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Katerei studied Radik, keeping her expression carefully controlled as she attempted to process a multitude of thoughts at once. She felt somewhat ashamed that she had mistaken Radik's condition for the result of hard drinking, instead of recognizing that he had been poisoned. But who could blame me? she thought defensively. She hadn't noticed Selax finding the poison vial, and all the signs had pointed toward Radik's drinking habit. And she never claimed to be an expert medic; no one should expect her to be able to diagnose mysterious poisonings.

It created a host of new problems though. Who poisoned Radik? Why? Was it the same person responsible for the harpy killings? Or - possibly worse - was it someone within the group? Katerei wasn't quite sure how Radik had meant it, but his hesitation to rejoin them had planted a seed of doubt in her mind. After all, the only ones she knew all that well were Selax, Wizard, and Silverfish. She had seen the others in the Alraeican Tavern, but that didn't count for much. For that matter, ought she to trust Radik? He could very well be lying about the poison...

Katerei took a deep breath to clear her mind. This was no way to handle things. Wizard's injury was proof enough that the group was under fire from somewhere, and they needed to operate as a team - which included Radik.

"You think you're out of place," she said, addressing his last statement dryly. "I'm six feet tall and blue. You think I don't stick out? And you know, even if I am the next target, that's a risk I'm willing to take. It's our duty to find out who's behind these killings and stop them, and I'm not going to back down from that."

"And anyway," Katerei said, tossing her long hair over her shoulder and turning away from him, "you might be helpless and vulnerable with us, but I guarantee you'll be in more danger stumbling around alone on that leg. It's your choice," she called back as she walked back toward the camp.

*

A short while later, Katerei and Silverfish were sitting outside the cave playing X's and O's on the ground, using twigs for the board and leaves and pebbles for the markers. Silverfish was consistently winning. Wizard looked deep in thought and Katerei suspected he was only pretending to watch the game, although she didn't say anything. Radik had not come back to the cave with her, but Katerei wasn't concerned; she had a feeling he might be lurking nearby and biding his time before making a reappearance.

Katerei looked up when she heard Selax and the others approaching, her sharp hearing catching the soft footfalls even at a distance. She was about to lose the next round, so she abandoned the game and stood up to meet them. She gasped slightly when she realized Selax was carrying Rapierian, who looked unconscious. "What happened?" she called, more worried about if they had been attacked again than Rapierian's well-being.

"We think Rapierian is the one responsible for the attacks," Shanadar said grimly. "We found the body of a man in the clearing with the harpies."

Katerei drew in her breath sharply. She wasn't surprised at Rapierian's guilt, but the murder of a human was a disturbing turn of events. Selax deposited the necromancer roughly on the ground near the cave, and then he, Shanadar and Yomu gave a rundown of what they had discovered.

"We should return the body to Kosha," Shanadar finished, "and pray we don't find any more on the way."

Wizard began to get up, leaning heavily on his staff. Katerei rushed to his side to make sure he was okay, but he waved her off kindly. "It seems as if the killings will stop now, at least. We can have Rapierian apprehended in Kosha as well." He looked down at the unconscious necromancer, not seeming as if he'd be displeased to see Rapierian locked up once and for all.

*

Later that afternoon, while the others were making preparations to leave for Kosha, Katerei was examining the dead man that had been brought back to the campsite. Her nose was wrinkled at the sight of the mangled corpse, but she wanted to search for signs of the poisoning to better prepare herself for identifying it next time (although she hoped taking care of poisonees wasn't something she'd have to do often.) It didn't make sense to attack a body that had already died of poisoning, but she supposed that was just Rapierian showing off his sadistic side.

The dried blood caked everywhere made it hard to figure out what had been done to him, but on one of the man's pant legs Katerei noticed some puncture holes. She frowned slightly as she studied them. That didn't make any sense.

Katerei left the body for the moment and sat down next to Wizard, feeling most comfortable talking to him. "I just found marks on that man that appear to be from an animal's teeth. What do you make of that?"

"I suppose some animal came across him first and was hungry," Wizard said, looking a bit surprised. "But you wouldn't be asking me if it were that simple."

"No," Katerei shook her head. "I can't understand it. He appears more or less intact... well... uneaten, at least. An animal would either come by, sniff around, and leave again, or it would feed. It wouldn't just bite a corpse for no reason. Animals don't act that way. It's like something has altered their behaviour."

Wizard looked pensive, but had no answer. Another mystery to solve, he thought with a sigh.

As they headed toward Kosha, Silverfish took the position of advance Scout because he wasn't really strong enough to carry any of the bodies (living or dead) or to carry the extra supplies, (even though there were few because nobody really trusted another to keep their possessions safe.) Some of his companions thought that Silver was just being kept out of the way, but a few were suspicious enough that Rapierian wasn't the only sadistic murderer around to be glad of an extra precaution.

Silver flew a little ways ahead of the main party, looping around like a vulture hunting for food. He stayed close enough to the party that they could hear him yell if he was attacked, or saw something odd, yet far enough ahead to give them a comfortable margin for adopting a battle stance.

This post has been edited by Jehezekel: 13 June 2009 - 06:36 AM

Wizard trudged along near the middle of the group, leaning heavily on his staff. He had insisted that no one help him, but several members of the group were clustered around him anyways. He was busy thinking about the recent killings. He didn't find it at all difficult to believe that Rapierian was responsible for these murders; in fact, he felt a kind of satisfaction that they were finally going to give the necromancer his long-overdue comeuppance.

Yet, a part of him doubted that Rapierian was involved. Even if Rapierian were involved somehow, Wizard couldn't quite believe that he was acting on his own. But he wasn't going to voice his concerns just yet. For the moment, there wasn't any substantial evidence to suggest that Rapierian didn't do this alone, and Wizard certainly didn't want to lose their maybe only chance to bring Rapierian to justice once and for all.

Wizard squinted as he looked at the sky. The sun was still fairly high, although it would be getting to evening soon enough. Wizard figured the time to be around 3 o'clock. Given that he could see a glimpse of Kosha's high walls on the horizon, he was sure that they would make it before sundown.

When the group reached Kosha, they headed straight for Judge Itanos's house.

The city itself seemed strangely subdued as they made their way through it.

"Perhaps these strange killings have bothered people more than we had thought," Wizard mused aloud.

"Or something else has gone wrong," Shanadar said.

Reaching Itanos's house, Wizard raised his hand to knock, but, before he could do so, Itanos opened the door.

"Yes? What is it? No, I don't know. Come back later! I'm very busy!" the mage said, obviously quite flustered.

Wizard blinked.

"Itanos? Are you feeling all right?"

Itanos looked at the group for a moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were more concerned citizens. Things have been very hectic since the news reached us! But what are you doing here? I thought you'd be up at Land King Hall."

"What news? Why would we be at Land King Hall? We are here to deal with these strange killings."

"Oh those! Well, I should be glad. They've caused no end of unease here."

"What news?" Wizard repeated, maintaining his patience.

"You haven't heard? Alaric is in a coma!"

"What?" Shanadar asked in surprise. "How? When?"

"No one is quite sure! He just collapsed suddenly a couple of days ago. I've been told that his jester Magbird—"

"Magpie," corrected Wizard.

"Right, him, also is in some kind of a coma. Quite a bit of a disturbance! Lindus and most of the senior mages are at Land King Hall right now, trying to figure out what happened."

"Ominous news," someone said as Wizard turned back to the others.

"Indeed," Selax replied. "Regardless, we have a task to finish here. Then, we can investigate."

To Itanos, the elemental said, "It would appear that the necromancer Rapierian has been involved in the recent events around Kosha. He has been caught. In addition, we found this yesterday."

As he was speaking, the group members carrying the dead body of the man they had found stepped forward.

"Most troubling," Itanos said after a moment. "He was one of the city's laborers. Alarus, I believe. His family has been wondering what happened to him." After a moment, he continued, "Rapierian did this, you say? You caught him?"

Selax lifted the still unconscious necromancer up for the Judge to see.

"Hmm, well, that will cheer the people up, at least. Especially, if those horrible deaths stop. There are magic suppressing cells below Comana's old fortress. He should probably be placed there for now."

"It might be wise to keep him unconscious for a little longer," Selax replied.

"Perhaps so, but anyway get him over there. Then, I can tell you what else I know of Alaric's strange condition." Turning to the those who were carrying Alarus's body, Itanos added, "You should take him to his family. I can tell you where they live."

Just then Silver flew up in a panic. "Mirror! work! not does!"

He was greeted with blank stares.

"I went around to check on the Comana's guest room," he began guiltily, "it's pretty nice. But then I saw the mirror! It was all dark &... webby? AND I'm totally freaking out." Then he hung from Itanos' eaves and rocked back & forth.

Katerei looked at Silverfish with some concern. Dark and webby mirrors? She hadn't the faintest idea what he was talking about, but it couldn't be good. She would have to remember to ask him to explain more clearly later. There were so many strange things going on; maybe it meant something that she just didn't recognize yet. In the meantime, there were things to attend to.

"We can split up and send one group with Rapierian, and the other to Alarus' house, and meet back at the Roasted Haunch Tavern when we're done," she addressed the party. Now that they were out of immediate danger, Katerei felt better about letting the group separate. Everyone could probably use a chance to relax at the tavern before investigating more into Alaric's situation, and she didn't think Itanos, in his busily overwhelmed state, would want one group hanging around his house if the other group took awhile to return. The tavern made her think briefly of Radik and she wondered what had happened to him, but if he had decided to leave the group, that was his choice.

"I'll take Rapierian to the cells," Selax said, and looking at Shanadar, he added, "I assume you'll want to come and see him locked up finally." Shanadar gave a bleak smile to indicate his assent.

"I'll go to Alarus' house, then," Katerei said. She cast a brief glance around the group. "Yomu, I'll need you to help me carry him. Wizard, would you come as well? I expect the family will need some consoling." Wizard nodded in agreement, so Katerei continued, "And then Silverfish, that puts you with Selax and Shanadar, if you don't mind."

