A path has been chosen! You have discovered the seemingly infinite knowledge of a folktale library, but a strange aqualox now stands in your way.

What story or secret do you give them in our next Storyline prompt: "Trade of Tales"?

Want to catch up on the story? Visit our Current Storyline Hub!

Story

"Your footsteps crescendo as the ground beneath your feet transitions from the leaf litter of autumns past into the tap of ancient cobble pavers. The morning sun swirls in your eyes, glimmering with the fervor of both a new day and a new discovery.

"After a fruitless expedition in the Sylph Falls, your thirst for knowledge has driven you in search of a fantastical library. It was supposedly only a folktale, but despite all odds, you’ve found it.

"The massive building is unmistakable and breathtaking as the firey sunlight dances through the canopy, haloing looming pillars and delicate carvings leading into the stoa’s shadowy retreat. The shimmer flitters from the varnish and catches your eyes in the magical way wooden structures do: how on this flooded island hasn’t the building rotten away; could it truly have been hidden in the spirit-realm?

"But these questions that murmur through your thoughts drift into silence as you ascend the stretching perron into the shelter of the stoa. Your pupils drink in the cool shadows, dilating only briefly from the dappled sunlight. Whiskers twitching and eyes glowing, you spot the entryway. 

"You prance up to the heavy, double doors, noticing the intricate carvings woven into the wood’s rings from trees long-since cut down to serve the magnificent purpose of the entryway to the halls beyond. You lift a paw to push the doors open, but the weight forces you to switch to your shoulder. Summoning all of your strength, you push again, and the hinges open with the cry of ten thousand centuries, revealing the world inside.

"Somehow, the darkness is even stronger, the shadows weighing on your lungs like a heavy fog as you take your first tentative step inside. You pause for a moment, listening to the silence, then curiosity takes hold. You head further inside, imprinting footprints into the layers of dust blanketing the dark wood floor like snow. The particles dance into the air, catch your nose and tickle a sneeze, but there is no time to heed them.

"You stand in wonderment at the room around you. Books, hundreds upon hundreds of books spread throughout hundreds and hundreds of shelves, seemingly span into the heavens above. Where the circular room’s ceiling should have been is an infinite spiral of shelves that would take lifetimes to read. Overwhelmed, you redirect your focus to the shelf before you, and haphazardly pluck one of the many volumes from the shelf. It nearly disintegrates in your hands, its lightweight feel startling you into attention. Where you had anticipated heavy, stone tablets, you are met with the feather-like touch of paper. Real paper.

"The archaic pages drape into your hands and you settle to observe the ancient characters inked into the page, scarcely visible in the low light.

"'…and the final scale has been shed. Lazourus has destroyed them. The Benthon, hastily casting out the villain, plead innocence, but the people are restless and the Primlin—the symbol of truth... Lazourus has already run into hiding, and now someone else must bear the weight of the blame. I fear for the future of our Earthen brothers…'

"Suddenly, a pebble tumbles from above, jolting you from the faded script. The small stone skips and skitters to a halt before your feet. You stare into the slate-grey pebble, shifting your gaze into the infinity that is the ceiling. You notice separate floors, barred securely with oak railings that are carved in elegant shapes, a motif from the pillars outside, but there is no movement. The universe is still, as if the library has halted time itself.

"A shiver trills up your spine for yet another time on this journey. Something tells you the answers about your missing serpent trinket may not be worth staying in these halls. You turn to leave, but stop dead in your tracks.

"Two beady, black eyes stare into you from behind a pair of menacing, steel tusks. The soul residing in the eyes reveres you with distrust, but light glitters within for the thrill of an intruder after so many years of silence. The beast, flat against the floor, still looms over you, its yellow mouth hissing static saliva. Its deep grey fur blends into the shadows, while striking gold fins weave up its chest into a mouth the size of your entire body, visible even against the scarlet sunlight haloing around its powerful form. Its elephant-clawed feet click quietly across the beige-tiled floor.

