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Once you’ve managed to haul everything back to the surface and just barely fit it onto your cart, you head north into the Enchanted Forest. Your destination is the rendezvous point you and Ragana picked out earlier, and when you arrive, you find her waiting there for you, pacing a rut into the mossy ground. At the sound of your creaking cart wheels, she turns and waves.

RAGANA: “Rosalyn, you made it back!”

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ROSALYN: “And I got my potions back too, thanks to your help. That Jelly of Juniorization worked out pretty nicely.”

As you set down your cart, your hoard of items spills out at your feet.

ROSALYN: “…and I may have picked up a little extra.”

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RAGANA: “A ‘little’? Unless I’m mistaken, that’s one of the Arms of Elfland!”

ROSALYN: “Yep! The mice had it squirreled away in their lair. Or, uh, I guess I should say moused away. Rodented? Not sure how they got their paws on it, but I’m guessing not legally.”

RAGANA: “Incredible; I’ve never seen any of the Arms of Elfland in person before. Though I have to admit it’s a little more... ungainly than I expected it to be.”

ROSALYN: “That’s for sure. I can’t even lift this thing to cover my head. Isn’t that kind of a design flaw for a shield?”

RAGANA: “I suppose with such an artifact, its magical properties are probably more important than its physical dimensions. Perhaps it projects a force field that protects its wielder from all sides?”

ROSALYN: “But for such a fancy piece of work, you’d think the designer could have at least put a little more thought into how you'd actually use it."

RAGANA: "Hopefully the other Arms of Elfland are a little more ergonomically sound.”

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You set down the shield and the conversation tapers off into silence. It’s not an unpleasant silence, though, and for a time, you simply enjoy this moment together with your friend.

For some reason, despite everything that’s weighing down on you and all your very, very many problems, right now things seem okay. You might be broke and a failure and not even halfway done with the Potion of Glamor, but it’s okay. You’re not alone—you’ve got Ragana, and you’ve still got your wits, and you’re going to find a way through this.

For the first time in ages, you truly feel at ease.

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RAGANA: “So, now that you have your potions back, what next?”

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ROSALYN: “I should head back to my place to drop most of this off, for starters. And after that…”

You shrug in a way that hopefully reads more like, “I’m still sorting that out,” and less, “I’m gonna go brew a forbidden potion for a creepy, magical dwarf.”

ROSALYN: “How about you?”

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RAGANA: “I still have a patrol to finish. I’ll be taking the Redbeard down into Leg Slemt to monitor the situation there. Lately there have been… well, let’s just call them ripples on the surface of the abyss. The Scaline Choir has stopped singing, and a number of artifacts have gone missing from the Abyss of Lifestyle Products: the Crimson Cup; the Chronocle; the—”

ROSALYN: “Just so we’re clear, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

RAGANA: “And you’re probably the happier for it. But this is my duty, and I must see to it. After everything I’ve subjected Elfland to, I have a responsibility to keep it and its people safe. And that includes you.”

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ROSALYN: “I’m really glad we ran into each other.”

RAGANA: “Me too. Let’s try to meet up again soon—hopefully sooner than ten years again?”

ROSALYN: “I’d like that a lot.”

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ROSALYN: “Stay safe, Ragana.”

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RAGANA: “You too, Rosalyn.”

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And then she’s gone.

You wonder what marvels and horrors await Ragana in the depths beyond Godt’s light. Cursed relics? Ruined kingdoms? Ancient mysteries? It sounds like a dangerous undertaking, but dangerous in a way that’s sort of exciting. It sounds almost like an adventure.

You can’t say you’re not just a little envious.

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But you have something along the lines of an adventure of your own to attend to, and it’s not like anyone else is going to do any of it for you.

With renewed resolve, you pack everything back onto your cart and set off once more through the Enchanted Forest toward Elfland Square.

Status Report: Things are still shifting around IRL with regards to moving. Fortunately, this has given me a bit more time to work on this quest. Unfortunately, it's taken up more of this week than I anticipated. I'm also a much slower writer than I thought I was, and I apologize for that.

I have two scenes that are fully written, but yet to be photographed. I'll try to have those up tomorrow night. After that, there are about eleven more scenes in this quest, and I'll have a better idea of when it'll all wrap up after this next week.

Thank you for following this quest, and I apologize again for the delays and setbacks.

>>2764756
It's all okay man. You have nothing to apologize for.

>>2764756
Got this tab locked on my browser so I'm not going anywhere!

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You arrive in Elfland Square around five in the evening, after making a quick stop at home to drop off your extra supplies. The square is relatively deserted as you pass through it, which is fine by you. The fewer people who see you hauling around one of the Arms of Elfland, the better.

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You find Myzo at his usual perch on the post office balcony.

ROSALYN: “Hey, I’ve got a present for you, doc.

MYZO: “Ooh, what have you brought this time?”

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ROSALYN: "Something you might find interesting."