After Itanos gave them directions to Alarus' house, Wizard thanked the judge for his help. "We'll be back later to hear more about Alaric," he promised.

*

Alarus' family lived in the southwest corner of Kosha. They found the house easily enough, although as they neared it Katerei realized the body was in no decent state to be viewed. "You might want to go up to the house and talk to them first," she said to Wizard. "If he had children... well..." She left the sentence hanging.

"Of course," Wizard said, and went to knock at the door while Yomu and Katerei laid the corpse out on the ground gently.

"I have no idea what's proper etiquette for delivering a dead body," Katerei muttered to Yomu while she quickly formed another water-cloth to wash as much dried blood off Alarus as she could. "There's really no compassionate way of doing it, is there?"

"Not really, no," Yomu said, as he helped adjust the remains of the dead man's clothing to cover the worst of the injuries. "Especially when it's been mangled as much as this fellow. I've delivered some odd things to people, but this has to be one of the least pleasant."

When they had done what they could, they stood back to wait. Wizard was talking to a woman standing in the doorway, although when she peered over his shoulder and saw the body, she pushed past the old man and ran into the yard. "Alarus!" she cried in horror, rushing to the man's side. "Oh, no! My husband! Alarus!"

The three adventurers stepped aside, averting their eyes respectfully as the woman sobbed over her husband's body, giving her time to process the news. Katerei felt a cold sensation in the pit of her stomach. This was never going to be an easy task, but her sympathy for Alarus' wife was mixed up with too many memories.

A few minutes later, the woman recovered her composure and stood up, wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "I... I..." She sniffed and looked at the odd mixture of travellers. "Thank you for bringing him here. You didn't have to do that."

Wizard laid a hand gently on the woman's arm. "It was no trouble. We wanted to allow you and your family the chance to grieve properly. We are all deeply sorry for your loss."

"What happened to him?" the woman asked tremulously. "He was... he was just travelling to Cademia..."

"You might have heard of these mysterious killings happening recently," Yomu told her. "Alarus appears to have been an unfortunate victim. However, we also believe we have caught his killer, and he is being imprisoned at this very moment."

Alarus' wife looked down at her husband in dismay. "Well, that's good news for... for the town. At least Alarus will be the last."

"I understand what it's like to lose a loved one," Katerei said quietly to the woman. "It's a terrible loss, but remember that it doesn't reflect poorly on your husband in any way. His murderer was ruthless and dangerous even to seasoned fighters. I'm sure Alarus died bravely."

"Thank you," the woman replied, giving a weak smile. She sighed deeply and passed a hand over her eyes. "I hate to ask any more of you, but could you please carry him into the house? I'll have to keep my children out of the way. I don't want them to see him like this."

Ten minutes later, they were exiting the house again after having brought in Alarus' body. His wife still looked devastated, but she assured them she would be all right. "Off to the tavern to meet the others, then," Wizard said. "They should be done with Rapierian soon."

This post has been edited by iKaterei: 24 June 2009 - 11:41 PM

Selax, Shanadar, and Silverfish were waiting at the Roasted Haunch when the others arrived.

"We put Rapierian in the cell," Shanadar told Katerei. "I just hope that it will hold him for now."

"He should remain unconscious for several more hours at least," Selax responded. "That should be enough time to decide what to do with him."

"Perhaps we should eat and speak to Itanos later?" someone suggested. "He seemed very overworked."

"We could Direct Nexus to Land King Hall and examine the situation for ourselves," someone else replied.

"I think we should speak to Itanos again first," Wizard stated. "It'd be best to learn all we can before charging off. Besides, we need to keep an eye on Rapierian for the moment."

After some more discussion, the group members agreed that they would eat and rest briefly before going back to speak to Itanos.

Afterward, they would decide what to do with Rapierian and what to do to help Alaric.

Having decided this, they found a table and ordered their meal.

The meal was delicious, in a traditional Cytheran sort of way, & although the meals Silver had made were not less flavourful, it has been said that oftentimes normalcy is one of the best spices in a master chef's cabinet.

Shanadar felt somewhat subdued as he sat down with the others in the Roasted Haunch to eat. He tried not to show it, but the news of Alaric's condition had struck him like a thrown brick. The last time Alaric fell ill it meant no end to trouble for the land of Cythera; indeed, their fair island had never fully recovered from that near-catastrophe, as the endless string of woes and cataclysm in recent years had evidenced.

Rapierian was finally behind bars, at least. That had to count for something.

The Necromancer's capture was far too easy, which Shanadar found unsettling. However, even if Rapierian was, somehow, innocent of this mess, he certainly deserved imprisonment for his other crimes.

Unless that was what Rapierian wanted?

The Enforcer entertained the possibility that they might, somehow, be playing into the Necromancer's hands by incarcerating him, but he couldn't figure out as to how, exactly, they would be doing so. There seemed little that the dabbler of darker magics could accomplish in prison.

Or maybe someone was trying to get to him? Shanadar certainly wouldn't put it past the Necromancer to frame himself for murder to assure his own safety, from whatever that which threatened him may be.

Shanadar would need to talk to someone about this. His first instinct was to talk to Wizard, but as the old spellcaster was still recovering from his injuries, he felt it best not to concern him with the matter.

He took a large bite out of his well-seasoned meal and considered his options as he chewed in silence. Swallowing, he resolved to ask his time-displaced compatriot, Radik, about the matter later. Having been poisoned earlier, he had a large stake in this, but his status as the outsider gave him an unbiased view of the issue. A unique combination which might provide some insight as to the bigger picture.

Radik was well into enjoying his drink as members of the group slowly trickled into the tavern, after returning from their separate tasks. He mused over Katerei's words as he downed another beer. Once the party had gathered, the party begun to eat, and Radik watched in silence from across the tavern.

He absent-mindedly rubbed his leg wound, which had to be re-bandaged after he shadowed the group's trip to Kosha. It was pretty easy keeping pace with them, since Wizard walked at a significantly slower pace and other members of the group had to carry the victims body.

Radik stopped his wandering mind as he watched Shanadar stand up and walk over to Radik's table. He gestured to a chair and Radik nodded.

This post has been edited by Dark Jet: 26 June 2009 - 03:36 PM

Wizard ate silently as he watched around him. In general, the people seemed sad, almost depressed. Wizard wasn't surprised by this, given how much the populace of Cythera relied on Alaric to maintain their way of life. Wizard, too, felt some concern upon hearing of Alaric's condition, but he had lived secluded from society for most of his life and wasn't very involved in Cytheran politics.

Glancing over, Wizard saw that Shanadar was speaking with Radik in the corner. Wizard suspected that Shanadar shared the same concerns about Rapierian regarding whether or not he was actually responsible for these crimes.

However, he still had a few reservations about Radik. Radik seemed nice enough, but there were certain things that Wizard found unsettling. For instance, he didn't quite understand how Radik's poisoning fit into everything. It almost seemed convenient for him to be out of the way when the group was trying to determine who attacked Wizard. Bah, that's just being cynical Wizard shrugged. Still, Radik did leave the group shortly after that. Concerned for his safety or that he could be caught?

Wizard felt the bump on the back of his head. It was mostly healed now, although it was a bit sore. Fortunately, sitting down made the old man feel a lot better -- it had been a long walk to Kosha. Wizard leaned back and tried to get some rest while the others finished their meals. Soon, they would go speak with Itanos. Maybe then they would understand more about these recent events.

This post has been edited by The Wizard: 27 June 2009 - 09:54 PM

Nothing seemed to be happening, so Silver spun a cocoon for himself & fell asleep in a corner of the room.

The silence around the table was oppressive. A sense of weariness pervaded the entire tavern, not least at the adventurers' table. Katerei wondered awkwardly whether she ought to try and start a conversation, but she wouldn't have known what to say even if she had the courage.

She was also unsure what to do about Radik. His appearance had not been entirely surprising, but she didn't know whether it meant he was rejoining them or not. Judging from the familiar way he held his beer, she guessed not. He might as well stay here. He should wait for his leg to heal, Katerei thought, and added with a hint of contempt that she couldn't restrain, and a tavern is the best place to be if he wants to drink himself into a stupor.

Regardless, Shanadar had gone over to talk to Radik, so her window of opportunity to say something had passed. Silverfish was dozing in a corner, which left her at the table with Selax, Wizard, and Yomu, none of whom seemed conversational. It had been a long day, so she supposed they were each mired in their own thoughts, which she couldn't blame them for. The temptation to do exactly that was weighing heavily on her.

When Katerei was finished with her meal, which she had barely noticed eating, she dropped a few coins on the table and stood up. "I'll meet you at Itanos' house," she told the three still at the table. "I have something to do, but I shouldn't be gone long." Wizard looking at her questioningly, but she was grateful that he didn't pry.

*

Outside Kosha, a silvery-blue wolf loped through the trees. Running normally helped Katerei relax, but she was too wound up and her thoughts seemed to be racing far ahead of her paws. Every step that took her farther away from the city reminded her that she wasn't sticking to the plan, wasn't forcing herself to stay around people, wasn't strong enough to resist succumbing to the misery and self-doubt that plagued her every minute of every day...

The forest slid past in a blur, nettles catching in her dense fur. She was not running fast, but she took only cursory notice of her surroundings, letting the wolf instincts guide her while her conscious mind flickered through memories at breakneck speed. Exhaustion and sleep deprivation quickly took its toll though, and she was soon forced to slow her pace, knowing that she wouldn't have long to rest before returning to Kosha. She found an open, grassy hill that rose above the forest and chose this place to stop and transform back into her usual body.

Panting slightly, Katerei unbuckled the belt that her healing pouch was attached to and dropped it lightly on the ground along with her black cloak. Transforming bulky or loose-fitting things like these was something she had mastered long ago, but wanting to wear it all the time was a different matter. She sat with her arms on her knees, feeling the strong breeze against her bare arms. It rustled her dress around her ankles and whipped her hair gently around her face. This was a much better thinking place than a tavern that offered nothing but subdued people and awkward silence.

