X Marks the Spot

393 AC - I shake my paint can energetically and spray an X on the ground, after meticulously replacing the stone blocks and sprinkling a little dust back into the cracks to conceal my misdeeds. Because, pirate's honor, everybody knows that X always marks the spot where treasure is hidden. What's that, Blotch? On a map, not on the actual spot? I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. On the other hand, there's no harm in giving little Tamati a bit of help… although he's not actually that small, especially with those big biceps. I mean, the City of Scholars is a pretty huge place. You could just about get lost there… OK, fine, everyone gets lost there. One more reason to make things a bit easier on him. QED! I grimace as I think of the face he'll probably make at the rehearsal. This will put him in such a mood!

Anyway, let's get going before someone spots me and reports me! As we scamper away, I hear Blotch start to hum a little tune, and I turn to him with a slightly irritated pout. You do understand what discretion means, right? This is a stealth operation, man! A covert mission! He twists and writhes in the air, surprised at my reaction. And I realize that it's not actually him who's humming. So then… who is it? A treasure hunter who just found our loot? Nope. A kid on a field trip who got separated from the group? No, definitely not. I press my ear against a block of black stone and listen. I walk around to the other side and listen again. Yep, it's coming from the stone. As though it were a big music box, but with no lid and no key to wind it. Pretty sus, right? I knock on the smooth stone. Is somebody in there?

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