Ambrosia Software Web Board: The Quest for the Unknown Power (team story) - Ambrosia Software Web Board

Flynn had been talking and sparring with only a fraction of his mind; the larger portion was still caught up in the spiritual battle for survival.

As Desert Fox lead him back out of the cave, a tiny item caught Flynn's preoccupied eye; without conscious thought, he picked it up and placed it in his pocket.

------------------
The only substitute for good manners, is fast reflexes.

After journeying to the camp and back, DF was now refreshed and anxious to get into the cave. They got to the opening and they hopped right in.
They journied for hours into that cave. Interestingly enough, DF's dark shield did the same as the heat shield that Avatara had earlier. This scene seemed eerily familiar to the recent events that had haunted Flynn and moonshadow. The death of comrades is never fun. The death of a group is worse. DF felt something odd with the power eminating from Avatara, it seemed to be fluctuating, as if it there were a battle going on. this just excited DF a bit for he had not been in a battle since the treasure quest. They had gone deep into the cave, so deep that they reached the end and still found nothing. DF used his mental capabilities to figure out what was going on.
"Something is not right here" DF said cautiously "I can feel something, but I cant see it."
"Hmm" Moonshadow replied, making sure to draw an arrow just in case.
DF started to talk with himself just then
"It has to be....no...it cant be...not that.....thats not possible....sealed up....powers cant get by seal....before seal??...means that they have been growing stronger since...oh my god!!"
"WATCH OUT" DF cried out as a claw came out of nowhere to strike at them. everybody avoided the claw in their own way, DF jumped, Flynn jumped, and Moonshadow disintegrated the claw with an arrow
"An illusion?!!" DF said " Of course, illusions!"
With that the room suddenly became cold, DF used his dark magic to destroy the heat around him and the illusion binding them.
"What did you just do?" Flynn asked incredulously
"Dark spell, Im a master of shadow and spirit" DF said proudly as he surveyed the darkness.
In a remote spot of the darkness there was a hole, a dark hole with a mottled shadow on it. It was so eerie because DF went right to it
"Heh, a mini portal, meant for 1. That is like him, always have a way to get back" DF chuckled to himself as he reached for it
"Hey, what are you doing?" Moonshadow asked him with an arrow pointed at his back "You were going to help us and now you ditch us in the middle of a now dark cave, I dont think so"
"Bah, the darkness of the cave is nothing, when I activate this portal, we will be in a mess of trouble" DF said to her as he stood up a bit
"Portal?? Trouble??! What are you talking about?" Moonshadow asked him
"Why do you think you were attacked the other day? Avatara had to open the portal from the outside to avoid being killed, so he had all you fight for him" DF said as he started to cast a light spell
"And you intend to make the same battle but with weaker players on your side?" Moonshadow surmized "I dont feel like dying here, instead you should fear for you life"
"No, Avatara needed 4 to go through, I just need one, it will be a weak group and I am fully charged now" DF said as he cast his spell and the orb grew and became red
"I suggest you draw your weapons, you know what will happen here" DF said as a beast unlike what was faced before appeared.
The beast had four arms, each brandishing a different weapon. Top were an axe and a sword, bottom was a spear and a trident. It came at them with the ferocity of four and it bore down easily on them all.
"Supress your magic" DF called out as Flynn and Moonshadow were charging up attacks "Use the magic in your attacks with weapons, slip it under his guard" DF called

Flynn started to doubt DF just a bit. thinking : tactics, at a time like this. It calls for battle with pure magic. But he seems in control now, Ill follow his order, but if he messes this up, I will be the one to get him.

DF certainly knew what he was talking about, as the steel slammed together, small attacks of magic were going in under the beast's guard. DF had restrained his magic and was fighting poorly against the beast. At first Flynn and Moonshadow thought it was to divert the beast but soon realized that DF had been charging an attack the entire time. Flynn had been taking the trident with his new swor, slashing at it and being successful in making it a crude spear. As the beast noticed that, he tried to smash him with the sword he brandished above. This almost shattered Flynn's sword. The brutality of the attack also sent Flynn to the ground. Moonshadow's magic arrows came to his aid. Moonshadow stayed back and avoided the massive thrusts the beast occasionally made at her. Her flurry of arrows kept its attention off of her fallen comrad and on her, just the way she wanted. DF was holding his own for several clashes of sword and shield. The axe always seemed to knock him back a step, allowing the beast to attack moonshadow. Then it would attack him again. His shield had so many dents, it was difficult to determine whether or not it was going to survive this. He found out the next swing when the axe shattered his shield and struck him across the chest, starting some massive bleeding.
"NOW, HIT HIM NOW!!!" DF called out to the others, who promptly hit the monster with magic from the other side.

The beast was turned toward them when the nightmarish attack was released.
DF stood up as the beast turned and released the power he had been charging for the enitre battle. His chest seemed to be dumping the blood from his body but DF didnt care, his singular purpose was to eliminate the beast. The attack wasnt a dark spell, DF was no fool, dark would only enchant the beast. The attack was the lightning seal attack, dethelon's most powerful spell, mixed with avatara's holy bolts attack. He combined it into a demonic blast with the dark magic voided out.