Visiting Alarus' bereaved wife had not been a good idea. Katerei had gone with the intention of comforting the woman, but it had brought everything rushing back in vivid detail and she cursed herself for volunteering to go. As unpleasant as finding the harpy carcasses and Alarus' body had been, it was bearable; seeing the effect of the dead on a living person was an entirely different matter. A chill went down her spine at the thought. Katerei had seen too much of herself in Alarus' wife.

Images surfaced in her mind, and Katerei's thoughts began to slow from their hyperactive speed as she considered each one in turn. Her parents, crying out that they loved her as they were burned to death. Silvre, nuzzling her goodbye after Katerei had insisted that the Amaroq wolves needed their pack leader more - one of the hardest things she had ever had to say. Ferazel and all her friends that she had gone on quests with, who had all disappeared without a trace. Trundaylan, dying on the rooftop of Pnyx, while she could only stand by helplessly. And Avatara... lying on the ground in a pool of blood, more dead than alive... then later, unconscious in the hospital bed next to hers. Everyone she had ever lost.

Katerei gazed westward at the mountains, hazy in the late twilight. Behind her, the moon was already partially visible behind the clouds. She wondered what it would be like to have someone sitting next to her on the grass, watching night fall together. Tears pricked at her eyes, and she whispered to the sky in a choked voice, "Why aren't you here when I need you?"

*

Finally Katerei knew she couldn't put off returning any longer. After wiping her eyes and putting her belt and cloak back on resignedly, she again transformed into a wolf. She had barely taken a step when she froze. Her sense of smell was far better as a wolf, and something on the breeze was very, very wrong. Suddenly fully alert, her ears twitched as she picked up the sound of something running away through the forest.

The thought of following the thing never entered her mind. The smell both confused and terrified her. Katerei turned tail and bolted back to Kosha.

This post has been edited by iKaterei: 13 July 2009 - 06:04 AM

Rapierian groaned and squeezed his eyes closed, trying to avoid the bright burning light that was shining on him. He could feel his senses returning to him, and almost wished he hadn't. His jaw ached, his body was sore, and his face and hair were soaked from resting in some kind of shallow puddle. With a grunt, mostly from disgust, he pushed himself up to a kneeling position, turning his head to avoid staring directly into the bright orange rays of the setting sun.

After a moment of painful blinking, Rapierian was able to take in his surroundings. He sat in a small square room made of three pale stone walls and a wall of iron bars encompassing the fourth. Through the bars, he could see a short hallway leading past several empty cells before ending at a staircase illuminated by a single torch. A large man sat on a stool at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall and facing up the stairs.

At the top of the wall opposite the door was a barred window that allowed a small amount of sunlight to filter through a window well. The orange sunbeams cast a haunting glow around the small room, giving it an almost demonic light. Judging by the angle and color of the sun, Rapierian guessed that night would fall soon, meaning he had been unconscious most of the day, a most unfortunate loss of time.

He rubbed his aching jaw, promising to himself that he'd get even with the cocky, humorless elemental. How dare they? Accusing him of those crude killings, silly "traitorous" acts like stealing his own poisons, and then dragging him to this cesspool and leaving him to rot without giving him a chance to defend himself. Even a child could've seen some kind of animal had killed that unlucky fellow; hardly the sort of elaborate assassination Rapierian prided himself on. They even had the nerve to confiscate his favorite cloak.

Muttering to himself, he noticed the rusty tray near the door. A loaf of moldy bread nestled against a bowl of grayish lumps with black dots and a cup of some dark liquid. Rapierian kicked the tray into the wall, creating a large racket of clattering metal and spraying gray slop on the bars and into the hall. "Can I get the special without the maggots?" he yelled down the hall. The man at the far end didn't even flinch.

Disgusted, irritated, and slightly hungry, he sat down on the lone wooden bench. His connection to magic was probably cut off by the runes etched into the ceiling throughout the hallway. With nothing better to do, he tried summoning a creature anyway.

The light in the room slowly faded as the sun sank lower in the sky. Outside, he pictured it was frantically trying to keep above the mountains to the west, battling futilely to stave off the darkness of the night that was rapidly closing in. The guard at the end of the hall still hadn't moved and Rapierian's mood had only become even more sour. He was far too important of a person to be lying around like some common criminal in this filthy basement. There had to be something he could do.

He eyed the discarded tray lying upside-down on the floor. Moving gingerly to avoid getting gruel on his fingers, he quietly picked up the tray and attempted to insert the flat edge between the door and the iron doorframe. With his foot, he ground the cup into the floor, roughening the lip. He then quietly slipped the cup and his hand through one of the wider openings and fumbled around for the lock. To his surprise, there wasn't one, only a rough metal spot, still slightly warm, where it appeared as if someone had cut the lock off.

Suddenly suspicious, he put the cup and tray down and peered back down the hall. The guard was still foolishly staring away, paying no heed at all to the imprisoned man. Rapierian gripped the bars of the door firmly and gave them a small push. The door budged slightly, but appeared to be stuck. A quick pause ensured the guard still wasn't watching. Rapierian put his shoulder to the door and leaned into it with more force. The door jerked another tiny space forward and then stopped. It wasn't enough.

Rapierian leaned his back against the door and used his feet to push as hard as he could, while trying to suppress a laugh at the thought of breaking out under the nose of his captors. For a moment, the door refused to move, but then suddenly it swung open with a loud squeal, and he fell backwards into the hallway. Painfully aware of the echoing clang from the door slamming into the wall, he spun around to face the guard who was surely bearing down upon him in a fury, only to find the man was still sitting calmly on his stool. Was this some kind of sick joke, assigning a deaf man to guard his cell?

Not sure if he should be elated or suspicious, he picked up the tray and crept down the hall. Regretfully, he would still be unable to use his magic until he made it above ground, so he was unable to grant this poor soul a fitting demise. He slowly crept closer, hoping his luck would hold out just a little bit longer. There were only two more cells to go. The sun had all but disappeared from the window behind him, leaving only the flickering torch as a source of light. One more cell. The only sounds in the air were the hissing of the torch and the slow dripping of water from some cracks in the ceiling.

He held his breath as he approached the still figure on the stool. A pudgy man who seemed to have shaved a few days earlier, his guard did not look like the type of person who was used to watching criminals. They probably hadn't even used this place in years. A few more paces now. The man was leaning heavily on his left shoulder - sleeping perhaps? Rapierian couldn't see anything terribly exciting about the stairs other than them being his path to freedom. With each quiet step he took, a rare feeling of unease grew larger inside him. Something here wasn't right. Now that he was closer, the way the head was turned, the way the man's body was sitting, it all seemed unnatural. The guard hadn't even moved once.

He dropped the tray onto the hardened ground. There was no need for it anymore, the man was already dead, to his disappointment. But why send a dead man to guard him? In a unlocked cell, no less. The only explanations that made any sense were either his captors were just stupid (which was actually a possibility, though probably not likely) or that someone else had visited after they had left. His remaining enthusiasm quickly darkened to annoyance as he realized that meant someone probably wanted him to escape. While he certainly didn't want to sit around here, he didn't relish the idea of being someone else's pawn. For a moment, he considered going back into his cell and sitting there out of spite.

The torch started flickering wildly as the heavy wooden door at the top of the stairs squeaked open, sending an influx of fresh air and bright light onto the necromancer and the guard he was hunched over. Rapierian covered his face with his hands and tried to identify the silhouette in the doorway. A young boy gaped back at him, eyes frozen on the guard he was hunched over.

Rapierian abruptly stood and clasped his hands behind his back. With his most charming smile, he looked the boy in the face and innocently said, "I didn't do it."

The boy screamed, slamming the door and running off yelling, "Help! The prisoner has escaped! He's murdered Phirus! Quick! Help!"

With mild irritation over having no real choice left, he grabbed the torch and bolted up the stairs. In his shock, the boy had neglected to lock the wooden door, and it gave way easily to the necromancer. He burst out of the prison into a dusty, but well-lit room. Fragments of ruined furniture and debris lay scattered among some cobwebs in the corners. There was no window and only a single door leading out into what was most likely the rest of House Comana.

He quickly hurried out of the room and dashed to the left down the adjacent hallway. The sound of several men yelling and running nearby caused him to reflexively slip into a darkened storeroom off to the side. As soon as he slipped into the darkness, several guards came rushing out of the room further down the hall, running past to the room he had just exited. He let them pass by, waiting for a quick count to ten, and hearing no more activity, slipped out of the room and continued down the hallway towards his freedom.

As he passed by the guardroom, something caught his eye. His cloak was hanging over one of the bedposts, as if someone had carelessly tossed it aside. His precious cloak, treated no better than filthy rags. Rapierian grit his teeth to hold back his anger, he was outnumbered and his magic was still being blocked. Another time. He'd show them. He reclaimed his cloak, was further irritated (but not really surprised) to find all his carefully concocted mixtures and vials had been removed. For a moment, he considered searching around for them. The image of the dead guard in his hands came back to him, a reminder that somebody was using him, and until he discovered who it was, it was probably better to let the potions go. This time.

Almost certainly the entire town would be looking for him in a matter of minutes. Already, the guards were returning, having found the underground prison devoid of his existence. He slipped his cloak on, wound his way through the corridors, past the famous fountain in the house grounds, and then outside. A chill wind blew through the trees outside, rustling his cape as he made his way away from Kosha. Giving the city a wide berth, he started circling around to the north.

Rapierian gave Kosha one last look over his shoulder as he ran away. A dozen guards had assembled outside the house and were organizing into search teams, with more men arriving each moment. He chuckled to himself. They were too late, they wouldn't be able to catch up to him now. His good mood was returning.

To his left, the last rays of the sun slipped below the mountains, heralding the coming of night.

After Shanadar had finished his talk with Radik, the party headed back to Itanos's house.

"I really don't know how much more I can tell you," Kosha's judge said as they entered. "Only that both Alaric and Magberg—"

"Magpie," Wizard again corrected.

