>>39879591
"Goodbye, Mirfa."

And like that, he's gone without a word. You're all alone in the dark room. You don't much like it. You squeeze the pouch of copper challs in your hand, and then pocket it. This is probably more than you would have earned after getting taxed. How can Mirfa afford to just throw around money like that? Who knows. There's so many things you don't know. Clutching your late father's necklace, you hope that you'll find some answers in time.

The silence of the abandoned building really weighs on you. Nothing's happened for a few minutes now. And then, all of a sudden, you hear a wooden tapping noise below your feet. Is the floor hollow?

>Step back.
>Kneel down and feel around for openings.
>Whisper and ask who's there.

shit i forgot to post a link to the last thread
>>39836998

>>39879624
>Whisper and ask who's there.

>>39879624
>>Whisper and ask who's there.
Those were long 15 minutes

>>39880213
>>39880674
"Hello? Who's there?"

No response.

You're starting to think your mind is playing tricks on you. Wouldn't be the first time. Won't be the last.

But the tapping gets louder. It's not tapping, it's almost like... you can't put your finger on it.
It's one every second, about, with occasional pauses. What is that noise?

"Please, who's there? He said someone would come, is that you?" You raised your voice a little. Oops.

No response.
You really don't like this. Maybe you're being set up. Or not. It's all very distressing.

Suddenly, you hear footsteps approaching the door. "Hey, is someone in there? Hey, guys, I think I heard something." "I dunno, go check."
You freeze. They sound like they have Sunlit accents.

"The door's stuck. What do I do?" "Well, kick it in, stupid!" "Ah, fuck you."
The door is barely budging, but you're sure that they'll be inside in a matter of time. You messed up.

>Sit still and pray they leave.
>Scream.
>Whisper again and pray the person below you answers.

>>39881291
>Sit still and pray they leave.

>>39881291
>Sit still and pray they leave.
Fug

Hey there OP, do you have an update twitter yet? I want to follow along; I totally missed the last thread but I'm catching up now.

>>39881423
yes, @belowquest

>>39881291
>Sit still and pray they leave.

>>39881291
>Sit still and pray they leave.

>>39881338
>>39881384
>>39881558
>>39881916
fun fact i am trash sorry for making you all wait
You're going to go mad at this rate. They might go away, they might not. It's really up to chance at this point. Best to just wait and pray.

"Hey, it's starting to budge!"

Or not. There's a faint ray of light peeking out from the crack of the door.

"Hey, it's some kid! What are you doing there?"

Oh no.

You're about to freak out when all of a sudden, the floor falls out from under you.
You don't even get a chance to scream, as you're quickly grabbed, blindfolded and gagged by what feels like two people. "Don't make a sound." An accent you've never heard before.

The door slams open wide and "What was that?" "I dunno. This room is empty." "Are you sure you're not just tired? We have been at this-"

You get farther and farther away from the room, unable to hear a thing. You think you're headed downwards, on a wooden staircase? You don't know. Are these the people Mirfa mentioned? It's probably not in your best interest to wait and find out.

>Struggle.
>Wait patiently.

>>39883540
>Wait patiently.

>>39883540
>Wait patiently.

>>39883540
>Wait patient

>>39883540
>Struggle.

>>39883638
>>39883671
>>39883713
Then again, you don't want to get a knife in your neck. Best to keep quiet.
After a few minutes of this, you stop. "We're here."

You don't get what "here" is or what that means for you. But you stay quiet.
They place you down on your feet and turn you around in a direction you aren't sure of.

"From here on out, you're living a new life. Say goodbye to the world of the Lamplit. Do not expect to be able to return. Many that are brought here made a choice. We only apologize that it was not the case for you." You're patted on the head, oddly enough.

"Well, we also apologize for this." Before you can ask what, the cloths blocking your eyes and mouth are removed, and you're kicked forward into a chasm. At this point, you scream freely.

You're falling, fast. It's terrifying. Mother isn't here and you're probably going to die. If only you just went straight home. A few seconds of falling later and you see a body of water below. Now, you're not particularly book-smart, but you do know that falling into water from a high place hurts. This much will probably kill you. Time to scream louder.

And yet, you fall into the water like it's a cloud. No pain, no death, just a gentle fall into the drink. You aren't a very good swimming, but you manage to reach the surface. The water's deep too. Gasping and sputtering, you wade until you manage to grasp a wooden beam, pulling yourself up and onto some kind of platform connected to land.

