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Callie looks up at Sya and meows, indicating that she wanted to be a partner with her. She bent down, scratched her a little on the head, and picked up the cat. Callie meowed twice, and pointed at the staircase, and then meowed twice. Sya was confused, and Slayer came up and said that she probably meant to go up two floors.

Sya began to walk up the steps, and Callie would occasionally point and meow at Sya. She didn't know what to make of this, and just shrugged it off. Up two floors, Callie gave Sya a small scratch, and she put Callie down. Then, she went up to a door and meowed. Sya opened the door, and there was nothing in it. Shutting it again, she began to open other doors, with Callie following close behind, a confused look on her face.

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Those who know the truth are not up to those who love it; those who love the truth are not up to those who delight in it.
-- Confucius (a.k.a. Kong Fuzi)
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Battle.Net Screen Name: ev3-ferazel The Game: StarCraft

[This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 01-26-2002).]

Sya continued down the corridor, opening the doors and looking inside. At one point, she opened a door and found herself looking into a large room, where Trinias, Garendor, Brink, Talos, and Moonshadow were gathered, as well three other figures- the man, woman and the golem. The woman had just got the golem to release Garendor.

Trinias turned around as Sya opened the door. "Sya? Why are you up here? I thought you were watching over Avatara."

Sya sighed. "I was. He disappeared, though, and I don't know where he went. Anyways, I'm up here with Callie because we're looking for you."

Talos turned around sharply. "Avatara disappeared? How long has he been gone?"

"About ten minutes," Sya shrugged. "We decided to look for you five first, then we would decide what to do after that." She looked around at the three unfamiliar figures. "Who are these people?" she asked, gesturing at the man and the woman, who was now conscious.

The woman glared at Sya. "What business is it of yours who we are? I could be asking you the same thing, and also why you are here in the first place!"

The man stepped over to the woman and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Please, don't mind Marlea. She's a little wary of strangers. My name is Elthrin. Who are you?"

"I'm Trinias. This is Brink, Talos, Garendor, Sya, and the cat is Callie," Trinias said, gesturing to each as he spoke. "The rest of our group is-" he stopped and turned to Sya. "Where is everyone else, anyways?"

Sya clapped a hand to her forehead. "Downstairs, searching for you. I'd better go find everyone and tell them where you are. Come on, Callie," she said, picked up the cat and left the room.

***

Sya soon returned with Slayer, Arsloss, Violet and Rogan. Introductions were made again, and then everyone fell silent. Sya glanced around in the uncomfortable silence. Finally, Slayer spoke.

"Well, we ought to go search for Avatara, but we don't know our way around this Tower." He turned to Elthrin and Marlea and studied them thoughtfully before speakign again. "Would you two be willing to help us?"

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Need a name??? Need a character??? I GOT LOTS!!!
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Elthrin took a breath, as if about to respond, but Marlea got in first. "Of course we'll help; but we really have to introduce you to the Prefect, first." Elthrin looked at her in apparent surprise, but kept silent.

Slayer sighed. "Very well; I guess Avatara can take care of himself for a while. Lead on!"

Marlea, looking very satisfied, started down the stairs. Elthrin, looking troubled, followed closely on her heels, as did the rest of the group in ones and twos. Trinias, hanging back for Sya and Callie, was more than a little concerned that the golem followed along behind them.

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

As they decended several flights, Elthrin dropped back next to Slayer. "Don't trust Marlea," he whispered. "She's fanatical - and she holds a strong grudge. Meet -"

He suddenly broke off, as Marlea glanced back at him. He picked up his pace until he was close behind her again. Slayer frowned at his back, puzzled and concerned by what he'd begun to say.

At the fifth landing, Marlea turned aside from the stairs, and lead them towards a curtained alcove. Pushing the curtain aside revealed a large room, like a great hall, with many of the glowing purple gems around the walls, giving light. Marlea walked boldly up to an armoured man, who was armed with a greatsword and was holding a longbow, as the rest of the group filed in and spread out so they could all see. Trinias, last in, ended up next to Sya in the middle of the group. He studied the bow appraisingly; it was a magnificent weapon.

