confirmed Tralnis’ story. Gareth blushed
a bit before he picked up the clay tablet, and looked at it again.
All he could see was scribbles that made no sense, definitely not
the stylized rune for the word “language” that had been tattooed on
his rear end sometime when he was a toddler. Gareth had no memories
whatsoever of his life before being found on the white sandy
beaches of the Island Republic of Draconia 16 years ago. He had
already received the tattoo before he was found. It was even more
improbable that the clay tablet had the same rune, since his rune
tattoo was in a language that only Gareth could read.
Henry shook his head, and snatched the tablet out of
Gareth’s hands. He lifted the tablet to the level of Gareth’s eyes
and tilted it so Gareth would be looking across it, rather than
directly at it. Gareth slowly lifted his hands, and took over
control of the tablet again as he muttered, “Will you look at
that?” He tilted the tablet to look straight at it again, and the
image of the rune disappeared. Titling it back so it was parallel
with his eyes brought the rune back into view. Gareth turned the
clay slab over in his hands so he was looking across the opposite
side of the tablet. He was forced to read the new inscription three
times before he believed that he was reading it correctly.
“What does it say?” Tralnis asked in a hushed
tone.
Without warning, Gareth slammed the clay tablet onto
his desk hard enough to break it. The sudden act of vandalism
caused Henry and Tralnis to both flinch in startled surprise.
Gareth looked at his friends sheepishly before pointing at the
tablet. “Sorry, the runes on the back side were instructions that
said ‘Break to Open’,” he told them. Henry reached over the table
with one of his orange furred hands, and brushed a piece of the
broken clay tablet aside. Underneath the clay was a shiny, silver
colored tablet covered in more runes.
Gareth helped pick away the rest of the clay to
completely uncover a metal tablet that was hidden inside. He sighed
slightly in relief when the runes on the new tablet were printed
normally, and easy to read. Focusing on the tablet, Gareth pulled
out one of the blank journals from his satchel and a fountain
pen.
“Don’t keep us in suspense, Gareth, what does it
say?” Tralnis pleaded.
Gareth looked quickly from the tablet to his journal
as he translated the runes. “It doesn’t actually say anything, or
at least not in a way I understand. The runes are just groups of
numbers with the occasional letter thrown in,” he explained. After
he had transposed all the number groups, he stared at the journal.
He was sure he had seen something similar to the third set of
numbers before. Closing his eyes, he retreated into his memories to
locate when, and where, he had seen the similar numbers before. He
eventually came across the right memory, and snapped his eyes open.
“Henry, I need you to climb on to the top of that bookcase over
there in the corner, and grab whatever maps you find,” he ordered
while he pointed at a bookcase on the far wall. “Tralnis, I need
you to help me get to the bottom box of this stack,” he said as he
gestured to the nearest stack of boxes.
Tralnis smirked, and pushed the carefully balanced
stack of boxes over. The only box remaining upright was the one
Gareth said they needed. “Done,” he said smugly. He noticed
Gareth’s look of shock and dismay so he added, “Come on, it’s not
like you’re the one who will have to clean the mess up!”
“Good point,” Gareth conceded and tore the top off
the box they needed. “We’re looking for a book bound in light brown
leather, with a Kraunish star and circle on the front,” he informed
Tralnis as he searched through the box.
After a moment, Tralnis pulled out an ancient book,
and showed it to Gareth. “This one?” he asked.
“That’s the one!” Gareth said excitedly. He took the
offered book, and went back to his desk. With his
a bit before he picked up the clay tablet, and looked at it again.
All he could see was scribbles that made no sense, definitely not
the stylized rune for the word “language” that had been tattooed on
his rear end sometime when he was a toddler. Gareth had no memories
whatsoever of his life before being found on the white sandy
beaches of the Island Republic of Draconia 16 years ago. He had
already received the tattoo before he was found. It was even more
improbable that the clay tablet had the same rune, since his rune
tattoo was in a language that only Gareth could read.
Henry shook his head, and snatched the tablet out of
Gareth’s hands. He lifted the tablet to the level of Gareth’s eyes
and tilted it so Gareth would be looking across it, rather than
directly at it. Gareth slowly lifted his hands, and took over
control of the tablet again as he muttered, “Will you look at
that?” He tilted the tablet to look straight at it again, and the
image of the rune disappeared. Titling it back so it was parallel
with his eyes brought the rune back into view. Gareth turned the
clay slab over in his hands so he was looking across the opposite
side of the tablet. He was forced to read the new inscription three
times before he believed that he was reading it correctly.
“What does it say?” Tralnis asked in a hushed
tone.
Without warning, Gareth slammed the clay tablet onto
his desk hard enough to break it. The sudden act of vandalism
caused Henry and Tralnis to both flinch in startled surprise.
Gareth looked at his friends sheepishly before pointing at the
tablet. “Sorry, the runes on the back side were instructions that
said ‘Break to Open’,” he told them. Henry reached over the table
with one of his orange furred hands, and brushed a piece of the
broken clay tablet aside. Underneath the clay was a shiny, silver
colored tablet covered in more runes.
Gareth helped pick away the rest of the clay to
completely uncover a metal tablet that was hidden inside. He sighed
slightly in relief when the runes on the new tablet were printed
normally, and easy to read. Focusing on the tablet, Gareth pulled
out one of the blank journals from his satchel and a fountain
pen.
“Don’t keep us in suspense, Gareth, what does it
say?” Tralnis pleaded.
Gareth looked quickly from the tablet to his journal
as he translated the runes. “It doesn’t actually say anything, or
at least not in a way I understand. The runes are just groups of
numbers with the occasional letter thrown in,” he explained. After
he had transposed all the number groups, he stared at the journal.
He was sure he had seen something similar to the third set of
numbers before. Closing his eyes, he retreated into his memories to
locate when, and where, he had seen the similar numbers before. He
eventually came across the right memory, and snapped his eyes open.
“Henry, I need you to climb on to the top of that bookcase over
there in the corner, and grab whatever maps you find,” he ordered
while he pointed at a bookcase on the far wall. “Tralnis, I need
you to help me get to the bottom box of this stack,” he said as he
gestured to the nearest stack of boxes.
Tralnis smirked, and pushed the carefully balanced
stack of boxes over. The only box remaining upright was the one
Gareth said they needed. “Done,” he said smugly. He noticed
Gareth’s look of shock and dismay so he added, “Come on, it’s not
like you’re the one who will have to clean the mess up!”
“Good point,” Gareth conceded and tore the top off
the box they needed. “We’re looking for a book bound in light brown
leather, with a Kraunish star and circle on the front,” he informed
Tralnis as he searched through the box.
After a moment, Tralnis pulled out an ancient book,
and showed it to Gareth. “This one?” he asked.
“That’s the one!” Gareth said excitedly. He took the
offered book, and went back to his desk. With his
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