Divine Apostasy Book 12 - Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Ruwen led the party through the twisted canyons of the Kinslick stacks, following Survey's guidance toward the lower archives. The library's oppressive atmosphere pressed against them, its ancient magic woven into every stone. The giant-sized books disappeared as they entered a new area. Pillars the thickness of a city block were spaced evenly as far as he could see. Books, scrolls, and manuscripts covered the columns. The ceiling wasn’t visible, and books circled above them like scavenger birds.
The pressure inside Ruwen’s mind had increased as Rami continually pushed the boundaries of her Superior Telescopic Touch, absorbing tens of thousands of books every second.

"There’s a hidden stairwell to the lower floors past the plaza," Numarrow said.

Rami walked beside Lyra, occasionally glancing at the Red Librarian's bracelet. Through their bond, Ruwen felt her curiosity burning like a steady flame. The bracelet Lyra had named Navi, continued to pulse with the Zealot’s familiar Soul energy.

Movement ahead, Lylan announced in Chat.

Ruwen extended his Mental Domain, fighting against the library's suppression. The resistance had transitioned from a blanket to focused attention. Something certainly watched them.

Overlord? Ruwen asked.

The library’s interference is increasing, Overlord replied. The scouts don’t detect anything but I’m guessing the library is trying to hide something.

They halted where the pillars opened into a stone plaza ringed by waist-high crystals. Each crystal held a slow swirl of letters and diagrams inside its clear structure. The stone surface of the plaza contained cuts and pits, like old spell damage never fully healed.

Sift studied the empty space. “Feels like a fight.”

Kysandra spoke in Chat. Something’s under the plaza and it doesn’t have a heartbeat.

Ruwen placed a palm on the nearest crystal and used Harmony to see the results. Threads of energy ran into the ground like roots.

“Numarrow?” Ruwen asked.

The undead Ink Lord stepped forward, lips moving as if reading unseen pages. “Catalog node,” he said. “Data marshaling point. If destabilized, it vents compiled constructs.” He glanced at Ruwen. “We should avoid destabilizing them.”

“Don’t break the big crystals,” Ruwen repeated. “Got it.”

Sift tapped the nearest crystal with a knuckle. “Define big.”

Lylan slapped Sift’s hand away from the crystal. “Stop touching everything.”

Rami stood to Ruwen’s right, her human form small compared to the ocean of information Harmony revealed. She stood at the bottom of a massive vortex. He knew all that knowledge was being funneled into his mind. He could feel the pressure of it.

Ruwen kept his Divine Domain wrapped around everyone nearby and pushed his Mind Domain further out, trying to find what made him so uneasy.

A vibration climbed through Ruwen’s boots. Letters inside the crystals twisted into spirals, then strings, then tight columns that bent toward the center of the plaza. The floor bulged and cracked a hundred feet in front of them, and a blue-white shard slowly emerged. It unfolded into a twenty-foot tall, faceted human-like figure. Runes darted under its skin like trapped fish.

“Data Curator,” Tremine said.

Ruwen focused Harmony on the creature as Rami pushed the creature’s details into Chat.

Target: Data Curator
Description: A faceted, rune-reinforced construct that enforces catalog integrity. Can manifest tangible illusions extracted from intruders’ memories. Operates near catalog nodes or knowledge plazas.
Effect (Passive): Archive Mirror - Catalog techniques and spells from intruder interactions and memories.
Effect (Passive): Node Link – Increased regeneration while near catalog nodes or knowledge plazas.
Effect (Triggered): Adaptive Index - Manifest tangible illusions based on catalog inputs.
Effect (Triggered): Rune Leech - Generate leeches that extract and copy memories.
Effect (Triggered): Foot Note – Area of effect slow. Twice as effective when triggered from a knowledge plaza.
Strengths: Pattern countering, rapid adaptation, high physical durability, node-anchored regeneration.
Weaknesses: Disorder, chaos, lightning.

The Curator raised one hand and flexed its fingers. Runes brightened along its arm like a fuse lighting, and Ruwen’s skin prickled.

Incoming, Rami warned in Chat.

A ripple surged silently outward from the plaza and Ruwen’s legs turned heavy mid-step.

“Foot Note,” Tremine muttered.

The Curator’s faceted face tilted, as if listening carefully. Images formed above its palms—Ruwen moving through the Bamboo Viper forms while hovering in mid-air over a deep canyon, Echo as the Aspect of Death swinging her scythe in a low sweep, Hamma with her staff raised as a powerful Smite gathered around her.

“Hey,” Sift said, “those are my memories.”

“That’s why we don’t touch things,” Lylan scolded.

