Sojaveña Wilds Twilight Quarry

[Namohysip]

After a talk with Nova to finally reorient her mind, in addition to making certain that she was mentally prepared for whatever would come next, she helped lead the charge into the Grand Quarry. Though, according to the locals, it had already been renamed to Twilight Quarry...

And she could see why.

Mhynt allowed anyone to come along for this, as they needed the numbers, under one condition: They all brought Escape Orbs, and in great abundance. And when it was over, they'd all return to Sybil to test themselves against the relic. All for maximum precautions, and to minimize the hold Alexander could have on them, and for how long.

But even with all of those precautions, nothing could have prepared them for the oppressive aura that bombarded them the second they entered Twilight Quarry's domain...

"...Is everyone still okay?" Mhynt confirmed once they entered. "Remember. We are only here to scout, investigate, and leave at the first sign of trouble. We cannot afford any risks."

 

[Namohysip]

Just outside Twilight Quarry, Mhynt and a small team of Wayfarers met together for one final debriefing. They hid behind a rock--not very glamorous, but effective--to discuss all they knew and all they'd uncovered during their stakeout.

It had been about a half-day of observations, but it would have to do. The sun was no longer at its hottest, but sunset was still at least two hours away.

"We are not equipped for a full-on raid," Mhynt reminded them, "but we can scout for information with one final dive. We're looking for two keys: One, how Alexander travels--and confirming if he can also traverse Dungeons--and, two, if there are any chips, patterns, or other weak points in his Shadow possession of others, Wayfarer or otherwise.

"Before we go in, let's go over one last time what everyone can do. I'll start. If we lose our Escape Orbs, I can Teleport as many of us out as possible. My knowledge about Shadows back home--and at least being able to guess how Alexander may do the same--is secondary help."

 

[Namohysip]

It was time to strike. A small group of Wayfarers gathered together and marched into Twilight Quarry after confirming--as well as they could--that Alexander had left. It was just as the Void chef had said... He was off doing errands. Now it was time to take out his prized troop--another Wayfarer. One way or the other, the goal was to make it so Owen would no longer be in Alexander's clutches. That could be by rescuing him... or, if they had to, killing him.

Mhynt was not sure which one it would be.

"One last check," Mhynt said as they walked through the Quarry. The red miasma choked the morning sun's light. Everything was dim. But they knew the way.

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt didn't like how familiar she was becoming, again, with the strange gloom of Twilight Quarry.

But what seemed worse about this place was that it was now... empty. Utterly and completely empty. All that lingered was Alexander's influence over the place, the darkness and Voidlands that had leaked into the Dungeon. The Wayfarers could only be thankful that such darkness didn't go further from the Dungeon itself--and stopped within it, like a quarantine.

"Mental check," Mhynt announced. "Does anyone feel Shadows rising?"

For her, she felt a tug. But by now they had experience warding it off. It was weaker than last time, at least...

"We're going to go deeper this time to find more information. Perhaps even to understand the nature of where Alexander goes... and how. We have our suspicions, but we need confirmation. And perhaps we can find a weak point in doing so."