>>5281186“Well,” Darby mutters to himself, “Our museum colleagues <span class="mu-i">did</span> posit the possibility of, well, <span class="mu-i">extradimensional</span> experimentation… Apparently they discovered safety instructions of some sort on a recent expedition.”
“Somethin’ about <span class="mu-r">DEMONS,</span> right?” Ly asks as if trying to remember if he left the stove on. “Didn’t we tangle wit’ one of those, Stan?”
Yep, you hiss, some fish-suited jackass at the school. If that’s a demon, though, then those guys are total <span class="mu-i">WUSSES</span>!
“History has proven they aren’t to be trifled with.” Darby warns in a hushed voice. “But to a civilization as advanced as the Atlanteans, well, <span class="mu-r">DEMONS</span> might be to them as rats are to us… an unsettling thought.”
What’s unsettling is how he hasn’t told you jack about <span class="mu-i">practical</span> stuff yet, you snarl! You’re heading to their <span class="mu-g">LAB</span> in a bit and there’s supposed to be, like, a <span class="mu-g">TOTEM</span> or something–how the heck are you supposed to get in and stop the party!?
“Totem?” Darby asks as a realization slowly grows in his tone! “Of <span class="mu-i">COURSE</span>, the totem! That would certainly explain the <span class="mu-b">BARRIER</span> around town–the way the Atlanteans wrote of it made it sound like a giant <span class="mu-i">antenna</span> of some sort… one that collects <span class="mu-g">MAGIC!</span>”
Great, you groan, so you’re guessing it’s bad news, huh?
“Not in the right hands, no!” The professor counters! “If it works like a radio antenna, then ‘aligning’ it in the correct way could provide dizzying amounts of power to someone… and if the one responsible for this mess is cut-off from that power at the same time, well…” He pauses. “Listen, Stanley: Atlantean engineering is frightfully durable, especially against magic. Stress tests suggest <span class="mu-b">SUSTAINED BLUNT TRAUMA</span> is most effective against their construction, but the truth is I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”
You blink. Well he’d better <span class="mu-i">start</span>, you hiss, or you’re leaving Denise there with him… for <span class="mu-i">KEEPS!</span>
“Fret not–I have no intention of keeping vital information from you.” Darby whispers. “The university would have my head for sharing this, but since <span class="mu-g">THE DEAN’S</span> disappeared…. We uncovered a <span class="mu-b">CIPHER</span> of sorts–one that we believe has quite a bit of sway in Atlantean systems..”
<span class="mu-i">NOW</span> we’re talkin’, you cackle! What’s he got for ya?
“<span class="mu-b">’TRE TAKK TUK MHA.’</span>”
Bless you.
“That’s the cipher, Stanley–we’re unsure if it’s a vocal command or something that has to be input, but use it well. If possible, please preserve the totem-the amount of knowledge we could attain would be-”
Yeah yeah, you’ve seen <span class="mu-i">this</span> part of the movie before! You’ll think about it, you snap, but he’d better not get any fishy ideas!
“I assure you my interests are purely academic.”
Sure, and you’re a SANDWICH!
>CONTD. 