Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 2 - Map to Elsewhere
20 Plays2 months ago
On the planet Widdershins, adventure strolls into a humble village. Our story begins with a strange man, an even stranger steed, and a determined young woman who has a lot of questions.
There also may or may not be a Disney princess song…
If you like what you hear please tell a friend and rate us on your podcast app💖
Join the Sparkle Squad and we'll send you a sticker!
Email us: glitterfoxmedia@gmail.com
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Game Mechanics
00:00:19
Speaker
Welcome back to Somewhere Elsewhere, a world building and actual play podcast. We did the world building portion last episode, but now we're doing the actual play portion.
00:00:32
Speaker
To get one main question out of the way, what game system are we playing? We're playing a basic, very basic 2D6 system ah to start with. We might play other role playing games. later on in this show, but for right now we're sticking with 2D6s and sticking with the fail, mixed success, and complete success ah roles, essentially. And as far as the categories we're rolling for, it's kind of up to the decision of the DM for this game, or GM.
00:01:09
Speaker
Basically, if there's a category that I think there should be a role for it, I'm going to have a role for it. And that includes me. I'm going to rolling some dice, too. So that is how we have the unpredictability as far as storytelling goes in this portion of the series.
Meet the Characters and Setting
00:01:27
Speaker
So in this episode, I'm going to be GMing, essentially.
00:01:32
Speaker
and And who are you? I'm Janil, and I'm going to be GMing this session. and I'm Jerika and I'm also here. You will be playing a character ah that we'll be talking about. in Or maybe not.
00:01:47
Speaker
You'll have to keep listening to find out what exactly I'm going to do. In just a moment, we will get to that. I'll be pretty much playing everybody else. But this is how we're going to explore the worlds that we create in previous episodes. um So that is the idea behind this anyway.
00:02:08
Speaker
We will open up where we left off with the last episode, focusing on this small village inside this forest here. So it is dawn. It is early morning.
00:02:20
Speaker
And we're going to look at one particular farmstead where it is a, they're they're pollinator keepers. This little farmstead, let's say that the pollinators are, their nest is in this ah big hollowed out tree where they're all kept. And I'm sure this whole family has a lot of duties surrounding keeping these pollinators in well-fed, active, healthy, what have you. um And they're selling the honey, they're selling the fibers from them, they're going to shear them like sheep. they're like big, fluffy, flying, wooly sheep, but they're bees. They're big bumblebees. They're like flying, wooly sheep, except they're bees. Except they're bees. is completely different thing. I'm sure their fluff is very soft. I mean, bumblebee butts always look nice and soft, so... Listen, if you ever into temptation, if you see a bumblebee and a flower to just touch it, I do that all the time.
00:03:15
Speaker
So here we are learning that Janiel really digs bumblebee butts. Bee bottoms. And that she has to touch them whenever she sees them. I concerned. Listen, it's it's hard to resist a little fluffy. Anyway, do you have your two d6? I have five d6s in which I can roll any two.
00:03:37
Speaker
Yes, you only need two.
Character's Aspirations and Inventions
00:03:42
Speaker
Focusing on this little farmstead here, someone has been kind of shirking their ah their duties lately.
00:03:48
Speaker
Not a shirker. i Not a shirker. Yeah, so can you describe to me your character that you'll be playing in this episode? Probably.
00:03:59
Speaker
Could you do that for our listeners? So... My character is a... nut Well, she's not a human because we're not on Earth. But, you know, she's human looking.
00:04:12
Speaker
Humanoid. Well, lot of things can be... Minotaurs are fucking humanoid. Okay? Tabaxi are humanoid. um What were we talking about? Describe your character.
00:04:25
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Sorry. I did take my meds today, guys. And... Boy. Okay. Okay. She is she is somewhere between five four and There's a few inches to play with there.
00:04:42
Speaker
That's what she said.
00:04:47
Speaker
I'll make her pretty middle of the road. Okay.
00:04:54
Speaker
Oh, you want more than that. Okay. um This is an audio medium. We need all the visual we can get. Well, if you could just look inside my brain. Well, don't do that.
00:05:04
Speaker
ah She has brown hair. Short, shortish brown hair. She has these sort of like, not honey yellow.
00:05:17
Speaker
They're a little bit brighter than that. They're like, um. Like an amber yellow? i they're like a sunflower yellow. i want to say banana yellow is what I want to say. So I don't know why I didn't just say that.
00:05:31
Speaker
Not lemon, but banana, like a banana yellow. Her family and her ancestors were the kinds of people who subsisted a lot on the blue bees.
00:05:44
Speaker
As a result, she is kind blue. and then by kind of blue, I mean she's blue. What shade of blue? Is she like Smurf or Sky or Azurite?
00:05:55
Speaker
So she's not Smurf and she's not Navi. It's like a lightish blue. Like eggshell? Like robin's egg? No. That's more turquoise leaning. Yeah.
00:06:06
Speaker
like ah Like a sky blue, I guess. Okay. okay A pleasant blue.
00:06:12
Speaker
Yes. It's a very pleasant blue. And she has spots like a leopard. wearing a sleeveless Grecian style top and a skirt with slits that i allow her to ride and some leather sandals, strappy sandals that go up to her, like the straps go up to her calves.
00:06:36
Speaker
And she's wearing like similar cloth, uh, bracers. Okay. So it's pretty early in the morning. So how are her mornings, uh, usually, where her mornings usually like? she also has two gold earrings on her left ear.
00:06:53
Speaker
Okay. Well, that depends on whether she is able to do the things she wants to do or do the things she has to do. So let's say like, it's one of those days where...
00:07:14
Speaker
She needs to get some chores around the farm done. So she can't escape. Yeah. Okay. Like, she's being pressured by her family to get out there and work. Okay. um So what does she do to get ready for a work day?
00:07:27
Speaker
um She mourns the fact that she has to be bothered doing this shit. I sympathize her with her already. Yeah. she She wants to get it over with. So she's she gets dressed. She...
00:07:43
Speaker
grabs some sort of food stuff that her mom had made um for breakfast. Probably like um like a honey cake or something. Something fresh from their farm.
00:07:56
Speaker
Yeah, a lot of their food is honey flavored. it's um like Listen, if you have cows and chickens on a farm, you're going be eating allow a lot of cow and chicken products. Yeah.
00:08:11
Speaker
And like chicken milk. okay No, we we didn't make chickens have milk in this world unless we did. and i don't remember. absolutely it did not.
00:08:23
Speaker
We'll go back to the tape on that one. um Yeah, so she grabs like like a honey cake and she goes outside to just fucking get it over with as soon as possible, as quickly as possible.
00:08:39
Speaker
She is not concerned about doing it correctly or ah carefully. She just wants to get it done.
00:08:51
Speaker
So what kind of things is she doing around the farm and what would she rather be doing? So she, she has to feed the, um, well, guess she wouldn't really, would she?
00:09:07
Speaker
The pollinators would kind of like feed themselves. That's how they work. Cause they're bees.
00:09:15
Speaker
Huh? So is she tending to? Is she, is she like, what's her job around the farm? I would say that she scrapes honey. She collects the honey from the the giant comb. I mean, they're big, so like you you can only harvest some like so much at a time because they're big. i imagine it's like people who do like traditional like cow milking, they go out there with just buckets, and they're out there milking every single cow for a while, and they end up with just gallons of just raw cow's milk. Mm-hmm.
00:09:49
Speaker
Yeah, there's just lots of honey. um
00:09:53
Speaker
She doesn't like doing this because it's sticky, and she doesn't like sticky things on her body, which is something I've just discovered about her. um So she does she tries it So she doesn't want to she doesn't want to get honey, but she wants to get it over with as quickly as possible. So what she has done as she is she has...
00:10:17
Speaker
created various um contraptions that will basically allow her to do her job quickly and without being up close. So she has... she She goes out to the hive and she has like this sort of pole looking thing that has this scraper end on it, but it's hollow. And then there's like a another like At the bottom, like there's another pole or and not a tube, per se, because I don't know if tubes are a thing here. I'm sure she howled out something. Yeah. Howled out a stick or... Basically, what happens is that she can she can scrape the honey from inside the comb, and the honey goes down the center of this pole and out into... like
00:11:09
Speaker
And it gets siphoned down into a like a collection tank thing that she has made. I'm thinking of like flicks Flick from Bug's Life. like He's just making all this shit to like help do his job better. um i haven't seen that in a million years, so sure.
00:11:27
Speaker
She's an engineer. She's invented she's yeah and innovative. Yeah. Cool. But again, she doesn't want to make the job done better. She just wants it to be done faster. Gotcha. Gotcha. She could if she wanted to. She could make it go better, but she just whatever I got to do. Gotcha. So after she's ah done harvesting this honey, ah what is really on her mind? What does she like drop her chores immediately after her done? And what does she go off doing?
00:11:56
Speaker
So she'll grab for her her her leather bound journal and she'll grab a little a little pack and she will go running off into the wilds. And the village happens to be located next to the site of some ruins of some ancient civilization. And she has mapped out, like it's ah the ruins are are quite quite large, right? And she has mapped out sections of them um over the years also she's like in her in her like early 20s she's not so she's not not like a kid but like ever since she was a kid like she sort of mapped these areas out and she is she goes explores them she maps them out she records what she finds um she's got a whole like
00:12:47
Speaker
area where she like has collected samples or artifacts that she's like sort of cleaned up um like a dig like you would you would see it at a dig site here on this earth planet called this planet earth and i'm sure other people have found this stuff but what are their opinions on it are they just are they kind of indifferent to it there's not a lot of interest in it no because it it's none of it is has anything to do with providing for the village. Gotcha.
00:13:16
Speaker
Right? Like, no one has time. Right. Right? And... And the people who do take the time, I'd say that there's like some, some people like come through like some, there's, I'm sure there's relic seekers. They are not looked, they're kind of looked down upon in the village as like, like wandering minstrels, sort of like, just like, okay. Yeah. It's like telling fantastical tales. You're just, you're wasting your time. You're crazy. Fancy. Like, I don't got patience for you. Gotcha. That being said, she's not really big on the sharing part, mainly because one, she doesn't want, you know, this take away from her because this is very much her thing like it has been since she was a kid right but also anybody she's tried to ever try to to talk about has just stonewalled her they like have no interest they don't want to hear it and so eventually she's just like okay well I'm not gonna bother anymore so that's what she does she runs out I want to give her an animal companion yeah Which is dumb.
00:14:21
Speaker
So one more question I got ask you, Jerika. What is your character's name? Fuck you. Hey, you got You got You got to say who your character is. Who is this?
00:14:41
Speaker
Her name is. I'm a Caitlyn Nani Boonter.
00:14:46
Speaker
Cool. Can you do that at least a couple more times? Because I know you're going to have to introduce yourself at some point. Nope. This is the only time we'll just use that same audio.
00:15:02
Speaker
I recalibundi. Okay. See, it gets better the more times you say it. So... Uh... ah Shit, that just fucked me up.
00:15:13
Speaker
Where was I? Okay, so... Fuck, how am I supposed to say that fucking name? Okay, you, you are, you are preparing to head out in a while. It's like, you grab your book, you grab your your your pack, you grab everything you use to to get out there and... Hold on, hold on, sorry.
00:15:33
Speaker
Surely that, not not everyone calls her that, right? Like... i Say, what do people call her? People call call her Irae? that's the first part her name, right? Yeah, oh sure. So here's the thing about the name.
00:15:45
Speaker
Her name. It is a combination of a lot of different things. It's not uncommon for people to have names like this. um But i it's it's sort of...
00:15:59
Speaker
gone out of fashion. little It's a little bit old fashioned. um And her her family is just kind of old fashioned. Gotcha. Gotcha. Right. So. right. So like you're getting ready to head out. Like as soon as you're done harvesting last bit of honey for today, like you met your daily amount that your parents have told you to get. You drop your supplies. You immediately run, clean yourself off and get your notebook, your pack, whatever you use to go out into the wilds. And you're rushing from your house out into the wilds.
The Stranger's Arrival and Quest
00:16:27
Speaker
When you hear a commotion, in the center of town uh kind of well center entrance of town and you hear a lot of laughing like kind of like joking laughing and you turn to see what this commotion is about she first like looks around to just make sure that she's okay because she's been laughed at before
00:16:49
Speaker
so Yeah, that this this commotion is not directed at you. It's pretty distant. But you see about you know a few hundred feet away towards the kind of like front entrance of town, like kind of the center entrance of town, um you see a small gathering of people around horse.
00:17:04
Speaker
ah And atop of this horse is a man. And he's very strange looking. He's almost regal looking in a way. um He has like kind of almost ornamental armor on ah some portions of his body. um He has striking blonde hair, just robin's egg blue skin, um and he's kind of a handsome young fellow. And you see he's kind of annoyed. um this This man seems to be kind of flustered that people are laughing at him. ah You kind of get the sense that this this commotion is directed at this man.
00:17:41
Speaker
And you hear him kind shout out. He's like, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm serious. You think this is a joke, but I come here on a completely serious basis. Why won't any of you believe me? That perks her ears up a little bit.
00:17:54
Speaker
And you hear one of like an older gentleman from the crowd and he says, you're bringing dangerous information here. This is this this isn't serious. This is folklore. We get visitors like you fairly often, and it's just rubbish the stories you're bringing here.
00:18:11
Speaker
Why would we allow you to request help when you're just bringing nothing but nonsense? You're going to waste everyone's time.
00:18:19
Speaker
And this man on the horse is just... I'm sorry, the The horse. It's gotta Yeah. The man on the horse, he sighs, and he's just like, i I'm just passing through.
00:18:32
Speaker
You're simply in my way. Could you move? And this small cluster of people parts and he... starts wandering sort of more towards the center of town, like down, there's like a path that cuts through a town that goes off into the distance. And he passes pretty ah closely by you, and you see him kind of ruffle in his bag, and he brings out a map.
00:18:56
Speaker
And he sits there for a second as his horse kind of trots along, and that is what you see, the center of town, this little bit of chaos here. I'm going to sort of like sidle up to him.
00:19:09
Speaker
Because said he's like, like trotting. He's just walking. Yeah, like he's he's like, he basically told his horse to go forward, but he's not really paying attention. So he's just following the path. I want to look him over.
00:19:21
Speaker
Okay. Like, what do what do I see? Why don't we have our first rule of the game? Okay. ah How perceptive is Iray?
00:19:34
Speaker
That's an interesting question. I don't think.
00:19:39
Speaker
Noticing things wasn't on her list of things she's good at. Or they can make a number up on the fly bad at. So ah take a little break here to kind of explain the rules of this D6 system. We have some ah basically six traits or six categories of traits for characters ah that includes the NPCs that I make. um So we have a plus two, which is something a character is really good at.
