Episode 189 - Archivalpalooza

## Synopsis

Integrity and Winsler sat alone in the Restricted Section. Together, along with Mr. Wiggles, they were gathering books on warlocks and their patrons when Integrity asked him to explain how he wanted to help her. Winsler told her that he had been thinking about how to sever the pact between her and the Progenitor, but wasn't sure what effect that would have on either of them. Integrity asked if having multiple warlock samples would help, as the blackbirds around campus had recently started shrieking another person's initials, so it was possible there were more warlocks on campus.

Winsler agreed that could help, and said his idea was to transfer the pact onto a different creature, hopefully in a way that would minimise harm. As Integrity thought about it, she ran outside to the main Archives to fetch some ingredients, on her way spotting a noticeably newer patch of stonework in the walls.

Winsler continued his book search, finding a long scroll reading *'Compendium of Fiendish Deals and Doings'*, a golden-white book that read *'Oath-breaking and Oath-making'*, and a small pamphlet titled *'Writing the Book on Pacts, an Informational Pamphlet for the Would-Be Warlock'* written by Professor Fulm Dwelden. Winsler realised he had heard that name before, as Keepsie had called him their creator.

Elsewhere on campus, Serinepth walked back to her dorm, and passed the greenhouses. The sweetling had very obviously grown, almost to the same height as the alchemy building, with its silver leaves forming a large canopy over the shaded ground. She sat in front of it, and felt the flow of magic around it, not dissimilar to how she felt in Isathil. She thought back to how she was able to see Corrina in her Illusions class, and then remembered about her scrying amulet. Holding onto it, she concentrated on trying to find Phillip Maisel.

She felt her vision move south, across the Ashuan Kingdom, then out east into the ocean. Eventually she saw a cabin on a ship, well-decorated with a large table and comfortable chair, upon which lay a large pile of books. Sleeping in a nearby bed, was Phillip. She sat there watching him for a few minutes, and noticed that hung on the wall were a well-worn travelling coat, as well as a pristine Wildcliff robe.

After she returned to her physical body, she again headed towards the dormitories, when she ran into a very focused looking Mira. She told her friend about the meeting she had set up with Crowe, and asked why Mira was so excited.

*"Oh, yes. So, ok I guess I'll have to move that to either before or after the meeting. Oh, so, there's going to be a school election— uh ok, you know how Bailey sucks and is the worst and is just terrible in general, so I was like at the meeting, 'Ok nobody's running right, nobody's gonna run', and then Cyndra was there and I guess she's running but whatever we don't need to worry about that, and then Bailey— I was like hey, actually I'm gonna run for the election, but then he said everyone in the school has to vote, which I just thought it was gonna be an inner club thing which would be way easier, but like I'm down for this, so um I might want some help with some election stuff, I'm wondering if we can get dirt on Bailey, I'm wondering, do you still have that amulet that you can use to scry, because I was thinking we could like watch him and see what he's doing maybe, see if we can dig some dirt up. The only problem is then we have to figure out how to disseminate to, because like Angelika isn't conscious to spread gossip, and Ari isn't around, and I mean it's bad form to spread it yourself so we have to figure out if we find dirt who to leak it to you know? I have been talking for a while how are you?"*

As Mira spoke, Serinepth reached up and put the scrying amulet on her shoulder. *"I'm doing well, I do have the scrying necklace, um, I tried it out for the first time. Number one, I get very seasick apparently because— anyway, um, Phillip's on a boat. He's ok."*

*"Oh shit, is it like a prison boat or is he like with his family or something?"*

*"No, I didn't see any of his family with him. But he had his own cabin and it was nicely decorated, and it looked like he was just sort of staying there, like he wasn't like a prisoner situation, but... Yeah he's not in the continent right now."*

*"Wow, damn. I guess he couldn't really write to you or anything like that if he was on a boat or something. I wonder if he's going to try and find you or if he's just like, splitting."*

*"I mean, if he's gonna go looking for me I think he's going in the wrong direction. But um..."*

*"Well I'm glad he's ok, how are you feeling?"*

*"I'm happy he's ok, I kinda wish we weren't in this situation— I feel like a lot of people in this situation, wish they weren't in that situation, like it's... Love is complicated, at all times. So, yeah, I can help with finding dirt on Bailey"—*Serinepth laughed slightly—*"And hopefully, I mean tomorrow we'll be able to, y'know, talk to Crowe, hopefully explain the situation, get all of our stuff back and all of our people back that we left in Troisle, and Delnys is working on the thing to let us go into the minds and all that stuff, so that's all going to be figured out."*

Mira's face fell slightly when she mentioned Delnys. *"Yeah, she is, yeah..."*

*"I'm sorry, I know the last time you guys talked it was like, the Gala and all that stuff, I'm sorry that was poor taste of me."*

*"Pretty rough last time we talked— Hey Serinepth, I have a question."*

*"Yeah, what's up?"*

*"I know you and Phillip were never like, dating dating, and it was just like a will they or won't they, but when you guys like were growing up together, did you ever like, really mess up with him? Like hurt him, just be accident or being careless or something>"*

