Chapter 18
Lobby Again
"Dammit! Tokiya let's go!"
Berserker grabbed Tokiya by the arm and ran down the aisle in the opposite direction of the worm. The Librarian stood in his place with his head down. The pace of the worm quickened as it chased the two trespassers. However, the Librarian didn't move. Instead, he stood there as the worm rammed through his body, biting him in half.
Tokiya still hadn't been desensitized to gore. But this visceral display was different. Watching someone you were just getting to know get split in half was far different from watching the gruesome death of a cultist or wolf.
As the worm followed them down the path, it collided with the shelves, causing books to fall and making a mess of the library. Berserker kept running, not looking back. Tokiya was close behind him, but for a worm, their pursuer was surprisingly fast. In their tired and weakened states, a battle of speed would definitely end in Tokiya and Berserker's defeat.
At the end of the aisle was a t-intersection. Berserker shouted.
"We're turning right!"
Tokiya nodded. As soon as Berserker began to turn right, his eyes widened. Coming down the aisle was another giant worm with just as hungry and savage jaws as the one behind them. Berserker quickly pivoted, yanking Tokiya by the collar and pulling him with him.
Just then, the worm that killed the Librarian rammed into the shelf that formed the head of the t-intersection. It tore through the shelf, blocking the path of the other worm. Berserker scoffed.
"I guess they're not too good with turns."
There was a slight sense of relief that the two knew wouldn't last long, and they were right. The second worm tore through the one blocking its path. Tokiya sucked his teeth.
"These things are savage! They're almost mindless."
Tokiya began thinking.
"We've already fought a mindless creature, the Gate Keeper. Because of its lack of intelligence, it had glaring weaknesses that allowed us to beat it. That had to be the case for the worms too. We already know it can't turn very well, but that's not enough."
Berserker continued to lead Tokiya.
"Just keep running."
"You really think we can outrun this thing?"
"Just keep going until I think of a plan!"
"Any plan you come up with will lead to death! I'll think of something."
Tokiya wanted to experiment with the limits of the worms, but unlike the open space of the lobby, the passages of the library didn't allow for that. On top of that, the worm behind them had gained significant distance and was only a couple feet away from tearing them apart.
Berserker put his hand out behind him.
"Tokiya, grab on!"
Tokiya grasped Berserker's arm with both hands. With his other hand, Berserker stabbed his sword into the shelf to their left and swung Tokiya and himself onto the sword. Berserker wound his arm back. Tokiya's eyes widened.
"W-wait, Berserker! Wait!"
Berserker flung his arm forward, forcefully throwing Tokiya towards the worm. Tokiya closed his eyes as he screamed and flew through the air. He landed on something smooth and somewhat soft, so it definitely wasn't the ground. It was also in motion. Tokiya opened his eyes to see that he was on the worm.
"Ah! Berserker?"
"I'm right behind you."
Tokiya turned around, and Berserker was indeed looming over him. He quickly stood up and tried to gain his balance on the moving worm. Berserker let out a booming laugh.
"What exactly were you saying about my plan? Haha!"
Tokiya averted his eyes.
"Whatever, good job. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Tokiya looked down.
"I thought I was going to be the one to come up with a plan. I was supposed to be the brain, and Berserker was supposed to be the brawn. How could I be such an idiot? Berserker is an ex-Imperial Knight! Of course, his combat intelligence surpasses mine. Everything that happened in the lobby was luck. I'll just let Berserker handle this."
Berserker's hand crashed onto Tokiya's head.
"Don't space out, Tokiya."
"R-right."
The worm stopped moving. The two turned around and could see the creature lifting its head off the ground. The worm tried to turn around but couldn't. Berserker scoffed.
"Idiot. Let me put you out of your misery!"
Berserker plunged his sword deep into the worm. Eventually the head of the worm stopped wriggling. The two walked until they reached the worm's snake like end and were able to return to the ground. Berserker slumped onto the floor and sighed.
"I need a break, like a long one."
Tokiya stared down at him. Berserker was covered in bruises and dried blood, and most of his clothes were torn. Tokiya sat up against the bookshelf opposite to Berserker.
"I thought Mors was bad, but this is one hundred times worse."
Berserker laughed.
"This isn't like anything I faced with the Imperial Knights. Who knew a farmer could cause so much trouble? What's your deal with the cult anyways?"
