After several tireless days and night I completed it. My first work since my eyes have been opened to new possibilities. "Mission From Beyond" was received surprisingly well by my fan base and is spreading more than I expected. This is all certainly enlightening and I can only fathom what I have yet to learn. I sunk a fair bit of expenses into printing even after crowdsourcing. I'll have to eat on the lighter side for a couple weeks, but I just know this is gonna pay dividends! I can feel it in my very soul that this is the start of something big. Something huge that I won't be able to contain to just my writing. It scares and excites me in equal measure. The one thing I know for certain is that I must keep the actual events I have witnessed and experienced close to me and hidden from public eyes. It is apparent that few people are in the know and there must be a good reason. Simon did say that these "Harbingers" only recruited people with talent. I don't know enough to make judgements. But perhaps one day I will be afforded a more incongruous look into these higher beings for what they really are.

I decided to make the most of my week vacation in Japan and hit the sites hard. I hadn't been here in several years and I was excited to see how the culture in Tokyo had changed. It was exciting trying all the foreign food dishes and going into the outskirts to visit the varies shrines and temples. But it made me realize something. I had done 2 contracts so far and both of them presented a significant problem. Language Barriers. I needed to try and mitigate this for the future because Simon could very well put us anywhere in the world. So I figured I aught to be prepared some of the time at least. I buckled down and tried to surround myself with the language. Spending hours a day learning and practicing. I told Luna that I was learning Japanese and she offered to be a conversation partner for me which really helped. After a month, I was nailing the language and my accent was improving too. After a few months, I was speaking fluent Japanese and could read and write it too. I wonder if this is a by-product of being a contractor. I've begun to notice that I can do even more than I thought I could....

All I wanted was to help a friend out. I ended up going on one hell of a journey.

First off, I took some snapshots of those old map in the underway that Charlie took down. So I figured I would be a pal and try to find someone who could digitally recreate them as new so she could hang them up and preserve the old ones. So I hop on my own subreddit and ask around. Some user pings me and asks if I took the screenshots in NEO-Genis. Immediately I hop into DMs with this dude and I tell him that sometimes I draw inspiration from NEO-Genis. His username is "Guardian Aegis" and he is on board to help me restore the maps. Fast forward a week and he's done a really solid job tbh! They look great! I ask him if he knows anything about the underground and he says he's done his own research into it and hasn't found out a whole lot besides the fact that it wasn't even complete before the devs scraped it for fast travel and buried it. I guess nothing ever really stays buried in NEO-Genis.... So now I'm curious and I start pokin' around old post on the forum and independent subreddits. I find a couple of entries dating back 5 years when it was first being talked about and notice people talk about some old shops.

I hop into the player hub and start scrolling through all the shops in those fields. I must have been at it for literal hours before I got to the bottom of the list and noticed Gizmo's Gadgets which had a single review from a few days ago from "The Deadline". Well shit if that ain't Charlie idk what is. I track down this store in the back alley of a couple other buildings (I never would have seen this thing if I wasn't looking for it.) and walk on in. Gizmo is...an interesting fellow. Lots of arms...smart...old.... To be completely honest he was pretty enlightening in his talks about NEO-Genis back in those days. He couldn't tell me much about the conductor or the underground, but there was something he said that stuck with me. "Everyone wants to have their story told". That got me thinking, the conductor doesn't really want to kill anyone. He's just protecting his domain. Maybe he's just upset his story ended before it was told. After that, I knew that I had to go to the source. I will talk to the conductor myself!!!

After messaging Charlie I headed into the underway, but she wasn't there. So I stuck my head into the staff room and left her the maps I got with a note. It's not like she asked me to do this, but it wasn't that heavy a lift. I hope they help her. After that, I really didn't know where to go. So I just said fuck it and hopped down into the a tunnel and started walking. These tunnels just don't add up. Something is definitely screwy with the layout down here. I thought I had some idea of how the tracks function, but that went out the window when I saw an e line h line split....

