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Post by Celebes on Nov 27, 2022 22:33:38 GMT -5
Celebes had watched the tail end of Stanwick's tail disappear into the window high above, leaving nothing but a gently swaying rope behind. The sea otter wrung his paws, as the weasel's words of how convenient the rope coming down had been. Maybe for him, but now Celebes didn't have any excuse to not at least attempt the climb. Heights had always scared him, and a particular escapade he had down as a dibbun involving jumping out a window with Isaiah still played out on occasion in a bad dream. Now there wouldn't be soft hedges to break his fall, just mud. Falling like a white faced cherry onto a chocolate cake.
Well actually it didn't sound so bad put that way.
Knowing that the more he thought about it though more his metaphor would harden up, Celebes shouldered the pack he had dropped to help bare the shield and grabbed the rope. Despite how silly it seemed logically, Celebes took some comfort in tying the end of the rope to one of his backpack straps before starting his climb. Copying how he had seen Stanwick attack it, the otter relied on the rope to climb paw over paw, only occasionally grabbing the wall as Fyri had. The window sill couldn't have come too soon.
Celebes rolled over the sill, his pack jangling as he landed on the damp floor of the tower bedroom. He lay there for a moment, catching his breath, his exhales sounding closer to excited chuckles. He had made it. Whatever else this forsaken fortress held, it couldn't be as bad as entering it.
The otter stood, looking around at much the same mildewed walls, waterlogged furniture, and fish nibbled tapestries that his two companions doubtless already had. Following their gaze to where it was peering now, he saw that they were looking down into the dark hallway that certainly led to the spiral staircase down into the rest of the fort. They had probably already combed over the room while he was climbing and were looking to proceed.
"Thanks for waitin' up, mateys! Let's get going!" he said, already reaching back into his pack and pulling out the lantern that had taken up most of its capacity. They wouldn't have much by way of window light down there with most the fortress still sunk.
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Post by Fyri on Nov 28, 2022 10:25:55 GMT -5
“Did you see or hear anything in here, Fyri?”Fyri watched in slight awe as the weasel had so elegantly landed on his paws, the weight of his choice of wear seemingly not wearing him down. Her ears twitched at the question. She was glad to no longer be up here alone but felt rather embarrassed to admit she’d gotten spooked already by sounds that were currently nowhere to be heard. Typical. “A-aye,” she tried to mask her apprehensive hesitation with a smile but it was shaky, “ye could say that...” The rope going taut next to her told her that Celebes must have started his ascent. Slightly worried about the otter, she glanced out of the window to see her thoughts confirmed. To her relief things looked to be going smoothly for him. Not wanting to risk startling him out of his concentration, she kept any encouraging words merely mental prayers, and turned her attention back to the weasel. Stanwick - she knew for cert now! “Nae sign of anybeast though, juist th’ usual creakin’ of auld abandoned buildings that have been submerged fur seasons on end.” She waved a paw dismissively at the room to indicate its ruined state to the weasel. If she spoke confidently enough, and closed her eyes not to have the shadows make her see things, she would regain her composure in no time. “En–” THUNK!Fyri’s summary of what she’d found rummaging around the bedroom was brusquely interrupted before it even began by another loud noise - like something wet slumping down on the hard cold floor. Her paw quivered ever so slightly as her eyes opened and she stared wide-eyed at the has-been door and its dark depth beyond. “...en, en tha-” The silence didn’t return. The thud being followed by an oddly cute … giggle…?
