"You alright there?"
Nillian quickly looks up from the letter, then realises the sound came from his original entrance. Suddenly feeling possessive he stows the letter into his coat and quickly makes his way back, to the hole he fell through.
"Yes ... I am alright. I fell through, there is a hole here. I can't climb out, do you have a rope?"
"Me get it."
The boatman moves out of sight, and several minutes later a rope drops down. Nillian tests it and finds that it is secured tightly. He slowly makes his way up, holding on to the rope and sometimes finding support on the walls. He has never climbed a rope before, and his hands are blistered when he finally makes his way out. At the top he crawls out of the hole and lies panting in the grass. The boatman bends over him, with a frown on his face.
"You hurt?"
"Bruised mostly, but not permanently damaged ... I hope."
The boatman helps him up, and together they go back to the boat, then back to the edge of the Wet District. There Lyxia and Thomas are already waiting, Lyxia looking slightly worried at his late arrival. Her worry increases when she sees the state he is in. His clothes are torn and dirty, he has some cuts and bruises on his face and he is slightly limping. As he disembarks she rushes over, asking if he is alright.
"Yes, yes, I am alright. Just fell down a hole."
"A hole?"
She looks at the boatman, frowning, but not continuing the conversation. She takes Nillian by the arm and tries to lead him to the carriage. But he first turns around and pays the boatman. Then he let himself be led back to the carriage and then to the inn.
During the journey Nillian is silent, watching the city as if he had never seen it before. At one time Lyxia asks if he found anything yet, in a light tone, trying to make some conversation. But all he said was "later", unwilling to share his findings yet. Sometimes he feels his coat, feeling if the letter is still there. And all the while his brain is doing overtime, trying to sort everything, to make sense of what he has found and what he is going to do.
Back at the inn Nillian takes a shower and puts on some new clothes, feeling much better. Then he goes downstairs and together with Lyxia eats a quick meal. After dinner they retire to Nillian’s room, the evening still being early. As Nillian enters the room he starts pacing, his body trying to convey what is happening in his mind. Lyxia looks at him for a few seconds, slowly realizing what is the matter, what he is trying to tell her.
"So, what did you find, at the bottom of that hole?"
Nillian looks up surprised at her question. He thinks for a few seconds, trying to find the words to tell her.
"Well, it was a room, with machines. And a letter. Something I didn't expect at all. Or perhaps I did, but never realized it. It was frightening, but also a revelation. There was ..."
He goes on for a few seconds, not able to find the words to describe it. He sighs and takes out the letter.
"Here, read this. That should explain."
Lyxia reads the letter, her eyes moving quickly through the words. When she is finished she looks up at Nillian.
"He was a bit full of himself, wasn't he?"
"Huh?"
It was not the response Nillian was expecting.
"Well, the way how his disappearance should cause an uprising, his mysterious figure act, and all that talk about him being an inspiration for others. Reeks a bit of thinking too much of himself."
"But ... but it is true! It did create a stir, and it will inspire people."
"Ha! I am sure that there will be a lot of people exited about these blueprints, and I am fairly sure that it will be build. But there will be no one to sail it, and certainly not to far away places."
Nillian, after those words, retreats into himself and is not much of conversation for the rest of the evening. He retires early, wishing Lyxia a good night.
The next morning he writes a quick note to the University, telling them he has found Dr. Biene's secret laboratory in Capes, but not much else. He feels a bit disappointed that he has to share his discovery with his peers, but he did promise the council to keep them informed. And anyway, they will probably first talk about it, not believe him and in the end request more information. And all the while he will have the laboratory for himself.
Then he makes his way back to the laboratory, and continues his explorations. On his way to the laboratory he walks into a hardware store and buys a piece of rope. He still hasn't found the real entrance, so he will first have to go down the hole again.
He spends the whole day and the day after going through the blueprints, sorting them and studying them. He also explores the other rooms, finding more workplaces, some empty bedrooms and a large kitchen. Through one door he stumbles across a long corridor, which leads all the way to a small cove at the coast. There he finds the remains of a tiny harbour, though he can see that it was large enough to hold one big ship. On the second day Lyxia also comes to the lab with him, helping him out.
At the end of the second day the returns to the inn tired but feeling good. He has a feeling that he is doing something useful, and it gives him purpose. In his briefcase there are several blueprints containing the most important sketches of the steam boat. He was loath to leave them in the laboratory, so he brought them with him. In the inn he is approached by two gentlemen he recognizes from the University. They introduce themselves as Blake and Powell, and hand him a letter from the council.
Nillian reads the letter and feels his heart sink to his boots. The letter contains only one thing: a missive for him to return to Kataras and present his results to the council.
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