of her abilities with ice, learning to generate and manipulate water for both defensive and offensive purposes.
It was amazing how powerful water could be, let alone air. Air was one of the most destructive forces she'd ever seen. She literally broke three of their training dummies by not quite understanding what she was trying to do the first few times.
After training, she spent the afternoons and evenings in the Library, returning books, speaking to new returnees, and working with Cook on some of the items she would need for the future.
Day leaked into night, knowledge became power, and Quinn started to feel a sense of comfort as if she was finally settling in properly.
Then on the afternoon of Quinn’s twelfth day in the Library, Narilin came to see her. The willowy beauty that still astounded the Librarian every time she saw her, moved with lithe floating grace, almost hypnotizing in its allure. She was, quite simply, breathtaking.
Quinn did a double take as she stacked the “do not, under any circumstances, enter these books into the system yet” pile, and steeled herself to face the book doctor.
The Salosier reminded her so much of a walking weeping willow, except that she never exuded a sadness of aura, only quiet confidence and grace. It was easy to forget that Narilin was almost three hundred years old.
"Librarian," she began, as soon as she reached Quinn's side, executing a flawless bow. "I have received word from my family about the books they will be returning."
Quinn's interest piqued. "They're coming here to return the books?"
"Well, of course." The Salosier paused, a brief line of consternation crossing her brow. "Where else might they seek to return them?"
Quinn had to bite her tongue to stop herself from laughing. Despite the fact that she had put her own foot in it, Narilin's response was simply priceless. "Sorry, that was a little facetious of me," she said. "Now, you said your family has uncovered all of the books?"
"Yes. The two hundred sixty-seven that I had correctly recalled would be returned to the Library have now been gathered, along with another hundred seventy-two from one of the neighboring clans to us." Narilin's speech, as always, was flawless, just like the beautiful, almost vine-like leaves she had running down her entire back. Quinn always felt like Narilin was a relaxing soul. There was always something different about her that Quinn couldn't quite place.
Quinn cleared her throat. "Well, that sounds fantastic. So we should be getting, what, four hundred thirty-nine books returned?"
"Precisely." Narilin seemed very happy that Quinn was capable of basic addition. Quinn wasn't sure whether she should be offended by that or not. She chose to ignore it instead.
Which brought her to the more important question, perhaps. "Fantastic. Do you have any idea what sort of books there are going to be?"
"Oh, as discussed, a hundred eighty-seven of the books that we will be returning came from my grandmother's wish to open the culinary establishment that she has been running for the last hundred years. Those books will go toward the Library's specifically culinary branch opening number and should mean that we get to open the culinary branch that much sooner." It was the first time that Quinn had seen Narilin be truly excited when speaking about something other than taking care of books. She had observed her being excited about repairing books, cleaning them, creating them… but this was the first time her excitement was directed elsewhere.
Quinn hesitated. She wasn't sure if she should mention the check-in issues to the Salosier. "We may be unable to check some of those books in quite yet, though we can keep them here and make note that they were brought back."
"What do you mean?" Narilin asked. "Is something wrong with the system?"
Quinn wasn't quite sure how to take that tone of voice. There was an edge of panic to the tone. Did Narilin know something, surmise something? Was Quinn just suspecting everybody all around her now? Aradie cooed in her ear and she got an overall sensation of calm from the bird. Perhaps she didn't need to be so worried right now.
"There is just a minor hiccup in the system with certain subject matters. We have to put those books aside until such a time when we can return them all." Quinn decided partial truth was better than outright avoidance of mentioning the issue.
Narilin cocked her head to one side as if she was digesting the information. "The system will not allow these books to be returned quite yet?"
Quinn shook her head. "No, it's more there is a problem with returning specific subjects. The books may not escape being damaged."
Alarm spread across Narilin's face so quickly that Quinn was taken aback. "The books will get damaged by being returned to the Library?" She sounded horrified.
Quinn held up her hands in a placating gesture. "They're not going to get damaged. We are taking steps to make sure that doesn't happen. That's why there just may be some of those books that cannot be cataloged yet, though bringing them back to the Library is fine."
Narilin scrunched up her face. "May I see this problem? Is there perhaps a way that I might assist so that no more books get damaged?" She sounded genuinely distressed. Even the tiny leaves at the end of her hair were curling up.
And Quinn remembered the absolute piles and piles of books that she had to repair. Yeah, she could understand where the Salosier was coming from. Not only did she dislike seeing books harmed, but she also already had enough on her plate.
And Aradie's aura seemed to imply that she could trust the tree-like lady. Quinn sighed, shrugged her shoulders, and decided to just go with it. "I guess you could help, have a look into the system, see if we can understand where it’s coming from or why it’s happening."
Just as Quinn was about to take Narilin to link into the console, Harish and Siliqua showed up.
Quinn raised an eyebrow at their impeccable timing. "Haven't seen you two for a couple of days."