Lying flat on your back, your gaze goes to the hole you just fell through. Stalactites cover the top of the cavern you've fallen into. The ceiling appears to be a lot lower than the one you're used to. Is this where you'll be from now on?

"You'll catch a cold if you wear wet clothes like that."

You turn in the direction of the noise. An elf wearing a thick green hooded robe sits next to you, legs dangling over the platform. You can't see his face.

>"Who are you?"
>"Where am I?"
>"Do you have clothes?"
>Run.

>>39884877
>"Who are you?"
>"Where am I?"
I am goin to bed. Have fun.

>>39884877
>"Who are you?"

>>39884877
>"Do you have clothes?"

>>39884877
>"Who are you?"

>>39883540
>Wait

>>39884877
>Who?

>>39885009
>>39885040
>>39885229
What's with this guy? Did he just watch you flounder all that time and let you almost drown? His voice is male, raspy, and his accent is strange, just like the men that dragged you down here.

"Who are you?"

"A friend."

"That doesn't tell me anything!"

"You don't need to know everything."

"I'd like to know something!" You're more than a little angry now. "I've been in the dark all day, I was thrown down here, my mother is gone, I have no idea where she is, and I'm wet and cold, and, and..." You can feel tears welling up in your eyes.

"You didn't ask to be here?" A hint of surprise enters his voice.

"Of course not!"

"Then I feel your pain."

"What do you know?" Rubbing at your eyes, you try in vain not to look like a mess in front of this stranger.

"I too, did not come here of my own free will. When I was a younger man, I lived among the Lamplit like you once did. I had a friend that I was very close with. We did everything together. Including stealing from the Sunlit. But one day, he told me he was tired of stealing. We only took enough to support our families, but he felt that we'd get caught eventually anyway. So he tried to speak out in public one day."

"What does this have to do with me?" This story is touching and all, but you don't quite care.

[cont.]

>>39886175
"He was murdered in the middle of his speech for treasonous behavior. Shot six times. I warned the idiot, but he didn't listen. I told him how risky it was, but there wasn't any reaching him. He was tired of snatching valuables from wagons. You can only do it for so long before you start to feel like a rat, I guess. I felt like a rat too. But he wasn't the only one to pay the price. They erased everyone else he knew. They murdered his sister, his brothers, his father, even some of his friends. They would have gotten me too if Moffa didn't have me sent down here. His selfishness caused us all so much pain."

Looks like he does understand. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're just another victim. Until your actions affect another's life, you don't need to worry."

He takes a long pause, as if in thought.

"Earka."

"What?"

"I am Earka. I normally only greet people, but I shall guide you as well. What was taken from you does not define you. It will strengthen you, so long as you do not let it break you."

He extends an incredibly pale hand to you, while keeping his head forward, towards the lake you fell in.

"Tell me your name."

>Take his hand, and answer.
>Take his hand.
>Answer, but don't take his hand.
>Do nothing.

>>39886336
>Take his hand, and answer.
It rarely pays to be impolite

>>39886336
>>Take his hand, and answer.

>>39886336
>Take his hand, and answer.

>>39886394
>>39886553
>>39886570
No more time for tears. You can be brave.
Taking his hand, he helps you stand up.

"My name is Ilafi." You say it with pride.

"A fine name." He still won't look at you.

Turning to face land, he lets go of your hand.

"You must have more questions. But first, let's get you out of those clothes and into something less drenched."

He starts walking down a road laden with brilliant crystals. You begin to realize that the only light coming down here is from the hole above. Everything else is just barely lit by these crystals.

Following the man closely, the road eventually opens up into a wide circle, with a well in the center, and a multitude of wooden houses all around it. He points towards a small, modest-looking one.

"That one is mine."

Approaching the door, he pulls out a key and opens it, walking in wordlessly, expecting you to follow. It's so much nicer than your home. No awkward holes in the walls, the floors don't threaten to snap when you tread on them, so on and so forth. It just feels perfect.

He has you take a seat in an armchair, them pulls another one up to squat in. Strangely, even though you're almost face to face, you still can't see his.

"Now, you may ask me whatever you wish to know."

>Write in.

Morning! Shall I continue now, or call it a thread?

>>39890244
>"Where are we?"
>""What am I supposed to do here?"
>"Is there any chance of getting back?"

>>39893052
I will second this while I catch up.

>>39890244
>"Do the sunlit ever come here?"
>"How do you survive in this place?"

>>39893052
>>39893211
>>39893340
((Ah shit, I started eating. Give me like 15 minutes then I can start writing))

>>39893510
No worries, man. Your worldbuilding and characterization have pulled me in; I don't mind a slow quest, although I'm a bit worried about missing updates given the irregular schedule.

