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Brianna eased the tension on her bow. For some obscure reason, she felt ashamed that she'd been about to shoot the wolf.

"Oh, um," she replied, "well, it's the normal reaction when some great big carnivore comes running at you. We didn't know it was tame. Sorry."

"Wolfie's not tame, he's wild!"

"Oh. Right."

The wolf suddenly lifted its muzzle in Brianna's direction, sniffing the air. It tilted its head and 'wuffed' at her, in a way that clearly signified puzzlement. Brianna took an involuntary step back.

"Wolfie thinks you're a cat," Enna declared.

"Did you just hiss at that wolf?" Katerei whispered in Brianna's ear.

Brianna blinked in surprise. "Must have been the panther. Hey, where's Cat got to?" Starfall pointed up at the nearest tree. Brianna's mouth twitched into a fleeting grin.

The Scribe knelt down close to Enna. "Where's your family, little girl?

"Wolfie's my family!"

"What about your mother and father?"

"Don't have any."

"Surely there must be someone who takes care of you?"

Enna shrugged, sucked her thumb, and leaned her head on Wolfie's side. Her other hand started playing with the thick fur on the back of the nightwolf's neck.

The Scribe glanced over at his granddaughter. "Brianna, why don't you and Cat go and check the forest out there, and see if you can find where this little urchin appeared from?" Brianna nodded once, obviously relieved to be getting away from the huge predator. She disappeared in the opposite direction to that from which the odd pair had stumbled into their camp, avoiding the necessity of walking past the wolf. Overhead, trees rustled noisily as Cat leaped from one to another.

"Now then," the Scribe continued, returning his attention to the child. "Do you like bedtime stories?"

Enna popped her thumb out of her mouth. "What's a stowy?"

"Why don't you come and sit with me over by that tree, and I'll show you."

The Scribe eased himself down against the indicated trunk. Wolfie, somehow understanding what was required, padded over and slumped down next to him. Enna snuggled into his thick fur, once again sucking her thumb.

"Now then," the Scribe began. "I call this story 'The Beast Within'. Once, long ago, in a land far, far away, there was a peaceful elven village, on the shore of a great lake. The people there all had golden hair, because they were sun elves.

"One morning, a man named Eldrath went out to catch some fish. He had a favourite spot, far along the shores, a long way from the village, where the rocks jutted out over the waters to the deepest part of the lake, where all the biggest fish lived. When he got there, he found his spot was already occupied, by a woman from the human village on the other side of the lake, who was called 'Helen'.

"Now, the elves and the humans got along alright, mostly by not having much to do with one another. Eldrath hesitated when he saw the woman, but she spoke to him.

"'It's all right,' she said, 'there's enough fish for the both of us.' Eldrath didn't want to find another spot, so he agreed to share. The two met there often over the next few months, and shared many long conversations while waiting for the fish to bite. She fascinated him, she was so unlike his own people. Where they were slender and fine boned, she appeared more solid, yet well proportioned to his eyes. All his people were golden haired, but her hair was the deep, rich brown of mahogany. The tales she told of her home seemed wild and exotic, even though it was just across the lake.

"They eventually realised that they'd fallen in love, and decided to get married. This caused a great many arguments, among both peoples. Most people disapproved of the match, thinking the two races shouldn't mix; but those on both sides who met their kin's intended were uniformly charmed by them."

At that point in the story, Katerei noticed that the child appeared to have fallen asleep. She chose not to call it to the Scribe's attention, hoping he'd finish the story - she had an inkling of where it was going, and she was intrigued.

"A little over a year later," the Scribe continued, "Helen gave birth to a daughter. At first, the child was elven in appearance, but as she grew, her hair became the same mahogany colour as her mother's.

"As the girl's second birthday appraoched, news of Eldrath and Helen's marriage finally reached the head of Eldrath's clan, who was a long way away, serving as Aranduren Maquant'a'parma, scribe and advisor to the king. He arrived in the village, filled with wrath, set upon scathing his descendant with the heat of his anger and scorn - but the first sight of the child melted his heart, her innocent joy filling him with delight. She was every bit the glittering gift her parents had named her to be. He realised the couple truly loved each other, and remembered what he'd felt for his own love, Elannan, who had long since passed. Instead of condemning them, he gave them his blessing.

"Many years passed, with both joy and hardship, until the child approached her twelfth year. She had a natural empathy with the land and the beasts in it, and had been playing at and training as a ranger all her life. In that year, twin misfortunes befell the peoples, on both sides of the lake. The first was a great plague that swept through the human lands. Some died, and many more were sapped of strength. As the plague dwindled, Helen finally fell victim to it. While it seemed she would most likely survive it, she was unable to leave her bed for many months. It was feared that too much exertion could tip the balance, and she would be lost.

"The second misfortune came to be called Aha'i'avatharie - the Rage of the Shadows. In the dark of night, something unseen stalked the fields, killing animals and livestock indiscriminately, but not to eat. One young elven shepherd chose to stay with his flock at night, to protect them from whatever force stalked them. In the morning, when his body was discovered, the people were finally galvanised into action.