00:20:08
Speaker
Two plus one categories, which is something they're pretty good at. And two negative one categories, which is something they're kind of not great at and then a negative two category which is something they're absolutely terrible at and then if something just kind of doesn't fit the rest of those categories it's a neutral basically roll a number roll those two these six and we add nothing to it um so that is kind of like at our own discretion what based on what our characters are um how bad or how well they roll so she is neither good nor bad at
00:20:41
Speaker
Perceiving things. So you gotta keep that as a neutral roll? Mm-hmm. Okay. Roll and see what you get. First roll of the game. Using actual dice. To get those good math rock sounds.
00:20:53
Speaker
That's a four, Dave. Ooh, that is not good. That is a failure. that That is... The second worst... No, the third worst failure you can have. Yeah. so six or lower is a failure.
00:21:07
Speaker
So we're not gonna go, like... The Monster a Week route where it's like something bad happens to you, but like you're not going to get much off this dude. You're going to get the obvious because he is flamboyantly dressed. Like he is dressed regally. You probably have never seen someone dressed in armor before. This is metal plate armor that he's wearing, but it doesn't seem to be ah like warrior's armor. It's very thin and ornamental. It's actually gilded a little bit in gold. He's also dressed very brightly. like He has a lot of bright colors on him. He is a nice-looking dude. I'm not sure she's in the appeals or anything, but he's like he's kind of handsomely built. Pretty young. He's maybe in his 30s.
00:21:51
Speaker
And he seems annoyed. like he's He's looking at this map, and he's just like frustrated. And you also see some more obvious things. Even his horse, like the saddle he has on, I'm like, well...
00:22:04
Speaker
The horse, the horse that he's riding, the horse, um the saddle ah he has is not ornamental whatsoever. He's the most extravagantly dressed here. The horse, if anything, has a saddlebag that's plate plain looking. It's kind of leathery. And attached to saddlebag is a opened canister. It's like a cylindrical bronze tube. And you kind make the assumption that this is where he fetched this map from.
00:22:27
Speaker
And he's looking at it, kind of annoyed. And he does see you eyeing him over. And he says, can I help you, miss? Well, not sure. um why are you dressed like that?
00:22:44
Speaker
Are you also going to ridicule me for how I'm dressed? No, I'm just very confused.
00:22:53
Speaker
It's like this in every village I visit. I am dressed like this because I own these things. I come from very far away, and this just happens to be how I dress. I recently learned that I'm a direct descendant of our ancestors.
00:23:09
Speaker
And people seem to think that as a joke. I mean, aren't we all direct descendants of our ancestors? I am a direct descendant of a bloodline, the bloodline of those who came here from another world.
00:23:23
Speaker
But you're going to think I'm crazy, too, aren't you? she's gonna try and hide her very interested expression. She's going to try and hide it. Do you want me to roll for that? or I mean,
00:23:37
Speaker
ah sure, why not? i This man is already kind of like annoyed by you because of your bad role, but.
00:23:48
Speaker
That's a five, Bob. Are you adding anything to that? Take away anything? No. Okay. of He sees you and like, i't know if like your face is like contorted in a way where it's just like you are just struggling to contain your interest. Yeah. and Her eyes are super wide and she's like.
00:24:07
Speaker
He sees that and he gives you kind of a curious look. He kind of leans down from his horse and he says, do you believe in the other world, the other place out there?
00:24:20
Speaker
I will answer that question if you tell me why you've put metal on your torso. He looks around and he sees like no one else is around. And plus, he kind of knows everyone's got to make a joke out of him anyway.
00:24:36
Speaker
He says, I am on a bit of a quest here. And it's to find something that belongs to me.
00:24:48
Speaker
And so far it hasn't been perilous, but I'm prepared for the worst. Because where I'm going, what I'm trying to find, it's something... ancient.
00:25:02
Speaker
And I want to find it before anyone else does. And I am searching for someone who is kind of on the same page as me and would help me locate this object.
00:25:27
Speaker
So you're wearing it for protection then? Well, I mean... I'm not sure what's out there. I've only heard stories from people like myself who believe in the other world and the ancient ways.
00:25:43
Speaker
And I thought it'd be best to be prepared. That still doesn't explain why you have decided to cover your torso in metal. Well, it's a pretty good protection against dangerous things, don't you think?
00:26:00
Speaker
No. Then what is, in your opinion? I mean, if you're if you're okay with, you know, getting kicked by a horse and having that metal dent in and collapse your lungs, then yeah. Well, haven't had that problem yet. This horse, this horse, I found him. He's wonderful. He's very kind to me. What happens if you fall in water? Are you going to be able to get that off in time before you drown?
00:26:27
Speaker
i'm sure I'd be able to. it just seems like a very impractical way to go about solving the problem of protection. you i would think you want something more mobile.
00:26:39
Speaker
If you're going to ridicule me like everyone else has here, why are we having this conversation? I'm not i'm i'm not ridiculing you. I'm just very confused. I explained it to you. This is the best protection i have found for myself. It wasn't cheap.
00:26:54
Speaker
Well, you got ripped off, my friend. But to answer your question, uh... Yes. I do believe you. You see him sit up and he gives you a curious look. He says, Are you serious?
00:27:10
Speaker
She grabs her journal and opens, then flips through it, and then opens, both then shows him both pages. And they're full of drawings of architecture and devices and just things that are definitely not from here. And there's glyphs that she has written down.
00:27:34
Speaker
He sees that and he um he almost drops the map that he's holding, but he quickly rolls it back up and stuffs it in the tube. And he says, can I can i see that that? That is wonderful. where did did you did you Did you draw these?
00:27:50
Speaker
I did. um We might be able to help each other here. Well, I mean, ah if are you agreeing to help me? Are you? Seriously? Well, I mean, I'm not really good at navigation or because I've not really left the the surrounding area of this town ever. um Then where did you find this? Where are you?
00:28:15
Speaker
I've seen things like this before. You have seen these in person. I know you have. Where where have you found these? Oh, well, I'm actually on my way there now. If you want to tag along.
00:28:28
Speaker
i i I would love to. I mean, this is this is remarkable. this is this is the This is one of the best things I've found since I started my journey. Great. um You can follow me as soon as you take that medal off your chest. i don't need you to, like, something happened to you and, like, I have to stop and, like, rescue you. Okay. I don't see how this is relevant. don't want you slowing me down, old man.
00:28:55
Speaker
He's not old. He's in his 30s. Well, she's not, so... ah He gives you a little, like, look, like, ah like, annoyance. And he finally strips off his his armor, basically a breastplate and, like, some, like, shoulder armor that he has. And he kind of looks around where he's got to put it. And he just ends up, like, tying it to the back of his horse, like, kind of where the sailbag is. And ah he says, there, better?
00:29:19
Speaker
but You tell me. I feel
Exploring Ancient Ruins
00:29:21
Speaker
cooler. it was kind of hot in there. I would imagine so. I would also imagine that you'd be able to move around a little bit better.
00:29:30
Speaker
He seemed kind of roll his shoulders and he's like, I mean, it has been a few days since I've taken that off. um Gross. Yes. ah Well, back to you. Can you lead me where you've found these things?
00:29:45
Speaker
Yeah, sure. And she starts walking. Okay. Yeah, he's just gonna follow you behind the horse. And he he looks around and ah he says, Do you? Do you want to ride? I mean, I have you can sit behind me if you want. You can just tell me where to go.
00:29:58
Speaker
she like eyes the horse warily. no I'm fine. Besides, walking is good. gives you exercise builds up your leg muscles.
00:30:09
Speaker
Riding all it does is build up your butt muscles, I guess. He's like, fine. And he jumps off the horse and he takes its reins and he leads it along. I wasn't suggesting that you didn't have to ride. It's just... I want to see this for myself. And I feel if I'm at ground level, I can see more.
00:30:30
Speaker
You know that doesn't make logical sense, right? Having the high ground does allow you a better perspective. In full honesty, I'm tired of riding this horse around like My butt hurts. Okay.
00:30:43
Speaker
yeah i so I'll say it. It's been a while since I've i've been riding all day. okay All night. You know that I didn't say anything, right? Let's just go where we're going. and She turns and continues to walk. Okay. And how far is this ah journey into the woods? Like, how far do you go? um I'd say it takes about...
00:31:04
Speaker
20 minutes 20 30 minutes it's not it's not it's pretty close to the village but far enough away that no one from no one from inside the villages will be able to like know what's going on gotcha gotcha okay so when you arrive there uh what does this place look like There's a small path that if you didn't know it was there, may not have recognized it as a path.
00:31:27
Speaker
But since she does, and since she's the one who made the path, it goes through the tree. Oh, I'm sorry. It goes through the flowers. The tree flowers. I forgot about that till just now.
00:31:39
Speaker
I've been saying trees, but like I i described them as big trees that have flowers on them like huge flowers. Yeah. and some of the other foliage, there comes to a clearing. On the one side of the clearing is this sort of like cliff face, you know, some natural like rock.
00:31:53
Speaker
And on the other side of this clearing is this, what looks to be a large stone that had slid down from ah the other side of this This little quarry, that's not a quarry, but like a little area. On closer inspection, you see that it's not necessarily made of rock and there are pieces of metallic bits that are sticking out, mostly overgrown with vegetation and moss, but there are definitely different kinds of shapes that are coming off of this structure.
00:32:26
Speaker
Okay. Yeah, like, I think he sees that even before you're fully into this clearing, and he just runs for it. And he stands in the middle this clearing, and he is silent for a bit, and he turns to look at you, very impressed, and he's like, well, you showed me your thing, I'll show you mine.
00:32:47
Speaker
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm talking about the map! Oh. Well, you can listen. We just met. You're an old guy. Like we're in the middle. We're in the middle of nowhere.
00:33:02
Speaker
Like i' glad I'm probably younger than your parents. They're old, too. So like, I don't know. And he kind of roughly takes this cylinder out and pops it open and unravels this. i wouldn't do that right there, though.
00:33:17
Speaker
Why? So she has not Come into the clearing to where he is. oh Well, you see that stone that you're standing on?
00:33:30
Speaker
Yes. Yeah, so I may or may not have rigged a booby trap. And you may or may not be about to trigger it.
00:33:43
Speaker
And he freezes and he's like, what do I do? Well, I would put the Mac back away so that it doesn't get damaged. Okay. And he just very slowly, calmly slides that back into the tube.
00:33:56
Speaker
Okay. Remain calm. Can you do that? Trying. Okay. So when give the signal, you need to quickly jump to your left, turn around,
00:34:10
Speaker
and run in a diagonal towards the sun. Okay. It has to be a direct line to the sun because if you move the slightest off angle, you're not going to enjoy what happens.
00:34:24
Speaker
Okay, this trap is taking a very long time to trigger. Well, it's not going to trigger until you take your foot off. Oh, okay. So when? Okay, I'm going to on the count of three. Okay. Okay. Do you remember what I told you to do? Yes, yes, I did. Okay. One, two, three, go. Okay, I'm going to make him roll for that. See how well he does this.
00:34:47
Speaker
Oh, he actually rolled 10. I'm going to keep that as a neutral roll. So 10 is a success. Barely a success. That's the lower end of that. So he does it pretty well.
00:35:00
Speaker
Like he runs very quickly, like faster than you anything this man could possibly run. And he does make a beeline straight to the sun and he keeps running. He's like, when do I stop? Now?
00:35:12
Speaker
What happens to the trap? Like, what is this trap? So, as soon as his foot leaves the stone, from underneath the, like, like in the grass, these spiked poles shoot up at various angles.
00:35:26
Speaker
Gnarly. And that would be fine if that was it, right? But that's not it, because rolling down from the top of this large stone structure very quickly is a very unpleasant looking boulder. And as he moves precisely where she said, the boulder comes through and like crosses his path literally right behind him.
00:35:54
Speaker
And he feels kind of whoosh from this this boulder, and he just freezes. And he turns around to see you, and he says, A boulder? How'd you even get that thing up there? And then the spike pulls, igniting to flame, and burn very hot and very quickly.
00:36:12
Speaker
He looks at all this, he's like, What's wrong with you? Well... That's a question that the entire village has been asking for many years. I've decided that there's nothing wrong with me, mostly.
00:36:25
Speaker
But this is, this is my area. I don't, I don't need strangers coming through and like fucking up my shit. He says, language. Uh, all right. Well, that's understandable. Uh, is anything else going to kill me if I walk back to you?
00:36:41
Speaker
Just stay there. i will come to you. Just stay close, okay? All right, but could you tell... Could you tell Regas to just stay where he is?
00:36:52
Speaker
Who? My horse. He's a good boy. She, like, turns her head back to the horse? He's just standing there. Uh... Yeah, I think he heard you.
00:37:04
Speaker
You walk to him? Um... She kind of shivers a little bit. Yeah, horse that horse is not paying him any mind. He's just kind of sitting there. Then she walks to him, but like her movements are very precise, though they look like they're erratic.
00:37:19
Speaker
Okay. And it's not a straight line. And she does it in a way that makes it seem like she's done this many times before. There's an ease to it. There's a a calmness to it. There's almost all like a little prance in her step as she does it.
00:37:35
Speaker
And she gets to him and she says, now see, if you had that giant piece of metal on you, you wouldn't be able to run fast enough. Yes, yes. then have been smushed by the boulder. I understand that now.
00:37:47
Speaker
Okay. Okay. So. Now, for an old guy, you seem a little it. I'm not that old. God. like All right. Listen. I have this.
00:37:58
Speaker
And he slides that map out of the tube and unravels it. And what you see is a very, very, very old looking piece of like, it's a canvas. It's not paper. It's very thick.
00:38:13
Speaker
um And it is a hand drawn map. And it looks beautiful. old. It looks like an ancient thing. And you see on here some of those glyphs ah that you're familiar with.
00:38:26
Speaker
You also see a path leading through some woods. And one of those little patches of woods, it shows a village that you recognize as yours. Like you see some adjacent mountains, you see to the adjacent hill hillside that this ah this man has crossed over into your village.
00:38:42
Speaker
And you also see a patch of trees, which is just a patch of trees, but you know it as the area you're standing in now, which is off the path that this map is showing. um And you see at the end of this path,
00:38:54
Speaker
is something that you have only seen in kind of like storybooks, essentially. um You see a ship. And this ship, you know, is one of the ships that has carried the people from the other planet to this one.
00:39:13
Speaker
And you see a big circle around this end of the map that is fresh. It looks like this man has actually desecrated this map with his own writing and put a big circle around this this object. And he says, this is my truth. This was left for me.
00:39:35
Speaker
I found this map and this is is what I've been pursuing since I was very, very young. I knew from a young age, from stories my family has told me, that we are born from another world, that our ancestors came here from another world.