Marlea whispered in the ear of the guard, glancing back at the group, and casually waved in Trinias' direction. The man suddenly and swiftly fitted an arrow to the string, and fired. The move was so unexpected, that no-one had time to react.

The group could only watch in shock and horror, as the arrow struck Trinias in the centre of his chest. The impact was so great that he was knocked off his feet, back through the curtain. Sya screamed as, mercifully, the curtain fell, blocking their view of their comrade's body.

Slayer whirled back to face their assailant, drawing his sword, white with rage and shock. Before anyone could react further, the entire group was suddenly bombarded by offensive magic of many forms, by a dozen or more mages that had appeared as if from nowhere; the golem blocked their only retreat.

Slayer's last sight, as the darkness took him and consciousness fled, was of Marlea's gloating smile.

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

"Lock them in the dungeons, then notify the Prefect we've caught a group of spies," Marlea ordered the guards, then turned to Elthrin with a frown of distaste. "And as for you, you can go and deal with that body."

Elthrin nodded, not daring to argue. He stepped back through the curtain, letting it drop behind him - and stopped, staring around in wonder. There was a small amount of blood on the floor, but Trinias' body was nowhere to be seen.

He looked back over his shoulder, hope starting to rise in him. It was just possible Marlea had bitten off more than she could chew, and he - for one - wouldn't be sorry. He moved off in search of a place to hide.

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On the other hand, you have different fingers.

[This message has been edited by Trinias (edited 01-26-2002).]

"Wake up, were trapped!"

The voice surrounded Talos, pushing him from blissful unconciousness. Above and to his right he saw Slayer, and next to him, still on the floor, he saw Sya. Forcing his aching muscles to activate, Talos rose. Attempting to rub his tired face, he found that the whole of his right hand writhed in agony. Noting that it would now be difficult to raise a sword, he rubbed his face with his left hand.

"I was knocked out only a few seconds after their onslaught. You?" Slayer asked.

Talos replied, "I was further to the back and away... at first I couldn't see what the commotion was about, and once I got a sight the damned Golem knocked me out."

"I don't know where anyone else is," Slayer said, "we don't seem to be adjacent to any other cell-"

Slayer was interrupted, as Talos had realized that there were no bars separating them from the corridor, and with a quick, "Hurry!" to slayer, he had attempted to dash out. However, just as he began to leave the cell, an electric field became visible and Talos was knocked back with incredible force.

Slayer quickly rushed to Talos, who had managed to stay concious. "I did that too. I know how much it hurts."

Talos, however, didn't listen. He took out his scimitar with his left hand, winced in pain when he raised his right, and said a few arcane words over the sword. It glowed a yellow hue, and he slowly walked forward to the invisible forcefield. He thrust the sword through the forcefield, the electricity running into the sword. The sword's color turned to white, but the white ever brighter and brighter.

"Quickly! Run through the field, take Sya!" Slayer had already hoisted Sya before Talos had said this, and ran as quickly as he could out of the cell. Talos followed. The scimitar, however, had absorbed too much and was lost. The field quickly regenerated, luckily after he was out. Both began to run down the hall, but both fell in unison ten meters from the cell, a horrible electric pain on both of their right feet.

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Bronze: the other gold metal.   | |   And so the space toaster hardened the outer layers of the doughy, ooey-gooey ancient Earth...
Bacchus Publishing: [url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evo&category=guides&display=date&file=ChroniclesByJake101.sit.hqx"]Chronicles by Jake101: the unposted chapters[/url].

[This message has been edited by Talos (edited 01-27-2002).]

[OoC]
I apologize for the long post, but I had fun typing it up.
[BiC]

Sya fell to the floor as Slayer stumbled and collapsed. Her head was knocked against the stone floor and she regained consciousness with a throbbing headache. She stood up painfully and looked around. Slayer and Talos were both lying on the floor, conscious but apparently in a great deal of pain.

Sya bit her lip and tasted blood in her mouth. She ignored it and kneeled down down to help the two men, but she stopped suddenly. Footsteps were echoing off the stone walls.

"Wait here," she whispered to Slayer and Talos. "Don't move, I'll be right back." She silently crept down the hallway and waited at the corner, gripping her quarterstaff tightly.