"Right, right, that fellow. Well, they are both out. The only news that I've gotten about it that Pheres thinks that they are in some kind of shock. He thinks they might recover on their own but he's not sure."

"Shock? What sort of thing could put Alaric into shock?" Shanadar mused.

"Has anyone tried to enter the Seldane's city under Land King Hall?" Wizard asked. "They might know something."

Itanos looked around nervously. Discussions about the elementals that lived in Cythera always tended to unnerve the people who had only discovered their existence in the past decade.

"It's rumored that Timon and Hector did try but that they couldn't reach it. I don't know if that's true, but perhaps you could ask them."

"We should go to Land King Hall to investigate," Selax stated.

"I'm not sure that all of us should," Shanadar replied frowning. "Someone needs to stay and watch Rapierian. Besides, I have a feeling that we're not quite finished here."

"Perhaps we can split up briefly?" Yomu suggested. "Reaching Land King Hall with Direct Nexus is simple. Some of us could stay here to watch Rapierian and investigate further, and some of us could go see what we can do for Alaric. After the group in Kosha is done, all they need to do is direct nexus to Land King Hall."

After a brief discussion, this course of action was agreed upon. It was decided that they should set out at once, although it was now late in the day.

Some of the group stepped outside, cast directed nexus, and immediately arrived in Land King Hall.

Those remaining in Kosha decided to find a place to sleep and then investigate further in the morning.

A sudden commotion from what had once been House Comana reached their ears at that moment.

At least, they assumed it was LKH. Silver was screaming too loudly from the mana coursing through his body for them to take stock of their surroundings for a long moment. Even before Silver had quieted, Selax was too busy berating Wizard for his clumsiness to notice where they were, & Wizard had all but dissolved into a puddle of tears of remorse.

"..., and besides you should have realized that he was only coming outside with us because he wasn't paying very good attention and we were the first ones to open the door! Maybe Rapierian was right about you, you're too old to be any use on these quests."

By the time Selax had paused in his rant, Silverfish had gained enough control of himself to realize that something was very wrong. "Um, guys? Thanks for the concern, but why is a tentacle dragging me into the sea?"

Apparently he was too quiet. Selax was about to renew his rant with vigour when the full impact of his situation hit Silver. "HELP!!! A Scylla's attacking me!!"

Wizard & Selax looked down from the cliffs separating the Comana's house from the sea. Selax was the quicker to engage combat, dual blades flashing in the moonlight. Wizard began his attack by making the Scylla think it was being attacked by a giant crab.

It worked, but Wizard didn't take the time to focus the illusion, so the scylla thought that Selax was the giant crab, & Silverfish thought the scylla turned into a crab. Selax had already pureed several tentacles, with Wizard holding them telekinetically, when Silver finally realized that he could be taking an active part in the fray. He released a powerful surge of electricity causing the sea monster's tentacles to convulse erratically & release him. The tentacle that had been wrapped around him remained limp, but the rest of the tentacles attacked with the power of the enraged beast. A tentacle swatted Silver & he tumbled through the air for half a furlong before he could stop himself & speed back.

Over half the tentacles were gone now, & the rest were vanishing rapidly when the scylla's head broke out of the water. With a roar it snapped at Selax who dodged lightly & slashed it across the face. Silver rushed up behind it & attempted to jab a couple of sharp spikes into the monster's brain, but it shook him free & he found himself tumbling once more across the sky. Silver didn't go so far this time, perhaps because he hit the wall with a sickening smack. He took a moment to reinforce his body, but by then the battle was over. The Scylla reared out of the water, crammed its remaining tentacles into its gaping maw, & swallowed itself.

Silver glanced at wizard, "Wha-?"

The Wizard was pale & shaking as he replied, "You don't want to know."

Selax landed back on the clifftop & started to berate Wizard for not even casting Direct Nexus properly when Silver raised his hand to interrupt, "You do realize that you're the one who cast the spell, don't you Selax?"

Wizard glared at Selax, but broke into a chortle when he saw the look on the elemental's face, "You know, Rapierian would love to see that look on your face."

"I guess so." Selax conceded.

They turned to rejoin the rest of the party.

"Would you mind re-casting Direct Nexus?" Wizard asked Selax impatiently.

"Whatever," Selax replied, uncharacteristically. There was a sort of magical glow for a moment around Selax but it soon dissipated.

Silver had squeezed his eyes shut in expectation of pain, but when he felt nothing, he cautiously opened them. "Um, we're still here."

"Bah, incompetent," Wizard muttered for another minute or so. Selax looked grumpy and was about to say something. "Nevermind, I'll do it myself." Wizard continued to mumble, "I've never been very good at it, but I ought to be able to it better than that, whatever you call it. Detour Nexus?" Wizard cast the spell; again, nothing happened.

"Ha! Who's incompetent now, old man?"

"Well, I don't understand it, something should be happening." Wizard tried again to no avail. "It's just not working!"

"Could it be broken?" Silver asked.

Wizard scoffed, "Broken? How do you break a spell?"

"Well, maybe he's right. If you know so much about everything. . . you should be able to figure out that certain spells might not work given Alaric's condition. Without him, Cythera falls into chaos!" Selax seemed unusually melodramatic.

Wizard seemed unusually angry and turned away. "Hmph. As long as we're still in Kosha, we should find the others and tell them that we'll have to walk to Land King Hall if we're going to get there."

* * *

Shortly after, the Roasted Haunch's door flew open. Selax and the others walked in. Selax and Wizard looked angry, avoiding each other apparently, and Silver trotted along the floor rubbing his back. It looked as though he'd been in a battle of some sort.

Shanadar hopped up to greet them, "What's the word? How is Alaric?"

"What are you talking about? We just left a few seconds ago, never got there." Wizard replied rudely. He flung his hands into the air in exasperation. "For some reason, Direct Nexus isn't working!"

"Broken." Silver added.

"Forget it!" Selax said. "It doesn't matter anyways."

Shanadar looked stunned. Selax and Wizard started to argue, and Silver began humming, oblivious to everything around him. Katerei watched the argument in silence. Yomu looked at them with a worried expression and asked, "Are you guys all right?"

"What? I feel fine. Why shouldn't I?" Wizard felt suddenly more irritated than he did a second ago. He leaned in towards Yomu with a glint of paranoia in his eye, "Did you poison me or something? It's a conspiracy isn't it? You're all out to get me! That would explain your stupidity," he pointed at Selax. "Trying to get me eaten by a scylla."

"I wouldn't waste the effort," Selax replied coldly.

"Okay, well, let's go visit Itanos. Maybe he can help us figure out what's going on," Katerei said, more to Shanadar and Yomu than anyone else, but she smiled at the others and said the words as innocently as she could.

"Oh-hoh, you'd love that! You want Itanos to kill me. Well it won't work!" Wizard started to shout. "I'll kill you all if I have to; it would be self-defense!"

They didn't wait for him to stop talking, Shanadar and Yomu just grabbed Wizard and started to pull him out of the tavern. As Selax followed behind, Wizard thought he heard the elemental mutter something about hoping that maybe they would put the old man down. A shoo from Katerei was enough to get Silver skipping along with the others.

* * *

Wizard opened his eyes. He felt as if he'd just woken from a bad dream. "What happened?" he asked in his usual gentle tone.

"Your Direct Nexus must have really gone haywire." Itanos explained, "Not only did you not reach Land King Hall, it teleported you two days into the future. I've never heard of that happening before; I think it is linked to Alaric's being ill. Anyways, you also seemed very. . . excitable. When you showed up here, you were going on and on about conspiracies and so on. There was obviously some sort of mental feedback from the spell that caused you and the other two to act unusual, to say the least."

Wizard sat up. He had a slight headache, but overall, he felt pretty good. "What did you do to fix it?"

Itanos shrugged, "I cast a few healing spells on each of you. It was enough for the other two, but you were still acting strange. I suspect that your telepathy resulted in your absorbing most of the harmful energy. I put you to sleep and cast Rally to help clear your mind."

"I cannot thank you enough." Wizard smiled and walked towards the door. Silver and Selax were already outside. Silver was enjoying the fresh air, while Selax seemed back to his usual self. "I'm sorry for calling you incompetent, I didn't mean that." Wizard said to Selax.

Selax held up a hand, "Apologies are not necessary. None of us were behaving normally, and we each said things that we didn't mean."

"Well, I'm glad that's over with," Wizard sighed and his expression became more grim. "I was waiting to mention this until we had examined Alaric, but I don't think we're going to have the opportunity to do that anytime soon."

"What is it?"

"Well, Alaric collapsed a couple of days ago, right? Er, add on two more days."

"Yes, what of it?"

"That was about the time that I was recovering from the hit on the head I received a few nights ago. Do you remember my telling you that I had a nightmare while I was unconscious?"

"Yes."

"Well, given the proximity of that event to Alaric's collapsing, I think they were caused by the same thing. There must have been some extremely strong telepathic energy that I detected resulting in my nightmare. Alaric would have sensed much more of it, or it was possibly an attack targeting him specifically. Either way, we're dealing with very powerful forces here, and without the ability to leave here easily, I'm afraid we're as good as stuck here while we try to figure out what happened."

Selax said nothing. Wizard turned to Itanos. "I guess going to Land King Hall right now is out of the question. What exactly happened after we left?"

The judge rubbed his temples wearily as he tried to remember. With everything he had to contend with lately, two days seemed so long ago. "Well, the rest of your party is long gone. Rapierian escaped just after you tried to leave for Land King Hall, and they set out immediately to track him down. They-"

"Wait, wait," Wizard interrupted, too surprised to wait for Itanos to finish. The news that Rapierian had escaped wasn't good, but at least was less baffling. "How can they be gone? We just saw them at the Roasted Haunch tavern. I thought they came here with Selax, Silverfish, and I."

Silverfish looked up at Wizard with some concern. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"We came straight here to see Itanos after we got out of the Direct Nexus malfunction," Selax said. "We didn't stop at the tavern, nor did we see the other three. Perhaps the mental feedback from Direct Nexus malfunctioning affected you more than we realized."

