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Post by malinghi on Dec 23, 2011 15:39:42 GMT -5
Slowly and meticulously Malinghi scooped sand into a bucket, and squinted to see the sandy bottom in front of him. He had thought he had seen something metallic, but no... it was just a rock. He was unaccustomed to such dim light, as the trench he was excavating was somewhat deeper than the village and its surrounding waters in which he spent most of his time. But the poor lighting was really the least of his problems- he reluctantly admitted that even in a well lit area it would be difficult to find a small artifact in a huge area such as this. He was looking for the proverbial sewing pin in a kelp forest.
Kicking once with his powerful tail, he brought the bucket to the side of the dig site, and emptied it. It would have been far less tedious with help, he reminded himself, but thus far no one had taken up he request for assistance. It was still possible that they might though. He had a left a message in the town square with directions to the trench and an explanation of why the Gatis manuscript was a cultural treasure, but it seemed that none of the other merfolk had been interested in coming. He hoped at least someone would. It was going to be a long day.
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Post by Courtney on Dec 23, 2011 16:57:47 GMT -5
From a distance, Courtney watched with interest. She had seen the message in the village and was curious about what this explorer was after...
Moving through the water with the greatest of ease she swam towards the excavation site.
"What are you looking for?" She said, as she pulled herself down onto a large boulder where she let her tail wrap down the side like the tail of cat. "It must be something important yes?"
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Post by malinghi on Dec 23, 2011 17:48:08 GMT -5
Malinghi, turned suddenly to see a mermaid resting in a rock nearby. He had been so absorbed in his tedious work that he hadn't heard her approach. He eyed her hesitantly.
“I'm looked for a very old document.” he replied. “It's called the Gatis manuscript. Scholars have been aware of it for centuries, but only recently have details of its precise location been uncovered.” He paused, before continuing. “It's believed that the manuscript was being transported by ship in the mid nineteenth century when it sank in this location. The ship rotted away a long time ago, but if I'm right the manuscript is still here in this trench somewhere.”
Malinghi was still suspicious of the mermaid. He had no idea who she was. He wasn't sure if he'd regret enlisting her help.
“I'm Malinghi.” He added. “What's your name? If you'd like to help, I could use an extra set of hands digging. There's another shovel sitting by my trident.”
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Post by Courtney on Dec 23, 2011 18:03:04 GMT -5
"A pleasure to meet you." Courtney said as she pushed off from the rock and drifted down to pick up the shovel she'd been offered. "I would be like to help."
"My name is Courtney. That's my human name anyway..." She said as she took the shovel and moved to start digging. "This Gatis thing sounds like it could be an interesting find. Any idea what kind of information is in it?"
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Post by malinghi on Dec 23, 2011 18:55:32 GMT -5
"Human name?..." This mermaid was suspicious. Malinghi resolved to ask about that later. Instead he returned to the subject of the manuscript. “The historical record is pretty unclear on that, actually. There are medival references to the document that suggests the manuscript contains the most occult knowledge of ancient merfolk tribes in the Indian ocean. If it does contain folklore and rituals of these groups, it would be a huge find for historians. To this date little is known about the culture of ancient merfolk in the Indian ocean.”
They began to dig, quietly uncovering small items, suggesting that a ship had sunk in that location at some time. Hours later they began to grow more optimistic as more and more items from the ship were found, suggesting they were getting close to the manuscript itself. Suddenly the unmistakable smell of a shark passed through the water. They both looked up at the same instant to see an 18 foot shark racing toward them with dizzying speed, its jagged mouth opened menacingly.
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Post by Courtney on Dec 23, 2011 19:07:54 GMT -5
Courtney had also caught the unmistakable sent of the shark. She hissed and dropped her shovel. Large predators often avoided Merfolk traveling in groups for the same reason that humans avoid packs of lions. Team work! Unfortunately this did not apply as there were only two of them...
"We have to get out of here! Swim!" She screamed as she spun around.
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Post by malinghi on Dec 23, 2011 23:23:21 GMT -5
Malinghi twisted his body and in a smooth motion sent a wave down his body that propelled him toward the trident. He grabbed it and pushed off a nearby rock. As he swam upward the shark missed him by inches. He followed Courtney out of the trench. The shark was steadily gaining on them. They dove into a dense jungle of kelp and coral and swam furiously until they were certain they had lost their pursuer. For the first time Malinghi looked at his left arm and realized that it was bleeding. The shark had managed to scrape his arm when he had grabbed his trident.
“I think we should head back to the village,” Malinghi said. “It's not serious, but my arm needs medical attention.”
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