Panda On The Lanes

MEANWHILE…

Long before Panda ever set foot in the Ex*****on Grounds, someone else’s story had already begun.

She had nothing. No home. No purpose. No one waiting for her.

Then the Protectors of the Realm found her.

They saw something in the young Wolverine that others hadn’t. She was taken from the streets and given something she had never known before—a purpose.

She was trained to fight.

Trained to survive.

Trained to build the very traps that would one day protect the halls entrusted to her.

And when her training was complete, she was given one final charge.

Deep within the Ex*****on Grounds, behind a sealed chamber, something powerful was placed under her protection.

She was given a single order:

“Nothing leaves this chamber.”

Years passed.

The world outside changed.

But her order never did.

A duty of honor.
A duty of silence.
A duty without end.

Until someone finally entered the Ex*****on Grounds…




*****onGrounds

Allie found me.

She went straight to work on my arm while her little Shadow Dragon kept watch. The cut looks worse than it is. At least, that’s what I’m choosing to believe based on the amount of bandaging happening right now.

But then the dragon froze.

Its eyes locked on the corridor behind us.

The scraping had stopped.

No chains.
No dragging metal.
Nothing.

Then we saw the silhouette.

Whatever has been leaving those marks through the Ex*****on Grounds isn’t wandering these halls.

It’s patrolling them.

And now there are two of us trapped inside its territory.

The medic found the Panda.

Something else found us both.

To be continued…




*****onGrounds

The deeper I go into the Ex*****on Grounds, the more it feels like this place was built to keep something in… or keep everyone else out.

I barely saw the tripwire.

SNAP.

The axe came swinging out of the darkness before I had time to think. I moved just fast enough to keep it from being worse—but not fast enough to get away clean.

My right arm took the hit.

I found cover, grabbed the radio, and tried to keep my voice steady.

“Robyn… I got a problem.”

There was a pause before she answered.

“What happened?”

“Trap. Big axe. Caught my arm. I’m stable, but I need Allie.”

Another voice immediately came across the radio.

“I’m coming.”

Of course she was.

But then I noticed something.

The scraping.

That horrible sound I’d been following through the ruins…

It had stopped.

I lowered my voice.

“Robyn…”

“What?”

“The scraping stopped.”

Silence.

I looked toward the darkness at the end of the corridor.

“I don’t think I’m alone anymore.”

Where Every Legend Leaves Its Tracks.




*****onGrounds

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*****onerSolid

I crossed the boundary into the Ex*****on Grounds today, but The Raven didn’t follow.

It has followed me through the Unknown Ruins, watched me, and appeared whenever another piece of this mystery revealed itself. But when I stepped through the entrance to the Ex*****on Grounds, it stopped.

For the first time, all three of its eyes simply watched as I continued without it.

That probably should have been enough to make me turn around. It wasn’t.

Something else became clear once I crossed the boundary too. The crossed-axes symbols are gone. No more markings carved into stone. No more warnings telling me to stay away.

At first that seemed strange, but now I think I understand.

There don’t need to be warnings inside the Ex*****on Grounds. Every warning I found along the way was trying to stop me from ever getting this far.

They weren’t meant for whatever is in here.

They were meant for me.

Apparently, once you enter… you’ve already been warned.

Now I’m alone, The Raven refuses to follow, and somewhere ahead is the final unexplored area of Sector 01.

Time to find out why everyone—or everything—wanted me to stay away.

Where Every Legend Leaves Its Tracks.





*****onGrounds

Another step forward — and an important one.

I officially received my USBC Registered Volunteer credentials after completing the required background check and SafeSport requirements.

With stepping into my new role as VP of Youth Development for Hollmark Shoes, I want to make sure I’m doing this the right way from the beginning. Working with youth bowlers is more than helping them improve on the lanes. It means creating an environment where they can learn, compete, build confidence, and most importantly, feel safe and supported.

There’s a lot I want to build with the Hollmark Junior Team, and this is another piece of that foundation.