"They formed hunting parties, and set off into the jungle. Eventually, they captured a maddened black panther. Some wanted to kill it outright, but most, being closer to nature, wanted to learn what could drive such a noble creature to such wanton slaughter.

"The beast was caged in the meeting hall, and spells were prepared. The people returned to their homes to rest for the night, as the magic they were to perform the following day would take much from all of them.

"Bri'anna found her so confined, and it broke her heart to see her in that state. She lashed out at the bars as Bri'anna approached, driving her back. Desperate to find an answer to what was causing the panther so much pain, she turned to the book of magic that rested on a pedestal, ready for the following day's ritual.

"Some time later, Eldrath came looking for his daughter. Not finding her in any of her usual haunts, he shrewdly guessed she would be investigating the only new wild attraction in the village. He entered the great hall. He was astonished to find the panther gone, and Bri'anna sitting, hugging her knees to her chest, in the centre of the locked cage.

"'Ascarriel,' he groaned, 'what have you done?'"

The Scribe suddenly realised Enna was sleeping. "Ah well," he whispered softly. "I suppose we'll finish the story another time."

Katerei leaned over towards Brianna, who'd returned part way through the tale. "You let the panther go?"

"Not exactly." Brianna ducked her head in embarrassment.

This post has been edited by cache22: 05 February 2007 - 09:12 PM

Darkness cloaked the corridors of the first stronghold. A silence hung over the area, vast and foreboding, as Rythan quickly made his way through the ancient tunnel and back into the corridor the adventure through the citadel had started in. The bones of the skeleton Alice had destroyed still lay scattered about the dusty floor, serving now as a landmark of sorts.

The assassin traveled half way done the hall to a patch of stone along the wall that looking very slightly different from the rest, it was the passage the group had first used to enter. In the darkness Rythan carefully ran his hands over the stone wall around the secret door. Every time Rapierian had “accidentally” opened one of these passages the switch had been set into a stone very close by, usually in the same wall, and always to the—

One of the stones beneath Rythan’s hand pushed into the wall and the hidden section rose into the ceiling to reveal the way out of the stronghold. As the assassin stepped cautiously into the night the silver chain draped around his neck gleamed softly in the moonlight. The area outside of the stronghold was exactly as it had been before the group entered, only darker with the passage of time.

Masses of the undead wandered aimless around the ruined structure, but they all ignored Rythan as he made his way to the front gate, even staggering away from him if he passed close enough. The dark warrior strode straight out of the area and onto the road, meeting with no resistance at all thanks to the onyx amulet he wore. His trek up the mountain path was long and uneventful, the assassin hurried to the peak to make his journey as fast as possible, but he was careful not to push himself too hard. It wasn’t until he reached the plateau at the end of the road and stopped to catch his breath that he realized the extent of his fatigue. Rythan clasped the onyx charm as his gaze traveled back to the now distant dark citadel; if Katerei had not given it to him he likely would have died in a battle against those creatures. Perhaps the ravishing healer had been more aware of Rythan’s fading strength than he himself. Turning from his study the warrior made his way over to the cleverly hidden staircase that led to Akheron’s sanctuary.

The mage’s study was in far better shape than it had been when Rythan had left. The rubble that had been strewn across the smooth marble floor was gone, the overturned and broken furniture was both righted and fixed, even the hole in the wall that demon had smashed through was no more. Rythan stepped into a room that was as majestic now as it had been when he had first seen it, seeing Akheron sitting comfortably in a leather chair next to the lit fireplace, pouring over a scroll of old brown parchment, written in some language the Hyperian did not recognize.

The elderly mage looked up from his work as Rythan approached, his eyes clouded by apprehension as they fell upon the assassin. He hastily rolled up his scroll and set it aside, standing and taking a step away from the dark warrior. Rythan viewed the sorcerer’s stance as defensive and assumed the man was gathering magical energies, though he could not sense such thing. Akheron’s gaze went to the dark talisman the Hyperian wore, “That was the charm I gave to Katherine…” he looked behind Rythan, but saw no others; it would seem that he recalled the assassin’s dark promise, “Is she… is she alright?”

Rythan glanced around the room, spotting several vials and flasks of potions upon a wooden table before a locked cupboard, then returned his eyes to the mage, “We haven’t found her yet, but we are close. I’ve come for supplies to bring back to the group.”

The relief was obvious on Akheron’s face, whether it was cheer in the knowledge that Katherine might yet be alright or in that his own life was no longer in grave danger Rythan could not say. The mage smiled and headed across the room to the table topped with potions, “I am not very skilled in the magical arts of healing, but my studies have made me quite proficient in all manner of alchemical cures,” he produced a small brass key from within his robes and used it to unlock the cupboard. As he opened it he pulled out a fine palm-sized crystal flask filled with a golden liquid the shined softly, “I only stock healing ingredients here, but this is the only healing potion I actually have readily made; you will find none better anywhere. It has the power to purify the body of any toxin and heal wounds astonishingly.” He handed the potion to Rythan with what looked to be a small sense of awe, “It is called a Roc Elixir, made from the feathers of the rare bird.” He sighed, “The main ingredient is terribly hard to come by; as it stands I only have two other feathers, perhaps enough to make three more elixirs of that size.”