You hold up the shield for Myzo to inspect.

MYZO: “Could this be? Ah, but there’s no mistaking it! This is truly the Shield of the Soil, the earthen Arm of Elfland! How sublime!”

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ROSALYN: “It’s what you needed for your research, right?”

MYZO: “It is precisely what I needed! I cannot thank you enough for this. Will you permit me to take this back to the Abyssal Tower? I’ll return it to you as soon as my experiment is complete.”

ROSALYN: “Go ahead. Before you go, though, I did have something I wanted your help with.”

MYZO: “Anything! By my estimations, I owe you quite a debt of gratitude for this. Name the favor and it will be done.”

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ROSALYN: “Well, I have these riddles I’m trying to solve. Strictly for fun, of course. Definitely not for anything shady or the like. I think each of the riddles corresponds to a kind of potion ingredient, but I just can’t solve them.”

MYZO: “Riddles, you say? I do enjoy a good brain-tickler. Let’s hear them!”

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You recite the remaining five riddles for Myzo and he falls silent, lost in thought. Finally, after several minutes of contemplation, he speaks up.

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MYZO: “Those are on the frustratingly vague side of things, to be sure. But I think I’ve solved two of them!”

ROSALYN: “Really?”

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MYZO: “Indeed! For the… mildly obscene riddle, I believe it refers to powdered acorn. An acorn is both an egg and a nut, and for maximum potency, it must be ground with a mortar and pestle, the latter of which might be called a ball and rod.”

ROSALYN: “Oh, that makes sense.”

MYZO: “The riddle seems to be implying that a mortar and pestle can be found in a trunk of some kind—perhaps a chest or a tree—but as to what and where that might be, I’m at a loss.”

ROSALYN: “And what about the other one?”

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MYZO: “I believe the blue liquid described in the other riddle is a Suspending Solution. It’s a handy base that can absorb almost anything, including sound. For example, if music is played directly into a bottle of Suspending Solution, the liquid will actually preserve the notes of that music within it. Thus, it might be said to ‘hold a note.’”

ROSALYN: “Any particular note I need to play?”

MYZO: “Hard to say, but I do suspect you’ll need to play it on a pipe organ. Though finding a pipe organ might be an additional ordeal in itself...”

ROSALYN: “Guess I’ll have to keep an ear out for one of those. Shouldn't be too hard—they're not exactly quiet."

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MYZO: “So, is there anything else I can assist you with?”

ROSALYN: “I think that’s it for now. Thanks for the help, doc, and good luck with the research.”

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MYZO: “It is I who should be thanking you! Now my great experiment will finally come to fruition! Soon, the phantasmal carriage will be blazing through the night like a shooting star!”

ROSALYN: “Looking forward to it! Just be careful not to blow anything up.”

MYZO: “Rest assured, my devotion to laboratory safety practices is unparalleled!”

You wish you could say the same for yourself.

——————

The story will resume tomorrow night with the next scene(s).

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You return home for the evening with a mercifully lighter cart, as well as couple books from the library. Your bed calls out to you once again, but you can’t sleep just yet. Not without dinner, at any rate.

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Tonight, dinner consists of another pumpkin from your garden, but this time served as a stew. You’ve also mixed in some reverse carrots to spice it up a little, though you can barely taste the difference in the end.

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As thoughts of pumpkins and spice cross your mind, you think back to Pumpkin Spice, one of the goblins you met what seems like a lifetime ago, but which was really just yesterday. Despite naming the goblin that, you're pretty clueless yourself when it comes to knowing what spices would go well with pumpkin.

If Sapphire were around, she’d go on and on about the draconic secrets of pumpkin-spicing, but at this point you really have no idea when she might be back. Your lifestyles diverged a long time ago, and she’s probably happier roaming around on her own instead of being stuck here doing nothing with you. You hope she’s happier than you are, anyway.

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After eating dinner, you climb up to your bed and take along the library books to ward off your own thoughts. First up is a book titled Querti Ripplemere: An Autobiography of Elfland’s Most Illustrious Composer. You’re not expecting much, going by the title and the fact that you've never heard of Querti Ripplemere in your life, but considering Myzo's interpretation of the Suspending Solution riddle, you figure you could use a little musical education.

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You settle down and begin to read.

>get home from work
>Funtron update
Today you will have: Good luck

Rolled 3, 4 = 7 (2d6)

>>2775468
The hero reads a most unsettling passage.

>>2778208
Oh Godt, not the Chronocler again

Status Report: After a lot of hectic flailing around, I have finally gotten enough of a hold on things that I can resume working on this quest for about another week. Thank you for your patience, and I'll have the next update up over the course of the evening.

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Interesting; it sounds like you’ll need to pay the Windswept Isles a visit tomorrow.

>>2784825
Waiting eagerly!

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With that business taken care of, you open up the second book in your pile: World Exile Meridiana, Volume 3.

