“Ah! Fantastic timing, my dear friends! You wouldn’t believe the absolutely monumental disaster I just endured! Well—perhaps not a disaster, more of a minor catastrophe… or an exciting inconvenience, really. A tale for the ages, let me assure you!”
He gestures dramatically toward the quarry walls, still brushing dust off his sleeves.
“So there I was, spelunking—nay, excavating—in these fine quarry ruins, searching for treasures long forgotten! And lo, fortune smiled upon me, for I uncovered a most intriguing artifact—a strange slab of blackened stone, with fossilized remains curled within, as if trapped in time itself! I dubbed it—rather brilliantly, I might add—The Ashen Remnant!”
Percy pauses, placing a hand on his chest with mock humility.
“But just as I was basking in my own intellectual triumph, the ground trembled beneath me! The dust stirred, the rocks groaned, and from the very earth itself—they rose! Towering earth elementals, glaring at me with their rocky disapproval! Now, I consider myself quite the negotiator, but as it turns out, sentient boulders are not known for their conversation skills!”
Percy leans in, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret.
“I attempted my most diplomatic of strategies: running for my life. Alas!, in my tactical retreat—which some lesser minds may call ‘fleeing’—the elementals claimed The Ashen Remnant! Took it straight into their stony domain!”
He sighs, shaking his head dramatically.
“Now, I’m not particularly attached to the thing—it was rather heavy, and honestly, I think the elementals were rather fond of it. But, if you’re the sort who enjoys braving danger and reclaiming lost relics, I just thought you might like to know where it ended up. I was near 1520, 1950 Do with that information as you will!”