High above, the silver moon punched through the pitch black skies, casting its soft pale glow onto the lonely vessel amidst the restless seas. The whistling winds had roused you from your slumber; a warning of the deadly storm that loomed ahead.
"Captain! We must turn back!", your faithful companion, Salvador once more cried. "The winds are too strong!"
"Nay! We press forth!", you bark back at him, your resolve never waivering at the sight of the fears of uncertainty. "She will hold!", you add as you stamp towards the wheel to take control of your own ship.
Never did you doubt the vessel that bore your ancestors to very edges of the world as you knew it. Destiny was a fine ship, crafted by the greatest masters from a time long forgotten. Now, you take her to the longest journey you had ever embarked on, to complete the Tale that was told by your father and his fathers. This was the search for the fabled Humble Bundle, known to only reveal itself for seven nights under a silvery moon in the black seas.
"This is only a test!", you mutter to yourself, braving through the deadly storm, the wailing cries of Salvador lost with the growing howls of the winds. Suddenly, fog began to rise from the black sea, engulfing your vessel with its deadly haze. You peer onto your compass, hoping to find your bearings, yet it was all for naught as it could give you no direction to go to.
Your gaze rises to the moon above, the lone guide in the vast sea. From its pale glow was a direction, a path. You realized immediately that this was the only way through.
Spinning the wheel with all your might, you bark at Salvador to brace himself as Destiny slammed through the roaring waves. The winds growled, the lightning cackled, yet there you were, pressing on to whatever ends you'd find.
Then, it all stopped. The seas had calmed and the fog had lifted, revealing a floating undead with a mighty chest.
"Salutations, brave captain.", the creature spoke, its voice echoing through the vast waters. "Tell me what you seek!"
Salvador's voice had shifted swiftly from fear to glee as he immediately answered. "We seek the gift!"
"The gift from the steams of the Black Sea...", the creature muttered with a hint of dismay. "Acknowledge this gift, brave adventurer."
A roll of paper appeared in Salvador's hands with a coded message: 725F8CFF6635246F
You take a look at it, at first thinking this was indeed the fabled treasure. But something was amiss and you confronted the undead creature that stood before you.
"This is a trick! This is not the Humble Bundle!"
The creature smiled and nodded at you. "Aye, captain. You are indeed most perceptive."
"Bearer of the Bundle, tell me where it is!"
As soon as you uttered those words, the eyes of the creature closed, as if plunging into deep thought.
"The Bundle that you seek carries not the Plague of the Undead Evils.
The Bundle that is hidden, only the worthy can break its seals.
The Bundle of the Black Sea brings only the Tale of Time.
The Bundle of the beasts, the lewd and cards, for only a dime."
Appearing in your hands is a faded scroll with a code. The test is before you.
bmN5bnB3cGdybnBjeg==
You look up at the creature that still clutched its treasure chest as it utters its final instructions.
"Seek Rumkin's tools to unravel this riddle within a riddle. Bear in mind the passphrase 'humblebundle', young captain. You will need it."
Once the secret is revealed, you should tell the Colonel what it says.
Post edited June 01, 2013 by niniendowarrior