An armored guard came around the corner, probably looking for their group. Well, he wouldn't be doing any more searching for awhile.

Sya leaped out of the shadows and brought her quarterstaff down on the guard's head, rendering him unconscious. Unfortunately, Sya hadn't counted on there being other guards. Three unarmored guards came from the same direction that the original guard had come from.

One of them spotted Sya and the guard lying on the floor. He said something to his comrades, and they came rushing towards Sya wih their swords out. She narrowed her eyes and thought quickly. Being an elf was definitely going to help here.

The first guard was faster than the others. He was now only ten feet away from Sya. Eight feet...five feet...three feet. Sya leaped into the air and grabbed a cord that was hanging from the low ceiling. Lashing out, her feet collided with the guard's head. He stumbled and fell to the floor. The next guard tripped over him and sprawled all over the stone floor.

The last guard was smarter. He jumped over the two guards and slashed at Sya with his sword. Sya pulled her feet up, hanging from the cord, and the guard's sword whizzed beneath her. She dropped down to the floor and wielded her quarterstaff angrily.

"Don't come any closer," she said throught gritted teeth, "or I'll attack."

But the guard wasn't going to give up so easily. One girl wasn't enough to scare him, and all she had was a wooden staff. He was more than enough for a match or her- or so he thought.

He stepped towards her and lashed out with his sword. Sya blocked it with her staff, which remained unscathed and instead let out a flash of green light, temporarily blinding the guard.

Sya smiled grimly. The emerald in the top of her quarterstaff was reflecting the light from the purple stones in the walls. She had often thought it would be useful.

The guard recovered quickly from the shock of the light. He had obviously been well-trained. He lashed out again at Sya, who parried the blow and backed up a step. The guard swung again, and this time he hit. Sya gripped her arm where the sword had cut her. Blood seeped out from between her fingers. Angry, she struck out with her staff and gave the guard a good blow to the head. The guard dropped like a stone.

Panting, Sya ran back to the corridor where Slayer and Talos were waiting. "What took you so long?" Slayer gasped.

"Sorry," Sya apologized. "There were some guards there that I had to deal with."

Talos raised an eyebrow. "As long as they're not here, I guess...Anyways, can you do something to help us? This is really starting to hurt."

The electric pain had begun to spread up their legs and was beginning to immobilize them. Sya bit her lip. "I don't what I -can- do. I can stop the pain for awhile- can you still walk?"

Slayer and Talos nodded.

"Ok, that's good. Here-" Sya rummaged around in her bag, which was slung over her shoulder, muttering to herself. "No, not the Minas Daja potion, that's after somebody wakes up...not that one either...Oh, where is it? Ah, there it is, the Minas Calla potion."

Sya held up a clear bottle filled with a bright-green liquid. She inspected it for a moment, then nodded and took out the stopper. She gave a little bit to Slayer and Talos, instructing them to swallow it.

'I hope you don't mind the taste," Sya grinned as she put the bottle back into her bag. "It's a little sour."

Slayer made a face. "A -little-? If my leg didn't hurt so much, I'd probably keep this stuff and use it for punishing people."

Sya grinned again. "Don't be silly, you've got to take it if you want to actually get somewhere. Wait a moment and your leg will stop hurting."

"You're right," Talos said, his expression clearing. "It does help."

"Well, come on," Sya said briskly. "It only lasts an hour and I don't know what'll happen after it wears off. We've got to make as much distance as we can."

"Since when did you decde where we're going?" Slayer grumbled. "I thought I was the one leading this journey."

"Of course you are," Sya said, standing up. "But you're in no condition to make any decisions, seeing as my potion only stops the pain, not immobilization. If we were attacked, you wouldn't be able to do much, would you?" And she strode off briskly down the hall.

Talos and Slayer exchanged glances. Slayer shrugged. "Well, she might not make any sense, but she's got a point. We've got to keep going. Right now we're sitting ducks."

Talos nodded and the two men slowly followed Sya down the hallway.

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Need a name??? Need a character??? I GOT LOTS!!!
Email me or visit my site at [url="http://"http://www.danicsoft.com/kat"]http://www.danicsoft.com/kat[/url]

[This message has been edited by iKaterei (edited 01-27-2002).]

