Months has passed since Oliver and the twins went out. They tested their limits with short patrols around the library before, but this time when they get out, they would not be back for a while. Ouroboros has tasked them with returning a book of great importance from Wielguard, the country where the most extreme people live.
"Ugh, of all the places why does the book has to be there?" Oliver let out a growl.
Bora and Baran however, was really ecstatic, they were excited to see the world and how it changed during their imprisonment. With wide grins both encouraged Oliver.
"Come on… What is the worst that could happen." Bora jumped in.
"Yea! In my time that place was a land of opportunity. People from all around the continent went there to get stronger." Baran added.
"In your time, maybe. But these days that place is the land of carnage. The strong rules over the weak with utmost cruelty." Oliver spaced out, "With out a guard we will be easy prey for their insatiable hunger for power." His face distorted with fear. "Even a single sign of weakness and they tear us apart and worse th-" While he was mumbling Bora cut him off.
"Relax buddy! We have been training for…" His head wandered off.
"Ever now. We can handle some brutes." Baran completed his sentence.
"YEA! We got this, no need to worry about a thing." Bora exclaimed, focusing on the matter again.
"We might have learned some magic but that place only values physical strength now. Using magic will only make us a target…" Olivers eyes wandered off towards the exit. "But maybe we can get a bit of hand-to-hand combat experience with the guards that occasionally come here." He proposed the idea with a grin.
"That's a really good idea!" The twins followed.
As they were making their way outside, a familiar rumbling stopped their advances and they instead turned back towards the centre of the library. Ouroboros was calling them, and they would drop everything they were doing to answer. They arrived at the centre of the library.
"Looks like my concerns was not ill-founded." The God lets out a grunt. "I haven't been outside for more than 10,000 years but looks like I was right about the changes in Wielguard."
Oliver gave the God a confused look. "You knew things would turn out that way there?"
"Of course, with the current rules in place it was only a matter of time before the people of Wielguard forget the meaning of strength." The God chuckled to itself "To think it would take this much time for Volcana to notice that, and They are supposed to be a greater God. Hah!"
"You knew Volcana? The Volcana!?" Oliver's eyes widened.
"Of course, boy! I used to be a greater God after all." The God responded.
Just as Oliver was about to ask for more context Ouroboros cast another spell on him and the twins.
"This should enable you to survive the trip. It's the fighting knowledge of everyone who died here." The God gave out a grunt.
"This did not hurt like the last spell. What's the difference with this one." Oliver asked.
"You simply grew to tolerate the pain. Now off you go, this conversation has gone long enough." "And make sure the book is in one piece. I would hate to lose one of the most important pieces of my collection." It added.
Oliver and the twins gave the God a simple bow to show their respect and resumed what they were going to do. But since Oliver acquired the fighting knowledge of countless souls who died here. Before going out however he took one the torn jackets lying around. He was able to salvage a green jacket, half of it was intact, so he tied the other parts around his waist to keep it from falling. It also made a good hiding spot for Bora and Baran, they could easily move out and assist if needed. Next, he looked for an eye piece to cover his right eye, the unnatural purple glow would attract unwanted attention. But he couldn't find something suitable here, so he just put his hair down to cover most of it.
"Yo! Get in the jacket we are now set for some book hunting." He said with confidence.
"What about the eye?" Baran asked.
"I'll find something to cover it outside. No need to worry." Oliver responded with a shrug.
Oliver made his way out the library, the fresh breeze and the evening sun made for a great yet familiar feeling. As if he lived this event before. "Just like my last mission." He mumbled. But this time he was determined to please his new boss, no matter the cost. He "sneaked" passed the useless guards that patrolled the area and made his way deeper into the forest. Their journey has begun.
"So… Which way do we go?" Bora asked.
"Wielguard should be North-East from the library, so I guess this way?" Baran pointed.
"Indeed, it is, but we need to take a detour towards Taitri first." Oliver spoke.
Bora and Baran just gave him a confused look for a while until Oliver explained that they need some mana crystals that form around the centre of the forest in case of an emergency. He would not leave this mission to chance; those mana crystals could sustain them for long times if need be. After the explanation the twins agreed with him and kept quiet. Since the Serpent's Library was formed in a central location it was easy to enter the forest.
"The forest grew a lot since I last saw it." Baran stated.
"How old were you again?" Oliver asked with a weird look on his face.
"I don't know, I stopped counting after like the first 1000 years." Baran stated calmly.
"OH! Me too! Though I stopped after 1528!" Bora added, excited.
Oliver was shocked, he knew the spirits were old, but he did not know they were that old. The though of traveling with 2 ancient men amused him.
"Haha! If you old men ever feel out of breath you are welcome to sleep inside the jacket." Oliver mocked them.
The twins annoyed gave him a light jab making him jump in surprise. And thanks to that he tripped and fell, nearly hitting his head to a rock.
