Abyssal Awakening

"Now the library I'm taking you to is usually used by students so you might get quite a few eyes turning your way since you're not a student. But this is the best library in this city and nothing can compare to it. It might not look very big once we get there but trust me, every book in there is worth thousands." Ria boasted while leading Alice through the confusing maze of a city that is Zadash.

Upon arriving at the library, the outside of the store looked inconspicuous as it seemed like an ordinary house with the exception of a single emblem above the door. What truly changed was the moment they entered through the door.

Tens of bookshelves lined up on the sides of the house while a single large pillar rose up in the centre of the room adorned with a globe surrounded by rings that were connected by a thin metal bar.

A myriad of books decorated the base of the pillar while there was a single desk at the back of the shop with a man reading a book without looking up at the new arrivals.

He had short greyish purple hair, a pair of black eyes, glasses and wore a smart suit. Besides him was a cup of what is presumed to be coffee.

"Mister Nalem, do you happen to have any books on the Kata Charger? We're planning to hunt it and my friend Alice here wants to learn as much as possible before fighting the beast." Ria asked as Nalem glanced up from the book without moving his head.

Observing the duo for a moment, he nodded his head slightly.

"Shelf 4 row 1, find the book called Compendium on Blind Beasts. You should find information regarding the Kata Charger in there. If that is not enough, there is also Shelf 3 row 3, An In Depth Study on two star beasts. These two should have what you need. There is no one in the library right now so feel free to stay at any table you find.

As always return the books to the place you got them after you're done. Laziness will not be tolerated." Nalem guided before focusing back on the book in his hand.

"Thank you very much." Ria smiled before turning to Alice.

"Let's go, we got permission now."

Despite being confused by the interaction, Alice followed Ria without saying anything for now. Once Ria found both of the books, the two sat down at a table.

"You sounded like you know the store owner." Alice asked once they sat down.

"Hm? Oh yeah I do. My grandfather showed me this store when I was younger. He said it was a place he always liked to use and Mister Nalem provides every book you need. It's strange since the books within this store change often yet he is still able to provide what's needed. But that's the only strange part.

Other than that, all you need to remember is that Mister Nalem loves his books so you need to treat the ones you borrow with respect." Ria explained.

"Don't bend, dirty, or damage any book. Return them where you found them, violation of these rules marks you as banned from this store and all knowledge obtained about this store and from the books within this store are to be wiped from memory."

Hearing this, Alice raised an eyebrow.

What strange powers did he obtain from Sigils in order to impose such a rule?

"Personally, I haven't seen anyone violate this rule but let's not be the first. This store will help you out a lot if you are careful." Ria chuckled while pushing the books towards Alice.

"I've already had my fair share of studying so I'll just rest a bit while you read up." Ria stretched before resting her head on her arms.

Seeing this, Alice laughed inwardly before looking toward the books.

Since the first book that Nalem recommended was the Compendium on Blind Beasts, she figured she might as well give that book a read first.

Flipping to the index of the book, she looked through the words before barely finding Kata Charger.

'I really need to improve on my reading.' Alice sighed inwardly. While she could read some words, it was very limited.

She figured that if she started to struggle a lot, she'll ask Ria for some help regarding the information.

Flipping to the page about the Kata Charger, Alice started to read its information.

'The Kata Charger, while blind, is by no means a beast you should look down upon… With the sense of sight being deprived from this beast, its smell and hearing has been significantly enhanced to the point that it can tell when something has been tampered with.

'To approach a Kata Charger is to blend yourself in with its natural habitat, a difficult task as each human has their own scent. Even if you are to cover yourself head to toe with the foliage surrounding the home of a Kata Charger, it will still discover you.'

Reading this, Alice furrowed her brows as her options was now further limited. If it could tell what's different, trying to set up a trap was going to be very difficult.

'Maybe I can annoy it with a scent it dislikes and force it to jump into my trap.' She mused while continuing to read.

She wanted to find any notes on what it dislikes but the rest of the text focused on the Charger's habits and home. With quite a few of the paragraphs being unreadable, Alice could only leave the book for later.

Focusing on the second book, An In Depth Study On Two Star Beasts, Alice found the page that detailed the Kata Charger.

'Despite its body shape looking akin to that of a bull… The Kata Charger can actually extent the head and abdomen forward up to 10 meters???? TO EAT THE PREY??? They have a special hinge around their shoulders that will shoot the head forward at blistering speeds to take people off guard… The fuck??? Is this a charger or is this an assassin?

What kind of beast is this?' Alice thought to herself in disbelief as the image depicted the Kata Charger dislodging its head.

The strange insectoid legs on its stomach was actually to help it move its large neck back to the body.

'Try fight from range so that you can react to the head extension. Avoid close quarters combat…'

Furrowing her brows, Alice skimmed through the rest of the information with it basically telling her what to avoid when fighting the beast.

Leaning back, Alice couldn't help but feel grateful towards Allura. If Allura didn't tell her to research on this beast, she would've never known that it would shoot its head forward like that.

She shuddered thinking about the potential consequences of fighting that beast without knowing this fact.

Taking the books, she returned them back to where she got them and made her way to the counter while Nalem was still reading his book.

"Erm… Mister Nalem." Alice called out hesitantly.

"Mnm?"

"Do you have any books about… how to use poison Sigils? And types of traps you can make with them?" Alice asked as Nalem stared at her for a moment before placing down his book.

"Are you planning on poisoning the Kata Charger?"

"Poison fumes. I'm not… too familiar with the Sigil. Need to learn what traps and how to use before getting second Sigil." Alice admitted.

"Hm, interesting. What Sigil did you get?"

Hearing this, Alice hesitated for a moment but decided to tell the truth since it was better if she could get as much information as she could.

"Spectral Hunter."

"First or second Sigil?" Nalem followed up while leaning back a little.

"First."

"Oh? Spectral Hunter for your first Sigil? I haven't seen that done in a while. Alright, there are two books you want to get. Shelf 1 row 6, A Guide to Poison Beasts and shelf 8 row 1, A Hunter's Guide to Traps." Nalem nodded before standing up.

"Since I haven't seen a Hunter take the Spectral Hunter Sigil as their first Sigil in a long time, I'll lend you something from a private collection."

Turning around without waiting for Alice to react, he tapped his finger on one of the pillars and a staircase opened up leading down.

Feeling confused, Alice decided to find the books that he mentioned first.

'I wonder what he's going to give me?' She couldn't help but wonder.

According to Ria, Nalem had been the owner of this store for a long time now. If he's lending her something from his own private collection then whatever book it was, it may be potentially priceless.

Finding the books that Nalem told her to find, she spotted him coming out of the bottom floor with a strange book in his hand.

It looked similar to a journal as the pages and cover showed its age despite the care that Nalem was showing it.

"This is the journal that an old acquaintance of mine kept. He focused heavily on poisons and his first Sigil was the Spectral Hunter just like you. Perhaps you may get some inspiration after reading these notes." Nalem smiled fondly at the journal.

Seeing this, Alice couldn't help but wonder if his friend had passed away.

"I know that look. No, he is not dead. We merely went our separate ways. Perhaps you might even run into him one day if you follow the path of poison." Nalem shrugged while handing Alice the book.

Thanking him once more, she took the stack books back to the table.