Zhi finds no traps on the door. Both doors in this room both lead into the next chamber. Towering rows of bookshelves fill the center of this chamber, separated only by a low shelf and countertop running the room's length. A door exits to the south.
Just because it's a library doesn't mean it's not dangerous.
Zhi keeps her eyes moving around as she continues through the room to the single door. Once there, she checks for traps and then opens it.
When Zhi is halfway across the room, she notices four of the books on the nearby shelf start to move. Insectile legs unfold from beneath them, sharp teeth ring the tomes' edges, and ribbon bookmarks protrude from their open pages like lashing tongues. The strange book creatures rush toward the rogue excitedly!
The small woman draws her rapier and begins frantically backpedaling towards the rest of the group. If any come close enough to her, she'll stab at them.
Following close behind, Sara watches with curiosity as her friend grow nervous and afraid before she too notices the books. Not liking what she's seeing, Sara rushes forward as Zhi is approached by the weird book-dog-spider things. "I had nightmares like this back in etiquette school," she murmurs. "I'm coming, Zhi!"
She stops a little ahead of Zhi, takes aim at the nearest book, and chucks her table leg at one about ten feet from her.
The creatures get agitated when Zhi tries to back away. They scurry towards her aggressively, their bookmarks reaching out to lash at her!
One of the ribbons wraps around her waist, pinning her arms to her side!
Sara rushes to the rescue, smashing the book-bug with a hurled table leg. It releases Zhi as its ribbon falls limply, its legs spread out beneath it like a crushed cockroach.
Zileska quickly steps up and lobs a heavy dart at one of the books.
Emboldened by Sara's successful attack on one of them, Zhi steps forward and stabs at another with her rapier.
Maria ran in after the others, only registering the moving creatures at first until after she'd stabbed at the first one.
"Animated books? Really?"
EDIT:
Zhi stabs one of the creatures near her, leaving a small hole in its cover. Zileska's dart sticks into the bookshelf behind her target.
Maria rushes up and impales the nearest monster on the end of her sword-cane. It thrashes about before falling limp.
Malphene pushes past Maria to get to the next one, slicing it in half with a mighty chop of her sword. "So many gross things down here!"
Melodie moves up and tries to shoot the last one, but doesn't hit.
The last creature lashes out at Zhi again. Its bookmark-tongue tries to wrap around her, but she manages to slip out of its grasp.
With only one wounded creature left, the outcome of the fight is inevitable. Within a few moments, one of you lands a good hit to finish it off.
"Even the books want to kill us?" Melodie asks, seemingly genuinely upset. Anyone who saw her in the Imperial Archives can see that the idea of killer books is not one the young woman likes. "Is anything not dangerous down here?"
Slightly shaken, Zhi stows her rapier.
"Thanks, Sara," she says. "That's not normally the threat I would expect in a library."
She then moves to examine the southern door.
Finding no traps on the door, Zhi pushes it open. Cold metal lockers line the open spaces of this room. Desiccated papers protrude from the few open units, while the rest of the lockers remain tightly shut. Thick metal bolts connect additional lockers to the walls here. Some of the lockers reach up to the ceiling about twenty feet above.
A small creature floats gracefully in this chamber. A sphere of bronze and copper set with a single eye, this winged creature has two clawed hands, one of which clutches a knife. "Greetings," is says in a flat monotone. "My designation is Factor 12. I am the curator of the library archives. Have you come to make a withdrawal, or to investigate a requested item in the attached reading room?"
Seeing the held knife, Zhi instinctively puts her hand on the hilt of her weapon.
"Ummm... what's in the reading room?" she asks nervously, glancing around at the closed lockers.
Sara bends down and places her hand on the much shorter woman's back. "I've always got your back, Zhi. Don't want it to get 'stuck'."
While of the rest of them deal with the curator, Sara searches the rooms they just left, asking Malphene to accompany her.
After some time in both rooms, she asks a favor of Malphene. "I'm telling you, I'm not having much luck finding anything Malphene. But you're sharp and keen eyed; would you mind searching with me, gorgeous?"
"It is currently empty. You may use the room to examine any item in the archive. You may then return it or withdraw it indefinitely, but only one item may be withdrawn at a time. It used to be two, but I have decided to crack down after recent thefts," the creature grumbles.
Sara bends down and places her hand on the much shorter woman's back. "I've always got your back, Zhi. Don't want it to get 'stuck'."
Zhi smiles in response.
After some time in both rooms, she asks a favor of Malphene. "I'm telling you, I'm not having much luck finding anything Malphene. But you're sharp and keen eyed; would you mind searching with me, gorgeous?"
Zhi's eyes narrow at Sara's interaction with the bullying noblewoman.
---
"It is currently empty. You may use the room to examine any item in the archive. You may then return it or withdraw it indefinitely, but only one item may be withdrawn at a time. It used to be two, but I have decided to crack down after recent thefts," the creature grumbles.
"Recent thefts?" Zhi asks. "Who would do something like that? What did they look like and what did they take?"