"Heyy! You nearly killed me!" Oliver grunted angrily after getting his balance back.
"You did not hit your head though." Baran replied giggling.
"Yea, don't be such a drama queen." Bora gave him a big grin.
"For such old men you guys act like toddlers." Oliver gave a smug grin.
But before the little argument broke into something bigger, they were silenced by a noise of clashing steel ahead. They stopped talking and slowed down. Oliver, without making a sound climbed up a tree to see if he can locate the source. After a while they finally located the source, Oliver gestured the twins to hide inside the jacket. As he moved towards the scene of the crime, he felt a weird sensation from below. He slowed down and looked down, his normal eye saw nothing yet the one Ouroboros gave him saw some kind of potent and strong energy. To focus his vision, he closed his normal eye and peered into the anomaly below him, as he was lost in thought he quickly regained his focus after a stray arrow was flying towards him. He was barely able to dodge it…
Then he took a better look at the ones fighting, a group of what looked like knights were fighting a single person, and they were losing. "How amusing" he thought, he then tried to see the one they are fighting, but he could not get a clear angle on them. All he saw about them was they were wearing a long brownish cloak that covered most of their body, they also seemed to be a hybrid fighter, utilizing both magic and steel to fight was a very rare skill. Since most people with magic affinity were taken and raised as either simple enchanters or battle mages, hybrid fighters were a sight to behold. After more observing Oliver and the twins got bored and silently left the scene. But as he turned his back on the battlefield, he felt an eerie cold wash over him. Then the voice spoke…
"I see you have taken a detour boy." The God grunted the way it always does.
"Sorry master! But after a while of thinking grabbing a mana crystal here to prolong our stay outside longer if need be seemed to be the best option." He fell to his knees.
"Your thinking is logical… So, I'll overlook this unplanned detour." Though sounded displeased the God was impressed by Oliver's logic and planning for possible wrinkles in the plan.
"Thank you master. We will be on our way as soon as we can." He got up from his knees, still a bit shaken.
"I'll be waiting then…" The God said.
After that the cold that took over him slowly disappeared. Oliver nearly had a heart attack, and he was sure the twins were scared as well. He looked inside his jacket to check for them, they were fine, a bit rattled but they still gave off their nice purple hue.
"We have to hurry up and wrap things up here." Oliver exclaimed. And the twins just gave him a simple nod of approval.
As they made their way deeper into the forest, they finally were able to see the crystals that grow through the trees' trunks, their light blue glow contrasting beautifully with the faint orange of the sunset. Normally people would take the first one they see, but Oliver was able to tell the high-quality ones from the low ones.
"Hmm… This eye is really useful. More useful than I thought." Oliver spoke with a satisfaction in his voice.
"There is someone watching what is our next course of action?" Baran communicated via telepathy.
To not make it obvious that he knew about the one who is watching him he carried on, acting as if he had no clue of the matter. Baran telepathically relayed both their location and movements to Oliver as they went deeper. After some time, Oliver spotted a high value crystal, it was small yet contained a lot of mana in it. As he reached to get it, an arrow flied towards his head. He dodged it with ease this time since he saw it coming.
"Isn't it a bit rude to act this hostile towards a tourist." Oliver turned towards where they were hiding.
"Tourist?" They let out a laugh "All I see is a thief who is trying to steal from the forest." They added.
The figure jumped down from one of the trees, it was the person that was fighting against the knights.
"Who are you supposed to be anyways? Perhaps a gangster… or a vigilante?" Oliver squinted his eyes trying to make sense of their action.
"You Brilyante cultists should know who I am, don't play dumb." The man revealed his face, a pair of golden tiger-like eyes were glaring at Oliver then he pointed his sword towards him as well.
"What makes you think I am a follower of Brilyante?" Oliver shrugged. "If it's your instincts or something else I'm afraid you are mistaken my friend." He added in a condescending tone.
The man before him gave Oliver a good look, while still pointing his sword he seemed a bit more relaxed.
"So, you are not follower of the Life Light group. But this does not dismiss the fact that you are stealing crystals from the forest." The man looked angry still.
"Calm down please, I only need one crystal." Oliver tried to bargain with him.
"Believe me when I say I heard that plea a million times. Once they feel the power they always come back to grab more." The man seemed angrier than before.
"Ugh… I don't have time for this. Let me take this one and I'll leave without a problem." Oliver replied.
"You have some guts little guy, but I'm not letting you go without a fight!" The man replied as he lunged towards Oliver.
"Little guy?" Oliver was a bit annoyed. "Bora! Tie him down!" He ordered.
Bora jumped out of the jacket and phased into the ground, rupturing some roots up. With them, he captured the man mid-air.
"Here you go!" Bora tossed the man aside happily.
The man was surprised that a crude creature like that could overpower him.
