For half a heartbeat after the last (f-ing finally) shadow dissolved, the library forgot how to breathe. Mostly out of shock, or anger at Ah'Ming. Kind of fair, but also not really. Eh, he was used to it.
There was some shock, obviously, but still. Just learn to identify monsters better, the idiots.
People stared at Ah'Ming like he'd just flipped a sacred table. Hehe, cuz they were in between a bunch of tables? No? Touch crowd.
"She was a player," someone hissed, horror curdling into anger.
"What the hell was that? You can't just—"
A few were frozen outright, brains buffering. A few were already shouting. And a precious little handful had that slow, dawning look of realization in their eyes. The look of people finally lining up the dots and realizing the picture was not friendly. it was great to see some people finally start to use their brains.
Ah'Ming clocked them and snorted softly.
Wow. Growth. Still idiots, but growth.
Tamer, of course, looked entertained.
He stood amid the wreckage with shadows lingering obediently near his feet, arms loosely crossed, head tilted like he was watching a stage play that had finally gotten to the good act. Amused detachment draped over him like a well-loved coat.
Queens above, he really was an audience member.
Ah'Ming didn't spare him another glance.
The woman was fast, running away, but she was panicking now. Her movements had lost their careful wrongness and tipped into frantic wrongness, coat flapping, the shape inside her stomach bucking hard enough to tear seams.
"Hey," Ah'Ming called, conversational. "You dropped the subtlety."
She didn't slow.
He surged forward, running like a really cool person, and punched her in the head.
Unoriginal. Inelegant. A classic.
It worked though!
Until…. It didn't.
His fist went straight through her skull.
"…Huh."
There was no resistance. Well. There was some, but none that would come with a monster fight. She was way too squishy. There was the very unpleasant sensation of his arm passing through something that was red and soft (something that was sort of normal, since like hunting monsters) but then was actually slimy and for some reason pulsing, like really fucked-up heart.
The woman didn't fall.
She laughed.
Like a psycho.
Listen, he wasn't judging. Everyone had their "society is a trainwreck" breakdown phase, but a library really wasn't the best place to do it.
Her body rippled outward from the point of contact, skin sloughing off in sheets of light like a bad disguise being peeled away. Her face stretched, jaw unhinging, eyes splitting into too many facets before collapsing inward. Limbs elongated, joints bending where joints were not meant to be, her silhouette swelling and collapsing as if it couldn't decide what shape it wanted to be. Ew.
The thing inside her finally forced its way out.
A rectangular mass punched through her torso, slick with shadow, edges too sharp, too deliberate. A book slammed into the air, hovering for a second, pages fluttering violently, glyphs burning themselves into existence across its surface.
It was trying to escape, with magic that was both compatible and incompatible with her own. Kind of like a mother trying to steal her kid's passport.
The rest of her followed though.
She burst apart at the seams and reassembled into something tall and wrong, stitched together from shadow and pale light, ribs exposed and rearranging themselves, mouth splitting open along her torso in a vertical grin.
Double Ew.
Shelves warped, again. Books rattled and tore free, orbiting the creature like debris caught in a gravity well. The lights dimmed again, not fully out this time, but sickly and flickering, as if the room itself was afraid.
Some paper flew around her like a messed up halo, and some merged with shadows that came up from the ground. More, but cooler and upgraded, shadow monsters. Like level two of a game.
A system chime rang out, cheerful and utterly inappropriate.
Stupid system.
|BATTLE ENCOUNTER INITIATED.
|Good luck.
were… were the previous things not battle???
Ah well.
At least there wasn't boss fight music. Though, maybe that would have been very cool. Scratch that, if only there was battle music.
Ah'Ming flexed his hand, watching shadow residue slide off his knuckles.
"…Yeah," he said, baring his teeth. "Called it."
Behind him, people finally started screaming.
Ahead of him, the boss leaned down, book slamming back into its chest with a wet, final thud, and fixed all too many eyes on Ah'Ming alone.
The grin widened.
Oh.
Yeah.
Definitely a boss fight.
Finally, something moderately interesting!
Ah'Ming grinned back.
Not a happy grin. Not even a confident one.
It was the kind of grin that stuck too long, sweet at the edges and rotten in the middle. The kind that promised follow-through. A very nice smile, that screamed in all-caps "I'm gonna mess you up, and I'm gonna enjoy every moment of it."
