[PP-F3] Mysteries Abound <Floor 3 Rumor> (Monarch, Morningstar)

[Oji 0]

As the morning sun shone through the attic window, today Oji only had one sole purpose in mind for his daily recreation: Rumors. He head read up in the news about Rumors, and it was apparently one of the only ways to help the frontlines that did not nessecarily need combat, it wasn't a requirement, only an option. This fit right up his alley, and he decided to take this opportunity to help behind the scenes. Even though he would not get recognized, perhaps he could help from the sidelines before he got there. It would only be a matter of time before he was frontline-ready, but he needed to figure out how fusing items worked first, at least ones with unique enchantments, which he did not have any idea or capabilities to do.

"Alright, lets see here..." He said, scrolling through the IBS column of the newspaper, and he saw that there was an available one on Floor 3. Deciding that was a good place to start, he picked up his morning coffee in a mug, got Soup onto his shoulder, and headed towards the third floor, a handful of Sable kibble in one hand and a coffee mug with a muffin on top in another. Once he made it to the third floor, he shot out a request for help, since he knew he couldn't tackle a rumor without help. He didn't want to risk the chance of someone or something appearing from nowhere and attacking him, he needed capable fighters if push came to shove. He sat down on a nearby bench, setting the kibble down on a napkin and letting soup nibble on it as he ate his blueberry muffin quietly, enjoying the last few moments of serenity he would have for the remaining hours of sunshine.

Stats:

Spoiler

Oji, The Uncle of Aincrad
Level: 17
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 340/340
EN: 52/52

Stats:
Damage: 1
Mitigation: 8
Evasion: 3
Loot Dice: 3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon:
Armor:
Misc: Jigen kōtai [3 EVA]

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Searching R3
Cloth Armor R2

Active Mods:
Energize

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Field Medic
Hyperactive

Active Extra Skills:
First Aid R5

Inactive Extra Skills:
Survival

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

 

Edited March 15, 2022 by Oji

[Morningstar 0]

"That makes four in a row. Want to go again?"

Morningstar shuffled his deck of cards elegantly, smirking at the hooded figure across from him. The man snickered, flipping a dagger between his fingers.

"Fine. One more time but only because I like you, Mr. Morningstar," he said.

Cards flew to the other side of the table, landing in front of the man. He peaked at them nonchalantly, hiding them from Morningstar's view. The blonde didn't look away from his own cards. He placed the shuffled deck in the center of the table and traded one of his cards for a new one.

The hooded man hesitated, eyes switching back and forth between his hand and the deck. He gave in, drawing a new card and placing an old one down beside the deck.

"Interesting choice," Morningstar chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Morningstar sipped his drink, "you threw away an ace."

"It's useless to me anyway," the hooded man said.

"Not to me, though," Morningstar tapped on the table. "I knock."

"Seriously? On round three?" The man revealed his cards. A seven and a king of hearts.

"That's Scat, my friend. I win again. I guess today's not your day," Morningstar leaned back, waiting for the man to order him his next drink. "The same as the last four will be fine."

But the hooded man did not order him another drink. He stuck his knife into the table and stared at Morningstar intently. Forest green eyes peered out from the darkness of his cowl. The man's familiar, a monkey, climbed from his spot on the floor to his shoulder. Being outside of the safezone, the bar was known to have some sketchy customers. Still, he didn't seem like the type to attack Morningstar.

Morningstar's intuition proved to be right. "I've got something more fun for you. I mentioned that I'm a broker, didn't I?"

"No, otherwise I wouldn't bother with drinks. We'd be playing for info," Morningstar returned.

"In that case, I have some info for you."

----

It didn't take long for Morningstar to find the man the broker had mentioned. He was stationed on a bench with a sable—a pet, he presumed.

"It's been a while since I've come here. The third floor, that is," Morningstar said. "Are you Oji? I'm here for the rumor."

