Eldritch Guidance-Intermission XXIII

In the quiet hum of the archives, Jafar sifted through the stack of documents related to Sorin. At the moment, his attention was fixed on the Consuming Ooze cult’s Book of Rituals, combing through its pages for anything that might be useful to the investigation. His focus was sharp, though the dim lighting and dense, archaic script made the work painstaking.

Across the room, Sandra sat at her usual spot, her nose buried in a notebook she was scribbling in feverishly. Jafar had long since concluded it was some sort of smut she was working on, though he never pressed the issue. Her occasional giggles only added to his suspicions.

Suddenly, a sharp notification sound broke through the quiet. Jafar paused, reaching into his pocket to retrieve Mike’s pager. Since Mike had gone off with the rest of the team, he had entrusted Jafar with the device, just in case something urgent came up.

Jafar’s eyes widened as he read the message. His pulse quickened.

Sandra glanced up from her writing, noticing his reaction.

Sandra: “What’s up?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jafar: “Joe and the others found Jixi!” Jafar said, his voice tinged with excitement and a bit of relief.

Sandra straightened in her chair, her interest piqued.

Sandra: “Oh, that’s good news! So, are you heading out to meet them?”

Jafar hesitated, his gaze drifting back to the open tome in front of him.

Jafar: “Yeah... probably in a bit,” he admitted. “I just want to finish going through this first.” He held up the book, one of the high-security access volumes that Sorin had signed out at some point.

Sandra gave a small nod, smirking slightly.

Sandra: “You just can’t help yourself, can you? Even with the team about to face off against Jixi, you’re still digging for more dirt.”

Jafar shrugged, a hint of a grin playing on his lips.

Jafar: “Every scrap of information helps. Besides, if there’s something in here that could make the difference, I’d rather have it now than regret it later.”

Sandra: “Fair point,” Sandra said, leaning back in her chair. “Although, it seems a bit redundant if you found who you're looking for.”

Jafar: “Well, even if we find Jixi we’re still going to have to go through documents and file reports even after. So, I’m just ultimately trying to get ahead of that,” Jafar replied, turning his attention back to the book, though his thoughts were now split between the dusty pages and the rapidly unfolding events involving his team.

Sandra: “I see,” she said with a sigh. “The university does love their detailed reports.”

Jafar: “Yeah, and there is just one thing that is irking me about all this that I’m trying to figure out.”

Sandra: “What’s that?”

Jafar: “How Jixi was able to pull this pursuer slime ritual off. It’s incredibly complex. Even if I had the instruction like I do, I’m not sure if I could pull it off. If it was Sorin or another university professor I could understand, but Jixi was only an assistant professor. I think he would have a hard time casting it.”

Sandra: “Well, maybe Jixi is more skilled than you're giving credit for. Sometimes a professor assistant can be more talented than people think, but they’re overshadowed by the professor they work under.”

Jafar let out a long sigh.

Jafar: “You might be right about that. But, I still want to go over the document to make sure I didn’t miss anything.”

Sandra: “Very well.”

After another twenty minutes of intense reading, Jafar set the book down and stretched his arms above his head, feeling the strain in his shoulders and the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him. The long hours spent poring over countless dusty tomes had taken their toll, and his eyelids were growing heavier with each passing minute. He yawned, rubbing his temples as he tried to shake off the creeping fatigue.

Jafar: "Maybe it’s time to call it," he muttered to himself. "I should go meet the others before I crash completely."

But even as he considered packing up, a nagging feeling rooted him to the spot. "I feel like I’m missing something," Jafar thought, his gaze drifting around the dimly lit archive. The unease gnawed at him, a persistent voice in the back of his mind telling him he hadn’t yet uncovered everything he needed.

He rolled his neck to stretch out the stiffness, and as he did, his eyes caught sight of the security camera mounted in the corner of the room. His brow furrowed, and a spark of realization lit up in his mind.

Jafar: “Wait a second,” he murmured, sitting up straighter.

Another idea was beginning to form, one that might uncover some information he hadn’t considered before. With a new sense of purpose, Jafar turned back to his workspace, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

Jafar: “Hey Sandra, all these reading rooms have security cameras in them, right?”

Sandra: “Yup. Someone ripped out a page of a book in the past, so now we record what goes on in the room and store the footage

Jafar: “Is there footage of Jixi as well?”

Sandra: “Excuse me?”

Jafar: “I was thinking, if you record these rooms, that must mean you have a recording of when Jixi was in it reading that book of the Consuming Ooze cult.

Sandra: “I mean… I suppose. But, I’m not sure you would be able to get any useful information from something like that. Those video recordings don’t have any audio in them. So, it's just going to be a silent video of Jixi sitting at a table reading a book.

Jafar: “All the same

Sandra let out a weary sigh, the kind that carried the weight of countless hours spent in quiet frustration. For a moment, it seemed like she was about to push back, her lips parting as though she were ready to voice an objection. But then, after a brief pause, her shoulders slumped, and she relented with a small nod, her resistance melting away.

Sandra: Very well. There’s a lot of footage that will have to be sorted through though on our end. I'll arrange for someone to go find the footage you're looking for. So, if you could wait here for a moment,” she said as she got up from her seat and quietly left the private reading room, leaving Jafar by himself.

Jafar picked up the hefty tome once more, determined to push through, but the moment he began flipping through the dense, timeworn pages, a heavy wave of drowsiness washed over him. His eyelids grew heavier with each passing moment, and his concentration wavered as his fatigue threatened to overwhelm his resolve.

Jafar: “Maybe, I should call it a day once Sandra comes back…”

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