The Inner Sun
| Page 32 [2008-11-05 04:31:35 – The Inner Sun – Bo. Awi.] Bootes sits down at the desk and looks over the wooden box. The mark of the Inner Sun fades on the box’s lid and is replaced with a picture, only it appears broken and scrambled. Bootes touches the lid and sees that the pieces move and fit together in a pattern. After some time, Bootes smiles as the last piece clicks into place. A congratulatory message displays and the box unlocks. Congratulations to Awiiya for solving the quest correctly! |
| Page 33 [2008-11-05 04:59:48 – The Inner Sun – Noo.] No One continues his wander through the gloomy wasteland, slightly paranoid. Nervously walking, he trips and shouts to the shadows, “Hey! I saw you trip me!” He whirls around, seeing nothing, no one. Hysterically he says, “Am I going crazy?!” He runs, frantically watching his back as the wind howls and the lonely darkness prevails. |
| Page 34 [2008-11-05 18:23:07 – The Inner Sun – Noo.] Looking behind him as he runs away from the shadows, No one misses the tree root jutting up from the ground and goes down in a heap. Looking at the root, he begins to scream in wide-eyed terror. The root isn’t a root at all! Trembling and shaken, he tries to slide away from it as something rushes past him on the other side. Overcome, he faints in the darkness. |
| Page 35 [2008-11-06 00:53:17 – The Inner Sun – Noo.] No One hears faint whispers and sits up quickly, eyes wide and looks around but only sees the barren trees. The whispers continue, vague yet insistent. Shadows play at the edges of his vision which then draw closer to No One. The whispers are now louder and change, becoming hissing, moaning, screeching… Eventually, No One cannot distinguish his screams from those of the shadows… |
| Page 36 [2008-11-07 00:07:51 – The Inner Sun – Bo.] Bootes lifts the lid of the box, eager to discover what is inside. He pulls out a strange object and studies it for a moment. It is long and metallic with several sliding pins set at right angles to each other. He also notices there are letters on the pins. Bootes turns it over, slides a few of the pins back and forth, noticing how they lock in place. “Is… is it a Key?” |
| Page 37 [2008-11-07 00:08:19 – The Inner Sun – Bo.] Bootes exits Sage’s Keep, squinting a moment at the bright light. He greets people as he walks the streets of Marind Bell on his way towards No Man’s Land. His stroll is short and leisurely. He watches as various groups train and spar or go about their business. Bootes finally arrives as the Howling Gates and takes in the bleak scene set before him and takes a few cautious steps and then enters Necrovion. |
| Page 38 [2008-11-07 02:55:20 – The Inner Sun – Noo.] No One squeezes his eyes shut and screams until his throat is raw. He opens his eyes to find he is alone. He tries to walk, but stumbles instead, dust pouring from his mouth. He breaks into a run but the shadows persist in their cruel game. Twisted shapes curl around him trying to consume his very soul. No One cries out in terror and panic, though none can hear him. |
| Page 39 [2008-11-07 03:34:39 – The Inner Sun – Noo.] The shadows swirl before No One. Their twisted shapes taking form, they manifest into something he recognizes: a small puppy. He begins to calm, reaching out to play with the puppy. The dog looks at No One strangely, but then wags its tail and barks happily. This is the first time No One finds solace in anything since entering this place. He is content to let it happen and hopes it lasts. |
| Page 40 [2008-11-07 18:38:00 – The Inner Sun – Bo.] The path before him is broken and cracked, thick with dust and devoid of life. The sky is dark and the silence is eerie and disturbing. The silence is shattered by a soul-wrenching scream from somewhere nearby. Bootes picks up his pace, “The sooner I get this done…” He finally arrives at the entrance to the dark house and hesitates. |
| Page 41 [2008-11-07 19:43:15 – The Inner Sun – Iam.] I am Bored sighs happily and closes the book he had been reading. “I’m keeping this!” he says. The fire has all but gone out; the embers of random books, lost forever, smolder quietly and fade. I am Bored looks around at the shadows for a moment. He stands, saying, “I want more books like this!” and leaves the dying fire behind. |
| Page 42 [2008-11-07 19:44:12 – The Inner Sun – Bo.] The House is shadowy and has a strange odor, sharp and acrid. Pale light from outside filters through the windows, yet does not illuminate anything. The air is thick with a haze. Is it smoke? Bootes looks around the entrance and sees several doors. He mumbles to himself, “Where is a Map when I Want One?” |
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