The monsterous beast had been disintegrated from its back to its front skin. Blood shot out everywhere from its body, it had been killed very messily. The light spell was too much for the beast to handle. As it hit the ground, so did DF. His magic spent and his body slashed, he seemed all for the worse at this point. His allies ran up to him.
"Oh my god, this is bad" Moonshadow said immediately when she saw how deeply the cut was in "I dont know f this is fixable"
"He looks unconscious right now, I don't think this can be repaired" Flynn said morously, knowing that this would be added to his list of horrible memories.
Both bowed their heads deeply and closed their eyes in prayer for just a second and were shocked to see DF when they opened their eyes. His wound was all healed up and he was trying to sit
"Hold off those death rites, I am not gone yet" DF said with a laugh
Moonshadow and Flynn looked at him in horror
"wha...wha..." Flynn muttered
"how....how are you....still alive...your wound....healed??" Moonshadow stammered
DesertFox laughed a deep laugh
"You guys didn't notice where I got that vial from earlier?" DF questioned as he moved the left part of his vest to reveal several vals, 4 of them broken by a slash "His attack broke those, I noticed it right away, they were my concocktion, it burns while it heals" DF said with a laugh
Moonshadow and Flynn laughed with him, not knowing how DF got the luck he seemed to get a lot.
"Now time for my exit" DF said "This fight has been educational, you two are allies in my book"

DF faced the gold hued portal and let out a laugh as he faced it
"Avatara, always seems that Im chasing you, this time it is to assist your small band"
With that, DF disappeared into the portal which glowed red behind him and disappeared.
"well, what do we do now?" Moonshadow asked "You were the one who wanted to go into this lousy cave"
"Don't blame me" came Flynn's sour responce "I think there were a few halls here we didnt investigate...

------------------
DesertFox: Once they go down, they really suck later
a topic about cheetos

***OoC***
Heh, DF didn't want to read too many posts before jumping in, so there are a few holes; he's read most of the story now, so next time he should hit a little closer to the mark.

Now I just have to convince him to read the Chronicles and Character Info thread, to really get to understand the current characters.

I'll take it from the time DF, Flynn and Moonshadow set out for the camp, and try to clear up a few inconsistencies; this post is parallel to part of DF's last post, but his continues where mine leaves off.
***BiC***

Back at camp, Sasha was beginning to worry. Moonshadow had been gone a long time (it was now half-way to lunch); also, she thought she'd heard some commotion back there, a little while ago. She was just about to go and see if anything was wrong, when Moonshadow staggered back through the trees leading Flynn by the arm, and accompanied by a third person dressed in dark clothes.

Sasha ran up to Flynn and Moonshadow. Taking one look at Flynn's dazed and empty expression, she turned on Moonshadow. "He's worse than before! What did you do!?"

Suddenly, Sasha noticed the blood-stained sash in Moonshadow's hand, and her manner abrubtly changed; her expression changed from accusation to concern. "What happened, are you hurt?"

"No, we're all right," Moonshadow replied quickly. "We were attacked by a cavetroll. Flynn was hurt, but this man, Desert Fox, used a healing lotion on him; he said it was one of Avatara's. As for the other," she continued, waving a hand in front of Flynn's eyes, getting no reaction, "after the battle Flynn just seemed to slip into some kind of - almost a trance, I'd say. He becomes aware, briefly, when threatened, but otherwise - this."

Wolmark and Trinias wandered over, along with several other members of the group. Trinias wrinkled up his nose, and quickly led Desert Fox to the shower facilities Wolmark had improvised.

Wolmark noticed Flynn's new sword. "May I take a look at that?" he asked Moonshadow.

"I suppose so," she replied, hesitantly. "It's not really my place to say, but Flynn's in no condition to, himself."

Wolmark carefully drew the crystal sword from its scabbard, and laid it across a flat boulder to inspect it.

He carefully felt its edge. He inspected the blue crystal, and was especially intrigued by the yellow tinge running up the centre. Lastly, he closely inspected the haft, particularly the guard and pommel. He stood upright and thought for a moment. "Just a minute, I'll be right back," he said as he headed for his tent.

In a few moments he was back, carrying a small mirror. Placing the mirror on the rock, he carefully drew the edge of the sword across the glass; when he was done, there was a deep scratch across it's surface. "Aha! Diamond, or something harder! That yellow tinge in the centre looks like a lattice of fine wires, possibly gold. How anyone could get them there, in the heart of a diamond, is beyond me. If you give the ruby on the pommel a half twist to the right, the haft starts to give a tingling sensation to your hand. A half turn more, and some kind of lever or trigger pops out from the guard."

After presenting his analysis, he looked up around the group. "I'd say this sword was designed to store and discharge electricity. The only mystery I can see is how to recharge the thing."

While all this was going on, Moonshadow and Sasha had been attempting to feed Flynn, with a little success. He seemed unable or unwilling to feed himself, but swallowed anything placed in his mouth. By the time Wolmark had finished, he'd had a pretty fair breakfast.

Shortly after that, Desert Fox returned, freshly bathed. "We must return to the cave. There are things there that need doing, but Moonshadow was reluctant to enter without further assistance. Who will come?"

Sasha looked around at the two other (sane) Ronin. "We'll stay here, with Flynn."

"No," Desert Fox replied. "Flynn must come; it is his right."

The Ronin looked at each other uncertainly, then Wolmark spoke up. "All right, we'll all come then."