The mongooses found me! They are a little scary looking. I imagine they are here to keep players out of the tunnel. I didn't notice them until my leg got bit, but it wasn't bad and it looked like I could outrun them. Eventually I saw a d line split and practically dove into it, following it down until I hit subway platform 11. This platform was brightly lit with no exit and the mongooses seemed to not want to enter it. So I caught my breath and simple waited for the train to come. Several minutes passed before I heard a train whistle in the distance. The tunnels shifted and the exit opened up. But I saw the lines. a line and delta line. I knew it.... He's giving me an out. He wants me to leave. He'd rather I just leave than actually confront me. I'm afraid I can no longer give him the satisfaction. My body was already moving down the delta line before my mind was made up. The lights immediately went out, but at least there were no more mongooses. I continued on and the train tracks actually descended downwards and then the tracks got older and older until they just stopped.... The tunnel continued on but the air got thinner and thinner. It became real hard to breathe. I could tell I was getting close but something was holding me back. That's when I felt the eye on me. A singular eye from both nowhere and everywhere at once. He's watching me.... So I just sat there. Calling out into the darkness. Wanting to know his story. Trying to get him to interact with me at all while trying not to pass out from lack of air. Eventually he relented and the air returned. I got up and again, heard the train whistle in the distance. This time coupled with a growing light. Not wanting to become splattered, I got onto the maintenance side track and watched as a glowing monster of a train passed by me. Before I could hop on I was knocked out from behind.

I awoke. Sitting up I noticed I was in a cage much like in the video post. A simple matter for myself. As I exited the cage I was alone in a familiar glowing train car. I am so close now. The door proved to be more tricky though. It actively seemed to be fighting me when opening it. So I resigned myself to wait and had a look around. A few boxes with unopened train tickets, an old photo of the player hub back in the day (a snapshot for later), a blank name tag. Several books scattered around. One being a log book which was completely blank and another being an operator's manual on train conduction. I started flipping through it and noticed that after a while it started talking about the specifics of the NEO-Genis railway system. Before I could get too far though, the conductor opened the door and came gliding in. I made no pretense to hide myself or shy away from his presence (I actively sought him out after all). He pointed a gun at me and I put his book down on the table. I tired to convince him that he wasn't the forgotten relic that he assumed he was and that the players are not the devs, nor do they have any input into what the devs do. I did my best to convince him that his story was worth telling.... But in the end...he defaulted to violence. A tragedy unfolding. I didn't make it easy for him. But he still riddled me with bullets. So I did the only thing I could. I lunged for the books and tucked them into my inventory before I was gunned down. I remember him screaming out "NNOOOOOOOO" as I felt darkness take me before waking up in the player hub. Just know that I only ever wanted to talk. I showed him 10 times the courtesy that he showed me as a passenger on his train. I'll figure out this mystery myself if I have to. And next time...I won't be nearly as nice.

I took off the headset!!!!! WHy am I still in pain!!!!!!!!! Oh god what is happening?!?!?!?!! Everything hurts so much!!!!!Fuck, I think I need an ambulance....

My power is unlocked. I can now control and manipulate paper.... That sounded better in my head. But I can't back down now! I'm just getting started with this guild and I definitely want to see it through! I had taxed the generosity of my patrons and those interested. But I had 2 truckloads of paper and then some at my disposal to begin with. I made my way outside the player hub to an area I knew wasn't claimed yet and called the members to see who could help build the structure. I also Called in Maze since he said he would be there if I needed help. Honestly, I was extremely thankful for Maze. He made quick work of the exterior and he understood my vision for the guild hall at a glance. We were midway through the construction and I had spent the last several hours sculpting. Honestly, I didn't have to exert my mind much to use this power since I had the manuscript, but after this long I was starting to manifest a little fatigue. I stopped momentarily to eat a sandwich when the ground started shaking. I told everyone to brace themselves and to get away from the build site. The ground began to change and everything seemed to get just a little bit duller. I glanced up at the sky and something...odd was forming. I couldn't tell what. I asked Ripley what was happening and she told me that my power must have caused the biome to become unstable and was adapting to become more resilient! Apparently, this had only happened a few times before to varying effects.

