LSRO: Chapter 79 - Serpensiril (Patreon)

Hi there! I loooooove that the story is moving along. So much more to show you all. Hope you enjoy this one!

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Chapter 79

Serpensiril

Quinn wasn't entirely sure how to react to the fact that three Serpensirils had walked into the Library. The Library itself posted a notifications in front of her face as she decided what to do.

Serpensiril - Reptilian-based species

Located in the: D'vor Sector

Library Relationship: Contentious - 21, 852 years

Quinn took it all in as she walked over toward their unexpected guests.

Tenejorissimo (Tenejo)
Status: Contingent Leader
Species: Serpensiril

Faction: Ebolibia (Translation: Against the Library)

Caution: Antagonistic

Power Level: Intermediate (Active) - progressive

Quinn did her best not to show a reaction to the information the Library gave her. It was the first time she'd seen so much on an individual. She pulled up the information on the others getting much the same, but their names were Narajo and Dijaro. She'd wait and see if they introduced themselves.

There was already tension among the people who worked in the Library as well as the visitors back in the reading sections. She could feel it emanating from Eric and Geneva, not to mention Malakai and Dottie.

Quinn was pretty sure the flickering in Lynx meant he was irritated as well. She tried to walk as authoritatively as she could while using her mind-time dilation to speak to the Library. She needed to assess the situation as diplomatically as possible.

What are they doing here? How did they get an application? she asked.

The Library didn't sound angry when it spoke, just irritated. We didn't send the applications to their homeworld. They shouldn't have one unless they went somewhere and took them. It should have been coded to their magical signature as well. This, like everything else recently, shouldn't be possible.

Quinn got that. Well, we're not telepaths so I guess the only way to know why they're here is to ask them, right?

We're not forceful telepaths, Quinn. Asking is your best bet.

Good point, good point. She was almost there now. I'm going to try and get the information out of them and see if we can't have some sort of civilized conversation before I remember how close Kajaro came to killing me and that he has a virtual mind-bomb planted in my head and I accidentally freeze every single drop of blood they have in their bodies.

Quinn. The Library sounded somewhat concerned. Where did you learn that?

You know where I learned that. I've got the box in my head. And a really bloody awful hangover from all that information I absorbed over the last two days. I can piece things together. Quinn might have sounded a bit smug.

Told you not to overdo it, the Library said.

Not helping.

Quinn plastered a smile on her face as she arrived directly in front of the visitors. They hadn't moved from where they had originally landed when all eyes turned to them. There were differing shades of green. One of them was almost limelight with black stripes down the side of his arms that she could see poking out through his robes. He was different than Kajaro's type. He didn't have a hood under his hood that she could tell. Still had forked tongues from how they darted out every now and again. "Hello," she said.

The one to the left of Tenejo in the middle had a lime green coloring with the scales mottled with black in what seemed like almost even stripes. That one was Narajo. To Tenejo's right stood Dajaro, whose scales were a forest green type of color, but matt and not shiny. They all had yellow eyes, forked tongues, and the same snaky nose holes.

Quinn turned to the leader in the middle after going over all the information once more before dismissing it. She refused to be ill-prepared or put on the back foot by people who shouldn't even be here. She was the Librarian and this was her show.

Besides, the odds of someone else butting in who didn't have all the information except for that pertaining to Kajaro - was very probable if she didn't beat them to it.

The leader gave a shallow bow before introducing himself. "Tenejo, Serpensiril. Full name, Tenejorissimo. Allied with faction Eboliba."

"I know who you are." Quinn said. She wondered if the name endings were species related. "Did you come here to introduce yourselves? I must confess I didn't expect to see you here. I do believe you should not have those applications." She kept her tone even and a small smile on her face while trying not to let on that she was absolutely scared out of her wits and instead hoped that she portrayed some sort of self-control and a modicum of control over the entire situation.

The Library hissed in her mind and flashed across her vision:

Scanning intentions: just below hostile.

Yellow alert.