Spoiler

Morningstar | Lv. 16 | HP: 320/320 | EN: 50/50 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 4 | MIT: 24

Gear:

• Beginner's Straight Sword | Uncommon
  +1 DMG
• Beginner's Light Armor | Uncommon
  +9 MIT
• Lexa's Light | Perfect
  +3 ACC

Skills:

• Two-Handed Straight Sword | Rank 5 | Precision | Stamina | Ferocity
  +9 DMG
  +1 ACC
  -2 ENG per attack
• Light Armor | Rank 3
  +15 MIT
  -1 Stealth

Combat Shift:

• TECH Specialist
  +4 to multipliers
  +3 to ENG cost

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Morningstar

[Monarch 0]

Monarch had found his bench. It was perfect, long enough to lay on and empty enough to not be bothered. There weren’t many shops on this street, just a nearby request board and the boy knew just how rarely those were actually used, so right here would be perfect. As he lay down, a gust of wind picks up, blowing his hair in a soothing dance across his head. A small smirk would appear as he drifted off into the darkness.

Through the darkness, a flame was lit. Footsteps fast approaching behind him, and yet the person before him remained still and undefined. An uneasy feeling rose to Yasu’s throat as he realized this was almost certainly a nightmare. His feet were planted in a foot of water, his body remained dry, but there was certainly a dripping sound around him. A ray of light shone from above revealing an unfamiliar face, but said face drove Yasu mad. He couldn’t stand to look at it. A grin would form, and his hand would raise revealing a large axe. “You followed the devil. Now can you blame me if you end up in hell?” Fear cause the boy to shake as the hand fell towards him…

The boy’s eyes would open slowly, the sense of fear still constricting his chest, and yet he seemed fine. His eyes would move to the back of the bench as he would notice a player crystal floating above it. Why would someone stand there? The kid would sit up to see a familiar face from a few days back. His eyes would barely change as he looked to this new player he had never met. ”This bench is double sided?” his tired voice would escape, completely against his will.

Spoiler

Monach:

120/120 HP | 30/30 EN | 6 DMG | 1 Para | 4 Stealth

 

[Oji 0]

Oji had finished his muffin as Soup licked up the remaining crumbs of his own breakfast, and the two of them sat in a quiet moment. Soup was still waking up, not entirely prepared for such a rush this morning, and he didn't get to do his morning run. Oji on the other hand awoke ready for the day, prepared for the struggles with only a cup of coffee and a muffin. He sipped his drink for a few moments, and when he had just about finished a voice rang in the center of town. He looked to see a young man asking for him, he nodded and stood, brushing off the crumbs on his lap and holding out a hand. "That I am, and yes I plan on chasing one of the rumors today." He spoke with that old man smile on his face.

Then he heard another voice from behind. He looked to see a young man on the bench behind him, looking as if he had just awoken from his own slumber. Oji hadn't even noticed him, and usually he was pretty good at noticing things like this. He turned and waved "Yeah, it would seem so." He spoke with a laugh, and turned back to the young man. "I don't believe I caught your name- er, username that is." He scratched the back of his head, picking up his hat to do so. Soup was looking at the two new people with a curious look in his eyes, getting close enough to get their scent, but not allowing himself to be touched or pet. He did not trust either of them to touch his fur, but their scent could come in handy in the future.

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar smiled at the furry creature next to Oji. He'd never seen a sable before but thought it was cute.

"Morningstar," he said. "Nice to meet you."

His attention switched to the newcomer. He was thankful to see a face that he recognized. Brown hair, an uninterested question, and a question that Morningstar didn't understand all came about unexpectedly. The seventh floor had felt like weeks ago but in reality, it had only been a few days.

"And you're... Monarch, right? Good to see you again," Morningstar said, brushing back his blonde locks.

Morningstar's knowledge of the rumor was non-existent. All his broker knew was that the man in the hat was looking for help. He was glad he hadn't paid for the info, though; it wasn't much. He turned back to Oji, crossing his arms.

"If you wouldn't mind, could you give us a rundown of what the rumor is?"

[Monarch 0]

Yasu would fall back to his prone position on the bench, but the noise of the players right beside him would not allow the kid to rest. He just wanted some sleep, and as the nightmare had interrupted his wish, the kid would fiddle with his hair, listening to the players speak. "Likewise." The kid would say, regarding Morningstar's comment. Oh well. I guess sleep is out of the question for now. He would sit up once more, standing and stretching with a remarkably low range of motion. "The fae are kidnapping players and keeping them in the Cavern of Faeries." He would say, before fiddling with the hair hanging in front of his forehead. "Allegedly." His eyes would float over to Oji and back up to Morningstar.