The grin that he used to show to math teachers, and made them give him higher marks.
He was trying to stall for time so that the other players could catch up. he also kind of didn't want to, though. he wanted to see if he could take down the beast all by himself, just like old times.
"Oh come on," he crooned, voice light, almost playful. "Here, spider-spider~"
The Librarian shuddered (since he often had that effect on women, sad), its many eyes tightening, focusing. Too many of them. Far too many. They blinked out of sync, some vertical, some horizontal, some rotating like they were trying to scan him rather than see him. Really gross.
Honestly. Rude.
it was kind of an insult to spiders to call her one.
Spiders don't deserve this slander, Ah'Ming thought. Respectable creatures. Eight eyes, nice and efficient. decently normal. Some wiggle room for compound eyes too. Dragonfly models made sense. Elegant, even. Those cousins did tend to hit walls sometimes though. Maybe those eyes didn't work so well.
But this?
Eyes over eight was just wasteful design.
No wonder it looked so stupid.
He rolled his shoulders, claws sliding halfway out, then stopping, indecisive. The urge tugged at him, sharp and familiar. He could feel it under his skin, that old itch. The one that whispered you don't need them. The one that remembered how easy it used to be.
He took a half step forward anyway.
The floor creaked in protest.
"C'mon," he coaxed, tilting his head. "You were doing so well earlier. Big dramatic reveal, scary book, whole 'I was among you the entire time' thing." His grin widened. "Don't tell me you're shy now."
The monster answered with motion.
Its limbs unfolded, too many joints snapping into place, claws digging into the stone as it lunged. Books tore free from the shelves, spinning faster, forming jagged halos that screamed as their pages shredded themselves into blades.
Ah'Ming laughed under his breath. He would have thrown his head back to do the full villain laugh, but there would have been a pretty high chance of getting impaled in the midst of merriment.
Yeah. That's the good stuff.
He danced back just enough to avoid the first swipe, claws raking sparks from the floor as he pivoted. The creature shrieked, sound like pages tearing in a cathedral, and slammed a limb down where he'd been standing a moment before, pulverizing stone and splintering shelves into flying debris.
Habitat destruction, bonus points.
"Careful!" he called. "You're going to lose your deposit!"
A ripple of energy washed over him then, faint but noticeable. A warmth along his spine. Someone behind him finally got their head in the game. A buff, thin and nervous, but real.
Ah'Ming didn't even look back.
"Aw, for little ol' me?" he murmured. "You shouldn't have."
He surged forward.
Claws came out fully this time, ripping through the air, through flying books, through the monster's outer shell. Shadow split and screamed, ichor splattering across the floor and evaporating into smoke. The Librarian reeled, eyes bursting and reforming, limbs slamming wildly, crushing shelves, scattering knowledge like confetti at a funeral. Little black chunks of shiny started creeping up his arms, then his shoulders, locking into a cool sort of armor.
Ah'Ming weaved through all of the slowslowslow attacks, laughter sharp and breathless, movements just shy of reckless. He tore. He smashed. He vaulted off collapsing furniture and drove himself into the creature again and again, carving chunks out of it while the rest of the players finally caught up, spells crashing in from the edges, lighting the room in fractured color.
He could feel them now. Their magic. Their fear. Their awe.
He could still do this alone.
He knew he could.
And that knowledge burned brighter than any buff.
"Oh dearie, oh dear! You're going to have to try so much harder if you want to hit me? If only beasts knew how to fight properly!"
The monster was getting really riled up, some of it from not being able to hit him, but mostly from the kinda bad taunts.
"Too many eyes," he told the monster, claws buried deep, close enough to feel the book thrumming inside it. "You really should've budgeted better."
The Librarian screamed again, the sound shaking dust from the ceiling, and wrapped itself around him, crushing shelves into paste as it tried to drag him down with it.
Ah'Ming dug in his heels.
Old instincts snarled awake.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
Ah'Ming moved like a storm made flesh. So like, super badass.
He vaulted off a smashed bookshelf, twisting midair as claws raked across the monster's torso. The Librarian screamed, a sound that shattered lamps and sent pages spinning like snow in a gale, but he didn't flinch. He landed on the floor, skidding just a fraction, and launched himself forward again, slicing through a tangle of limbs and shadow, leaving gouges in stone and splinters in his wake. You know, he'd really kill for a gun. He was still killing though. Maybe he'd get a gun as a kill reward.
