Where Scribes Fell - Chapter II

Dark writing kept flowing onto the statue as it stepped down from its pedestal. It didn't take long for the surface to be covered entirely by the mighty ink, which now swirled around and momentarily formed something reminding either facial features or graphemes. The statue walked towards Peti with rigorously attempted elegacy and began to speak by vibrating parts of its surface. Peti flinched to the sound which resembled creaky abrasion of stones coupled with noisy gargle. With effort he could follow the stiff pronunciation of Ljopva and was able to grasp something of her explanation.

"No visitors since ... spellcasters ... wanted to cheat Death and Ge ... success," she uttered and Peti thought he saw a glimpse of numerous smiles in the ink patterns which in another glimpse turned into grotesque versions of eyes and ears all around the body and even on the floor tiles.

Letter snakes continued to slither around him and the statue followed intensively as he spoke: "You used the ink to record your core? How fascinating! We didn't know for sure what happened to you after you had returned from the spiritual world and secluded yourself here." Peti would've wanted to acquire the ink fast and leave the distressing place, but knew that he had to be polite towards the unpredictable ghost.

The spellmaster's remains now spoke in a new, softer manner which sounded similar to Peti's own voice and was easier to understand: "My servants wrote and drew me onto parchment and walls and paper and floors. Every tiniest detail of me. They dissected me as I kept my core alive in a blaccorb. When they were finished translating my biology to the ink's mind, I let my consciousness flow with my blood into the floor tiles and reached sweet immortality. And then my servants would've wanted to leave! I still needed them and surely kept them. Just like the last visitors." Face-like blobs appeared on the walls and on the heads of guards. Peti breathed deep while the featureless faces stared at him with their black eyes.

He shivered and wanted to break the silence. "I wish to congratulate you," he spoke fast. "Your skills as a spellmaster were indeed magnificent! I truly admire your work. May I now present my solicitation, spellmaster Kopánjaà?" Peti did admire the work but didn't wish to be part of it.

"Thank you," the soothing voice answered. "You wanted mighty ink, didn't you? For what purpose? Does this master of yours wish to become immortal as well? It would be easiest for her to join me here."

"Actually, we wish to enter Scriptorium itself. That is where you got the ink, right?"

"Enter Scriptorium," the room resonated. "Even I didn't dare to venture into that world. My servants only helped me to take some ink from a fountain in a palace of scribes in Aweroot. I've apprehended that no human may enter and leave the palaces anymore because of our actions. Well, it was worth it. But to enter Scriptorium..."

She stopped speaking and Peti noticed snakes on the wall chasing a head trying to escape. The chase was quickly over as the head was cornered by four snakes and became shredded into letters and illustrations.

"We would need mighty ink," Peti continued. "Spellmaster Guenkue told me that only in Aweroot the fabric of reality is malleable in such ways that the ink can open a portal to Scriptorium. Surely a spellmaster like you knows something of it."

"Hmm... Yes, I also took a sphere of instructions from the palace just in case I'd need more ink. Free spirits can cross the borders of Scriptorium quite easily, but humans are unable to enter the world without mighty ink. But what is it that you seek in those cruel dimensions?"

Peti frowned. "I wish I knew. My master has been secretive about the true purpose of our mission, but it has something to do with translations."

"That is obvious. Scriptorium, land of writing systems, acts as a portal to the universe of languages. The only language, which I was ever interested in, was that of Life. Did you know that..."

Master Kopánjaà gave a lengthy lecture of bodily functions and their simulation on paper moving on to reproduction and theorizing whether mighty ink could impregnate a person, even a male. Peti's arm was still slightly stiff and moving it triggered a wave of pain as if stinged by hundreds of needles. After the long day his feet were aching as well. He yawned and sat down on the floor. The statue gazed at him and ended its talk. Peti rushed to speak: "I apologize. It has been a long trip. Could it be possible to continue our inspiring conversation tomorrow, master Kopánjaà?"

"Here you see it, living body is weak... But, I guess I could let you rest, all alone. I can continue my calculations for the night, oh yes." The statue hummed and returned onto the pedestal while ink fled into the floor tiles. A fish-like sentence swam on the floor and recommended Peti to follow it into the guest bedroom. The knights returned towards the entrance hall while he walked along the corridor. The walls were decorated with forest reliefs and the hexagonal floor tiles had various types of flowers slowly pulsating on them.