Moonshadow stood up to join them, and was a little surprised when Flynn - seemingly by instinct, he was as much in a trance as ever - put his arm through hers and began to follow. She looked at Sasha, and shrugged.

Several other members of the party agreed, and they set off for the cave.

----------------------------------

When they reached the cave, Desert Fox quickly entered, followed by Moonshadow with Flynn in tow.

"What's going on!?" Sasha exclaimed behind them. They turned and saw Sasha and Wolmark at the entrance, pressing against some kind of barrier that no-one could see.

"I see this is a task for the three of us, after all," Desert Fox chuckled. Moonshadow thought his laughter sounded just a little bit insane.

----------------------------------

In the darkness, Flynn began to hear things. Off to his left, several voices were softly calling out to him. "The treasure, the treasure, yours for the taking, abandon the others, the treasure is for you alone,..."

To his right, a deep voice was saying "You have failed, failed, they're dead, because of you, end it all, end it NOW,..."

The voices repeated over and over again, growing louder and more overpowering each second. Flynn couldn't bear it. He put his hands over his ears and fell to his knees, but the voices kept coming. "No, stop! STOP IT!"

As he looked wildly about, seeking an escape from the torment, his eyes once more fell on the bright speck of light ahead; then, through the cacophony of the other voices, he heard a single soft, clear voice speaking.

"Flynn. Come back to us, Flynn. We need you."

Like the others, the new voice repeated over and over. It never gained in strength, yet somehow it drowned out the other voices, restoring calm to Flynn's soul. He took his hands from his ears, stood up, and resumed his journey.


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There are three kinds of computer users: those that use Macintoshes, those that wish they used Macintoshes, and those that don't know any better.

[This message has been edited by Ronin (edited 10-19-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Ronin (edited 10-19-2001).]

*OoC* Wow, this has gone a long way.... *BiC*

Ferazel suddenly whistles shrilly. Callie comes back to him. Ferazel mutters something to her in meows, and then she bounds off. She rounds up everyone and brings them all to where Ferazel is. Ferazel says to follow, and he takes them to a large cavern. Ferazel speaks to them: "Listen, the power source is as close as hell. We need to find it now, the power seems to be fading from it." With that, he uses a Lightning spell to blast away at a wall. A small chamber is through the passage. The chamber seemed to be a workroom, similar to Tavara's. Everyone climbed through the passage...

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Quote ViaVoice, "Hal Cohen help build Satam sand scratch a flat surface scratches that some scratch that scratches that scratch facts scratcher wraked this scratched tax costs tax this. " Is this ViaVoiceian?

Back in Cademia, in the Ronin's barracks, Ulf gently laid Kwon's inert form on a bed. Leandra walked into the room behind him, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She sat on a second bed, watching Ulf tuck Kwon in.

"I'm glad Wolmark opened the portal back here. I couldn't have taken another night in that tent."

Ulf looked around at her and grunted. "Leandra tired. Rest! Ulf watch."

"Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a bit," she mumbled as she lay down on the bed.

Her breathing settled into a steady rhythm, as the days without rest took their toll, and she slipped gently into the arms of Morpheus.

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There are three kinds of computer users: those that use Macintoshes, those that wish they used Macintoshes, and those that don't know any better.

Everyone climbed in, except for those who had departed for Cademia just a few hours ago, namely Ulf, Kwon, Leandra and Katze. She had talked Wolmark into letting her borrow the zeppelin for her return. He figured that if they needed to flee the volcano quickly (for example if those demons returned) they would all teleport back, and his beloved zeppelin would be lost. "But I warn you not to leave a scratch on it!" Katze had nodded, and boarded the zeppelin, departing quickly before he could change his mind. She had been watching Wolmark very closely on their journey, determined to learn as much as possible, and now she'd see how far she'd gotten...
***
Moonshadow narrowed her eyes, trying to see a little more in the dark room. Her sensitive nose caught the stench or rotting provisions somewhere off to the right. She raised her hand to stop everyone from entering the cave any further, and took a careful step forward. Her feet raised a cloud of dust, apparent proof to the fact that no one had walked here in quite some time. She caught the gleam of amber eyes as Callie jumped onto a table right of the blasted wall, looking up at her quickly, then heading off into the half-darkness of the cave, probably spying ahead for Ferazel. She smiled a little, then clapped her hands. The area lit up immediately and considerately, revealing a cave that was larger than they had originally thought. The workroom they were in consisted of two shelves to the left, filled with books and scrolls in different states of desintegration. Directly to their right was a small empty desk with a few drawers. Right next to that was yet another shelf, in wich stood various sealed and marked flasks and bottles filled with different substances, some of them obviously organic. In the middle of the cave was another, bigger desk, on it a full set of chemical equipment. Pieces of glass littered the ground next to it, probably remnants of former experiments gone wrong. Looking at the walls there were holders for torches, but the torches themselves were missing.
From the right they saw Callie coming back. Ferazel kneeled down and picked her up, crawling her ears. She purred contently. "So there's a living room around the corner?"
The cat purred louder.
"Well then... we'd better go check it out, right?" He turned to the rest of the group. "We'd better be careful, though... this power source is bound to be somewhere near..." He was right, pretty obviously. The further they went to their right, the more they felt it, a strange power that sent shivers down the spine of even the most unmagical being.
As they rounded the corner they saw what Ferazel had palliated as 'living room'. It was a plain wooden bed. There must have been a matress on it once upon a time, judging by the remnants on the ground. Next to it was a closed chest, probably for personal belongings. Another chest must have contained the provisions, for that was where the stench came from.
The room was a disappointment. It lead nowhere, yet there was nothing like a power source to be seen. "It must be hidden somewhere..." Moonshadow whispered. Somehow she had the feeling there was something about this cave that should rather not be disturbed. She took another look around, wishing for something that would break the uncomfortable silence that had settled on the group, but nobody seemed willing to say anything. Ferazel closely examined the walls, as if they held the answer to all their questions, still holding Callie close to him. Verran, Lindor and Trundaylan had chosen to remain behind in the other cave, 'examining'. Personally, Moonshadow suspected that this strange feeling was taking a greater toll on their nerves, but maybe they would find something useful. Rogan had casually checked the first chest and then slumped unto the bed, looking over at Ferazel with raised eyebrows, as if asking: 'so what now?' Sasha, Wolmark and Trinias had also sat down, not knowing a better thing to do. Flyyn just stood at the corner, staring off into nothing with that blank expression he always wore of late, obviously more concerned with his own problems than the outside world. Moonshadow exchanged a quick glance with Sasha, a worried expression on her face, then quietly moved to Flynn's side and placed a comforting hand on his arm. His eyes flickered shortly before going blank again, but at least he seemed to notice what was going on. Moonshadow turned her attention back to Ferazel, waiting for a suggestion.
------------------
As l lay in my bed staring at the sky I asked myself:
Where the hell did the roof go?


