LSRO: Chapter 99 - Filtration has finally begun! (Patreon)

Hi hi! So... totally escaped my mind to do a weekly update yesterday. I was in edit like my life depends on it mode. I'll do an update over the weekend instead.

This chapter doesn't end on a cliffy but it does end on a lead in.

Hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter 99

Filtration has finally begun!

With a ridiculous amount of tasks on her to-do list, Quinn had been doing her best to maintain a regular sleep schedule, eat healthily, bathe, and generally take care of herself. She knew that these self-care routines would give her the energy reserves she needed to get everything done. The bed was comfortable, and although she often went to sleep late, she thought she could probably sleep in most mornings.

However, ever since Lynx had returned from being double-checked by the Core, he had somehow gotten it into his head that he needed to overcompensate for his past malfunctions. As a result, he woke her at the crack of the nebula, because in the dimensional pocket of the Library, time was what they said it was. He apparently decided he needed to manage her day.

Quinn was not amused. "Lynx, just let me get up an hour or two later. I was up till all hours making those lists," she protested.

"But there is so much to do today. We've got enough power now to activate the fourth pillar, I've got a book location, and I'm currently running a diagnostic on the filtration system's distribution." Lynx replied.

Quinn sighed, even though a shot of excitement ran through her at the prospect of activating yet another pillar. Didn't that mean the Library was getting even closer to being fully functional? She pushed herself out of bed, trotted into the bathroom, and emerged ten minutes later, mostly presentable. The jeans she'd pulled on were soft and reminded her of some of her favorites just before they began to fall apart. But the beauty of magic was that these ones weren't going to fall apart. "Fine, come on, let's go," she said.

Down at the check-in desk, Lynx was all business. "Okay, so my advice is to activate Byron," he suggested.

Quinn looked at the diagram and frowned. "Yeah, that's probably our best bet, right?" Byron seemed to be their best choice because they couldn't activate Asheron. But with another five pillars to activate before they got to Asheron, they at least had a good chunk of time to figure out what the hell was wrong with it.

While she was refamiliarizing herself with the activation process, Lynx began to read through reports. "Okay, so the filtration has finally begun to clear the backlog of ley lines. The encrusted remnants of chaos and the miasma has begun to thin, so that's great. Ley lines throughout the universe have begun to see a substantial increase to the trickle of mana entering them, and the pools have begun to fill back up. So we've done it, we've rebooted the Library, and hopefully, some of Chaos's presence will begin to recede again." Lynx's voice hitched ever so slightly at the end of his enthusiastic report.

Quinn glanced over at him, somewhat concerned. "You know nobody is blaming you, right?"

Lynx sighed. "I'm blaming myself, Quinn. I'm obviously missing memories that we can't retrieve yet. Something happened that I can't remember. I did things I don't recall." He turned to her, his expression pleading. Do you understand how that feels for me?"

"We all forget things sometimes." Quinn said, her tone soft as she attempted to be soothing.

But Lynx shook his head emphatically. "That's just it. I don't forget. I've never forgotten. Give me three seconds and I can retrieve almost anything anyone in the Library has ever said, borrowed, discussed. Hell, I can probably tell you how many breaths they took while they browsed the halls... But I have gaps now. Spaces where something has been forcibly removed from my mind. Blocked out from all the data I can access."

"I'm so sorry." Quinn said. She reached over and gently squeezed his forearm. "But you know, right? You didn't do that to yourself."

"Didn't I?" He asked bitterly, his voice soft and full of self-recrimination. "Who else could have accessed my mind? I'm a part of the Library. Did my being here enable all of this to happen? For all I know, there's something else in my head hidden that maybe it would be best if the Library just, you know, got rid of me. Replaced me. I'm just a manifestation."

Quinn blinked at him. "You're not just a manifestation, Lynx. You're you. You've been alive for millions of years. You've been the Library's faithful companion. I don't think a tiny blemish in the last, what, five, six hundred years is going to make the Library or anybody else inclined to delete you."

Lynx flashed her a sad smile. "That's very kind of you to say, but I also think, given the circumstances, that it's foolish."

Quinn didn't know what to say. How was she supposed to make him feel better about this? "I might be foolish, but I think there's another way. And I know we need you. So let me worry about all of that."

He watched her for a few seconds and then gave a reluctant nod. "For now. Anyway, let's see if we can't retrieve the necessary books for the Culinary wing first."

Quinn nodded. "Okay, so let me just activate the pillar, and we'll look." She went to place her heel in its spot on the console.