Tokiya sighed.
"I wish I knew. Karasu, the lady outside, said the answers to my dilemma are in Ardston, so that's why we're headed there."
"She seems like the cryptic type."
Tokiya giggled.
"She is. You know, I'm surprised you're just asking about all of this stuff. It seems like information you'd want to know before you take on a job."
Berserker looked up at the ceiling.
"I already told you why I want to be your bodyguard. You're weak, but your resolve to become strong reminds me of myself so much. However, in a quest to become strong, it's so easy to lose control and go berserk. So, I chose to protect you not only from the cult, but from the berserker that exists in everyone like us. The answers to those other questions weren't needed."
Tokiya didn't know how to respond to that. He couldn't imagine himself going mad and losing control. Tokiya smiled.
"Thanks, Berserker."
A shocked expression crossed Berserker's face.
"I'm just doing my job."
Tokiya chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah."
He looked down and saw a large purple book with the words "The Bible" on the front. He thought about what the Librarian said about purple books.
"Wanna hear a story? I've never heard of this one before."
"Haha, sure, neither have I."
Tokiya opened the book to the first page.
"Let's see. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
Berserker's eyes widened.
"Tokiya, watch out!"
Berserker lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Tokiya. Suddenly a giant worm burst through the shelf that Berserker was sitting against. Books and debris flew everywhere. Tokiya regained his vision and got a clear image of the worm that just appeared. It was much bigger than the other worms, and unlike the other worms that had rows of small teeth, this worm had rows of large, sharp fangs.
Without needing any directions, Tokiya immediately started running down the aisle and Berserker followed.
"Berserker! Where's your sword?"
Berserker frowned as they continued running.
"I left it back there. There was no time to grab it. I'm more concerned about that worm. The others were babies compared to this."
This worm wasn't just bigger. It was faster too, and without Berserker's sword, the two were out of acrobatic tricks they could use. Tokiya spoke with a tired breath.
"If we keep going this way, we'll end up back at the t-intersection again. I remember from last time that these worms aren't very good with turns."
"Ok, let's do it!"
Right when the two were about to be swallowed by the worm, they arrived at the t-intersection and swiftly turned down the aisle where the Librarian had died. Strangely, his body was no longer there, but that was the least of their worries. The worm that was behind them had no trouble turning down the aisle they had just entered. To make matters worse, coming down the same aisle in the opposite direction was a smaller but still frightening worm.
The two froze in their tracks. They were blocked in all four directions. However, Berserker was ready to prove again that to an ex-Imperial Knight, environmental limitations meant nothing. He grabbed Tokiya by the collar and punched through the bookshelf on his left with enhancement magic.
Berserker dragged Tokiya through the hole he created, and they ended up in the aisle over. Berserker knew it wouldn't end there, so he ran to the next shelf and punched through it too. To Tokiya's surprise, the larger worm crashed through the shelves and followed them.
"Is there anything this worm can't-"
Because Berserker was still dragging Tokiya by the collar, every time he punched a shelf, debris would hit Tokiya in the face.
"Ow!"
"Shut up and deal with it."
Berserker's eyes widened. They were now in a small clearing and in the center was a flight of stairs leading to the next floor. Berserker bolted over to the stairs and climbed them as quickly as possible. Tokiya's head banged against the railing several times.
"Ow, ow, ow! You're more of a threat than the worms!"
Once they made it to the floor above, Berserker immediately dropped Tokiya. This floor wasn't different from the first or second, just more books and towering shelves. Berserker stretched.
"We made it to the third floor."
He frowned and his posture slumped.
"Four more to go."
Suddenly, the ground next to the burst, and the giant worm that was following them slithered its way onto the third floor. It seemed like no matter what they did this worm was more determined than any other to kill them. Berserker tried to pull Tokiya, but he could barely move his body. He had reached his limit. The worm lunged at them.
POOF
The worm vanished. Tokiya looked around. The stairs were gone, and they were no longer in the small clearing. Instead, they were once again in one of the identical aisles of bookshelves. Berserker slammed into one of the shelves and slid onto the floor.
"What the hell just happened?"
Tokiya continued to look around, but everything just looked the same.
"Are we back in the aisle from before?"
Tokiya looked around for the Bible book to confirm his suspicion, but it was nowhere to be found. In fact, there were no books on the floor, so this couldn't have been the same aisle. Tokiya returned his gaze to Berserker.