Books exploded around him. A cascade of pages cut the air like paper knives. Shelves buckled under the force of his momentum. The monster lunged, swinging a massive, jagged limb that could have crushed a normal person (or most normal people) but Ah'Ming shrugged it off like a pro. He ducked, rolled, and leapt onto the creature's back, claws digging into its spines, shredding shadow tissue with each deliberate pull.
He vaulted over the head of the creature as it lunged for him again, spinning midair, landing on a toppled pillar. One arm ripped free and tore a shadow limb from its socket. He smirked, letting debris and dust spray over him like a personal effect.
Every movement was a statement. Every slash left a mark in the ruined library. Shadows recoiled from him as if they knew instinctively that his hands were death incarnate.
He vaulted through the chaos, spinning around a fallen table, raked both claws forward at once, cutting clean through two shadowed arms and the edge of a shelf, sending wood splinters spraying.
The creature tried to swing again. Too slow! Too predictable! He twisted in the air, striking again and again, each hit punctuated by a wet, echoing shlick, like knives slicing through smoke.
He was untouchable. Stylish. Savage. Suave. Almost entertaining.
And then…
A shout.
"Watch out!"
Ah'Ming froze mid-twist, head snapping toward the sound. It was sharp, human, panicked. Someone. The monster saw its moment to strike too. It recoiled, and in that instant of distraction, one of its limbs hit Him.
Impact.
Pain.
Air ripped out of him.
He flew.
Books and debris exploded around him as his body slammed into his so-called "support," sending both of them crashing into a smashed shelf. Splinters jabbed and dust filled their lungs. Dude, who needed enemies with teammates like this?
Ah'Ming groaned, twisted midair slightly, claws scraping stone as he landed hard, the first real hit of the fight, and he realized… for the first time in a long while, he had miscalculated. He blamed the kid. Their fault, not his. Trust.
The Librarian loomed over him.
Ah'Ming rolled his eyes as he landed in a crouch, groaning.
Next to him was the source of the shout. A fluffy-looking college kid, hoodie half-wrinkled, glasses slipping down his nose, and expression somewhere between panic and existential dread. How funny. Can it, kid.
Who knows, maybe he was like a super solider, about to save the day.
"…Do you have any powers?" Ah'Ming asked, voice flat but carrying the weight of someone who'd just been hit in the face with a library demon. You know, since he did get hit in the face with a library demon.
The kid blinked. Slowly. Carefully. Like he was trying not to get punched. "…I can… summon lollipops?"
Ah'Ming stared. Long enough for the shadows to reconsider their life choices. "…What about a Gundam?" Please, please, please say yes.
The kid didn't say yes.
"In your dreams, dude," the kid said, voice trembling slightly.
Ah'Ming groaned again, rubbing his head. "Figures."
Then the monster decided to remind them who was really in charge.
A massive, shadowed hand, way too big to be human, slammed down toward them, stone cracking under its weight.
Instinct kicked in. He felt kind of like one of those weird American dads who swears by instinct and forces the family to camp out in the woods to probe their manliness.
Ah'Ming shoved the kid sideways. He hit the floor with a soft oof, but alive. The monstrous hand smashed into the spot they had just occupied, sending splinters and stone shards flying like fireworks.
"Seriously, move faster next time!" Ah'Ming called over his shoulder. "Maybe drop a couple pounds! Don't worry, it won't be hard, just lose some of the eyes!"
More people started showing up behind them, finally catching up to the battle. Ah'Ming noticed why the kid had arrived first. Everyone else… well. They were big. Muscley. Tanks, basically. Solid, reliable, but slow as molasses. They lumbered in with heavy footsteps that made the floor tremble, swinging axes, hammers, and shields, and casting defensive spells that lit the room like lightning flashes.
At least they looked like they were help.
The monster swung again, claws snapping toward them, but its attacks were less coordinated now. Ah'Ming had thinned the field, cut off its options.
"Good," he muttered, claws flexing. "Let's make this fun."
The kid nervously twirled a glowing lollipop into the air like it was a magic wand. Ah'Ming smirked. "…That's… adorable, actually. Keep it up."
The kid glared, and made the lollipop even bigger. It looked like a massive hammer now. Ah'Ming could see why it was considered a skill.