The Foot Note’s effect was formed from three simple chords braided together and Ruwen sliced them apart with a sharp tone.

Ruwen spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “Simple attacks. It can replicate what it learns. No patterns. No repeats. Keep it chaotic.”

Since the Curator had already taken Echo’s Death form from Sift’s memories, she summoned her aspect. She swung her scythe in a small arc and a shallow wound appeared on the Curator’s wrist.

No blood appeared, but the runes under the skin dimmed and pulsed in distress. The Curator raised a mirror-scythe and swung it at Sift who had launched himself forward with a Soul powered leap.

Sift blurred left easily dodging the Curator’s attack. He kicked the creature’s ankle, feinted high but dropped low instead, striking its knee with the heel of his hand. The Curator lost its balance from the expertly placed attacks and stumbled backward trying to stay on its feet.

Una took advantage of the opening and multiple blood spears struck the creature. One in each armpit and another in the throat.

The Curator opened its mouth and screamed. Instead of sound, smaller creatures sprayed outward. Wet, black, thumb-sized leeches made of runes crawled toward the group.

The leeches replicated Sift’s Soul powered leap and Ruwen stepped backward as five leeches landed where he’d just stood.

Ruwen stomped the closest leech, and it exploded. Only a smear of red-black script remained, and it soaked into the plaza’s stone. Two more leeches launched themselves at his shins and it caught them both mid-air with a kick.

“Don’t let them touch your head,” Hamma said.

Hamma slammed her staff into the ground and a Smite spread outward in a circle. The leeches turned white for a moment before they exploded, cooked to a crisp from the consecrated lightning.

Another wave from Foot Note struck the group. It didn’t affect Ruwen much but the non-deities in the party all slowed noticeably.

“The plaza is boosting it,” Lyra said.

Kysandra disappeared through her shadow and into the Destruction Realm.

The Curator rotated both hands. A replica of Hamma’s Smite energy gathered around its palms. With a flick of both hands, it created the phantom spears Una had launched at it. A dozen spears struck the plaza’s stone surface, all sticking upright and burning with Smite energy.

Ruwen guessed the intent and dropped into the Shadow Realm. He located Ky directly under the Data Curator and Willed himself to her side.

Ruwen’s sudden appearance surprised Ky and he signaled her in Shade Speak. Trap.

Ky burst forward straight into Ruwen, wrenching them both away.

The Data Curator dropped through its shadow, falling onto the location they’d just stood. It looked around, and Ruwen guessed it was confused.

“You shouldn’t have come down here,” Ruwen said and slammed the creature with a fist of pure Willpower.

Half the Data Curator’s body disappeared in a spray of runes, leeches, and blue energy. It leapt upward, returning to the Material Realm.

The Smite trap the Curator had placed earlier remained and Ruwen used Hamma’s shadow to exit the Destruction Realm.

Two mirror-Ruwens appeared and attacked Sift, who’d moved closer to attack the injured Curator. The fight turned into a blur of body movements, but the replicas didn’t possess the same skill level and Sift held them both off.

Bliz turned a thirty-foot section of stone into glass which he promptly smashed into the Data Curator. It almost appeared confused by the useless attack until red Crazor light began bouncing between all the mirrored surfaces, striking the Curator from dozens of directions simultaneously.

A mirror version of Ruwen appeared and tried to slam a shoulder into his chest. He twisted to the side, letting the attack pass him. He drove a knee up and through its ribs and it exploded into particles of light. Another version of himself replaced the first, and it copied his knee attack.

Ruwen took the kick on his hip, using the force to propel himself away. He twisted in mid-flight, landing a kick to the attacker’s neck, dropping it instantly.

The Curator recorded, learned, and the two attackers that arrived next moved a little better.

A headless pirate ran toward Ruwen. It held its head under its arm and waved a rusty rapier with the other.

“Headless Pete?” Ruwen muttered as he leaned away from the rapier attacks.

“It’s replicating stray thoughts,” Rami yelled. “Stay focused on the fight.”

Ruwen had never seen Headless Pete, so this couldn’t be his memory.

The plaza darkened as something massive formed above them.

Ruwen looked up and cursed.

Eyes, the size of wagon wheels, glared balefully down at Ruwen. Membrane-like wings snapped to its body as it propelled itself downward. Its smashed bat face had a large mouth and far more teeth than he remembered. The wind rippled across the sleek leopard body and claws the size of his arm ripped at the air in preparation to do the same to his body.

“Sift!” Ruwen screamed. “What’s wrong with you! It wasn’t nearly that big!”

Diving toward them was an ugly flying cat.