"Thanks for waitin' up, mateys! Let's get going!"“Eh?” Fyri’s eyes had to adjust as a new light source suddenly assaulted her eyes. She blinked and looked at the otter that had materialized out of thin air. The hairs on neck settled down again as she chuckled out of relief. Right. Celebes. He must have been that noise. Of course. Don’t think about the previous bump in the nightless dark nor ask Stanwick if he’d heard it too. Fyri liked to think she was relatively brave but growing up in an abbey where a central legend was that of a ghost roaming its redwalled hallways made it difficult to simply dismiss strange sounds for merely the wind. And there was no reason to assume Martin was the exception to the rule - if there was one warrior mouse haunting Mossflower then there were certainly more - and they may not all be such friendly mice… Taking heart from her companions' presence, the jill shook off the foreboding feeling, and motioned at the exit. “After ye, beacon o’ light!” and then, thinking it prudent to leave such a task to an accomplished warrior - and certainly not simply because she’d feel safer herself then - turned to Stanwick, “Ye wanna take th’ rear?”
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justcog
Active Dibbun
Posts: 63
Main: Stanwick the Repentant
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Post by justcog on Nov 29, 2022 11:58:50 GMT -5
“A-aye,” she tried to mask her apprehensive hesitation with a smile but it was shaky, “ye could say that...”
Stanwick quirked a brow at Fyri's initial response. Sure didn't instill any confidence, that was for sure. With a small huff to himself, Stanwick would rise to his full height as he once more slung his shield off his shoulder and into his grasp.
“Nae sign of anybeast though, juist th’ usual creakin’ of auld abandoned buildings that have been submerged fur seasons on end.”
"Right, just ol' wood an' stone." Stanwick muttered in agreement, turning himself to face Fyri as he gave a reassuring nudge with his elbow. The weasel even went as far as to give a smirk!.. though given his brutish nature, that probably wasn't quite as calming as he hoped. Upon hearing a thud behind him though, he'd swiftly shift himself between Fyri and the source of the noise!
"Thanks for waitin' up, mateys! Let's get going!"
Celebes, it was only Celebes. The weasel's posture relaxed after identifying his fellow abbey-beast, though he did raise his shield to block the lantern from being unceremoniously flashed at his eyes. Giving himself a moment to adjust to the new light source, Stanwick would then return his attention to Fyri as she suggested he take the rear.
"Me? No, no. I oughtta go second, maybe even first. I'm uh..." He started before looking down to himself and all of his gear. Giving a little bounce, the sound of chainmail rustling could easily be heard.
"I'm heavier. Better for me to fall somewhere than you two. Besides, not sure how stable this fortress is anyhow; a loose rock could fall on any beast's head. That's why I'm keepin' ol' reliable on hand." Stanwick explained reassuringly as he idly tapped the rim of his shield to make a point. He'd glance to the other two explorers, waiting to see if they had any counter arguments.
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Post by Celebes on Nov 29, 2022 16:42:08 GMT -5
"I'm heavier. Better for me to fall somewhere than you two. Besides, not sure how stable this fortress is anyhow; a loose rock could fall on any beast's head. That's why I'm keepin' ol' reliable on hand."
Celebes couldn't help but grin as he pawed over the lantern to Stanwick so that he could lead the way somewhat less blindly. "You sell yourself like you'd make a good gong when you fall, matey," he chuckled, giving one playful tap of the claw on the rim of the weasel's shield. Despite his attempt at a joke, he couldn't help but feel like the other two were on edge. Had something happened while he was climbing up? Whatever it was, after that climb nothing could upset the otter.
Trying to keep things light as they prepared to head down into the darkness, Celebes glanced back at Fyri. "Seen any shines, er, signs of Martin's sword blade? I don't think they woulda gone far if it Greeneyes smashed it to pieces in here," he reasoned, taking his own moment to glance along the wet stone floor, the damp rock walls, and the dripping wood ceiling. Nothing shined like the brilliant sword that hung back on the wall in the Great Hall.
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Post by Fyri on Dec 16, 2022 18:00:45 GMT -5
“Nae, nary a twinkle.” Fyri sniggered at the otters (unintended?) wordplay as she got in line at the very rear of the group. She wasn’t too happy with the position but seeing as Stanwick had made his case and Celebes already pawed over the lead to him, she let the matter rest. Like she hoped the dead were too. Another chill crept down her spine; a cold draft streaming along her exposed back - or so it felt, eleven with her trusty (though ultimately useless in a battle of the natural or supernatural kind) capelet. “This place was flooded though. Th’ water couldae taken it anywhere by now.” And that was assuming no beast else had explored the place afore. Plenty of beasts felt strangely at home in the water that it wouldn’t be hard to come by one or two. Why, there was one walking right in front of her even!