"What are you?!" The man asked with a stone-cold face.
"Oh? I'm just a simple library worker." Oliver gave him a mischievous grin. "Anyways, thank you for the crystal. I owe you one!" He added leaving with the crystal in hand.
After getting the crystal they moved towards the library.
"This should be far enough; you can release the roots." He turned to Bora.
"Aye aye!" Bora twirled. "There! He is free!" He giggled to himself.
"We are finally done here, time for our Wielguard adventure to begin." Oliver said.
"But the sun is down, wouldn't it be better if we wait for it to come back up?" Baran proposed.
"Wait?! No way! Let's get going!" Bora whined.
As they were in a stalemate the God called for them.
"Looks like this argument will have to wait." Oliver grabbed both and made his way inside.
As they went inside, it seemed more hectic than usual. The keepers were moving around faster, and the shelves were stiller than usual. As they were about to enter the central room the sounds of footsteps from ahead stopped their advances. There were raiders. Oliver and the twins were surprised as they could not make any sense of their actions. "Trying to raid a God's sacred library?" "Are they insane?!" thoughts like these ran through their heads. On closer inspection there seemed to be four of them, but with Baran's abilities they located three more tat stayed out of sight.
Just as they were about to move closer towards the intruders, Oliver spotted Ouroboros moving towards the group. So, Oliver signalled the twins to fall back. It seemed as if the God called them to show off. But surprisingly one of the intruders felt its presence and they reached for their weapons. Ouroboros ordered the shelves to move, it scare the invaders. Using this to its advantage Ouroboros possessed the strongest member and made him slaughter the others. Oliver and the twins watched as the possessed member unwillingly killed his friends. After he was done, he fell to his knees in horror of what he did.
"Looks like you have arrived, boy." The God spoke. "I leave this one to you, I will not be tempering whit him longer." It added.
"I- I am not sure if I can do this… I've never killed someone before." Oliver was a bit hesitant.
"Kill him or not just get him out of my sight! I will not tolerate any wannabe thieves." The God ordered.
"As you wish!" Oliver bowed. "I'll take care of him immediately!" He added.
As he grabbed the shaking man by his arm, Oliver dragged him towards the entrance hall. The twins left to search around to see if anything is missing or out of order. The man, still mortified by his actions, was only mumbling what seemed like apologies and prayers. He put the man besides the corpses of the others and searched the bodies for any weapons. After a while of rummaging through both the man's friends' corpses and the others already around, he was able to find a dagger.
"You got this Oliver; you just need to slit his throat." He was talking to himself.
Just as he was about to attempt to kill, Bora and Baran came back.
Oliver let out a sigh of relief. "You guys are finally back!" He dropped the dagger and pointed towards the man. "We are ordered to get rid of him, one of you please kill him for me." He asked.
They gave Oliver a confused look, Him not having a heart to kill someone was surprising for them. The fact that his confident and mischievous personality was all an act, and his real personality being a scaredy and pure hearted man was really amusing. So, they decided to mess with him.
"But master gave you the order, not us." Bora replied, giving side eyes to Baran.
"Yea, it is your order to carry out." Baran added.
Oliver was disappointed with their replies, he tried to persuade them to do it for him. Sadly, they did not budge, leaving Oliver no choice but to do it himself. So, with shaky hands he grabbed the dagger he tossed aside and raised his arm and ran it through the man's neck, he did not have the strength to cut deep so the man was left on the floor slowly dying.
"Poor thing, I didn't know you were so cruel." Said Bora trying to annoy him.
"Yea, poor thing. Let's end his suffering." Baran went in for the kill.
With the help of a spell Baran separated the man's head from his body, instantly killing him. Oliver just stood there looking traumatized by the sight. The twins tried to take his mind off this event with talking about how he was an intruder and how Ouroboros itself gave them the order so there was no way they could leave him alive. The last statement somewhat lightened his burdens. "It was what master ordered." He repeated that to himself. But still he questioned himself, he saw the God as a better boss, yet it feels the same as his last boss somehow. As they were standing looking at the man's corpse the God's familiar call echoed throughout the library. So, they just went back to the central room.
"You took your time with him." The God spoke. "No matter, your inability to kill will not hinder your job here." It added.
"Won't it be necessary for me to get rid of any intruders or thieves? So, I must learn to kill." Oliver replied, his voice shaking, he did not possess the will to raise his head and face his master. He just awaited his punishment, whether it be a beating or in the God's case, a painful curse.
"No, boy. You only need to concern yourself with finding and returning the books that are outside the library's reach. Killing is not a skill that is mandatory." The God then glanced at the twins. "Instead of you, your little friends proved themselves to be able to do so. So, I'm expecting them to do that for you if necessary."
The twins got the message loud and clear and nodded nervously.