The kid didn't want to take part in this adventure, but if it got him some col he'd be that much closer to opening an inn. "Personally, I think it's an easily solvable issue." The kid's remark would be punctuated by him pulling out his journal. Flipping to the page of a map of the floor, Yasu's finger would trace over the roads until a certain point. Tapping the map twice, Monarch would then flip to a page of information on monsters he has come across. A fae's face drawn next to the info would appear, as Yasu pointed down at the bottom of the page where the rumor was written.

"And call me Nakata."

[Oji 0]

Oji listened to the young man, Morningstar, introduce himself, then he turned and said the bench-dweller's name was Monarch. He always seemed to meet people that knew each other, guess this game is a lot smaller than he thought. He turned to Morningstar to answer his question about the rumor, but Monarch was well ahead of him, stating what the rumor was. Oji was a bit impressed and nodded "Yup, that's all I've read too. A lot of players too. Who thought that the game would actually capture them and keep them captive." He shuddered at the thought of being trapped in a cavern or something with a creature tying him up and keeping him there to starve.

"Anyways, the cavern is pretty close to the main settlement, at the base of an old, withered tree." He spoke matter of factly. "I asked an Info Broker about the nearby area, and it's mostly clear of mobs. And the cave isn't made of stone, it's made of the petrified tree, so if anything I'd say it makes sense that the fae would live there." Soup scrambled up from the bench and went onto Oji's shoulder, giving a coo of curiosity for what Oji was pulling out of his inventory. Quickly scanning, Oji found and grabbed his compass, allowing the item to gather it's bearings, and he figured out where "West" was, then pointed. "It's that way, about four hundred feet from the main settlement." And with that, he started to walk. "So what got you guys interested in the rumors?"

[Morningstar 0]

Nakata. Was it the boy's real name? Morningstar nodded, agreeing to call him Nakata. "Star works for me if Morningstar's too much of a mouthful."

The explanation of the rumor was short and to the point. Both of the players seemed to know what they were talking about. He looked in the direction that Oji pointed to and when the man began to move, Morningstar followed.

"I guess I've been interested from the beginning," he returned, swiping through his inventory to equip the gear that he needed. His blade appeared at his waist and a green cloak laid over his shoulders. "There's a bit of a thrill that comes with exploring, you know? I started with an old story on the second floor and I've been chasing rumors ever since."

"I'll be honest though, this sounds like it'll be the biggest one I've looked into so far. Like you said, who would've thought the game would take captives."

He didn't know much about the Fae but from what he could remember, they were often hostile and uncontrollable. Nakata mentioned it being an easily solvable issue; however, Morningstar wondered if it would go so smoothly for them.

[Monarch 0]

Yasuhiro was a tired and lazy child, this game being about the most intense thing he’s ever done. ”I just know things.” He would explain, pulling his scarf over his mouth as he stood up and followed the pair. It appears the Fae had similar styles in folklore as they do in this game, which means Kayaba took this world seriously. Every ounce of detail poured into this world had its own complicated backstory based somewhat in reality. The Fae were never expert craftsmen but making do in the forests is an art in of itself.

The boy wasn’t so worried about their combat prowess. If they were anything like the fairy tales, their blades were the least of their worries. It’s all about their minds, a fae is more cunning than strong and just as evil. ”Watch their words. It’s likely these players were tricked rather than overpowered.” He would remark, avoiding any specific mentions of things he has done. This group had already decided to take on a group of devils, the least Monarch could do is warn them.

[Oji 0]

Oji nodded as they explained their reasons, and they were fair reasons to say the least. Adventure. the pursuit of knowledge, and wanting to help others. While they reasons may all be different, they are what brought them together and what would bring them to their goal. As they walked, they had slowly made their way to the base of the petrified tree. It was the largest tree he had yet to see on this floor, it's branches touching the heavens and scraping the sky itself. He looked up and gave a small whistle. "This definitely looks like an evil fae area. But I wonder what this thing looked like when it bloomed in the spring." He said aloud to no one in particular. Nakata spoke a warning towards the creatures, and he nodded.