She leaned a little further to the side to peer at the other mustelidae up front. The light from the lantern cast the dark hallway in a nice, cozy orange hue. It made the slimy walls almost look appealing. Almost.
“What dae yer weasel eyes see?” She queried ahead, hoping to keep her companions talking. When their voices filled her ears there was less room for strange, inexlipable and ominous sounds to nestle in them instead. "Any shinies?"
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justcog
Active Dibbun
Posts: 63
Main: Stanwick the Repentant
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Post by justcog on Jan 13, 2023 12:20:10 GMT -5
"You sell yourself like you'd make a good gong when you fall, matey,"
"Aye, so when I take a tumble hopefully it'll be loud enough for you two to take the hint." The weasel jested back with another brutish smirk towards the otter as he took the lantern in paw. He kept it down low for the time being, not wanting to flash any of the other weasel's eyes. Eventually he turned towards the hallway leading down into the castle. He paused for a second, heaving a deep breath before raising the lantern and beginning his march into the old brickwork. His pace was slow, and for good reason too; the steps were still slick, and the weasel certainly wasn't intending to take the stairs as a slide downwards.
“What dae yer weasel eyes see?”
"Not much yet, just stairs... and a lot of 'em. How tall is this tower anyhow?" Stanwick asked over his shoulder, his words followed by the faint "clonk" of water dripping onto his helmet from the ceiling above. Even despite the conversation, the sound of dripping water and occasional bump of Stanwick's shield against the wall was likely doing little to reassure Fyri. At least the lead weasel seemed unfazed, or was hiding his own emotions rather well.
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Post by Celebes on Jan 14, 2023 12:20:03 GMT -5
Celebes took careful steps down the mossy stairway, everywhere he placed his paw it felt slick. He opened up the distance slightly with Stanwick so that the weasel was two steps in front of him, that way Celebes could see over his head better. Not that there was much to see, it was just the interior of a round tower. Bricks and slime. There wasn't any light, beyond that from the lantern, and Celebes began to wonder how the original inhabitants could see going down this thing, whoever built this spiral staircase had foolishly left out adequate windows!
"Not much yet, just stairs... and a lot of 'em. How tall is this tower anyhow?"
"Seemed pretty tall to me when we were climbin' it," Celebes commented, probably unhelpfully. He was sure that Fyri was going to see it wasn't any taller than climbing on top of the water pump in Redwall's orchard. That's always how it went with these things, a strapping otter like him would say something isn't spicy, only for his neighboring squirrel at the table to scream she had burned her lips off. Obviously, that was because otters were naturally more tolerant of spi--
Hey, what was that?
"Shine the beam up there, in that little alcove," Celebes asked. Something shiny had caught his eye when the weasel had swept the beam over it. There, in an inset on the interior wall, was a shiny little candelabra. It was a curious design, a lot of sharp edges and looked like it was made of some sort of steel rather than the traditional gold. Well, at least that answered his question about how they kept this place lit. It looked odd though, but Celebes couldn't quite put his paw on why.
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cheesethief
Busy Dibbun
NOT CLUNY, DON'T SHOOT.
Posts: 27
Main: Roach
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Post by cheesethief on Aug 24, 2023 18:21:52 GMT -5
"Oi! Who're you lot?" sounded a voice from the darkness. It had a tremor of shock about it, and yet the way it had been delivered was with so much disdain that it couldn't have come from one of the explorers. "What the blazes d' you think you're doing?!"
