Thirty-Third Message [Video | Sheet of Paper]

[scramasax]

[The usual ceiling view in a poorly-lit room. Anthony settles into place with reasonable alignment; otherwise spares little - not all that easy to so much as make out his face. A covered cough.

Husky and sharp-halting:]

-- Hello. 'S Anthony Janvier.

Uhm, last - last week -- I'm... sorry that-that this wasn't said before but there's been - so much happening, er -

St. John's -- the church, that was - replaced with a chapel, er - we, um - Mr. Burkhardt, Mr. Lyall, Xander, Hajime, Mr. Keller and I went there. Last week. There's a - [Coughs again, voiced.]

There's a -- secret passage in the second floor. To a ladder... that, um. Goes - [And falls muttering.] - goes down to a - subterranean... level... We --

-- didn't get - very far inside; we -- there - there were monsters. In the first hall; uhmm - [Swallows, releases shaky.] - like mummies. -- And they attacked, erhh...

It -- it isn't safe... [Obviously. Binds his voice back up - ] I-I-I'm assuming we have to - we have to change that... Take -- ...care of it. Before...

[Any implied follow to that "before" probably works. Back down to compressed and husky:]

-- Don't know who would go -- and, ermm... - Not - can't be sure what else... else is underground - I'm -- not even me. It - it -

I had a pulse, the... day, the - chapel showed up; I've umm... Haven't - pulsed -- anything useful. About it...

[Apart from the awareness that there was a secret passage, at any rate - thinks, takes a raspy breath for a moment, scrapes a more to-the-point closer out with low-floating uncertainty.]

What - what - what... What does -- anyone think we should do -- ?

[Soft, compulsive - ] I apologize.

[Computer, Audio Only]

[proudbraveandtall]

For anyone in Vegas, if you find an opening into that mountain, don't go in it.

[There's a clink of ice against glass, a muttered curse in a language that's not English, liquid pouring.]

There could be a dragon inside.