You feel mildly ashamed of yourself for picking up yet another volume of this tripe, but you are curious about what ended up happening after the first volume’s cliffhanger ending. Does Meridiana manage to defeat Mayor Hartley, or is the mayor able to use the mystical power of the stolen Great Heartlake Heart to break the seal on the demon lord? Does Meridiana’s crush on the mysterious Jacyne blossom into something more? Does Simeon Whitebark ever get a better editor?

The reasonable thing to do would be to read Volume 2 to find out, but the Elfland Public Library doesn’t seem to have any copies of it on the shelves. In fact, you’re pretty sure they don’t have two consecutive volumes of any series, regardless of quality. It’s probably fine, though. Something this cliché can’t be that hard to follow.

You turn to page 1.

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You feel like you’ve missed out on some terribly important plot developments.

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But at the same time, you reckon you’re not missing very much at all.

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And within half an hour, you’re sound asleep.

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“…and I’ll play Hamlet!”

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“Great! Then I’ll be Gertrude, and Cronan can be Claudius.”

“Wait, do I have a say in this?”

“Nope!”

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“What about me?”

“Hmm…”

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“How about Polonius?”

“…again?”

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“Now that that’s settled, let me just go and find the script.”

“There’s a copy downstairs, in the cabinets.”

“Got it!”

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“In the cabinets… hmm, which cabinet…”

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“Uh, do I know you?”

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“I don’t understand a thing you’re saying.”

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“…thanks?”

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You awaken to a face full of book.

>>2784951
>OUR TECHNOLOGY HAS NOT DEVELOPED A TRANSMITTER STRONG ENOUGH TO REACH YOUR CONSCIOUS STATE OF MIND

HARK O HEROINE

I COME OUT OF LEG SLEMT TO GIVE YOU THIS

HEED THE ANCIENT GOSPELS WISDOM

UNITY

DUTY

DESTINY

>>2784992
What the hell is this thing?

>>2785288
Bionicle minifig. They did it exactly once before realizing it was dumb.

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You just can’t shake that dream, can you? Every time, you feel so relieved to see them again, followed by the same disappointment when you realize the truth. It’s been that way for years now, and repetition hasn’t softened it in the least. This time, however, you have to admit that the ending was at least a little different from the usual.

Recalling the book that the mysterious interloper handed you, you glance down at the book you fell asleep with.

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Yeah, that’s definitely not quite right either.

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Maybe it’s time you set the books down for a bit.

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plop

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Come to think of it, though, wasn't there something else in the dream that seemed significant? You're pretty sure that whatever it was, it didn’t have anything to do with the weird robot alien thing, and it wasn’t the part where you make out with Cronan in character either—no, you didn’t get that far into the dream this time around.

Think, Rosalyn! What was it?

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Aha! The mortar and pestle that Lumia kept downstairs! That’s what the “trunk” in the riddle referred to! It’s exactly what you need to make some powdered acorn for the potion.

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But your big problem is Lumia. Or maybe it’d be more fair to flip that one around.

To be honest, you’re glad that she wasn’t home the last time you went to see her. It would have been a disaster. Sure, you and Ragana have made peace now, but with Lumia, it’s… different.

While you can accept that you’re the one solely responsible for ruining your own life and that you brought all this upon yourself, and you have a sense that Ragana can relate to that feeling, none of this was Lumia’s fault. When the three of you were struggling, she tried her best to help you. She only wanted to keep you all safe. She trusted you, and all you’ve done is let her down.

Lumia never did anything to deserve what happened to her. The only thing she deserved was a better friend than you.

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Yet something within you urges you to face her.

For reasons you can’t entirely explain (and which you feel are probably best left unexplained), you find yourself thinking of the Toa Jaller and Matoro. They were supposed to be sworn brothers, and yet Matoro’s actions have shattered their unity. Can they ever reconcile, or is it their destiny to be torn apart? Will their story conclude without them ever telling each other how they truly feel? And good Godt, are you seriously turning to The Legiend of the Chronocler for life advice?

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But maybe there’s something to the weird book’s guidance after all. You do have a responsibility to try and make amends with Lumia—a duty, even.

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Even though you’re scared, this is something you have to do.

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Today’s going to be the day that you set things right.

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You can do this; it’s not as bad as you think it is.

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You’ve already faced Ragana; how much worse could this be?

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You have this under control. There’s nothing to panic about, you—

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you can’t fucking do this no nope no way in hell

Pausing here for the time being. We're about 10 scenes off from the end of this quest, so my plan is to get those all ready and post them in one go. I think this could be ready in a few days, but I'm obviously not very good at estimating how long these things actually take. Either way, I'll start a new thread at that time.

>>2787873
>Makuta is a matoran wearing a Hau
I spy with my eye, a MNOLG reference.

>>2787898
>I'm obviously not very good at estimating how long these things actually take
Nobody ever is.