CHAPTER 85: CHAPTER 85: THE WHISPERING LIBRARY.

The moment my team stepped through the portal, it was as if the world had been muted. The roaring chaos of the arena vanished, replaced by a deep, profound, and almost physically heavy silence.

Stepping into the Whispering Library felt like walking into another time. The entrance hall was so huge it made them feel tiny and left them without words. They walked on a dark, polished marble floor that didn’t reflect any light, so it was like walking on solid shadow. They looked up at endless rows of books on shelves that rose like tall trees, their tops vanishing into the dark, high ceiling. A cool air filled the space, carrying the heavy scent of old paper and wax. But the entire place radiated an aura of immense, scholarly pressure. It was the kind of quietness that made you feel nervous about the sound of your own breathing.

On the giant Scry-Screens in the Royal Arena, the audience watched, captivated. The commentator’s voice was a hushed, respectful whisper. "And the... unusual... team from The Comfy Corner has entered the Whispering Library. A plush knight, a wobbly robot, an elf, an assassin, and a dust bunny. A bold move, indeed. Now let’s see how they handle the pressure."

In the ’Whispering Library’ my strange little team stood frozen just inside the entrance, overwhelmed by the oppressive silence.

’Okay, Mochi tell the team,’ FaeLina’s psychic voice was a tense, barely-there whisper in my mind. ’Their objective is simple, they have to find out a quiet, out-of-the-way corner, to lie down, and commence Operation: Strategic Snooze. Do not make a sound.’

I immediately relayed her command, not with my own voice, but by speaking directly through my most heroic minion.

Sir Crumplebuns, who had been standing in a silent, heroic pose, suddenly spoke, his voice have the same booming baritone as always, but pitched to a surprisingly quiet stage-whisper.

"ATTENTION, NAPPING NINJAS!" he whispered loudly. "THE CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER HAS ISSUED OUR ORDERS! WE ARE TO LOCATE A ’STRATEGIC NAPPING ZONE’ AND COMMENCE OPERATION: SNOOZE! MOVE OUT!"

Zazu and Kaelen just nodded, already accustomed to the absurdity.

Sir Wobble-a-lot, however, looked terrified. He leaned over to his larger, more stable companion, his internal gears letting out a nervous whir.

"But... but what if I wobble too loud?" he asked, his voice was a quiet, worried clicking sound.

Sir Crumplebuns gently patted his wobbly shoulder with a soft, plush hand. "FEAR NOT, BRAVE KNIGHT," he whispered, his voice a heroic but surprisingly quiet rumble. "YOUR WOBBLE IS A WOBBLE OF PURE COURAGE! LET IT BE A SILENT TESTAMENT TO YOUR VALOR!"

With that... strange... but heartfelt encouragement, the team began to move. It was, without a doubt, the most stressful and awkward stealth mission in the history of dungeoneering.

Kaelen moved first,like a perfect shadow, her feet making absolutely no sound on the polished marble floor. Zazu followed her, his natural elven grace making him almost as silent and the Dust Bunny, of course, was practically invisible, like a tiny, silent fluffball hugging the edge of the wall.

But, the plush knights, however, were another story.

Sir Crumplebuns, trying his absolute best to be stealthy, took slow, exaggerated tiptoes. In the dead quiet of the library, his soft feet made a faint squish-squish sound, like someone trying to sneak across the room while wearing slightly damp socks.

But the real problem was Sir Wobble-a-lot. Every time he took a wobbly step, his internal gears would let out a series of tiny, stressed-out clicks and whirs, like a grandfather clock trying to hold its breath.

Suddenly, a movement from the far end of the hall made them all freeze. A creature made of bound leather and fluttering pages—a Book Golem—was silently patrolling a nearby aisle. It stopped, its blank paper face slowly turning towards them, Its pages rustled without a sound, its non-existent ears seeming to twitch at the faint click-whir of Sir Wobble-a-lot’s internal gears.

The team froze in a silent, panicked tableau. Sir Crumplebuns, who had been mid-tiptoe, stood perfectly still on one leg, looking like a giant, heroic flamingo. Zazu held his breath. And Sir Wobble-a-lot, bless his heart, was trying so hard to stop his wobbling that he was vibrating in one place, and as a result his gears letting out a series of even faster, more stressed-out click sounds.

My entire core clenched. This was it. They were caught.

But just as the Book Golem was about to sound a silent, magical alarm, a new sound echoed from a different part of the library.

First, a muffled but very angry-sounding goblin voice yelling, "What do you mean the backrubs aren’t complimentary?! It’s in the name of the dungeon! It’s false advertising!"

