I’m preparing to head back to the tower along with Professor Orden.
If we’re successful, we’ll be bringing Vera along with us. Katashi has asked me to turn her over to him, and if I fail to do so, he’ll be sending a stronger attack against the city.
In order to ensure the safety of the city, I must succeed.
Any assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated. If nothing else, please make sure someone else succeeds if I fail.
Best,
Corin
Finally, I had to pick which sword to take with me. Selys-Lyann was tempting, since it was clearly the more powerful and versatile weapon — but it did have that nasty downside of nearly killing me on occasion.
My self-enchanted sword was much safer to use, but I didn’t know if it would be enough to handle the strongest monsters we might run into.
So, I brought both.
I wasn’t planning to wield them both at the same time, of course. I was nowhere near dexterous enough for that. I’d just hand one or the other off to Sera or Jin, since they didn’t have any magical weapons.
Well, that wasn’t completely accurate. I’d enchanted Jin’s revolvers, so they were technically magical weapons. But they had limited ammunition, so he might still want the sword.
I felt a little awkward walking to the Divinatory with two scabbards bouncing on my hips. I’d need to get rid of one of these things sooner, rather than later.
***
As I approached the Divinatory, Jin opened the door from inside and waved for me to enter.
I blinked. Had I told him what time I was heading over here? I was pretty sure I hadn’t.
Maybe his real attunement was Diviner, or something similar from Dalenos. I think they had one called “Seer”, maybe? Or “Oracle”? Something like that.
It didn’t matter at the moment.
Having Jin present was probably going to be a benefit. He’d provide me with another set of eyes to search and another voice to ask questions.
I nodded to him and he silently fell into step behind me. We headed inside.
I’d been in the Divinatory before, but I’d never been back to the archives. Fortunately, Jin seemed to know the way. I waved at a few other students and faculty as we headed toward the back of the building.
The other people present seemed exhausted and a little dazed. I didn’t blame them, considering the events of the day before. I hadn’t slept well, either.
“This is it.” Jin pointed at a double-door with a single large lock at the back of the facility. I inserted the key, turning it and sliding the doors open.
The archive was a room of clinical whites and sterile grays. It was structured like a library, with dozens of rows of long shelves, but only a few of them contained books. Most of the shelves were stacked to near-overflow with boxes of file folders, and a few other shelves carried fist-sized memory crystals.
The room’s most unusual feature, however, was the shimmering blue-skinned woman hovering over a platform in the center. Aside from the blue skin, she looked mostly human. She had long brown hair and wore a tailored suit that was a shade darker than her skin.
The platform was marked with numerous runes, some more familiar than others. I thought it was a barrier at a first glance, but it took me a moment to realize it wasn’t to keep danger out.
It was to keep her inside.
She turned toward us as we entered, grinning cheerfully and waving. “Ooh, new visitors! Come in, come in!”
I turned to Jin, giving him a confused glance. He shrugged and we stepped in.
I waved at the trapped woman. “Uh, hello. I’m Corin.”
She blinked, her eyes turning pure white when she reopened them. After a few moments of staring, her pupils slowly reappeared. The effect was...disconcerting. “Corin Cadence. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Researcher 437-C. How can I be of service today?”
I took a step closer, tilting my head to the side. “Are you trapped in there?”
She laughed — or at least, I thought she did. The sound was too high pitched to be human, somewhere in between a chuckle and some kind of exotic bird call. “No, no, silly. This...” She knelt and tapped the platform. “Provides me with mana. It’s powered by the crystals in the sides, so please don’t touch those!”
Jin stepped forward. “Is that Caelish technology? Are you some kind of automaton?”
She turned toward Jin, a confused expression on her face. “Oh, hello. I barely noticed you there! Uh, yes to your first question, no to the second. I’m what you would call a summoned monster... Although I don’t really like the second part. A little cruel, don’t you think?”
Jin gave a noncommittal grunt in reply.
“I agree,” I chimed in. “You’re intelligent, and you don’t seem particularly monstrous. Is there a term you’d prefer? Summoned person, perhaps?”
She raised a finger to her lips. “I hadn’t really thought about it. Maybe next time you visit, I’ll have an answer for you!”
I nodded. “In the meantime, I could use some help. I take it you oversee this facility?”
“Sure do! I know it backwards and forwards. Well, the center part, at least.” She grinned. “The rest, a little less, but still pretty well.”
I waved at the platform. “Is that because you can’t leave the middle?”
“I can, but only when I have an external power source. Usually, that means when my Summoner is here to provide me with mana. Some other forms of mana can keep me stable for a time, but it’s usually safest for me to stay here.”
I scratched my chin. “Just how long have you been here?”
“Oh, I’ve been working at this facility for about three years now. It’s quite nice!”