00:39:54
Speaker
And people say that is a crackpot theory. But I'm a believer in it. You're a believer in it. You see the evidence all around us. And here, at the end of this path, is that ship. And on that ship, something was left for the descendants of the original people who arrived here.
00:40:16
Speaker
That's me. I'm one of those descendants. Well, aren't we all? We can't all be from the same people, but this is my truth. This is what Pete, this is my family has told me. And this map is finally leading me to something that can finally prove to the fools of this world, the ones who've ridiculed me all these years, that this is real.
00:40:42
Speaker
I can finally put all that to rest. We just need to find it. Okay. Well... I guess it's here. No, it's not here. This is the ship. She points at where the ship is on the map.
00:40:56
Speaker
Yes, that's where it is in the map. But it's it's it's an easily an additional day's travel from here. Easily. I'm so close and I've come from so far just wanting to have someone to assist me in this.
00:41:13
Speaker
I'm probably looking all the wrong places, but you're the closest I've gotten to someone who actually knows and believes in this. Do you recognize any of this text at all?
00:41:24
Speaker
um She looks at the map. I guess, does she recognize this? You can roll for it if she's knowledgeable enough. i Some of it's kind of, like, you can see this this map is very old and some of it is, like, it's kind wiped away, but, like, you see how much you can understand. Okay. I'm going to, I think this would be...
00:41:42
Speaker
Come under her ah her skill of figuring shit out. so what is that, plus two? Plus two. That a plus two. She's very good at this.
00:41:52
Speaker
Did she roll well, though? I see a no in the future. Well, even with her plus two, she rolls a five. Really? Shit. Okay.
00:42:05
Speaker
These dice are not my friends. Okay. Well, ah that is a failure. um So I don't, I honestly don't think it's any fault of hers. ah This map is very old. It is hard to read. Some of this, some of the glyphs um that you are familiar with are simply worn away to the point where it's hard to
Partnership Formed with the Stranger
00:42:25
Speaker
read.
00:42:25
Speaker
And the portions you can read are obvious. Ship. Ship. technology, ancient planet. Like you hear you see the obvious stuff that this man has likely already figured out um just based on the the the context of this map and what it's leading to.
00:42:44
Speaker
You see this man in front of you just like holding out this map just like anything, anything at all? Um, you said, did you make this map? No, I found this.
00:42:57
Speaker
Where did you find it?
00:43:01
Speaker
You're going to think this a little nuts and maybe a little immoral. ah I'm in the middle of nowhere with a strange older man that I've never met before who I just saved from certain death.
00:43:17
Speaker
see if Certain death. um About to share the secrets of my life's work. All right. All right. I get it.
00:43:30
Speaker
Look, I... That wonderful horseback there, I found him. I also found a deceased person with him. um Are you saying that you stole this off a corpse?
00:43:44
Speaker
Listen, I... i I was desperate, alright? I didn't have much to my name at the time, and I found this horse, and I found some valuables, I sold some of it off to get some armor, and I found this map. This is the one thing that I have a connection to my past.
00:44:04
Speaker
You keep, like, assuming that I think a certain way about what you say. So, generally people are okay with looting dead corpses.
00:44:16
Speaker
No. See? Okay, you're gonna think that's an immoral thing to do. I just asked if you did. That's what I did! Okay. But obviously this map wasn't being used anymore. Well, clearly not. He was dead.
00:44:29
Speaker
But yes, I found this map. Okay. Okay? That's it. Alright, yeah. I found the horse. I found the map. That's it. I'm just someone who's, well, who was initially trying to survive in this world, but now I found my quest in life.
00:44:45
Speaker
Do you ever have a normal conversation with like normal tones and like a chill vibe at all? I can't be passionate about something? No, but you just like, you seem very, how did the ancients say it? Extra.
00:45:01
Speaker
Well, maybe that's just my personality is a little extra if you don't mind. Um, I haven't decided yet. but Problem with your map here is uh, it doesn't make sense.
00:45:15
Speaker
Uh, some of it's, you know, worn so that you can't tell and um, some of these are just nonsense glyphs that don't that are not anything. Um So yeah, i I really got I don't got much. Um Honestly, I was afraid of that. I mean, this map is in terrible condition despite at the same time being in remarkable condition considering how old it is but uh I was just hoping there would be something a little more illuminating about this this this piece of history right here. But I guess we can move on, i suppose. Are you... Since you know you're around your way around ancient technology, I suppose you could help me get into the vault on this ship.
00:46:04
Speaker
So you looted the corpse of a man for a map to loot the corpse of a ship. This ship belongs to my family. she everything She just starts giggling to herself. Everything on this ship belongs to me. You're a too easy. You need to, like, calm down.
00:46:23
Speaker
How can I calm down about this? This is something I've been searching for since I was a child. Listen, I am supremely excited about this. Okay. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here.
00:46:36
Speaker
But like, you're gonna have an episode and then that'll be the end of you. I mean, people your age should really like be- I'm not that old! Can we just move on? Can we just- I'm willing to go.
00:46:51
Speaker
I'm wasting time right now. I appreciate you sharing me your technology and your secrets- Wasting time? You wanted me to take you here! i appreciate you sharing me this, but right now we're wasting time just sitting here discussing my age. Do you have a plan?
00:47:06
Speaker
I do. See, from what I have studied, what is on this ship, there is ah vault inside there, almost like a safe, where some of this technology has been held.
00:47:20
Speaker
From my studies and from what my family has told me, only a member of this lineage can open that vault. But... Why?
00:47:32
Speaker
I don't fully understand why. that that The information here is incomplete. But that's all I know. That's all the information I have to go off of. And she picks up, as as he continues to talk, she she, like, opens her journal and she starts flipping through it. She's just going interrupt him. Yeah. um Okay.
00:47:49
Speaker
Are you, do you think it could be what is called a DNA lock? Yeah. I mean, that sounds about right. I've seen something similar in my studies, ah but again, I've ran across the same issue as this map. Incomplete text or worn out text. ah Rough translations.
00:48:10
Speaker
So according to this ah this panel that I found a couple years ago, DNA, whatever that is, Locke, you have to have a sample a sample of genetic material.
00:48:28
Speaker
And I'm not sure what that is, um but I think they mean like a piece of a person mean sounds uh i mean it sounds like i mean which i don't understand but like if it's like oh only people like who has the blood of this really really old dude can can open it like i can kind of see that like you know because we share our ancestors right right um
00:49:03
Speaker
Which is kind of gross if you think about it. Like, that's a lot of people that that blood has been through, but... He's just like, okay, ah listen.
00:49:14
Speaker
I believe you. this isn't This is the information that we have to go off of for right now. If you truly want to assist me with this, if you understand this technology well enough, I think...
00:49:28
Speaker
We can work together on this. And at the end of this, whatever inside that vault, 50-50 split. Does that sound reasonable to you? Sure it does. Can't do it.
00:49:39
Speaker
Why can't you do it? So you're asking me, a young woman that you've just met, to go off with you on an adventure with the promise of riches...
00:49:55
Speaker
Riches in physical things and also information is that's not something that you desire. And I do apologize. I just got frustrated and he holds out his hand and he says, Desmorian, that is my name.
00:50:09
Speaker
You can call me Des if you want. A lot of other people do. Your name is... Well, Des. um My name is Irei Caitlin Nadibunter.
00:50:22
Speaker
That is a... mouthful. That's what she said. Is there any other way you can say your name? No offense. Is there something wrong with my name?
00:50:34
Speaker
There's nothing wrong with it. I can't, literally can't, I- Ira, Ira, can't, I- Ira- Ira, Caitlin, uh, de Boonter. Like, how hard is that? Can I call you Ira?
00:50:46
Speaker
No. We just met. I'm not letting you- Alright, fine. I- You. It's nice to meet you. he offers us a shake your hand. Where are you from again? he says He sighs and he says, Ariston, it's a large village a few days travel from here.
00:51:06
Speaker
And they have shortered they have shorter names where you're from? Not everyone has a shorter name, but Desmorian is one of the shorter ones. Interesting.
00:51:17
Speaker
And like she looks like legit interested. But what does it mean? It's just it's just a name. It's my grandfather's name. You ask my grandfather if he wasn't dead. b Listen, I you have the same name like they gave you somebody else's name. Yes. but All right. Can we not focus so much on me? Focus so much on the task here. Big hand here. So I'm going to give you an ultimatum. I. writinging What? You are a strange man. You know that, right?
00:51:46
Speaker
I want to get to this spot on the map. Okay. and You've made that very clear. And I plan on getting there tomorrow evening. There's a day's travel ahead of us if you decide to come. And I am leaving this village within the hour with or without you.
00:52:05
Speaker
Are you going to come with me? It's only for day. Two days. You had to come back here. So, she does like some quick mental math. If I come with you and we can discover what's ever in this vault and split it equally among us, or i could cut off your hand in your sleep, steal your horse, go there myself, and then I wouldn't have to share anything at all.
00:52:34
Speaker
Fair. But you wouldn't be able to open that vault now, would you? Well, that was what your hand would be for. And he gets a little nervous and he says, why would you do that to an heir, essentially, to this fortune?
00:52:54
Speaker
oh I didn't say i would. I'm just saying I could. Okay. So we have a mutual distrust of each other. First of all, again, with your issues, I never said I didn't trust you. I just said didn't know you.
00:53:09
Speaker
I'm just laying out the possibilities of what could happen in the next day or two. You said the same thing about my armor, and I took that off. Well, I'm glad you listened to Sense. What I am saying is that I need more of a reason why I should accompany you than asking to accompany you. He puts his hands front of him almost like in a prayer. He says, I have been traveling for several days now.
00:53:40
Speaker
At least I think it was several days. i've've I've lost track. I have been searching desperately for a translator, for someone else who is familiar with the technology, for someone to just help me out with this. Is that so much to ask from the universe, just for a little assistance?
00:53:57
Speaker
And it's difficult in a world where no one believes this. Yet the truth is all around them. That's all I'm asking for, is a little assistance.
00:54:09
Speaker
Okay, that I understand. But what you have to understand is the consequences of me leaving for any amount of time.
00:54:22
Speaker
Do you know what would happen to me when I got back? Do you know it would happen if you're rich? You've seen my village, right? Yes. It's the same kind of village I've traveled through for the last few days. Material things and wealth?
00:54:38
Speaker
not They're not real big on there. Money can buy you things. Everyone needs things. where? From the town I'm from. It's it's a village, but we have... But nobody leaves our village. We are isolated.
00:54:52
Speaker
We keep to ourselves. The travelers that do come through don't stay long. Sounds a little boring for someone like you, who clearly has a passion for this.
00:55:04
Speaker
Yes. It is. But it is the life that I know. And if i do this thing... Which I'm not saying I don't want to do, but if I do this thing, it has to be worth the consequences for me.
00:55:24
Speaker
All right. The equations have to be balanced. All right. So think, I'm getting the vibe that you're dealing with a similar situation that I am in. Every time you mention this technology or the fact that we're from another world,
00:55:42
Speaker
It's fantastical sounding, and you're made fun of for it, and it hurts. I've been there. When the entire village, your entire family, thinks you're crazy, would you want an opportunity to prove them wrong?
00:56:00
Speaker
Would that outweigh the consequence? To finally get a sense of truth in your life, instead of living in a fantasy, as they often say.
00:56:12
Speaker
Would you rather bring that to light? You are supposing that people are going to accept this as truth. As evidence.
00:56:23
Speaker
Whatever is in that vault, it would be worth this. We're finding one of the ships. and trust me, i really, really, really want to see this because based on what I have already seen and calculated, the secrets of traveling to on other worlds are there.
00:56:47
Speaker
I just, I'm... She's sort of like her like wall, like mask that she's like had of like just super calmness and like starting to show with some cracks. um What if I make a compromise here?
00:57:02
Speaker
Maybe I will stay the night in this village. Give it a day. Give you a day to make a decision. But tomorrow morning, I'm leaving with or without you.
Debate Over Joining the Quest
00:57:15
Speaker
But I'll give you the night to think about it. To think about changing your life forever. Does that sound like a compromise? It is... an acceptable compromise.
00:57:30
Speaker
Right. I've been searching my whole life for this. What's another day, right? So you're pretty clueless about all this stuff then. I've been doing my research since I was very young, but I didn't have- that must have been super long ago. Can we stop with this? I... The access to information I had was not great.
00:57:54
Speaker
I mean, after all, people believe this story is is just fantasy, fairy tales, children's books. You wouldn't base your entire life off of a fantastical thing. But then I started putting the pieces together like you have.
00:58:09
Speaker
And recently, within the last few years, I just started to collect hardcore evidence of what has happened and what will happen in the future. Surely you're believer in that pattern, aren't you?
00:58:23
Speaker
The cycle of destruction and rebirth... Well, yes. The evidence I have found suggests that. And he opens up his saddlebag and he has books.
00:58:35
Speaker
um He said, most of these are not mine. I found them. But some of them are my personal... Wow, that's whole trail of corpses you've been leaving behind. Some of them are my own personal journals that I have written down. My own findings. And he opens them up and he's a terrible artist.
00:58:54
Speaker
But he has scribbles that are pretty similar to yours. Like he's found some similar things to yours. So would you say that like just looking at what he's got, would would you say that it would be enough to like convince me that, OK, yeah, he has actually seen these things. He has done some. Oh, yeah.
00:59:12
Speaker
like Whether he has seen them in person or seen them like in other people's journals or books or illustrations is anyone's guess. But like you can tell that he is just as passionate about this stuff as you are. And you can see that he has recorded some glyphs that you recognize or language. you know And they're, again, obvious. like He's found like remnants of like a jet engine part. And he's like, this is an engine.
00:59:36
Speaker
Um, and he wrote down like what it does and what he thinks it does, where it thinks he it was used from or used for. Um, so you can tell that he's just like, it's like, it would look like wt mad ramblings to anyone else, but to you, this is like a treasure trove. This man has lots of information and he he says, uh, again, i have accumulated quite a bit over the years. yeah i see I see that.
01:00:03
Speaker
You're probably my last chance to just find someone who understands all this and believes in it. Well, for what it's worth, I do believe that you want to desperately find the ship in the vault and that you clearly have done your research.
01:00:25
Speaker
um That I believe. And... Because of that, I can i could take a calculated risk and trust you temporarily.
01:00:38
Speaker
It's only for another couple of days, miss. However, that's all I believe.
01:00:46
Speaker
That's fine. Because a lot of the other stuff that you've been saying, um I just, I told you where I came from. I told you who I am. I'm not sure what more you want from me.
01:00:57
Speaker
Could head back, please. ah And he takes the reins of ah his horse and his horse and starts leading him back to where he came from. So I guess there's there has to be like an inn or something in the village that he's spending the night in.