"You begin to step back, and the beast abruptly lunges. The pair of yellow frills around its neck flare as it launches an obsidian claw toward your eye.

"You're only able to narrowly dodge the strike as the beast rakes another piercing claw into your side. An electric singe burns through the gash as you’re flung into a bookshelf. The furniture trembles, sending books cascading down, but the wound is shallow enough, you manage to slide away from the paper landslide. The creature releases a bellow from deep within its lungs.

"Wincing, you leap aside as the massive form slithers its charge into the wall where you stood just moments before. The force knocks the bookshelf onto the creature, but the heavy wood shatters like mica, as it swivels to charge once more. Its body slinks like a barracuda in the waters, but you swirl left, and the beast is too slow to correct itself. The attack lands full force into the opposite wall, obliterating the solid wood. The fragments snap and clatter onto the ground, the hollow sound reminding you that with one wrong move, those noises could be fragments of your Soul Gem.

"At some point, your pains drown in adrenaline, and your mind races. Instinctively, you stumble to the door, but your heart plummets. The doors are tightly sealed, presumably having swayed shut from the creatures’ rampaging. Suddenly, the ground trembles around you, and you are smashed sideways, static ricocheting through your muscles. Your body flies into another bookcase, as your head aches to process the punishment for letting your guard down.

"The beast roars again, charging straight for you, but with electric spasms filleting your muscles and purple-blue bruises soaking into your skin, there is no way to evade the creature. You brace yourself for impact when, suddenly, a book falls open from the shelf above you.

"The world falls still.

"Then it erupts into a purifying sea-glass-blue light, blinding you. You hear the beast yowl, then the hiss of its slithering retreat. When your vision finally returns, the creature is long gone, and you are alone in the library. No longer is the room illuminated with the soft glow of a filtered sunrise. Instead, a blue light dapples the room like a zoo aquarium, all emanating from the books lining the ever-expansive shelves.

"Gnashing your teeth, you tremble onto your feet and slowly pad over to the book resting before you. Once again, the delicate touch of paper meets your paws. The letters themselves glow like magic runes, letting you easily read the text on the random page the book fell open to.

“'…I can feel myself slipping. I should have kept my Soul Gem, but how could I let her burn? Maybe I should have let the Inferno taken her. She will now live an eternity of loneliness, the last of her kind, because of me. Glory, if you find this journal—'

"Suddenly, the words begin to shift and swirl as though the ink were sucked into a vortex. You try to blink your eyes clear, but before you know it, the text has become a muddled scribble in the center of the page. You fear it is because you are on the verge of fainting, but this tidepool of congealed alphabet begins to animate, bubbling and churning. You lean in, trying to make sense of the scribbles, as the blue glow dims to nothing. Suddenly, a face springs from the ink splot, cackling like a starved wildfire.

"You recoil back, launching the book across the floor. Your fur prickles along your spine, the world slipping into an icy chill. In between the pages, a figure slinks through the ink. Another beast has found you, but the wounds of the previous force you to stay in place. It is in this moment that you begin to notice something.

"You watch as the creature furls and curls around the words, slinking through the pages that have begun to turn on their own as if a heavy wind were rushing through the library. A smile with too many teeth and a hissing tongue like a snake’s flickers in and out of view. The beast reveals itself, with whiskers quivering, its eyes are hollow and crazed, and a laugh is constantly rasping from its throat. While its movements flow like ink, its limbs are rigid and nearly lifeless. Your mind jumps to the shadow-puppet shows of your youth, but the mane and the creature’s build… Despite your doubts, this is no cryptid nor some entertainer’s toy. The long body, whiskers, and flowing mane give it away: an aqualox is living inside the pages of the library books. But where’s its Soul Gem?

"'Who are you?'The question escapes your lips before you even remember that you can still speak, and like a crow into the winter dawn, the aqualox’s cackle pierces your ears.