This was followed by a loud ’CRASH’ sound, and the unmistakable sound of an entire bookshelf tipping over, and a shower of ancient, heavy books raining down on the marble floor.

Then came a new voice, a deep, magical, and very annoyed voice that seemed to come from one of the books itself. "Clause 17, subsection B: All backrubs are subject to additional fees and a mandatory 20% gratuity!"

"Get this talking book off me!" the goblin shrieked. "It keeps quoting legal texts!"

The Book Golem, and a new, shimmering, ghost-like figure that had just phased through a bookshelf—a Shush-Wraith—both turned and sped silently towards the source of the noise.

And after some like later, on the Scry-Screens in the arena, a new notification popped up, and the entire stadium roared with laughter.

[Team from ’Frank’s Buffet & Backrubs’ has been DISQUALIFIED for ’Excessive Clumsiness, Arguing with an Enchanted Legal Text book, and Attempting to Solicit Services During a Stealth Trial’.]

We had been saved by another team’s glorious incompetence.

My Napping Ninjas used the distraction to slip into a small, secluded reading alcove, hidden behind a large shelf of books which was filled with books about ancient pottery. It was the perfect spot.

’Okay, you’re in position!’ FaeLina’s voice was a sigh of pure relief in my mind. ’Commence Operation: Strategic Snooze!’

I immediately relayed the command. Sir Crumplebuns, who had been standing in a silent, heroic pose, suddenly spoke, his voice a surprisingly quiet but still very heroic stage-whisper.

"ATTENTION, NAPPING NINJAS!" he whispered loudly. "THE CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER HAS GIVEN THE ORDER! COMMENCE OPERATION: STRATEGIC SNOOZE!"

The team began to set up their bizarre little camp.

Sir Crumplebuns and Sir Wobble-a-lot took up guard positions on either side of the alcove’s entrance. Sir Crumplebuns stood perfectly still, his Spoonblade held high, a picture of plushy, heroic valor. Sir Wobble-a-lot tried to copy his pose, but just ended up swaying gently from side to side, his internal gears letting out a soft, rhythmic tick-tock that was surprisingly soothing.

Kaelen sank into a deep, still meditation, her back straight against the wall. She looked like a statue, but I could feel her senses were on high alert, a silent, deadly guardian watching over the rest of the team.

The Dust Bunny, meanwhile, had found a single, small speck of dust on the cover of an ancient book and was now engaged in a silent, epic battle to tidy it into non-existence.

Finally, Zazu, our champion, lay down on a plush rug that Kaelen had silently placed on the floor. He looked at Sir Wobble-a-lot, who was still swaying gently. With a tired smile, Zazu reached out and gently pulled the wobbly knight closer, using his surprisingly comfortable (and only slightly wobbly) body as the perfect pillow. He closed his eyes, and with a final, contented sigh, he began to drift into a deep, peaceful, and completely silent slumber.

It was working. My ridiculous, insane plan was actually working. Zazu was in a deep, peaceful slumber.

But then, Kaelen’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

Her meditation was broken. Her head slowly turned towards the entrance of the alcove. Sir Crumplebuns, who had been guarding in a heroic, motionless pose, suddenly become tense, his plushy hand tightening on his Spoonblade. Even Zazu, deep in his champion-level nap, stirred and a frown creasing his brows.

Suddenly, a new figure stood at the entrance of their alcove, where a moment before there had been nothing. It was a ten-foot-tall golem made of pure, polished marble, its surface so smooth it seemed to absorb the soft light of the room. It wore a pair of small, golden spectacles perched on its stony face, and its eyes glowed with a cold, analytical light that seemed to see not just their bodies, but the very thoughts in their minds. This could only be one being: The Archivist, the Golem Head Librarian and the master of this silent domain.

It stared down at the strange assortment of creatures who had decided to take a nap in its library. It raised one, massive stone finger to its lips.

And then it spoke, its voice not a sound, but a direct, powerful, and very, very disappointed thought that slammed into my consciousness, and the minds of my entire team.

’You are being very, very loud.’

_________

Author’s Note:

The Napping Ninjas are in the library! And they are, as expected, terrible at being stealthy. Sir Wobble-a-lot and his clicking gears are my new favorite problem in this entire book.

I’d also like to thanks the brave heroes from ’Frank’s Buffet & Backrubs.’ They failed their mission, but they saved our team in the process. Their glorious incompetence will not be forgotten.

But now our team was been caught! By the scariest monster of all: a very disappointed librarian. And his ultimate attack isn’t a spell; it’s a psychic "shush." How do you even fight that? Thanks for reading!