01:01:14
Speaker
Something basic. Um, no. Please, it's like camping out. Like, how's he spending the night here? How do how that's a question? How do travelers spend a night here? I don't think that she would know that.
01:01:25
Speaker
um she All she would know is that... the village is not set up to accommodate travelers. It's set up to accommodate the people who live in it. Okay. So like, I imagine he set up camp for tonight or something like off, like the outskirts of the village, but he, he told you where he's at so that you can find him tomorrow morning if you've made a decision. And he actually, uh, like he's next to a small tree and, uh,
01:01:54
Speaker
He ties up his horse to it and sets up camp. And um you make your way ah back into town. And by now it's kind of midday-ish. ah So that's where you guys are currently at. So, like, what are you doing? He's just off kind of like looking at his map, looking at books. He's just kind doing his own thing. Actually, would have let him go by himself. Well, he is by himself like he he wandered back to the village. like he he's done He's done talking to you. and He's like he's like he he gave it ultimatum. He's like I'm leaving in the morning with her without you.
01:02:25
Speaker
So I'm going to continue mapping out ah sector 664 which she has translated as hydroponics lab. Okay, whatever that means.
01:02:38
Speaker
So that is what she is going to be doing. Okay. As you're going about your day, like what do you like like, what are you spending the rest of your day doing? She's just going to be in the ruins, ah checking stuff out. matthew Okay, you're not like keeping an eye on him?
01:02:53
Speaker
Okay. He's like the little person. Yeah, then I'm not going to tell you what he's doing. ah all you know All I told you was as easy he he just went back to the village and he made the like a little camp on the outskirts of town. um But like still within view. like People know he's still there and probably wondering why he's there. But um yeah, he's ah he's just kind of off doing his own thing. So, ah you know as a you know, she's going to come back before dark.
01:03:20
Speaker
And as you head back into town, like you is you're basically spending all day out in the ruins. Okay. As you head back, you see his little camp. It's getting dusky out. He's cooking something over a fire and you can't tell what it is. He's he's eating something. And his horse is tied to the tree. And you know something about his horse that seems a little agitated.
01:03:44
Speaker
It's pawing at the ground. It seems upset. um And every time he makes a little whinny, you see Dez kind of like, you know, go up and and calm him down, like brush his face and then go sit back down. But it doesn't seem to appease the horse for very long.
01:03:58
Speaker
That's just one thing you notice wander back into camp. And then you see people kind of like looking at him and making the little jokes. Like you hear like little murmurs, which I'm sure you're familiar with if you've been made fun of before. it's He's getting the same treatment you've been getting.
01:04:13
Speaker
To one person who is making comments, ah she'll just she'll just sort of snap at them. It's kind of funny that you look down on people for wasting their time, but you know, don't you have anything better to do than make jokes about some strange traveler?
01:04:32
Speaker
And ah one of the guys has been like yeah joking, he turns to you and he's he's an older gentleman. He's seen this guy before. and he's like, I mean, we all know each other. And he looks at you. He's like, we have better things to do. But now with that distraction here, he's bringing useless information here. Fantastical stories. you I shouldn't be talking to you about this. You believe in this stuff.
01:04:56
Speaker
Why?
01:05:00
Speaker
Dobin Halvert, like I have told you and everybody else, I've seen things with my own eyes. And I've also seen how crazy it makes people. Look at that fool over there.
01:05:13
Speaker
The way he came in dressed. Okay, well, do you have somewhere to be? Because i have... I'm going to do things that are going to help the village. She's completely lying. help ah That are going to help the village.
01:05:29
Speaker
Um... Pretty sure um degrading someone and ridiculing them isn't going to help us get crops in. Isn't going to help us tend to our animals.
01:05:43
Speaker
But having this man here isn't helping things either. I really hope he doesn't stay long. And he leaves. Enough. Ugh, that guy. Always such an ass.
01:05:56
Speaker
She goes home. Okay. um Are you doing anything to spend a night? Like, are you thinking about things? Like, basically, you have oh the clocks ticking. Yeah, like, she' she'll she'll go. She'll, like, she'll eat dinner. She'll suffer for parents, like, ire.
01:06:15
Speaker
at the fact that she's been away all day again and not doing the thing like not helping out and this and that and you know she's getting yelled at and blah blah blah but she's kind of used to this yeah so she eats her dinner uh she just says well i'm going to go and i'm gonna go and Get all the um all the pollinators into the barn for the night.
01:06:47
Speaker
um If that's okay with you guys. I mean, do you need me to stay here and so you can yell at me some more? or ah you're you're like What's her family like? Does she have like like there're super two parents, like mother, father, siblings? or Two parents. um
01:07:07
Speaker
She doesn't have any siblings. So she has a lot of work to do as the only kid.
01:07:13
Speaker
She doesn't have any siblings anymore. Oh, OK. They are super like conservative, super old fashioned like. Think about like Orthodox, like.
01:07:27
Speaker
Orthodox Jews or ale like like super like. Gotcha. Very strict. Yeah. um You get um kind of a side eye from your father who is still chomping down on his food. And he says, be sure to lock it up this time. OK.
01:07:40
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, of course. I'll make sure to lock up the barn because I am such an imbecile that I can't operate simple machinery.
01:07:52
Speaker
But i will I will do my best to figure it out on my own, how to actuate a locking mechanism. Yeah, you don't get much reaction from him. He just says, good girl.
01:08:04
Speaker
She like kind of storms out of there. She's just like fucking. And she likes. like She goes to the barn and she's like fucking kicking the dirt and stuff. It's like.
01:08:16
Speaker
And she goes to like. Check on the pollinators. I imagine that like just sort of by nature, like at nighttime, they want. They're snoozing. Yeah, they're they're all in the same place. Basically, all you have to do to put them away is to close the door and lock. Yeah, I feel like they we build a.
01:08:32
Speaker
barns around their hives. Yeah. or and Basically, I imagine yeah i imagine like the barn being built around based around or built around the base of a big tree that their hive is in. So you can have like look up into this tree and that their their hive is in there. And then some of the pollinators take up residence in the barn itself. But they're all... like You basically just take inventory and everyone's there.
01:08:53
Speaker
Yeah, she should just, like, kind of, like like, looks around, making sure, like, there's no stragglers. And she, kind of she like, goes inside and, like, you know, i don't know. Just she closes the door behind her, and she just kind of, like, slides down the door.
01:09:11
Speaker
and it's just, like... And while you're leaning against this ah door, you hear a, ah like a pathetic little whinny from the distance. And you see that camp where ah Dez is... do I see if I'm inside the barn? Are you inside the barn?
01:09:28
Speaker
Yeah. Okay, I thought you were outside. you close it up. Okay. so you No, you know what? No. Yeah, sure. I can be outside. Okay. And you see like the fire glow. It's it's it's getting kind of dark now. And you see Des kind of weirdly get up and soothe his horse for like the nth time tonight. And finally he goes down to sleep and this horse seems to finally quiet down.
01:09:52
Speaker
So before like the sun completely goes down, she takes her, her journal out. She keeps it with her out always. And she flips to a a blank page and she starts drawing, you know, what she saw on the map and in his, in his texts, she like just sort of like copies it out. And then she's kind of looking at it and she like,
01:10:18
Speaker
Writes down things in different combinations and like she's just kind of studying it. And then she's like she just stops. She puts down her like little piece of graphite analog and um kind of looks back up at the eticies at the camp.
01:10:39
Speaker
Is there a moon out? I'm sure it's at least one moon. Okay. Okay. Oh, we didn't even talk about that. Yeah. She kind of looks up at the moon and just like looks back at her, like flips through her drawings and just sighs heavily.
01:10:57
Speaker
And this is the part where she has her princess song, if this was a Disney movie, about there's more to life than whatever.
01:11:08
Speaker
um Doing the same boring shit every day. Yeah. And like it's... She just starts, you know, she's she's she's thinking about it. And just like, she's considering what he said, right?
01:11:24
Speaker
And she sees like she sees the lights go off in in the house as her parents go to bed. and she's thinking about how This is going to be the same tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that.
01:11:38
Speaker
And eventually her parents are going to try and marry her off to someone so she can do the same things just with different people. And she closes her eyes.
01:11:53
Speaker
Then she slams her journal closed and she just she stands up and she's just like, fuck it. And she heads out to Dez's camp. Okay. Yeah, you see Dez, he's ah kind of in his ah little bedroll. And he has, like, ah what do they call those tents where just, like, it's just basically a sheet with two sticks. ah They call it a tent.
01:12:17
Speaker
It's not a full-enclosed tent, though, but, like, that's what that's what it is. it's It's a canvas. It's a tent. it's a show it's Yeah, it's a tent. Yeah, it's a pop-up tent. It's it's with ah probably the most literal, like,
01:12:30
Speaker
example of the word tent is like you got fabric that is making a tent shape. Well, it's like it's only one side. It's like a lead to situation. Yeah, it's like it's like one side and two sticks propping open the opening. And that's basically he has like a sheet covering him. And he's inside. He's wrapped up in a blanket. He has his head ah towards like he's on his side facing towards the, you know, the inside of the tent. And ah that ah horse sees you and ah and gives you a little grunt like it's it knows you're there.
01:13:02
Speaker
She gives it like some, some side stink eye, like, all right. You know, trust horses?
01:13:11
Speaker
No. yeah She does it. Like, all right, just stay where, and she's just like, all right, just, and you stay over there, I'll stay over here. You hear him get a little whinny, and you hear Dez kind groan awake. He's like, oh God, not again.
01:13:30
Speaker
um She... She starts to walk over into, like, his space. She stops halfway there, considering, like, she turns around, takes a step back the other way, stops, turns back around, takes another step towards him. Like, she does this a couple times, just like, uh, uh.
01:13:57
Speaker
And then she just closes her eyes and takes a deep breath and says... Fuck it. And she goes over and she kind of like gently kicks. Des is like, you know, like, yeah.
01:14:09
Speaker
Hey, old man. Oh, what? you What was Morning already? God, what? What are you doing here? And she. How was I going to see? She's got. OK, she's got like a lantern.
01:14:21
Speaker
She holds the lantern. She and she like holds up her journal. And she has written like she has written a very specific glyph on there. And she says, if you can tell me what this glyph means, I will help you.
01:14:43
Speaker
He looks at that like he groans. He's like, I don't like what. What is it like?
01:14:51
Speaker
Like, do you want it to mean something? Like, OK, like.
01:15:00
Speaker
It doesn't mean anything. And ah he looks at that and he says, ah I'm still a little rough on that home. Why? what are you doing out here?
01:15:12
Speaker
She like closes the journal like with one hand.
01:15:19
Speaker
Why wait till morning? Let's go. Wait, are you serious? No, like I came all the way out here to to tell you jokes because that's I'm an entertainer now.
01:15:31
Speaker
God, uh, what? All right. Um, I'll ah get my camp together. ah what? What changed your mind?
01:15:43
Speaker
Well, I had a whole song about it, but the gist of it is, um you're right. That glyph, that means home. More specifically, that glyph means... is the is the symbol for the return journey algorithm.
01:16:10
Speaker
Whatever that means. Oh, all right. I don't know what these words mean necessarily, but I do know that everything I have found so far in my site...
01:16:25
Speaker
has referenced this symbol. And I believe that the structure in which I have been studying all these years
01:16:39
Speaker
was built by the people in that ship that you're looking for.
01:16:48
Speaker
And this glyph Actually, she doesn't. Actually, she doesn't close it. Then this glyph
01:16:59
Speaker
was basically the way in which they found themselves here. Home.
01:17:10
Speaker
And he he sits up and he says, wow, i that's... That's amazing. i Wow. um All right. ah I will get my stuff together. Give me a minute here to do. What what do you bring with you?
01:17:26
Speaker
I don't have a lot to share, unfortunately. She's got her little pack. Listen, home is the word that brings me nothing but sadness.
01:17:38
Speaker
This is my home and. It is the same day after day. Nothing will ever change. I will grow old and die here doing the same thing every day.
01:17:54
Speaker
That is not enough for me. Well, seems like we're the same in that department. My old life, I left that a long time ago to pursue my dream of finding this truth.
01:18:08
Speaker
And here I am.
01:18:15
Speaker
And I think... that if we can access this ship and some of the the the records or remnants of there, we might be able to find out where they came from, that this was then this was home to them.
01:18:38
Speaker
And he's just like, yes, yes, yes. like Like, as you're talking, he's just like exciting, like like like getting excited. And like before um when you woke him up, he's like very groggy and very asleep. But now he is just like he's had a cup of coffee and he's ready to go. And as you're talking, like he's just like tearing down his tent. He's wrapping up his bedroll like he's getting stuff ready to go. He's like, I'm listening. I'm listening. I'm I'm I'm very I am so ready for this.
01:19:06
Speaker
What's wrong with your horse? I don't know. He's been a little ah agitated all day. don't know if it's just being here. I mean, he's he's definitely not a fan of being in the same place for very long. He seems to just want to just go.
01:19:22
Speaker
why don't you let him go and see where he goes? I need a ride. here and he unties sorry i you're right i forgot that you're an old man ah and he just goes over to the tree unties his horse he's like go on and the horse doesn't move it just gives him a little chuff see i think he just wants to go but not without us i mean he's a he's a well-trained horse he's a good boy you have no idea what you're doing do you what about horses
01:19:59
Speaker
Mm-hmm. What ah what ah about them? i eat People ride them around. They eat whatever.
01:20:08
Speaker
She just shakes her head. Well, what do you know A couple days away, huh? That's where you're from? Yeah, yes. what Okay. Okay.
01:20:19
Speaker
I'm not sure what you're insinuating here. And he gets up on his horse.
01:20:26
Speaker
She's gonna walk. listen this is This is a trip this ah a day's of travel away if by by horse, not by walking. I've been having this guy at at least half a gallop for all my journey. Okay. um Okay. oh Okay.
01:20:45
Speaker
And she like... or Pop it up there with him? Yeah. All right. any you And you it, and... No reaction from the horse. Like, like maybe he he hasn't had two people on his back before, so he's just like, whoa. But he starts going.
01:20:58
Speaker
And you travel into, like, it's basically like, like it's late. Like, Dennis hasn't had sleep, so there are points where you see him kind of like slump over, and he is tired.
01:21:12
Speaker
and like I'm sure at some point where the horse is going, but he's not directing him anywhere. but like He almost falls off. I'm not sure if he tried to like correct him or if he corrects himself.
01:21:24
Speaker
um I don't know if I would like try and like grab him from falling off That's a good question. I think he like senses himself falling over and like stands sit straight up and he's like i appreciate your your enthusiasm but ah You think it was really good ideas to leave when I've only had maybe an hour of sleep So how long has your horse been pregnant?
01:21:50
Speaker
It's a male horse
01:21:55
Speaker
Right. It is a male horse.