Removing the stopper from the small crystal flask the assassin pulled away the cloth that hid the lower half of his face, revealing his handsome visage briefly as he drank of the golden elixir. Sweet as the ripest delectable juice the potion went down smoothly leaving Rythan feeling regret for the fact that he had finished it in a single go. A cool sensation shivered through his body, followed immediately by a comforting warmth the radiated from his core. The elixir’s effects were so abrupt that they were startling, Rythan instantly felt his strength renewed as the last vestiges of the warmth faded away. He looked at the small flask, its contents gone, and set it gently upon the wooden table, “Do you have a satchel that I may use?”

Akheron blinked in surprise, “I um… Certainly, I’ll be right back with one that should suit you.” As the mage left the room Rythan set the potions that were on the table of to one side. Turning to the open cupboard the assassin began to remove the arrayed ingredients and set them upon the table. Small vials of glittering liquids, colorful herbs, small pouches of fine powders and finally two large ivory feathers, he took a little of everything he saw and set it aside.

In minutes the elderly mage returned, holding a fine bag of what looked to be black silk, which he presented to Rythan, “I thought this might match your… demeanor.” He finished with an unsure smile. Accepting the offering the assassin unceremoniously opened the bag and began filling it with the ingredients he had gathered while the mage looked on quizzically, “I take it those are the supplies you needed…” Rythan only nodded as he finished gathering what was necessary and closed the pack.

His task complete the assassin bid the mage a curt fair well and quickly left the sanctuary. Back in peak physical condition he made his way back through the night to the darkened stronghold quickly…

**

Night still reigned over the valley of Tavara’s Citadel as Rythan entered the shadowed grove just outside of the secret tunnel which led him there. The assassin moved cautiously through the trees as he saw signs of a small fire in the distance ahead, he stalked the shadows in silence as he made his approach, unsure of what to expect.

The light of the moon gleamed softly off of something in the underbrush, a metallic strand of wire connected between two trees. Rythan followed it with his eyes, seeing a small pair of bells mounted on a plant off to his right, the wind failed to move to small brass bells, but were he to trip the wire it would raise a small alarm. This was not the work of the undead, and it had not been here when he left. The others had turned around, and now their encampment was defended from the approach of enemies.

Rythan stepped carefully over the obstruction, noting that several others were hidden strategically through the area. From the darkness in which he blended so well he could see Alice standing watch at the edge of the camp, looking bored and slightly aggravated as he was having a quite argument with the spectral cloak that always tagged along with him. The dark warrior approached swiftly from the trees, walking into the camp itself without raising alarm. Sideline was standing watch on the other side of the camp opposite Alice, meanwhile the rest of the group seemed to be safely asleep in the camp’s center, with two new additions, a young girl and a large dark wolf.

They were all gathered near the brightly burning fire for its warmth, all save Katerei, who lay upon the grass slightly away from the others, furthest from the fire and closest to where Rythan entered the camp. The darkly clothed warrior stepped passed her quietly, but the sound of her stirring behind him was somehow less than surprising. The assassin glanced back over his shoulder to see Katerei sitting up, looking right at him. He thought he may have glimpsed her smile, but it could have been a trick of the light from the shadows sent dancing by the fire. Through the silence she whispered softly, “You’re back. Well you can return my amulet.” Nodding Rythan reached into his hood and undid the fine silver chain, then stepped over to the Elvin woman and handing her back the onyx jeweled talisman. Crouching down he placed the dark satchel he carried before her. Arching an eyebrow the azure beauty opened the bag, her eyes widening very slightly while she viewed its contents, everything he had taken, minus the small crystal flask which, for some reason, he had kept for himself. She glanced to Rythan, and then back to the bag slowly. Inclining his head without uttering a word the assassin stood and turned away. “There is still some meat on the fire…” Rythan looked as Katerei spoke, “We had extra, I suppose the others wouldn’t mind if you helped yourself.”

Rythan smiled slightly from beneath the mask which covered his face, “Thank you.” And with those quiet words he turned to the fire. Indeed, Katerei was right, roasted food still hung on the spit. Grabbing hold of the end of the spit he freed it from the fire itself, and then walked back over to the more shaded section of the camp, not far from Katerei herself. Removing his mask he took a bit of the succulent meat, discovering only then how hungry he had been. After a short silence while he quelled his awaken hunger Rythan gazed over to Katerei where she sat, “You were awake when came here, why is that?”

The Elvin woman glanced over to the fire for a moment and then looked away, “I guess it was the day’s excitement.”

