Agatha fumbled with the keys as he unlocked the door to the restricted section. He pushed open the heavy gate and the whispers of the books began to scream silently as his wings opened. He rushed down the aisle, dodging books as they flew as if being thrown at him. He groaned as books flew into new locations on the shelves, causing more pain than if they had actually struck him.
He turned the corner seeing the Warforged at the center of the restricted section. Its joints looked as though they were being stretched to their limits, as a metallic scraping sound projected from its mouth. The typical white and yellow glow from its core was replaced by a deep red, and it struggled against the restraints that kept it attached to the desk.
Agatha's eyes darted around the area looking for the miscreants that started the ruckus, but they settled on the large ancient tome trembling on the pedestal. His breath got stuck in his chest as his eyes widened. He knew all too well what that book was, because it was the same one that was supposed to be locked away deep under the Library. The Arachna Terrastica.
"Hello, old man," PAGEBOT said in a voice that was not its own. "I told you I'd be back."
Agatha ignored the voice as he flew forward, scanning the other books around the cursed tome. He could see words and sections disappearing from the pages. Agatha realized now that the whispering of the books wasn't meant to tempt, they were pleading for help.
"You can't ignore me forever," the voice taunted. It let out a low moan as more books flew towards the desk and began flipping through the pages. "My pieces are almost converged."
Agatha landed in front of the desk as he tried to wrest the tome from its spot, but it remained locked in place. A crackling of white energy crackled within PAGEBOT as its form began to twitch and scrape. It slammed its fist on the desk and the white energy dissipated.
Agatha took a step back during the commotion and quickly began channeling a spell. Just as the holy symbol of his God began to materialize before him, a blast of crackling electrical energy struck him in the chest sending him reeling back.
"It's too late, Agatha. Once I've consumed the contents of the Library I will be free," PAGEBOT said with a sinister chuckle. "And I will get my vengeance."
Agatha tried to fly forward but was hit with another red blast. Then a second time as he tried to Misty Step. Then a third time. But the enemy was protected on all fronts, with no openings. A feature that made sense when it needed to keep an eye on the entire restricted section.
"Your mechanical slave provided the perfect opportunity for me," it said, the energy building under the metal plates of its hull. "You really outdid yourself."
Agatha's eyes widened for a moment as he calculated. He then unsheathed a shortsword with a hilt wrapped in a worn gray leather and put the cool metal of the blade in his hand, gripping tightly. He took a deep breath as the circles below his eyes deepened, a shadow being cast over his eyes.
"PAGEBOT, initiate sequence Alpha Three," Agatha called out with a steady tone.
One of PAGEBOT's eyes turned a bright white as its voice echoed from deep inside the machine.
"IT WAS AN HONOR TO SERVE THE LIBRARY," it said in its clear and calculated tone. "GOODBYE DEAR FRIEND."
There was a loud pop and explosion from deep within and all the lights inside PAGEBOT were immediately snuffed out as the sound of the energy began to shut down and the metal body went limp like a marionette with no handler. Just as it happened Agatha cut his hand on the blade and disappeared in a cloud of fog.
The red lights from the Warforged turned back on with a building hum as it pushed itself back onto its hands looking for the Owlin.
"I'm still here, Agatha. Another life ended because of your arrogance," The Warforged said in a teasing voice. It sent a charged blast forward at the Fog, causing it to disperse, revealing an empty area.
It would realize too late to stop Agatha's assault from above as he dropped out of the second materialized fog cloud. Tears streaked upwards as he fell, swinging his blade as another blinding flash of energy lit up the library.