POV Adrik:

1 day ago I arrived back home.

That has a weird aftertaste. Is this my home now? I mean I have nowhere to go but this is still a living library.

I shook those heavy thoughts off for another time and went back to reality and to the stranger sitting in my self-made runic circle. Both librarian of doom and tamer reached level 5 after my adventure which gave me two new skills.

Runic script (epic) lvl. 2

You are the writer of reality. Let the mages sling their fancy spells and the enchanters waste their skills on static magic. You write on the world itself. Reality is your poem. Enables you to cast runic magic.

Familiar fusion (epic)

An average tamer lives with their companions and dies with them but you are different. You have met your familiar who is literally a part of you. You can fuse to each other and becoming a hive mind with your strengths. Additional pets can be integrated into you.

Cost: 60 mana

Cooldown: 1,5 hour

Well, let’s get back to the demonic stranger.

“So who are you and how did you get in here?”

He looked very strained. At first he just opened and closed his mouth without a sound like a fish in an aquarium. After a few minutes in which I waited patiently he started to talk: ” I am a messenger of daemonica. This means that I neither recognize nor do I respect or accept your authority. I demand to be released immediately and an official excuse of your government”

Instead of sounding intimidating like a proud strong messenger he sounded intimidated himself.

I decided to give him a little push: „So and what happens if I ignore your demands? Will the army of daemonica come to your rescue? Because you seem to be a decent person I will ask one last time: who are you and how did you get in here?”

His voice got an octave higher “Okay, okay. I am a messenger of deamonia and I have no idea how I got here. I went through a portal and arrived here.”

In this moment Haylor decided to interfere with my interrogation <Adrik, you have to find out how he got here.  We have to find out whether I have been compromised.>

<Stay quite! I have a plan>

To the stranger I said:” I don’t believe that you tell the truth. I give you a choice tell me the whole truth or I will absorb you into me.” In this moment I activated Familiar fusion which had an absolute gross visual effect. My body fused with umbras then it expanded and got covered by shadowy veins. Somehow it even develop new body parts “Your choice”

The stranger still didn’t give in.

WE WERE AMUSED BY HIS BRAVERY.

WE WANTED THE TRUTH.

WE STEPPED FORWARD THROUGH THE RUNIC CIRCLE.

The intruder tried in vain to run away but the circle stopped him. WE GRABBED HIS THROAT AND LIFTED HIM UP. WE DECIDED FROM THE START TO ONLY SCARE HIM AND NOT HURT HIM. He shouted in panic:” Please stop! I really don’t know what happened. Please! I never lied to you!”

WE WEREN’T SATISFIED BY HIS ANSWER AND DROPPED HIM TO THE GROUND. UNSURE OF OUR NEXT STEPS WE LEFT THE ROOM WITH THE DISTURBED PRISONER. AS SOON AS WE WERE OUTSIDE WE SEPARATED.

We No I mean I fainted instantly. The drain on our/my mind was too big to just it shrug off.

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I woke up lying on my back on the floor in front of the makeshift prison with a headache and a little bit of salvia dripping out of the corner of mouth.

>Aooh Haylor, how long was I out?<

>Good morning sunshine, I hope you slept well.  Are you done with your beauty sleep? Two hours passed since your pathetic attempt of an interrogation. Why didn’t you torture him? Why didn’t you hypnotize him? What are you even able to do?<

Offended I countered >I can influence his thoughts!<

Thereupon Haylor got really started > Disregarding that every novice mentalist can do this you even forgot to use that. I mean what good are your skills and spells when you are too stupid to use them? Are you suicidal? At first you get kidnapped by a cult and then you fail an easy interrogation. This can’t continue like that. Tomorrow we will start an training program to give you some real survival skills.<

I wanted defend myself but I had admit my failure >Yes, you are right.<

As embarrassing as it was: he was right and I really failed everything.

After that Haylor grew a little bit softer and added >And now you will walk in there and we will interrogate him together.<

With new motivation I entered the room. When the prisoner saw me he instantly tried to flee only to be stopped by the runic circle. When he understood that there was no escape he whimpered:” Please. Don’t hurt me. I have told you everything. Please don’t do anything to me. Please…”

Instead of exploiting his vulnerability I knelt down. I heard Haylor shouting in my head >What are you doing? Just ask our questions!<

>Have you never heard of good cop, bad cop? Because I know how this works. Just trust me!<

Suprisingly Haylor stayed silent and let me try my method.

To the stranger I said:” Nobody will hurt you. I am sorry, I lost control. This won’t happen again. Do you want to tell me your name?”

Hesitantly he answered:” I am Sarus.”

Yes, that’s great! I thought but outward I stayed calm.

I said to Sarus:” Hello Sarus, I am Adrik. Can you please tell who you are and what brought you here?”

Sarus started to tell me his tale. At first he was very insecure and nervous but as time went on he grew more confident and even had the guts to ask some little questions like what the name of the town is.

After he finished I left the room with the promise to bring him some food and water and a bucket.  

Outside of the room I was instantly assaulted by questions from Haylor >How did you do that? Did you use a new spell? Where did you learn this?<

I just smiled and answered >I watched a lot of detective stories on TV.<