There was something more there, something about how she looked upon the dancing flames, but he did not press her further. Something weighed heavily upon her thoughts, something familiar and dark that Rythan could recognize as terrible loss. He looked around the camp, to the trees and the mountains that surrounded them, and sighed, “I grew up in a place like this. In a small village nestled in a beautiful valley called Daraken, with the rest of my Clan and my family.” Katerei turned to him in quiet interest, though she didn’t say anything. Rythan glanced over to the young girl with the wolf, whose name he didn’t know, “She looks like Sarala, my brother’s young daughter. When I come to places like this, I think of them often, I miss the time I spent with them greatly.”

A sadness entered his eyes and, though the memories were different, it was reflected in Katerei’s eyes as well, “What happened?” she asked softly.

Rythan was silent for a several long moments, his vibrant eyes clouded slightly, “They’re all gone.” He said quietly, “And it was the worst thing that I could have ever imagined… but in time, I have made myself whole again.” He looked over to Katerei, “And you will as well.”

Katerei sighed softly, looking away as she brushed her hand across her cheek, “In time…” she glanced back to Rythan and, for a rare moment, the ice that normally froze her gaze was gone, “Thank you.”

Kitran was outraged, although like any true gentleman he didn't let himself go into a frenzy. He had contented himself with writing a very nasty letter to the group; however, upon re-reading it, he decided it was a bit too insulting and toned it down. Unfortunately, he accidentally incinerated this copy and ended up being forced to write a small letter instead.

It read:

Dear almost-"heroes":

I observed your entrance into the Second Stronghold earlier, but I also noticed your subsequent retreat.

Now, now! It is not polite to abuse a lich's hospitality in such a way!

Further, why did you go in at all? A true gentleman plans such things out in advance and does not retreat in such a manner!

Now, please, go into the Stronghold and obtain my artifact, or I'll be forced to do something unpleasant to your friend here!

Your Enemy,
Kitran

Kitran really prided himself on etiquette and viewed it as his duty to correct others when he believed that they had made a mistake. He put the note in a small container and dropped it into the midst of the camp, unintentionally hitting Wolfie on the head and almost hitting Enna...


Rapierian idly moved through the tunnels: he had formulated a plan. Now, all he needed was the chance to put it into motion...

Wolfie instantly woke, and started growling. He sniffed warily at the container, then nudged Enna. Enna yawned and rolled over, closer to her friend. The wolf's growl took on a more insistent edge, and Enna growled back, a rising tone indicating a question. She picked up the container, and looked around. Noticing Katerei was awake, she trotted over, completely failing to see Rythan in the shadows.
"It landed on Wolfie. What is it?" she asked, handing it to Katerei.
Katerei opened it, and drew out a folded piece of paper. Enna looked over her shoulder.
"There's all squiggles on it. What's that mean?"
Katerei read it out loud.
"Dear almost-"heroes":
I observed your entrance into the Second Stronghold earlier, but I also noticed your subsequent retreat.
Now, now! It is not polite to abuse a lich's hospitality in such a way!
Further, why did you go in at all? A true gentleman plans such things out in advance and does not retreat in such a manner!
Now, please, go into the Stronghold and obtain my artifact, or I'll be forced to do something unpleasant to your friend here!
Your Enemy,
Kitran"

This post has been edited by CrazyChick: 06 February 2007 - 02:56 AM

Silverfish was apparently awake this time, and said, "Send him a message, blaming the 'fiasco' on me, perhaps it will soothe him."

"I guess it's time to try the stronghold again," Brianna said, chewing her lower lip uncertainly. "This 'Kitran' appears to be growing impatient, and I'd hate for something to happen to Katherine because of us - although I don't relish the prospect of storming Tavara's front door."

"We may not have to," Sideline replied. "Rapierian managed to disappear while we were preoccupied with the scylla, and I'd wager he didn't run away. He's in there, somewhere, and he didn't use the main entrance."

"And he's alone, what's worse," the Wizard added. "I hate to think what he could do in there with nobody to watch him."

"Another secret passage?" Rythan mused. Sideline nodded. "I think I may be able to find it," Rythan continued.

"There is one more thing to consider," the Scribe interjected. "The child. We can't possibly take her in there with us, it's far too dangerous; and I don't wish to leave her here alone."

This post has been edited by cache22: 07 February 2007 - 06:34 PM

Rapierian quietly stepped over the remains of several creatures that he had just finished demolishing. He'd managed to learn that Tavara now personally carried the artifact and the spellbook. The necromancer doubted that he, on his own, could defeat Tavara and all of the guards with him, so he'd decided to follow through on his plan. Smiling, he continued on his way.


