Eldritch Guidance-Chapter 96 – More Background Checks

“Many associate mycomancy with the Epic of Sasha. Therefore, some might find their understanding of this magic a bit lacking.

“Many know of the tale where Sasha saved herself countless times with her creative use of the magic. But, few understand the mycomancy used by Creen, the villain in the epic. The type of mycomancy described in the epic that he used was weaponized mycomancy. Very different from the normal type of mycomancers used today.

“Weaponized mycomancy is incredibly dangerous. Utilizing this magic in any capacity is considered a war crime under international law. It is a biological arcane weapon of mass and indiscriminate killing that is difficult to control or contain.

“It works by spreading spores capable of taking root inside of people, then using the aether of the infected to rapidly grow. This process drains the infected of all their aether and kills the host of the spores. Then from there, shrooms will sprout from the infected corpse and shoot out more spores which can then infect even more people. This causes a knock-on effect that can infect and decimate entire populations in a matter of hours. Countries were destroyed as a result during the time Creen was wandering the continent.

“Thankfully, no one else has been able to weaponized mycomancy since Sasha the Green. And, any attempt to try and recreate weaponize mycomancy is forbidden under international law.

“Under defamation laws, this text is required to state that Graheel university does not possess the original weaponized mycomancy method. The university destroyed all documents related to weaponizing mycomancy when it was founded, and has provided ample evidence throughout the years that they did so. I make no attempt to claim otherwise within this edition of Advance Spell Craft.”

—“Advance Spell Craft, 4th Edition” written by Oshrat Nebrod

In the same secluded room of the Archive, nearly all of Joe’s group had gathered, with the exception of Alan. Among the members present were the newly recruited enforcers, blending into the tight-knit team. Sandra, a head librarian, sat on one corner of the table, writing something down in a book. The large table in the center of the room was cluttered with piles of papers and stacks of books, a chaotic testament to their mounting workload. Ever since the unsettling incident involving the Slime creature with Alan and Jafar, the group had found themselves burdened with an ever-increasing amount of paperwork.

One of their newest assignments involved conducting a comprehensive background check on the individual Alan and Jafar had tried—unsuccessfully—to save. The man who died, named Ricky, was a figure shrouded in mystery. None of Joe’s group knew much about him, making the task all the more annoying. Determined to maintain their momentum, they had gathered every document, record, and file remotely connected to Ricky—and brought them along to the Archive.

Joe could easily decipher the subtext behind the sudden influx of paperwork. It was a calculated punishment from Murdock—a subtle yet effective way to reprimand them without creating tension between the police and the university. By drowning Joe’s group in bureaucratic busywork, Murdock had made his point loud and clear. This was fallout from the trouble Alan and Jafar had stirred up during that slime creature incident, a mess that had unfolded under Joe’s watch.

Joe wasn’t the type to shift blame onto his team. As their leader, he believed it was his responsibility to anticipate and mitigate such situations. He understood that Alan and Jafar’s actions were not unreasonable, until that slime creature showed up. Still, even with this understanding, the sheer annoyance of the paperwork didn’t diminish. The stacks of documents piled high in their small room felt like Murdock’s personal jab, a way to exploit Joe’s well-known aversion to administrative drudgery.

The head of the police had a knack for knowing exactly how to needle him without crossing a line. Joe accepted it, though, albeit grudgingly. If this was the price of leadership and keeping his team intact, then he’d pay it—annoying as it was. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t mutter a few choice words about Murdock under his breath.

Now, the group had split their efforts. Half of them pored over the records Sorin had looked at, sifting through every detail with meticulous care. The other half focused on tracing Ricky’s paper trail, searching for any clue or connection that could shed light on the man’s past, and creating a detailed report. The room buzzed with the quiet rustle of papers and the murmur of voices exchanging findings.

Mike: “This makes no sense.”

Joe: “Tell me about it,” he said as he put down the copy of the Rattle Scratching Alan was going through before. “Alan was right. This copy of the Rattle Scratching makes even less sense than other copies I’ve read before.”

Mike: “Ricky has no connection to any of this. He’s not a mage, he didn't work for the university, and has no relationship with Sorin or his conspirators. He is just a normal and honest tradesman,” he said as flip through the files they had about Ricky.

Rell: “Maybe you're right, and he has no connection. These slime creatures might not have any involvement with Sorin whatsoever. They might be just attacking random people.”

