Nar Yakushi

"6/21/2025, Three days after start of expedition. I wish the mall man the best. He was a great host, and ate up everything I told him about the outside world. He couldn't believe it when I showed him my cell phone. Especially the fact that I could listen to music through it. Showed him some of Dragonautica's stuff, and he loved it. Loaded up on supplies from the mall before I left, so that should extend the time range of the expedition by at least a few more days. It'll be nice to have things to eat that aren't MREs, or canned foods for a while.  Haven't found any signs of Tinder in the first, or second layers so far. Though, I can't exactly search all of them. As far as anybody knows, every layer in the AHS has an infinite number of highways in it. Best if I just head to layer three, and spend a day or two looking there. Things will get a lot more dangerous, and my hopes of finding Tinder alive are quickly fading. If I don't find anything after two days, I'm going to turn back, and search layer two some more. It's too dangerous to spend so long in any layer past two here. Monarchs, if you're readying this, somehow, please let the boy be alive, and sane. -Nar Kazunah" It's been 5 highways since Nar entered the third layer. With no clues as to the whereabouts of Tinder Woods, Nar can do little more than pick a door, and hope he finds the child somewhere beyond it. Part of him has been wanting to just turn back, and leave. He feels terrible for leaving his daughter for so long. He knows his family, and friends are likely worried about him. Any number of things could happen to him in here, and they would never know. Then he thinks about how Tinder's parents must feel. He thinks about how he would feel if he was in their situation. How he would feel if Cookie was the one lost in here, and he didn't have the training, or experience to look for her. Besides, a child is lost in this plane somewhere, and right now, Nar is the only person who might be able to bring him home safely. If he leaves the AHS to preserve his own life, he's leaving a child to die, or suffer a fate worse than death. While traversing a long, stone corridor inside a highway in layer 3, Nar is suddenly hit by the most vile smell he's ever smelled. He only gets a whiff of it before turning to back away, but it's enough to cause his stomach to churn, and make him wretch. It smells like rotten meat, and decay. Once he's clear of the smell, Nar weighs his options. He has a gas mask in his satchel. He could investigate the smell, but it could just be a trap, set by some creature in the highway. He thinks about leaving to look for another highway, but a sinking feeling in his gut tells him he needs to investigate. He dons his gas mask, then, with a silent prayer to the monarchs, he turns, and presses on.  (https://youtu.be/F4OOrmZv6sM?si=Fn6e_ShcCdYy9g7M) As Nar exits the corridor, he comes out into a dimly lit opening in a craggy cave. His eyes survey the area, only to come to rest on something in the middle of the room. The blood in his veins turns to ice in an instant. In the middle of the room lies a pile of clothing scraps. A sash with a few badges sits atop the scraps, seeming to have been cut horizontally. A small cap with the Colt Scout emblem on it sits a foot from the scraps. As Nar approaches, he finds it's partially covered in a dust-like substance. For a moment, all is still. As if this scene had caused the whole of the Astral Highway System to pause, if only for a brief moment. Gingerly, Nar kneels down to pick up the hat, and sash. As the underside of the sash comes into view, he notices that it, and the clothing scraps are covered in the same dust-like substance as the hat. The smell of decay begins to seep through his mask. The dust must be what's causing the awful smell. Nar doesn't want to think about why. With the care of a doctor handling a newborn child, Nar goes to place the items within his satchel, only to stop himself short. He'd rather clean the dust off before putting it into his satchel. Otherwise, it might get the smell everywhere.  Then, he stands, and quickly starts back the way he came. Whatever did this to Tinder might still be around, and Nar does not want to find out for himself. He'll have to clean the items when he finds a place that's safe to do so. As he exits out of the highway, back into the previous one, only one thought plays on his mind. How is he going to tell the boy's parents? " 6/21/2025, Three days after start of expedition. Tinder Woods is dead. I can't begin to imagine what happened to him. I only hope it was quick. His fate is a lucky one when compared to the fate most who get lost in the AHS suffer. May he find peace with Solaris now. -Nar Kazunah"