These three entrants are being monitored for changes. Should changes occur, the alert level will adjust.

Just as Narajo was about to open his mouth, Tenejo stepped forward. "I believe I have been remiss. Let me try again. I am Tenejo, son of Arishnemis. I have come here to plead our case. We are a distant faction of the Serpensiril. And we have decided that we do require the knowledge within the Library."

Quinn did her very best to suppress raising the eyebrow that she so desperately wanted to. Not only that, it was obvious that they didn't realize the extent to which the Library could gather their information, which meant they had no idea that she was aware of what the faction they belonged to meant.

She cleared her throat, sending a thought to Lynx at the same time for everybody to stop gaping and get back to the work that they had to do. She could almost feel his hesitance and willingness to argue with her through the link they shared. But he turned around and made a motion to the others. They reluctantly began the interviewing process again. With the Library less quiet, it was easier for Quinn to relax.

"Excellent, Tenejo. So if you would mind following me into my office, I believe that would be the best place for us to have a discussion."

Tenejo's eyes narrowed very briefly, which was odd in a snake who didn't have eyelids. Still, his hood flared slightly. "Very well, Librarian."

Quinn could practically sense the animosity rolling off him. How the Library hadn't yet tweaked to throwing them out, she had no idea. She sent a mental image to the Library to make her office as small and sparse as it could. She wanted all books hidden, and for it to more resemble an interrogation room from the procedural dramas she'd seen back home.

By the time she got to the door, she knew the configuration would be in place.

It was one of the best perks about a magical library. It could be whatever it wanted.

Just as Quinn expected, her room had been transformed before she opened the door. A rudimentary metal desk sat where her usual one would be, with a rough chair behind it and three wooden stools arranged in a row before the desk. Aradie swooped in to sit on her shoulder at the last moment, and she summoned Misha with a thought. Having the supervisory with her always made Quinn feel more secure, just knowing they were there.

She motioned for the three serpensiril to sit in the three seats in front of her. The entire room had been shrunken, or as Quinn was fairly sure had happened, this new creation was simply placed inside of her original office. There was no way she'd give these spying snakes an opportunity to glean anything about her or the status of the Library.

"We apologize for our unexpected arrival Librarian, and we greet thee," Tenejo said, after a brief exchange of looks between the three of them. "We were not expecting such a hostile reception."

Quinn raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to hide her disdain this time. "Why ever not? The Library and your branch of the serpensiril haven't been allies for a very long time. I do believe it's approximately, what, just over a score millennia? Twenty thousand odd years of us not being allies anymore. Your faction has attempted to belittle the Library's works and purpose in the form of both protests and attempted theft before. And you sit here wishing to apply to be a Library's assistant after obtaining those applications in what I can only assume is an underhanded way because I know they weren't sent to you. So please, Tenejo, explain to me how your reception wasn't expected."

The weight of Aradie on her shoulder was one of the only things giving her the strength to be this forthright. Her soul was trembling. She only hoped they couldn't see it or feel it. Misha stood next to the desk, their hands behind them, their golem expression impassive as they watched the serpensiril without blinking. Quinn's main hope was that they'd be off kilter because of how much she already knew, and wouldn't examine her too closely.

After an initial shock at her speech, Tenejo, to his credit, gathered himself well. "As I said, Librarian, my apologies. We are aware that one of our ilk did attempt to thieve a book from the Library. We would like for you to understand that this is not the stance of our species as a whole."

Scanning intentions: intentions still hostile.

Yellow alert extended.

"Really," Quinn said, as more of the history pertinent to this specific situation scrolled up in front of her. Lynx flickered into the room now, too, lending the physical manifestation of the Library heft to the conversation. "So you didn't mean to take part in protests attempting to tarnish the Library's dispensation of knowledge to anyone who could access it?"

She shifted in her seat and leaned forward slightly. "Did I get your affiliation wrong? No, no. Nope. Says it right here: Ebolibian Contingent - hostile to Library operations. That seems to be the correct alignment. So, tell me, how did you get the applications?" She asked again. Aradie let out a long hoot as if in punctuation.

