It was finally time to see what this library had in store for me.
...
As soon as I figure out how to fit through the door...
I keep trying to squeeze through for over a minute before I finally get myself unstuck from the doorway and tumble forward onto the floor.
And that's when I realize the inside is so much bigger than how it looked on the outside, still it's kind of underwhelming for something that was supposed to be so grand. Maybe there really isn't much to write about here?
The whole bigger on the inside part still doesn't even make sense and is in every sense of the word trippy as all hell.
Well, I suppose I AM in hell?
Shiba got in way faster than me because he could just walk right in.
He's already going around touching things and looking through every single book.
I finally stop him and question what he could possibly be expecting this place to have .
"What are you looking for? A map shouldn't be the hardest thing to find in here, there's probably lots of them."
"There have to be secrets in here somewhere! I don't want to be a burden, but I was so useless that I couldn't even do anything!" Shiba complains, scanning through every single book as if one of them would contain the secrets of magic.
"What are you talking about? That guy could feel the arrows coming before they even reached him, there was no way for you to do anything. You don't have to do everything, you'll have your chance to help eventually." I consoled quickly. What a useless thing to worry about right now, he shouldn't even be coming with me in the first place, no one said he had to join me in battle.
Well, whatever, I just went back to searching and left him there looking sad or in awe of my words or something.
It doesn't take too long to find a map since they're typically one of the first things any decent library would have on display. Particularly it's probably the only interesting thing this place has to offer that I care about.
It'd be a waste to just leave without trying to learn anything else, but I don't have time to go through all of it.
There's just too much here to sort through, even if it wouldn't be very much if I had the time.
Actually, why can I read at all? Or even communicate here?
I didn't even question why I could understand everything despite being in a completely different world.
It's not like before when I had genetic memories to learn from. The languages here shouldn't even be in the genetic memories of the other world.
I was done worrying about useless things and about to get ready to leave, when-
"Hey, come look over here! There's a stairway leading down. If there's anything good in here it has to be down there!" Shiba calls excitedly.
The stairway he mentions is located in probably the most secluded and hidden away part of the building.
Indeed, the useful things are usually at the end of the creepy hidden tunnel.
I decide to let my curiosity drag me into it, hoping I won't regret this soon.
The well decorated interior turns into simple, unlit stone walls.
Once again, I can barely get through because of the size, at least the library up to this point was spacious enough that I could move.
As we went further in, the narrow hallway finally opened up to a larger chamber.
As I looked around I could see cages filled with unfamiliar beasts, all but drained of their will to resist.
I got close to one of the cages to get a closer look and an eager pair of teeth tried to take my nose off.
I screech and jump back, almost squishing Shiba in the process.
"Oops. That was scary, sorry."
"Are all the dragons where you come from so easy to scare?" He jabbed.
I don't know how to refute it so I just look away and ignore it.
On the other side of the room there was an ominously glowing array of cylindrical cases with glowing orbs floating around inside.
None of this looks like it should be touched.
Then there's the translucent wall in front of us. It looks like a barrier I could make.
The inside looks way bigger than should be possible as well.
I want to just leave it alone and not get into trouble, but Shiba wants to explore it, so I reluctantly give in and shatter the wall with a relatively light swipe of a claw.
It clearly wasn't a very sturdy wall.
The interior looks like an arena, and that it fits is impressive, but I'm not sure how the barrier around it is being maintained if there's no one around to be casting it.
Something tells me that's what all that stuff back there was for.
The sound of clashing and screams grows louder with each step, further reinforcing the notion that this is a bad idea.
And when we finally reach the place where all the commotion is happening, there's a very tired looking woman in a red cloak facing off against an entire horde of weak but numerous enemies.
She seems to be creating blades out of thin air to fight the enemies trying to gang up on her.
She's doing so well I'm not even sure if I should help or not. Maybe I shouldn't even consider helping?
By the time I was finally decided to do something, she already defeated all of them and looks over at us.
"Damn it, now this thing is making me fight dragons too?"
"What? I don't want to fight, though." I correct hurriedly, I don't want to get on the bad side of another bothersome foe already.
"Huh? You talked? None of the illusions in this prison are supposed to be able to talk..." She mutters.
"Oh, so this is supposed to be a prison? It was easy to get into for a prison."
The woman in front of me seems to be contemplating something beyond my ability to think before responding.
"If you got in here... then..! I can finally show Azgaroth what it feels like to be stabbed in the back!" She cackles and seems to be ignoring us now.
"Well, sorry to interrupt, but Azgaroth is already dead." I informed the evilly monologuing woman.