Eventually, the shaking ceased and the land was transformed...or at least, it had started. I guess it will take some time. But the weather was still incredibly odd and building in the sky above. I asked everyone if they were alright and glanced over just in time to see the ground cave in a few hundred feet from the build site and a small metal structure rise up in its place. Walking over, I glanced up at the newfound entrance sign that read "Underway Platform _". Well shit...I need to call Charlie when this is over. I stepped down into the Underway and found a train platform, same as platform 11 that I had stumbled across in my adventure to find the Conductor. But the tunnels were boarded up. So I left and found Ripley running towards me. Apparently some of the archeologists had been testing the ground around the build site after the biome shifted and found that it had become incredibly stable. As in, unusually so. To the point where they were saying that it could be the most dense ground in all of Neo-Genis. I can't even process the significance of that so I tucked it away for later.

We all got back to work at that point and finished out the guild hall. It was modest, but it was ours. The interior was lovely to say the least. shelves for books all over. comfortable seating and writing tables and a beautiful reception area for registration and assistance, including a back office area for paperwork and record keeping. I couldn't help but smile. I thanked everyone for their hard work and Maze returned to Maikendo. We were still patting each other on the back when it started to rain.... The rain was...breathtaking. I can't quite describe how beautiful it was. It was as if the very universe spoke to me. Not in words, but in emotions. I cried, though the tears were hidden in the rain as the droplets played a soft melody that enveloped us all. I was humbled in that moment. I would protect this place, no matter what. In that moment, I decided to name this place after the concept of heaven made tangible. The Firmament.

There was one more thing to take care of though. I sent a quick message to fellow Guild Master Luminous that I was ready to begin talks of an alliance. He arrived but moments later, remarking at the new landscape our lofty hall. He seemed happy that I had agreed to hear him out. Why wouldn't he after all. This was the chance at information and the chance to null growing animosity between guilds of close nature. I knew this as we sat on the sofas were tea and snacks were served. We talked at length about the importance of preserving knowledge and how it was more beneficial to work together. We established boundaries where our guilds wouldn't step on each other toes. We both gave access to our knowledge repositories and other resources for each other's members. Though I did make an exception for certain instances I deemed of crucial importance on a case by case basis. In addition, I also told Luminous that the Writer's Guild reserved exclusive rights to explore and catalogue any and all findings within The Firmament. He agreed and I drew up the contract. It was purely a research and resource sharing agreement. Nothing more since most of my members wanted nothing to do with any guild wars which I wasn't keen on either. We both signed and copies were made for record keeping before we wrapped up our talks and I bit Luminous adieu.

Things were shaping up to be quite interesting in the coming days. I was practically quivering with anticipation. So many new concepts to explore and potential to realize. But before that, I owed it to a friend to reach out. I pulled up my UI and selected Charlie from my friends list. Let's see where this thread takes us~

Charlie had responded. I awaited eagerly and an hour later Charlie arrived at the Writer's Guild. I introduced her to the area and took her into the guild hall to introduce them to Ripley. I told Charlie that she was more than welcome here anytime and that hopefully in the future we would have more facilities and amenities. Charlie seemed to like this and we headed out the door and towards the Underway entrance. Heading down the steps, we were greeted with the familiar site of a train platform. But this somehow seemed...calmer. It looked like this station wasn't yet connected to the main network. Charlie summoned the Deadline and we hopped on before departing into the void.

The only way I can describe it is that we were no clipping. I could see the other tunnelways and tracks as we rode along in that long darkness. The tracks seemed alive and eager to have us. Even going so far as do have the train do a loop de loop before eventually we arrived at Underway Central. Getting off, the tunnel looks like it was cleared with no trace of it ever being boarded up and we spent a quiet minute of introspection surmising about the underway. Then I had a thought. I had been able to use Causal Diction to influence a number of things both sapient and only animate. Why not the Underway itself? So I spoke to it...and eventually, it responded. WE had a wonderful back and forth with Underway Central and it seemed very pleased with Charlie and her performance. I was all smiles as we rode back after that. I talked to those animated track. They were so excited that someone was using them and I told them to look forward to many more trips in the future.