Joe: “I doubt that. The number of missing suspects has gone up to five now, and every one of them had that clear rot slime at the location where they went missing. And, the slime from the aftermath with that slime monster with Alan and Jafar is the exact same. I highly doubt that this is coincidental. Out of every slub in this city, these slime monsters go after our suspects. It’s not random.”

Dan: “Um, maybe it's both.”

Everyone turned their attention to Dan, their gazes filled with expectation. The room fell silent, the air thick with anticipation as they waited for him to elaborate on his comment.

Dan: “Um, what if these slime things are targeting certain individuals, but some people are getting caught in the crossfire."

Joe: “Oh, so like, these things are getting a snack between their targets and grabbing whoever they can to eat.”

Jafar: “Things? As in plural? You think there was more than one slime?”

Joe: “Because another suspect went missing even after Alan managed to blow that slime thing up. Which suggests there were at least two of these things.”

Jafar shuddered at the chilling thought of more than one of those grotesque slime creatures lurking out there, hidden in the shadows, biding their time and waiting for their next victim.

Rell: “What I don’t understand is how no one noticed these things until now?”

Joe: “Oh, that's simple. It’s the drain.”

Dan: “The drain?”

Joe: “In every location that clear slime appeared, it was always present in a bathroom. Remember Larry’s home? There was slime all over his bathroom, and it was like that for the other missing suspects. Jafar said when he tried to barricade a door, that the creature was able to push itself through the tiny gaps in it. I’m assuming it is the same with the drain. It crawls its way up the plumbing into the victim's home and then tries to devour them.”

Rell: “So, these things are moving through the sewers. That’s why no one noticed.”

Dan: “Does that mean we should be checking the sewers then?”

Mike: “Easier said than done,” he said while putting the document he was reading down. “The sewer system in this city is such a mess. And, there are parts of the system that are too small for people to crawl through. So, there is no way to properly search all of it.”

Joe: “You're giving up on that background check now?” he said, noticing Mike taking a break from Ricky’s records.

Mike: “Well, we still need to fill out a report. So, we’re still going to have to go through Ricky’s record. But, I’m seeing no connections with Sorin at all. So, maybe Dan is right. This was just someone in the crossfire.”

Jafar: “Dan’s theory sounds solid and plausible, but we shouldn’t make too many assumptions without learning more about what we're dealing with.”

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Rell: “Agreed. In that case, should we start our research into the Consuming Ooze cult, then? That's another thing they wanted us to look into.”

Joe: “Ugh, I know. Don’t know why they are asking us to do it when they have Grayscale College for this kind of stuff.”

Rell: “Because they’re already going through their own records about this cult. The Grayscale College will likely send others to the Archive when, and if, they exhaust their own records and don’t find any useful information. But, in the meantime, we can get a head start. So, Miss Sandra, would be so kind to go get available records,” he said, turning to Sandra while taking charge.

Hearing her name, Sandra glanced up from the notebook she had been intently writing in, her eyes full of confusion.

Sandra: “Hmm? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I was busy working on my own thing. What were you asking for?”

Rell: “I wanted to request documents on the Consuming Ooze cult. As I understand, you’ll have to lock up the books you brought us that Sorin was looking at. Since none of us still have the appropriate level of access to be alone with these books. Would you like some help with packing up?”

Sandra: “Yes. If I’m to leave the room, those books will need to be locked up. But, if you're looking into the Consuming Ooze cult, why don't you go through the documents I brought you first before I seek more? Unless, you're looking for something more specific?”

Rell: “Um, excuse me?”

Sandra: “The books I prepared for you? I was requested to prepare any books related to cults that Sorin took out in the last year. And, some of those books, I believe, were related to the Consuming Ooze cult.”

Joe: “Sorin took out books related to the Consuming Ooze cult! And, you didn’t tell us!” he yelled.

Sandra: “S-Sorry, I didn’t know it was important,” she said in a panic stutter.

Joe: “We’ve been sitting here for hours talking about the Consuming Ooze cult!”

Sandra: “As I said, I was too busy with something else to pay attention.”

Joe took a deep breath, forcing himself to steady his nerves as the tension in his shoulders began to ease. His temper and impulsive outbursts had been costing him far too much lately—most notably the time his unchecked impulse nearly got him killed on Eld Street. That close call had been a wake-up call he couldn’t ignore. Since then, he’d been making a conscious effort to rein in his emotions, striving to approach situations with greater calm and professionalism.