Wizard furrowed his brow in confusion. His mind still felt hazy, and he spoke slowly. "Did I... dream all that? Or even hallucinate it?"

"Well, I certainly haven't seen them in the two days that you were gone," Itanos said. "As I was saying, Rapierian escaped. The lock on his cell was broken, and the guard was dead, but we don't know how he got out. Your friends haven't returned yet, so I have no idea if they found him or not. When you disappeared, everything seemed normal, so we assumed you had arrived at Land King Hall successfully and they didn't wait for you. Although now that I think about it, some other spells have been working oddly, or not at all..."

"Did anything else noteworthy happen while we were gone?" Selax asked. Wizard was still silent, clearly unnerved.

"Hmm... let me think... there was news of another animal slaying nearby. It was reported to have been killed about three days ago."

"Three days ago?" questioned Selax. "Taking into account the two days that we missed, that would mean that it was killed during the time that Rapierian was in custody."

Itanos frowned. "I realized that too. Either Rapierian had an accomplice in this, or he really is innocent."

Wizard finally spoke up. "I think we all had our concerns that we were holding the wrong person. Unfortunately, that means that we're back to square one. Worse even. We still don't know who's responsible for these killings. Alaric has collapsed, and with certain spells being unreliable or completely useless, we have no way to get there without abandoning our investigation down here. Furthermore, there is the matter of determining how exactly Rapierian escaped and bringing him to justice for killing the guard, if he did."

Everyone looked at each other, but no one volunteered anything. "Well," Wizard broke the silence, "I don't know about everyone else, but I'm going to go have a bite to eat. I haven't eaten in two days, you know!" He laughed.

Knowing fully their current situation, the three turned somewhat resignedly toward the tavern. At least they were back to normal now.

This post has been edited by The Wizard: 08 July 2009 - 12:08 AM

As soon as they heard the noise from House Comana, Shanadar and Yomu knew something was amiss. They looked at each other and Yomu said immediately, "Let's go." They bid a hasty goodbye to Itanos, who watched worriedly from his doorstep as the two men departed.

About halfway there a small wolf fell into stride next to them. Yomu looked surprised, but Shanadar recognized the unusual fur colour and thought he recalled hearing about a wolf running around Pnyx on the night of Malis' and Danae's wedding. When the wolf pointedly looked at him as if to hurry up, Shanadar was able to confirm to Yomu, "It's Katerei."

The wolf emitted a low whine as they approached the south side of House Comana and saw the last of the search parties leaving. Katerei was still panicked, her ears pressed back against her skull and tail between her legs, but she had heard snatches of dialogue on the wind as she entered Kosha - enough to piece together that Rapierian had escaped. She just had to wait for Shanadar and Yomu to find out, and she was in no state to transform back and explain it herself.

The guard that had been left stationed outside House Comana recognized the two men as soon as they got close enough to see their faces. He quickly told them what had happened, including that Rapierian had apparently murdered a guard on the way out. "Didn't you arrive here with some other people?" the guard asked. "We need everyone available to track him down."

"They've gone to Land King Hall via Direct Nexus," Shanadar said. "It's just us now. Where should we start searching?"

But a sharp bark from Katerei got their attention. She had been turning her head this way and that while the humans talked, listening and sniffing the air. That... unnatural... scent from the forest was still trapped in her nose, confusing her normally refined sense of smell, but Rapierian's scent was so fresh in the air that she was able to pick it up. She tilted her head north-east to indicate that the necromancer had fled along the shoreline. Shanadar and Yomu understood, and the three took off at a jog to begin following Rapierian's path from the side entrance of House Comana toward the ocean.

Unfortunately, there were several things not in their favour. Rapierian had the benefit of a considerable head start, the onset of night made it harder for the humans to see, and not long after they passed the northern boundary of Kosha the forest began. "You could lose a person forever in here at night," Yomu said darkly as they began traipsing through the trees. As a wolf Katerei was far better equipped for searching through the woods, but she was already tired after her terrified dash from west of Kosha. Although she could surely muster up the energy to outrun Rapierian if needed, she was not at all fond of the idea of leaving behind her companions to pursue a murderous necromancer alone. If a trained and armed guard couldn't survive him, what chance did her teeth or her water spells have?

Ten minutes turned into half an hour, which turned into an hour, and another one. Shanadar and Yomu followed closely behind Katerei as she tracked Rapierian's scent, all three pressing as hard as they could to maintain speed, but with the passing of every tree or rock their chances seemed to grow infinitesimally smaller. The previous day had already contained its share of travelling and they were worn out, whereas Rapierian had spent much of the day either unconscious or in a prison cell.

Finally Shanadar held up a hand and said, "Enough. We have to rest. As long as Katerei can still find Rapierian's trail, the risk of losing him completely is minimal. He probably doesn't know he's being followed this closely, so maybe we'll get lucky and he'll slow his pace."

The other two knew how determined Shanadar was to have Rapierian behind bars, so they could tell that this wasn't a lack of motivation on his part. The Enforcer was right; they did need a brief rest. They stopped in a small open space that had enough room for the men to walk around slowly to cool their muscles before sitting down on a fallen log. Katerei continued to pace slowly back and forth, her teeth glinting slightly in the moonlight as she panted.

Yomu broke the silence after a few minutes. "How do you think he got out?"

Shanadar glanced over at the other man. "I don't know," he said finally. "Maybe the magic-suppressing runes have faded in strength since they were put there. Maybe he tricked the guard, or had some tool we somehow missed, although I'm sure I searched him thoroughly. Could be anything." They lapsed back into silence, save for the sound of Katerei's paws padding gently on the dirt, the occasional swish of her tail and the usual night-time sounds of the forest.

They were almost ready to leave again when Katerei stopped pacing and pricked up her ears. After a second she slipped behind some dense bushes, out of sight of the men, and stepped back out a moment later on two legs. "There's a group of people approaching," she said, her words clipped. She didn't want to be out of her wolf form, but this was the easiest way to communicate. "It sounds like a search party of Kosha guards."

There was no point in asking if they had Rapierian with them; Katerei's expression indicated the negative. Shanadar called out to the group to let them know they were there, and a faint reply could be heard in the distance. The three travellers began walking in the direction of the voice.

Shanadar nodded in greeting as the other group came into view. "Good evening. I assume you're one of the search parties?"

"Yes," replied the burly leader that stood slightly in front of the other two guards. He looked grim. "I think it's a lost cause though. We went northwest from Kosha, but got a bit disoriented and cut back to the east. The woods are too dense further inland, and it's impossible to see anything at night."

"We've been following his trail," Shanadar said, although Katerei was grateful that he didn't explain how. The Enforcer must have picked up on her decision to remain in her usual form to talk to the guards. They could just assume one of adventurers was a skilled woodsman. "We're having trouble keeping up with him though. It's been a long and exhausting day for us."

The burly guard hesitated. "Are you... sure we're chasing the right man?"

"What?" Shanadar asked, baffled. "Yes, of course, what-"

"It's just that we stumbled across another dead animal, mangled like the others," the guard cut in. He added emphatically, "It wasn't fresh enough for Rapierian to have killed just now. Looked like it was killed several hours ago, sometime in the afternoon."

The three adventurers looked shocked. "But we arrested Rapierian just after lunch," Yomu said, catching on. "And we came from southwest of town. There's no way he could have killed an animal here while we had him knocked out."

"Even if he is innocent of these murders, he did kill a guard to escape," Shanadar reminded him. "As an Enforcer it's still my duty to catch him."

"Well, good luck to you," the guard said, shaking his head wearily. "We're done here. This area isn't under Kosha's jurisdiction, and we all have families to go back to. This just sounds like a wild goose chase to me."

"I understand. Thank you for your effort, and for the info," Shanadar said. He and the guard leader shook hands, and the search party departed toward Kosha. He sighed and turned to look at the others. Yomu looked dispirited, and Katerei was watching the guards leave edgily as if she was waiting for them to get far enough away for her to become a wolf again - which indeed, was exactly what she was doing.

"It's all right if you two want to give up as well. I have a responsibility to keep searching, but you could return to Kosha, or Direct Nexus to Land King Hall and meet up with the others," Shanadar told them. He hoped they wouldn't, but at the same time didn't feel like it was his place to drag them on a lengthy search mission up the Cytheran coastline.

"And leave you here to be eaten by wolves?" Yomu said, hastily adding "No offence" to Katerei when he realized his slip. She gave a brief motion of her head to indicate it was fine. He continued, "Every killing that we've found or heard about has involved an isolated victim. It sounds like the killer is afraid to attack multiple targets at once. And since Rapierian apparently isn't the culprit, he or she could be anywhere."

"Yes," Katerei agreed, but her eyes were darting left and right around the woods, avoiding her companions' gazes. "We're safer together. It's possible Rapierian wasn't acting alone, which would explain this latest slaughter. Perhaps if we catch him, we can force him into confessing if he has a partner." Having said all she wanted and content that the other search party was definitely gone, she twisted and dropped onto all fours as a wolf, not bothering to conceal the transformation this time.

"An accomplice might explain how Rapierian escaped, too," Shanadar mused. He rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. "Everything that happens seems to indicate we're dealing with something much bigger than we originally bargained on."

"We'd better get going, then," Yomu said and adjusted his pouch. "The night is still young."

*

Some time later, after still having no success in catching up to Rapierian, the group stopped and set up camp. It was well past two or three in the morning and they reasoned that Rapierian had to sleep eventually too, and travelling would be easier in daylight. They settled on three hours' rest in which they'd each take an hour watch, Katerei agreeing to take the first. The men fell asleep quickly, using their cloaks as blankets.

Katerei curled up in a ball of blue fur, her tail wrapped around her feet. She needed time alone to think. Exhaustion had turned her from skittish into morose, and the only motion was the slow rotation of her ears as she listened out for any danger.

It was getting increasingly harder to track Rapierian's scent. They still seemed to be on a fresh trail, but there was too much interference - including, to her chagrin, traces of that unnatural scent from the hilltop by Kosha. The scent was faded somewhat, most likely a day or so old, but it was enough. It grated at her nerves constantly and disoriented the normal way in which her wolf senses worked in conjunction. She wondered if she was losing her mind.