[This message has been edited by Moonshadow (edited 10-21-2001).]

As Flynn drew closer to the point of light, it gradually began to illuminate the scenes on either side of the path he travelled. The images grew in definition, until he could begin to comprehend them.

To his left he saw wealth, magical power and every kind of treasure imaginable; all the while, the voices kept repeating their message. The treasure was his, he deserved it; all he had to do was reach out and take it. Think of all the good he could do, with such wealth and power!

Flynn shook his head in disbelief. Whoever was perpetrating this charade would have to do much better than that. They didn't know him at all, if they thought such things could tempt him.

As he travelled further towards the light, another scene began to take shape on his right. He suddenly gasped, and halted; the horror of the sight brought him to his knees. "It can't be! Please, no!" he wailed, trapped by the despair that had plagued him for so long.

In what looked to be a great cavern he saw Sasha, Trinias, Wolmark, Moonshadow, Trundaylan, and all his friends. Rather, he saw their bloodied corpses; they were strewn about the ground, as if from a great battle. Each one was unmistakably dead.

The deep voice continued to chant its poison into Flynn's mind. "They are dead, Every one of them destroyed! You were powerless to prevent this, just as you were powerless to prevent the deaths of so many others! There is no need for you to suffer further. End this. End it now!"

Through his tears, Flynn saw a dagger lying on the ground before him. Slowly, he picked it up; with a sudden decision, he raised it to his chest, preparing to make the final thrust to his heart.

"Come back, Flynn; we need you."

The light pulsed brighter for a brief instant, as the voice spoke. The quiet, insistent voice somehow unlocked the prison of grief that had sprung up around Flynn's mind. He looked once more at the carnage before him. "It's not real!" he asserted. The dagger clattered to the ground.

Flynn stood, and once more resumed his journey toward the light. He focused on the quiet voice; though he couldn't place it, something told him he knew that voice very well.

--------------------------------------

Kwon awoke to utter darkness and despair. Around about him many voices spoke, insistant and taunting.

"We are coming! We are darkness, and we will rule all! You are powerless against us! We will conquer every reality! It is our right; it is our Destiny!"

Kwon began to panic, thrashing about blindly. "Who are you!?" he screamed, over and over again.

"Fear is your greatest weakness, and your worst enemy."

Kwon halted. The phrase that had flashed through his mind had been drilled into him, over and over again, by his mentor at the temple. He recalled a picture of the kindly old monk in his mind's eye.

Kwon took a deep breath. "I won't let you down, master." He lowered himself to a cross-legged position on the ground, closed his eyes and began to centre his soul.

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There are three kinds of computer users: those that use Macintoshes, those that wish they used Macintoshes, and those that don't know any better.

[This message has been edited by Ronin (edited 10-21-2001).]

***OoC***
I haven't run into DF anywhere, and he should be posting right about now. Oh well, maybe he'll read this and get a move on. Could get rather slow, otherwise, since I think Moonshadow and I are the only active posters right now. Ferazel's in Hawaii, Theo's already posted this month , and Avatara's not doing much with Trundaylan as yet. Everyone else seems to be MIA.

So, if nobody else posts soon, Moonshadow & I will just have to cook something up between us.
***BiC***

Being a highly curious sort of person, Wolmark began poking around the scattered equipment and examining all the books. He soon became totally absorbed in what he was doing, and paid no attention at all to the others around him.

------------------
Nothing is foolproof to a talented fool.

Wolmark shifted his attention to the shelves full of books. There were so many, all jumbled up in no particular order, that he had to look closely to see if any might be useful. Reaching up, he pulled one out and read a few paragraphs. "Hmm. Interesting!" He quickly tucked the book into his pack for later reading.