"Gorgeous? I can't believe it's taken you this long to notice my obvious good looks," Malphene responds. "But I am glad you recognize my other stellar qualities as well."
Sara and Malphene search the rooms. The first one contains mostly senate minutes, census reports, and textbooks. Donations from various aristocrats likewise ended up stored here—mostly self-aggrandizing journals, genealogies, and autobiographies. The books scattered on the table appear to be mathematics and geometry texts. A fine brass scroll tube is on a shelf.
The second room is full of books. Many tomes are immense dissertation on the flora, fauna, and history of Taldor. Chronicles from various Armies of Exploration to those on the political makeup of the senate in each decade are all on display within the immense archives. Almost all the books here crumble if opened.
---
"It was a filthy rodent of unusual size," Factor 12 says. "One capable of casting magic spells. I managed to drive it away, but not before it absconded with a ring of protection and a wand of shocking grasp."
Sara chuckles at Malphene's response. As they trawl the archives, she lights a candle to help them see without the halfling's lantern.
When they find the scroll tube, Sara tugs at the top, pulling it open. "Let's see what's in here, then," she murmurs.
Inside the tube is a scroll covered in arcane writing. It's absolute gibberish to Sara.
"It was a filthy rodent of unusual size," Factor 12 says. "One capable of casting magic spells. I managed to drive it away, but not before it absconded with a ring of protection and a wand of shocking grasp."
"Well, as you can plainly see, I am no rodent nor can I cast spells," Zhi says with a smile. "I'm just a small woman in her underwear trying to find her way back to the main floor."
She bows.
"And I'm not a thief," the small woman adds, lying without a shred of guilt. "So, if that's what they took, what does that leave?" she asks, eyeing the remaining closed lockers with more interest.
"The current inventory of the archives includes an enchanted battleaxe, a warded breastplate, a pair of boots of elvenkind, a wand of remove disease with 5 charges remaining, and a key to the lecture hall," Factor 12 diligently reports.
"That's horrible that some filthy rodent would steal from the archive. Perhaps we could find and return the stolen items?" Zhi says with an innocent smile.
"And if we could borrow the current stored items, it would make it so much easier."
She holds up one hand.
"I promise on my mother's grave that we would return them all."
Sara caps the case, wrinkling her nose at it and heads back towards the rest of the party. "You've got quite a pair of eyes, Malphene," she smiles as they walk through the archives.
"Unacceptable," Factor 12 states flatly. "Only one item may be withdrawn from the archives at a time. That is the rule, and the rule must be followed."
---
"Really? I didn't think that was the pair you were looking at," Malphene quips, subtly thrusting her chest out a bit more.
"Fine," Zhi says in annoyance.
She returns to the others.
"That thing will only let us take one item. What should it be?"
Melodie, watching Sara and Malphene as she promised she would, scowls at the two woman's byplay until distracted by the offered scrolls. She glances through them, "A spell to make you invisible, one that undoes magic, one of protection and one that makes a horse?" Her voice is very quizzical at the end and she reads the scroll through twice more to be sure.
"Yes... I'm sure it conjures a horse." She says, still sounding confused.
Sara giggles and shoves Malphene in between the last pair of stacks in response to her flirty comment, hiding the two of them, but only just. She rests their candle on an empty shelf and approaches. She is entirely forgetful of the presence of her friend, Melodie.
"Why Malphene," she whispers, the corners of her lips curling into a sly smile. [b]"You're positively invigorating. A true temptress."
Placing a hand on the back of the woman's neck, she leans in closer. "I have to admit, I quite admire your strength and boldness, as well as your," her free hand travels slowly along Malphene's front, "other assets. You're a b~%!%," she smiles. "And that's all I want in a girl. You're strong, tough, brave and mean. I've been captured." She pulls on her hair, tilting her head back and kissing her full on the lips.
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Placing a hand on the back of the woman's neck, she leans in closer. "I have to admit, I quite admire your strength and boldness, as well as your," her free hand travels slowly along Malphene's front, "other assets. You're a b*@#~," she smiles. "And that's all I want in a girl. You're strong, tough, brave and mean. I've been captured." She pulls on her hair, tilting her head back and kissing her full on the lips.
"Sara, come on, we need to decide what ... ulp ... "
Zhi stares for a moment, her eyes wide and a look of shock on her face as she realizes what she's interrupting.
She turns around and grabs Melodie by the arm and drags her away from the entwined duo.
When you're quite finished, we need to decide what item to ask for from the artifact keeping thing!" she shouts out.
"And wash your hands!" she adds.
Her face a study in crimson, she avoids looking at any of the others.
"Don't call me a b@@!~, you slut," Malphene whispers fiercely. She grabs Sara by the waist and returns the kiss. After several long moments, though, (during which Zhi's interruption goes unnoticed) she pulls away. A few tears are welling up in her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I... It's not you. You're great. My emotions are just all jumbled up right now. I've been trying not to think about it, but I just saw my father get murdered an hour ago. Maybe we should take things a little slower?"
