Chapter 19: Cichol

Chapter 19: Cichol

Milo went to log out of the game, and got a most peculiar notification.

An Arcane Library is available for you to claim,

But...

An advisor waits to speak with you.

Please choose one of these before logging out.

(Or sure, you could do the annoying thing that lets you bypass the game controls, but where is the fun in that?)

Milo did have a couple of questions for Sidney, but the lure of an Arcane Library outstripped even the chance of a meal with cheese sauce.

The world darkened as he logged out and appeared somewhere else. Or perhaps 'nowhere else' was a better description. Milo was standing upon a small stone platform that seemed to be hanging in space. All around him, stars glittered in a cold void. The air was thin with no wind, and it was completely silent.

The only thing on the platform was a stone archway enclosing a peculiar door. At first, milo thought it was made of wood. But as soon as he touched it, he knew the truth. It was bone. Huge, thick slabs of bones carved and fitted together like a puzzle. Bones from a beast that had walked the land long, long ago. He got a sense of its long heavy steps. The door was made of its shin bones. There was a latch that opened the door. Milo stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Whatever was inside was better than the void with its endless sky.

He stepped down into the room. The floor was a mosaic of small pieces fit together in geometric patterns. Shades of white, ivory, and alabaster created interlocking sunbursts. The curved roof was of the rib bones of some leviathan. They arched up to connect with the ridgeline of vertebrae thirty feet above his head. The walls were plaster above wooden paneling, but he could feel the bones behind the decorations. Four hallways provided exits from this central room, but Milo was more interested in what was in front of him.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.

Milo thought for a moment. "I want to go places and see things. I can't do that in my other body, but I can here. I want to explore the caves and mines, and find secrets."

Cichol nodded. "Well, enough. And what about the Bones and the Magic? Do you want to learn more of those? Or will you just wear that old dishrag around because you like the color?"

Milo looked around the room. Many of the larger bones were carved with runic script he couldn't read. This room held a lot of secrets. "I want to know the secrets you have here, too."

Cichol nodded. "You might do then. But off with you for now. Go find a bone of your own to add to my library"

You have completed the Quest: Free the Captured Souls!

You have gained 5 Core Skill Points.

You have been given the Quest: One of Your Own

Cichol has tasked you with finding an old bone to add to the library. Return to him when you have one.

Success: Access to the books in the library and lessons in bonecasting.

Failure: A missed opportunity