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Book 2: Chapter 93: Book and Red Blotches

Lone blinked his eyes and took in his surroundings. Most of what was within his soul courtyard from the last time he was here was unchanged, namely, Sky\'s cloud palace, Darkness\'s inverted pyramid, and Void\'s central abyss.

What had changed, however, were the chains going from Sky and Darkness\'s residence to the gaping hole that Void was supposedly sealed in.

Their golden colour was more vibrant, they were thicker, and a second set now extended from both the palace and the pyramid, implying the binding of Void was now stronger and more secure.

\'I wonder if that\'s because of my rank up?\' Lone thought.

There was also a new addition to the peculiar courtyard that was Lone\'s soul. Hanging in the air well above everything else could be seen five massive rusted and unreliable looking locks. They were positioned in a pentagonal pattern around the entire courtyard, all equally spaced apart from one another.

"Huh. I guess that explains in full why Stoner Heeth\'s magic got blocked. They protect attacks on the soul too," Lone mumbled. "I wonder why that wasn\'t on the slate\'s info regarding the skill."

Lone just had to assume it was too rare of a skill for one of its owner\'s to have come into contact with a soul-based attack until he did.

"That\'s not entirely true," A moving shadow said before it morphed into a featureless purple figure made of stars. "It protects you from attacks that target the mind or attacks that target both the mind and the soul. Soul exclusive attacks from, say, a Soul Oracle? They\'ll slip right on past."

"Then I\'ll need to avoid antagonising such people or get a skill to defend against their soul skills," Lone replied. "Who\'re you meant to be anyway, Darkness? I don\'t know anyone who looks that mystical."

"I\'m trying to mend our relationship, Loney-boy. It wouldn\'t serve me well to continue wearing the skin of those you know, would it?" Darkness asked before gesturing to its own body. "This appearance? It\'s random. It is of no one or no thing in particular. I\'d rather not take on a specific form from my past only for you to then meet that person or thing in the future. That would be awkward."

Lone furrowed his brow. He couldn\'t tell if the Primal before him was being genuine or if it had a hidden motive.

He likely wouldn\'t get a straight answer by asking it so he instead changed the subject. "Anything I need to know about tonight\'s meeting before it begins, \'Monsieur Librarian\'?"

Darkness chuckled. "I\'ve lost more control of the whole thing than I expected but I did manage to make the obscuration affect both your and Swamp\'s tails. I tried to see if we\'d have another guest, however, I wasn\'t able to figure out if we would or not. It\'s truly a strange thing, both the meeting itself and the room it\'s held in."

Lone frowned. "Really? That\'s it? Nothing else?"

Darkness sighed. "Nothing. I\'d be happy to try to discover whatever I can when the meeting happens as I\'m sure that\'ll be easier than doing so in the two weeks leading up to it. I do wonder if I should have made it happen more or less frequently when that was still within my power to change."

"I still don\'t believe you can\'t do more," Lone said.

"Like I said last time we spoke on this, it\'s your soul, not mine. I didn\'t start these meetings, I just tweaked them. I didn\'t even choose the moniker of Monsieur Librarian. My mouth just said it when I was asked who I was. Perhaps try to look into that when you have time, hmm? That name couldn\'t have just appeared from thin air," Darkness suggested.

"Let\'s imagine I trust you," Lone started.

"Mmm, I\'m there mentally. Go ahead," Darkness replied in an amused tone.

Lone shook his head and continued, "Whatever can force a Primal as tricky as you to do something against your will is more than likely well above my ability to handle. Just investigating it could spell disaster, no?"

He was thinking about the being that had spoken to Sophie while posing as the Taker during his trial. Lone wouldn\'t even know where to begin looking into a powerful figure like that.

Darkness shrugged. "You\'re the one bothered by this, not me. I found that first meeting very entertaining and expect to do so with most, if not all, future meetings. I\'ve done what I can to help and will continue to do so, just don\'t get mad at my lacking omniscience."

"That\'s fair, I suppose. Well, shall we?" Lone asked, gesturing to Darkness\'s pyramid.

"We don\'t actually need to enter my abode to reach that room. I suspect it\'ll bring us both to it when it is ready, but I can move us there now from here if you\'d like?" Darkness offered.

Lone nodded. "I see no reason to delay unless you have something important to tell me?"

"I do not," the Primal replied.

