Thames shook his head. He had worked for so long to finally come here and see his dreams realized. A lifetime of being fascinated by the time of the Mana Revolution, he wouldn’t just give it up now. He wouldn’t see it spoiled by ladder-climbers and gloryhounds who wanted to steal his thunder, his discoveries, his investment and bury him in the dirt so soon to be forgotten!
One of his dreams had come true when he had proposed to the lovely Tilda and she accepted. He hadn’t expected it– after all, he was just a poor student at the time, barely able to pay his bills and not attractive.
He couldn’t come to understand what she saw in him, but he knew exactly what he saw in her. Her grace, her unflappability, her courage, her gentle expression when she looked at him. She wasn’t always kind to others, but she was kind to him.
Now he stood on the precipice of achieving another dream: finally being able to publish his results in a renowned series, distributed widely. They had already accepted the draft. All he had to do now was make the trip to the ruins and document it. Easy enough, right?
He would be the first one to walk into the newly-excavated building. He had received the letter the other day and it promised him that right. He was so afraid of one of his hired hands or a fellow worker making off with priceless treasures and other things before he arrived. He had no way of protecting it or making sure no one else found the location.
Fear had made him hire mercenaries to guard the ruins in his absence. He hadn’t the funds so he had… borrowed them from his new wife, Tilda. She’d never miss it. Not if this worked out.
She’d be grateful she married a promising young man like himself. He’d prove herself to her. He’d prove it to them all.
Sparse 