October 21st, 2023
9:40 PM EST
Alastar
Alastar was a little bit grumpy as he walked down the hall. Sure, he supposed, it was ridiculous to assume that Dexter would stay. He’d been kicking the guy out before this whole mess. So why would the guy stay? Still, Alastar was growing fond of the guy and he had to just go. It felt like how he felt back in day camp, always having to make new friends because whenever he clicked with someone they had to go.
Sure, he supposed that Nalini and Shai were both about to be done with their shifts anyway. Checking his phone he realized they only had about 19 minutes left. So he had no reason to expect them to stay, but something just felt wrong about it to him. Maybe it was the zombie movies. Small groups tossed together in the apocalypse always stayed together in movies, rather than just splitting up.
“I guess it’s just not that kind of apocalypse.” Alastar said, sighing. He liked to talk to himself, and being alone like this made him feel less crazy doing it. “The heroes of my books are always forced to be alone, or just… enjoy it. I don’t know if I could stay on an island for months with only people I’m fighting to deal with. Or even train while locked in a small temple, whether it’s filled with mushrooms or glowing moss. I’d just… go crazy.” He realized he said that fairly loudly. “If I’m not already.”
Down the hall and around the bend, down there he arrived at the room he’d been so excited to explore today. There on a dolly was the Wyrmwood Cabinet, a cabinet of curiosities that contained a bunch of special objects collected by some Victorian era pseudo nobility. With a sigh he opened it, knowing what he looked for had to be in there.
There it was, one of the shelves he’d only glanced at before. Behind glass there were several knives. “No swords?” He asked, a little plaintively. Sure the cabinet wasn’t large enough to hold some of the massive swords, but there could have been a saber or scimitar in there. In any case, he opened the small case and looked at the knife.
The first of the knives was a Kris blade. It was an extremely ornate blade that had an odd wave in its blade. It had a little paper tag next to it as a label. Kris ~ Java, 1867. “Huh, I thought those were Indian or something.” Alastar muttered to himself. “Well that’s out, it looks cool but I really don’t think using a knife with that wiggly blade would be… easy, if possible.
The second was a curved blade with an ivory handle that was inlaid in silver. It had a single curve, and it was obviously very well made. Its label read Jambiya ~ Ottoman State, 1875. “Well, that’s better. A single curve is a lot easier to use, I’d bet.” He said, confidently. “Still, I’d rather have a straight blade. Curved ones take years to master, if my Karate sensei was right.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
The third blade down was a lot simpler and had less filigree than the first two. It was made of plain black wood with beautiful grain. There was no inlay or adornment, and yet the blade looked beautiful because it had the wavy pattern of a traditionally hand forged Japanese blade. Kaiken ~ Japan, 1863. “I thought the smallest of the three blades was called the Tanto. Still, this is pretty cool.
Below there was only one more blade. It had a beautiful mother of pearl handle, and a very small sharp blade. It also had a corkscrew. Elsener Officer’s Knife ~ Switzerland, 1897. Well that was neat, but nowhere as useful as a fighting tool. Since he was already going to break rules, he didn’t think using a nearly 130 year old artifact as a screwdriver or wine opener was a good idea. “Yeah, I think I’ll take the previous one.”
Taking the Kaiken in hand there was a ding in his head, and suddenly his vision was once more filled with a blue box.
> Quest Complete!
>
> Weapons Acquired: 1/1
>
> Reward: Manuel (Way of the Knife-Sharp Puukko)
With that message he suddenly saw a leather bound journal drop into his hands. It was rough and beaten up, held together by a strip of leather as a strap. All of the pages were rough cut, and it seemed incredibly well loved. Before he could get a chance to open it, Alastar’s vision was replaced by another blue box.
> New Quest!
>
> Tutorial (2/10): Treasures of the Chrysomallos (ARIES)
>
> Difficulty: RARE
>
> Description: Value is a tricky thing. What was once worth a lot, is now worth little. Some things that were trash are now worth your weight in gold. Find the most valuable thing in your area!
>
> Reward: Identification Skill
Wow, a quest that rewarded him with the exact thing he needed to complete the quest. This was even more cliche than the last one. “Well, I wonder what it means by location. This room? The museum? The building as a whole?” Alastar sighed. “And Dexter’s gone so I can’t ask his wisp thing the answer. I guess I’d better just… Work it out?” He sighed and closed the door to the cabinet, keeping the small Japanese knife in his hand, after putting it back in its sheath for the first time in nearly a century.
“Hey guys.” He called over the radio. “I’m looking to find something of incredible value. Where should I start looking?”
“I don’t know, a bank?” Dale replied flippantly. “I’d say look in your ass, but we all know that’s only got a stick in there.”
“I… I don’t have a stick up my butt.” Alastar said, confused. “I’m a fun loving person, I goof off all the time, that doesn’t scream stick up your butt now does it.”
“Shut up dale.” Singh said over the radio as well. “Anyway, Alastar, you raise how suspicious that sounds. Do I have to escort you off the grounds?”
“No no no, I just have to find it! I’m not stealing anything!” Alastar said, a bit fervently.
“Well, I guess just… look around. But we’re on the exits. If you walk out with a bulge in your pants or shirt, we’re gonna have to frisk you.”
“Singh, you realize how many jokes you set up?” Dale asked, snickering.
“Shut up Dale.”