"Alright, then for now let's take their words with a grain of sand, until we figure out this whole situation yeah?" He spoke to the two of them, then he started to look around the base of the tree for an entrance. But as he initially took a quick look around, he realized that nothing really stood out to him that would warrant an entrance. He scratched his head, then looked around. This was a huge tree, and this wouldn't be an easy entrance, else someone would have gone in and freed the captured players by now.

(Make this Interesting and say a LD of 12 Roll to find the hidden entrance of the tree. Winner gets to describe what the inside of the tree looks like)

[Morningstar 0]

The massive tree loomed over the party, casting an eerie shadow. The top of the tree peaked above the clouds, making it impossible to see where it ended. Morningstar scanned the base of the tree from a distance before moving up for a closer inspection. Dark brown bark covered the entire tree like scales on a dragon. In some spots, he noticed sap that had solidified in the form of droplets running down the base. His fingers danced along the side of the tree, avoiding the sticky spots. It was rough and yet awfully soft for a tree of that size. Tapping his fingertips against the bark, he came across a spot that was tougher than the rest.

It took him by surprise. He stared for a moment, noticing a slight discolouration of the wood. Not to mention the misshapen look it had to it. He knocked twice with his knuckles and the shape began to morph into a clearer, more defined object. It was a large door—or perhaps it was more of a royal gate. The entrance of the tree had been discovered.

"Hey," he waved back to his group, "I found the way inside."

With a demanding shove, Morningstar pushed the gate open. The lighting was dim inside, created by lanterns that held little orbs of light in them. He supposed it was an alternative to fire, considering they were in a tree. An incredible staircase spiraled up the tree and the blonde assumed that the queen would be somewhere near the top of it. On the floor was a large, hexagonal symbol that, to him, meant nothing. It was quiet in a way that felt uncanny. Nervously, he stared up the center of the tree, his hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed blade.

Spoiler

ID: 207764 LD: 13
Entrance found!

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Morningstar

[Monarch 0]

The young boy, unfazed by the outlandish settlement placed in a tree, would step right inside and examine the path onward, noticing the hexagonal symbol and pulling out his journal and sketching it on a new page. ”Perhaps it’s the name of their settlement…” He would explain quietly to himself. His eyes would then float up to the dim light sources, he had to figure out what they were made of so he drew them as well. ”As much as I know about Fae, I can’t guarantee I’ll see through the lies. I won’t talk unless I can be sure no one will be captured.”
 

Yasu wasn’t lying, his extent of knowledge on the fae was simply information. He know you couldn’t let them know your real name, you couldn’t trust a word they said, and if you had to fight, you could probably kill them easily. His hand would float up and ask if either of them can speak sign language, in sign language. As he waited for their answer, Monarch would keep his eye on the way the shadows danced around the tree, hoping to see gaps in the light that he could exploit should trouble come their way.

[Oji 0]

Oji searched for a few moments around the base of this tree, but to no avail. This entrance was definitely a hard one to find, and he was sure that he was at the right place. He then heard a call from Star, and he came over to see the entrance of the tree, and gave a low whistle, the one-note-tune echoing within the hollow tree. He looked up and saw that it was an almost endless ceiling, only seeing a tiny glint of light above, which looked miles away. He looked to the group, and chuckled a bit awkwardly

"Nice job Star, but after seeing this I had wished you found an elevator." He said as a jest, then stepped into the giant tree. He footsteps echoed on the petrified wood and the lights above him shone ominously, being held by nothing but what he expected to be Fae magic. He went over one and attempted to touch the light, but any time his hand came close it simply floated higher, out of his reach. "Hm, these lights are... Well I haven't seen anything like these in my travels." He spoke aloud to no one in particular. He walked over to the start of the staircase, hesitantly putting a foot on it, and put a bit of his weight. The wood groaned and he swore he heard a crack, but it held his weight.

"Well, as much as I don't trust this, the only way it up gentlemen"

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar signed back to Monarch. He knew a bit, enough to get by, from an acting gig he had once taken.

Oji took the lead, ascending the first few steps of the tall staircase. Morningstar and Monarch followed behind him wordlessly. At the two-story mark, the blonde noticed the strange dark spots on the higher sections of the towering tree. He squinted, trying to make out what they were. He nudged Monarch, who looked at him and then up.

"Hmm. They almost look like little cubbies or rooms," Monarch sketched them in his journal.

