(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 10)

[DracoOmega]

>Does it look like she's indicating the present books, or the ones mentioned in the note?

>She isn't gesturing in a way that clearly indicates anything in particular, just holding the note in her hands and staring at you.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yes. Or if it's faster and you're familiar with them, walk me through them. Frankly, I need as much help as I can get."

[Oldmansour]

>"That's actually why I came to you. Time is a factor in my search, and I was told nobody knows this library, and what's in it, better than you."

[DracoOmega]

>"Yes. Or if it's faster and you're familiar with them, walk me through them. Frankly, I need as much help as I can get."

>"That's actually why I came to you. Time is a factor in my search, and I was told nobody knows this library, and what's in it, better than you."

>She seems to absorb all this without more than the mildest changes in expression. There is another moment of silence.
>"What you're looking for isn't in most of these books," she says. "You'd be wasting your time."

[Oldmansour]

>"'Most'?"

[DracoOmega]

>"'Most'?"

>"What do you need to know?" she asks. "Specifically."

[Oldmansour]

>"Specifically?" Consider. "The most pressing and immediate thing I need to know, specifically, is how to cure a form of blight."

[DracoOmega]

>"Specifically?" Consider. "The most pressing and immediate thing I need to know, specifically, is how to cure a form of blight."

>"More specifically."

[Oldmansour]

>"A form of blight that, I think, was created by a tsuchigumo, a spider youkai."

[DracoOmega]

>"A form of blight that, I think, was created by a tsuchigumo, a spider youkai."

>"That's in the note," she says. "But not in those books - not by that name. What else?"

[Oldmansour]

Okay, this might be risky, but, if the blight's in her books, maybe showing her our marks would help. I really hesitate towards doing that, but, it might be the specifity she's looking for.

>"Well, it's an old disease, hasn't been seen in many years- centuries, even. It affects humanoids and crops. And it has no cure known in the history of Easthaven or Braston."

[Hello Purvis]

If we're going to hide it, let's try a little longer. But yeah, if it's going nowhere, Nazrin would probably pull up a sleeve and say "This!" out of sheer frustration.

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, it's an old disease, hasn't been seen in many years- centuries, even. It affects humanoids and crops. And it has no cure known in the history of Easthaven or Braston."

>The woman regards you in silence for a few moments, then faint hints of a scowl creep into her implacable gaze. "Is that everything?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Do you want a list of symptoms?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Do you want a list of symptoms?"

>"Didn't I ask for specifics?" She sounds vaguely annoyed.

[Hello Purvis]

>Oh we'll give her some specifics all right...
>"If you're not ready for it, it kills you fast. Fevers, weakness, dizziness, and then you're gone, probably in a couple hours at most.  If you can slow it down, it still eats at you, slowly turns your blood vessels black. Not sure what happens after that but it's probably messy."

[DracoOmega]

>Oh we'll give her some specifics all right...
>"If you're not ready for it, it kills you fast. Fevers, weakness, dizziness, and then you're gone, probably in a couple hours at most.  If you can slow it down, it still eats at you, slowly turns your blood vessels black. Not sure what happens after that but it's probably messy."

>There is another pause, the irritation in her face slowly giving way to a tensed frown of a different stripe. A distant look flashes across her eyes for just a moment, though they never lose their grip on you.
>"Black? Black how?" She makes the question sound almost like a demand.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Black like they turn black, and you can see 'em through the skin. It spreads a bit each day, I don't know if there's any real pattern to it."
>Are there any other details about that?

[DracoOmega]

>"Black like they turn black, and you can see 'em through the skin. It spreads a bit each day, I don't know if there's any real pattern to it."
>Are there any other details about that?

>The furrow in her brow deepens - you still can't quite shake the sense of accusation coming from her - but she remains silent.
>The patterning of the marks looks a bit ragged to you, perhaps moreso than you'd usually expect from visible blood vessels, but you think that's the main thrust of it.

[Oldmansour]

>"And, as far as I know, it spreads via a black cloud of miasma."

[DracoOmega]

>"And, as far as I know, it spreads via a black cloud of miasma."

>The librarian continues to glare in silent accusation, though you're gradually getting the impression this isn't aimed entirely at you anymore; you merely happen to be standing in its path. Then suddenly she stands and moves towards the door.
>"This way."

[Oldmansour]

>Intense girl.
>Move out of her way, and then follow her.

[DracoOmega]

>Intense girl.
>Move out of her way, and then follow her.

>That's a good word for it. Even her stride has a certain forceful purpose to it.
>You step aside and let the librarian pass, then follow after her. As you exit her office, she produces a small key and locks the door behind you, then heads towards the door you previous noted with the 'Restricted Access' sign. Here she stops, producing a second, more elaborate key from her pocket and inserting it partway into the lock. Then she freezes. Her head darts to the right, looking back down the hall past the circulation desk. There is a moment's pause, then she removes the key without a word and moves briskly towards the library entrance.

[Oldmansour]

>Twitch.
>"Problem?"

[DracoOmega]

>Twitch.
>"Problem?"

>You twitch.
>The librarian neither answers nor slows her pace.

[Oldmansour]

>Let's follow her.

[DracoOmega]

>Let's follow her.

>You follow after the white-haired woman, although you're not really sure what's suddenly possessed her. In fact, you can barely see any of the main parts of the library from this hall, aside from the entryway; at best, you can make out a few shadows of people among the very edge of the stacks. Wait, is that a fairy creeping around the upper level? She's the first one of them you've seen in here, now that you think of it - modest-sized with shoulder-length brown hair. She'd even be doing a fair job of moving subtly if she wasn't making it so obvious that she was trying to be subtle; her wings are beating with conspicuously tiny movements and she sticks too close to the wall, eyes darting back and forth defensively. The large book she is hugging protectively to her chest completes the look. She seems to be inching towards the exit. And if you're not entirely mistaken, you think the librarian is heading directly for her. Or at least in the exact same direction; unless your taciturn guide plans to sprout wings or magic herself off the ground, there will still be 10 feet of air between her and the fairy.
>Suddenly, the fairy lets out a hushed yelp as her furtive gaze falls upon the two of you. She turns and bolts for the door, abandoning any pretense of stealth. The librarian bolts after her.

[Oldmansour]

>From how fast she's moving, can we reach the exit before she does, and intercept her?

[DracoOmega]

>From how fast she's moving, can we reach the exit before she does, and intercept her?

>You can definitely move faster than the fairy is moving, but she has a significant head start on you; at best, you think you'd both arrive at the door around the same time. There's a reasonable chance she might even beat you there.

[Oldmansour]

>What about the librarian, is she moving faster than us?