A figure that looked like a rat was standing higher up on the stairs, behind the group, glaring straight forward and brandishing a slingshot at them. His dark brown and tan fur was scraggly, and his tunic, which was red and fastened around the middle with a leather belt, was slightly muddied, but he was surprisingly well-kept for a rat, in spite of all this. He seemed like he was trying to catch his breath, or had just been shaken from sleep, or... something, even though his lips were curled in a snarl and he was standing like an oldbeast who had just caught a group of miscreants on his lawn.
"No intruders in my castle, 'specially not..." There was a lull. "... a loud sort like you!"
Yep, he had definitely been napping before this.
The rat turned his head toward the illuminated candelabra, and his eyes doubled in size. Treasure!? There had been treasure here this whole time? And these strange creatures with no respect for the law of the land around here wanted to take it? The rat clenched his jaw in frustration, fumbling to set a stone in his slingshot. If nothing else, that had shaken him awake. "Get OUT!" he yelled, forgetting the candelabra, as all he could think to do now was rush down the stairs as quickly as he could without slipping, and start firing off pebbles at the explorers.
"I said it's MY castle!"
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Post by Fyri on Aug 25, 2023 17:22:07 GMT -5
When the indistinct sounds that had been haunting Fyri from the dark since she'd entered the castle suddenly took on a distinct voice and whispered words halfway comprehensible, her heart jumped up into her throat and there promptly stopped. She held her breath until the shimmer of the uncovered candelabra, illuminated by the lantern, hit her eyes. Moist, cold air entered her lungs as she inhaled sharply while the gleam of gold briefly blinded her. In the literal sense, not the greedy searats one. One blink, two blinks. Her vision returned, adjusting to the dark scene once more. The candelabra seemed further away; her capelet brushed against the top of her tail as the words spoken by the dark registered and its speaker took form before them.
"No intruders in my castle, 'specially not..."
Fear left Fyri when the mysterious ghost-like presence she'd been dreading had taken corporeal form. The fact strengthened her, courage pouring in to warm her chilled blood, and she stepped out from the back of the line to face the rat. Or, well, the stare at the stairs atop which the rat in question stood, doing something with his paws that she couldn't quite see.
"...a loud sort like you!"
Loud? They weren't loud! Even if Stanwick had just proclaimed himself to be a living gong, they weren't the ones shouting down at beasts from atop the steps! Yet even as the indignation rose within her, an amused smile pulled at her lips as well as she replied.
"Yer castle? I didnae ken Tsarmina married ah grumpy auld rat pup!" She'd been pretty proud of that retort. Her satisfaction was short-lived however, as before she could rebuke him for trespassing - they were on Official Redwall Abbey Mission so they got a pass. Besides, they weren't staking claims to the property.... just everything in it! -, the rat was getting bigger and bigger and--
"Gah! Are ye mad?!" The jill shouted as a rock narrowly missed her head.
He was attacking them! And he wasn't being very silent about it either!
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justcog
Active Dibbun
Posts: 63
Main: Stanwick the Repentant
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Post by justcog on Aug 27, 2023 17:18:23 GMT -5
"Oi! Who're you lot?"
Stanwick immediately turned to the sound of the voice, round shield raised as his other reached for the sword on his belt. There was someone here? Someone wanting them out? The immediate rush adrenaline flooded his veins, the familiar want for battle, the need to fight! Where was the threat? His eyes ignored the candelabra, instead locking onto the individual atop of the stair behind them. Stanwick squinted with a slight growl... out of breath? As soon as his want for blood, it left just as quick, leaving only a very annoyed weasel.
"No intruders in my castle, 'specially not..." There was a lull. "... a loud sort like you!"
Stanwick sighed, running his paw down his face before beginning to brush by Celebes and Fyri.
"Quit yer yappin' before-" He started before a sharp metallic ping echoed off his helmet. While Fyri was smart enough to duck the rat's first rock, Stanwick wasn't so lucky. He grunted, paw gripping one of the bricks of the tower wall to steady himself before raising his shield above his head.
