Gerald Bones's Questionnaire

1. What town or city do you live in? Why do you live there instead of anywhere else? Describe your home.

Link Answered before Gerald Bones's first Contract.

As an archaeologist living in Sedona, AZ, my home is nestled amidst the striking red rock formations that define this area. Sedona's unique landscape, rich in Native American history and ancient ruins, makes it an ideal base for my research. The town’s vibrant arts community and serene environment provide a perfect balance between work and relaxation. My home, a cozy adobe-style house, complements the surrounding desert beauty. It features large windows to capture the stunning views of the red rocks and a spacious patio for stargazing. Inside, the décor reflects local influences, with Native American art and rustic furnishings. Living here allows me to be close to my fieldwork sites and immerse myself in the history and culture that makes Sedona so intriguing.

2. How do you get your money right now? What do you spend it on?

Link Answered before Gerald Bones's first Contract.

As an archaeologist in Sedona, I primarily earn my income through research grants, academic contracts, and consulting work. These funds come from university affiliations, archaeological organizations, and sometimes from local historical preservation projects. My expenditures are quite varied: I invest in field equipment and travel expenses for excavation and research, purchase books and materials relevant to my studies, and contribute to conservation efforts. Additionally, I allocate funds for personal needs like housing, utilities, and daily living expenses. Given the specialized nature of my work, a significant portion of my budget also goes towards continuing education and professional development to stay current in my field.

 
 
 
 

3. Describe your Ambition. What are you striving for? How far would you go to achieve this? Would you kill for it? How close to death would you come for it?

Link Answered before Gerald Bones's first Contract.

In my current state, cursed into a rock form by an ancient artifact during an excavation, my ambition has shifted profoundly. I am driven to understand the nature of this curse and uncover its secrets. My focus now is on deciphering how it functions, its origins, and any potential ways to reverse it.

The pursuit of this knowledge has become my primary goal. I am willing to endure the constraints of my rock form and the isolation it brings in order to delve deeper into the curse's mysteries. While I am committed to unraveling this enigma, my dedication remains within ethical boundaries. I would not resort to harm or unethical actions for my research, but I am prepared to face significant personal risks and challenges to achieve my objective. My aim is to leverage my unique situation to gain insights that could benefit others and ultimately seek a resolution to my own plight.

 
 
 
 
 

4. What was the most defining event of your life (before signing The Contract), and how did it change you?

Link Answered before Gerald Bones's first Contract.

The most defining event of my life happened during an excavation in Egypt. While exploring a hidden chamber in an ancient tomb, my team uncovered a stone tablet covered in enigmatic symbols. Ignoring local legends about its curse, I studied the artifact, triggering a mechanism that transformed me into a rock-like being with a stature similar to my human form.

This curse changed my existence profoundly. I am now a rock entity, blending with the earth but still able to think and perceive. My new ambition is to understand the curse's nature and find a way to reverse it. This transformation has intensified my drive to explore ancient mysteries and deepened my commitment to my research.

 
 
 
 

5. Name and briefly describe three people in your life. One must be the person you are closest to.

Link Answered before Gerald Bones's first Contract.

Dr. Laura Bennett is my closest colleague and friend. We met during our graduate studies and have since collaborated on numerous significant excavations. Laura is a brilliant archaeologist with an exceptional talent for deciphering ancient scripts. Her compassionate and supportive nature has been a constant source of strength for me, especially through the challenges of my current state.

Ahmed El-Sayed is a local historian and my cultural advisor in Egypt. His deep understanding of Egyptian history and customs is invaluable. Ahmed’s expertise helps bridge gaps in our knowledge and ensures that our work respects and honors local traditions, which is crucial for ethical archaeology.

Sarah Mitchell is my younger sister and has always been my emotional anchor. Though not involved in archaeology, her unwavering support and encouragement are vital. Her letters and visits offer a comforting connection to my past life, helping me stay grounded and hopeful amid the challenges of my rock-like form.

6. How was your childhood? Who were your parents? What were they like? Did you attend school? If so, did you fit in? If not, why not?

Link Answered after Contract 1, Smell no Evil

How was your childhood?
It wasn’t a childhood so much as a prelude to a curse. I grew up in a world of dust, ruins, and ancient whispers—my parents were traveling academics, digging up the bones of forgotten gods and cataloging them for universities that didn't believe in curses until they were choking on one.

I was born in a tent in the Andes during a lightning storm. My first toy was a chisel. My lullabies were folktales about spirits that walk in stone. It wasn’t normal. But it was mine.

