Jorlem: Irrelephant. He's four years old.
Clearly, the Scrya are the only group that does archaeology in dimensional space, and the clan is so small that they brought along children to a dig site like this.
**********
The local teleportarium wasn't appreciably different than any other room in the complex. It was actually a bit smaller than many of the labs, and noticably more circular, but had the exact same style to it. There wasn't any visible machinery, either- just an open space.
We all stood on the dais at the end of the room... and then, in an instant that took at least ten seconds, were in the camp. At least, I assumed it was the camp. Without using my enhanced vision, I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face.
Needless to say, I was using all the advantages of my new body from there on out.
Instants after we appeared, the three of us went our separate ways. I saw Tre take to the air, flying low and slow between the tents and prefab shelters of the base. Cinque took the more traditional approach, running off to the other side of the main tent. How can she run silently, anyway? That don't make no sense.
Not being that skilled, I quietly skulked off towards the storage room. I'd always been good at moving quietly; with my new body, I'd been able to take that talent to the next level. I'm not totally silent, nor can I go full speed that way, but I made it to the dig's storage room quietly enough and quickly enough.
The building was, oddly enough, unlocked. Instantly on my guard, I slowly, quietly pushed open the door, praying to Eris that it wouldn't make a squeak and alert whoever was in there. My prayers were answered; the door opened silently, and I crept in, ready to unleash Malleus on... absolutely nobody. Seriously? They just left their storage room UNLOCKED?!I guess it makes sense. After all, who would attack an unimportant expedition on a useless planet in the middle of nowhere? Why bother?
...says the guy attacking an unimportant expedition on a useless planet in the middle of nowhere.
The room itself, once I got over the complete lack of security enough to scan it, was a cluttered mess. The walls were covered in shelves, all packed full of boxes, crates, and random knickknacks. There was a table in the middle of the room, propped up by crates full of recovered artifacts, and covered in the same. The scan showed a major magical signature in the middle of the room... somewhere on the table?
I couldn't see anything Relic-ish from the door, so I moved into the room, carefully working my way around the table. A few steps in, I had to dismiss my cape- the stuff was piled in so deep, I would've snagged it if I hadn't.
Finally, in the back end of the room, I hit pay dirt. A section of the table had been cleared off- in quite the hurry, if the heap of stuff sitting nearby was any guide- and next to that empty spot sat a fat, octagonal metal case. Bingo... I hope. I'd best check, just to be sure.
I set the case down on one side, touched the side of it (letting it take a bit of mana from me), and carefully lifted the lid.
A red gem, cut into a twelve-sided prism (looking all the world like a Crystal Castle d4, some traitorous part of my mind commented) floated in the middle of the case, four smaller gems floating alongside it. I've found it... and it's kinda stupid-looking. Oh, well. Guess I should just close this up and get back to the extraction point.
I managed to get the case sealed up before it hit- the low, rumbling boom of an explosion someplace relatively close. Okay, something's blowing up. Where, and why?
{CLANG}{THUMPTHUMPTHUMP}
...I'm getting the feeling it's inside the camp somewhere. Oddly enough, it feels like being buried in boxes of ancient Belkan junk.
Oh, and by the way, OW.
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.
Clearly, the Scrya are the only group that does archaeology in dimensional space, and the clan is so small that they brought along children to a dig site like this.
**********
The local teleportarium wasn't appreciably different than any other room in the complex. It was actually a bit smaller than many of the labs, and noticably more circular, but had the exact same style to it. There wasn't any visible machinery, either- just an open space.
We all stood on the dais at the end of the room... and then, in an instant that took at least ten seconds, were in the camp. At least, I assumed it was the camp. Without using my enhanced vision, I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face.
Needless to say, I was using all the advantages of my new body from there on out.
Instants after we appeared, the three of us went our separate ways. I saw Tre take to the air, flying low and slow between the tents and prefab shelters of the base. Cinque took the more traditional approach, running off to the other side of the main tent. How can she run silently, anyway? That don't make no sense.
Not being that skilled, I quietly skulked off towards the storage room. I'd always been good at moving quietly; with my new body, I'd been able to take that talent to the next level. I'm not totally silent, nor can I go full speed that way, but I made it to the dig's storage room quietly enough and quickly enough.
The building was, oddly enough, unlocked. Instantly on my guard, I slowly, quietly pushed open the door, praying to Eris that it wouldn't make a squeak and alert whoever was in there. My prayers were answered; the door opened silently, and I crept in, ready to unleash Malleus on... absolutely nobody. Seriously? They just left their storage room UNLOCKED?!I guess it makes sense. After all, who would attack an unimportant expedition on a useless planet in the middle of nowhere? Why bother?
...says the guy attacking an unimportant expedition on a useless planet in the middle of nowhere.
The room itself, once I got over the complete lack of security enough to scan it, was a cluttered mess. The walls were covered in shelves, all packed full of boxes, crates, and random knickknacks. There was a table in the middle of the room, propped up by crates full of recovered artifacts, and covered in the same. The scan showed a major magical signature in the middle of the room... somewhere on the table?
I couldn't see anything Relic-ish from the door, so I moved into the room, carefully working my way around the table. A few steps in, I had to dismiss my cape- the stuff was piled in so deep, I would've snagged it if I hadn't.
Finally, in the back end of the room, I hit pay dirt. A section of the table had been cleared off- in quite the hurry, if the heap of stuff sitting nearby was any guide- and next to that empty spot sat a fat, octagonal metal case. Bingo... I hope. I'd best check, just to be sure.
I set the case down on one side, touched the side of it (letting it take a bit of mana from me), and carefully lifted the lid.
A red gem, cut into a twelve-sided prism (looking all the world like a Crystal Castle d4, some traitorous part of my mind commented) floated in the middle of the case, four smaller gems floating alongside it. I've found it... and it's kinda stupid-looking. Oh, well. Guess I should just close this up and get back to the extraction point.
I managed to get the case sealed up before it hit- the low, rumbling boom of an explosion someplace relatively close. Okay, something's blowing up. Where, and why?
{CLANG}{THUMPTHUMPTHUMP}
...I'm getting the feeling it's inside the camp somewhere. Oddly enough, it feels like being buried in boxes of ancient Belkan junk.
Oh, and by the way, OW.
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.