Joe: “Deep breath,” he mutters to himself while breathing deeply. “OK, do you know what books he took out related to the Consuming Ooze cult?” he said in a more calm tone.

Sandra: “Here, let me get the registry,” she said as she got up and walked over to the crate that contained the books that Sorin took out.

Curious at what the head librarian was working on, Jafar peered over at the book Sandra was writing in and briefly read the last unfinished paragraph: “He looked at me like the ravenous rutting beast he was, full of hunger to devour me as if I were a rabbit. For which, I was in his mutant eyes. His breath heavy and lower loins betrayed him. So I reached out to the beast, known as Maxwell, and grabbed his throbbing—”

Reading that passage, Jafar couldn’t suppress a cringe at the ridiculously bad smut unfolding on the page. He glanced at Sandra’s way, noting how she kept her face studiously neutral, focusing on the task in front of her. The effort she put into maintaining an air of professionalism was almost as absurd as her writing. Jafar shook his head, trying his best to block out the mental images her prose had unfortunately conjured.

Sandra reached into the crate of books and retrieved the registry notebook, which meticulously cataloged all the information about the books Sorin had borrowed over the past year. She carefully flipped through the pages, her fingers gliding over the worn edges, until she stopped at a specific section. Her eyes scanned the entries, double-checking to ensure she had found the right page. Satisfied, she walked over to Joe, holding the notebook open to the page she had been studying. Slowly, she presented it to him, her expression calm.

Sandra: “Here, on this date, there were at least four books taken out about the Consuming Ooze cult.”

Joe scanned the registry page, and sure enough, Sandra had been spot on. Listed there were four titles, each ominously connected to the same subject: The Consuming Ooze: Faith Text,The Anatomy of the Ooze Creatures of the Consuming Ooze,Slimy Rituals of the Consuming Ooze, and “Confiscated” Consuming Ooze Text.

As he examined the entries more closely, something else caught his eye—an additional note scrawled in the margins.

Joe: “There’s a little note written beside these entries.”

Sandra: “Oh, that was probably me. Sometimes when people make requests for a book, they ask for additional books with what they ask for. I make note of it in the registry and prepare what was requested for a future visit.”

Joe: “That’s not what this note is about. It says that Jixi was requesting specificity room P-44 to read these texts alone in.”

Sandra: “That is also something I would make a note of in the registry. Reserving a certain room for someone. Some people at the university prefer certain private reading rooms here at the archive to do their work in.”

Joe: “By the light, maybe the Consuming Ooze cult isn't involved,” he said as realized something.

Mike: “Care to explain your thoughts? Instead of us trying to guess what you're talking about.”

Joe: “If what Sandra wrote here is correct, then specifically Jixi was looking at these books. You said that you let Sorin’s assistant take books out under his name, so we don’t know what books either of them looked at, correct?” he asked, directed at Sandra.

Sandra: “Yes, and a foolish oversight on our end we’re correcting.”

Joe: “But, this note confirms that Jixi himself was specifically looking at this stuff about the Consuming Ooze cult. He asked specifically for a room to read them in. So, what if Jixi learned how to create these slime creatures from these books?”

Rell: “Hmm. That might mean Jixi is creating the slime creatures himself.”

Joe: “That’s what I’m thinking. You said Jixi is a coward, Rell. Not willing to put himself in danger, but what if he’s creating these slimes to do the dirty work for him.”

Dan: “Wait, can you do that? Can you perform cult rituals and magic without being a member of a cult? I just assumed you had to believe in the nameless gods for this kind of stuff to work.”

Rell: “There are some limitations, but it has been done in the past. That’s why these books are so highly restricted. As long as the conditions are met, faith in the nameless outsiders isn't necessarily needed. And, who’s to say Jixi didn’t start secretly praying to this consuming ooze outsider after reading these texts.”

Mike: “If Jixi is creating these things, then why? Why is he even killing these people in the first place?”

Jafar: “Maybe, they know where he’s hiding, and he's trying to silence them so we don’t find him.”

Rell: “That might be it, but let's see what Jixi learned from these books first before we get too deep into our theories. Sandra, could you find us these books?”

Sandra: “Absolutely. Just give me a few minutes,” she said as she started sorting through the crate of books.