>>6129649Previous:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=MolochIn comparison with the glorious weather around Lake Nibelung, it would be impossible not to feel a little glum upon returning to the Pale Estate. A thin misty rain hangs in the air, while vast leaden clouds crawl sluggishly through the sky. You assume that the same sun is hidden somewhere behind those dense clouds, but that theory will have to remain unproven for now.
“You go on ahead and get settled. I've got a few messages I need to send,” Elle says as you enter the estate, “It's nothing exciting – I want to send Master Teilhard a letter of thanks, naturally, and I wanted to send a message to King Albrecht. The Demesne, you know...”
“I know. It's waiting for us. For me,” you murmur, shaking your head slowly. Elle vanishes into the office in order to send her messages, leaving you to wander into the dining room and sit in a random chair. You're on the cusp of entering the fourth layer of the Demesne. If old Kalthos was telling the truth, Gratia should be waiting for you there. Even as the thought sends a pang of yearning through you, it also stirs of a faint tremor of fear. After all these years, what if she...
You still that thought as Alex enters, giving you a friendly nod of greeting. “Welcome back, Isambard,” he begins, “How was Lake Nibelung.”
“I enjoyed myself,” you admit, as if confessing some dirty secret, “How were things here?”
“Uneventful. Oh, but there was one thing,” Alex recalls, “It was strange, actually. I was doing a little shopping in Castaigne and ran across an old friend, but do you know what? He completely ignored me! I met his gaze for a moment, so I know he saw me, but he quickly turned and hurried away before I could say hello. It was quite odd, I must say!”
“Could you have done something to offend him?” you suggest.
“I can't imagine so. We've not seen each other for some time,” the older man shrugs, “Well, perhaps he was in a hurry and didn't want to get drawn into conversation. I shouldn't overthink it. Speaking of shopping, actually, I wanted to talk with you about something. That map your father left, leading to the Mire of Phalaris. Were you thinking of following up on it?”
“It's a possibility,” you reply cautiously, “Were you going to try and talk me out of it?”
“I know better than that, lad,” Alex laughs, “No, I just wanted to warn you to bring plenty of supplies if you do. You're looking at a day's march at best, and that's just to reach the rough area on the map. You could be gone for quite some time, and there won't be much chance to resupply once you're out there.”
>I'll keep that in mind, but I'm heading to the Demesne first>Then we should stock up now. The Mire of Phalaris was my next lead>Don't worry, I had other plans... (Write in)>Other 