A marina utility truck stops beyond the dock, tires grinding over wet gravel. The man in the yellow slicker climbs out carrying a sealed evidence bag in one gloved hand.
Elias remains beside the boat with his notebook tucked under one arm, while the teenager stays seated, pole across his knees. The constable is already gone.
The Man in the Yellow Slicker
I found this in the inlet. Same steel pattern as your shard, but the shape is different.
He stops several paces away and raises the bag without crossing the boundary Caelan set. Inside, a corroded fragment lies against clear plastic, dark ridges showing beneath the rust.
Elias
Do not open that. If the metallurgy matches, the difference in shape may tell us whether these belonged to one weapon or several.
The Man in the Yellow Slicker
Someone else is searching the lake tonight. I saw lights moving through the inlet after midnight, and they were not marina crews.
Elias
Three fragments in the records, two here, and now another searcher. This is no longer an archaeological coincidence.
✓ Quest Accepted
Take possession of the newly found fragment
“Can I see that real quick *I say while holding the other piece in my hand*”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +2)
Caelan Thorne
Can I see that real quick?
Caelan keeps the first corroded fragment in his other hand, holding it plainly above the gunwale. The yellow-slickered man studies the gesture, then steps forward only far enough to offer the sealed bag.
The Man in the Yellow Slicker
All right. Carefully. Keep the bag sealed, but you can examine it.
The evidence bag settles into Caelan’s rough hands. Through the plastic, the second fragment shows a narrower curve and a jagged break, its dark rust patterned like the piece already resting in his palm.
Elias
Do not compare the surfaces directly. Look at the ridges and the angle of the break. Those details may be more useful than the outline.
Elias leans over his notebook, ready to record observations. The teenager cranes forward from his seat, while the marina worker watches Caelan’s hands and the two fragments with guarded attention.
The Man in the Yellow Slicker
I found it beneath the eastern inlet shelf. Whoever was searching knew exactly where to look.
Learn who is searching the lake
Quest Complete
Take possession of the newly found fragment
+ New Item Acquired
Sealed evidence bag