Far to the south, Selax leapt into air and shot off into the north. At last, he'd managed to find out what had become of one of the other three parts of the artifact. Selax had been trying to discover this ever since one of the three components—a gem—had been stolen from Pnyx; this indeed had been the bit of news that had kept him from following the other adventurers. It had also been reported to him that agents of the Death King were scouring Cythera for the artifact that would give a lieutenant the ability to command the legions of dead. (Of course, the Death King could empower his servants to be able to do this, but he saw this as inefficient and wasteful. Thus, he'd created an artifact that would do it for him.) Selax had determined to find one of the other two parts to sabotage this scheme, and he'd been consulting all of his sources on the subject. The second part of the artifact—another gem—seemed to have been lost, but he had learned that the third part of the artifact—a gauntlet with places for both gems—had fallen into Tavara's hands in the north. He couldn't storm the Stronghold on his own, but he'd also learned from one of the Seldane that the other adventurers were already in the area.

Time was of the essence, and Selax soared on his way, going faster and faster as he gained momentum...

"There is one more thing to consider," the Scribe interjected. "The child. We can't possibly take her in there with us, it's far too dangerous; and I don't wish to leave her here alone."
"But I want to come!" she complained. "I want to help save Katherine! Me and Wolfie will be good, we will! Promise!"
Wolfie wagged his tail, and Enna turned her cuteness to 'Full Power'.
Noticing the Scribe was dithering, she said craftely, "We'll go if you tell us to. Won't we, Wolfie?"
"Mmm... well..."
"Please?" she pleaded, giving him the largest pair of bambi eyes he'd ever seen in his life.
"Oh, all right. But stay behind us! You don't want to get involved in the fighting! And someone should look after you."
Enna rushed up and hugged him, or as much as she could reach. "Thank you! Thank you!"
Enna knew when not to push her luck. She knew she didn't need anyone, but the old man might change his mind.
"Volunteers, anyone?"

This post has been edited by CrazyChick: 08 February 2007 - 02:55 AM

Silverfish volunteered to stay at the back with Enna.

This post has been edited by Jehezekel: 09 February 2007 - 12:32 PM

Enna started growling to Wolfie, who cocked his head and growled back.
After a few minutes of this coversation, she turned to Silverfish and said, "Wolfie says you can ride on him if you want to. You're a lot lighter than me, and he can carry me."

Kitran was getting impatient. If the group didn't enter the Stronghold soon, he was tempted to go ahead and kill the sorceress. Finally, the group got together and headed back toward the Stronghold. Surprisingly, the door had been left open, and the group stopped for a moment, for a brief debate on how best to enter the Stronghold.

Silverfish bows to Enna, thanks her profusely, and politely declines her and wolfie's offer.

Sideline peered through the wide-open arch, at the causeway and sealed doors beyond. A dark shadow moved in the murky moat.

"Are we sure there were only the two scylla in there?" he asked the group at large.

"That's what Bellerophon and his companions reported facing, after they returned from storming the place," the Wizard replied.

Sideline grunted. "Yeah, but unlike most liches, Tavara's supposed to have maintained at least some degree of sanity. I'd bet he's made some changes since then." A tentacle broke the surface of the water, sending ripples speeding to the banks. "Yup, thought so. There's at least one more scylla. Wonder what else is new around here?"

Rythan stepped through the doorway. "It's time to find our alternate route, then," he said, and began to inspect the wall for the release for the secret entrance that Rapierian must have used.

"Where was the last place anyone saw Rapierian standing?" the Scribe queried.

"Over there," the Wizard replied, pointing to the side of the doorway opposite to where Rythan was searching. "I was keeping tabs on him, but I had to duck a tentacle. When I looked up again, he was gone."

The assassin shifted his attention to the wall next to the place indicated.

Rather than search the wall, Sideline examined the stonework of the causeway itself. "hmm," he murmured, seeing a stone that jutted slightly above the others. The edges of the brick were marked, as if it had scraped against the neighbouring stones. He stamped on it, hard. Narrow sections of the causeway quickly subsided to form a downward staircase.

"Woah!" Cat exclaimed, as the spot she was standing on fell away beneath her foot, sending her tumbling down into the underground passage. To no-one's surprise, she alighted solidly on her feet.

Without another word, the group filed down into the dark. Sideline pulled a small oil lantern from his pack and lit it, for the benefit of those without elven vision.

"That might be noticed," Rythan observed, as they moved rapidly, yet cautiously, along the narrow passage.

"And the sound of half of us falling over each other wouldn't be?" Sideline retorted.

"Good point."

The tunnel turned a corner, and ended abruptly in a brick wall.

"What now?" Adrian queried. "Another secret door? I'm getting really tired of all these secret doors."

"I don't know," Sideline replied. "I don't see any -" He felt a sudden gut-wrenching sensation, and his vision swam. When he was able to see clearly, he realised he was somewhere different to where he'd been a moment ago.

"Damn! Some kind of teleporting maze!" He quickly scanned the rest of the group, realising only five of them were with him - Starfall, Kerran, Adrian, Silverfish and the Wizard.

"Everyone okay?" Other than a little disorientation, no-one was any the worse for wear. "Wizard, can you contact the rest of the group?" The Wizard nodded. "Great," Sideline continued, "where are they?" The Wizard pointed in two different directions. "Oh no," Sideline moaned.