Serinepth sighed. *"I uh... I talked about this a bit ago. When I was like really, really— When I was younger, before I met Phillip and his parents, and they taught me about the world and stuff, I was like a small version of my parents, and I was a horrible person. Um, I... I just wasn't a good person when I was really young, so I know like... I messed with him a lot, and I really shouldn't have, and he was so understanding of the fact that I like— That wasn't really me, but after I met them, after I talked to them, and talked about everything. But a hundred percent. It's almost impossible, in my personal opinion, to find the perfect relationship y'know? Like there's gonna be things, maybe a bad part of history in your relationship. Again, the whole— You were looking out for Delnys, and I'm sure she understands that. I'm hoping that she's cooled off, and next time we see her at school or something you guys will be able to have a conversation or that kind of stuff—"*

*"I read her mind."*

*"...What?"*

*"I read her mind with magic, and then she got me this really nice gift and I felt awful and I freaked out and I told her about it, and then she just sort of left— Which I wouldn't blame her, I would do the same thing but... Like, I don't know. whatever you did as a kid, you were a kid, but it's nice that you and Phillip, even if he's... It's nice that you two still care about each other, even with everything."*

*"I mean it's... So, I don't know what you think of when you look at me and Phillip, it took a number of years of us knowing each other for us to reach the level of friendship that we had, you know what I mean?"*

*"Did you guys not like each other at the start?"*

By this point, both Serinepth and Mira had sat down on a nearby bench, and continued to talk about their romance issues into the later night.

Integrity reached the front of the Archives, grabbing clay, ash, and mandrake root. She rushed back to the Restricted Section, where Winsler had laid out all the books he found. She threw the ingredients onto the table, and searched her bag for the jar of squirrel hearts she carried with her. Finally, she grabbed the book she had taken from the Loft of Elders, flipped through it, and slapped it onto the table.

Winsler looked at her, confused. *"What's all this?"*

Integrity pointed at the book. *"Winsler, I think I know what we can do."*

Winsler looked over the book, and found instructions on how to create a homunculus.

*"Would this work?"*

*"Is this why you went and grabbed all that stuff? How long have you had that in your bag?"*

*"Well, I've always had it after we got it, just in case they try to trace it at least I can have it in my bag, I can dispose of it if I need to. If I left it in my room, people might find it, so it's just been there."*

*"Does it smell?"*

*"Um, there's this one time I opened it in my room and then Silvie made me sleep outside, because apparently we should not open smelly things in our room."*

*"I mean I feel like that's just... Never mind. So you want to go ahead and try and make this?"*

*"Well you said we needed an entity, and I was already planning on making it to sort of spy around for me, you know with all my busy schedule I can't screen every single person for who's a warlock and whose not. But maybe I can use the homunculus — if we do make it — to look for warlocks for us, and then later on we can use it to transfer the pact to."*

*"That sounds like a good idea. I'd rather devise a safe method to test it on later, than try and do it immediately, because I don't think it would end well for the homunculus, I think it might just go boom, I don't know. So we could go ahead and try and make this, I'm gonna have to do a lot of studying on all this pact stuff, and then eventually we might have to put it to the test and see how that works."*

*"Do you know how long a homunculus lives for?"*

*"I'm going to be honest, I had no idea homunculus was a word until you brought it to me, so I couldn't tell you."*

Integrity looked down at the page in front of her, and saw that a homunculus would die when its creator died. With that, she suggested they make it now and just let it hang around, and then she would help Winsler with the pact research.

Following the instructions, Integrity poured all the ingredients over Winsler's spellbook, pounding and kneading it into a lump of earth. She cracked open the jar containing the squirrel heart, and immediately a foul smell filled the air, causing them both to feel very sick. Nonetheless she was able to grab the heart and add it into the mixture in front of her.

After a moment, the mandrake root began to burn, the clay bubbled and started to float and change shape. The heart was slowly sucked into the centre of the figure as little limbs and wings popped out of the clay, and a last a badly proportioned face. The completed homunculus fell gently back to the table, raised its arms, and let out a small cry in honour of its creation. It looked at Integrity, and awaited its instructions."

*"Can you... Can you help me find warlocks?"* Integrity struggled to speak through the stench in the room.

The homunculus gave a deep and formal bow, before it slowly flew out of the room. As it left, Integrity shouted a few more specific instructions.

*"Uh, help me find warlocks in Wildcliff, School of the Arcane, and please try to be stealthy. And don't hurt them!"*

The homunculus let out a *"Nya!"* in affirmation, and flapped its way out of the Restricted Section.

Winsler looked at Integrity and said, *"I don't think we gave it a name. I think you just let it go and now it's gone."*

As the smell continued to assault their senses, Winsler pulled out his portable hole and swiped everything on the table into it. They quickly walked down the hallway to the exit, where Integrity again saw the newer patch of stone in the wall.

As they passed by them, they both heard a hushed voice from the other side of the bricks say, *"Is now the time?"*

Winsler stopped and asked, *"Hello?"*

*"Oh it heard us!"* They heard a scurrying sound from behind the wall.

