LSRO: Chapter 347 - Division of Labor

I KNOW RIGHT?!?!?!

A Chapter. Yep. This is a chapter. Of the book that I'm writing. I've finally got the outline in a place I'm comfortable with and I think I can start weaving the remaining strands together and get us to a good place in about another 100-120k words! That's good right?

This literally just vomited out of my fingertips so it's not going to be perfect. But I do hope you like it.

Hoping to get into a groove and keep these chapters coming.

Thank you all for so much freaking patience with me.

I am now actually functioning again. And we have lots sorted out health and family wise.

You've all been so wonderful.

~~

Chapter 10

Division of Labor

“I still think you need to be careful.” Hal’s words doused the enthusiasm like a wet blanket.

Quinn pouted. “Sure, go and be all cautious and logical. I thought you were the King of Hell. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

Uncle Hal blinked and then roared with laughter. “Little egg, your version of human hell is a construct... sort of. We’ll get into that over some tea when we don’t have a universe to save.”

She sighed. They all knew he was right. “Fine...”

“Maybe go figure out that file before you decide to offer yourself as bait, Drev?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh...” Drevicia sighed this time. It looked tired, just briefly."Probably a great idea." 

For several seconds both the Library and Lynx’s eyes did that flickering thing, while Lynx’s runes ran circles around his entire body.

The Library frowned. “That’s not right.” It sighed. “This will take longer than I thought.”

Quinn frowned. “So no baiting right now then?”

“Doesn’t look like it...” Milaro frowned, glancing at Hal as if accusing him of spoiling everyone’s fun.

The satyr shrugged. “I don’t mind being the bad guy, especially if it makes us more efficient, little egg.” He gave her a wink, but it almost felt as if his heart wasn’t in it. 

Quinn tried to return it, but there was so much crap floating around in her mind it was difficult. “I’m guessing we need a division of labor or something.”

Hal raised an eyebrow. “Yet another logical conclusion.”

“No need to be sarcastic.” She frowned at him.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Now there was a humorous twinkle in his eyes... if eyes like bloody fire could twinkle.

“Files first,” Drevicia’s gaze seemed distant even though she was obviously present with them. “I shouldn’t have forgotten about that. It happened after the initial reboot. Even after the Library reopened, there’s something I’m missing here.”

“Story of our rebooted life,” Quinn muttered.

Everyone looked at her, and Hal appeared to swallow a snort of laughter and began coughing to cover it up.

“What? It’s true.” She sighed. “Is that the only instance you can remember having forgotten something since I arrived? Or have there been others?”

Drevicia paused for a second, giving it serious thought. “Not that I’m aware of.”

It wasn’t exactly a helpful answer. 

“Let’s call that a good thing until proven otherwise,” Hal said, pushing for the positive. “I wouldn’t mind helping you with the files, Drev, but let’s be honest, my talents are better suited elsewhere.”

It laughed. “This is true. I’ll take Lynx, and probably round up Siliqua and Harish...”

“I’ll fetch them back. I think they went back home with Cadre to gather some other materials for whatever it is they’re undertaking for you at the moment.” Milaro smiled. “Should they join you somewhere?”

“We’ll head down to their office,” Drevicia said. “Lynx and I will wait until you’re all finished here.”

Quinn frowned. “Shouldn’t the most important priority be restoring full power?”

“It’s already underway though,” Lynx said. “It’s not like we can speed the pillar up.”

“I didn’t mean that,” Quinn said. “I mean that we have two branches to go before we kick the whole system into full power. All the books, all the overdue fines, everything available to the universe at large again. With the Library operating at peak capacity or close to, we’ll have more power backing us. He never really thought that we’d be able to revitalize the Library to start with. This is a good thing.”

“Strike while the iron’s hot and all...” Hal pursed his lips. 

“I think a few of us should concentrate on coordinating with Dottie and the rest of the assistants to prioritize getting the Library back fully on track.” She looked around at everyone, most of them nodding in agreement. Only Drevicia and Lynx seemed at all distracted, and she could understand why.

Milaro cleared his throat, garnering everyone’s attention. “It might be an idea to record the trace magical elements in the compromised files.” When all he received were blank looks from everyone, he continued. “We all have magical signatures. The Library’s scanning abilities record every single one of them that comes through any of its doors. It’s part of the identification process and why usually no one should be able to impersonate anyone else.”

“Unless they’ve managed to mimic a magical signature?” Quinn asked, slightly confused.

“But you can’t mimic one of those,” Malakai spoke up. “Which means that when the books were borrowed by anyone who shouldn’t have had access, the system was either duped by some magical means or else the database was wiped or altered afterward, lending the illusion that those tomes had gone to legitimate people.”

“Why are you only thinking of this now?” Quinn asked, her attention back on Milaro.

He shrugged. “I didn’t have a reason to think of it before.”

“We can procrastinate by talking about it or else by actually researching it.” Drevicia sounded overwhelmed, and Quinn couldn’t blame her.

“We’re going to head to Harish’s laboratory, or office, or whatever he calls it,” Lynx grimaced. “Just warp to us if you need us, Quinn. It’s better if we just dive in and learn to swim with all the information we have.”

A second later, both Drevicia and Lynx were gone.

Quinn frowned at their absence, even if she understood it. It left more decisions on her shoulders, but wasn’t that what she’d signed up for? Or at least it was once she’d understood what she needed to be for the Library. When she’d finally realized that this was the reason she’d always felt out of place.

