>>6312980Calling the route treacherous would be an understatement–you’re not sure who handles the Janitorial Duties here at Trimbault, but they’ve clearly been slacking in this department! Every cautious step you take lands on a chunk of rubble, a hunk of wood, a scrap of cloth…
What the hell kind of classes are they <span class="mu-i">teaching</span> down here? You get about a second into pondering before a voice rings out across the maze: raspy and rattling like a man lost in a desert, yet bold and booming–reverent, even–as its echo reaches your location in stereo!
“<span class="mu-s">STARGAZERS! Their chosen name! For they wept… WEPT when they looked to the stars above… naked DEFIANCE! Everpresent impotence! WEAKNESS! WEAKNESS!”</span>
… Yea, you’ve encountered more than enough homeless people to know this isn’t the kind of person you wanna run into down here. Back at work you let Liz deal with those customers, thank you very much, and they didn’t have any magic to fling around!
With Toppel and Obber in tow, you take your leave in the direction you’re pretty sure the raving academic <span class="mu-i">isn’t</span>... but only get about one step in before your toe gets intimate with something a bit too tough to be wood or fabric, but hollow enough to not be stone!
<span class="mu-r">STUBBED TOE COUNTER: 32!</span>
Toppel tenses up on your back as the offending object clunks across the floor–the hollow sound almost <span class="mu-i">DEAFENING</span> in how quiet the halls become once it settles in a corner!
To your credit, you don’t hear any footsteps or acknowledgements of your fuckup! Then again, mages can teleport, fly, and a whole bunch of other neat stuff, so–
Before you can finish that thought, hot breath tickles your ear prompting you to freeze up like a deer on the interstate!
“<span class="mu-i">WATCH. YOUR. STEP.</span>”
… Thanks for the advice, Toppel. Leaving you with a small, but still painful smack upside the head, the Durher leaves you in charge of navigating the tunnels… as to where you’re headed, well…
>Keep making right turns! That works, right?>Keep making LEFT turns! A new twist on an old classic!>Get Obber to sniff things out! He can sniff notes, right?>Stand still and silent… maybe you’ll hear a clue?>Lure whoever else is in here to you… maybe you can get the drop on ‘em!>Pretend to be a student looking for something!>Write-In! 