"Behind me." The weasel ordered sternly as he took Fyri by the shirt and drug them behind himself before they had a choice. He kept the shield between himself and the mad vermin atop the stairs. They had adequate cover... but they couldn't move without exposing themselves to the small rat's slingshot. It was a stalemate! That was unless the rat had another trick up their sleeve.
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Post by Celebes on Aug 30, 2023 17:38:32 GMT -5
"Behind me."
The ping of rocks ponging off of Stanwick's armor sounded to Celebes like the plop of pebbles pelting a pond, though the whistle they made through the air told him that they were moving a lot faster than a dibbun's mischievous toss. They were under attack? How?! There hadn't been any signs of entry from the tower, they would have seen this villain's tracks through the mud on their approach. He certainly wasn't an original inhabitant...only Martin came back as a ghost. Had there been another way he had gotten in?
"YEOUCH!" the sea otter suddenly cried out. A pebble had snapped Celebes short ear, sending him to his knees and a paw to his head. It was likely a ricochet that had gotten around Stanwick's shield, but it still hurt. Was this a whole hoard of beasts!? The sling stones were coming thick and fast! The otter wished he had brought his harpoon; he had thought it pointless to bring in the confined, seemingly lifeless ruins and so had left it on shore.
Still crouching, Celebes pushed Fyri's tail out of the way to try and see around. It was too dark, and Stanwick seemed to be concentrating on holding up his shield rather than the lantern. The otter could hear the footsteps steadily approaching, soon to be on them. Celebes made a brash move. Reaching for the lantern, he snatched it, and tossed it underhand directly in front of Stanwick. The glass broke with a admittedly satisfying shatter, spilling oil on the mossy stairway that immediately ignited. There! Now they could all stop and see!
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cheesethief
Busy Dibbun
NOT CLUNY, DON'T SHOOT.
Posts: 27
Main: Roach
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Post by cheesethief on Sept 3, 2023 14:05:33 GMT -5
The rat hissed and leapt back, the shatter of glass and the roar of flames a seamless segue into the new yellow glow that filled the slimy staircase. He could see clearly now.
"What're ya DOIN', Celebes, are ya tryin'a KILL ME?!" he screamed as he stumbled to catch himself, and then did a double-take and made some kind of half-confused, half-outraged gesture with his paws. "CELEBES?" he blurted, then turned his eyes toward the pine marten and promptly tacked on, "FYRI?" and finally, when he saw the weasel, "YOU?!"
What were Celebes, Fyri, and... THAT GUY doing here? Sure, he'd attacked them first, but now didn't even seem like a good time to address that, thanks to Celebes'... heroic save.
"I can get out of here!" yelled the rat, Roach, who was a Redwaller, just like them. "I'm higher up—" he pointed behind him— "the window is right there! What're YOU gonna do, go further down?!"
It seemed like every word he said was flavored with more frantic, indignant paw-waving. He would have loved to have stood in the staircase, lantern intact, and seen their faces, and have had a civil conversation about how he couldn't recognize them in the dark like that, but now he was too worried about how they were going to get out of Kotir and not get super burned that it didn't really strike him to say any of that. At least, not right now.
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Post by Fyri on Sept 7, 2023 15:09:50 GMT -5
The fur on Fyri's back stood up again - not for a fear of unearthly beings but because she was getting beasthandled left and right. Between being unceremoniously dragged behind Stanwick, and then almost shoved back out of safety by Celebes when he moved her tail, the pine marten's patience was wearing thin with the situation. Her small huff went out like a puff as smoke suddenly and spectacularly filled the hallway. Fyri peeked behind Stanwick's back, her mouth agape. What the blazes had Celebes been thinking setting them all ablaze?! If the fire wouldn't scorch their fur off, the smoke would surely suffocate them quicker than a tight badger mom's hug could!
It was then through the crackling flames that her name being shouted by the rat registered in her mind. And just like that, voice and face matched up.
