In Memoriam - An Unus Annus Fanfiction

24.04 - 04/24 - Running internet drama through Google Translate

»I don't know about you guys, but I'm definetely not staying here,« Rogue said after making sure the hologram was gone. »Atlantis may be the holy grail of adventurers, but even the holiest of grails is still only a chalice. And I don't plan on drinking the same thing for the rest of my life.«
He walked over to the window, a tiny silhouette against a giant city. »Maybe it would be better if you two stayed behind until we find a solution. I understand now why nobody ever returned from their quest to the lost City. They either died along the way, or found it and are held hostage to this day.«
He grabbed his cloak, swinging it over his shoulders. »With a bit of luck, I may be able to find some former companions of mine in this city. I know of a powerful cloaking spell, but there is no guarantee it will work. I have not tried it before, but if it holds, I can sneak out. If I don't return, you two can still say that you had nothing to do with this.«
»You don't have to do this,« Unus responded. »You've already put yourself in so much danger for us.« Rouge grinned. »I know. That's why I love travelling with you.«

This night, they decided to sleep in shifts. Rouge wanted to attempt his escape as soon as they would get their breakfast delivered, and nobody wanted to risk sleeping through it. During his shift, Unus realized something interesting; during the night, the glow of the city dimmed, until it was little more than a night light, and as the clock ticked on towards morning, so did the city begin to glow again.
A beeping sound indicated the arrival of their chance. A mechanical voice told them to step back from the door, and so they did. The guards placed baskets full of fresh fruit, warm bread, eggs and ham and everything else one could wish for on the table. The trio stayed relaxed, not letting anything shine through. Annus glanced over to Rouge, who was whispering something under his breath. It didn't seem to have any effect though. The guards said goodbye, and the invisible wall picked up it's work again.
    »Well, it was worth a shot,« Annus said, turning around to Rouge. He was gone.

Rouge kept his body close to the walls, avoiding the patrols that walked up and down the seemingly endless floors. His teeth were clenched. He had no idea how long the spell would hold up. Every second he could pop back into the visible field and even if he was good at sneaking around, there was nowhere to hide in these endless corridors of white and off-white.

His hand traced the wall, and images flooded his brain. There were so many, he nearly tripped over his own feet. He remembered what Norbert Moses had told them: The walls of Atlantis were brimming with magic. Who would have guessed that they'd even react to his cloaking spell. He exhaled slowly, hoping that he hadn't alerted anyone. It was unlikely, he thought, or else he'd probably be back in the cell already. he stretched out his fingers again. It was a gamble, but so far, he'd always been lucky with both cards and die.

The images were clearer this time. Still, it was like dozens of voices speaking at once. He felt as if he would try to concentrate on a single conversation in an overcrowded tavern. Words and images flew by. He saw Da Vinci, tinkering on what seemed to be a control panel. Turing, and the words 'stop', 'again', 'week', and 'tryst' flashed through his mind. All of this was quite entertaining, especially since Da Vinci carried a rather smug look on his lips. He reminded him of a cat that had been told to stay off the counter, only to double it's time on said furniture.
Rouge shook his head and concentrated. The sheer mass of magic was almost overwhelming, but he didn't have the time to search it all. His mind relaxed, and after a while, the thing he was looking for whizzed past his inner eye.