The next moment, Lone found himself in the same seat he had been placed in 14 days ago. Across from him was the green figure that called itself Swamp and at the head of the table just to Lone\'s left could be seen the multicoloured \'Monsieur Librarian\'.

Lone didn\'t see any new figures which was a relief. That being the case, he focused on what was new.

A single book had appeared on the countless bookcases and shelves that lined the otherwise empty room - ignoring the chairs and table.

Lone couldn\'t see a title on its spine. Perhaps it was obscured or perhaps the title was on its front, regardless, it didn\'t look too special nor distinctive enough for him to take a guess at its content.

Swamp looked different too. Darkness had been right. The system he had set up to hide the features of the table\'s guests was stronger now. Lone couldn\'t see the tail that once flowed behind the suspected lizardman nor his own nine golden tails.

Another thing that was different were the numerous red blotches that covered Swamp\'s body.

"Welcome back, Human, Swamp," Monsieur Librarian greeting as he put his chin in his hand and appeared to smile even if he had no discernable features. "As you may have noticed, I\'ve regained some of my power. A tome now graces my lonely collection."

Lone nodded, as did Swamp. It would appear that Lone wasn\'t alone in his curiosity regarding the book.

"Its content can be made available to you in exchange for knowledge of your own that might interest me," Monsieur Librarian explained.

"Is our knowledge given to you publicly or privately?" Lone asked.

The multicoloured head of the table gave Lone a searching look. "Ah, you are just not aware. In future, please do not interrupt me. I can lose my train of thought quite easily. I will answer, however. The sharing of knowledge is to be public. I will not make such a restriction between yourselves, but if it involves me, all present ears have the privilege to learn what it is you deem important enough to trade for the content of my shelves\' tomes."

Lone shivered. \'That felt like aura then when he was looking at me but it was unlike anything I\'ve ever felt before. I wouldn\'t say it was more powerful than Xer\'rava\'s X-ranker aura. It just felt so... unique. This being... it isn\'t Darkness at all anymore, is it?\'

A feeling of dread and boundless caution seeped into Lone\'s mind.

Monsieur Librarian didn\'t seem to care about Lone\'s current state as he continued, "As you were able to acquaint yourselves with each other last time with my absence, I shall now remain present during all future meetings. I did not wish to be the primary subject of the first interaction between this meeting\'s founding members, hence my early exit previously. My presence, however, does not mean I will actively partake in discussions. I will be mostly silent. I am a reader, not a writer, I am sure you both understand. Now, let the second Conclave of Seekers commence."

Lone was wary of the discoball that felt more and more like a godly being of some sort that was using his soul to springboard its return. Still, despite this wariness, his hunger for knowledge was difficult to satiate at the best of times.

"What types of information would you deem worthy of that tome\'s contents?" Lone asked Monsieur Librarian, ignoring Swamp for the moment.

Stroking his chin thoughtfully, Monsieur Librarian nodded. "A fair request. Also an unfair one. I do not exclusively seek wisdom pertaining to the forbidden, the unknown, the mystical. Should you know of a new way to grow potatoes, that would suffice. All I can say is it is a gamble on what I may not know that you can interest me with."

\'So I risk exposing secrets to the other members of this, what did he call it? Conclave of Seekers? Cool name, if nothing else,\' Lone thought.

"I know of a unique skill called Basic Regeneration that allows for a type of pseudo immortality," Lone said, testing the waters.

Swamp\'s eyes showed a surprised look while Monsieur Librarian didn\'t appear to be moved even slightly.

"I am aware of this skill. I do wonder who the current owner of it is, however. Divulge that to me and the tome\'s secrets are yours," the being offered.

\'Current owner? What? Are unique skills held in stock or something when their owner dies? Like, if Hazel were to die, Mind Reading would be freed up and given to a new hero eventually? But according to the god that brought me here, I got five of their skills, Basic Regenertation included,\' Lone thought.

After a brief pause, he wondered, \'Does that mean that god literally gave them to me? I\'d always assumed I had a copy or something... but it isn\'t called \'unique\' for no reason.\'

Lone had a lot to think about. "No, I don\'t wish to tell you that currently."

Monsieur Librarian nodded. "The offer will remain ever on the table or until another member divulges the information to me. What of you, Swamp?"

"I mussst think on thisss before making a decisssion. I know little asss isss. I will compile a collection of what I do know. New knowledge is valuable to followersss of Lord Delwind. I will work hard," Swamp answered.