Trinias ducked into a convenient alchove to catch his breath. As long as his chameleon cloak was working, he couldn't be seen or detected magically - but he could still be heard, and his laboured breathing was loud enough for even a human to hear! "One good thing," he thought to himself, "at least they don't seem to have any elves."

He pulled the bloody rag away from the wound in his chest. Inspecting the injury, he resolved (for the hundredth time in the last few minutes) to thank Leandra for the kefron vest - it was the only thing that had saved him. The arrow had had enough force behind it to bruise him badly, and perhaps crack a couple of ribs, and it still had enough momentum left to just penetrate the vest; but the wound was shallow, and had almost stopped bleeding.

It was getting almost too painful to breathe. "I need help - I have to find Moonshadow or Sya," he thought to himself, then had another thought. "Or perhaps not - there must be an alchemy lab here, somewhere! If I could find that..."

At that moment, he heard a figure rushing past his hiding place. Checking that the chameleon cloak was still working, he peered out, and saw the familiar figure of Elthrin hurrying away up the corridor. Trinias made a quick decision, and began to follow the man as stealthily as he could.

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On the other hand, you have different fingers.

[This message has been edited by Trinias (edited 01-27-2002).]

Avatara looked about him, nothing particularly fascinating in the dead-end hallway he stood in. He made his way down the corridor, around a few turns, and down several flights of stairs. The floor he stopped at seemed to stand out from the rest, it was dimly lit by blue crystals on pedastals evenly spaced down a corridor stretching to a closed door at the end, in a similar fashion as that of Pnyx.

Avatara made his way to the door, sensing nothing alive anywhere nearby, and he slipped through. He found himself in a broad hallway this time, with many other branching hallways that led to bolted metal doors. Curiousity overwhelming him, he followed the path to his right. Along the way, he came across a large window on the left-hand side, overlooking a garden illuminated in the blue light. A single cylinder, about ten feet tall, stood above the strange plants in neatly-tended rows around it in a circle.

Avatara continued down the hall, and followed it to his left, oblivious to the groups' peril several floors above him.

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

Moonshadow stared first at the annoying forcefield, then back at her companions, Callie, Violet and Garendor, then around the room. Of course, it had not grown windows since she had last looked, and even if it had, they would have led nowhere. So all that was left for her to do was to wait for her friends to wake up, and that either one of them had an idea how to get out, or somebody would come to help them. She caught a movement out of the corner of her eyes, and turned to look. Violet was stirring. She opened her eyes, blinking, and slowly got into a sitting position. She looked around, until she spotted Moonshadow, watching her.
"Moonshadow! Where... what happened?" She looked around in confusion.
"We were attacked... that magess betrayed us." Moonshadow's expression was grim. "The next time I heal one of them I'll make sure to weave a security measure into the spell... if there is a next time, that is..." She leaned back against the wall, studying the tiny cracks in the ceiling.
Violet fell silent, lookind around the cell. "Can you do something to get Garendor back to consciousness? Then we could get out of here..."
"I could, I guess. But it would be better to let him wake up by himself. I just healed the injuries he had, due to that golem... Besides, I'm clueless as to how to deactivate that forcefield."
"Forcefield?" Violet stared at her in puzzlement. "Which forcefield?"
"In the doorway."
Violet turned her head, puzzled.
"Oh! You don't see it, do you?"
Violet shook her head.
"A forcefield, invisible for human eyes... how fortunate I'm elven." Moonshadow tilted her head. "The way I see it, it has some rather nasty effects. I hope none of the others are stupid enough to just try and charge through."
"They will know that the mages will not leave them unprotected..." Garendor said. Moonshadow and Violet looked at him in surprise; neither had noticed his waking up.
"Somebody's coming." He suddenly remarked.
"One of us?" Violet asked.
Garendor's ears twitched as he listened intently for further sounds. "I don't think so... they're taking their time."
Moonshadow nodded. Soon, even Violet heard them. At least two persons were approaching, talking to each other.
"Take the weird folks to the Prefect, she said." A female voice said.
"Aye, weird they are. Those women with the pointed ears look quite normal, but a cat-man... and a snake-man..." A male replied.
"And who knows who else is here? Remember that Marlea has the guards searching the upper storeys?"
"We need to get out of here." Moonshadow said, quietly. "Those are not guards, they're mages."
Violet nodded. "But how?"
Moonshadow looked up at the ceiling again. She didn't know what was up there, but it was worth a shot. "Does one of you have a rope?" She asked.
"No... why?"
Moonshadow didn't react immediately. "Then we're going through the floor. Though I like that even less..." She knew she should have placed a Rune of Returning at the entrance. "Step back." She muttered a few elven words, then pointed at the spot directly in front of her. Soundlessly, the stone diappeared. Garendor ears twitched in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure, and jumped down the hole. They heard the sound of a body falling to the ground, then Garendor's voice. "Air's clean."
Moonshadow waited for Violet to climb through, then took Callie and jumped after her. She put Callie down and pointed at the ceiling, whispering another spell. The hole disappeared. "Let's go find the others, quickly. It's just an illusion, they're bound to find out where we went sooner or later."

