Quoted By:
>HOOOOORSE FAAAAAACE
"A little bit busy," you say narrowly. "We've been doing... some things. A few things."
"Just a few? Oh, my, maybe our definitions of "few" are different. I did hear that you encountered some manner of goo-based entity? From the distant past?"
You glare at Gil, who swallows. "So what if we did?"
"Well, it's a phenomenal discovery, don't you think? A <span class="mu-i">colony</span> of ancient minds— and they're friendly, or so I hear. Never heard of a single thing like it, and I have been around the proverbial block. My, I'd like to give them an interview."
"Don't," you hiss.
"We'll see what occurs, won't we?" Horse Face rubs his hands together. "Oh, yes, and what else. I was speaking to my good friend Madrigal, and she informed me that you <span class="mu-i">abandoned</span> her and poor Gil to go on another heist? I knew you had a secret life of crime, but—"
<span class="mu-i">He</span> was the one who secretly funded your first heist, which was Richard's idea to go on, anyways. And then he used the relic you stole to almost kill everybody. Hypothetically. He'll twist this all somehow if you bring it up, because he's the living embodiment of evil, more or less. "Shut up, Horse Face. I— I'll have you know, it was actually a <span class="mu-i">reverse</span> heist. I stopped something from getting stolen, because I'm a— a noted heroine, and that's what heroines do! Prevent wicked thievery. If I <span class="mu-i">hadn't</span> prevented the thievery, by the way, then really bad things would've happened. So, ha."
"Really bad things!" Horse Face evilly feigns surprise. "Like what?"
"Like—" Did Henry ever say what, exactly? It was sort of just bad things. 'Unpleasant' things. "Like bad things, okay? This is a trick question. I bet you already know what sort of bad things, you're just— you're just testing me. Right?" You clear your throat. "If a seal on the world was taken or destroyed, then... you know."
"Do I?"
"Um," you say. Think positive! "Yes. You do."
"Do you?"
When you are queen, you will let a snake swallow Horse Face's brain. This is your sacred promise to yourself. "...Maybe. Can you just tell me?"
"Why, of course! Always happy to spread knowledge." Horse Face taps his cheek with a crayon. "The seals have been empirically proven to exist, which is a solid step up from most topics in the area of cryptotheology. They are antediluvian. They are made from a porous type of stone fairly good at absorbing Law, though not as well as crystal, naturally."
"And?"
"That's all reliable sources have to offer. Are you looking for unreliable sources?"
You scrunch up your face at him.
"<span class="mu-i">Unreliable</span> sources posit four possible origins. Two pertain to the origin of the holes or cracks underneath. Naturally occurring, or human-drilled? The others pertain to the origin of the seals. Were they slapped on hastily to prevent tragedy, or were they installed deliberately to create locations of power? Nobody living knows for certain. Plenty have strong opinions, though."
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