Arriving back at the Firmament marked the first back and forth trip on its line. We departed and went back to the guild hall where Charlie surprised me. She sat me down and went into detail her entire story. She really opened up to me with the hopes that someday in the future, we could tell everyone the whole story of what happened. She also gave me one of the 2 ancient railway maps to keep at the Writer's Guild as a historical document. We hugged and said our goodbyes. I told her not to be a stranger and she simple said that that would be hard since we had already met. I still can't stop smiling....

I had an issue. This vampire thing was starting to get to me. I could feel it crawling under my skin and it was taking quite the toll on me mentally. So I set out for the A.S.H. Library in the hopes of finding an answer. I arrived with no issue and the librarian even pointed me in the right direction. She must have told Luminous I was here because he scared the hell out of me a few minutes later while I was still looking. He asked if I knew what kind of vampirism it was and I told him it was most likely Dracula/Romanian. So he gave me a few books to look over and told me that he would be in his study if I needed anything else. I sat down and spent a few hours pouring over my options. Seemed like the best choice I had was a ritual involving a coffin, garlic flowers, and a special type of silver cross which seemed to be very specific in design. The coffin and flowers were easy and a couple calls later, they were on their way to the Writer's Guild (I really need to come up with a better name for it than that). The cross was a different story but I had a couple options. There was a known location for one in a dungeon on the other side of Neo-Genis that was still up for grabs, there was one that a few vampires had been hoarding for a while, and there were a few held by the Holy Knights Order in order to ward off demons and vampires. After talking with Ripley back at the Guild Hall, I made the decision to talk to the Holy Knights Order and set out.

After a days travel I encountered one on the road. He took one look at me and drew his sword, telling me to stay where I was. I told him that I meant no harm and asked if he had some kind of traumatic experience with rabbits. He exclaimed that his men were attacked by a vicious rabbit after trying to secure several relics in the area. A lot of men died and the beast wouldn't let them retrieve the bodies. I told him that I wasn't going to attack him and asked for more details. Apparently, one of the men encountered the rabbit after gallivanting into its den and decided to try and stab it since the man thought it was helpless. The rabbit slaughtered them in response. I told him that his men should have been more considerate and scolded him for it. The man sheathed his sword and asked me if I spoke Rabbit. I thought that was a bit racist, but in a manner of speaking, I could communicate with rabbits. So I told him I did. He wanted me to speak with the rabbit that attacked his men and see if they could strike a deal. I told him I would try if I could have one of the crosses I needed as payment. He agreed to give me his own and took me to his camp a few miles away.

At camp I saw several wounded being treated. No one looked happy and I wanted to get this done with quick. So I asked where the rabbit was and several men pointed me in the same direction. I trotted over to the den of my fellow Lapine and asked if I could speak with them. They showed themselves and asked if I was with the "meatbags". I told them I was asked to speak on behalf of them since none of them speak Rabbit. The bunny explained what happened which was pretty much what I got, except the part where it kept killing for fun. I said that they wanted to retrieve their dead and told the rabbit that I could try and have their portion of land declared as protected so no human would come here again. They told me that was fine and also wanted some carrots. I walked away feeling pretty good about the deal until the man I spoke to earlier told me he didn't have the authority to make the den protected land. He did say that the general had that authority though. So I asked where he was and was led to him. A little while later I was speaking to the general and he told me that the terms were acceptable. However, they still wanted the relics they were looking for. So I went back to talk with the rabbit and the general came with me. I asked it if it had any need for the relics found in this area and it told me they were worthless. But it did want some cabbages for them and a helmet as a trophy. I managed to convince one of the guards to give up their helmet and the deal was struck. Everyone walked away a little less upset and I walked away with the cross for my ritual as planned. Things had gone pretty well for myself. I would a little proud of my mediation and negotiating skills. The one thing the men did tell me was that the ritual I was attempting was a painful one. They hoped I had the strength to endure it and wished me luck. I bid them farewell and made my way back to the guild to begin the ritual so I could get back to some sense of normal.

