Submission (#1865) Approved

Quest: Resonance - Act 1
Act Type: Bravery
Word Count: 1048
Adult Elnin Present: Samaskel [MYO-ELN144]
Regional Affinity: Bellmoril
Claiming Regional Affinity for: ELN1029

Waking up from a particularly rocky wagon ride, Nevon opened their eyes to a warm scenery. Instead of the rocky mountains they had to trek through, striking oranges and yellows lined the scenery in Bellmoril's signature foliage, in statis of an eternal autumn. Awestruck by the view, Nevon took a deep look of the region, admiring its unique landscape with mountains faded in the background of the horizon. A gentle breeze shook the trees, swaying the reds, oranges, and yellows in a relaxing and undulating gradation of color. It was their first time in Bellmoril, and Nevon was excited and very eager to explore, but kept the urge to dart off in check to stay on the task at hand first; this was a visit accompanied by an Il'durahn scholar to retrieve a potentially important document from an abandoned home of a late professor. 

Samaskel, the Elnin in charge of the the trip, stepped out with a form of dignified deliberation, a side effect of being within formal settings for much of their academic life. An unreadable neutral expression seemed permanently stuck upon their visage, as they remained in the world of their own thoughts for much of the day, making it difficult for Nevon to read how they're feeling and even more nervous about the whole ordeal. They had accompanied this scholar on a program that allowed a kittom interested in academia to observe the studies, though excitement in the opportunity soon made way for self doubt as the scholar appeared more or less apathetic to their presence; Samaskel had barely given Nevon much attention the entire time. 

Nevon anxiously trailed after the student of magic, careful not to be disruptive in any way in the process. Before them was a solitary dilapidated home amongst the warmth of the area's foliage. Wooden planks had long since came loose and fallen in its many years of neglect, abandoned by the professor of magic that once resided within its walls. Rumors of a magical experiment gone wrong were spread by many others who lived nearby, as the disappearance of the now missing professor was never understood. Fear of this unknown caused people to avoid this home, as one never knows what magical mishap could make them go missing as well. Now, Samaskel and Nevon stand before this very home, about to uncover whatever secrets may be hiding within. While Samaskel displayed a complete lack of concern and hesitation to walk right in, Nevon felt the same fears of the townsfolk creep into their mind; what potential horrors could lie within, and would they cause us harm?

Without a word, Samaskel walked to and opened the door leading inside, with Nevon fearfully trailing behind in a shivering mess. Was this kind of thing endorsed by the scholar accompaniment program, or does this deadpan academic just not care? However, what they know is that being scared of the worst will only hold them back from a potential discovery. Taking a stop to take some deep breaths, they steeled themselves for the unknown and quickly caught up to the still-walking adult after.

Navigating the age eaten planks of the floor was no small task; a few gave in to Samaskel's light steps, but Nevon was lucky enough to be following after them so all they had to do was trace the other's steps for safety. A few doors stood ajar, though the scholar took no interest in the window to the past resident's domestic life. Nevon took a few quick peeks to find the remains of a very... normal living space. Bedrooms had beds, kitchens had kitchenware, everything more or less usual. While it's expected to have these things in one's place of residence, something about Il'durahn scholars and their avid and nonstop speak of magical studies gave the impression many fell out of the general norms of the average citizen.

Upon opening the door, Nevon quickly shut their eyes and braced themselves for some kind of explosion that they expected to manifest. After a few moments of anticlimatic silence, Nevon opened an eye to find no such catastrophe. Cautiously peering into the room, they found Samaskel silently rifling through a pile of documents, not even raising an eye to check on  the state of their kittom company. The room itself was very orderly with various rows of books organized by their color and series, with various mana related apparatuses in more or less pristine condition, save for the layer of dust collected on the surfaces. Nevon was bewildered by the contrast between what they discovered and their expectations, unsure what to think of the entire thing. If there wasn't a disaster, what actually caused the disappearance of the Il'durahn professor? 

The two lingered in the room in an awkward silence. Samaskel showed no signs of leaving the space anytime soon, and Nevon found themselves stuck between not knowing what to ask, and being curious but not wanting to interrupt their work. Knowing they would be bored otherwise, they went to another corner of the room and began sifting through documents and books themselves. It wasn't long before they were overwhelmed with academic jargon they couldn't understand, but they also developed a bit of appreciation for people who could decipher the odd code; they had the smarts for the subject, and put many years to learn all this.

Some hours passed with Nevon's various text hopping when Samaskel finally got up with a pile of packed documents to bring back. Looking at the scholar's face, Nevon was still met with their neutral poker face, completely unreadable once again. Taking the plunge this time, Nevon asks, "did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes."

"What was it?"

Like opening Pandora's box, Samaskel begins their long spiel. Something about mana irregularities, but it wasn't long before Nevon found their head swimming at the sheer amount of information being dumped, nodding as they attempted to mentally follow to no avail. However, through this they realized that Samaskel isn't nearly as standoffish as their demeanor suggested; they are simply very mentally preoccupied and simply doesn't talk unless immediately pertinent to an inquiry. 

They eventually made their way back to their homes, and Nevon happily recounted the transpired events as they turned in for the day.