"This could be one of the library resets that the Librarian mentioned."
"There's no way. We haven't been here for twelve hours."
Tokiya rubbed his forehead. He was getting tired. Very tired.
"Not everything revolves around us. It's probably just a constant timer that always runs no matter who's in it."
The sound of hands clapping could be heard, and the two men swiftly turned their heads in the direction of the sound. Coming down the aisle and clapping his hands was the Librarian. Tokiya quickly stood up but instantly regretted it.
"Librarian!"
"Hello, Tokiya. It took me a while to find you again. You're right about the library reset. But don't worry. Your progress hasn't been reset. You're still on the third floor. It's just been rearranged."
Tokiya gawked, for he felt the Librarian was skipping over one glaring detail.
"H-how are you still alive?"
The Librarian adjusted his monocle.
"Like I've said before, I am a function of this regalia. If the regalia is alive then so am I. It really is that simple."
"You keep saying that."
Tokiya and the Librarian turned to Berserker, who was slowly rising from the floor. His expression was dark. Tokiya put his hands out.
"Berserker, stay down. You need to rest before we move again."
"Move, Tokiya."
Despite his state, Berserker slowly staggered over to the Librarian.
"You keep calling yourself a function of the regalia, but you know damn well you could've helped us back there!"
"You should listen to your friend, Brute. The trip to the seventh floor is going to be-"
Berserker socked the Librarian in the face, sending him straight into one of the shelves. The Librarian held his head in his hands. Berserker fumed with rage.
"Did you feel that, huh? Did you feel that?"
"Ow, of course I felt that!"
"You felt that! You! Not the Gate Keeper, not the worms, not the regalia. You felt that! So, don't tell me that you're just a function of the regalia when you can move for yourself, speak for yourself, and feel for yourself. I heard the way you spoke when you told us your name. You don't like being called Librarian, do you? You want to have something that's yours and not associated with this stupid regalia! If you want it so bad, then do something about it!"
The Librarian scowled, showing any strong emotion for the first time.
"You don't understand anything, but how could I expect you to when you think with your fists more than your brain. You think I let those worms chase you because of some sort of fear, but you're wrong. I don't have a choice."
"Do you need me to punch you again to remind you that you do."
Tokiya warily put his hands out.
"Berserker, keep your voice down. The worms will hear you."
Berserker took a deep breath, and the Librarian adjusted his monocle with one hand and rubbed the cheek where Berserker hit him with the other.
"I do not have a choice. Just like with any regalia this one has an owner. Regalia are different from other forms of spirits because they cannot regenerate mana on their own, so they rely on their owner to do so. Because regalia are infused with the mana of their owner, the owner can use that to force regalia to do things against their will. So, I'll say it again. I do not have a choice because I am a function of this regalia, and that's all I'll ever be."
Berserker stumbled over his thoughts. This new piece of information changed everything.
"So, you're doing stuff completely against your will?"
The Librarian nodded.
"The whole regalia is. Who do you think it was that closed the library because it certainly wasn't me or even Ajax."
Tokiya sucked his teeth.
"It was Ubi."
Berserker sighed. He slid against a bookshelf until he was sitting on the floor. He patted the ground next to him, clearly motioning for the Librarian to sit down next to him. Fearing another punch, the Librarian complied. Tokiya figured he wasn't invited, so he sat on the opposite bookshelf and began reading a book about pianos. Berserker looked at the floor.
"I know how much it sucks to not be in control of your own life. I felt it when I was put on trial, and my life was in the hands of people who didn't know the whole story. I felt it every day I spent in jail. I even sometimes feel it on the battlefield when I stop fighting and just start swinging my sword."
Berserker looked up to see Tokiya reading.
"Hey, Tokiya! Pay attention. This applies to you too."
At Berserker's commanding voice, Tokiya quickly closed the book and gave Berserker his undivided attention. Berserker continued.
"No one can control everything in their life. That's something I had to learn. However, it seems like you two have it the worst. One's being hunted by a cult and the other is a "function of a regalia." Our lives suck, don't they?"
The Librarian raised an eyebrow.
"I highly doubt that's the moral you wanted to get across."
Berserker chuckled.
"You're right. It's not."
There was a brief pause before he continued speaking.