The muscley tanks shoved forward, holding the monster at bay just long enough for him to leap back into the fray. Dust, splintered wood, and faint arcs of magic filled the air as he streaked forward again, grinning that sickly, "I'm about to ruin your life" grin.
The Librarian blinked its multitude of eyes, and for the first time, it seemed… nervous.
Oooh! One of the burly guys turned into a bear! Ah'Ming sat back, very exited to watch the show. If only there was popcorn.
The guy ran up, leaped a magnificent leap, and struck down, hard.
The hit didn't hit, and he was swatted away unceremoniously, like a fly or a mozzie.
He hit a shelf, fifty-some feet away.
Ouch.
Okay then.
Ah'Ming didn't even pause. Well, he had earlier. But he wasn't pausing now.
The muscley tanks surged forward, swinging clubs, hammers, and shields, keeping the Librarian occupied. Sparks flew where weapons met shadowed limbs. Meanwhile, the fluffy college kid waved his glowing lollipops frantically, casting tiny bursts of sugar-coated magic that barely scratched the surface of the monster, but they kept him entertained. It was literal eye candy. A lifesaver, since none of the others looked very pleasing to the eyes.
A new player appeared, moving with fluid grace. His body elongated and shimmered. Ah'Ming blinked. The man's arms and legs stretched, claws emerging, his teeth sharpening. Fur sprouted along his spine, muscles knotting into lean power. He howled, voice echoing like a chorus, and Ah'Ming realized: he'd shifted into a wolf mid-battle. Perfect. Fast, precise, and a predator to complement the chaos. Oh, wait, it made sense for animal shifters to join groups together. Weren't wolves and bears like enemies though? As you can tell, Ah'Ming didn't watch Nat-Geo much.
The wolf-man leapt at the Librarian, tearing at its limbs, dragging shadows down with him. Ah'Ming followed, spinning through the wreckage of broken shelves, claws flashing. Shadows dissolved under his strike, splintered wood and flying books raining down like confetti. Every movement was devastating, yet precise.
More players arrived, drawn by the roar of the fight. Some floated, casting magical beams; others slammed hammers into collapsing furniture, creating barricades. The library had become a living battlefield; it waschaotic, violent, brilliant. Ah'Ming was in the center, the storm incarnate.
He vaulted onto the Librarian's back, arms wrapping around its towering shoulders. Claws dug deep into shadowed flesh. The monster thrashed violently, knocking shelves sideways, sending books flying like shrapnel. It tried to claw at him, but a well timed spell from a support batted it away. He gritted his teeth, yanking upward, feeling its spine splinter under his hands.
It screamed, hellish, layered, everything wrong in the world, but Ah'Ming didn't hesitate. He leaned close. Teeth met very shadowy neck.
A sharp, sickening tear.
A wet, ragged scream.
And it was over.
The Librarian sunk to its knees, a peasant before the kind, and fell forward, collapsing into a heap of twisted shadow and broken shelves. Silence swallowed the library for a brief, staggering moment.
Players began cheering. Laughing. Clapping. High-fiving. Victory was theirs.
Ah'Ming, breathing hard, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Blegh.
He ignored them. His eyes went straight to the Librarian's stomach, the place he had noticed first.
Fingers sliding along jagged edges, he pried open the torso. Shadow and flesh gave way to reveal the blocky, rectangular object he had suspected.
A book.
Thick. Heavy. Ancient. Runes burned faintly along its spine.
He lifted it, feeling its weight, feeling its authority.
Around him, the others were still celebrating. Oblivious. Distracted. Laughing.
It was covered in resentment.
Human skin.
Oh.
Oh.
Oh no, the poor child.
That's why the mission prompt had been a blank, four letter word. Because it could have been either.
"Here, kiddo." He whispered.
He held out the book.
"There ya go."
The room started bleaching once more, a sign of the substorm being cleared.
The players around him all disappeared, teleporting away to their little reward rooms.
Only Ah'Ming was left.
He held the book out, not letting it down.
Little footsteps echoed around the room.
A little kid materialized from a little distance away, walking up to him.
It was the child.
He gingerly took the book, and cradled it to his chest.
The book seemed to come alive, and lose some of its resentment. The pressure in the air lightened somewhat.
Ah'Ming nodded at him, prepared to leave. He looked away, a wry smile appearing at all of the debris.
"Wait."
A soft voice echoed.
Ah'Ming didn't get to look back in time.
But, the voice persisted.
"My name… is Yuanyuan."