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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 01-28-2002).]

Talos stopped when they got to the next corridor and looked around. The guards that Sya had knocked out were still lying there unconscious.

"You knocked out these guards?" Talos asked in surprise.

"Hmm?" Sya said, distracted. "Oh- yes, I knocked them out. They were searching for us." She glanced reflectively down at her arm, which had stopped bleeding. It wasn't a deep wound.

Talos shrugged and they continued on down the hallway.

***

Slayer watched Sya as she led them throughtout the hallways. She seemed to know where she was going, somehow, as if she had been through these hallways before. He thought this to be rather odd and decided to ask her about it.

"Sya," he said cautiously," do you know where we're going? And if you do, why are we going there?"

Sya turned to him in surprise. "Of course I know where we're going. I wouldn't just lead you around without knowing our course. We're going down, and we're looking for the rest of our group."

Slayer raised an eyebrow. "Why are we going down?"

"Because we can't go up," Sya reasoned. Slayer and Talos both looked confused, so she continued. "The guards were either searching for us or Trinias. They had us in the cell, right? So why would they be looking for us, unless they knew that we had escaped? As I said, it's either us or Trinias they want to find, so either way they'll have the exits blocked off and guarded. They probably expect us to go out the same way we came in. In that case it's too dangerous to go up. We'll go down, and hopefully find somebody in our group."

Talos and Slayer glanced at each other. Sya still wasn't making a whole lot of sense, but she seemed to know what she was talking about. Slayer shrugged. "Lead on, then, but how do you know where the staircase is?"

Sya smiled. "I don't."

***

They wound their way throughtout the corridors, avoiding any guards or mages that might be looking for them. Eventually they found the staircase again, luckily without meeting anyone else.

Talos glanced up the stairway. "So, we can't go up. Well, we'll go down, but remember to be cautious."

"Of course we will," Sya said. "Come on," and she ran down the spiralling staircase.

***

They stopped at the first floor they came to, figuring they should probably search every floor in case their fellow travellers hadn't yet escaped from their cells.

In one corridor they discovered another cell similar to the one they had been in. Talos studied it. "Most likely this was where they were holding somebody else in our group."

Sya nodded. "I wonder how they got through the forcefield?"

Slayer glanced at Sya. "How do you know about the forcefield? You were unconscious when we went through it."

"Well, it's right there, isn't it?" Sya said in surprise.

"Right where?"

"There, between us and that cell! Can't you see it?"

Slayer and Talos shook thir heads. "It must be invisible to huamns," Talos commented. "That's why we can't see it, but Sya can."

Sya shrugged. "Maybe. Anyways, if there was somebody in here they must have already escaped. If we're lucky, they haven't gone far. Come on, maybe we can find them."

But she stopped suddenly, just as Slayer and Talos said, "Wait!" All three could hear somebody coming.

Sya concentrated briefly. "A mage," she said. "Coming from that direction," and she pointed down the hallway to their left.

"Come on," Slayer said, and they quickly ran down the hallway in te opposite direction of the mage.

***

The mage unwittingly followed them to the staircase, oblivious that three of the escapees were ahead of him. Talos gestured to the stairway. "We have to go down again," he whispered. "Let's go."