"You don't need to do that anymore. I probably could have just had you activate it from your quarters, but I was excited." Lynx smiled. "There is good news. I haven't had this much good news in so long, Quinn. I just... I'll try not to get you up quite as early next time."

Quinn laughed. "Maybe I'll try to get to bed 30 minutes earlier." She closed her eyes and visualized the map of the pillars, willing Byron to activate. The message popped up in front of her:

Filtration process functioning at 100%
New Pillar activation permissible within these parameters.
Filtration Chamber Energy Levels: Medium-Low
Suggestion: 4th Pillar Activation
Do you wish to activate a fourth filtration pillar?
Yes, or No?

Quinn chose Yes.

Pillars still requiring activation:
Asheron, Byron, Cylion, Esheron, Farinon, Isheron,

Activate pillar: Byron

Yes or No?"

"Yes," She murmured, noticing that the format had changed slightly. Was it because the Library's level of communication with her had grown since the Synchronization?

Flushing Filters.

System Activation Process: 24 hours
Another pillar will be available in 336 hours or 14 days.
Should the power requirements be met prior to this, you will be notified.

"Well," Quinn said, "that's that. Okay. We'll have four pillars activated. What else do you have for me?"

"First Culinary book has been located. It was a lot easier to locate than I thought it would be." Lynx said.

"Did you expect them to be difficult to find?" She asked, curious.

Lynx nodded. "To be perfectly honest, yes. The thing is, when a book isn't with a person, if it's been lost through time or other methods... The locators don't always work. Could we reproduce them? Sure... but right now we don't have the materials to do so, and it's going to take a while. So retrieval is important, especially when it comes to books that help us open the branches."

The whole magical tome creation deal felt complex to her, eventually, as things settled, she'd get the hang of it. "Well, which book is it?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, 'Dire Consequences of Misusing Monster Parts: How to Avoid Pitfalls.' And it's located right here." He pulled up a map of a region that looked suspiciously like a video game Quinn had played once. It had floating islands all throughout the skies and what appeared to be no fixed landmass.

"Wow," Quinn said, "that looks difficult to traverse."

"This is one of the Furionas regions - dimensional portal L24. So it's one over from Geneva's home world. However, because it is another Furionas branch, we're going to send Geneva with you in order to mediate as well as Malakai and Aradie."

"To mediate?" Quinn asked. "Is that really necessary?"

Lynx frowned. "It's better to be safe than sorry. Milaro wasn't incorrect to say you're at your most vulnerable. You're more powerful, but not into your full power. And the Library is also not even half way back to peak functionality. Malakai and Aradie will guard you. And if all else fails, you'll have to take one of the emergency portal pods with you."

"Emergency portal pods?" Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"Malakai is bringing one with him. He should be here shortly. I've already got Geneva coming in as well. We've delegated their shifts because this is a little more important. We need to start getting the books back, branches open, and power replenishment solidified."

Quinn frowned, "We still have to wait for Farrow to have some of the plants grow, right? Have I lost track of time?"

"Slightly perhaps." Lynx smiled, and some of the sadness was gone. "Farrow should be done in a few days. It's just better to have the books and wait on the herbs, isn't it?"

"That makes sense," Quinn said. "Sure, I guess we're going on a field trip today, but how the hell am I supposed to get between those islands to find the book? Doesn't look like it has a rail system..."

"Ah, yes, you should probably learn how to fly," Lynx said, as if it was a part of everyday normal conversation for everybody everywhere.

Quinn blinked at him. "Excuse me, did you say I need to learn to fly?"

"Well, how else are you going to keep up with a Furionas?" Lynx laughed loud enough that the patrons returning books looked over at him. He lowered his voice again. "Malakai is going to be fine and Aradie already has wings."

"How is Malakai going to fly?"

Lynx blinked at her. "What do you mean? He's part Darigháhnish. Why wouldn't he be able to fly?"

Quinn pinched her brow, racking her brain to think of any information she'd ever read or simply was in the basic database of the Library about his species, but came up blank. Nothing in there told her that he could fly. "Fine, get me the book."

"Already have it. Here it is." And he plopped down a book that was about the size of letter paper and about four inches thick. "It'll feed off the hovering you've already been using for defense. You won't be able to fly non-stop as it consumes energy, but your regeneration and your levels were boosted when you synchronized so you should be fine."

"If you say so," Quinn said.