"Brianna, Katerei, Cat and Retsy ore over that way," The Wizard said, pointing to his left with his right hand, "and the Scribe, Rythan, Alice, Enna and her nightwolf are over that way," he finished, pointing to the right with his left hand.

"All right," Sideline sighed. "Let everyone know that everyone else is all right, and let's see about finding a way out of this mess."

This post has been edited by cache22: 10 February 2007 - 02:02 AM

Silverfish was on the verge of tears, he was supposed to be helping keep Enna safe, and now he didn't even know how to find her! He walked leadenly at the back of his small group, paying no head to his surroundings.

"Woo!" said Enna. "That was weird! And where is everyone?"
Everyone else is all right. We just got separated by the teleporter. We're trying to find you, but it may take some time.
She looked around. It sounded like the one the others called the Wizard, and he wasn't here. So who had said it?
"Did you hear that?" she asked.
The Scribe nodded, along with a boy whose name she didn't know.
"Heard what?"
Enna jumped. A blaze of light filled the whole region, and Rythan was suddenly visible.
"Who're you?" she demanded.
The Scribe chuckled. "You scared her, Rythan. Quite handy, really. Now we have some light!"

Suddenly, from all around the groups, a voice flooded the tunnels.

So, little flies, care to play in my web?, it chuckled. Very well, you shall make great toys and test subjects. I see you brought my errant student back with you too! I look forward to dealing with him...

The voice trailed off in howling laughter, eerily reminiscent of Rapierian's...

After a few moments, the three groups all began to set out toward each other.


In another part of the tunnels, Rapierian listened to Tavara in amusement.

Sorry, "master", he thought, it is you who shall be surprised and dealt with...

This post has been edited by Selax: 09 March 2007 - 01:21 AM

Retsy had been traveling along with all the rest of the group, when suddenly the scene around her switched to complete blackness. She thought she was alone until she heard Brianna speak.

"Rather dark, isn't it?"

"That it is," Katerei agreed.

"I can see perfectly fine," Cat bragged.

"How can any of you see anything?" Retsy asked. "Is everyone here?"

"It's just the four of us," Brianna informed her.

It was then that they received Wizzy's message. "EEK!" Retsy screamed, falling to the floor, "he magic'd my brain!"

"I think this direction would be best," Katerei decided.

"Which direction?" Retsy asked, unable to see Rei pointing.

"Come on, I'll help you," Cat offered, and Retsy felt her hand taken by Cat's.

The girls wandered off, having only a fuzzy idea of where they were going. Retsy wondered how much she trusted Cat to lead her around in the darkness. And, naturally, the four girls began gossiping. "Tavara sure has some odd taste in dungeons, doesn't he?"

OoC: Just to let you know, I used this post for a little bit of character development of Wizard's past. I know that's what the camp was for, but I missed the whole camp, so this post seemed fitting enough. And as for Sécundus, I'll get back to him later... when I think of something for him to be doing BiC:

“I’m tired of playing the mouse for Tavara. If he wants to do something, I wish he would hurry up and do it rather than force us to wander around this infernal maze!” Wizard said, exasperated by the recent events. “He didn’t make Bellerophon blunder through some teleportation maze.”

“How old are you?” Starfall asked, her expression beaming with innocence.

Wizard had been strolling along, with his hand on the left wall, making his way toward where his mind told him to go. He was sure that if he could just reach the end of this corridor. . . everything turned to haze, swimming before their insensible eyes. Wizard had just been turning his head to the right look at Starfall when they were teleported to another part of the puzzle, and the young girl had now been translocated to his left.

“Blast, here we go again,” Sideline exhaled in frustration. “Where is everyone now, Wizard?”

“All right,” the old man’s orb began to glow more intensely than it had been, “Well Brianna, Katerei, Cat, and Retsy are now ahead of us. The others are to the left. No, they just teleported to the right somewhere.”

“Can’t you tell where the center of the maze is?” Kerran asked.

“I could try, but if I let my mind explore too far ahead of my body, chances are something will happen to me, either mentally or physically. And now, I believe you asked a question?” the mage turned his aged face to Starfall again, all traces of anger or vexation now gone.

“Yes, how old are you?”

He seemed pleased to answer the question from such a blameless young creature as she was. “Oh very old, I remember well the days before Alaric, the days when the elementals lived in relative peace.”

They had walked along in silence for a few minutes before Starfall spoke again, “May I touch you?”

Wizard understood what she was asking for. In essence, she wished for his memories and thoughts, each one unreserved. He considered the possibilities but, in the end, decided it best to pass. “Some things are best left unknown, Starfall. You will live more freely earning your own memories in life, not following the thoughts of an old man, planting biases and time-hardened beliefs in your mind.”

“I agree with Wizard,” Sideline commented, edging a little further away from Starfall as he remembered her uncanny ability.

“Very well, but may I ask questions?” her complexion still held its perfect innocence.

“Yes, freely.”

“How long have you been in this place?”