I needed help. It was slow going trying to build an entire town myself. I could only do so much and the whole project was going to take far too long for my liking. Thinking back on who I could call on, I was reminded of the rabbit I had met in Maikendo who repaired the scroll and tablets. Sweeney would be perfect for this project and I had already introduced him to guild secrets. Plus it would be just us down in the crystal cave. I decided to message him to ask for his assistance. He asked if I would pay him and I assured him he would be paid in full by the time we were done. Sending over warp coordinates to him so he could end up in front of the new lift house we had built, I strode over to meet him. His attempts to disguise himself were...comical. He clearly had no knack for it and his fake mustache was practically falling off. The guards stationed there tried to ask him who he was, but I interjected and told them that he was with me and to issue him an access pass to the lift. We stepped inside and the lift started to descend. Sweeney asked me what the heck we were going to be doing down here all secretive and I simply replied "Building my friend. We're building!".

After Sweeney had become acclimated to the wonderment of the crystal caves we set to work. Sweeney was a wonder as he reinforced what I had already started and traded ideas with me on how to progress plans. After a few days he came to me and asked me if there was anyone else down here. I told him that the local resident is always present and likes to...observe. I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to introduce him. A couple days after that and Sweeney came to me again saying that he saw what looked to be a giant eye watching him. It was at this point that I knew I couldn't hide it anymore and asked the Librarian to show themselves. The moment was tense and I could see the panic on Sweeney's face. But I managed to talk him down and the two actually became quite close in his time working down here. Sweeney confided in me that he had plans to try and leave Yensid Co. soon and wanted to know if the Writer's Guild was a place that would accept him despite all that had happened. I told him that because of all the work he was doing that he always had a place here if he wanted. I think that really touched him. He's fairly obvious when it comes to the heavier emotions. Sweeney discovered that the Librarian developed a fondness for music and would often hum or sing while we worked throughout the days.

Another week went by and idly mentioned to Sweeney that I wouldn't mind showing Luminous what I had accomplished so far. He told me that Luminous owed him a favor and simply started a group call with him. We talked for a bit and Luminous agreed to come over in a bit to see what we had so far. I met him at the top and showed him around to the lift housing where he asked me what exactly was new that I wanted to show him. As we descended, I made mention of a rather large project I was working on and making our way to the edge of the tunnel I bid him welcome to Night Vale. He seemed to love what I had done and was amused at the expanse. Though, we hadn't even made it to the town before he spotted the Librarian watching him. He inquired about the creature and I told him to ask them himself. The Librarian revealed themselves and Luminous seemed to know a couple things about the civilization that used to interface with that species. Though he mentioned that a lot of the information was either burned or repressed. He made mention about the Alkas but didn't know much more on the subject. The 4 of us met in the town and discussed several things that were happening and what was being worked on. Luminous asked me if I had asked him to come here just to brag about my new space and I told him that I wanted to show him that I hadn't been resting on my laurels since the agreement was made and that I wanted to be able to provide resources of equivalency in the future. I think he was rather satisfied of my initiative. He asked to show me something concerning the effects of long term  environmental manipulation and I followed him to a spot away from the town. He induced a void space that was transformed into a space of the night sky and as I gazed upon it, I noticed something odd. A lone purplish moon that I had definitely seen mention of known as "the dark moon" that the people of Alkas worshiped. I asked Luminous about it and he also thought that it's placement was odd; calling it a satellite moon. He then produced a rather beat up looking orb that wiggled in his grasp and stated that it had bumped into him while he was working. I told him I had never seen it before and we took it over to Sweeney to repair. When Sweeney repaired the orb I caught a glimpse of some papers and vials inside its interior before it shut again and tried to scamper off towards the tunnels at the far end of the cave that I hadn't explored yet. The Librarian caught a glimpse of it and seemed to recognize it, asking where it came from. I just said that it apparently rolled in here and that it must have come from the tunnels. I decided that while I had Luminous and Sweeney here it would probably be the best time to try and explore the tunnels.