"And then after I-- Say what now? Already?! Agh! All of the torture methods I came up with are useless now!" She groans and finally freezes in place, "Wait, what's with the red scales? No dragon in this world has anything but black to purple scales. Does that mean-?"
Wow, she's sharp too.
"Yes, yes, I'm not from this world. I don't think I need to explain it if you already know."
"You must have defeated Azgaroth, yet you don't seem to have gained his authority. Were you foolish enough not to kill him before he could transfer it away?" She scorns.
"You say that like he was supposed to be easy to beat! How do you think I got this scar?!" I snort irritably.
"He was at his weakest in your world. If you had to fight him here you wouldn't even have a chance." She scoffs at my remark.
"I still have to beat who he gave his power to, so don't tell me I don't have a chance. If there's no chance then I'll just have to make my own chances!" I state confidently.
I don't have any choice in the matter, I have to!
"Grimnal is the only one Azgaroth would have given his power to. You wouldn't have a chance if you had to face Azgaroth here, but Grimnal is a piece of cake 'cuz he's just a simple brute that doesn't know how to make use of the authority he was given. You're going to have a harder time getting through the people he commands." She says.
"What are you going to do now that you're free?" I asked.
"The whole reason I was put here in the first place is that I opposed Azgaroth's plan to invade the world you came from. No one living here had anything to gain from it. Azgaroth only used mindless beasts in his attempt, but Grimnal would draft a true army. If I don't do anything then this world is going to be dragged into a pointless war over nothing." She explains.
That sounds great! Not the war part, but having an another ally that looks useful.
I don't want to say this out loud but... Shiba honestly doesn't seem too useful.
"Then, are we going to share names yet?" I add, "My name is Lava, and this little adventurer with the bow is Shiba."
"Mine is Elestra." Elestra introduces herself.
I was ready to hurry up and start dashing straight for Grimnal, but Elestra is already asking things like what role Shiba has and how I fight.
How do I even answer that? I don't even know how I fight, I just kind of react and things just seem to work out.
I can't remember the last time I had a plan that I didn't come up with on the spot.
Elestra is shocked from hearing that information on top of the journey up to now.
"No, no way. You aren't going back out there like THIS." She shouts, gesturing to both of us. "A dragon that can't even spit out a hot flame and a Lupri that can't do anything if his first shot fails?"
I just shrug and own up to it since that's the situation.
"I'll make it work. I have to make it work. If I weaken his powers with my-"
"Attack me." Elestra interrupts.
"What?" I mutter and freeze in place.
"I said, attack me! So you've managed to beat a couple enemies through sheer luck and determination, so what?! I will show you how careless that hope is and what you should do about it!" She incites with excruciating proficiency.
I really don't want to, but it's too hard to just ignore that.
My breath isn't really a fatal attack anymore, so I suppose it'll be fine if I use that.
So, just as she wishes, I shoot my flames at her, watching the purple plume of fire envelop her completely.
"Ah! You got her!" Shiba watches excitedly. This must be like a movie for him. But he just HAD to say the one thing he shouldn't have said!
"As expected, is that the only attack you have?" Her voice escapes the flames just before being forcibly blowing them away as she swings her arm to the side.
"I have the standard claws and teeth, but I just have defensive barriers when it comes to magic here." I admit.
"Who told you that they have to be used as shields? You can just as easily make a blade out of a barrier just by imagining it being sharp. Or even launch them, like this." She informs and demonstrates herself making a barrier in the shape of a spike and launching it into a wall with a swipe.
"You can make barriers too?" I observe curiously.
"It's not like it's an uncommon ability. But my own ability lets me control magic directly, so I could probably use any power I understood well enough. It lets me do many different things but it's always weaker than anyone with a dedicated ability for it." She clarifies.
"That's interesting, I guess."
"Oh, and gestures are important. They reinforce how you're thinking of using your power, so whatever you're doing is typically stronger if you're gesturing for it too." Elestra adds.
Good to know.
I've spent way too long here, it's time to get out of here. Thane and the shorty girl already had a head start.
I can practice with my powers on the way.
---
"We're sorry, my lord. The dragon managed to defeat us." Thane reports nervously before the giant demonic beast they know as Grimnal.
"You fail at your mission and then dare to come back here? Fine, be worthless! But praise your luck that Senna already has another plan to cover for your failures, or I would have destroyed you where you stand!" Grimnal yells furiously at their failure.
---
"Liora! Where have you gone to! It's time to fulfill our obligation to our lord!"
"Let someone else do it! I don't want to!" A female voice complains distressfully.
"Don't forget our purpose, do you want to shame your entire race?!"
"No..."