Winsler up to the wall tried to knock on it. His hand passed straight through the illusory bricks and he again heard the skittering of hundreds of tiny feet on the other side of the wall. *"Are walls supposed to do this?"*

Integrity watched as part of her friend's arm vanished into the stone. *"Absolutely not."*

Winsler poked his head through and yelled, *"Hello?"*

Inside the wall, he saw two tunnels, one winding upwards and to the left, and another that led down and to the right. The lower tunnel ended abruptly in a tiny rat hole. The scurrying sound was coming from the upper tunnel. As his voice echoed throughout the tunnels, the sound of hundreds of feet turned to silence.

He pulled his head out and turned to Integrity. *"There's like a whole cave behind here, there's also like a bunch of skittering, you probably heard that?"*

*"Oh, so, I know there's a lot of caves in the school so I'm not surprised. But do you want to go and follow it?"*

*"If I go will you follow me?"*

*"When did I ever leave a friend behind eh?"*

*"I can't recall."*

*"Exactly!"*

Winsler vanished into the wall, followed by Integrity. They snuck up the left tunnel, eventually arriving in a large room with bookshelves carved into the walls, and a large carved lectern in the corner. As they did so they heard the voice again.

*"Ok now, now!"*

Winsler looked up just in time to see a large steel cage fall over him. Stepping out from behind the lectern they saw four figures, each around four-feet tall, wearing a purple cloak with a white fur trim pulled over their heads. The one that had been speaking walked towards the trapped gnome and pulled back their hood to reveal a single rat, their brain visible through a transparent dome on their forehead. From underneath the robe, Winsler realised he could hear the scurrying of even more rats. As the head rat began to speak, he saw their brain glow with a purple light.

*"We have caught you, interposer. What is your purpose here?"*

Winsler looked unimpressed at the rats, before teleporting out of the cage and popping into existence right next to them. *"Hi."*

The rat looked at him in horror and shock, as the other rat mounds pulled back their heads and squeaked nervously at each other. The main rat turned its nose at Winsler and said, *"You've outsmarted me on this one I see. Nonetheless what is your purpose here? You're interrupting our studies."*

*"I guess we just came here because we needed to get some books and stuff. What are you doing here, what is this? Who are all of you?"*

The rat closed its eyes and nodded. *"We here are the sage. I myself am a scholar of my kind, you may call me Menthus." —*The rat pointed at the other three swarms—*"That is Trenthus, that is Penthus, and that is Ratthus."*

Winsler giggled. *"Ratthus, are you kidding me."*

*"He is the newest among us, he chose his name his own self. Do not mock us, we are skilled scholars in our own right."*

*"Oh so you just have this place to learn stuff?"*

*"Just to learn stuff he says, just to learn stuff!"—*The rats cackled, and Menthus looked down at Winsler—*"We have this place to conduct our secret studies."*

*"What kind of secret studies."*

*"The kind that remain secret!"*

*"I mean I did just kind of teleport out of your cage, so I think I should get a little morsel of information from that you know? I've kind of outsmarted y'all, I kinda deserve a little bit of something."*

Trenthus looked over and squeaked, *"You must conceed Menthus that the creature is smart, although overdeveloped."*

Menthus shook their head. *"I'll tell you, as you can do nothing to stop it. We were researching ways to poison the water."*

Winsler stared at them incredulously. *"Can I ask why? Is there a particular reason you wanted to poison the water?"*

Menthus leaned down. *"We are going to poison the water supply of this school, sending out a horrible cascade of disease across you the students and your professors and the attendents on the school, and then we will bring you into the network."*

*"But why?"*

*"All living beings would do well to be part of the network. You might have a large, useless, oversized brain, but you will still be of use to our Lady."*

*"Who?! I'm sorry, I'm very overwhelmed by the amount of—"*

The rats stood up to their full height, and the other swarms asked, *"Brother Menthus is it now time? Should we be leaving or are we going to be taking this one with us?"*

Menthus looked down at Winsler. *"Would you come with us willingly?"*

*"Well are you going to poison me? I'm kind of already feeling ill."*

*"If you— The plan is definitely to poison you, that still stands. But not right now, not right here, it's the water supply we poison, not the people."*

*"Well how come you haven't done that yet?"*

*"Hush, you. They always overthink these things, the big brain, too much time to process things. A smaller brain, less developed, more in tune with the ways of things. We cannot overthink things. Us, the scholars of our kind, you"—*Menthus poked Winsler with their nose—*"You overthink things, you take too long, you dilly-dally. You jump out of a trap, but you don't realise the other one has been sprung yet do you?"*

*"There's a second cage?"*

*"There's no second cage, we—"*

*"Then what's the other trap? I don't feel like you're as smart as you think you are."*

Menthus looked deadpan at Winsler, and placed their rat-hand on his shoulder. *"We have trapped you in here, while you have been speaking to us, small rodents have boarded up the illusory wall through which you stumbled."*

Integrity jumped out of the shadows she had been hiding in. *"You're not going to take my friend, dead, or alive!"*

Ratthus immediately fell over in shock as the other two swarms squeaked in surprise and fear. Menthus screeched, *"It is no matter! There are two of you, you will die!"*

Winsler pulled Mr. Wiggles out of his pocket. *"Well technically, there's three."*