Sara ignores Zhi, smiling as she kisses Malphene. When the kiss stops, Sara blinks, taken aback. "Oh my god. Oh my GOD. I'm sorry, I'm," she stumbles out of the stacks, gloved hand clutching her chest. "That was thoughtless. I apologize. Yes. Slower. I can't imagine what you must be going through. I'm here for you, Malphene."
She offers her hand out to the woman and, candle in her other hand, rejoins the rest of the group.
After the situation is explained to her, she remarks, "I really just don't understand why we can't just have everything. Who made these rules? Can we speak to your manager?"
"Thanks," Malphene says, wiping her eyes. She takes Sara's hand. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry I punched you in the face and kneed you in the cunt."
---
"I am the manager," the winged creature replies matter-of-factly. "I was summoned specifically for the task. Thus, I made the rules. Only one item may be withdrawn at a time."
"Thanks," Malphene says, wiping her eyes. She takes Sara's hand. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry I punched you in the face and kneed you in the c+*@."
Grinning, she says, "Ooh, you can be sorry about the second but I quite liked the first one. Some other time, feel free to smack me around again." She winks.
"I am the manager," the winged creature replies matter-of-factly. "I was summoned specifically for the task. Thus, I made the rules. Only one item may be withdrawn at a time."
Sara turns her head quizzically. "Summoned from where? Do you miss it?"
"Arguing with the thing isn't going to get us anywhere," Zhi says in annoyance to Sara.
She looks at the others and then back to the creature.
"We'll take the key," she says. "It opens the Lecture Hall, you said? Where is that?"
"I was summoned from the plane of Axis. It is much more orderly than this world."
Factor 12 flies to a locker and unlocks it with a key, retrieving a different key from within. "The lecture hall is through the northern door in the hallway. It requires two keys to unlock it. I do not know where the second one is."
Zhi takes the key.
"Can we get to the main floor from the Lecture Hall?" she asks.
"If it takes two keys," she says as an aside, "I can probably pick the other lock."
"Yes," the creature replies succinctly.
"You heard him, Ladies," Zhi says and turns and begins walking back through the library, "The chalked-up door is the way out.
"I'm not sure that they're a him," says Sara, eyeing the sphere oddly. [b]"I doubt they have a concept of gender." She opens her mouth to ask, but shakes her head.
"Does anyone want to explore the other end of the hall first, for the sake of completeness and the possible increase of our wealth?"
"Can't we just get out of here? I for one have no interest in playing 'grab-ass' amongst deadly traps, undead, and aberrations," Zhi says as she stomps along.
Jowuan and the trio of nobles have been sitting in the archives, perusing scrolls and making banal conversation to try to distract them from the scary situation they find themselves in. "I think I speak for all of us when I say we want to get out of here as soon as possible," Lord Botoles says. "But of course, we will defer to your judgment."
Imistos says nothing, continuing to follow obediently behind Zileska. He glances back toward the room where Factor 12 resides, apparently unnerved by the strange creature.
"Just to be clear... only one item may be checked out at a time? Or one item per person?" asks Zileska of the ersatz modron.
To Melodie she notes as an aside, "As for the scroll, consider - those are exactly the spells you want if you're in a safe room trying to get out of the country in a hurry. Break lingering magical effects, put some protection on yourself, and ride out of town in a hurry."
"Only one item at a time in total. No exceptions," Factor 12 says sternly.
Maria had spent time examining some of the books stored there with the nobles, so had missed what happened between Malphene and Sara, though did notice Zhi looking a bit uncomfortable (well, more so than could be accounted for by her state of dress).
Listening to Factor 12's stern answer to Zileska drew her attention, though. "That theft really got on your nerves, didn't it?"
"It is my duty to maintain the order of these archives. The theft represents a failure of my duty. I will not fail again," the creature states.
"Can items be exchanged?"
"Yes. If you return an item that you have withdrawn, you may then withdraw another item." Factor 12 pauses a moment, then adds, "I suppose if you can return both of the stolen items, you may then withdraw a second item as well. But that is the absolute limit."
"Thank you sir." Melodie says, seeing that there is little more to be gained from the creature now that they have withdraw the upper limit of items.
"What were the terms of your service?" She asks as an after-thought.
Once the group has moved on she sidles up to Zileska. "Umm... Zileska. Could I ask you a question? Zhi and I saw Sare kissing Malphene and she was really surprised - I got the impression she might have been upset." Melodie blushes once more and starts looking down at her toes. "Is it normal to have feelings for other women? I know we're meant to marry a man and have babies but it doesn't feel right..." She trails off.
"Sorry, I just thought you might be able to help..."
Zhi walks back to the chalk-smeared door in silence. She then attempts to open it without hesitation.
"I am to serve as curator of these archives. There is no end date for that service, so I shall continue to perform my duties for as long as I am able," Factor 12 replies to Melodie.
Zhi opens the north door in the long hallway. This ten-foot-wide hallway leads north for roughly forty feet before abruptly ending in a wall of dirt and broken wood. A door exits to the west.