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Chapter 78: A Librarian’s Last Story
Chapter 78: A Librarian’s Last Story
The guild hall was dimly lit, the scent of old parchment and ink mixing with the usual musk of steel and leather. Seraphis leaned against the mission board, scanning the fresh assignments. Her daughters, Elowen and Sylvaine, stood beside her, their arms crossed, waiting for her to choose.
Then, she saw it.
A bounty, higher than the last two. The target: a librarian in a distant city.
Elowen raised an eyebrow. "A librarian?"
Sylvaine scoffed. "What, does she fine people too hard for late returns?"
Seraphis chuckled darkly. "No. She hoards knowledge not meant for mortal hands. Black magic, forbidden rituals, ancient tomes that could warp reality itself. If she's still alive, it means she's powerful." She took the parchment and turned to her daughters. "Let's go read some books."
With that, they set out.
A City of Secrets
The journey to the city took two days. When they arrived, the towering library stood at the heart of the district—a monstrous structure of twisting spires and arched stained-glass windows. The building looked ancient, as if it had been standing for hundreds of years, resisting the decay of time.
"Something’s wrong," Sylvaine murmured as they approached.
Seraphis nodded. "No guards. No scholars. It’s too quiet."
Elowen narrowed her eyes. "She knows we’re coming."
"Good," Seraphis said, stepping forward. "That saves us the trouble of knocking."
She pushed open the massive oak doors.
The Library of Shadows
Inside, the scent of old parchment and candle wax filled the air. Rows of towering bookshelves stretched toward the vaulted ceiling, casting long shadows. A spiral staircase wound upward, disappearing into the darkness above.
Then, a voice echoed through the library.
"Ah... visitors. It’s been a long time since someone was foolish enough to enter my domain uninvited."
From the shadows, a woman stepped forward.
The librarian.
She was tall and thin, draped in a flowing black robe embroidered with golden runes. Her face was pale, her lips painted a deep shade of red. Glowing symbols floated around her hands, shifting and twisting as if they were alive.
"You must be the assassins," she mused, tilting her head. "Come to silence me?"
Seraphis smirked. "That depends. Are you going to make this easy?"
The librarian laughed—a chilling, hollow sound. "You assassins are so predictable. But you made a mistake coming here."
The air shuddered.
The shelves trembled.
Then—the books began to move.
A Battle of Ink and Magic
The library came alive.
Hundreds of books flew from the shelves, pages flipping wildly as they formed razor-sharp projectiles, launching toward the assassins.
Seraphis twisted to the side, dodging the first volley. Elowen and Sylvaine ducked and rolled, their twin blades flashing as they cut through the enchanted books.
"She’s controlling the entire library!" Sylvaine shouted.
Seraphis’ eyes glowed coldly. "Then let’s burn it down."
She dashed forward, throwing three of her metal cards at the librarian.
But the woman raised a hand—sigils flaring to life.
The cards stopped mid-air.
The librarian smirked. "Your tricks won’t work here."
Then she clenched her fist—and the cards shattered.
Seraphis’ eyes narrowed. She’s strong.
Before she could react, the librarian swiped her hand through the air.
A wave of pure black magic surged forward.
Elowen and Sylvaine leapt aside, but the force shattered a bookshelf behind them, sending splinters raining down.
Seraphis spun her blades, charging straight through the attack. The moment she reached the librarian, she slashed—but her blade struck empty air.
The librarian vanished—then reappeared behind her.
"Too slow."
A shockwave blasted from the librarian’s palm, sending Seraphis crashing into a bookshelf.
Sylvaine snarled, her eyes flashing green. She lunged, her twin blades slicing in a deadly arc—but the librarian waved her hand, and a book morphed into a whip of ink, wrapping around Sylvaine’s throat.
She choked, struggling.
Elowen saw an opening. She threw a dagger—straight for the librarian’s heart.
At the last second, the librarian raised her other hand, conjuring a thick book to block the strike. The dagger embedded itself in the leather cover, stopping mere inches from her chest.
But it gave Seraphis time to recover.
From the shadows, she whispered, "Checkmate."
Then—her metal cards reformed, slicing through the librarian’s legs.
The woman screamed, falling to her knees.
Elowen ripped the ink whip off Sylvaine’s neck, and together, the twins dashed forward—their twin blades flashing in unison.
Two blades to the heart. One to the throat.
The librarian gasped, blood dripping from her lips.
Then, she crumpled.
A Treasure of Forbidden Knowledge
Silence fell over the ruined library.
Seraphis exhaled. "She put up a fight."
Sylvaine coughed, rubbing her neck. "I hate magic users."
Elowen smirked. "But they have the best loot."
They turned their attention to the bookshelves.
Hidden among the ordinary books were the real treasures—grimoire upon grimoire of lost knowledge.
Elowen pulled out a tome with a black leather cover, runes glowing faintly. "This one’s about summoning."
Sylvaine held up another, its title written in an ancient language. "Alchemy."
Seraphis examined a book etched with silver glyphs. "Illusion magic."
She smirked. "We’ll be keeping these."
Elowen and Sylvaine grinned.
Returning to the Guild
Back at the Assassin’s Guild, the receptionist barely looked up as they dropped the librarian’s head on the counter.
"Ah, the magic hag’s dead? Good work."
She stamped the mission papers, but then paused, noticing Seraphis' grin. "You found something, didn’t you?"
Seraphis chuckled, tapping a book at her side. "Let’s just say this mission paid off more than expected."
The receptionist sighed. "You lot are terrifying."
Seraphis smirked. "And this is just the beginning."