At the pool’s edge, the vellum records lie open on sun-warmed stone. The same static hum from before returns, thin at first, then deeper, as if the oasis itself remembers the Chaos Gate.
Slaan kneels to sort the pages while Bram fills waterskins. Kaelith keeps watch over the reeds, one hand near his sword, but the place stays quiet, only wind and the soft drip of water.
Slaan
The hum is coming from the ground, not the air.
A marked strip in the records catches the light, a chapel sign half-scraped away. Under it, a neat line in Bram’s hand names the hidden route, and beneath that, a second note, older and sharper, ties the route to a High Chapel relay.
Bram
There it is. The Stranger was never just a guide. He was feeding the Chapel our trail.
Kaelith
So every calm mile had teeth in it. Good. I was beginning to trust the silence.
Water ripples hard in the pool, though nothing touches it. Far off, beyond the dunes, a low drake call answers the tremor, and the oasis holds its breath around Slaan’s open records.
✓ Quest Accepted
Escape the drake breach
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the oasis sanctuary