The fish submerged in front of a plain wooden door and Peti entered the small room. The room was furnished only with a simple wooden bed on the right and a cabinet on the left. A small circular window, which was staring at him directly ahead, was surrounded by a stony vine braid which continued up to the roof where it formed a hexagonal tree foliage full of luminescent star gems. He glanced out into the darkness and noticed that the window glass was actually a continuation of the surrounding stone, gradually turning transparent towards the centre. Peti put his backpack beside the cabinet and sat on the bed together with a blanket and some dried bread. He lied down after eating and stared at the ceiling constellation wondering whether sleeping inside was a good idea. Despite his tiredness, it took ages to fall into sleep.


Early in the morning, Peti woke up coughing with his dry throat. Staggering, he would've wanted to go out, but the main entrance was blocked by a silent guardian. He searched for a balcony and went outside. Peti rejoiced when he saw the mountains being veiled by a particularly dense fog and condensed water into his canteens and into some flagons he found. He could finally sate his thirst.

Peti circled around the mansion, but despite being highly curious, he didn't open any locks, only wondered where the keys might be. No signs of ink cache either. He returned to the scribes' room with all his gear and called: "O spellmaster Kopánjaà, I have rested now. May we continue our conversation?"

"Good," the entire room answered with a dulcet voice. "I have now attuned my ink patterns so there is no need for me to use the impractical statue anymore. I have also inventoried how much ink I have left... How much do you need," the room's happy voice inquired eagerly, "and what are you willing to pay?"

Peti squinted under the oppressive omnipresence. They had thought they'd find an abandoned abode which they could easily loot and hadn't prepared for this kind of encounter. "Although I appreciate You and trust my life in Your hands, great spellmaster Kopánjaà, I wish to see first how well the mighty ink has stood the test of time. I shall then reveal the payment, which I promise to be beyond your imagination."  

"Test of time and grand gifts!? Try to be neither as secretive as your master nor full of lies. Remember that you are in my realm!" shouted the walls. "However, I've always been patient and I guess you could see the ink first." Having finished, the cave floor began to shake and a door of ink appeared onto the wall from amongst misty writing. Letter snakes went inside to the another world and revealed a small cylindrical room which seemed to extend up into the golden skies. There was a huge, floating sphere with red inscriptions and drawings in the middle of the room and the walls were all covered in wavy patterns which seemed to flow back and forth in the air as well. Low whistling sound breathed with the same rhytm and pushed the stuffy smell into the scribes' room.

Peti viewed the room agape and noticed under the sphere a pedestal with two objects: a small, green sphere with a surface squirming as if covered with worms, and a case of six large ink bottles. He grapped them and heard an echoing demand: "What will you pay for those?"

He rushed back to the scribes' room and answered: "I will check which of these is of best quality and pay you then." He quickly pushed the slimy sphere into his backpack and searched it for a small box. He opened it and spread its crude mechanical device onto the floor as a spider with a pearl-like core orb as abdomen. A knight had appeared to block the exit, but Peti continued his task as practiced. After the device began to buzz and glow its green light, he collected six pens and some paper from the tables and tested each ink with a different pen. The mighty ink was deep black goo which flowed magically well from the pen and his spellang hexes were quickly written with ink from each bottle.

"My patience is nearing its end and my suspicion grows. Answer me now, human!"

Thus Peti read the spells and a large protective bubble appeared around him.

"Don't you betray me, you low apprentice!" the room thundered and sent spiky swearwords to attack him.

The bubble lasted as Peti readied the farappearing machine. Then something hit the bubble and it shattered like thin glass. The ink-patterned knight stood in front of him and was ready to swing again with its neutralizing hammer. The hammer nearly strook him but Peti along with the ink case managed just to disappear in a flash of green light from the single-use device.


Peti fell in the Spiritual World. He had to concentrate in order to float still before reappearing in Akekata. He admired the six magnificent Rivers and all the Universe Islands spiralling towards them on the interior of the Bneulian Sphere and the Sea of Spirits. Their expedition would return there very soon, he thought, right before the spell sucked him to Twin Islands.