Moving along the row, he came to a book that had no marking on its spine. He pulled it halfway out to read the cover.

>click<

"Nobody move!" Sasha shouted. Everyone froze.

For several minutes, the only motion was every head turning to look around the two rooms, trying to determine what secret or trap the book had activated. Nobody saw anything out of the ordinary.

-------------------------

Flynn was at last nearing the point of light, only it wasn't a point anymore. As he'd approached, it had continually become larger and brighter, until he had to shield his eyes to see. Finally, as he reached the source, he found one last obstacle: a barrier of some kind, invisible, stretched across his path.

Flynn knew that to attempt to go around would mean death (or worse). He set his jaw, and determined to press through.

-------------------------

Flynn stood against the wall, blinking and unnoticed. He saw his friends around him, and wondered why they weren't moving.

Sasha spoke. "OK, Wolmark, now gently put the book back."

With a sudden instinct Flynn grasped Moonshadow around the waist, spun her into the corner and shielded her with his armour, just as a hail of steel darts blasted out of hidden tubes in the walls, ceiling and floor. Trinias ducked behind Sasha, who raised her shield to cover her head, and the rest did whatever they could to avoid or deflect the deadly barrage.

The only person that didn't move was Wolmark.

When the barrage ceased, Wolmark was still standing at the bookshelf, hand on book, with a shocked expression on his face. He blinked, and looked at the walls and floor around him. There wasn't a single mark.

"Booby trap," he said weakly. "Designed for self defense. So a person could stand here and trigger it, and not be touched." His legs gave out, and he sat down heavily against the wall.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Rogan roared. "Some of those things really stung!"

Flynn turned around, releasing Moonshadow from his grip. "What is going on here?"

"Flynn!" Sasha exclaimed. "Are you really back?"

"Was I gone?" Flynn asked with a bewildered expression.

"In a manner of speaking," Trundaylan put in. "What have your recent experiences been?" Flynn briefly recounted his journey through the darkness, describing the temptations but glossing over the torments he'd suffered.

Trundaylan wasn't fooled; he could read between the lines. He also saw by Flynn's face that the experience had affected him, deeply. He turned to Lindor. "You were correct, it was exactly as you said. Fortunately, though we took no time to help, Flynn managed to win through."

Hidden behind Flynn, a knowing smile passed fleetingly over Moonshadow's face.

Turning back to Flynn, Trundaylan continued. "It must have been the dark magic, festering in your wounds. Now that you've defeated it, the effects will pass."

Trundaylan turned back to the smaller room to resume the search. Unseen, an expression of deep concern settled on his face. "Mostly," he said under his breath.

------------------
There are three kinds of computer users: those that use Macintoshes, those that wish they used Macintoshes, and those that don't know any better.


[This message has been edited by Ronin (edited 10-24-2001).]

Moonshadow stared after Flynn as he walked off, not so sure everything was alright. She frowned.
"Hey, everything okay?" Sasha asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"What? ... oh, yeah, sure." She lied. Why worry her? She was obviously happy that Flynn was back to normal, or seemed to be, at least. She smiled, and turned to look at the rest of the group. The Ronin were fairly unharmed, except for a few scratches on Sasha's shield and Flynn's armor. Moonshadow blushed softly. Then she realized what she was doing, and quickly tried to shake the feeling off.
"Ouch! That hurt!" She heard Rogan complain, and turned her attention to him. He was still sitting on the 'bed', and Ferazel was kneeling next to him. He was trying to remove one of the steel darts, that had apparently sunk in deep, from Rogan's leg. Moonshadow walked over and peered over Ferazel's shoulder, just as he spoke up. "Man, stop complaining! I'm doing as best I can"
Rogan grimaced. "Sure.." he muttered ironically.
Ferazel gave an exasperated sigh.
"May I?" Moonshadow asked. "There's a spell for that which I always wanted to try..." she added with a mischievous grin.
Rogan backed up against the wall. "No! I refuse to be used as test object for your spells! ... Ferazel is doing just fine."
"See?" Moonshadow replied, still grinning. Then she walked into the main room, taking in the situation. Trundaylan was helping Verran, who had some nasty-looking wounds. A worried expression crossed her face and she walked over to check.
Trundaylan noticed her approach. "It's not as bad as it looks. He'll be fixed in no time, the wounds are only superficial."
"OUCH!"
Everyone turned to look into Rogan's direction. Ferazel had succesfully removed the dart and the wound was closing rapidly because of his healing spell.
"Nice color..." Trinias commented casually, which only made him turn redder. Everyone laughed, even Rogan, eventually, which eased the tension among the group a little.
As everyone went back to what they had been doing, Rogan walked over to Wolmark, who had already gone back to examining the shelves. He reached out for another book.
"Oh no, you won't!" Rogan said.
Wolmark turned around. "Why not? I'll be more careful, and maybe I'll find something useful."
"Yes, and maybe the next trap will toast all of us..." Rogan replied. "So... no way!"
Wolmark gave him an indignant look. "Oh well!" Then he sat down on the ground beneath the shelves again, looking the rows of books and scrolls up and down.
"What are you doing there?"
"What does it look like, Rogan?" Wolmark asked ironically. "I'm looking for the triggers!"
"Oh.... well, as long as you don't use them..." He sat down beside Wolmark, ready to keep him from triggering anything else.
Wolmark sat silently, just looking... and looking... and looking. Rogan crossed his legs, put his arms on his knees, and supported his head with them.
"Hey, Lindor! Moonshadow! Could you come here for a sec?" Wolmark suddenly called.
Moments later, the two were standing beside him. He looked up and saw excitement on Moonshadow's face. Lindor seemed indifferent, but Wolmark was sure he was just as relieved to get to do something. "Sit down." He instructed them, motioning at the ground next to him. When both were seated he continued. "Look at the left shelf... third row, counting from the bottom. See what I mean?"
Both stared at the shelf intently, and after a short time... "Ah!" Moonshadow exclaimed. Lindor just nodded.
"So what now?" asked Rogan, who had also spotted what what wolmark wanted them to see.
Wolmark smiled contently. "Since I'm not supposed to trigger it, I wasjust wondering if one of you two could find out what it does?"
"It's worth a try..." Moonshadow said. She closed her eyes, concentrating.
Lindor, however, chose a different way of approaching the problem. He got up again and turned to the group. "Everyone, listen up! I want all of you to make sure they're covered properly. Back up into the corners, if necessary!" He waited a little to see if everyone was following him. Then he turned again, reaching for the shelf.
"Hey! What are you -?" Rogan raised in protest, but Lindor had already 'pulled the trigger'.
"ARGH!" Came Ferazel's voice from the other room. He had not heard Lindor, and Lindor had not been able to see him, since the other room was partly out of sight.
After healing Rogan, Ferazel had sat down on the bed, leaning against the wall. And now, surely half an hour later, it had quite suddenly (for Ferazel) decided to give way behind him, and he had fallen head first through the former wall.
Now he rose again. Dang! "Ouch!" He put a hand to his head, grimacing. "Hey everyone, there's a passage here!" he called. "Be careful, though, it's rather small..." He paused, feeling something, tugging at his mind. His face lit up. "The power source!" he exclaimed. "It's in this direction!"

