Divine Apostasy Book 12 - Chapter 66

Divine Apostasy Book 12 - Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Instead of the usual seamless movement between locations, this transition felt like passing through layers of compressed dimensional space. Ruwen appeared in an empty room ten feet square with a single door.

Ruwen summoned his Ink Lord's Wrap of Shadow and sighed in relief when the Scarecrow Aspect disappeared and was replaced by the overlapping scrolls of his Ink Lord armor. If he’d finally made it to this Conclave and couldn’t wear his cool armor, it would’ve been very disappointing.

Name: Ink Lord's Wrap of Shadow

AC: 3,500

Quality: Legendary

Durability: 5,000 of 5,000

Effect (Passive): Know It All - Intelligence +50.

Effect (Passive): First Edition - Reduce all magical damage by 33%.

Effect (Passive): Lost and Found - If the Ink Lord is separated from the armor by more than fifty feet, it will teleport to the Ink Lord’s right wrist. Ruwen found this feature wise to have for an unexpected dangerous appearance, and it acted as a safety measure for the armor.

Effect (Passive): Dust Jacket - The armor emits an aura of distortion, providing a 10% chance for any incoming ranged attacks to miss.

Effect (Triggered): Top Shelf - Once per hour, create a staircase made from air with a max height of 200 feet and max weight of 500 lbs.

Effect (Triggered): Librarian’s Hush - Once per day, restore silence to your library by suppressing all sound in a 1,000-foot sphere for five seconds.

Effect (Triggered): Book Burning - Once per month, grant elemental immunity to all inanimate objects in a 1,000-foot sphere for thirty minutes.

Effect (Triggered): Ink Lord’s Paper Knife - Create a small temporary blade suitable for slicing open pages or unruly patrons. Blade’s composition dependent on focus. Inflicts 12 to 24 Piercing damage.

Effect (Triggered): Bookmark - Set location and, once per day, instantly return there.

Effect (Triggered): Debinder - Once per day, transform into a wraith for 10 seconds. While in wraith form, all damage is funneled harmlessly into the Destruction Realm. User cannot attack or cast spells.

Restriction: Black Pyramid Ink Lord.

Description: Small off-white scroll made from Dragon Spider Webbing and traces of Destruction Essence. The librarian can wrap and unwrap themselves with a thought, offering protection while carrying out the duties of the Black Pyramid Ink Lord. Stain-resistant inside and out for the Ink Lord’s inevitable bloody demise.

Thankfully the party interface had survived the trip and from the colored portraits on Ruwen’s display it appeared all his friends had made it as well.

Hamma? Ruwen asked in Chat, but she didn’t respond.

Ruwen tried his mental connection with Rami but it hadn’t recovered yet from the massive changes in his mind and body from gaining another form in the Destruction Realm.

The walls vibrated with strange energy that made Ruwen’s enhanced Perception tingle. The only scent was the slightly acrid smell of burnt air, like after a lightning strike. His map displayed a temperature of sixty-four degrees, and the chamber had less moisture than a desert.

Ruwen took a moment to study his Soul. It held thousands of Creation Realm creatures now, but it felt no different, and he hadn’t suffered any drawbacks. At least not yet.

The door beckoned to Ruwen, but he resisted. Instead, he extended his Perception and increased the size of his Divine Domain. He pushed his Mental Domain outward as far as he could and activated Harmonic Sight and Knowledge. With a touch of Spirit from his core Survey appeared in his vision as Stone Echo and Sixth Sense searched the surroundings. He sent a burst of Soul energy at the wall, but it only managed to create a small divot which smoked like a snuffed candle. His chakras were the most repressed as they were his weakest magic.

Ruwen sighed loudly, unsurprised to find every one of his abilities resisted by this place. He pushed harder on them but didn’t gain much for the effort. This meant two things.

First, whatever ran this place, Ruwen decided to refer to them as the Conclave Librarian, or the place itself, could counter his abilities better than the Towers at the bottom of the Destruction Realm.

Second, it meant the Conclave Libarian originated in the Outerverse. Only on the outside did abilities and technology exist that could counter all the factions and their particular magics.