01:22:03
Speaker
And how long has he been pregnant? I don't know what you're talking about. Like, why, why, why would you even? This is a male horse. I know that for a fact. I'm not completely ignorant.
01:22:17
Speaker
Oh, just because it's a male, who a male horse, that means it can't be pregnant.
01:22:23
Speaker
is this something be discussed in the fucking world development show? Okay.
Journey and Companionship
01:22:29
Speaker
I thought so. I thought so. she is He's like, look,
01:22:37
Speaker
I appreciate you trying to help me, but I am trying, I'm struggling to stay awake here. And I, yeah can we switch the topic of discussion here? Okay. Okay.
01:22:51
Speaker
We could talk about literally anything else, like sleeping. And he sees him kind of like start to slide off a little bit, and he's like, i am, ah I am, I am, I, i we should stop.
01:23:04
Speaker
How long have they been traveling? Maybe like a couple hours. Like, you can't see your town anymore. it's not like 10 minutes later. Yeah. it's ah it's It's, yeah. And ah he, like, you're basically coming into some more woods. um And it is in the middle of a night.
01:23:22
Speaker
I'm sure you're tired. Because you haven't slept at all. but Yeah, but, like, she she's running on, like, sort of a excitement now. kind ofline Because she's doing a thing that she knows...
01:23:41
Speaker
Not the thing she should be doing. Yeah. And.
01:23:50
Speaker
Let's just say that her pack is a lot bigger and heavier than it was. Yes. Earlier in the day. Yep. OK, cool. Cool. cool That's why I take a quick check.
01:24:02
Speaker
um
01:24:07
Speaker
Do you need to you take a rest, old man? I, listen, can we please stop with this? I have been traveling for several days now and I have been getting a full night's sleep. It's important.
01:24:18
Speaker
And I've only had maybe an hour. So can we please just take a rest here in the woods just for maybe six hours? And we brighten fresh in the morning. We got a head start.
01:24:31
Speaker
We should get to this place maybe tomorrow evening. We are set You know, you could have just said yes. Yes, I need sleep. Okay. You're very verbose. Did you know that?
01:24:46
Speaker
He kind of ignores that and he jumps off ah his horse and he starts setting up a camp. yeah And like he he has something kind of curious on him. um It's a... Well, you recognize it's it's a piece of ancient technology that he has carried with him. And it's like a combination of a couple different things.
01:25:13
Speaker
And before he can even like fully realize what it is, because it is dark out, he flicks it, and it shoots a flame into a pile of sticks that he's gathered.
01:25:24
Speaker
And it instantly ignites. And he says, oh, God, oh, I am so ready to just fall asleep. And he doesn't even bother putting his tent up. He just rolls out his blanket, and he collapses. He's like, God, tired.
01:25:39
Speaker
Listen, you can just... Sleep wherever. Just, i don't know. Just. Thank you for the permission. I appreciate it. Yeah. You're we're welcome. And he's just.
01:25:53
Speaker
He's, he's just out. Like it doesn't take him long. Like maybe like 10 minutes. You hear him start to snore. She like looks at up at the horse.
01:26:03
Speaker
And she just shakes her head. Who, who is this dude? She asked the horse. And it just kind of snorts and just stands there.
01:26:19
Speaker
Yeah, no, i I get it. I get it. It's easier for you to to just let it go than me, though. And she finds a place to nap. Okay. And how long does it take you for to fall asleep? Are you, like, pretty driven to, like, be awake? Or you're not you sleepy at all? are you pretending to sleep?
01:26:38
Speaker
She's trying, but, like... She's got a million things racing through her head. Like
01:26:46
Speaker
what's going to be on the ship. What is like, is any of it going to be salvageable?
01:26:56
Speaker
What like is she gonna find missing gaps to the thing you know some of the things that she'd like is she gonna find some explanation to what some of these crazy words mean? um Where did he get this ignition switch? ah You're having all these thoughts race through your mind and like you're kind of on your side, you know like like trying to sleep, but like there's so much in your brain, but you hear a noise, like some rustling um that just kind of instantly um kind of shakes you awake. So i I roll over and like sit up like on my elbows. Like, yeah. And you see the horse who does fail to tie up.
01:27:42
Speaker
And he has his head buried in Dez's pack. And when he lifts his head, you see the bronze tube, the map, in his ah jaws. And he sees you and freezes. I sit all the way up, and I just kind of cross my my arms. and like, oh, really?
01:28:04
Speaker
And before you even, like, say much of anything, he bolts into the forest. And... is He's taken off running.
01:28:16
Speaker
I'm gonna run after him. Okay. ah Yeah, you run after him and like, this is a horse. A horse. Much faster than you. But like, you Ashley likes to roll and see how fast she can keep up with this horse. Because it is running through the woods, which is not a really ideal environment you want to take a horse in. Right. um Especially at full speed. But i'm and like but i I've got... I can handle know some athletic stuff. you know Yeah. Farm girls are strong. Yeah. Whatever.
01:28:45
Speaker
How decent she is. Is it plus one or plus two? Plus one. Okay. Well, I rolled 12. Oh, shit. Yeah. Doesn't matter whether. Oh, fuck. Yeah.
Odie's Mysterious Revelation
01:28:55
Speaker
ah Yeah. So but you see this horse and it is like hitting branches like branches are striking his face. It is like not having a good time. Yet at the same time, you are keeping a pretty good pace with this horse. And you actually get within grasping dish distance of, it like, its hip, like, to, like, touch it. And you see it take a pretty hefty stumble.
01:29:17
Speaker
ah Like, it actually gets its front hoof hooked on a root. And it just goes... head over hoof, like down this little embankment. And you see it actually is coming to, like, just from the moonlight coming through the trees, ah you see that there is an embankment of some kind, like some kind of cliff. um And with a pathetic whinny, you see this horse roll over and...
01:29:45
Speaker
Like a second or two, like maybe after like a 20 foot fall, you hear a pretty significant thud and you see a bright flash of white light, almost like a camera flash.
01:29:57
Speaker
And there's silence.
01:30:02
Speaker
I follow the goddamn thing down. I slide. I like it goes tumbling over. i like i like run and like slide down the slope.
01:30:12
Speaker
Nice. You slide does an embankment and you see a few things in the moonlight. um you see that at the bottom of this embankment, it's about 20 feet down, ah is a shallow, rocky river.
01:30:27
Speaker
And amongst the rocks, you see the tube, the map tube, is so thankfully still closed, so the map should still be safe. um You also see a horse-size and horse-shaped imprint on the muddy embankment of this river. And in the center of this imprint is a man.
01:30:50
Speaker
And he's a fairly young looking man. He's ah on his side. he is just covered in mud. Like he took a pretty, like, he's just covered in this in this in this fine mud um against the riverbank. And he does not appear to be conscious.
01:31:15
Speaker
Now, as a person who has seen ancient technologies and has translated these strange glyphs and, you know, 100% believes that a ship has come from another planet many times before, ah she just stands there and is just like, what the fuck?
01:31:40
Speaker
And don't you make me I guess not really perception check, but this is a role and see how like what she sees in this area It's dark. So ten a ten. Okay. Well pretty well as a success There is port there's basically a part of where this river is there's no trees growing So like there's a good clearing where can see like this moonbeam shining down and seen Yeah, you see this man
01:32:07
Speaker
He isn't blue skinned. He has kind of like a light, at least where you can tell, ah judging by the moonlight, um like a light caramel skin tone. ah He has long, dark, shaggy hair. and He's laying on his left side um and he is definitely out cold. um And he's wearing like unusual clothing. ah He has like a brown leather jacket on um that is a little bit tattered, soiled with things that aren't mud.
01:32:40
Speaker
um Like they're like, you you'll know where like these, these stains and like dark stains came from. um He underneath his jacket, he's wearing like a tight, almost like a t-shirt, like a light t-shirt. And he has some tethered jeans on but like you're looking at this like what are jeans like this is weird material you've never seen before and He's got some like boots on um but almost like work boots um and they're also kind of ratty um But you also see the map it's reflecting a little bit in the moonlight um It's not in any danger of drifting away. This river is very shallow um You can see this man where he's landed. He ah like
01:33:22
Speaker
like in the middle this imprint like he has his head against a rock like he's looks like he took a hit um from that rock um i'm going to like go and make sure he's not dead like laying hands on him i'm not a paladin well i'm i'm i'm not gonna touch him i'm just gonna like kind of like look and like is he like how much is he bleeding how much um On the way, going to snatch that bronze tube.
01:33:53
Speaker
Yeah. And when you approach him and get a good look at him, ah you hear what sounds like almost like an electronic like bell chime. And you see his face kind of literally light up. Like his eyes open and you just see like this mint green light. And he sits up probably faster than he should if he just took a hit to the head. um And his whole left side is covered in mud. And reflexively, he scrapes this mud off and... You see the left side of his face is partially metal.
01:34:28
Speaker
um Where his left eye should be is just this big glass or glass looking lens um that's not damaged. um But where his left ear should be, you see like this metal rod ah sticking up a good distance above his head. You couldn't really see it before with him being partially buried in the mud.
01:34:48
Speaker
Um, but he wipes all this off his face and he sees you and he looks at his hands and he looks back at you and he says, ah, okay.
01:35:04
Speaker
Uh, so. Pleasant greetings, first of all. ah You weren't supposed to see this. ah Would you believe it? A horse, horse, horse, came out of the sky and landed upon me. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, and this horse landed on me and and ran that direction.
01:35:33
Speaker
If you're pursuing this horse, it went off in that direction.
01:35:43
Speaker
You, oh wow, you are the worst liar I've ever come across. I am. i i am I am not. that That is a truth. Were you even trying?
01:35:55
Speaker
I... Listen, you weren't supposed to see anything. You knew I was following you. I... All right, all right, all right, all right. This is this a lot to explain. And he's, like, pulling the mud off his left side of his face, and at the same time, he seems to be, like, tapping the left side of his face. And he seems to be a little bit flustered, like, panicked. And he says, all right, I understand. um This is a lot to see and take in. um i I have no reasonable explanation for any of this.
01:36:30
Speaker
Except... I do need to see that map.
01:36:36
Speaker
Um... What, this map? Yes. Yes. And she opens the tube and pulls the map out so and, like, just drops the tube and is like, oh, so... this This map here. Yes, yes, I do need to see that in and make some adjustments.
01:36:56
Speaker
Like this math that I'm waving carelessly in the air right now. Yes, I- I- why are you doing this? I'm not sure. just saw some- I just saw something that... Um... My brain isn't... uh... processing.
01:37:16
Speaker
So maybe i think this is part of me actually going mad for real? um Look, I can explain everything. ah Well, I'll try my my best if you just let me look at that real quick.
01:37:30
Speaker
So, okay. If you... If you were the horse... I wasn't the... And he like slaps the left side of his head again, and he finally gives it a good slap, and you see a very bright flashlight. It's like a camera flash. And you see, sitting in the mud before you, on its haunches, is the horse with the left hoof up to its head. And it looks at that hoof, sets it back down, and it looks kind of embarrassed and says, Okay, Hear me out.
01:38:06
Speaker
um This is something you're not supposed to witness, and I will explain as much as I can if you just let me have that back.
01:38:22
Speaker
Who is that guy, then? are you asking me, Janiel, or are you just... Well, yes, but she's asking the whores. The key to unlock the vault. Okay.
01:38:34
Speaker
Like, you see her, like, connecting dots in her head. Wait, so that... that old guy was really what he said he was?
01:38:45
Speaker
i don't think he's that old, is he? He looks rather young for your kind. And she kind of like, she kind of crosses her arms. You're a charlatan, aren't you? I don't know what that is.
01:38:59
Speaker
It's... I mean, I'm i'm a liar. I'm i'm i'm i' a thief. and I'm not a thief. That map does actually belong to me.
01:39:10
Speaker
And a trickster? i That is part of my design, yes. But I do so for a great purpose, which I will explain to you if you just let me have that map back. Well, hold your... Me.
01:39:28
Speaker
I've heard this saying before. oh It's quite a good one. Yes, well, okay. So, setting aside the fact that I'm standing here having a conversation with a horse, um, who is using some old guy in some sort of elaborate ruse to get his hooves hoofs On some a vault in an ancient ship.
01:40:04
Speaker
um
01:40:07
Speaker
But not really a horse because he's a person with one eye anne Well, I do have two, miss.
01:40:20
Speaker
One's just little different than the other. ah she she looks It's not like she doesn't even hear him. She's like, and
01:40:27
Speaker
you You can become the horse, but then you're... but Maybe you're not really... And, like, she's, like... Her brain is starting to malfunction here. You see this ah horse shake his head a little bit, and in a bright flash of light, you see that man appear again. And he says, Okay, I see that you're...
01:40:57
Speaker
trying to put some pieces together and you're a little confused, which is completely understandable. um But if you would just let me... ah Please, just let me have that map back so I can explain some things to you.
01:41:13
Speaker
She looks up at him or down at him. but i am over. which of Whichever direction she looks because she...
01:41:23
Speaker
Well, he is now standing. He is now, like, standing covered in mud, but... Okay, so she looks at him. um I... I... I don't know what to do here. And she's just like, this is preposterous. And she's like...
01:41:38
Speaker
is She like puts her hands up and she lets go of the map? ah You see immediately this man snaps his fingers and the map goes away. like You see it just dissipate. And he says, I didn't want to do this. And you see that lens illuminate on his face. And from that projection, you see like a little like almost like a map icon show up. And he just draws it out of that lens. And there's a map in its tube.
01:42:05
Speaker
And he pops it open and unfurls it. and he's like... We could have done this the traditional way. She didn't mean to like intentionally let go. but She was just like, oh, he didn't take it as that. Like he's just like, whoa. um And he's like, I just need to make a few adjustments. I thought for sure that adding a bit of weathering would make it seem more legitimate.
01:42:33
Speaker
But apparently wearing off some of the text that you so cannot read is not effective. Are you okay, miss? Wait a second. You made the map. Yes, I did. it's It's one of my finest works, actually.
01:42:46
Speaker
Really? Because as a map, it's kind of crap. Well, I thought I did a good job. Sure, but you put fake glyphs on there. Like, what were you, what was that about? What were you? No.
01:43:02
Speaker
You see this and she points, like she walks over and she like points to to a series of glyphs and like, that means cherry wood water fish.
01:43:15
Speaker
What the fuck is that? I, um. Maybe I read the wrong cycle of text. ah See, your your pair of worlds is very confusing. It's not it's completely non-traditional, which is a little bit confusing when it comes to translating text. I must have went to the wrong cycle. ah My apologies. let's let's let's Let's ah back the horse cart up a bit for a second.
01:43:48
Speaker
Okay.