Integrity. Respect. Community.

The work starts now. 🎳

The warnings are getting harder to ignore.

The farther I move toward the Ex*****on Grounds, the more crossed-axes symbols I find. Different places. Same warning.

At first, I thought they might be markers.

Something left behind to point the way.

But standing here, with The Raven watching me again, I think I finally understand.

These symbols were never showing me where to go. They were warning me where NOT to.

And apparently, I haven’t been very good at listening.

Robyn and Allie are still back at the Unknown Ruins finishing the map and exploring what we left behind. They’re close enough to reach me if something goes wrong.

I have a feeling I may need them.

Because whatever waits inside the Ex*****on Grounds…

someone went through a lot of trouble to make sure nobody found it.

And I’m about to walk in anyway.

Where Every Legend Leaves Its Tracks.




*****onGrounds

The course is set.

With our work in the Unknown Ruins not quite finished, we decided splitting up made the most sense. Robyn and Allie will remain behind to finish mapping the ruins and cautiously explore the surrounding area while I move ahead alone.

They’ll stay close enough that if something goes wrong, I can call for help.

And based on where I’m headed…that might be important.

The trail leaving the Unknown Ruins leads toward the final unexplored location in Sector 01.

The Ex*****on Grounds.

Even the name doesn’t exactly scream “safe expedition.”

We’ve found signs pointing the way, including a symbol that keeps appearing along the route: two crossed axes.

I don’t know what they mean yet.

A warning?
A boundary marker?
Or something left behind by whatever calls this place home?

Either way, the Raven seems to have decided it’s coming with me.

Robyn has the map.
Allie has the radio.
I’ve got the trail ahead.

Time to see what’s waiting at the Ex*****on Grounds.

Where Every Legend Leaves Its Tracks.




*****onGrounds

We’ve been on some wild expeditions through The Preserve.

Along the way, we’ve encountered creatures we never expected, explored places we probably had no business entering, and brought some incredible discoveries back to the Research Station.

So far, our expeditions have uncovered:

🔥 Fusion Pearl — The Phoenix
🐉 Black Dragon Hybrid — The Shadow Dragon
🎪 Insanity Pearl — The Hyena
🌲 Insanity Hybrid — The Razorback Hyena
👁️ Unknown — The Raven

Each Swag Bowling discovery has brought us closer to completing the map of Sector 01.

Now there’s only one place left.

THE EX*****ON GROUNDS.

Robyn, Allie, and I have been studying the map and plotting our route. Whatever is waiting for us there, one thing is becoming very clear…

This might be the most dangerous expedition yet.

But we didn’t come this far to leave part of the map unexplored.

It’s time to finish Sector 01.

Let’s find out what’s waiting in the Ex*****on Grounds together.

Where Every Legend Leaves Its Tracks.




*****onGrounds

Back at the Research Station, the newest discovery has officially been handed over to Robyn.

And as usual, The Pony went straight to work.

The Swag Unknown may have been surrounded by mystery when we found it, but the Preserve Ball Scanner — powered by SWAG // LAB — is starting to give us some answers.

Watcher Symmetric Core.
Mystery Solid AP26.
3000 Abralon.
A smooth, controllable midlane read with a predictable breakpoint and the ability to handle a wide range of conditions.

Robyn’s conclusion?

This species was built to read the environment.

That makes everything about our encounter make a little more sense. The visions. The Raven watching me. Even the feeling that the Unknown wasn’t simply waiting to be discovered…

It was evaluating me.

The Unknown has officially earned its place in The Preserve.

Preserve Species #007
Original Designation: Unknown Solid
Preserve Name: THE RAVEN

And according to Robyn, there’s a lot more potential here than we’ve uncovered so far.

Interested in discovering the Unknown for yourself? Check it out at swagbowling.com and preorder yours through your local PSO or favorite online retailer.

Our map is almost fully explored…

Only one area remains.

What will we find waiting for us there?

Where Every Legend Leaves Its Tracks.