Shanadar and Yomu showed no sign of doubting her tracking ability, but she wondered if they ought to. They hadn't found Rapierian yet; maybe they had gone in entirely the wrong direction. Even if her companions' faith in her was misplaced though, she felt gratitude to them. They didn't seem to mind that she preferred to remain as a wolf and not speak to them, even when they stopped to rest. The unnatural scent that set off mental alarm bells in her mind and caused her to be so on edge also motivated her to keep track of it as much as possible, and to do so required her wolf's nose.

But at the moment, Katerei was getting too tired to even think coherently. She buried her muzzle in the dense fur of her tail to wait for her watch to be over.

*

They set out again the next morning, the dawn light filtering through the trees and casting a greenish haze over them. Dew covered everything in the forest, including the men's clothes and Katerei's fur. She gave a rough shake and water droplets flew in every direction, catching the sunlight and sparkling. The beauty of early morning didn't seem to match their bleak situation.

The search proceeded much as it had the previous night, leading them north roughly parallel with the coastline. Sleep helped, but it hadn't been enough. Shanadar and Yomu were hard-pressed to conceal yawns, and Katerei seemed a bit dazed as she sniffed about to follow the trail. "He can't be that much farther ahead," Shanadar said at one point in frustration. "He might have been better rested than us to begin with, but mages aren't exactly renowned for their stamina."

Despite this, it was mid-afternoon by the time anything changed. At first there was just a slight indication from Katerei, a pause in her gait and a twitch of the ears. Then she turned and trotted about twenty feet to the left, backtracked, and went forward another twenty feet on their original path. She gave a confused whine. Something was wrong here.

"What is it?" Shanadar called, but the wolf was already loping back to them, teeth bared and ears flattened in what Shanadar recognized as both scared and aggressive. "Have we lost the trail?"

Katerei didn't acknowledge his question immediately, circling around the men with her nose pressed to the ground. She whimpered again before turning back into her usual form, though her humanoid eyes still flashed fearfully as she spoke. "No, it's not that. There's... I don't know how to explain it. I can smell two trails."

"Both Rapierian's?" Yomu questioned. "Is one of them just older? He might have crossed a path he made several days ago."

"One is recent, and one is a few days old. That's the problem."

Katerei seemed too disturbed to speak much, so Shanadar filled in the details. "But Rapierian was with us for the last four days, and even though he seems prone to slipping off in the middle of the night, we were travelling much closer to the mountains. There's no way he could have made it here and back again from that far inland." He paused for a moment. "An accomplice is one thing, but how can Rapierian manage to be in two places at once?"

"Two Rapierians."

"How is that possible?" Yomu asked, looking just as confused as Shanadar.

"I don't know. Everything... smells... wrong." Katerei was striding back and forth, palms pressed against her temples. She swore and burst out, "I think I'm losing my mind. God, I shouldn't have led you two here. I'm so sorry. I don't trust my own senses anymore, don't know where we're going, don't see how any of this is possible. It's not just Rapierian, either. Yesterday evening in Kosha I went out in the forest to clear my head and something like this happened. There was this scent, and it was so powerful that I knew it wasn't a trail, it was a living breathing creature nearby. And it..." Katerei dropped her hands and stared up at the sky. "It was me. Another wolf that didn't just smell like me, I swear it was me, but standing a furlong away from me."

Having arrived at the tavern, Selax, Wizard & Silver ordered what they desired, though when the tender named the price for pomegranate juice Silver turned several shades toward metallic & decided to order a cluster of grapes instead.

"So, do we investigate recent events on our own, or attempt to rejoin our companions?" Silver queried in his best imitation of Selax's style.

"Those pursuits may be necessary to each other," Wizard replied, "due to the nature of recent events." He tapped his head to indicate the events he was referring to.

Selax nodded, "I think we may have an enemy as skilled in telepathy as you are."

They all brooded for a moment, considering the potential ramifications of that possibility.

Arrival

A long trek and a longer ship ride across an irritable sea took Talos off the shore of an island he had never seen before. Sandy beaches staggered drunkenly up the coast in the sleepy evening light. Trees huddled together and whispered with the breeze for as far as the eye could see. Mountains lazed in the far distance dreaming of white clouds that drifted drowsily across the sky. It was a beautiful scene. The captain agreed, but would take him no closer.

Dark tattoos scrawled over his face and the rest of his body made the sailors assume Talos was some great tribal warrior. In their efforts to impress him they let slip rumors of the land he travelled to. In between lurid tales of the mermaids bedded and the leviathans slain they told the warrior all they knew of Cythera. He learned little more than what he already gleaned from the poorly drawn cloth map in his pack. At least little he thought might be true.

As a last token of goodwill the Captain gave him a small boat so he wouldn’t have to swim to shore. It was an ill natured craft that enjoyed capsizing and threatening to sink. Soaking wet Talos dragged the damned thing the last few yards onto the sand. The ocean stole it back in moments. The surf chuckled as it crashed against the sand. “You can have it.” He muttered dryly, not bothering to chase the boat as it ambled out to sea.

The sun laid an orange blanket over the shore as Talos made for the treeline. His father’s white armor, Silence, encased his left arm and chest. It made no secret of being annoyed by the ocean water. It ranted to him in the blue runes that flickered on its surface, written in a language he never understood. He wasn’t sure if it meant him to. After a time the incantation chased the water from his clothes. Among the trees blades of light stabbed through the gloom wherever they found breaks in the forest’s emerald armor.

The trees held their breath. The fighter’s padded steps were the only sounds that braved the hushed woods. It was far quieter than the hour demanded. With his silver hair and white raiment Talos was a phantom in that haunted place. His ghostly cyan eyes did not help the image, “Something is wrong here…”

Talos grabbed the ivory hilt of his longsword, Shimmer, and eased it from its sheathe. Its golden edge pulsed with inner light. The blade dared enemies to raise challenge. Moments passed ruled by silence and stillness. Nothing stirred. He pushed on warily.

**

Kosha

A total lack of the living was what unnerved him in the forest. Animals would flee before the wrath of a fire or the fury of a storm but the most threatening thing Talos had faced was a rock he stumbled over before clearing the trees. A terror of legend it was not. The warrior had to walk south for a time before catching the first sign of a small town. The sun was a red wound bleeding into the horizon. It stained the town an ominous red. No one walked the streets. Talos felt eerily reminded of the forest.

The map named that place Kosha. There was no other information. No wall surrounded Kosha but a pair of guards stepped forth to bar the path. Talos felt strongly that his presence was not wanted, “What happened here?”

The guardsmen looked harried. Their uniforms were dirty and slept in. They approached him with caution and ignored his question, “What business do you have here stranger?” Only one of them spoke. The other fingered the pommel of his sword.

“I only came because I thought I could help. It looks like your people need it.”

The guards exchanged glances before the speaker nodded, “Follow us.” They led him deeper into the town. Houses stared at him unblinking as he marched down the road. People watched from their shadowed windows. Silence flickered in blue aggravation. It was a moody chunk of metal.

The manor lording over the town showed life. A pair of men spoke quietly before a large fountain and the guards made him stop a short distance off. “… and I’m telling you we need to concentrate on keeping our people safe. The guards need to stay here.” The larger man was frustrated, battling to salvage an argument he already knew was lost.

The second man was older and more reserved, “If you incite a panic you will have helped no one. Raperian, and whoever else is responsible for these crimes, is still out there.”

“Like I told the adventurers, Raperian can’t be the one killing those animals. Some of them died while we had him locked away.” The larger man insisted.

“But he did kill one of your men as he made his escape. The people have not forgotten that, how could you as the Captain of the guard?” the older man held up a silencing hand before the Captain could speak, “Such a grave crime cannot go unpunished. The people of Kosha are your family and friends, how do you think they feel believing adventurers from another city are trying harder to protect them than the guards? Patrols of the surrounding forest must continue and if those adventurers ask for your help again you will give it. Gladly. Understood?”

The Captain gave a rigid salute, “Yes Itanos.” The way he stalked off spoke differently.

Itanos sighed, shifting his attention to Talos and his guard escort, “And who are you young man?”

“Talos, sir. I’ve come to Cythera from across the sea and reached the shore this evening. I want to help if I can.” The warrior offered a bow.

Itanos’s eyebrows rose slightly, “From across the sea you say. Interesting. I take it you are not familiar with our current troubles?” it was not really a question but Talos nodded anyway, “I will try to explain quickly.”

**

A grim shadow had settled over Cythera and its weight was crushing the people. Fear and uncertainty festered in Kosha, putrid and stagnant. With two dead and their King in unknown peril the town’s citizens feared to leave their homes. In the shadow of the Judge’s manor Itanos finished, “And that is what we know thus far.”

“Was it wise to tell a stranger all this?” said the guard who first spoke to Talos.

Itanos shrugged, “I did not become a Judge because of my poor judgment of character. Young man, if you really want to help go to the Roasted Haunch.”

Confused, the warrior asked, “The tavern?”

The Judge chuckled softly, “Believe it or not you can find some of Cythera’s greatest heroes there. You are new to this land and while I do not doubt that your heart is in the right place if you really want to do some good you will need their help.”

“I understand. Thank—“

“Itanos!” an elderly man came huffing and puffing up to the Judge’s home, “You… have to… help.”

“Calm yourself Sorin, what’s wrong?”

“My granddaughter Sara,” the old man breathed in despair pointing towards the western forest, “she ran off to the woods and I heard her scream. I searched and searched but I can’t find her. Please!” he dropped to his knees on the dirt and begged, “Please rescue her!”

The Judge moved to action immediately, “Notify the guard Captain at once, we need a search party.” As the first guard sprinted off he turned to the second, “You get to the Roasted Haunch. Selax and Wizard must know of this. It looks like you will have your chance to help sooner than expect… Talos?” the warrior was already bounding to the woods.