Monsieur Librarian nodded but said nothing further, clearly assuming a backseat to any further conversation.

"What are the red blotches in your obscuration?" Lone asked the assumed lizardkin.

"You can sssee them?" Swamp seemed surprised. "I am gravely injured. Asss a follower of Lord Delwind, a life of being hunted by all othersss isss to be expected. The \'blotchesss\' asss you called them represssent locationsss on my body where I have been harmed."

He began pointing to the visible red spots Lone could see.

"Ssstabed by a ssspear. Bitten. Clawed. Another ssspear ssstab. Thisss one hasss healed some but an infection hasss taken root." Swamp continued, detailing over a dozen wounds.

"How are you not dead already?" Lone asked. "Are you a high rank or something? That infection alone will kill you without the correct skills or remedies to fight it."

Swamp laughed lightly. "Usss followersss of Lord Delwind are blesssed with long livesss. Try asss they might, thessse injuriesss will not kill me. I am thankful for your concern, however, Human."

\'I guess everyone has their secrets,\' Lone thought. "I see. Wanna try to figure more out about each other? I\'m very interested in you, this Lord Delwind you speak of, and where you\'re from."

Swamp nodded. "I, too, am interested in you. The Great Ssswamp only has #### and the lesser beingsss. Your kind doesss not even exissst in what few records I wasss able to check in the past 14 sssunsss. \'Human\'. What an odd word. Can you tell me more about what a \'human\' isss?"

Lone tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hard to do that when I don\'t know where your knowledge on different species starts and ends. I do find it interesting that what you said after \'the Great Swamp only has\' was blurred to my ears. To simplify it? Humans are unique in their lacking uniqueness. They are very adaptable as a whole but painfully incapable on an individual scale. That\'s a vast generalisation, but I think it gets the point across."

"I sssee. Ssso you are incapable as an individual? Incapable of what? Everything? That sssoundsss both unfair and unlikely. We #### are capable of much both together and alone," Swamp said innocently.

Lone sighed. \'Walked into that one.\'

All in all, the meeting went on for another 30 or so minutes by Lone\'s estimations before Monsieur Librarian called an end to it, returning him to his soul courtyard.

Lone had spent almost that entire time trying to more accurately describe the concept of sentient beings that weren\'t whatever Swamp was to the man.

It was surprisingly more difficult than would be assumed. On Earth, stories, folklore, movies, games, all forms of media and entertainment flirted with the idea of being like elves, dwarves, ghosts, and the like.

According to Swamp, all that existed where he lived was his people and the lesser races - or animals, as Lone had learned he meant. Expanding that concept was a challenge, but Lone felt he had succeeded.

"Welcome back," a voice said.

Lone turned to address Darkness. "Any ideas of what that Monsieur Librarian is? I couldn\'t feel a hint of you in him or his words."

Darkness\'s inhuman form came as close to frowning as possible. "I don\'t know. I don\'t even know if he\'s using your soul anymore or if he\'s just connecting to it to draw you into that room. I fear he is a being much stronger than us puny Primals, much less a simple foxkin with a few too many skills. As the meeting went on, he was passively pushing me out of him. I\'ll likely have to piggyback on you to take part in the meetings going forward."

"Huh. Well, at least he seems ambivalent. If he really is that much stronger than you, he could kill me or you with a thought, right?" Lone asked.

"I thought that was your speciality," the Primal joked. "But yes and no. I feel my connection to the room slipped as each second passes, even now. I am nigh certain I was used in some way to connect you to that room. Perhaps this Lord Delwind Swamp speaks of was used similarly to bring him in too. Be careful. Monsieur Librarian may very well be using you to regain his power as he claimed. He could try to kill you the moment he has said power."

Lone furrowed his brow in thought. "No way for you to stop the meetings? Or at least cut the connection or whatever is there tying me and my soul courtyard to that room?"

Darkness shrugged. "I can barely sense it\'s there at all anymore, let alone interact with it. I think we were very lucky I was able to do what I was during that first meeting."

"Not much to do then but keep showing up and try to learn what I can," Lone surmised.

"Indeed. Ah, by the way, your lovely little lover has detected a threat and is awaiting your mental return. She\'s been sending you telepathic messages for a while now," Darkness suddenly said.

Lone stared at the Primal. "You should have said that immediately. Send me out."

"You really need to learn how to do that yourself at some point," Darkness sighed before waving his wrist, ejecting Lone from his soul courtyard and back to reality.