"We were visiting a nearby world where we obtained the application. As we do have 12 of the requisite affinities required for the position, and it didn't specifically rule us out as applicants, we did not think that that was inappropriate," Dejaro spoke up. "We apologize if we have offended you. We merely wished to help and be of assistance to such a vast depository of knowledge."

Quinn's skin began to crawl. There was something about these three that she didn't like. The danger emanating from them crawled up her skin. Even if the Library said they weren't yet actually dangerous. She knew for a fact that they were going to be one hell of a problem. One word that they didn't like and this wasn't going to go well.

She was already on very thin ice with them.

Although, even as she scanned them again, she realized there was something underlying their dispositions. As if they hadn't expected her to be so knowledgable about the Library. It would make sense, if they'd come in knowing about the sabotage. She decided to try and figure them out.

"So you're saying you genuinely want to be assistants. You realize it's a very long and involved process to become an assistant. And you're never out of our sight for the duration, correct?"

There was a hesitance in their next answer. But this time Narajo spoke. His voice was slightly higher pitched, and she wondered if perhaps he felt as nervous as she did deep down. "We would like to contribute to the Library and its greatness."

Quinn thought it sounded so fake, she actually cringed. And as if to punctuate that point, Aradie sent an image in front of her. One that told her that was an outright lie.

"Okay, so you know, I'm not buying that. I want another reason. Why should I even entertain allowing those who are not even our allies, and have been at loggerheads with us for so many millennia, I can't even process it. Why should I let you stay here any longer?" Quinn kept her voice as even as she could.

This time Dijaro spoke again. "We've concluded that the Serpensiril have been short-sighted, Librarian. We need the Library." This time Aradie let her know that it wasn't a lie. Quinn frowned. It might not be a lie, but she didn't think they meant it in a way beneficial to the Library. And Aradie did not say that it was the truth. There were ways to conceal the truth without lying.

"Yes," Tenejo added, obviously misinterpreting her wavering. "We'd like to learn about the Library. So we can give back to it." This time the lie was obvious. Even to Quinn's senses. She barely needed the confirmation that Aradie gave her.

Just to be certain she pulled up Tenejo's information again.

Tenejorissimo (Tenejo)
Status: Contingent Leader
Species: Serpensiril

Faction: Ebolibia (Translation: Against the Library)

Caution: Antagonistic - approaching downright hostile.

Power Level: Intermediate (Active) - progressive

"He's gotten worse since I brought them in here, hasn't he?" She asked the Library.

Much worse. It's almost to a cocky extent. As if they know something they think we don't. I'd hazard a guess that it's to do with assuming the Library is still in critical power mode.

Quinn stood up and walked around the other side of her desk. It was nice to have a small ace in the hole, one the enemy was unaware of. She crossed her arms, feeling oddly safe with Aradie on her shoulder, Misha on her left, and Lynx on her right. She could even sense Malakai standing just outside the doors. "You can come in..." She spoke, knowing he'd hear and waited until he was inside with the door closed behind him.

"You know," she said now focused on the three in front of her. Their presence suddenly felt uncertain. All of that confidence they'd had when they walked into the Library was eroding. "You almost had me there. I almost felt generous, which I'm sure is something else that you had a hand in. However," Quinn sighed and flexed her fingers out of the fist she'd been keeping them in, "I don't believe you. And I think it's about time for you to leave, but before you do, some questions need to be answered."

All three Serpensiril stood up at once, their hoods flared and their stances changed. Forked tongues flickered out and each of them began casting...at the same time as the Library issued an alarm.

Hostile entities detected.

Library is in lockdown.

Emergency Protection Protocols engaged.

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Weeeee okay so I know this is kind of a cliffhanger. But the next chapter goes up tomorrow, so that's good, right?

Hope you enjoyed this one. Next one is fun too!

Much love

KT