**

A shadowed path

Night fell hard across the land. Among the trees Talos faced walls of unbroken black. Shimmer’s shining edge cut the darkness to ribbons but the warrior still moved at a measured pace. If he rushed in blind he would never find the child’s trail. Broken twigs, crushed flowers, someone had passed through recently. He knelt and brushed his left hand over the ground. He wore his gauntlet on that hand and azure writing danced across the back, “Something I can understand Silence, I don’t have time for games.” The armor considered that a moment. Quiet filled the time between. Finally patches of ground began to glow yellow. Footprints. They led further west away from Kosha, “Someone was here just before me…” he looked ahead into the darkness trying to decipher its depths. The clamor of men rose behind him. The search was beginning. Talos carved an arrow pointing west into the nearest tree and moved on. The glowing trail faded in his wake.

This post has been edited by Ragnar0k: 10 July 2009 - 03:34 PM

As he left Kosha, Rapierian's mood improved.

It was well he had expected something like this to happen. He had hidden his books and several of his most valuable potions in a safe spot. It was not immediately accessible, but he had time.

His escape had been aided, which had been convenient in retrospect. He hadn't had to use any of his other plans for such contingencies.

Recent events seemed to confirm some of his theories and he now guessed that he knew more about what was going on than most others in the group.

Still, that was for another time. Right now, he had other business.

Turning, he took a northeast route, heading toward where he had stashed his books. Later, he would return to the mountains.


At that same moment, outside an old cabin not far away, another man was also busy.

This man was walking back and forth. His gait was somewhat odd but seemed to be becoming more natural with every step. Sometimes, he started running. Sometimes, he jumped.

Eventually, he picked up a quarterstaff from the ground next to the door and began to run through a series of exercises with it. Moments later, he produced a sword and began to do something similar.

He was obviously going through some sort of physical conditioning regime, and he did not seem satisfied with the results. Nevertheless, he continued for some time.

Beorn paused in consideration. He had survived his trek down the mountains five days before, but his injuries were severe and were perhaps beyond his cure. His constant exercises and experiments were helping him, but they could only drive him so far. He also had had no news from the outside world in that time. Still, he had a fair idea of what was happening and what else was to be expected. For now, he had no choice but to proceed as he had been doing. After all, he didn't know who in this land could be trusted.

For a moment, he rubbed his face, seeming irritated. As he did so, he noted the setting sun and gauged the time.

Beorn was a man of average height, with brown hair and eyes. His face was tanned and beardless. He wore an old brown cloak and old faded alligator boots. To most people, he simply resembled an old mountain prospector. His movements seemed peculiar, sometimes graceful and sometimes erratic and clumsy. The stiffness with which he conducted himself suggested some kind of injury.

Turning, he entered the cabin. It was time for dinner. As part of his recovery efforts, he stuck to a strict schedule and ate only foods which would aid in his recovery. Fortunately, the inhabitant of the house had had some of these in stock. Quickly, he retrieved the necessary items and prepared a light meal.

Of course, he found such food revolting, but he had lived with far worse.

As he ate, he once more pondered the situation. He had no one whom he could trust to warn, since Alaric must surely be in some trouble by now as well. The current outlook was grim. Disaster in some form was inevitable and no warning could now avert it.

Best to prepare and be ready at the opportune moment.

It was now almost dark outside. Still, he planned to continue his exercises for some time yet once he had finished eating.

Beorn was just cleaning up after his meal when a knock on the door came.

Speculatively, he regarded the entrance to the house.

Most people did not know where Wizard's cabin was, and he doubted the old man would feel the need to knock on the door to his own house (which Beorn had decided to borrow during his convalescence since it was empty anyway). He had not expected any visitors. He knew that whoever was there would know the cabin was inhabited at the moment. There was sign enough outside.

It was good that he had prepared for this problem even though he had not expected it.

The knock came again.

He stepped to the left in the shadows. Whoever was entering would enter facing the lantern he used as a light source. With the glare momentarily in their eyes, he would have a chance to see who his guest was. There were, of course, risks to this, but he had other plans in case things looked grim.

Carefully, he picked up the quarterstaff in his left hand used it to lift the bar on the door. Sword in his right hand, he lightly called, "Enter."

Avatara paused for a moment. Orange beams from the setting sun filtered in through the leafy forest foliage, creating a warm and inviting scene. A handful of insects buzzed by, on a quest for pollen. He didn't see any of this; his mind was focused on the homely cabin nestled against the edge of the small clearing ahead.

It wasn't so much that he didn't know what to say, it was more that he didn't know what to do if Wizard wouldn't believe him. He was taking a big risk by coming all the way out here, but then again, everything was at risk now. His window of opportunity was slowly getting smaller and failure was out of the question.

Avatara took in a deep breath, breathing in the scent of nature. Somehow it smelled different than the aroma he was used to, as if it was more alive. Fully calm, he continued forging his way to Wizard's house in the mountains.

As he approached, he noticed signs that someone was living here. Trampled grass, a small pile of half-cut firewood, the smell of recently cooked food. He hoped Wizard wouldn't mind guests so late. The sun had finally dipped under the mountains, but Avatara couldn't afford to wait another day.

He stopped outside the door, having made no effort to mask his approach. A dim light was visible through the cracks of the door indicating someone was definitely home. He took a deep breath, ran through in his mind what he would say, his proposal, counter-proposal if Wizard declined, and answers to the likely skeptical questions he could expect. Though, maybe it was all for naught, if Wizard chose to simply use his telepathy to speed the whole process along.

He raised his fist and knocked loudly on the door. A moment passed. No response. The woods nearby had gone quiet. Odd.

Avatara knocked again. This time the light behind the door wavered and a light sound of movement came from the other side. Maybe he just didn't hear it the first time.

The movement stopped. There was some scuffling and scraping against the door, but the bar was lifted and the door creaked slowly open, revealing an unoccupied sitting area. A man's deep voice called out quietly from inside, "Enter."

Avatara was suddenly suspicious. Not only did that not sound like the Wizard, but they expected him to walk through an open door into an room with a mysterious occupant who was trying to remain hidden? Was he serious?

He stepped quietly back from the door, grabbing his belt knife, and quickly made his way over to the open window behind the tree to his right. Tilting his head slightly, he surveyed what appeared to be the bedroom. Nobody was visible, so he lightly hopped inside.

"You can come in," the voice came again, close by. He must be hiding on the other side of the wall.

Avatara quietly tiptoed to the door, gripped his knife tightly, then swung into the entryway. He had the chance to spot a blur of motion shortly before a lantern smashed into his face with a loud crack. The room spun, and he fell to the floor disoriented, his cheek screaming out in pain. A boot crunched on some broken glass as his assailant took a step towards him, then stopped and said, "Oh, its you."

Oh, its me? Avatara tried to clear his vision and identify the man, but the room was still swimming with stars.

"I must admit, I wasn't expecting you to show up." He still couldn't identify the voice, but if this person really knew him, he would have to play along.

"I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome," Avatara replied. His cheek still throbbed and something warm was trickling down his chin, but the dizziness was fading and he was able to pull himself onto one knee. After a brief pause, he looked up, blinking, and stared at the man moving about, looking for something. The man made some noise in the corner, and then light flared back up in the room as he returned with another lantern. The first one looked damaged beyond repair, the shutters either cracked or broken out, and the frame bent in on two sides.

"Most people wouldn't break in when invited inside," the man replied as he gestured to the door still opened wide to the night. Now that he was standing in the light, Avatara could get a look at his opponent. He appeared to be an ordinary man with brown hair at first glance, young enough to have no beard yet. His brown eyes were tinged with redness and framed with heavy dark circles, as if he had hardly slept in days. The lantern was wavering slightly, as if he was somehow unfamiliar to his hand, or perhaps it was too heavy. The man paused and stared silently at the blood-tinged broken glass on the floor.

No good, I don't recognize him. Am I supposed to know him? He would have to risk it. "My mind is having trouble focusing right now, what was your name again?"

"Beorn."

Never heard of it. Well, there was an old fairytale, but that was probably unrelated. "Remind me where I've heard that name before."

"You haven't."

I guess that settles it? But just who is this guy? No choice now but to hope. "Do you know where the Wizard is? I thought this was his house."

"It is." Very talkative fellow. At least he had started moving and cleaning up the glass.

"Is he around? Do you know when he'll be back?"

Beorn looked at him for a moment, as if considering his answer. Finally he replied, "I've been waiting for several days, I don't think he'll be back soon."

Just great. Two days wasted. He'd need to find some way to reach the Wizard now, but he could be anywhere. The next likely place to look would be a major town, like Cademia. Perhaps someone there would know where he was.

"Well Beorn, sorry for the trouble, but I guess I'll be going then."

Beorn looked up at him again, "You're planning on traveling at night?" He almost sounded skeptical, but he was still far too calm for it to be concern.

Avatara chose his next words carefully, "Its very important that I reach Wizard before it is too late." For a moment, he had a dim hope that Beorn did know Wizard's whereabouts and was merely keeping quiet about him, but Beorn said nothing. His hope faded, so he grabbed his knife, staggered to his feet, and walked out the door.

"I'll come with you," Beorn said from behind him. Avatara glanced over his shoulder, somewhat surprised and partly suspicious. "As you said, Wizard might not return for some time, and I also need to find him quickly."

A plausible reason, and one that was impossible to verify just yet. But, he probably knew more about what was going on than Avatara did, so it was an acceptable risk.

"I'll need a minute to gather my things," Beorn said. Avatara nodded and headed back to where he had left his traveler's cloak and pack at the far end of the clearing. It was going to be several days before they reached Cademia.

Silver, at least, was glad to have the silence broken, though he'd have preferred a parade over the frantic search that summoned them. Itanos quickly informed them of the new man who had come to aide Cythera in its dark hours, & assured them of his good faith. When Silver heard that it was a young girl who had gone missing, he didn't pause to hear more but rushed off into the forest with great haste. Luckily for him, Talos' trail was easy to follow even before he had marked the trees.