"Schinhofen's Flights of Fancy will be your ticket." Lynx patted the book.

Quinn glanced at him. "And how long do I have to learn how to use this ticket?"

"Oh, I think Geneva will be here in about two hours, so you should absorb it now and practice like the wind." Lynx grinned at her, a bit of a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Quinn sighed. "Fine."

"Excellent. While you go and retrieve this book," he said, "Dottie and I will find the location of the other three culinary books. At least we will once we delve further into the owl memories. There's been some difficulties with several of them."

"Do you need Aradie to stay for that?" Quinn asked, trying to examine Lynx surreptitiously to make sure he wasn't just hiding his previous melancholy behind a mask. He seemed okay. She'd make sure to check on him as soon as they returned.

"No," Lynx said. "It's going to be fine."

"Very well then." Quinn promptly sat on the floor in the check-in desk area, ignoring the fact that people were working on the other end of it. She absorbed the book without any rigmarole whatsoever. It was like air trying to push through her skin and into her body. It hurt, but not like other spells that she'd absorbed. It was trying to squeeze the life out of her for only a split second. And she gasped air in when it finally released her.

She could feel a tingle all through her body as the new knowledge settled into her veins.

Flying, it seemed, was much different to what Quinn had assumed it would be like. It was very closely related to hovering. She took in a breath and let herself hover above the ground, just like she did when she needed to dash out of the way, when she used it as a defensive mechanism. But even as she did, the blue and gold glow of her magical energy suffused her skin, coating it in those scale-like properties again, all up her arms.

It was one of those times she wished she'd had a mirror. She was pretty sure it wasn't only on her arms.

There was a soft gasp from the other people in the check-in desk area. She turned, still hovering, wobbling a little bit because keeping balance was quite difficult when you were literally standing on air. And she looked. There were three people checking books in. And her two Library assistants had apparently forgotten about them, because all five of them were gaping at her.

She sighed, lowered herself down very gently, and the blue and gold seeped back into her skin. "Sorry for the distraction. I'll go and practice this in my office."

And it was in her office that Geneva found her, just under two hours later.

"Librarian, I'm..."

Quinn was maneuvering around the room. She maneuvered back and forth and up and down, sideways. Above the desk, over the desk, around the desk. She turned to face Geneva. The hovering had definitely given her more measure of control than she thought she would have. "Hey, Geneva, I am not feeling very confident about this."

"It is okay. There are fail-safes. If all else fails, I do believe Aradie will be able to assist you."

"Aradie can assist me?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow at where the NightOwl perched on the back of her office chair.

Her bird hooted at her.

Quinn lowered herself onto the floor and walked over. "Why didn't you tell me you could assist me?"

Another, longer hoot.

"What, do you mean I didn't ask?" She said.

Aradie let out what suspiciously sounded like a chuckle.

Quinn glared at her owl. "Well, I guess we're about as ready as we're going to be,"

Malakai stood talking to Lynx when they arrived at the check-in desk. They weren't exactly whispering, but they were definitely not speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Is your world dangerous, Geneva?" Quinn asked

"Well, this is the neighboring Firionas world. I guess you'd call them cousins. It shouldn't be dangerous," she said. There was a flicker of something in her eyes, maybe a little bit of fear.

"Are they not overly friendly toward you?" Quinn asked.

"It's not like that. It's something you're going to have to see. You'll understand when we get there." Geneva hesitated before continuing. "Not all Firionas are as friendly toward outsiders as my people..."

"Oh." Quinn frowned. "Thank you for the forewarning."

Quinn was glad Geneva told her. After the synchronization she was pretty sick of people withholding stuff from her. Everything around her was more vibrant since she'd synchronized with the Library, including her read on people's auras or souls or whatever it was. She just hoped that Geneva wasn't underplaying the danger.

"Ready?" Malakai grinned at her, his bow slung over his shoulder.

"As I'll ever be. I can fly now." She nudged him in the side as they walked to the doors.

"Good thing. I don't think I could carry you across the divides."

Quinn almost punched him. Aradie swooped down to sit on Quinns shoulder, and Geneva followed quietly behind.

"I like leaving from here, it feels grand." Quinn grinned at Lynx as Geneva sped forward and activated the doors with her tiny fae hands.

The double doors swung open and the scent of humidity in a rainforest during summer swept into the foyer.

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TADAAAA NEW WORLD YAYAYAYAYAYAY

Some of the best parts of writing Library is getting to create allllll the worlds.

Much love

KT