01:43:50
Speaker
My pair of worlds. Well, I mean, I thought that was more of a fantastical story that you share to children, that there is a duplicate world across your star. I thought that... You didn't... You our.
01:44:07
Speaker
You said your. Well, yes. ah So where are you from, Sir? I'm from... Horseman?
01:44:20
Speaker
ah Listen, listen like i I could try to explain everything to you, but it might literally blow your mind. I'm actually not sure what would happen if I tried to explain everything to you. So I'm just going to start very slowly. I'm from elsewhere.
01:44:38
Speaker
Yes, that much is clear. That is where I'm from is elsewhere. Right, but where? Elsewhere. but I know that's very confusing to to hear, but, uh... No, like, I understand the word elsewhere, but, like, can you be more specific?
01:44:59
Speaker
The... Sacred District?
01:45:05
Speaker
Where is that? Elsewhere. Okay. yeah whats She, like, grabs her head and just, like, alright, uh...
01:45:18
Speaker
Listen, just to clear your mind and ease your tensions here, I'm not here to steal this map. This is something I made. Yes, so yes I have figured that out. Apparently I didn't do a good enough job, so there was some confusion. So to eliminate that confusion, I thought I could make some adjustments, but we're already so far down our journey. I just got uneasy about my creation, I wanted to make sure everything was sound.
01:45:41
Speaker
So why did you run? You weren't supposed to see that. I was hoping I would just go off and make my adjustance adjustments and you would just find me the next morning.
01:45:52
Speaker
i was hoping to be just like a quick and simple done thing. I wasn't expecting to. These these these horse legs are very ineffective for running in this environment. Yes, this is why I caught up to you.
01:46:03
Speaker
Yes, and you are quite agile. Yes. And you are clearly not that bright. Well, I don't mean... You saw me... You saw me watching you as a horse take it take that cylinder out of the guy's pack.
01:46:26
Speaker
Right. And then, instead of continuing to pretend that you are a horse, you just bolt as if I... I panicked, okay? I'm not supposed to panic, but that is one setting that I have is a panic button, apparently. Okay.
01:46:43
Speaker
What do you mean setting? Look, it's just, side there's, okay. i I'm sure you've noticed I am not like you.
01:46:52
Speaker
Yes, I have perceived you. So i you are not like me. So people have different designs and different backgrounds. i just come from a place where we're we're we're just like this. um So.
01:47:11
Speaker
Cagey and weird? Well, that's what you're going to call me, but that's a little rude, isn't it? That is exactly what you're being right now, cagey and weird. Well, can i can you let me call me something else? To introduce each other, potentially? My name is Odie.
01:47:30
Speaker
Like... Like the letters O-D? O-D. That is part of my designation. Okay. Listen, you come from a place with very long names. I've heard you say your name. it's I can't repeat it.
01:47:43
Speaker
But my name's a little more simple. OD31715 is my numbers in your name? Yes. that Where I'm from, that's normal.
01:47:56
Speaker
But... Okay, like, she's, like, at that, she, like, her demeanor shifts a little bit from, like, you know, alarmed and, like, on guard until now she's like, really?
01:48:12
Speaker
Yes. due that to the the Do the numbers signify anything? Like, is there like to do the the amount of numbers? It is my serial number, yes.
01:48:24
Speaker
ah But rather than deal with the numbers, I feel it's more acceptable in other places to just refer to the letter portion of my serial number, OD. So do do do people have different like amounts of numbers or different amounts of letters?
01:48:41
Speaker
ah what's what um but What's the, what's the, she like, she's like. It's normally the two letter to five number designation is normally what. Okay. You keep saying why you sound just like some of the the texts that I've translated from the ruins.
01:49:02
Speaker
How so? Well, you keep using the word designation. Well, yes, designation is a formal, more proper term, but I believe the correct, I guess, translation would be or comparative word would be a name. Okay.
01:49:21
Speaker
So my name Odie. 31715, you can call me Odie. Okay. Okay. okay od What does the O and D stand for?
01:49:34
Speaker
i that's just my serial number. Oh, okay. So it's not a shortened version of something? No. I wouldn't be. I don't know. I'm just- I'm just learning about your... kind. Yes, so it's it's a lot. It's a lot to- No, no, I'm just- Alright, I have a lot more questions about the nomenclature and and the etymology of your of your name here, but, um... Well, you already know my name.
01:50:01
Speaker
Yes, and i don't know if you can break it down more for me to make it lot easier remember. i I'm normally good with memory names, but I've been having difficulties with ah with memory lately. Memory-long names isn't quite in my wheelhouse.
01:50:19
Speaker
Okay, well... um An abbreviation, an acronym. is Is anything... Well, I mean, so My name is pretty, is, is super traditional, but like in a sense of like old fashioned way.
01:50:35
Speaker
Um, the first part of my name, Iray means child or offspring. Caitlina is my mother's name. So child of Caitlina and D means child or offspring as well, but for D, paternal line.
01:50:59
Speaker
um And, you know, Boonter is my father's name. So my name, Ivory Caitlyn Adie Boonter, kind of just means child of Caitlyn Adie, child of Boonter.
01:51:18
Speaker
Wow, that is fascinating. Yeah, it's not the most um creative name. um It also kind of
01:51:30
Speaker
reflects my parents' view of me. didn't really think of it until just now, but I-Ray and D basically mean the same thing.
01:51:42
Speaker
Child of. So I-Ray D. I-Ray D. um Child of. Child of. So you go by initials then.
01:51:55
Speaker
ID? Is that your designation?
01:52:00
Speaker
I mean, and she, like, thinks about it. You know what? ah I think, yeah, I think my designation is child.
01:52:14
Speaker
That's what I am to them. So, yeah, Idy, that works. Well, excellent. It's a pleasure to meet you, Idy. And he extends his hand. He's like, do you do handshakes here? I'm not...
01:52:28
Speaker
ultra familiar with this cycle of culture. In previous cycles, handshaking was common. Yeah? she thanks Yeah, you shake his hand and he he has a pretty firm grip handshake, but when you feel his skin, it doesn't feel like skin. He actually has like a cold touch um to his hand. Like you expect a warm, fleshy hand, it's actually like cold. um cold and dead take course he's a zombie yeah um but he shakes your hand and he's like well um so i suppose it is a little too late to change this uh but it appears we're on a pretty good course
01:53:15
Speaker
So I suppose I can leave it as is. And he rolls it back up and slips it back into the tube. And he says, I apologize for this inconvenience, but my mistake.
01:53:28
Speaker
So we're just. So what's the plan now? You're just going to go back to being a horse and I just pretend this never happened. i should I guess I should give you some context. So... I mean, not you you can later. i just... I would like to know what the plan is now.
01:53:47
Speaker
Well, the plan is now that I go back to camp as a horse if I can get this working again. And he taps the left side of his head again. I actually see sparks fly from this little, like, um extension on his head. And he grabs it, and, like, it's causing him a little bit of pain. And, uh...
01:54:07
Speaker
ah He says, i took a bit of a fall. um This is not supposed to be bent this way. um And he cocks it a little bit. And you can see between bright flashes of light,
01:54:23
Speaker
him turning into different things. Like at one point he looks kind of like himself, but he has blue skin and two eyes. um There's one point where he looks like a buffa. um There's one point where he looks like a a ah pollinator. And finally he seems to find the right station and he turns back into a horse. And um he says, all right then. um So that's settled and hopefully it stays settled.
01:54:51
Speaker
Yeah, um... Judging by the look at that, I am not confident in that one. I am not confident either. i Can you... turn back?
01:55:02
Speaker
Uh, sure. And, uh, you see him shake his little whore's head and back to this... strange... one-eyed, one-mechanical-eyed man. Um... And she just, like, sort of walks over... Can I... can I see? Uh, I... I suppose i And she like she walks over and she's like kind of like looking at his whole like weird shit. um Also, but she's just making conversation and she's like kind of like looking at it.
01:55:33
Speaker
How how were you speaking when you were the horse? Well, I'm moving the mouth. I can choose when to speak. I can choose what frequency I produce sound and it's if it's understandable by the residents of the places I visit.
01:55:54
Speaker
Interesting, interesting. It's very unsettling, just you know. Oh, speaking as a horse? I apologize if that's unsettling to you. Yeah, I... Since you're kind of new here, uh, horses don't talk. So yeah, it's... Oh, I completely understand that. I've, I've, I've, I've been silent and making horse noises this entire time. And even as like his humanoid form, you hear him like, almost like play audio of like this Winnie. Um, he's like, that was good, right?
01:56:25
Speaker
Um, yeah, that, that's, mean, yes, that was pretty convincing. Um, oh, that's not good. this Is something wrong? Well, um, your little sticky thing.
01:56:39
Speaker
Um, hold Antenna, yes. Antenna? This is my antenna, yes. Like, she stops for a second, she pulls out her journal and, like, flips through real quick. ah Ah.
01:56:53
Speaker
That explains some things. And she, like, pulls out her pencil and like, writes some really quick scribble notes and then she, like, puts it back. Fascinating. Thank you. Um...
01:57:04
Speaker
Yeah, this it's going to fall off. um Oh. And I am fairly certain that that is won't be a good thing. So just hold on a second. um And she like reaches into like her like um pouch. That's a thing that people have. And she like pulls out like she's got this little like wrap, like a little cloth wrap and she unwraps it And like it's just like ah a piece of honeycomb, like a very small piece of the honeycomb. But it's got like honey in it. And she like she grabs some of the comb and she like.
01:57:39
Speaker
puts the rest back and then she starts rolling the material in her hands because it's made of beeswax. And she like, know, holds still. She like rolls it out into like a thin, like a thin strip.
01:57:55
Speaker
And then she like very delicately like wraps it around the place at which his antenna is broke. And then she like kind of squishes it.
01:58:07
Speaker
And then she like grabs in and she like, she like takes a piece of her dress and like rips off a piece of the fabric. And she ties it right around, like pretty tight, as tight as she can get it.
01:58:22
Speaker
And she's kind of like, you know, messing with making sure that it's all squished together and whatnot. And then she like kind of like tries to move it. And it there is some play in there, but like ah it's probably not going fall off.
01:58:37
Speaker
You also do notice that when you're like repairing this antenna, it has his name or designation full designation on the side of it. um like It's like a serial number that you would probably see on equipment.
01:58:50
Speaker
And you've probably seen similar things through exploring technology in this world. Oh, yeah, she's making mental notes. Oh, yeah. All right, there. Just as long as you don't jostle it or hit it into anything. Or take another fall off a 20-foot cliff.
01:59:07
Speaker
Yeah, I would recommend not doing that just in general. um That should keep it, you should be okay until you can repair it in whatever way that you do. Yes, I normally don't spend this long um when I visit, but I can fix it back home, thank you. And ah and ah he taps it again and you see him turn back into the horse.
01:59:38
Speaker
Okay, good. It's working. so you're after this vault thing. Yes. It's imperative that we get there ah very quickly. She kind of looks back up the and like the embankment, like back towards the camp.
01:59:55
Speaker
So you do need, what is it called, genetic material from that guy there? Yes, so a genetic lock is a pretty good translation of what that apparatus is. um So...
02:00:07
Speaker
any genetic material would do from that direct lineage. And quite honestly, when I came here, I was looking for a different person, but they ended up being deceased. oh So I got there. was very disappointed. But then this fellow came along and he seemed to have a good, pretty good match to this lineage as well.
02:00:31
Speaker
So I went with him. Okay. So explain. So we need a piece of him? Not a piece of him, a sample of blood. ah It's usually a ah blood thing for this kind of technology. And all we need is a drop of it.
02:00:50
Speaker
Can we kind of just take what we need and leave this dude here? Because. And you see him stomp his like horse hoof down. He's like, it is against my job to result to violence.
02:01:07
Speaker
Well, then what was your plan here? My plan is to just have him, don't know. over the moment He was going to do it himself. Yes. Open the vault himself, prick his finger and open the hatch door.
02:01:18
Speaker
That's all we need him to do. Right.
02:01:23
Speaker
Wait here. Oh, okay. she sc She scrambles back up the amygdala. Oh, what are you doing, miss? Just wait there. Okay.
02:01:35
Speaker
She's going to go back to the camp. Is the dude still sleeping? Oh, yeah. He hasn't heard any of this shit. All right. She's going like, sort of, like, sneak up to him. You're have roll for that.
02:01:48
Speaker
What are you doing? She's going sneak up to him. she's She's, like, she has a little sewing needle. oh God. um
02:02:00
Speaker
and she and she, like, there's she has this little glass bottle of, um this vial of something, which... is like a herbal remedy. It's like, it's like medicine, right?
02:02:13
Speaker
And she, as she's walking, she like, unquicks it with her teeth and dumps it out. And she's, she's gonna sneak up and she's like, how is he sleeping? He's just on his side, like not facing towards you.
02:02:30
Speaker
Perfect. I need you to roll something for this. Okay. All right. How sneaky is she? We'll see.
02:02:42
Speaker
hmm. OK, so this is going flat roll. mean, she snuck out of like her house before. um
02:02:57
Speaker
Don't come on dice. Do not fucking fail me now. Would you roll Jerica? a six. That is a complete failure.
02:03:09
Speaker
So what are you doing? Well, she was going to stab him with the needle. You lay a hand on this guy and he rolls over and he says, what what are you doing?
02:03:20
Speaker
Where's the horse? Oh, um, I took it down to the river to get a drink. Okay, but where's the horse? Why isn't it with you?
02:03:33
Speaker
You just left it there? tied it up. think i'm and You think I'm an imbecile? Why does everybody think I'm im why are you incompetent? right back What's the needle for? What were are you back here for? What are you doing?
02:03:48
Speaker
Are you trying to mend my clothes? What what are you what are you doing? Yes, actually. You have this tear in your collar and sitting behind you for hours.
02:04:01
Speaker
It's just really been bothering me. You couldn't wait till them tomorrow morning. No, because I figured that you would, like, make a whole big deal and, like, be like, oh, this is the the shirt that my grandpappy wore and it's imperative that I keep it intact and blah, blah, blah, blah. blah bla She makes a little, like... I wouldn't make a big deal if you'd snuck up by being in the middle of a night and did it.
02:04:26
Speaker
You wouldn't know. i woke up. You're not very sneaky out here in the mud. um right, fine.
02:04:36
Speaker
well I won't fix your shirt. I'll just. I'll just suffer in silence then and just be irritable. That's that's the choice that you're making here right now. Look, if this will appease you and he takes off his shirt and throws it at you, he's like, sew it for me.
02:04:55
Speaker
Fine. I will. She's not good at basic. No, she's not. No. um neil Darling, what's about to happen
02:05:14
Speaker
is not a good idea. i just want you to know that. Audience, do not try this at home. She's going to like...