------------------
As l lay in my bed staring at the sky I asked myself:
Where the hell did the roof go?


[This message has been edited by Moonshadow (edited 10-24-2001).]

One by one the group squeezed through the small opening, discovering that the narrow passage on the other side had enough room for them to stand upright. Ferazel dashed ahead, and the others followed, single file.

At the end of the passage they entered another room. Flynn, in the middle of the group, emerged from the tunnel, stepped aside to make room, and looked around. He gasped, slumping back against the wall as if he'd taken a physical blow.

Floating in the centre of the chamber was a portal. In every aspect except colour, it was an exact duplicate of the one he'd seen deep inside Lands End volcano. The sight triggered a suppressed memory; in his mind, Flynn was once again lying at the edge of the fiery chasm. He saw a column of fire bursting upward toward him, and a figure riding the fire like a bird rides the wind...

"Hey," Sasha said, interrupting the flow of suddenly reborn images. "You haven't left us again, have you?"

Flynn realised he was holding his breath, and made an effort to breathe normally. "No, I'm OK. Just a flashback."

"OK then," Sasha said, hesitantly, then turned to join the others inspecting the portal.

------------------
The only substitute for good manners, is fast reflexes.

It was around fifteen feet high, ten feet across, and shimmered a sickly yellow in the darkness of the cave. If one looked into it, it seemed as though there were swirling shadowy images burried deep within its surface.

Lindor stared into the gaping hole with a strange forboding feeling. The shadows twisted and converged, forming two naked, crossed swords and the words "Faith in Hope" underneath. The symbol of his house. After a moment, the shadows twisted again, until the elf saw another sight. He jumped back, a shocked expression stamped on his face.

"I must leave." His gasp sounded more like a whisper. "I must leave at once. My home, it's burning, and no one will help. I must go."

"Come on," said Rogan, "You came to help, and now you'll leave right when we most need to stick together? Beside, you wouldn't make it in time."

Ferazel glanced in, and saw his house in the mountains lying in ruin, orcs searching though the rubble for magical items that were still in one piece. Without another word, he cast a spell and teleported away.

"What was that?" someone asked. But no one could answer.

"Anyway, we have to decide what to do next," put in Moonshadow. "Its no good just sitting here."

"I'm going to go home," Lindor stated.

Sasha frowned at him and said, "I propose a vote. We have come to an important decision. Either turn back now and forsake the quest, or dare the portal."

Before anyone could voice their opinion, Ferazel suddenly rematerialized in front of them. "There all a hoax: the images in the portal. I just checked. They aren't true."

"But, it knew my house," Lindor stammered, "It had to be true!"

"Yes," said Ferazel, "But the next image wasn't. It gave you one thing that was the truth to make you believe another."

Lindor sat and stared at the wall, his mind racing with the possabilities. Was his homeland still okay? He hadn't visited since his departure more than a decade ago. He used to fear the voyage; he had almost pereshed getting to Cythera. Now, though, when he thought his home was in trouble the fears had vanished. Now he leared that his home wasn't in trouble. Perhaps. How could he be sure that Ferazel's gerneralization was always correct? Yet he knew that he wouldn't arrive in time even if it was...


"I'll finish this quest," he vowed to himself, "And then I'll go home."

"Let us go on," he said aloud to the rest of the group, "To turn back now would be faithless."