"Good! Now, you may stay till sunrise. I'm afraid that Wielguard's environment at night will be much harder to deal with that in the day." Then the God turned its head towards the ceiling. "I sense some big changes happening around Arcachia, make sure you are ready for anything that may happen. I would hate to lose my best worker."
Oliver still did not raise his head because of the shame he felt, Ouroboros took this as a "Yes" and returned to its place. After the God left Bora and Baran took the time to apologise to him. They tried to get his mind out of that event by trying to get him to think about the Wielguard adventure, Oliver though showed no interest it felt nice that the twins cared about him.
They spent time on reading more than usual that night, since they would be out for possibly months if things doesn't go as planned. They read about the various kingdoms and Gods that are being worshipped around the continent. And since they are going to Wielguard they tried to dig up some information about the place and the God they worship.
Old records in the library suggest that Wielgurad, as the twins said, was a land of opportunity. As the domain of the God of war Volcana, the ones that live there are naturally strong and resilient. And another shocking twist for Oliver was how Volcana would give their blessings so frequently in the past. That's what it made it the land of opportunity.
"The land that hates magic and sees it as a weakness sure had a lot of magic helping it grow in the past." Oliver commented. "Though I heard about an enchanted weapons black market has taken Wielguard by a storm in my old days in the Heron gang." He added.
"Do you think we can snatch some strong equipment from them to make our job easier?" Bora jumped excitedly.
Oliver just gave him a shrug.
As they kept reading, they found a page that talks about a black tower in the middle of the kingdom. "The Black Tower" What a creative name Oliver and Baran joked. The tower was where the strongest in the continent lived, which made no sense for Oliver and the twins.
"You sure this text is accurate or unbiased?" Baran asked.
"If it's here then it can't be either of those." Bora replied with an angry tone.
Oliver just ignored them and kept reading.
Only those who were blessed by Volcana would be allowed in the towers peak and join with the strongest. After reading the text closer Oliver noticed that the reason Volcana gave out so many blessings were because they were preparing for something. He was able to notice this detail because when he was still in the gang his boss would send him and others to find and recruit new and strong looking members before engaging with other strong gangs. But the question was what they were preparing for, and what happened to Wielguard to take such a drastic turn.
"Hey. I'm going to master for some questions, are you done arguing?" He said to the twins.
"Yea…" Bora replied with a snappy tone. And Baran just nodded.
"Good, now can you find me some books that has more information about the Gods?" He asked.
The twins nodded and left.
Oliver got up and made his way to the central room where Ouroboros resides. Even though the thieves are long gone, some parts of the library still did not return to their normal speed. On his way Oliver even saw a few shelves that fell over. He set some shelves upright again on his way but didn't bother to lift every one of them since the Book Keepers will do that instead of him. He arrived at the central room; there he saw Ouroboros doing some sort of divination. The ceiling window was covered with starlike shapes, they spun around revealing what seemed like words to the God. Then it spoke:
"What brings you here?" The God asked.
"I was reading the Wielguard chapter in the "Continental Codex" and noticed something, so I wanted to ask for some guidance." Oliver replied in a soft tone.
"Ask away, as the God of wisdom I have the answers you seek."
Oliver cleared his throat; he was nervous, and the God could tell that as well.
"After reading that chapter I had the feeling that Wielguard was preparing for something, something big. And I was curious if you can tell me more about it…" Oliver was practically sinking into himself. He never asked questions back in the gang, and when he did, he would be in trouble. He didn't know how the God would respond.
"Just like I said before, a lot of big changes are about to take place around Arcachia. And as for your question, you need not know, at least not yet." The God responded. "All you have to concern yourself with right now is to get my book, I'll reward you if you succeed." It added.
"As you wish." Oliver responded. He bowed his head then went back to find the twins.
He was relieved, he wasn't told off or snapped at for asking questions. But still he had some suspicions about this God, the big changes that he talked about made him worried. What will happen to Arcachia? Or what will happen to him when it happened. He walked down the halls, thinking about everything. Then he got hit on the back of his head with a book.
"You seem to be out of focus!" Bora loudly exclaimed.
"We found the book you wanted." Baran added.
"Nice. Though please be gentler next time." Oliver responded with a grin.
He was enjoying his time here with those two, so as long as they are with him, he thought he didn't need to overthink that much. He took the book from the ground and with the twins went to their usual spot. They went over the book quickly trying to figure out a general plan for their mission. They came up with an optimal route to Wielguard. By passing trough Steel Forest they would arrive at the outskirts, and from there going towards the capital was easy.
"Steel Forest…" Baran spoke in a daze. "I feel like I know that place. But can't really remember anything." He added.
"You'll probably remember something if you see it." Bora replied, Oliver just nodded in agreement.
They kept reading and chatting trough the remaining moonlight. The familiar rumbling of the shelves signalled the suns approach. They got on their feet and moved towards the exit to mark the start of their mission.