Interestingly Ruwen’s Mental Domain faired the best against this Conclave Librarian, and while most of his abilities couldn’t get past the room’s walls, his Mental Domain extended into the surrounding rooms.

“Give it a try,” Ruwen said out loud.

Overlord appeared in a Minion dressed in simple cotton clothes. “This place feels weird.”

Uruziel and Sivart materialized as did the golden Guardian Prythus.

“Anything interfering with your ability to reach my mind?” Ruwen asked.

“Nope,” Overlord reported after glancing around to get everyone’s answer. “We’re good to go and here if you need us.”

They dismissed their Minions but didn’t return to Ruwen’s inner mind. Instead, he could feel them waiting in Purgatory, ready to come to his aid if needed.

Ruwen didn’t need to summon a weapon, as few things in this Universe could survive his Step mastery, and despite the suppression he felt confident he could temporarily get rid of that as well with a burst of his body’s stored Void energy. That might cause other problems, but the fact remained, in a high stakes battle, he held the ultimate trump card.

Striding to the door, Ruwen opened the unlocked wooden door.

A library that defied every notion of architecture stretched before Ruwen. It shocked him more than the Black Pyramid’s Lower Library had the first time he’d visited. The space existed in multiple dimensions simultaneously, with shelves that curved impossibly upward and inward, creating corridors that appeared to stretch without end. Ancient stone pillars, each easily three hundred feet in diameter, rose from a floor constructed of crystallized starlight.

The nearest shelves were carved from something resembling a combination of obsidian and living wood. The shelves glowed faintly from an inner light. Books of every conceivable size and material filled the spaces.

The wall beside Ruwen flickered and turned transparent, revealing books bound with dragon hide, others made entirely of light, and some that phased in and out of existence.

The Conclave Librarian spoke, its voice coming from every direction. “Ink Lord Starfield of the Black Pyramid, the Library of Alexandria has heeded your call and gathered the Ink Lords for the twelfth Conclave. The library is secure, the doors are locked, and the summoned Ink Lords await your arrival in the gallery.”

The voice was pleasant in a neutral sort of way but something about it triggered Ruwen's enhanced Intelligence, and his skin prickled with recognition. The cadence was too perfect, too measured, almost mathematical in its patterns. It reminded him of Lir's speech.

Ruwen focused inward. Lir, do you recognize that voice?

Uruziel answered. Lir is missing.

Or hiding, Overlord added.

Ruwen considered searching his mind for Lir but decided overreacting now wasn’t appropriate. He would never find Lir anyway.

The Librarian had said something else that sparked Ruwen’s memories. It had referenced this Conclave as the twelfth.

The Muse Diantheon had said something to the effect that the previous ten conclaves had resulted in terrible bloodshed. Ruwen had assumed from that context that the next Conclave would be the eleventh and even stated that to trigger the event. It appeared the Muse didn’t have the whole picture or, even more likely, had misled Ruwen on purpose to confuse or harm him in some way. Technically the Muse hadn’t said it was the eleventh Conclave, only that the previous ten had been bloody.

The librarian continued. "Failure to obey established protocols will result in suboptimal outcomes. Deviation from approved parameters can result in corrective measures."

The floor in front of Ruwen glowed, forming octagons that pulsed in sequence.

"Follow the path to reach the gallery," the Librarian said. "As the invoker, your presence is required for final instructions."

Ruwen followed the glowing path and tried to determine how the library responded to his presence. Shelves shifted out of the way, new corridors appeared, and books rearranged themselves to better display their spines.

“How do I reach my party?” Ruwen asked.

The Librarian didn’t respond.

The path turned sharply to the left where a passage had just appeared after a book twenty feet tall slid aside like a door. The short tunnel opened into a vast circular gallery. The space was enormous, with a vaulted ceiling that disappeared into dimly lit heights. Floating platforms of crystallized light slowly circled the central area like planets orbiting a star. Atop the platforms stood figures, but their forms were translucent.

Ruwen’s Perception didn’t detect anyone else in the gallery, so these were likely excellent illusions of the other Ink Lords. They wore different variations of Ink Lord armor, all constructed in a fashion to mark them as librarians. One figure appeared wrapped in chains of living text, while another's armor looked to be constructed from pressed flower petals covered in microscopic writing.

