[color=95A5A6][b]> Write in: Check for Traps, Secret Doors/Passages, or any other secrets. <[/b][/color] [hr] Carelessness was the usher of untimely demise, and in a place as timeless and mysterious as this, the treacherousness of every corner needed respect if you were to survive this spelunking adventure. Surely, you wouldn't find Aika if you died along the way. Your eyes scanned the immediate area, looking for the tell-tale signs of any hidden traps or secrets. First, the walls to either side of the desk were constructed of stone blocks, large but still varied in size enough to take note of the seams they formed. The blocks were lined well- none of them jutting out of or depressed back into the wall, and light tapping of your fingers against some of the smaller blocks revealed no give in their position. Second, you crouched down to get a good look under the table. Gently lowering yourself to ease the burden on your injured legs, you peeked at the underside of the wooden table. At first glance there didn't seem to be anything of merit- no lever, no hole or panel. Unfortunately, the strain of kneeling quickly became too great to stay down here longer than a few moments. With a huff, you pulled yourself up with the help of the table, regaining your footing and shaking off the radial soreness through your lower limbs. Third, the torch resting above the table fell under your scrutiny. The wooden handle of the torch itself seemed in too good of a condition to have sat upon this sconce for the many years preceding tonight's search-and-rescue. As if the torch being alight wasn't already enough of a giveaway combined with the opened book. Someone was here very recently, within the lifespan of a brand new torch at most. This could also only mean that the torch likely wasn't attached to the sconce in any way. It would be safe to remove. Fourth, your turned your attention to the bookcase. It was clear as day that four empty spots on the shelf lined up with the three remaining books on the table, plus the one you put in your bag. Confident that pulling the torch off the wall wouldn't trigger some trap, you use it to get a closer look into the empty spaces of the shelf. Sure enough, you saw tiny rises of wood in each gap, small enough to slide back into a flush position if pushed. Lastly, the darkened hallway. With the torch raised overhead, you carefully made your way to its entrance and peered within. Unfortunately, you couldn't see much further, but you could tell that the walls of the hall were oddly smooth, comprised of a flat stone surface rather than blocks. Looking up, the ceiling didn't seem alarming in any way, no large axes or anything absurd waiting to swing down on you. However, when you looked to your own feet, you saw the trap you were looking for. Nestled into the corners of the archway between the entry room and the hall only a few inches off the floor on either side sat a small pinhole. Strung into each pinhole was a thin silvery string, nearly unnoticeable if you weren't directly looking for it and starting straight at it. Something about it seemed off though... It was already broken! Snapped in two , the string sat limp on the floor, hanging out of the pinholes. Your eyes followed forward, as far as you could see, you could see that the floor was two long and narrow slabs trailing off into the dark. [hr] [color=95A5A6] • Make your way down the hallway. • Return the books to the bookshelf. • Pull on the broken string. [/color]