"Rooms for what, do you think? Fae?" Morningstar asked.

The boy, shutting his journal, shrugged. A few steps later, a beating sound came from above. The rear of the trio stopped to look for the source but nothing was immediately visible to them. They waited, nervous about moving forward while it continued to boom through the tree's body. 

Suddenly, countless Fae glided out of the many cubbies (which he now knew thought were hollowed-out branches turned into hallways). Their wings fluttered, growing loud from the sheer number of them. Morningstar reached for his blade but second-guessed himself, wanting not to portray himself as the enemy.

Monarch, from the shock, stepped back. His foot touched nothing, leading to a short stumble and unexpected fall. The blonde reached out to catch him but was unsuccessful. Two Fae foot soldiers sped down, grabbed hold of his arms, and flew back up to meet the rest of the group. Together, they disappeared with Monarch as their prisoner.

[Oji 0]

The steps Oji took up the staircase crunched a bit under his boot. It was unsettling, and the feeling only grew the higher they climbed into the tree. The staircase bent under their feet and the cracking only grew louder the higher they went, but it always seemed to hold. But Oji always felt there was a chance for it to go awry and his foot would go straight through. He kept this thought to himself, not wanting to freak out the party. He heard the two behind him talk about rooms for the Fae, and he looked back and saw they were looking towards the ceiling

"Rooms eh? Could maybe be for their young. Maybe they act like bees in that aspect. Fae could be a hive mind." He spoke to them, throwing ideas at the walls to see what sticks. As they continued on, he heard a faint humming sound. He looked around, but he couldn't see where this was coming from. "What is that-" But before he could finish his sentence, he heard the sound of a multitude to wings taking to air, and a swarm of Fae fell upon them. He took a knee to keep himself steady and kept his head down. Soon after he felt something fly overhead, and heard a scream falling away, the voice of Monarch. He turned quickly and saw him being taken away.

"Shit, well we can see how they're stealing people." He kept his eye on where they were headed, and they took monarch to the top of the stairs into a large door at the top of the tree. "We got to get him back, and fast."

[Morningstar 0]

"Dammit," Morningstar muttered, annoyed with himself.

Not that anything could have been done, really. It was a small army of Fae against three low-level people. Monarch probably would have been taken no matter what the blonde tried and had he drawn his sword, perhaps it would have made things worse for the boy.

"At the very least, they'll keep him alive, right? They're taking prisoners but you don't think they're executing them, do you?" He asked, somewhat rhetorically.

The situation felt more dire than he had originally anticipated. He never thought that one of them would be taken by the very creatures they were there to investigate. In a hurry, the pair continued up the stairs. Morningstar's legs ached and breathing became difficult the higher they went. He was no stranger to cardio but this was something else entirely. They made it to the first branch tunnel and he peeked inside. It was dimly lit, the same white orbs that floated at the base of the tree hanging throughout the hall. It was long and curved towards the end. They were absolutely branches that had been hollowed out but it did not appear like they ended at a point, like a normal branch would have. If these tunnels were where the Fae had appeared from, then he thought they must lead somewhere—probably a higher point in the tree.

"Shall we?"

[Oji 0]

Oji was caught off guard from the whole situation, and keeping a cool head was difficult. Why did they grab Monarch? What caused them to stir? Would they attack next if they didn't leave? The question only spun in his head, but the words of Morningstar voiced the biggest question, and the one they had to solve. "Would they keep him alive?" Oji couldn't bear the thought of him dying, and it spurred him to start running up the stairs.

"We'll hope they do, and if they try to execute him we have to stop it." He shouted back to him. They eventually made it to the top, and the winding stairs winded him, and the higher they went, the harder it was to breathe. He slowed down over time, but was still keeping his pace as strong as he could. Once they were at the top, Oji collapsed onto his hands and knees, sweat dripping from his face.

"What's with- the air here-" He panted out, his voice ragged. "Is there- actually- real life atmosphere- science crap?"

After a few moments to gather himself, Oji stood and adjusted his hat. He looked to see the labyrinth of tunnels that lied ahead. He peeked into one and saw that they were sparse, no real decorations or furnishings of any kind, nothing to signify the right way to go. They'd have to pick a tunnel and hope it leads the right way. Morningstar stood in front of one he must have felt confident in and nodded. "I'll trust your instinct. Lead the way and i'll watch our backs."