“What, Cythera? I’ve lived here nearly from my birth.” He stopped for a moment, gazing forward into space, “That’s why I never learned my real name: I was never at my home long enough to know it.”

“I’m sure it’s somewhere in your mind. I could probably find it,” Starfall reassured him.

“I once held that same belief myself,” he chuckled. “But after all the time I’ve spent probing and examining my mind with a fine-tooth comb, I’ve virtually given up on that idea.”

They continued in silence again until Sideline asked something he’d been wondering. “Wizard, did you meet Bellerophon? When he was here? You seem to have at least studied his adventures in great detail.”

“Met him? No, I’d never had the pleasure Of course, I’d seen him from a distance a time or two, nearly even bumped into him once, no doubt. He traveled around the land so much, being alive at the time, it was hard not to see him a lot. Yet for all of his travels, never once did he drop by my home,” Wizard chuckled again. “I was close enough to him to catch some of his thoughts at one time, though. I know that he’s from the same place I’m from. I wonder if I’ll ever get to back as he did. . .” his voice trailed off. “You know, I think we’re on the edge of the maze right now. I don’t know if that means we’re getting any closer, though.”

“Where do you live?” Kerran questioned, now interested in quizzing the old man himself.

“I live in a quiet cottage far to the south. I’d lived there peacefully for many, many years before I left it to make a short escapade to the north. I’d often made brief ventures here and there, but on this particular one, I met a pack of adventurers. I’ve been traveling with them ever since.” He thought for a moment longer when a look of distaste came across his face, “Come to think of it, that was when I first met that mad necromancer, Rapierian -- some years ago in the north.”

“Why’d you leave your home in the first place?” the questions had returned to the source as Starfall spoke.

“Hmm, well, perhaps I was just ready for some adventure, but I also --” before he could finish, they were teleported again. Wizard had been in the middle of a stride, balancing precariously on one foot as they were moved further into the heart of the labyrinth. He toppled over when they fully re-materialized. He jumped (literally) to his feet, “I’m getting tired of all this teleporting. We need to get out of here soon!”

“Where’s everyone one now?” Sideline asked, supporting himself on the wall.

“Brianna and her group are to the right, and Rythan and his are somewhere that way,” he pointed in a southwestern direction. “Wait a second, where is Sécundus? I thought everyone was here but Rapierian, but I can’t sense Sécundus.”

“Is it possible he didn’t follow us?” Sideline thought aloud.

“Possible, I guess. Or he got teleported somewhere else.”

“Or he could be with the necromancer,” Kerran commented.

“I don’t think so, I spoke with him a bit in the camp, and I think his motives are just what he says they are. Rapierian’s completely different.” Wizard began to walk forward again. “I think we’re getting very close to the center now,” he told Kerran. “Hopefully, there will be something there to deactivate the teleporters, or at least, a teleporter that will get us out of here.”

“Wizard, I just had a thought. In fact, we’ve all been kind of stupidly going about this thing,” Sideline stopped moving.

“What?”

“Well, if we all keep moving and teleporting, moving and teleporting, we’ll never find each other.”

“Of course,” Wizard began to pick up on the idea, “But if one of us stays by a teleporting area, and just waits here, we’re bound to find the others. Then we can get out of here as a group.”

The logic of the argument eventually occurred to everybody, and they all sat down, awaiting the first thing that would teleport their way. . .

This post has been edited by The Wizard: 13 February 2007 - 09:15 PM

"Too many skeletons." said Cat medetatively, as she kicked a bone aside. "We could probably do something with some floral wallpaper and a firebomb."
She stopped, realizing the others were looking at her.
"Where did that come from?" Brianna asked.
Cat was about to answer, then frowned. "Do you know, I don't know. Anyway."
The girls continued chatting, and blundered through a teleporter.

* * * * * * * * * * *
"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with... W." said Starfall.
"Wall." replied Sideline.
"You guessed!" Starfall accused.
"Well, yes. I'm supposed to, aren't I?"

"Come on, it's your turn," Starfall urged.

Sideline sighed. "Oh, all right." He began to look around for something challenging. "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with... idiot!"

"Hey, that's not very nice," Starfall exclaimed. "I may not have much of a memory right now, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid!"

"No, not you - me! Look!" Sideline pointed upwards.

"Yes, the top of the walls. So what?"

The wizard clapped a hand over his eyes and began to mutter. Kerran began to laugh.

"What?" Starfall asked, bewildered.

"There's no ceiling to this place!" Sideline exclaimed. "Sure, there's a roof to the cavern, but the walls don't go all the way up. We don't have to keep following this maze, we can climb up and walk along the top of the walls!"

"Ooooh!"

Sideline quickly took a hook from his pack and tied it securely to the end of a coil of cord. He stepped back to give himself room, swung the hook vertically in a circle three times, and sent it sailing up and over the top of the wall, four metres above. He tugged it, hard, and it held firm.

"I'll go take a look, I'll just be a minute."