The Librarian's voice filled the space, coming from every direction at once. "Black Pyramid Ink Lord Ruwen Starfield is now marked on all maps, and his appearance is locked to current configuration for the duration of the Conclave."

A strange tingling sensation caused Ruwen’s skin to prickle. It felt like someone had run a finger lightly across his skin. In the gallery’s center a hundred-foot projection of himself appeared. It slowly rotated providing a perfect representation of his armor.

After ten seconds, the image of Ruwen dissolved into dark smoke. The smoke didn’t disappear however, instead it formed words—coalescing into solid, readable text that hung in the air. He committed the short poem to memory.

Where knowledge sleeps in crystal dreams,
And starlight bends to mortal schemes,
Seek the place where silence screams,
And find what nothing truly means.

The riddle’s words glowed brightly and cycled through different colors. Some of the frequencies were outside the normal spectrum of human vision. Which just confirmed what the forty-nine illusions surrounding him had hinted—at least some of these Ink Lords weren’t human.

The Librarian spoke again, its cadence precise. "Earn and collect as many bookmarks as possible. Ink Lord rank is based off bookmark totals and will be visible to all. A riddle has been provided containing clues to the location of the library’s Archivist. After twenty-four hours the Archivist will appear at that place but only speak with the Ink Lord ranked number one. This Ink Lord can exchange their bookmarks for special keys that unlock restricted areas of the library. Please note if the highest ranked Ink Lord exchanges too many bookmarks and they drop to second place, they will lose access to the Archivist until they regain first place. They will, however, retain any previously purchased keys.”

The Ink Lords with visible expressions looked bored. Ruwen guessed these rules detailed what always happened here.

“To earn a bookmark, the Ink Lord’s Emblem of Dominion must remain visible. While death separates an Ink Lord from their emblem, the Ink Lord can also voluntarily relinquish their token. This choice comes at the cost of all collected bookmarks, and a requirement to complete one of three tasks offered by the library. Note, giving up an Ink Lord emblem does not result in any automatic protections, although some library tasks might offer this benefit.”

Ruwen dropped the small obsidian disc into his hand, thankful his Void Band still worked here. The emblem had the Black Pyramid symbol etched in silver and when he pressed it to his chest, it stuck to his armor.

The Librarian continued. "All Ink Lord emblems are worth one hundred bookmarks, but because traditions were ignored by the summoner, the Black Pyramid’s token is worth one thousand."

Many of the Ink Lords turned to stare at Ruwen, their expressions ranging from curious to predatory. A shaman in leather armor pointed a totem at Ruwen, his intent clear.

“Because they initiated the Conclave, only the Black Pyramid’s Emblem of Dominion can unlock the Conclave exit and release you. Any Ink Lord but Ruwen Starfield can open this exit. Finally, in a grievous violation of protocol one of you has allowed a Perception Wyrm into the library. This has triggered the libraries’ defenses and manifested powerful creatures throughout the stacks. While these defenders will drop bookmarks as loot, it would be foolish to try and farm them. Discovering the identity of the Perception Wyrm will reward five hundred bookmarks and killing it another thousand.”

Ruwen’s anxiety flared at the library’s words, and while he wanted to see his friends and make sure they were safe he needed to reconsider. Was Rami safe in the group’s waiting area? If he summoned the group would he put her in greater danger? His location was marked on every Ink Lord’s map and his death would result in ten times the loot in bookmarks. Many would spend time hunting him and if Rami was with him, it increased the chance she’d be discovered.

"To preserve a degree of balance between the Ink Lords, the Library of Alexandria has allowed you to bring assistance. To summon your group, find one of the many reservation desks scattered throughout the library. These can be used to communicate and summon your group. Be warned, cooperation has limits. The larger your group becomes, the more attention you will attract from the library guardians, and the more powerful the foes you will face. Move with caution, Ink Lords."

The smoke from the riddle dissipated, and a timer appeared under Ruwen’s map which immediately ticked down to 23:59:59. Around him, the other Ink Lords had already disappeared, probably heading toward him.

Ruwen focused on Chat, trying once more to reach his friends. Still nothing. For now, he needed to move. Staying in one spot would guarantee an attack. He turned and sprinted out of the gallery.