They looked drained, paler than she remembered, with shadows under their eyes. She could sense the exhaustion coming off them in waves. Glancing at the returned books meter, Quinn realized that the Library was still a long way off from having enough energy to do any, let alone all, of the things they needed to do. But the Library was definitely making headway.
It was gaining more than it was losing, which meant her attunement to it was strengthening as well. Though it was still pulling on some of her own energy reserves. She bit into a piece of sweet bread Cook had made for just such energy consumption and mulled over the current situation.
Maybe she'd eventually feel everything everybody who ever entered it could feel. That might get a little overwhelming. Right now there were simply so many possibilities. "Narilin has offered to see if she can help identify the problem in the system." Quinn left it there, hoping she hadn't just put her foot in it.
There was a very pregnant pause by the elves who exchanged unreadable glances with one another.
Quinn could feel it in the pit of her stomach and the way Aradie tightened her grip on her shoulder. Neither of the elves were happy with the information they were bringing, nor inclined to share it with someone they didn't know. She got it, she did, but at the same time, they were all a part of the team.
They all needed the Library to survive.
Everyone did.
And the Library, as far as it could right now with Aradie, had all vetted the people in it.
Could they have missed something? Sure? But if they let themselves be paralyzed by mistrust and indecision, they'd never get anything rebuilt.
Quinn eyed the almost overflowing drawer that held the books they couldn't yet scan into the Library. Over the past few days, they had amassed 1,283 returns in total. That was a lot of books, and 179 of them couldn't be entered into the system properly.
That was enough to propel her to make a decision.
"What's the problem?" she asked, trying her best to leave her irritation inside her head. "We have to work together to get everything back to where it needs to be. Trust might have to be earned, but we must believe we can fix this or why are we even trying?"
Siliqua sighed and nodded once, abruptly, as if she'd made her own mind up. "You make a good point. I will get right to it." She glanced over at Narilin. "You understand the fundamental function and process of the Library's systems, right?"
Narilin gave a gracious bow of her head. As if she was swaying in the breeze. "Return, glean excess power gathered while absent, adjust for any chaotic stickiness to re-enter the filtration system. Balance them out, recharge the Library and its own filtration system, lend the books out again. Continue the cycle."
"Precisely." The wood elf seemed suitably satisfied.
Quinn wished she knew exactly what they were talking about and directed all her attention to understanding the rest of the conversation.
"The sludge, I guess we will call it, for want of a better word," Siliqua began, "is lodged in several very delicate parts of the system."
Narilin's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. Quinn wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't been so intent on the whole conversation. "What type of sludge?"
Siliqua hesitated, but finally spoke, sounding defeated when she did. "Chaotic remnants."
The Salosier sucked in a breath with a hiss, her expression twisting momentarily into one of distaste. "Could it, perhaps, be from a part of the filtration system not working correctly?"
Harish shook his head and took over. "It might be exacerbated by the fact that the filtration system is in need of maintenance, but that’s not the cause. The remnants are very deliberately placed around specific subject matter. Some of these are needed to increase power in the individual and the Library, others that are essential to opening the Library in its entirety. You get the picture."
"Sadly." Narilin let out a sigh that rustled her leaves. "May I perhaps take a look?"
Harish and Siliqua looked over at Quinn immediately for guidance. She shrugged. "I don't see why not? I mean, what's it going to take to clean these areas out?"
"That will depend. There are many purification magics my brethren and I have access to that can help. They have been developed out of necessity. Many planet dwellers do not work well with the nature around them. I fear, however…" Narilin hesitated ever so slightly.
Quinn pounced on it. "Fear what?"
"There might be more to this. It’s original aim might not have been to infect the Library itself, but to bog down the filtration system in a way that would cause havoc if you weren't being vigilant." Her large eyelashes batted every so softly.
Quinn's gaze, however, narrowed. "So basically, the aim was to push the sludge so far that it breaks the filters."
"Exactly." Narilin seemed proud of Quinn's comprehension. Even Harish looked on with approval. “Or it could have been one of the aims. But if the current state of the filters is perhaps exacerbating the situation, I would surmise that this was a very deliberate choice.”
"So why don't we just go and fix the filters, then?" Quinn asked, not understanding the big deal. A HEPA cleaner needed new filters every six months or something. Maybe it was less, but surely the principle of the thing was the same. It wasn't something she'd ever been in charge of.
"That's exactly it. Without the manifestation to guide us, without a specific number of intermediate books in the return… there are only limited options available to us." Siliqua's voice held a small note of panic that she seemed to be doing her best to squash.
"Oh," Quinn said again, this time without enthusiasm. She knew what this meant. She didn't like what this meant. But that didn't mean she didn't know exactly what this meant. "So you're telling me that I'm going to have to go out and retrieve more books, right?"
"It's a likely outcome," Harish said, and then grimaced. "Actually, an almost definite one."
Quinn squinted at him. "There's something you're not telling me about the whole filtration process, isn't there?"