[can someone make a list of the current charactors in the group? I've lost track, and appologize if I havn't mentioned you yet...]

------------------
I am no one, and I am everyone. But most importantly, I am
The One And Only:
~Theo Nean Donly~

***OoC***
Flynn
Sasha
Wolmark
Trinias
Lindor
Rogan
Moonshadow
Ferazel
Verran
Callie
Trundaylan

Glad you could post, Theo
***BiC***

While Lindor was arguing with Ferazel, Sasha looked into the portal. She gasped; "Those images are from when I was a girl, when the farm was attacked! They may be correct, but it was centuries ago! There is certainly nothing I could do about it now."

Flynn stepped forward, and took his turn. "It seems the images in the portal are designed to cause the viewer to despair. Let's see if we can shed the light of truth on the matter!"

He drew his white sword, and touched it to the side of the glowing yellow circle. There was a bright flare of white light; the portal stopped flickering, and changed to a steady white glow.

"What do you see now?" Flynn asked.

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There are three kinds of computer users: those that use Macintoshes, those that wish they used Macintoshes, and those that don't know any better.

[This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 10-28-2001).]

<edit> I forgot Trundaylan?! Oops, sorry! </edit>


[This message has been edited by Ronin (edited 10-28-2001).]

Moonshadow silently thanked Flynn as he 'purified' the portal. She'd surely seen a lot of suffering in her life, but she had tried so hard to forget that certain scene, and now there it was again, imprinted into her mind as if it had been yesterday. She leaned against the wall heavily, burying her face in her hands.
"Moonshadow?" came a worried voice.
She blocked it out with the practiced ease, wishing she could shut away that memory as easily. Then she began regaining control of all those little details that would show her emotions. She steadied her breathing, stopped the slight trembling of her hands, and finally forced a smile for the sake of her friends. Only then did she remove her hands from her face, only to stare directly at Flynn and Sasha, who looked at her worriedly.
"Everything alright?" he repeated, surely for the 5th time.
"Well, she seems fine." Sasha commented, looking the winter elf up and down.
"Don't talk about me like I weren't there!" she snapped, only to look down again, guiltily this time, at Sasha and Flynn's bewildered expression. What right did she have to treat them like that? "I'm sorry..." Her wandering gaze fastened on the portal. "This thing was getting the better of me, I guess." she said as casually as possible.
"I see." Flynn replied, not convinced, but decided not to ask further questions for now. "So what do you think of this?" he asked, turning to the whole group.
"Typically Flynn." Sasha whispered, leaning towards Moonshadow. "Taking over like that." She winked.
Moonshadow smiled weakly, directing her thoughts to the question at hand. She looked across the cave nd took a few steps in the direction of the portal. "There must be some way to control it." she mused, and her voice took on an excited undertone. If there was... if only there was....... Gods, let there be a way to control it!
Her eyes turned silver as she activated one of her potent analysis spells. She rounded the portal slowly, scanning its magical structure. An excited smile crept up on her face while she walked, and standing in front of the portal again she rose her staff, muttering an incantation. The gate flickered and then returned to normal. Moonshadow picked up a stone and threw it through the gate. They heard a hollow sound as it flew into something on the other side, and Moonshadow nodded contently. "Seems to work." she remarked.
"Are you going to trust it?" Rogan asked sceptically.
"Why not?" Moonshadow asked. She rose her staff again, muttered another incantation, and in a flash of light, she was gone.
Everyone looked around startled. "Where'd she go?" Ferazel questioned.
"The portal?" Lindor suggested.
Wolmark shook his head. "I doubt it. She never stepped through." He remarked, pointing out the obvious.
"Well then, where is she?"
***
Moonshadow reappeared in her chambers in Pnyx, and strode over to the single chest placed near the bed. She carefully dusted and then opened it, taking out the items she needed.
***
A few minutes later she appeared back amidst her companions. She had changed completely. Her white robes were replaced by tight fitting trousers, a fitting shirt and a long, hooded coat, all made of a white material that resembled leather and was completed with fur. In her hands she held a pair of gloves. She smiled at them, oblivious to their surprise.
"Where do you think you're going with that?" Sasha asked.
"Home, of course." Moonshadow replied, puzzled by the question.

------------------
As l lay in my bed staring at the sky I asked myself:
Where the hell did the roof go?

As Moonshadow began to say her goodbyes, Flynn slipped to the back of the cave, trying to hide his disppointment. He still felt Avatara's loss deeply, and wasn't willing to say goodbye to any more friends; but it really wasn't his choice. At least she'd still be alive! He took a deep breath, and thrust his hands into his pockets.

"What's this?" he thought, as one hand encountered a tiny object. Pulling it out, he saw a small silver ring; it seemed to be doubled, somehow, fashioned in two separate halves. Taking hold of each half with the fingers of opposing hands, he gently pulled; the rings separated easily.

Flynn staggered, leaning against the cave wall, as the separated rings bulleted knowledge into his mind. In a brief instant, he understood completely what the rings were, and what they could do.

He stood there a moment, pondering. When he looked up, Moonshadow was standing in front of him, waiting for him to notice. The rest of the group was some distance away studying the rest of the caves contents, which until now had been ignored.