02:05:26
Speaker
Okay, she's going to take the shirt, and what is he doing? Is he just... He's just watching you. Like, he's just, like, annoyed that you woke him up, so he's just like, okay, make it worth Okay, so she, like, turns um her back to him, he's like, okay.
02:05:42
Speaker
And she reaches, she, like, reaches in her, like, pouch, like, oh, damn.
02:05:48
Speaker
I'm out of thread. And she's going to, she's going to, turn around and cover his face with his shirt.
02:05:59
Speaker
Okay. Okay. You know, and like a situation where like you she puts the shirt over his head and then like, like cinches it. Like, so like she has like, like as she can pull on whatever.
02:06:14
Speaker
And she's going to like,
02:06:18
Speaker
Yank on his head like and fucking stab him in the back of the neck. Oh, God. OK. um Just do a flat roll. to See how well you do this because he's going to try to fight back.
02:06:33
Speaker
Well, now he does. I did take him off guard.
02:06:39
Speaker
Eight.
02:06:42
Speaker
Okay. Uh, that's a mixed success. Uh, you cover him up and he's trying to fight back and you successfully get that needle in there. Are you like, how are you collecting the blood? Are you like putting the the little thing under the needle and... No, she's stabbing the needle in. Oh, and just taking it out. Pulling it out and putting the needle into the vial. Okay. Yeah, you do that. And as soon as you pop that cork back in there, you are shoved over um as he pushes you to the ground.
02:07:12
Speaker
And when you get back up, you have a sword at your face. And he says, I am not playing games here. What are you really doing?
02:07:26
Speaker
You think can just sneak off and do this on your own? You need me. No, I would... Listen. What if something happens to you on the way?
02:07:39
Speaker
Like someone stabbing me in the neck with a needle? no What if you, for instance, were traveling and the horse trips on something and falls down an embankment and you get hit in the head and you're dead?
02:07:53
Speaker
I'm supposed to just go back home after I left everything?
02:08:00
Speaker
what if you hit break your leg and can't continue or something? So you're just going to go off and steal. It's rightfully mine. I'm not going to... I'm going to retrieve in the in the and in the k in the instance where you were unable to accompany me.
02:08:15
Speaker
And the horse. She says that quite loudly. ah Right? Like...
02:08:24
Speaker
You said you found this horse. You never know what kind of, where it came from. you don't know if it can be trusted to know what it's supposed to do right now.
02:08:40
Speaker
and you see this sword get little closer to your face and he says, look, i don't know what you're really up to here, but you are one terrible liar.
02:08:53
Speaker
Well, you know what? There are actually worse liars out there. And you you see like a bird fly overhead. And in a brilliant flash of white light, you see a horse fall out of the sky.
02:09:08
Speaker
top of him? Yeah. And yeah, you see him just fall right on top of this guy. And um does knock him out or is he just like trapped under this horse?
02:09:20
Speaker
I can make a roll for him to see how well he he did this shit. um Well, that's a four flat roll. So I don't think he's conscious after that. He had a horse land on him. um And you see odi Horse ah sitting there like on his haunches with this man face down the dirt um with the horse on his back. And Odie's like, it is against my job to resort to violence if I do not have to.
02:09:52
Speaker
But it appears it was necessary. I mean, I just needed you to come to my assistance. The whole jumping from the sky thing, that was that was your decision.
02:10:03
Speaker
So... To be fair... You live with that. To be fair, it sounds like you assaulted this man first. You weren't here. you don't know what was going on.
02:10:15
Speaker
I see the blood in your hand. That's my blood. Is it? You don't know? Actually, I do The DNA encoding there is quite different from yours. Okay, you know what?
02:10:29
Speaker
I thought it was important that we get to this place soon. It is important. Okay, then let's go. Okay. ah It's gonna be weird if I ride you, not gonna lie.
02:10:41
Speaker
I guess we can walk. Okay. And he shakes his head and turns back into his OD self. He's like, I do feel little bad about this. She looks at him like, is he dead or is he just knocked out? He's knocked out.
02:11:00
Speaker
He's not dead. He's fine. I know that, but I could have broken this poor man's back. Well, I did warn him. I did say, you never, like, you you didn't know if you can trust that horse.
02:11:15
Speaker
And she, like, starts walking off. And, ah like, he looks back towards you, but then he, like, he takes Dez and, like, props him up against the tree, and he's like, I am very, very sorry for this inconvenience. um If you do meet with us later, I will explain everything.
02:11:31
Speaker
ah In the meantime, recover, and...
02:11:38
Speaker
Hope you have a pleasant evening. And he just walks off behind you.
02:11:47
Speaker
It's absolutely not how i was expecting this to go.
02:11:55
Speaker
terrific. um Have a yeah pleasant evening after I fell upon you from he got here the sky as horse. He's polite. Sorry about that old chop.
02:12:09
Speaker
Alright, so you say we're just walking, in like, just walking to this place? Okay. Um... So, yeah, like... You're walking through the night, and it's pretty uneventful. Um, but the entire time, like, I'm sure you're tired, because you can get a wink of sleep.
02:12:25
Speaker
Um, but... Odie's going. Like, he's just trucking along. Like, I'm sure one point where he's, like, walking ahead of you, keeping the same pace, but you're just, like, kind of losing it. Yeah, but, like...
02:12:38
Speaker
Again, she's she's kind of determined now. Like, a lot of things have happened. um
02:12:49
Speaker
Sleeping is not something she's interested in. She wants to see what's really going on. got you Gotcha, gotcha. Do you, like, try to talk with Odie? Because he's pretty silent this whole trip.
02:13:09
Speaker
I don't think so. I think, um,
02:13:14
Speaker
I think, you know, she's, as long as the moon lights up, she's going to like be walking and like dueling in her journal and writing notes. And at one point she, she has, she's written o d I forget what the hell is ah his designation is ah OD underscore three one seven one five. Yeah, she writes that down and then like she's like draws a line from the old and she's like she she writes operation.
02:13:53
Speaker
um
02:13:56
Speaker
And here from above, I got that puppy like in front of you and he says, I do worry about your current energy levels. How is your endurance?
02:14:05
Speaker
She like, she put like puts the pencil in like the crease of the book. She reaches into her pack and like grabs that beeswax stuff and she just like slurps some honey. um And she just looks over and goes,
02:14:24
Speaker
don't worry, I'm good. Are you sure your species needs typically six to eight hours of rest before you do any kind of, uh, ex- like endurance activities.
02:14:43
Speaker
Are you an expert on me now? Uh, I hate to sound like I'm gloating, but uh, actually yes.
02:14:56
Speaker
Well, I'll be fine. It's- I'll be fine. Okay? Okay. Uh, I was just- just checking.
02:15:07
Speaker
he's like but Are you a real person? Am i real? I mean, I'm i'm okay tangible. Sorry.
02:15:16
Speaker
that's fair That was my fault. And she like slurped some more honey. I meant, are you...
02:15:25
Speaker
Were you born in the way most people are or were you created? Well, that's a bizarre question because if you say how most people are, are you saying on this world or are you saying universally? Because if if you're saying it universally, it's ah birth as you might imagine it is actually quite abnormal.
02:15:48
Speaker
So she like closes her journal. Yeah.
02:15:54
Speaker
Well, considering that I don't know anything else except for where we are now, context clues would tell you that, yes, I meant... Well, I'm not i'm not from here, so I was not born in the sense that your species is. i was more um manufactured.
02:16:24
Speaker
That is what I was... Yeah, that's what I was wondering. So you're...
02:16:35
Speaker
You're a machine? ah in In a sense. um Artificial is the term I like to use. um I'm more than just equipment, though the rest of my kind, they certainly act more like equipment. um But me personally, I prefer the term artificial being.
02:16:57
Speaker
So do you have like a soul? have a power core. If that's what you're referring to.
02:17:08
Speaker
Well, so does the ship we're on our way to. so Oh, absolutely. not sure that really answers the question. Unless it does. Hmm. She likes just like stops and like she's like starts talking to herself for a while. and She's like working things out.
02:17:26
Speaker
No offense, miss, but I do rather keep pace.
02:17:32
Speaker
Fine. chip You can be the horse again. but we don't have to be the the horse. I mean, we just have to keep walking. No, it's fine. It's just...
02:17:45
Speaker
It's very clear you want to be the horse to catch up. It's fine. Like, i'm I'm too slow for you. That's fine. I'll just... and I'm okay with... I'll be okay with just riding you as the horse the rest of the way.
02:18:00
Speaker
Are you sure? Yeah, Yes. Yes. because will admit it is fun. And he does give his little, like, his little left side of his head a tap, and he turns into a horse. And she climbs up onto the back of O.D. O.D. Horse. O.D. Horse.
02:18:20
Speaker
And knowing that, like... This is the dude. Well, no. Knowing that he can't really see her... he She kind of like puts her journal in her honeycomb. Like, like was so she had put it away because she climbed up. And she kind of like leans down and kind of closes her. Takes a snooze. Yes. And ah he's like, I will walk slowly so you don't fall off my back.
02:18:48
Speaker
I'm holding on.
02:18:51
Speaker
Let's go. We got places to be. Okay. And he takes off. And...
02:18:59
Speaker
She holds on yeah ah and falls asleep. Okay. Yeah, you you sleep. like I'm sure you're really exhausted at this point. And you don't wake up until ah you hear Odie again. And you hear him actually make a little horse whinny. And you wake up and it is daylight out. Like, you've slept through the morning.
02:19:27
Speaker
And... He's like, I didn't want to alarm you too much, but we are at our destination.
02:19:37
Speaker
Did you just Winnie when you didn't have to? i thought that would be more comforting since you were on a, nevermind. I ah just wanted to do the Winnie.
02:19:50
Speaker
You are a strange, strange being. Well, a lot of people say that about me. um But if you don't mind, if you could get off my back so I can not drop you when I turn off my device.
02:20:05
Speaker
She slides off. yeah and Very much not wanting to be on his back when this happens. It's like awkward. yeah Also, you would drop off his back. Like...
02:20:16
Speaker
Odie, I'm not to describe him a little bit more since it's it's daylight out. um Some of that mud has been kind of cleaned off of him. Like, it's got got dried and, you know, ah soft off of him.
02:20:30
Speaker
But he is kind of a short man, five foot three um He's kind of ratty and tattered, even more so now that he has, like, gunk in his antenna. Like, it's it's like, you know, it's it's holding it in there, but it's... let's you know, not supposed to be that way.
02:20:49
Speaker
And, uh, you can see like his, his shirt that he has on is almost like a uniform, um, like a top, top shirt of a uniform, uh, where he has like this, um, uh, like a sage green and and like some green, like light green hues, um, aesthetic on his shirt. Um, and same thing with his eyes, like his eyes, like at least his right eye is kind of human looking. Uh, but can tell it almost has a glow in his iris, um, like artificial. Um, and of course that lens has a, uh, slight glow to it, but as he's, uh, looking around, ah you can see it like produce images. Uh,
02:21:32
Speaker
Like, like, like emotes, like exclamation points, question marks, like it's like it seems to reflect his current personality, even though his face doesn't seem to really show it too much. um But he's observing this place and what you see.
02:21:48
Speaker
in front of you is just a small crack in the side of a cliff. um And it doesn't seem to go very deep.
02:22:00
Speaker
um And he's just standing there ah looking at it. And until he find seems to find something and he points directly it, and he's like, put the needle in there, if you would do the honors.
02:22:13
Speaker
Just in this crack here? Oh, yes. And he, but you see him pointing at is like a small, like almost like a pinhole, uh, in the side of the rock face, like next to this little crevice.
02:22:26
Speaker
Okay. This doesn't, this doesn't look like a ship. Oh, it's it's a very impressive camouflage, isn't it? The technology you people have devised long, long ago is quite impressive.
02:22:42
Speaker
Wait, are you saying that this is the ship? This is the ship. But It's somehow made to look like it's not. I mean, I make myself to look like things that I am not. This is a fair point.
02:22:57
Speaker
Noted. She takes the vial out, pops the cork, just drops it, takes the needle out, and... right, old man, let's see see ah how truthful you were.
02:23:08
Speaker
She puts the needle in the hole. And you don't press the needle in very far. It almost seems to hit something. And you hold it there for just a second, and you see it, like the rock face, almost seems to dissolve away.
02:23:24
Speaker
And behind it, and not much further behind it, you see just a wall of slate gray iron like material. And it is just featureless. But then as more as this rock face starts to dissolve away, you notice that it's actually the ah almost like the underbelly of...
02:23:47
Speaker
a large vessel and it is heavily damaged. um It is, it has, ah seems to have wings of some kind or fins that are broken off, but the main body is intact and it is kind of jutting out of the ground. So when you put that little needle in there, it like once this rock kind of dissolves away, you see that is a door that's kind of on its side, um but you realize when you stuck that needle in there, you still have it in there. It is a small circular locket-like mechanism that you have seen broken ah examples of it before. sure But this one is intact and it is functional. And it rotates and the door falls open because it's on its side. just kind of gravity takes over and opens up this door.
02:24:35
Speaker
And, uh, he says, well, um, I'm not sure on this world, if you have this type of, uh, culture, but, uh, ladies first.
02:24:46
Speaker
No, we don't have that. Oh, well, that's so kind of rude. But anyway. Why is that rude? That you want the women to go into a dangerous place for before you? suppose that's a fair point. um I guess it depends on the place. um Okay, ah follow me then.
02:25:06
Speaker
And he steps into the door. I will. I'll do that, like, thing that that people do in movies. It's like they kind of, like, look back around and just, like, go in.
02:25:16
Speaker
Just because it's funny. Yeah. ah And when you get into this place, you see the inside of a very old vessel. And it is...
02:25:28
Speaker
pristine in here. It's almost like it's brand new because it's been sealed for God knows how long. um But like you use you are used to seeing ruins of technology and infant infrastructure and everything. This is like fresh out of the box. um It smells a little musty in here, but it is like a brand new thing. And Odie doesn't really see pay too much mind to much of anything, um except he seems to like hit the floor a little bit and you feel gravity shift slightly. And he says, okay, now it'll be a little easier to walk up this incline.
02:26:03
Speaker
What did you do? Oh, I adjusted the gravity of the local area. So... The what? the gravitational forces, of the thing that makes things fall down.
02:26:14
Speaker
And you see him freeze a little bit and glance back, thinking a little bit, and he's like, no, no, gravity does work in this plane. um Anyway, um shall we continue?
02:26:25
Speaker
Yeah, by all means. And like she has she has a different journal out, right? Another journal. That's empty. it's just a It's a brand fresh new journal and she is looking around and doodling things and writing notes and just like taking it all in.
02:26:47
Speaker
as she's following, she says, so so what um what are you here for? I'm pretty sure it's not for the treasure. Oh, it is.