“'I am the one who’s been Lost to the Currents. I have been swimming for millennia, no longer bound to the tether of mortal flesh and bone,' hisses the toothy grin. 'I guard this library’s knowledge, young Child of Aysu, and I deem you unworthy of these writer’s tales. You are inferior to me. You are still humbled by the plight of famine and disease.'

"The laughing figure disappears into the edge of the page, reappearing on the box cover next to you. A hiss rings from its throat like a dragon about to spit fire.

“'Nevertheless, do you realize that you are the first in a century to be in these halls? I can sense that you have what I want: you carry secrets and stories on your frame,' the ‘lox cackles again, 'albeit they are not as expansive nor grievous as mine.'

"Without warning, the figure shifts out of the book again. You cannot see where it has gone, but the whispers echo all around you.

“'Share your stories, your worries and woes, young child of Aysu. In turn, I shall grant you a fragment of the knowledge you seek.' The creature whips itself into the book in front of you, and the glowing letters blare red light. 'But make it good, lest you wish to be fed to the Rok Guardian.'

"This sends the aqualox down a spiral of guttural laughter, as it twirls away into another book, dissolving from your vision once more, while the glowing letters slowly shift from red to blue.

"All the cold of the Northern Islands course through your veins, as your left reaching into your memory for a story to tell. "

Updates

Hello, again, Island Dwellers!

Some chose to search Sylph Falls for a hermit, but you did not find your mysterious hermit… Maybe they will appear later, but for now, you turn your attention to a different route, one of a fantastical library, and (despite all odds) you’ve managed to find it! But before you could locate answers in the many books, an aqualox living inside of the pages has stopped you. This paper aqualox has no Soul Gem, and leaves you wondering just how they’ve been imprisoned in these pages. But you cannot make sense of the jittered ramblings of a madman, and between Lost in the Currents and a Rok Guardian, you’re really left with only one choice. What story or secret do you choose to share in our new Storyline prompt: Trade of Wisdoms?

We thank you for your patience while we set up this prompt, and we hope you’re excited as we are to get answers. In fact, all users who submit to this prompt can ask Lost in the Currents a lore exposition question of their choosing! But ask wisely, as Lost hasn’t seen anyone in over a century, they possess more knowledge of the past than the present.

To ask a  question, you may include it in the comments of your submission and receive an answer via our Direct Message System, or jump straight to sending a Direct Message to Admin. If you ask a question that has already been answered (all of which are visible on the Current Storyline Hub) you will be allowed to ask an additional one. Make sure to ask Lost in the Currents your question before July 7th at 23:59:59 PM CST. Please notice that any questions received after this time may not be answered.

This is entirely optional and all in good fun, so you do not need to ask a question to participate or receive this prompt’s rewards.

And as a reminder, you do not need to complete any of the previous Storyline prompts to participate in Trade of Wisdoms. Members, new and old, are welcome to join in on the Storyline at any time!

Encyclopedia Updates

Several changes have been made to the encyclopedia pages of Hoard items, including pets, items, and claymores! The sidebar has been condensed, and all Hoard items have a new coat of paint. This includes the addition of "Availability" for both pets and claymores. There are still a few minor display issues that will be worked be addressed before the end of next week.

Character Inventory Updates

You can now attach gear and weapons to your Safirans! Simply visit your inventory, click on the "Weapons" or "Gear" tab, select the desired claymore, then follow the instructions under the "Attach to Character" dropdown. Upon attaching a claymore to your Safiran, it will be visible on the "Stats" tab of their masterlist.

The General Store

After what feels like a century of waiting, Starfish has finally received some wares to stock in her shop, the General Store! Stop by the Bazaar to visit her shop and maybe bring home a new trinket or two.

REMINDERS

• Our monthly prompts, Generous Spirit and Poco Discovery, have both been refreshed for the month of June!
• Keep an eye out for our upcoming Pride-themed Activity Corner coming out on the 2nd!