[25 / 2 / 11]
Previous Threads: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P692ixRdqE6FGbzQCTXsDqvrEvg3VWc4s8LkvCOr0q8/edit
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You’re Lorelai Lufaine. A girl lost in another world. Directionless with no home and not even a penny to your name. The only lead being a land known as the ‘Elysian Circle’. A mythical land where only few dare to tread.
You visited the City of Stone, Nestad, to see if you could find out anything else. After getting to know the locales, you ended up getting caught up in a sort of conspiracy. People were going missing with no explanation. Checkpoints had been set-up going in and out of the city. The security had tightened, but people seemed to continue vanishing.
That is, until a fateful moment with a run in with a ‘living shadow’ in the confines of the dungeon. Enkindled by righteous fury, you and your stalwart Blue Mage ally fought to not avail. Angered, you stepped forth into a ‘portal’ the armored assailant had escaped through. Now, in the midst of a dark, dank cavern with no end in sight, you trek ever onward.
______
Bucklin seems oddly confident. It makes sense, considering his profession, but something about this was strange. “You’re way too excited.”
“What’s there to not be excited about? It’s a chest in uncharted territory.” He grins. “Its closed latch begs to be opened.”
“If you say so.” You slowly nod, angling your illuminating flame toward the chest. Bucklin claps his hands, and with a jovial strut, he leaps over to the metal box. His hands fumble around the outer rim before closing in on the lock that seals it. “Nothing out of the ordinary. And to the victor go the spoils~!”
<span class="mu-i">Click.</span>
“Hm.”
“What is it?” You slowly walk forward. “Is it--”
“Nothing interesting.” He stands up, cracking his neck. “I was hoping for something worth bragging about… but you can’t win’em all.”
“Really?”
\
“Yeah.” He nods. “Take a look for yourself.”
Bucklin steps back, letting you take a look. Tipping your hand into the darkness reveals … nothing of note. Nothing of note for a treasure hunter, at the very least. Bundles of documents covered in strange, red text. A frayed tether binds them together. Signs that someone has been here. The folders, while crude, were unmistakable. “What?” You grip the documents and undo the binding.
Black ink runs through the pages. While it wasn’t present, you read every single black line as [redacted] or [classified]. What words weren’t blacked out, you couldn’t read, let alone understand. Even though you shared no written language with the author, the intent was implicit. These documents were never meant to be read. “Tsk.” You sigh. “Bucklin, can you read this?”
“I can give it a try.” He grasps one of the documents, narrowing his eyes. After a moment of silence, he shakes his head. “No. Not at all. It’s all gibberish.”
“Gibberish?” You tilt your head. “You can’t glean anything else from this?”
“Ah, well…” He frowns.
______
You’re Lorelai Lufaine. A girl lost in another world. Directionless with no home and not even a penny to your name. The only lead being a land known as the ‘Elysian Circle’. A mythical land where only few dare to tread.
You visited the City of Stone, Nestad, to see if you could find out anything else. After getting to know the locales, you ended up getting caught up in a sort of conspiracy. People were going missing with no explanation. Checkpoints had been set-up going in and out of the city. The security had tightened, but people seemed to continue vanishing.
That is, until a fateful moment with a run in with a ‘living shadow’ in the confines of the dungeon. Enkindled by righteous fury, you and your stalwart Blue Mage ally fought to not avail. Angered, you stepped forth into a ‘portal’ the armored assailant had escaped through. Now, in the midst of a dark, dank cavern with no end in sight, you trek ever onward.
______
Bucklin seems oddly confident. It makes sense, considering his profession, but something about this was strange. “You’re way too excited.”
“What’s there to not be excited about? It’s a chest in uncharted territory.” He grins. “Its closed latch begs to be opened.”
“If you say so.” You slowly nod, angling your illuminating flame toward the chest. Bucklin claps his hands, and with a jovial strut, he leaps over to the metal box. His hands fumble around the outer rim before closing in on the lock that seals it. “Nothing out of the ordinary. And to the victor go the spoils~!”
<span class="mu-i">Click.</span>
“Hm.”
“What is it?” You slowly walk forward. “Is it--”
“Nothing interesting.” He stands up, cracking his neck. “I was hoping for something worth bragging about… but you can’t win’em all.”
“Really?”
\
“Yeah.” He nods. “Take a look for yourself.”
Bucklin steps back, letting you take a look. Tipping your hand into the darkness reveals … nothing of note. Nothing of note for a treasure hunter, at the very least. Bundles of documents covered in strange, red text. A frayed tether binds them together. Signs that someone has been here. The folders, while crude, were unmistakable. “What?” You grip the documents and undo the binding.
Black ink runs through the pages. While it wasn’t present, you read every single black line as [redacted] or [classified]. What words weren’t blacked out, you couldn’t read, let alone understand. Even though you shared no written language with the author, the intent was implicit. These documents were never meant to be read. “Tsk.” You sigh. “Bucklin, can you read this?”
“I can give it a try.” He grasps one of the documents, narrowing his eyes. After a moment of silence, he shakes his head. “No. Not at all. It’s all gibberish.”
“Gibberish?” You tilt your head. “You can’t glean anything else from this?”
“Ah, well…” He frowns.