We went out and bought some supplies and then headed back down into the tunnels with Sweeney stuffing the orb in his backpack. Not too far in was a 70ft drop that Luminous teleported us down. After that the tunnel went out for a while before opening up into an absolutely massive expanse that was mostly dark with a built aqueduct style bridge extending out into the abyss. As we walked on, Sweeney decided to repair the bridge along the way until a spike protruded from his pack and the orb launched out of it rolling away. We tried to subdue it before it could get much further but then it slotted itself in some kind of crevice in the bridge and a bunch of braziers lit up with blue flames before revealing a large underground city. Before we could take it all in a large knight appeared before us and commanded us to eave this place. I didn't want to provoke it any further so I asked the others if we could just leave for now. They agreed and we made our way back to Night Vale. Luminous apologized that he didn't get to show me his theory earlier and I told him he could another time if he wished. He also mentioned that he was working on something as well and would show me when he had made decent headway before taking his leave.

After that, me and Sweeney ran into an issue. We had run out of foundation space to put buildings in and structurally, the only way to make it stable enough to support more was to run the foundation all the way to the cave walls and use them as an abutment. This would prevent the whole town from sliding or jostling in the event of an earthquake or other disaster. The task was daunting but we steeled ourselves and got to work. The next few weeks were a blur and by the end of it I was exhausted and a little crazy. But the entire floor of the crystal cave was covered in a foundation of sculpted paper all the way to the walls and even to the lift itself. It was done. At least this part was. I bid Sweeney farewell and thanked him for all his hard work, making sure to send him a check in the mail. Night Vale would certainly be something once it was finally up and running. At least, that's what I told myself.

It was time! I made the advertisements for the announcement stream and sent them on their way. My name and face would carry me enough to get the attention of the masses. I was going to make one massive announcement and I'd be doing it over livestream to all of Neo-Genis. I'd only need one take. I contacted Drekhan and showed him pictures of the discovery so he could make the appropriate illusions when the time came. Then, I waited. We built a small stage outside the guild hall to serve as the platform for the delivery and finally the day for the announcement came. The stream started up and the viewers came flooding in. Drekhan played music in the background and I played up the growing online crowd. I was on fire! This was my element! I was here to tell a story!!! So, that's just what I did. I laid it all out for them. After a stellar introduction I launched right into the first finding. The expanse of the crystal caves. People were merely excited for a potentially new Biome. If only they knew.... Next up was the unveiling of Night Vale to the public! They ate it up like candy. Marveling over it's design and envious of its current exclusivity to members of the guild. At this point in the stream I paused. For a moment I almost didn't want to reveal it. Luminous had warned me that there was someone out there who wanted it kept secret. But when I made the Writer's Guild I vowed to share knowledge with the public and not withhold secrets. So, with a a deep breath, I announced the finding of a lost city of the ancient Alkas civilization. Drekhan provided the visual for the stream and they practically lost their minds! This was the true announcement. The very thing that would propel the Writer's Guild forward to the next stage and elevate its member to respected and revered individuals in their respective fields. Not wanting to let the mood die, I told everyone to look forward to more announcement in the future and with a smile, ended the stream. I was on cloud nine. My whole body was vibrating as a congratulated Drekhan for his assistance. My mind was already thinking ahead as I turned towards the Guild Hall. It needed to be bigger. Much bigger....

During the next few days, I busied myself expanding the Guild Hall to a size respectable for a guild of our nature. Tripling the size would do and now my modest hall expanded into a place to hold official events on top of its day to day uses. Polished floors and hanging lights were the new normal as one could hear the click clack under their shoes when walking through this hallowed space. I made preparations to host a "Bring your favorite tales from History" event at the Guild Hall to entice Historians to join the guild after the large influx of Archeologists we brought on from the announcement. I made sure the atmosphere was relaxed and classic music played softly on steno-graphs in the background while food fit for a soiree covered several tables. I made my rounds with an ever charming smile and put my best foot forward. The night went off without a hitch and the guild brought in several Historians to add to our ranks.

There's something that's still bugging me though.... Where did I put that Crystal? I need to talk to Roy. He's been gone for a while now. There's the tablets and the scroll as well. There are too many things I'm not considering. I need to prepare myself in the only way I know how. With knowledge.