It wasn't long before Silver saw the glowing trail that Talos followed, & figured rightly that some clever magic was afoot, revealing the path that either the girl or her captor had taken. Silver thought to rush ahead of the warrior & help the maiden, but as he went whistling past Talos' left shoulder, he rammed into a gauntleted hand, & fell to the forest floor.

Blood trickled down Silver's face, & he considered losing consciousness for a moment, but the pain of magic grounding on his body convinced him to maintain an alert demeanor. He stumbled to his feet & had his injuries sealed by the time Talos realized what had just transpired. "We need to rescue her!" Silver remarked as he finally regained the air.

The small adventurer had come upon Talos so quietly and so fast that he reacted purely on instinct and Silence’s prompting. The warrior whirled with his gauntlet facing the stranger and his golden blade raised to strike, “The girl needs to be rescued!” the adventurer repeated, ignoring danger for the sake of the child.

Silence murmured soundlessly and turned its attention elsewhere. This person was not an enemy, “I’m sorry. My name is Talos, I came to—“

“I know.” The adventurer cut him off, “I’m Silverfish. Itanos said you came to help us. Well I’m here to help you help the girl.”

In another setting Silver might have been a more jovial person. At the moment pleasantries were of far less import than Sara’s safety and he was clearly determined to see nothing happened to her, “Then let’s hurry.” Talos replied as he turned to chase the phantom trail.

The pair stalked the night choked forest. Silver proved just as stealthy as he had been in his arrival. He glided just above the treetops and ghosted the warrior’s path. Even so the sounds of his flight and the pounding of Talos’s boots were the only things to be heard. The woods were green, lush, and deathly quiet. The forest was no longer the haven it once was. It felt like a nest of evil. A place for wrong things. Silence agreed. Blue script battered the shadows while the armor thought deep. Shimmer shined steady stealing splendor from the starlight, a salient spear stabbing through the sinister gloom. The adventurers did not speak. They listened. The movements of those they tracked would sound just as loud as their own.

In the distance ahead there was sobbing. Silver heard it first and raced ahead, swooping amongst the trees and out of sight. Talos ran to catch up. The time for quiet was ended. Now there would be battle… or not. Talos burst into a small clearing. An ocean of stars poured light into the grove. On the far side Silver comforted a girl who could be no more than seven. They had found Sara. When she caught sight of Talos her eyes went wide with fear but Silver quickly soothed her, “It’s okay now, you’re safe. We’re friends of your grandpa. I’m Silvy.” Next to her the adventurer seemed like a child’s favorite doll. He must have been very fond of children, the way he fussed over and reassured Sara like a worried parent. He looked back to Talos, “Some of her clothes are ripped but she’s not hurt.”

The warrior nodded as he walked around the clearing. The glowing trail continued west beyond the trees. “You know grandpa Sorin?” Sara asked between sniffles.

“Yes we do.” Silver turned his attention back to her with a smile, “He was very worried about and was looking all over. We came out to help him.”

“The monster ran away.” Sara said suddenly, noticing where Talos was looking, “…light started coming from the ground it stepped on so it dropped me and ran away.”

Silver turned to the warrior, “It saw the trail when you got too close?”

“It must have. Can you scan the area? It should still be close.” Left unsaid was the danger the girl would be in if they were pulled into a fight with some beast. There was no need to scare the girl any more.

Silver hesitated but nodded in the end. To Sara he said, “You stay with my friend Tal for a minute. Don’t worry he only looks scary so he can scare away monsters. That’s why it ran off.”

In moments Silver sailed up beyond the trees darted out of sight like a shooting star. With the gleam of his metallic skin he blended into the sparkling blanket above him. Talos tried to look everywhere at once as if he expected enemies to leap upon him from every side. Sara contended herself to stare into Shimmer’s pulsing glow. Moments passed in silence within those woods where nothing wholesome lived. It was an eternity before Silver drifted back to the soft grass minutes later, “It’s too dark to see anything,” the adventurer said, “the starlight won’t sink passed the trees. The thing that’s out there has some sort of magic to hide itself.”

Talos didn’t like it but the smart move was to let the beast escape and return the girl safely to Kosha. He told Silver as much. The adventurer considered, “I think you’re right. The best thing is to bring Sara back to her grandpa. My friends Wizard and Selax, you haven’t met them because they were in different search parties… I think. Anyway, they’re really smart. When we tell them what happened they could make up a good plan. Especially knowing you can track this thing.” Talos gave a last look into the darkness that swallowed his glowing trail. He cast a baleful glare into the depths of those shadows. For the moment there was little else he could do.

**

A short time later

Talos sat at a table with Silverfish in the Roasted Haunch tavern awaiting the return of Selax and Wizard. They were back from their own search parties and were learning what they could from Itanos about what the others had seen. There was little and less useful information to be had but anything was better than nothing at all. That the monster escaped still ground upon Talos’s nerves.

Sara was returned to her grandfather and so the night could still be called their victory. The child’s rescue gave the citizens hope. It was something desperately needed in the fear ridden atmosphere. Selax and Wizard stepped through the tavern door. Neither of them looked in high spirits. Silver stood, “Cheer up, we saved the day!”

“Sorin.” Wizard sat down heavily in his seat and shook his head.

Talos frowned at him, “What’s happened?”

Selax answered in a low voice as he took his seat, “Right after he took Sara home he tripped and broke his neck.”

“What?!” Silver gasped, trying to keep his voice down.

Wizard nodded, “We heard while we spoke to Itanos. We didn’t get a chance to see the girl but she must be devastated. Itanos is having her stay in house Comana for now since she has no other living relatives. It is a shame but he wants to keep news of this quiet for now. He doesn’t want to dash the spirits of his people just after they have been lifted.”

“First the monster and now this?” Silverfish muttered, “That’s just cruel.”

**

A short time earlier

As the two adventurers finally relented a shadowed figured sighed in relief. He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, “Who was that, how could he have followed me?”

The reply from a massive creature beside him was a slavering bass rumble, its voice was offensive to mortal ears, “I do not know. It hardly matters.”

“Hardly matters?!” he choked, “We knew our enemies perfectly, our plan hinges on that. Now they’ve found a new ally with strange powers.”

Scarlet cat’s eyes peered at him from the shadows, “It is too late for one man to make a difference. This land is already ensnared. That mortal should not unsettle you so greatly.”

“And you are entirely too calm. There is something disturbing about him…” he trailed of, “He came too close and I had to place the girl there. What do we do now that they have her?”

“Nothing,” the deamon’s laugh was blood gurgling over snapping bones, its fangs were stained red with chunks of gore, “she will serve her purpose. Having her rescued is far less suspicious than having her walk out of the forest alone. This works to our advantage, not theirs.”

“Fine, but we have to do something about this now.” He kicked the body small lying at his feet, a small girl of seven torn almost to pieces. A red maw gaped where her heart should have been.

The creature was nonchalant even being the thing that did that to her mere moments before the adventurers arrived, “Take it with you and place it with the others. I will have to return before dawn and dispose of them. We cannot allow your tracker to follow your trail to them and discover our deceit. When you are done head to Cademia. If he intends to follow you make sure he does so straight to his doom.”

“…and what about his strange powers?” he was still nervous about the implications of this unknown force.

The dark creature shook its head, nearing the limits of its patience, “No plan is flawless. There is always that which you cannot account for. That is all he is, a minor detail unforeseen. Warn the others in the other cities if you must. But first complete your task. I have my own before I can help clean your mess.” The beast stalked off in near silence for all its size.

Grumbling to himself the shadowed man marched off with small body draped over his shoulder. Blood oozed into and over his cloak sticky and still warm. He ignored it. There would be time to change after he reached the cave. There were glamours laid over the forest, spells to deepen the darkness, enchantments that made it difficult to track his movements and those of the others. All were powerful beyond his understanding. Even a skilled mage would have great difficulty cutting through them. How then had that man chased him so very easily?

The powerful stench of rot smashed across his face like a hammer. For a moment even he felt sick. He had reached the cave faster than he expected. The spell keeping the stink from drifting away locked it in a small area and concentrated it many times. A dozen bodies smelled like the leavings of a battlefield left to cook in the sun. He threw the child onto the pile roughly and staggered away. They were the deamon’s problem now. Sara’s figure rolled down a pile of men turned gray and putrid green. Half of them wore the uniforms of Kosha guards.

"What about the creature?" Talos asked after a minute's silence. "It's too big a risk to be allowed to run freely."

"I'm inclined to agree," Wizard replied with a sigh. "I had hoped to go north and meet up Shanadar, Katerei, and Yomu. Perhaps we could find Rapierian then. But the last thing the people of Kosha need is for another monster to terrorize them."

"Perhaps this creature has some knowledge of these strange events of which you speak?" Talos suggested. "It might be explanatory if we could catch it."

"Agreed," Selax stated. "This creature might provide us with useful information. It could tell us whether or not it works with Rapierian."

"At least, the people of Kosha might feel safer if we drive it off," Silverfish added.

"It's too dark to track now, very dangerous too," Talos said. "We should wait until dawn."

Selax and Wizard both nodded in agreement.


Hours later, when the sun had just started to peek over the horizon, the four slipped out of town and very carefully proceeded to the clearing where Sara had been the previous night. After the trauma she had suffered and the death of her grandfather, the little girl had not been in a state to tell them much of anything about the monster that had taken her. Taking care to avoid a possible ambush, they moved into the clearing. After a brief search of the area, Talos began to circle the patch of forest looking for the trail.

After a minute, he called softly to the others, "Here." When they had joined him, he pointed at the tracks that he had found. "They appear to be heading north as well."

"Hmm, we might just run into the others after all," Wizard mused.

"We should be careful," Selax stated. "There may be an ambush waiting for us."

The four spread out. Silverfish flew into the air about fifteen feet over their heads, keeping an eye on them and patches of forest ahead of them. Wizard stayed back, using his telepathy to probe the areas ahead of them. Talos was at the front cautiously following the trail. Selax walked to his left and slightly behind him, ready in case of trouble.

Slowly, carefully, they headed north along the strange set of tracks...