She was meant to be the Librarian. Literally genetically coded. The sense of belonging helped with the occasional feeling of betrayal because all choices had essentially been removed. At least they had if she didn’t want to be a horrible person.

“Quinn?” Malakai nudged her, and she came back to herself.

“I’m fine, just a lot on my mind.”

Milaro gave her one of those ‘I’ll talk to you later’ looks while Quinn tried to figure out what the rest of them needed to do. 

“You know,” Hal began.

“Do I?” Milaro asked.

“I don’t know,” Hal raised an eyebrow. “I was talking to Quinn, so you’d have to answer that for yourself.”

Milaro chuckled, and Quinn felt her tension ease. 

“What have we done with the people caught in the wards?” No one left had an answer for her. “Misha?”

The supervisory golem appeared directly in front of Quinn. “You rang?”

Quinn wasn’t sure if Misha meant to, but they’d been inadvertently funny. Still, she wasn’t sure the golem had a true sense of humor and decided not to laugh. “The wards?”

Misha cocked their head to one side and studied Quinn, their moonlike eyes flickering slightly. “Detained by security golems. We have them under control. None of them are anything like our last detainees. Would you like security to guard Dronar?”

“That shouldn’t be necessary,” Quinn said haltingly, glancing at Hal as she answered. He shook his head almost imperceptibly, and a rush of relief ran through her. “I think the others have her in hand.”

“Very well. Do you require more information?” Misha asked perfectly politely, still a far cry from the golem she’d been before they had to tear her apart and rebuild her.

Quinn felt an ache settle through her at just how much they’d lost due to this absolutely imbecilic venture... Only if the goal was destruction, then it was just a solid plan. She sighed. “Nothing else. Thank you.”

Misha’s expression softened. “I understand your concerns, Librarian.” Their voice took on a less businesslike tone. “You are worried. The Library is safe for now. You need not be concerned. My security teams have been revamped ever since I was. Just to be safe. I have been careful. I promise.”

Quinn blinked and felt a slight weight lift off her. “Thank you.”

Misha nodded once more, and was gone.

“I think we fixed her,” Hal said softly. There was a fond smile on his face.

She couldn’t help but smile. “You’re right. Definitely right. At least that’s all under control.”

“But I do think I can help get the ball rolling on the book collection aspect. After all, I’m well versed in it now, little egg.” Hal grinned at her, crossing his arms as if daring her to contradict his nickname for her.

Quinn rolled her eyes. “Yes, you’ve done amazing things with the book collections, and we’re just that much closer to having the Library fully operational. Another day and a half and all the filters should be working, if we can start getting closer to retrieving the books we need then...” She smiled up at Hal, feeling, just for that second that things might be manageable in the end.

“Right, then, let’s...”

Milaro held up his hand and halted the satyr from exiting the room. “Books and branches are all very well and good, but I do think we need to visit Carafax too. Maybe he’ll share something else with us?”

“Unlikely,” Hal said gruffly. “If he could have circumvented the rules enough to tell us, I believe he would have already.”

“But we can’t know for sure. Perhaps there are ways I can phrase things. Different questions I can ask... probe at.” Milaro threw his hands up. This is all so needlessly complex.

“If it weren’t complex,” Malakai said, “then they’d never have been successful in the first place. I wish it were simple, but that’s never been the case for any part of this whole kerfuffle.” 

Milaro sighed this time. “Don’t remind me. I only hope we can unravel it.”

“Did...” Quinn paused, trying to gather the sudden influx of thoughts she’d had. Tangenting was all well and good, but the threads ended up dangling, and she had to figure out a way to get back to her train of thought. “Would it help if we navigated the memories of the people who joined Dronar on her intrusion?”

“You mean the people the security golems are holding?” Hal asked carefully. 

“Yes, those. I mean, we’ve got information from others before. Kajaro, petty though he was, ended up being extremely helpful.”

“And we’re still sorting through a bunch of his information,” Milaro said, obviously mulling it over. 

“I’ll definitely have a word with them,” Hal said, grinning. “Do you want me to leave them here or take them back to my world?”

Milaro grinned along with him. “I’d do it here. That way, you can have the threat of taking them back with you as incentive for them to give you the answers we need.”

Hal nodded, “Nice ploy.”

“I thought so too.”

Quinn listened to them, taking in the information in one part of her mind, while processing the Library status in others. Misha was right. The holding cells were legitimate now, down past the storeroom, security golems basically out in force. Considering the attack on the Library, even if it had been one huge failure, it wasn’t a surprise to see them using protection. The pillar was booting up; the brand new filters inside it gleamed in the blue glow of the filtration chamber.

Hushed whispers were still evident throughout the entire Library right then. No one truly knew what to make of the attack. Mainly because the Library staff and golems had managed to repel the intruders. Reinforcing those wards and having them gleen intention before allowing entrance had probably saved the whole universe. Had they truly come so close to losing everything they’d been fighting for since she arrived?

It was easy to get caught up in this new ability to see and manage everything in the Library just while she stood there. Quinn still preferred the console, the feeling of tangibility when she pulled up information. But it became clearer that wasn’t the most efficient use of her time.

Not right now.

“Library up and running. Make sure the power feeding us is as strong as it can be. Figure out the damned compromised files, and our connection to a plethora of things. Fix the Library, prevent any future attacks, and don’t let them wipe the universe out. Got it.” Quinn sighed and ran a hand through her ponytail. It was getting long, so she should probably cut it.

After they’d stopped the end of the world that is.

~~

TADAAAAAAA

So much to take care of. Plot threads will be the death of me, I swear. It's my own fault though.

Much love

KT