He rapidly scaled the wall, taking a solid grip on the edge as he peeked over the top. To his chagrin, Rythan was already standing atop a wall just a few metres away. The dark assassin inclined his head in greeting. Sideline grinned at him, and hauled himself over the lip and onto the flat surface of the top of the wall.

As far as he could see, most of the walls were about a metre thick. No-one should have any problem walking around on them, once they'd actually gotten up here - which he was fairly sure was going to be a problem in some cases.

"Um, Sideline?" the Wizard's uncertain voice drifted upward. "Whatever we're going to do, we better do it fast - the young ladies have just gotten themselves into a spot of bother."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Retsy screamed. "Don't let go! Don't let go!" she wailed.

"I'm trying not to, believe me," Cat grunted, "Stop wriggling!" The cat-elf tightened her grip on the stalactite she was clinging to for dear life. Retsy dangled below her, her hands entwined in Cat's belt. Cat tried hard not to notice what as further down, in the pit below.

"This place needs warning signs!" Brianna grumbled from the next stalactite over.

"That would kind of defeat the purpose of the trap, don't you think?" Came Katerei's reasonable, but muffled response, from around about Brianna's midsection. The blue elf had her arms wrapped tightly around Brianna's waist, holding on every bit as determinedly as the other three.

"Well, I hope someone can think of a way out of this," Brianna continued. "I don't relish the prospect of coming all this way just to fall into that lake of lava."

This post has been edited by cache22: 15 February 2007 - 04:27 AM

Silverfish hadn't noticed the change of directions, and continued to wander on the horizontal plane.

After a while, Silver realized that he was alone, and started trying to figure out where the others were. Their voices bounced around oddly in the maze, so he couldn't tell what was happening. Finally, it was just too much for him, and he huddled in a corner, and burst into tears.

"Ok." said Cat, matter of factly. "If someone passes me the end of the rope, I think I could make our position more comfortable."
"Nooo! Don't! You'll have to let go!" yelled Retsy.
Ignoring her, Cat asked, "Who has the rope?". The rope was passed up, and she hung onto the end with her teeth. "Retsy, hang on, ok? This will look dangerous, but it isn't."
Cat kicked off her boots, and watched them fall to the lava below. She sighed, and said, "Pity. They were good boots."
Reaching her legs up to the stalagtite, she extended her claws and wedged them in some cracks in the rock. Retsy, still hanging to her belt, was still yelling fit to burst.
Cat took the rope from her mouth and wound it around the stalagtite with one hand. Slowly, she took her other hand off, and tied the knot.
Passing it to Brianna and Katerei, she reached down and grabbed Retsy. "You're safe now. You can stop shrieking quite so loud."
"But you... You let go! Ahhh! I'm going to die! It's all your fault!"
Meanwhile Brianna had been tying the other end to her stalagtite as well as one can with one hand.
"Now, if we tie ourselves in, we won't have to hold on. Then we just wait for someone to rescue us." she said, tying the final knot.

Rapierian was getting very annoyed: his tools to defeat Tavara seemed to be having quite a bit of difficulty just reaching the lich. He didn't have the time for this. He wondered if anyone had guessed that there were codewords and spells governing the maze, although he doubted any of them knew the right ones anyway. Shrugging, he sank back deeper into the shadows and continued to wait. Sideline and Wizard had managed to find the Scribe, Rythan, Alice, Enna and her nightwolf by using Wizard's telepathy and walking on the walls. Now, they were rapidly closing in on the other four...


With a wave of his hand, Kitran dismissed the lesser daemon. It left in a hurry, heading back north. The creature had come to Kitran with the gem stolen from Pnyx. Now, the daemon needed the other two pieces to complete the artifact. He frowned as he noticed another presence entering the area. His face twisted into a sneer he recognized the presence.


Selax landed out of sight of the Second Stronghold. He noticed that there was a lack of activity and decided to wait to enter until a more opportune moment and for Wizard to contact him...

This post has been edited by Selax: 09 March 2007 - 01:22 AM

The sound of Retsy screaming finally penetrated Silverfish's despair, and he listened carefully. It sounded like she was about six cubits over, down that sinisterly glowing hole...

He hurried over to the hole, and looked down. He saw the girls down below, and sent a cable ladder down to them. The elf-girls would have made it up quickly, but it was hard to drag Retsy up. Eventually they all made it, and sat down a ways from the hole to recover a little before continuing.

Katerei sat leaning against the wall a safe distance away from the edge of the hole, shivering in fear to herself. She had been doing just fine until Brianna mentioned that they were hanging over a pit of lava- and then she'd just seized up. Lava, fire... they all did the same thing in the end, didn't they?

It cast shame over her heart to have been so paralyzed by her own fears. She'd let down the two younger girls, who looked up to her, and Brianna, whom Katerei had hoped would feel confident relying on her. But how could she have any credibility as a seasoned adventurer when she coudn't even keep the presence of mind to save her companions when they got into trouble?

She sighed and wrung her hands fitfully. This failure was not going to rest easy on her shoulders.