Flynn looked down at the rings again, and made a decision. He slipped one of the rings onto the middle finger of his right hand, noting that it somehow seemed to adjust to fit; the other, he handed to Moonshadow.

"Please wear this; I don't know if they'll work between worlds, but if either of us is in trouble, they'll let the other know." Moonshadow looked at the ring in puzzlement, then smiled, and slipped it on.

"I wish you a safe journey," Flynn said, as they shook hands.

Returning to the portal, Moonshadow prepared for departure; the rest of the group gathered round. "Don't worry, I won't be gone forever," she said. "I promise I'll be back. This is my home now."

Without another word, she stepped through the portal, and disappeared.

------------------
The only substitute for good manners, is fast reflexes.

[This message has been edited by Flynn (edited 10-29-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Flynn (edited 10-29-2001).]

Flynn sighed, desperately trying not to let his emotions get the better of him. After so recently escaping the despair of the dark magic, despair was still a close companion; he had to struggle constantly to fend it off.

Sasha watched him closely. Contrary to Moonshadow's belief, she wasn't fooled; she knew Flynn too well for that. She could see the darkness hanging over him - but she could also see something else, something that gave her a little hope.

Wolmark looked long and hard at the portal, then turned to Ferazel. "We still have no idea what this thing is doing here. You said it was a new power, and also that it was rapidly fading - until we interfered. Any speculation on it's purpose, or who brought it into being?"

------------------
There are three kinds of computer users: those that use Macintoshes, those that wish they used Macintoshes, and those that don't know any better.

Trundaylan smiled, unnoticed again. These people seemed to take him for a fool. Just a healer? Hah! They were wrong, and they would know it soon enough. Fools, just like the last people. Yet, they were useful fools, and the time was not ripe yet. No, not yet.

Trundaylan could wait...

------------------
"We've added years to life, not life to years."

"This power source...", Ferazel said, slowly, "it is very interesting indeed. In the presence of others it fades. On a pure plain, with no life, it would destroy it, it's so powerful. It's fading as people are created or transported here." "So, basically, the grows as the presence of people lessens. " Wolmark said. "Yes.", Ferazel said. "Oh no!" he suddenly shouted. "What?" everyone asked. About fifty ruffians filled the room, followed by a demon. Everyone hacked away at the ruffians; they were soon dead. They started in on the demon, but he waved his hand (don't ask about gender), and everyone was thrown against the wall. Another wave and their weapons were thrown against the opposite wall. They couldn't move, only breathe...

------------------
Quote ViaVoice, "Hal Cohen help build Satam sand scratch a flat surface scratches that some scratch that scratches that scratch facts scratcher wraked this scratched tax costs tax this. " Is this ViaVoiceian?

Flynn noted that the Sword of Truth was still in his hand - it was apparently immune to the demonic magic. Not that it did him any good; he still couldn't move a muscle.

"A fitting end," he mused darkly, "helplessly pinned, by an opponent we should have had no trouble in dispatching."

Unable to do anything else, he watched the demon closely.

The creature seemed more concerned about the portal, than about any of the adventurers. It carefully searched the cave, but seemed dissatisfied with the results. Eventually, it walked over and stood before the portal once more. With another wave of it's hand, a lesser demon appeared before it. The larger one began to speak.

"This was not the portal I was looking for. Something entered Cythera, briefly, that threatened everything; but it's gone now. However, something else has entered through this one. I can't sense it's intentions, whether it's for us, against us, or opposed to everything; but I feel a balance has shifted. Go now, report; I will deal with this, to prevent any more unexpected arrivals." The lesser demon disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Raising both arms, the demon began to chant; with each word, a red ball of power grew between it's outstretched hands. Finally, it released the magic upon the portal - there was a flare of white and red light, as the magics each struggled to overcome the other. With a final burst of red, the demon's magic won - the portal was destroyed.

Turning about, the demon started in surprise at the sight of the imprisoned adventurers; it had apparently dismissed them from it's mind as being completely inconsequential. They saw it make a casual gesture, then the cavern rapidly faded away...

***OoC***
Continued in the Alraeican Tavern, part IV.
***BiC***

------------------
The only substitute for good manners, is fast reflexes.

*OoC*
This is from the Alerican(sp?) Tavern, just to append it to the story. Give cache22 all credit for this post.
*BiC*

... and the Alraeican tavern faded into view.

Flynn looked around in bewilderment. He wasn't used to being dismissed so cavalierly. Still, he had to admit, he was glad to be alive - which was far more than he'd expected.

"Our Weapons!" Rogan exclaimed.

"Over there, against the wall," Sasha replied. "I guess the demon didn't want them."

"No, wait, don't touch - !" Verran started to call out - but was interrupted by a scream, as the patron he'd tried to warn touched Sasha's Sapphire sword, and went flying across the room. "I kind of figured that applied to all the Ronin's weapons," Verran muttered, "not just to Flynn's."

The adventurers collected their weapons, commandeered a table and ordered a round of drinks. "Well," Ferazel said gloomily, after a few minutes. "I guess that's that."

------------------
Quote ViaVoice, "Hal Cohen help build Satam sand scratch a flat surface scratches that some scratch that scratches that scratch facts scratcher wraked this scratched tax costs tax this. " Is this ViaVoiceian?

And that ends yet another tale of the legendary Cythera.

------------------
"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me."

[This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 11-02-2001).]