"Roach?!" She got out fully from behind the shield, only to be blasted by the heat. She took a step back, seeking shelter behind Stanwick's giant shield once more. The fierce onslaught of the elements lessened. Her mind raced as several options fought for supremacy. Roach was right - where would they go? Down into the depths? Those were surely flooded, which would be great against the flames, but also trap them. And she didn't know how Stanwick felt about swimming but she wasn't an otter and the idea of taking a deep dive was none too appealing. The other option was up towards Roach - and through the fire and the flames. She looked from Celebes to Stanwick and then forward to her sole protection against the fiery foe. Her ears perked up. It might be a little risky but...
"Mebbe we shoulds go forward!" She raised her voice slightly so they could all hear her before turning to Stanwick specifically. He would know the limits of his own equipment better than anybeast else. "Can ye use yer shield tae keep th' flames at bay? Coulds we... mebbe... go through 'em behind it?"
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justcog
Active Dibbun
Posts: 63
Main: Stanwick the Repentant
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Post by justcog on Sept 8, 2023 19:37:29 GMT -5
"YEOUCH!"
As the otter's ear was struck by the pebble, Stanwick would glance over his shoulder to the fellow mustelid, growling to himself as he saw them fall to their knees. This wasn't just some miscreant, Celebes and Fyri could get hurt if he didn't do something! Redwallers were kind beasts, but Stanwick wasn't truly one of them. His hand reached for the handle of his blade, only to reel back as glass shattered in front of him and he was momentarily blinded by light. He took a step back from the rush of heat, squinting over the rim of his shield towards the fire that now blocked his path.
"YOU?!"
Hearing the rat's voice, the weasel would shift his gaze up to him, squinting as he tried to recognize them through the flames and smoke. The voice was familiar, at least somewhat. Stanwick unfortunately wasn't exactly the most social creature in the abbey... but they seemed to know Celebes and Fyri well enough. Hearing Fyri speak up behind him, the weasel would look back once more, only to furrow his brow at their idea.
"Can ye use yer shield tae keep th' flames at bay? Coulds we... mebbe... go through 'em behind it?"
Stanwick opened his maw to respond, his face one of immediate annoyance and doubt before stopping himself before he could speak a word. He looked to the flames once more before looking down the tower... water. Celebes might be able to swim out, but surely Stanwick himself would drown, especially with all his gear. With a frustrated groan, the weasel would glare at the dancing flames for a few seconds longer.
"Ye better be fast." He warned, hugging himself to the wall to ensure Celebes and Fyri could get passed him without issue before practically throwing his round shield onto the fire. Flames immediately began to creep at the edges, daring to set it ablaze if they waited any longer.
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Post by Celebes on Sept 9, 2023 12:19:59 GMT -5
I mean really, to be fair, could Celebes have known there was enough pressurized oil within that lantern to fuel the fire lizard living in Salamandastron? Celebes didn't think that this whole waterlogged staircase would burst into flames from one small lantern! The sea otter had to swallow his annoyance with nature for a moment though in order to escape his inadvertent roleplay of what it would be like to be a sword inside a forge.
"Ye better be fast."
The otter could see the shield was not going to last for long, already the splintered edges were beginning to get eaten into. With the pine marten in front of him, Celebes half-helped-half-shoved Fyri forward through the gap in the flames. Clear of the heat except on their feet, the strong sea otter then turned and yanked Stanwick back by the collar. It seemed faster and time was of the essence. "Gotchya, matey!" he cried.
Celebes took one last look at everyone's majestic but sometimes inconveniently long tails to make sure none were being left behind, finally being able to turn to the rat that had caused all this. Yes, blaming him seemed to be the most logical thing to Celebes. "Roach?" Celebes started, echoing Fyri. The sea otter didn't know the rat THAT well personally, though he certainly knew who he was. It was kinda like the popular dibbun at Abbey school, everyone knew them by reputation but not as a friend. Only except for being a popular kid who was good a kick-abouts, Celebes remember Roach being more famous for running away with Martin's sword. "What are you doing sneaking around here? You've been camping out in Tsarmina's bed?"
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