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar nodded, trusting Oji to cover him. He climbed into he tunnel, taking a directional gamble. All of the Fae had flown into different tunnels; he could only assume they all ended at the same place.

It was wide enough to not make him feel claustrophobic. They could have fit three or four people side to side without any issue. Not only did they air become thinner the higher they went, it seemed to become warmer the deeper they traveled through the branch. "They put in work to make us feel as uncomfortable as possible," Morningstar wiped the sweat from his forehead.

How the Fae knew which way to go was mindboggling to him. They hit a fork in their path. There was nothing signifying what awaited them down either route. Morningstar sighed, immediately fatigued by the decision.

"Any ideas? This is starting to feel like a trap."

It was as if the game wanted them to split up, to go at it alone, only to wind up in the same position as their missing friend.

[Oji 0]

Oji watched Morningstar head into the tunnel, and he followed suite, keeping an eye over his shoulder the entire way. As they delved deeper, the air grew not just thin, but muggy, and he could feel the sweat dripping down his neck and chin. "I couldn't agree more, I hate this, would much rather be stuck in a nice cold dungeon." He jested. They soon came across a fork in the road, and Star asked him what way they should go. Oji thought about this for a moment, thee were a few ways they could go about this. They could split up and go alone, and maybe have the chance of meeting up but are more likely to find where they need to go, or they stay together and take the chance of being lost.

"I think..." He snapped his fingers as the idea hit him. "Oh! Let's treat this like a maze." He placed his right hand on the wall. "We follow the right wall, and wherever our hand goes we follow." He chuckled. "It's an old trick I picked up from a few friends, I used to get horridly lost in mazes. It hasn't failed me yet." His hand brushed the wall. It was rough, but yet also strangely smooth. He could feel small pieces of wood sticking to his hand, but when he pulled away there were no splinters. It was a strange sensation but it wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest, just weird.

[Morningstar 0]

"Good plan," Morningstar replied, wishing he was weird and carried chalk instead. He placed his hand on the wall as well "Guess we go right, then."

And so they did, following the winding path until their path branched again. This time, they were left with two distinct choices. They could turn and continue to walk freely through the wooden passageway or they could go straight, towards two armed guards. While at first glance, the decision was obvious, Morningstar was not so sure. The guards stood face-to-face, with their backs to the walls. In a hushed whisper, he turned to Oji. "Usually, guards are meant to keep people out, right?"

The hallway widened along the path to the guards but there were no crevices or objects to hide behind. Sneaking past them and through the door would be difficult, assuming the door was even unlocked. That being said, it was made from wood and Morningstar was confident that the two of them together could break through. They would need to distract the guards, somehow.

An idea crept up on him. "This is experimental and probably dangerous, so bear with me," he told Oji, quietly ducking into the hall to their right. He took a seat and opened his inventory, cycling through for something specific. Monarch had dropped both his pencil and journal after being nabbed by the fae soldiers. Morningstar, like the good party member he was, had picked them up for him. Unfortunately, like the bad party member he was, he intended on destroying the boy's pencil.

He pulled off the eraser, as well as the metal bit at the end, quietly drew his sword. Awkwardly, he used the edge of it to sharpen the pencil. Then, he crept back to the other lane, peeking around the corner to make sure the guards had not taken notice.

A few feet away from the curving hallway, and on the same wall that one guard was leaning up against, he dug out a notch using the tip of his sword. He took out Monarch's journal, slowly tearing pages out from the back, hoping that they weren't important. He kept them ready and stuck the pencil in the notch, rapidly rubbing it against the smooth wooden wall. He held the journal pages up to it as orange began to poke out of the small hole. They ignited, the flames climbing up the stack of paper, reaching towards Morningstar's fingers. He blew on them gently and carefully placed them on the floor, giving the fire a chance to spread to the floor.

He snuck back to Oji's side and they both hid from view, watching as the fire grew and smoke began to rise. He heard a guard shout, "fire!" and boots clomping down the hall.

"Now or never," Morningstar whispered, following the wall slowly until he abruptly turned the corner, racing towards the far door.

***

(ooc note: i'm thinking LD 1-10 we're caught, LD 11-20 we make it?)