Who were your parents? What were they like?
My father, Dr. Marcus Bones, was a hardened field archaeologist who never left a ruin without a scar. My mother, Professor Alina Sethi-Bones, was a scholar of pre-human civilizations and cursed artifacts. Between the two of them, I had more exposure to ancient tomes and forbidden relics than I did to cartoons or cereal boxes.

They were brilliant, relentless, and cursed in their own right—haunted by obsessions they passed down to me like heirlooms. They loved me, but only in the same way they loved their work: intensely, but with dangerous tunnel vision.

They both vanished in the sands of an unmarked site when I was sixteen. I've been chasing their footsteps—and their mistakes—ever since.

Did you attend school? If so, did you fit in? If not, why not?
I tried. Made it through a year or two at a proper school when we weren’t traveling across continents. I was always the weird kid—the one who could translate Sumerian better than Spanish, the one who smelled like clay and charcoal instead of cologne.

I never fit in because I wasn’t meant to fit in. I was raised for the ruins, not recess. When I finally settled long enough to attend a university, I blew through archaeology and anthropology like wildfire. Got my doctorate by 24. And that’s when I found the tablet. The one that changed everything.

7. Have you ever been in love? With who? What happened? If not, why not?

Link Answered after Contract 1, Smell no Evil

Yeah. Once. Maybe twice. But one time that really mattered.

Her name was Dr. Liana Voss. We met on a dig site in Turkey—Göbekli Tepe. She was a linguist, smart as hell, sharp as obsidian. She had this laugh that made you forget you were surrounded by millennia-old tombs and a bunch of grad students who couldn’t tell a femur from a femoral idol.

She challenged me. Not just in work, but in the way she saw me. Not as the obsessive tomb-crawler or the prodigal Bones kid. She saw Gerald. The guy behind the ego, behind the calloused hands and half-buried trauma. She’d bring me tea when I skipped meals. Yell at me when I got reckless. Steal my notes and leave jokes in the margins.

For a while, I thought that was it. Maybe I could live in one place. Maybe I didn’t need to run toward every cursed temple that whispered my name.

Then came the expedition to the Dakhla Oasis. We were after something old. Pre-civilization old. The locals wouldn’t go near it. Liana said it felt wrong the moment we set foot there. I didn’t listen. I dragged us in anyway.

The trap was arcane, layered with intent. I took the curse. She got out. I made sure she got out.

I haven’t seen her since.

8. What are your worst fears? Why?

Link Answered after Contract 2, Frozen Sawlid

Fear’s a funny thing when you’re made of rock. People look at me and see an immovable wall — no pain, no panic. But fear doesn’t need skin. It seeps in like groundwater through cracks you didn’t know were there.

My worst fear? That this stone shell becomes all I am. That Gerald — the real one, the archeologist with a shaky compass and too much curiosity — is buried so deep he’ll never claw his way back. The curse gave me strength, sure, but it also took something. I used to brush sand off ancient bones with the gentlest touch. Now I break doorknobs without trying. I fear I’ve traded understanding for power.

I’m also scared of standing still — not physically. That part I’m good at. But in life. I worry that all these contracts, all this survival, is just me running in circles in the same stone cage. That maybe I’m not hunting purpose anymore… just running from it.

And then there’s the silence. When the fight ends, when the team’s gone, when the heat of battle fades… it’s just me, alone in this apartment with red walls and heavy limbs. I fear one day the silence won’t feel like peace — it’ll feel like home. And that? That terrifies me.

 
 

9. What is (are) your most prized possession(s)? What makes it (them) so special?

Link Answered after Contract 2, Frozen Sawlid

Most folks expect I’d say it’s my strength, or the enchanted pickaxe I lug around on dig sites. Maybe even the bear cub slippers — gruesome but practical. But no. My most prized possession is a battered field journal, soft leather cover held together with duct tape and stubbornness. Inside? Every expedition, every note from before the curse, every sketch of relics I once believed would change the world.

It smells like dust and coffee — like the life I used to live. Some pages are smudged from rain, others from blood. Mythkong’s name is in there. So is Verso’s. Even the names of ruins that don’t show up on maps. That book is proof I existed as more than just this… granite bruiser. It’s a reminder that I was curious once. Still am.

It grounds me. Reminds me I have roots, even if they’re buried deep. If I ever lose myself fully to the stone, I hope someone finds that journal. Maybe they’ll see the man I was — and maybe, the man I’m still trying to be.