DIMLIT BUMP

>>39893052
>>39893211
>>39893340
"Please tell me where we are."

"This is Ksatul(sah-tool), the city of the Dimlit. It came to be around the time that Ksana(sah-nuh), the city of the Lamplit was made. But you are far too young to know it by that name. The Sunlit were content to leave you nameless, punishing anyone who dared to call it more than "that city". Probably another way of keeping us in our places. They did not do the same for Ksatul, however. Ksatul rarely sees the Sunlit. They consider us too dirty to consort with, and would rather deal with the Lamplit to get our goods."

"Goods?" Looks like he's about to answer your next question.

"Yes. Ksalfiri(sahl fee ree), the Sunlit city, needs ores, fresh water, and natural gas more than anything. And sometimes, they take crystals, of which we have no shortage. But they don't come here for it, we have to send it up towards Ksana with a liaison for them to take it."

"Why don't they come down here?"

"Because they can't use their guns or lamps down here. The air is filled with traces of odorless, flammable gas most of the time. It's incredibly unpredictable. If I were to light a match right now, it probably wouldn't burn anything, but there's always that chance that I'd set my whole house aflame. On top of all that, we know the area better than they do, and our eyes are adjusted to this kind of darkness. Soon, yours will be."

Right now, it's barely lit at all in the room. You suppose the glowing crystals hanging on the walls act as proper lights for him.

[cont.]

>>39894439
"Is... Is there any chance I'll be able to go back home?"

"I wouldn't stake my life on it. There are strict rules regarding returning to Ksana. You have to be a liaison or a Usher to be able to move back, and only for a limited amount of time. That's why the Ushers blindfolded you; so that you wouldn't know how to leave."

"Why isn't it allowed?"

"The Sunlit know that attacking us directly would be a costly, dangerous, and overall, idiotic move. However, with the right motivations, they would not hesitate to show us the same savagery they exhibited in Ksana all those years ago. It is a risk nobody here is willing to take."

>Can I become an Usher?
>Can I become a liason?
>I'd really appreciate some clothes about now.
>Write in.

>>39894486
>I'd really appreciate some clothes about now.

>>39893600
((Will try to be more consistent in the future.))

>>39894486
>Can I become a liason?

>>39894580
All this information is really nice, but you could really go for clothing that isn't soaking wet.
"You wouldn't happen to have a change of clothes, would you?"

"I thought you'd ask. As a Greeter, I am given the clothes nobody needs, for when people fall in. Wait one moment. I should have something that fits you."

"Thank you, Earka."

He leaves the room, which is still all too dark for you to make sense of. You'd probably get lost without his guidance. The white crystals on the walls barely emit any light at all. You suppose they could be comforting, but they're more irritating to you than anything. It doesn't take long for him to come back with dry clothes, though.

"Here you go. Go ahead, change, I won't look."

"There's no room for me to change in?"

"No room that you're allowed to be in aside from this one. Please understand."

Holding the clothes up to your face, you can see that they're a similar green shade as Earka's robe.

"Does everyone down here wear green?"

"Most of us do."

"Any reason?"

"Hmm... I'll show you later."

Quickly changing into the new clothes, you occasionally sneak a look back at Earka. His head's down, and there's even less way for one to see his face now. There's no chance he's peeking. Good.

"This is pretty comfortable! What's it made of?"

"Spider silk. You know about the spiders that pop around the edges of Ksana. We have giants. They spin massive webs, and some people venture into their lairs to hunt them and harvest the webbing."

"No way." You've never seen a giant spider before.

"Yep. If we didn't hunt them, they might just overrun us. It's a strange balance we have, down here. But it's our land. The Sunlit can't tell us what to do, and that's all that really matters."

[cont.]

>>39897603
"Sounds like there's a lot to do around here. What does it take to get a job, as say, a liaison?"

He chuckles. "I know what you're thinking. You're too young and way too new. They'd never allow it. Just focus on something more attainable, right now. Like coming with me to the city square. We need to get you listed. ...Unless you want to ask more questions."

>Ask a question. (Write in.)
>Follow him to the city square.

>>39897618
>Follow him to the city square.

>>39897618
>What would be a more attainable job down here?

>>39897618
How do you survive here?

i'm sorry everyone i just feel really shitty today i can't do this right now
i'm going to announce the next thread on twitter
until then peace
i'm really sorry

>>39898846
No worries man. Take your time. Thanks for QMing for us.

>>39898846
its ok :3