You killed the rat? Hss! He was one of the better sources of entertai~nya~ment here…
and I was hoping to corner him somewhere and toy with him... The dragon, too? Nyeeeeh… Not much bloodlust in his musk, but he captured my image well… You'd kill them when that old coot in the shell's still wandering around?
Nyeh, there's always a nice frame waiting for him. Those geriatric ghost hunters adorn a wall nicely when set in shades of sepia. You're all eager to hear of
my evening, I'm certain. I'll keep you in suspense no longer. Although… I concede that my night was not as… meowasterful as I anticipated…
Next time you in~furr~m me there's a treasure to be excavated, Suit, you'll make certain it's there.
I began my evening with a descent into the mag~nya~ificent basement.
Someone alleged in her little damage reports the presence of a boulder in the Ceremonial Chamber, marked by an X. The whole structure sits atop a mine. Any stone that someone deigned to mark is bound to contain a valuable, no? I mag~nya~animously offered to collect the excavation equipment, so long as she dirtied her hands.
There's no finer place in this complex from which to purr~loin such equipment than within the Crystal Quarry and its Quarry Pit. Gaudy, if you ask me. Suited only to the
nouveau riche décédé. Though given the eccentricities of our absent host, I'd stake a Laurel on those crystals concealing some classier artifact. I spent time inspecting them, but I was not to be alone. Lyra recognized their potential as well, entering and attempting to shatter that central crystal! Nyahahaha, you all should have witnessed her violence! A shame her efforts were in vain. Tell you what, take a Daric for saving me the sweat~!
I ventured to the Roundhouse, where my associate and I were to meet. There's no reason I should spend the whole night encumbered with excavation equipment! En route, I caught MCD emerging from the Tree Roots. You
must regale me another time with tales of your house. I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of… a single relation of yours… Strange…
Regardless, as I dropped the equipment in the Roundhouse, Lyra entered. She only began inspecting the minecarts…
I anticipated an attempt on my half-life… Though I suppose there are others better to stain my claws… Brilliant as she is, she's rather… sloshy…
Speaking of sloshing, great work draining that lake, nyahaha! The fish were delectable, but what you've uncovered is far more valuable - additional square footage! It
did force me to second-guess my plans for the evening, though… I knew the obvious paths to the lake would have killers lying in wait. Listen. Do you hear it? The dragon's speaking up to tell me my intuition was entirely right! I took a circuitous route, climbing to the second floor to descend via the Termi~nya~l…
And wouldn't you know it? One of you had rigged the Termi~nya~l and its access with traps! To first be drenched, then to be sliced by some pedestrian blade, how in~furr~iating! If you intend to make an attempt on me, have the courtesy to do it in purr-son! Nyeeeh… what I was subjected to is humiliating… When I get my claws on the culprits, you'll rue this stain on my appearance! I'll cleave you to-!
……
…giving you free publicity for humiliating me. What am I doing? What's it matter?
You're the ones who truly lose. Watch your backs in the dark corners of the complex, or I'll watch them for you~. If I had to hazard a guess, the cloaked figure leaving the Snowy Grounds to the south before my descent bears responsibility.
Hsss! The chill of the air outside won't compare to the chill you feel on the back of your neck, I guarantee.
…regardless, I proceeded to the former lake, where I…
politely requested the services of an Ice Elemental. After securing its coo~purr~eration, I returned through the Train Exhibit. If any attempts were made on me at this point, I could flash-freeze my assailant! Fortunately, I had no cause for concern. By that time, the train had already sliced the dragon.
My business was elsewhere, so I left his carcass be and ascended to the Nautical Exhibit. I left from there to the Smokehouse. I had devised an ingenious trap. I-
Nyah? Why do
I get to set traps when I expect others to kill me purr-sonally? That's… It's because…
The reason's… Just don't mind that!
The point is, I collected an irritating and toxic plant from the grounds, and set it to burn in the Smokehouse. Under normal circumstances, the smoke would escape through the flue, but with a plug made of ice, toxic smoke could accumulate! Nyahahaha! The room's heat would have melted away the ice, clearing the smoke out before you could investigate it! Brilliant, isn't it?
I set the trap, then departed for the Hollow Tree. While on the way, MCD pulled me into the Parlor. Quite the conversationalist, aren't you? We exchanged pleasantries and conversed late into the night, after which we both descended the Hollow Tree. He exited at the first floor while I carried on to the basement.
There, I met with the Suit at the Roundhouse. She led me to the Ceremonial Chamber, where… there was nothing at all! Nyeeeeh, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time… With the spirits around here, there's likely at least one illusionist… Next time, however…
Well, what's there to say after that? I returned to my room, and she to hers.
Could've done with a more successful evening…