The Marvelous Misadventures of Walter Guilman: The Witch House

Dead Pantheons

Guilman walked up to the office door and knocked nervously. He wasn't looking forward to this meeting, but it was the only thing he could think to do to help figure out what was going on. "Come!" a grumpy voice announced from inside the office. Guilman swallowed, turned the doorknob and stepped inside. He found himself in a forest of books. All around him were books on all subjects, stacked in towers that almost surpassed Guilman in height. In the back of the room, sat an old desk covered in papers, books, and empty whiskey bottles. Sitting at the desk, was Dr. Henry Armatage, the head librarian at Miskatonic. He seemed to be busy with the assorted items on his desk, flipping through the pages of one of the books and then scratching down shorthand on one of the loose papers. Guilman cleared his throat. Armatage looked up at Guilman, and his eyes seemed to widen with apprehension. "What do you want?" he asked disdainfully. "Well, I was wondering if I could ask something of you." Guilman replied. "If you want in the restricted section, my answer is no." Armatage said quickly. Even though he knew why he was being so defensive, Guilman couldn't help but be surprised at how suspicious the man was being. "No, Doctor Armatage, I just wanted to inquire about obscure religions." Armatage's face went white. "Why?" he asked. "Well, my roommate, Daniella Elwood-" Armatage cut him off. "Oh Elwood! I should hope she sparked your interest. Did you know that she has the family tree of the Greek gods all but memorized? Wonderful student, she is. People like her are the reason Jim Crow needs to get out!" It was more than clear to Guilman he was just trying to change the subject. "I agree completely, but do you think you could give me some resources on one deity in particular?" Armatage just sat still for several seconds, before suddenly jumping up. "You know, my desk is a real mess. I should clean it up! Would you mind helping me?" He then began to grab books and papers at random and shove them into the nearest cabinet. Guilman had enough of this. "Doctor Armatage, have you ever heard of Azathoth?" He said loudly. The plump doctor dropped a particularly large stack of books directly on his foot. "We.. Well, the name does..... sound...." he stammered. At that moment, Professor Peaslee walked in. "Oh, hello Walter! I see you're recovering quickly!" As Guilman began to answer, Armatage ran between him and Peaslee. "Hey, Nat! You know, I was one of the ladders in the library is a bit loose, and i was thinking that you might be able to help me with it!" Peaslee looked confused. "I'm a math professor, why would I know how to fix a ladder?" Armatage began to push Peaslee from the room. "I'm sure you will be able to make quick work of it once we're there! Come along now!" Armatage then began to drag Peaslee down the hall, away from the library. Guilman followed quietly after them. Armatage shoved Peaslee into an empty art studio. "Nathaniel, you have to help me!" Armatage begged. "W..what happened?" Peaslee asked. "That kid! Walter Guilman!" a smug smirk crept across Peaslee's face. "Let me guess," he began. "He just came into your office and was inquiring about obscure cults?" Armatage seemed too worried to become annoyed at these remarks. "It wan't just that! He.." he lowered his voice to a whisper. "He asked me about Azathoth, Nathaniel." Peaslee stumbled back into a nearby chair and put his head in his hands. "How could I be so thick!" he said. "I thought she was just trying to scare him off! I should have know there was a better reason for her to break the charm!" he suddenly picked his head back up. "We need to show him the Necronomicon!" he said. "He needs to be able to defend himself!" Armatage placed a hand on Peaslee's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Nathaniel. But the only reason she would even say that thing's name out loud is if she was going to recruit him." he said solemnly. "He's already lost." Peaslee began to sob. "We can't just let it happen! Being a slave to that thing is a fate worse than death!" "I'm afraid that it's out of our hands now. Besides, we can't risk blowing our operation. We're so close to getting that book, and once we have it, we can stop this from ever happening again." Guilman couldn't take it anymore. He walked quickly back down the hallway, and broke into s sprint once he was out of earshot. His mind was so bursting with questions and frustration that he could barely contain himself. He came here to get answers, but all he got was more questions and a death omen. He burst through the door of the research building and sat below a pillar. Recruited to what? Why were the professors so afraid of it? What "operation"? Who, or what, the hell is Azathoth? As Guilman brooded beneath the pillar, he had a revelation. "I am myself. My life is mine to control." he thought.  But even as this uplifting thought came to him, yet another question came to him. If this "Azathoth" is so powerful and loathsome, how was he meant to protect himself from it? Then the words of Nathaniel Peaslee flashed in his mind. "We need to show him the Necronomicon! He needs to be able to defend himself!". The Necronomicon. He had to get the Necronomicon.