"There are always going to be things you can't control in life, but you can't let those things replace you in your own life."
Berserker turned to the Librarian.
"No matter what that cultist forces you to do, he can never force who you are. So, don't you ever call yourself just a mere function of the regalia again. What's your name?"
The Librarian nervously adjusted his monocle.
"U-um, the Librarian?"
"Change it."
"U-uhhhhh, I don't know."
Berserker shrugged.
"We'll work on it."
Tokiya spoke up.
"Where's my specialized pep talk?"
Berserker began to stand.
"I'm not really in the mood anymore, but the moral is the same for the both of you. Now, let's get moving. The seventh floor is calling our names."
Tokiya and the Librarian stood up, and all three of them began walking. However, Tokiya couldn't just forget about what Berserker said.
"Being replaced in my own life, huh? Is that really the case?"
The Librarian spoke.
"The library is still closed, so the worms will still come after you. The resets always disorient them, but they'll be back for sure."
Berserker, who was using the bookshelves as support, spoke sarcastically.
"Well, that's reassuring."
Tokiya remembered a question he desperately wanted an answer to.
"Oh yeah, Librarian. There's something I wanted to ask you about. When we were being chased, there was one worm that was bigger and faster than the rest. What's the deal with that?"
"You must be talking about the Boss. Just like with any colony, this one has a leader, the Boss. Normally, the worms lack the mobility and reflexes to turn and the strength to burst through shelves, but for the Boss, that's no problem."
Tokiya sighed.
"This place feels less like a library and more like a death trap."
The Librarian adjusted his monocle.
"All the knowledge in the world must be well protected."
The three continued walking through the labyrinth in peaceful silence. After Berserker's inspiring speech, the group felt more connected. This was something the Librarian had never experienced before.
"When you guys leave here, don't forget me."
There was silence after that comment. Tokiya didn't know what to say, so he left the task of responding up to Berserker. Berserker ended up not responding. The Librarian scoffed.
"Whatever."
They continued walking until the inevitable happened. At the end of the aisle they were walking down was a cross intersection. Slithering down the aisle perpendicular to theirs was a worm. Berserker and Tokiya instinctively froze, but the Librarian continued walking. He walked up to the worm and touched it, causing it to disappear.
"It's easy to take care of them when you take them by surprise."
Tokiya and Berserker walked to the middle of the cross intersection. The Librarian looked down at his hand.
"The owner is dead."
Tokiya gasped.
"Ubi died just now?"
The Librarian shook his head.
"Not just now, but there's no doubt that he's dead now."
Berserker raised his eyebrows.
"That purple lady is the real deal."
Tokiya clenched his fists with positive determination.
"Karasu took care of Ubi, so I owe it to her to get out of here alive."
Berserker swiftly turned around and reached for his sword that wasn't there. Tokiya could feel it too. The ground was shaking and the sound of pure destruction was coming straight towards them. Berserker turned around.
"Run, dammit! Run!"
The three men immediately began running as fast as they could in the opposite direction of the noise. The Boss crashed through the bookshelves, charging straight at them. Tokiya and the Librarian had no trouble running, but Berserker stood no chance. The Librarian tensed up.
"Berserker, Tokiya, now that the cultist is dead, I should be able to get rid of the Boss like I have the other worms."
Berserker scoffed through the intense pain in his legs.
"Oh, defying your dead owner's will, are we? Maybe I should invest in a career as a life coach."
"Shut up. I get the feeling you don't have your life figured out either."
Tokiya spoke up.
"Wait. If Ubi can't control you anymore, can't you just reopen the library."
The Librarian stopped in his tracks and spun towards the Boss. He stretched out his arms with brave determination.
"Sorry, but I don't have that authority. However, I do intend on using what authority I do have to get you out of here!"
The Boss lunged at the Librarian as he smirked with confidence.
"Bring it, you big worm!"
Blood flew everywhere. The eyes of both Tokiya and Berserker widened as a worm lunged from an aisle that intersected with theirs and devoured the Librarian. Berserker's face contorted with rage.
"No, dammit! No!"
Tokiya's heart sank. Not only had he watched the Librarian's body get desecrated for the second time, but they had just lost their only way of taking care of the boss and other worms.
"Tokiya, look."
Berserker was pointing down the aisle. Tokiya followed his finger and saw a clearing at the end. In the clearing were stairs, their one way out. They were stairs going down to the second floor, but they were stairs, nonetheless.
