The silver flare still burns in the crescent-and-key mark as the floorboards split wider. A narrow stair sinks into the estate's bones, and the humming from below slides up the steps like a remembered song.
Xene
That cadence... it is mine. Or it was taught to me.
Bince freezes at the mouth of the staircase, one hand lifted as if he can stop the sound by force. Azera still holds the seal, and the light from it throws hard shadows across the ledger and the walls.
Bince
No thief I have ever chased sings from under the floor.
The scraping rises again, then settles into a patient rhythm, not frantic, not trapped. Xene's face tightens with recognition, and the bard's voice comes out thin.
Xene
Laska taught me that pattern. It is not a trick. It is a call and answer.
Below the steps, something shifts in the dark, as if hearing its name through the stone. The humming falters, then returns softer, almost obedient.
Whatever has lived in the foundations has been listening to Xene all along, or to the voice behind Xene's magic.
“I call out to Laska below”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled +3)
Azera
Laska. If you can hear the song, know that you are not hidden from friends. Please, come into the light.
Azera's voice rings against the damp foundation stone, her authority as a teacher mingling with the resonant hum. The melody below pauses, then shifts into a hesitant, melodic chime.
Xene
That is not a trapped rhythm. It is a welcome.
Bince
It is coming up. I see a shadow against the base of the stairs.
A slight figure emerges from the absolute dark, stepping onto the bottom stone stair. The entity looks up, silver light catching wide, inquisitive eyes that mirror the glow of the seal.
Laska
I was waiting for someone who understood the harmony.
Quest Complete
Find Laska in the archive room
Skill Upgrade: Arcana Great→Superb
+ Scene Quest Added
Confront Laska about the messenger's role
+ Story Quest Added
Uncover the truth behind the secret messages
“Ask Laska to show me the documents they have been hiding.”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled +3)
Laska climbs one step higher and draws a leather packet from inside their coat, careful as if handling a bird with a broken wing.
Laska
You want the hidden papers. Then you should see why I kept them.
They hold the packet out. The cords are marked with the same crescent and key, and beneath them rests a folded ledger, sealed in wax.
Xene
That seal... I have heard that hymn in the margins of old lesson books.
Laska
Those messages were never meant to mislead you. They were meant to keep the wrong hands away from this.
Bince leans in, eyes fixed on the wax. The archive light trembles across the page edges as Laska opens the packet just enough to show a list of names, dates, and copied verses.
Laska
If you read only one line, read the last. It names the messenger, and the reason for the silence.
Quest Complete
Confront Laska about the messenger's role