02:26:59
Speaker
It is. But for different reasons. um You're aware of the cycles your planets go through, correct? I have my theories about things and based on the various strata of ruins that we so I seem to be coming upon.
02:27:20
Speaker
Like, ruins upon ruins upon ruins, which would suggest that there's been civilizations built on top of each other, with the similar technology and language and and and whatnot.
02:27:36
Speaker
A little different, but pretty much the same, but like thousands of years difference in age. So you see him walk up this hallway um and he's kind of feeling the walls a little bit. And ah he says, so both of your planets are fairly unique.
02:27:58
Speaker
There is a duplicate world across your star it is always hidden ah by your star. of do you Do you call it this the sun? Yes, we call it the sun.
02:28:10
Speaker
Okay. Uh, so that is a star. of Whoa, whoa. I'm sorry. What? Uh, it is a star. Uh, so all the lights you see in the night sky, ah those are other stars. Yes, that much I know, but those are the spirits of our ancestors looking down on us.
02:28:30
Speaker
Oh. Um. Oh. Uh. Okay. I'm just fucking with you. I don't actually believe that.
02:28:40
Speaker
Okay, alright, so. um You make it real easy, you know that, right? ah He just says, ah your planets are very unique.
02:28:51
Speaker
They are sort of locked in a cycle of destruction and rebirth. of One planet nears its end where society is collapsing for various reasons. So they pack up what they can on a ship and they travel across the star to this other world thinking it is another place to inhabit.
02:29:16
Speaker
and there they discover residents of that world from a previous excursion and they settle on that world bringing with them all sorts of technology from their advanced society on their home planet that they just left.
02:29:34
Speaker
So what the previous excursion, the previous ship mission They left behind something on the ship that is quite dangerous. So that is what we are looking for today.
02:29:47
Speaker
Hold on. So you're suggesting that there is a whole other world on the other side of the sun and that they fuck things up so bad that they leave and come here.
02:30:03
Speaker
Yes. and And then continue to fuck things up so bad that we have to go there and then back and forth and back and forth. For whatever the reason, every handful of thousands of years, your kind, and I don't mean this as an insult, finds some way to ruin their society and they simply leave it behind and travel elsewhere. But in this case, I don't know what has caused this, but the thing they left behind on this ship
02:30:38
Speaker
It's due to interrupt that cycle and end this cycle prematurely. And since you or society is currently not ready to construct a ship to leave it. Well, I wouldn't say we're not. OK, hold on.
02:30:56
Speaker
Hold on. Yes, I can fully believe that people are the problem. This whole back and forth two worlds thing kind of makes a lot of my other findings make a little bit more sense. Yes, you mentioned you were aware of that other... world out there. Yeah, I suppose that's why languages tend to be similar but different the further you go in the strata Romans. Yes, that leads to my confusion earlier when I translated the wrong cycle of text. That's why the map was extra confusing. So once again, I apologize for that confusion.
02:31:35
Speaker
So you're saying right now if we don't fix this thing, we're going to end the world before we are ready. I guess I'm exaggerating when I say end the whole world. Well, I mean, any portion of the world being ended is bad. Oh, yes. ah The device that we are currently looking for ah is due to end the world in approximately three minutes. oh Three minutes?
02:31:57
Speaker
Yes, that's why you do not have construct this ship fly out of here. Okay, just got here. I just got here. I'm good, but I'm not three minutes good to get this thing flying again. Oh, certainly not. That is why I'm here. Certainly not? Really? And ah you see him suddenly stop and he turns towards the wall. There's a panel in this wall. And he kind of aggressively, like considering how his demeanor has been so gentle since you've met him, ah he pushes his fingers into this panel and yanks this panel off. Wow, you could have probably just used a latch or something. Oh, no, this is kind of buried in the wall. I didn't have time to look for the actual entrance to this chamber. um And he points down and like you're you're greeted with like intense heat when he he pulls this panel off and he points down ah in the wall and you see this small cylindrical glowing green object is about the size of a pop can. And he reaches in, grabs this thing, somehow not getting burned by something that is emitting so much heat it feels like you're standing next to a roaring fire. Well, that's because he's probably got, what, silicone hands or some shit? He's got fake robo hands. He takes each end of this device in both his hands, and he rotates his hands in opposite directions, and you hear kind of an ugly crack come from this device, and immediately it loses that green light, and you start to feel that heat dissipate away, and he says, done, mission accomplished, and he sets that on the ground.
02:33:27
Speaker
That's it. Oh, ah I should apologize. ah This is a battery. This is a very advanced battery that is used to power large devices. This particular battery was used to fuel this ship. um There's several, usually, on these ships, but this one in particular was ready to go off and ready to detonate like a thermonuclear weapon. So... Whatever that is. Yes, I, yes. ah So it's good I've taken care of that. But this was kind of the lesser of the two jobs I came here to complete.
02:34:02
Speaker
One second. And you see him stop in the middle this hallway and he seems to freeze. And both his eyes light up like his lens and his more human looking And you see him put both of his hands up in front him as if he's pushing against a wall, but there's nothing in front of him. He's not pushing him up against the wall. He's just in the middle of this hallway.
02:34:22
Speaker
You see him move his hands in kind of like a very machine-like fashion, just like very precise. um And you see him touch some things in the middle of the air as if they're there, move his hands, like he seems to pick something up, put it back, and then... aligned myself with a crazy person. This is great. Super great.
02:34:42
Speaker
um And you um see him touch a few few more things. And you see him make a few more of these gestures. And so finally he seems to press something with both of his hands. And ah his eyes kind of flicker back to normal. And he says, there, now my task is complete and I can go home. And he looks at you and he seems like a little bit shocked, like that you're still here. And he says, oh yes, I can ah go home now.
02:35:14
Speaker
Okay, so you came here to twist a little jar and then do some sort of weird pantomime interpretive dance?
02:35:27
Speaker
ah you were Like, well what what what was that? That part? Um... Well, you didn't tell me to close my eyes or anything, and also, I didn't really see anything. You were just... You didn't see that....doing stuff in the air. Well, I would love to explain what I was just doing there, but, um... Well, then go ahead.
02:35:42
Speaker
No, no, I can't. like i've i've already told you I've already told you way too much about what I am and what I do. I can't explain anything further. I... Oh, yeah. By all means, keep me in the dark. Well, i mean, if I literally if I explain that to you, it might literally blow your mind.
02:35:57
Speaker
And I am not entirely sure if that's a good thing. Wow. ah Condescending much? my I'm sorry. My primitive brain. You're right. You know what? You're right. My primitive brain won't be able to understand these advanced topics with these long words that don't mean anything. I'm just a simple girl from a simple village. And that is all that I am.
02:36:21
Speaker
Oh no. um i I got involved again. I shouldn't have gotten involved again. Why did I do this? I'm i'm doing a bad job currently. i yeah i i'm um I'm sorry. I really do apologize. I was not supposed to involve you in this. I'm not supposed to involve myself ah to this level with any of the residents of the places I visit. I really should leave.
02:36:41
Speaker
So what was the whole purpose of bringing me here in the first place? Uh, you see him just like, he's frozen for like a second, like he's thinking of a response, but it's sort of like a computer when it's buffering. I thought that whoever I brought with me would enjoy the ship I brought them to. There's lots of technology in the ship they can make use of. Um, so there's that.
02:37:09
Speaker
Oh, you're just going to leave me here. Yes. Okay, I'm going to go back home and I'm going to harvest honey from my pollinators and I will marry someone who is a complete dullard and I will spend many years in agony producing offspring that I will internally hate but still have to take care of until I am until 20 years later, I am old and dead. You're right. You really do understand things.
02:37:37
Speaker
No explanation needed from you. Got it. oh This whole time you're talking, you see him getting increasingly, like, not really nervous, but you can tell, like, he sort of feels bad. um He says, I understand why you're upset. is entirely my fault that you were wrapped up in this. I really shouldn't have not brought you here.
02:37:55
Speaker
Here I was thinking the ship would be a big enough reward for you coming with me. Admittingly, enjoyed having our conversations together. ah yeah You're very intelligent. It's not very... I am. Very often I converse with somebody who is so passionate about all of this and beyond ah their their world. it it's it's It's very rare for that. um I should ah apologize for everything. I did not mean for any of this to happen.
02:38:24
Speaker
um You, okay. And you see him kind of like almost talk to himself for a second and he says, okay, I know how to fix this. It could potentially cause more problems than it fixes, but it will fix the immediate problem.
02:38:38
Speaker
um you you You said you wanted to know more. Yeah, I do. What was your idea of of more? Well, when i came out here with that weird old guy, I thought I'm going to find an interesting ruin with more information to to piece together everything that I've been working on since I was a child. And that was enough. I would have been happy with that.
02:39:05
Speaker
But then i meet you and suddenly my whole concept of reality is altered irreparably. so now I know there there are people from other worlds where there're it's different and but the thing that makes things fall is either there or not there or different or not different and that there's people like you who are out there preventing disasters and all. How am I supposed to continue living like that?
02:39:39
Speaker
I, yes, um... Yes, that's all very, very good points. ah What if I make you a deal? I'm listening. um If I showed you more, would that be...
02:39:55
Speaker
satisfactory ah before i i I let you go back to whatever you it is you're doing. If I show you what i do, who I am, and where I came from, would that satisfy your need for more information?
02:40:15
Speaker
Where you came from? This elsewhere that apparently you can't talk about for some reason? Yes, elsewhere. Yes, and if that will satisfy your immediate need for more information, I will show you more.
02:40:29
Speaker
She leans up against the wall. She has her arms crossed in front of her, and she's thinking. Consider it's an extra payment for what I just put you through. Well, I don't need to be paid, for one.
02:40:44
Speaker
Two... And she looks right in Odie's eyes. If you're telling the truth and you are willing to take me back to where you're from and show me things,
02:41:02
Speaker
I am not going to pass that up. I mean, well, you already know me as being a very terrible liar. I would not lie about that. This is true.
02:41:13
Speaker
um So yeah, if having the opportunity to see more interesting things than this weird fire emitter thing that I took off to the old guy, then yeah.
02:41:25
Speaker
Yeah, I do. ah be Much more interesting things than than that. um Okay, since my job is done here, oh you can follow me.
02:41:36
Speaker
And he walks down that hallway and towards the door. I will follow. As soon as he exits that door, like you're you're kind of behind him. as soon as he exits that threshold, ah you feel gravity kind of shift again. And he immediately kind of turns around. He says, I apologize. I forgot I was maintaining the adjusted gravity on that floor.
02:41:57
Speaker
um My apologies. Words, words, words, words, words. Yes. um Okay. but Let's over here. And he walks a little ways into the patch of trees that the ship is in and follow him to a small clearing.
02:42:14
Speaker
It's pretty much a clearing... in between some trees, ah particularly these two large trees that are growing up parallel to each other. And he points to that little clearing. It's about maybe 20 feet away.
02:42:27
Speaker
He says, okay, first things first, look there. Do you see anything? Where? In between those trees. You might have to kind of really focus. Okay, what am I looking for? you look like you kind of like squint your eyes you shift a little bit tilt your head you do all these things kind of like i do to do the cross-eyed thing that you have to with those magic eye puzzles yeah um and you do see something shift um and it's sort of like if it's a really hot day and you've seen some rocks bake in the sun and you see it kind of like
02:43:08
Speaker
heat mirages on the surface of the rock where kind of distorts the light a little bit. You see a little bit of that and kind of like a shape of a rectangle. But as soon as you question, oh, there's something there, you don't see it anymore.
02:43:19
Speaker
And Odie's looking at you the whole time you're looking at this thing, and he sees your expression kind of change when you see this thing. And he says, you saw it, didn't you? I saw something.
02:43:31
Speaker
Yes. um So that is one minor flaw with this door.
A New Journey Begins
02:43:36
Speaker
This door is how I got here. um This invisible door. It's invisible. Yes, it's more as it's ah it's not meant to be seen by anyone outside of elsewhere. And ah he walks over to it.
02:43:52
Speaker
He walks over this like this patch of grass in between these two trees, and you see him grab something and start to pull it, like almost rotate it in a circle. um And you can tell he's grabbing something because he's he's putting in some effort to this thing. like Okay, so I am either crazy for going along with this crazy person,
02:44:12
Speaker
No, I think that's probably what this is. um And you see him cranked out a couple times. And then you see light, just a line of light start to appear. um So you can tell that this is a door you cannot see because it's behaving like a door. Just like you've opened the front door of your house every morning to go outside, you see the light coming through it. You see that, but you don't see a door with it. And then he finally pulls that door open enough where you just see a rectangular patch of light that sort of comes into focus. When your eyes adjust to this brightness, you see a well-lit room just there on the other side this invisible door.
02:44:50
Speaker
and he says, well, um... Here we are. And... So wait, you live across from the ship.
02:45:01
Speaker
Oh, this is just where I put my door. um I can put it anywhere. I'll explain more to you Interesting. later Hold on. You can put it anywhere?
02:45:12
Speaker
Yes. And so you put it here because this is where you needed to go. Yes. And then you decided to go way far away well and have this whole convoluted plan to get back here? Yes, because I'll be leaving soon after, so why would I park my door far away from where I'm leaving?
02:45:31
Speaker
Why didn't you just go in when you got here? The ship is sealed. There's technology in there that is sort of preventing me from landing my door where I need to place it. but Anyway, I can explain more...
02:45:43
Speaker
later. But for right now, this is where I came from. This is how I got here. Before you walk into this door, whenever you feel the need to go back, you can. This is not a one-way trip. I can simply open this door again, and you are free to go back home.
02:46:01
Speaker
Well, that's that's comforting, knowing that I'm not going to be captured and and imprisoned by a crazy person. I would never even dream of that. Can you dream? I do. um It's complicated. um Interesting.
02:46:16
Speaker
So whenever you're ready, you can walk through. Okay, well, we've been over this part already. He's like, okay, in that case, and he steps in through the door.
02:46:29
Speaker
I put a tentative foot in. And then i' take it back out and I kind of like jiggle my foot, make sure it's feeling OK. And then I take a look back towards my village.
02:46:43
Speaker
Yeah, you don't see anymore. The direction of your village? Yeah, the direction. Yes. Well, I said towards. okay And i just take a long look of the area around where I am and i take something out of my pocket.
02:46:56
Speaker
and look at it for a second and just whisper, well, this is what you always wanted for me, right? And then she puts whatever she had in her pocket.
02:47:07
Speaker
She turns around, takes a deep breath, and walks through the door. So from the world you just left, um we see that door slowly close and that light completely vanish.
02:47:23
Speaker
And that heat mirage vapor trail, that slight light distortion of the door that was just there, vanishes completely.
02:47:42
Speaker
This has been a Glitter Fox Media production. www.glitterfoxmania.com