With no time to waste, Berserker and Tokiya continued down the aisle as fast as their tired bodies would allow. Luckily, the worm that killed the Librarian was in the way of the Boss, giving them just a bit of time.
The Boss tore through the smaller worm and continued charging at them. Once close enough, the two men flung themselves down the narrow spiral staircase just as the Boss rushed into the clearing. Berserker and Tokiya tumbled onto the second floor. It bugged Tokiya how they were getting further away from their goal of the seventh floor, but survival mattered above all.
Berserker tried to rise but fell to the ground. Tokiya looked at him with a concerned expression as he finally staggered to his feet.
"Tokiya, we have to find the Librarian again. It's the only way we have of survi-"
Debris fell from the ceiling as the Boss crashed into the second floor. The impact of its entrance caused the ground of the second floor to crack. Within seconds, the floor gave in. The Boss was still snapping its jaws violently trying to find its prey in the dust.
The dust soon cleared, revealing to Tokiya not only the Boss but an army of other worms ready to tear them to pieces. They were completely surrounded.
"This is bad. There are worms on all sides of us. Berserker has no weapon. Hell, he can't even move his body. And I'm just here. Dammit!"
Tokiya felt something grab his leg. It was Berserker who was on the ground looking like he had just gone through hell and back. Berserker raised his arm and formed a fist with his hand.
"Don't worry. I told you I would protect you, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. Let's break out of here."
His fist became coated in his enhancement magic. The energy surrounding his fist wavered and was much weaker than before. This was the last of Berserker's mana. Berserker slammed his fist into the floor, causing the ground beneath them to give out.
The two men fell, not knowing what awaited them. Would they escape the library? Or would they end up in an endless void? These questions swirled around in their minds for the brief moment they were airborne. Eventually, they hit a hard ground.
Tokiya looked around. They were in a medium sized room that was dimly lit compared to the library. There were cracks and craters in the old stone walls and floor. Tokiya's eyes widened. They were in the lobby again.
He looked up and saw that the worms were peering through the hole in the now, for him, ceiling.
"It's almost like they can't come in. No, it's not that. They're scared to come in."
Something appeared above Tokiya. It was floating text.
Destruction of property. Invalid access. Summoning Gate Keeper.
A dark shadow was cast over Tokiya. The large body of a very familiar cyclops loomed over him. He instinctively turned to Berserker for a solution. His eyes widened when he saw that Berserker was unconscious on the ground with his legs buried under rubble.
Unlike the other worms, the Boss was not afraid of entering the Gate Keeper's domain, so it slipped through the hole in the ceiling and crashed into the lobby. Tokiya and Berserker were wedged between the two monstrous protectors of the library.
Tokiya began shaking Berserker's motionless body.
"Come on, Berserker. I need you. You told me I should leave it up to you, and I did, so come on and wake up. What happened to you protecting me until I became strong? Let me burden you, so I can become stronger. Just protect me. Get me to the seventh floor, and I swear I'll become strong enough to kill both of these things. So, please wake up."
Tokiya began crying, and his tears dripped onto Berserker's chest. The one time he had allowed himself to burden someone with his troubles and tears ended with them unconscious, trapped under rubble.
Tokiya continued to cry until he felt a warm sensation spread through his body. It was a strange feeling. It was warm, yet somehow so cold at the same time. It was extremely wet too, and the feeling of a thick liquid continued to grow. Tokiya realized it hurt. It hurt so much that his tears turned into a river and his mind was filled with only thoughts of pain.
He looked down to his right and saw that the whole right side of his body was engulfed by the mouth of the Boss.
"AAAAAAAAAAH!"
He screamed and writhed as the Boss lifted him off the ground and into the air. His blood and tears fell simultaneously, creating a saddening concoction on the ground. As he continued to writhe, he could feel his right side separating from the rest of his body. He knew that if he continued to squirm his body would split, but he didn't care. What else was he supposed to do in such excruciating pain?
The mark of the Divine Root Blessing began to glow. Tokiya wanted to punch the Boss with everything he had, but he couldn't even think straight enough to raise his arm. The mark glowed brighter and brighter. However, nothing happened. Despite the intense blue light that illuminated from Tokiya's left arm, there was one undeniable fact that made nothing else matter.
Tokiya Hara had died.