They raced down the stairs as quickly as they could without making too much noise. At the next landing they stopped and hurried down the corridor. "We're lucky we haven't run into anyone yet," Slayer whispered. "That was too close."

Sya nodded, but stopped running. "Somebody else is coming," she said. She listened intently again. Talos peered around the corner and laughed.

"Don't worry," he said, grinning. "It's Moonshadow, Garendor, Violet and Callie!"



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Need a name??? Need a character??? I GOT LOTS!!!
Email me or visit my site at [url="http://"http://www.danicsoft.com/kat"]http://www.danicsoft.com/kat[/url]

Callie's ears perked up. She darted ahead, and pounced, claws out. "Ouch!" screamed Talos. Callie had sunk claws and teeth in to his leg. She grinned, and meowed once to him. "We need to keep going down." Sya said. "We should keep going." The party that had just arrived nodded, and they set off back down the stair case.

_.-~^~-._.-~^~-._

They were near the exit, and were just about to go out the door, when a number of mages teleported in, and they teleported a bunch of nasty looking guards in. The guards wielded from a mace to an axe to a longsword. "I don't think you're going anywhere." one said.

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Those who know the truth are not up to those who love it; those who love the truth are not up to those who delight in it.
-- Confucius (a.k.a. Kong Fuzi)
------------------
Battle.Net Screen Name: ev3-ferazel The Game: StarCraft

Moonshadow backed away a few steps, tilting her head slightly and looking at the guards and mages. "Why are you trying to hold us prisoner?" She asked quietly. "We don't mean any harm."
"Of course you don't." One of the mages replied quizically. "You just want to get back to Pnyx and report what you found out!"
"Back to Pnyx?" Moonshadow asked in honest confusion, not noticing the warning glance Slayer shot her. "Why, yes. We probably will." How could anybody be that naive? Slayer shook his head silently, watching as the mage's expression grew more rigid. Chances were they would attack, and Talos didn't even have a weapon. Menatal note - don't let Moonshadow lead negotiations.
"So you admit to being a spy of the mages of Pnyx?" Asked the leader.
Moonshadow blinked, temporarily lost for words.. Spy?
The mage took her silence as agreement, and continued his questioning. "So you and your abnormal friends " The mage gestured at Sya and Garendor "- were created by the opposers of the Tyrant to infiltrate this institution?" He looked them up and down with raised eyebrows.
"Nonsense!" Sya contradicted decidedly. "We're not even -"
"You speak when you're asked, and no moment sooner!" One of the guards bellowed, approaching her with raised weapon, and Sya took a hasty step backwards. No use provoking those people any more.
"You're obviously mistaken." Slayer intervened. "We came here out of our own free will. The tyrant..." He paused, pondering what to reveal to these people, then shrugged as he realized they probably couldn't get into more trouble, anyway. "... is no more."
"What?!"
"Liar!"
"Sir!" A young woman suddenly burst into the room, an apprentice, judging by her plain clothing. "There's trouble with the other prisoners! The snake creature killed two of the guards, and we can't get at him and his companion without magical assistance!"
The mage, having used the short time to regain his composure, nodded. "Kara, Tirus, you take care of this. You two, follow Jin. I need to talk to the Prefect." He raised his hand, and disappeared.
As if on cue, the guards charged at the group, but they didn't gain the advantage they might have hoped for. Long years of adventuring allowed the more experienced an immediate reaction, giving Sya and Violet time to find suitable positions.
Talos, having 'sacrificed' his weapon to escape their cell, dodged the attack of a guard, and Moonshadow disabled him with a quick blow of her quarterstaff. Talos picked up the guard's weapon, a mace, admittedly not what he prefered, but decidedly better than nothing, and turned to face the next attacker, while Moonshadow stepped back to prepare a few spells.
Callie, sensing there was not much for her to do against the guards, dashed for the mages to keep them from casting spells, sidestepping the falling body of a guard knocked down by Violet.
She did not get far, however. In fact, she stopped just in time to avoid running into the icicles that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, to rain down on the two mages, effectively killing them.
It did not take long to overcome the remaining guards. If possible, they were not killed, but only knocked unconscious and tied up. While Sya and Moonshadow took care of those injured, Garendor took the time to look around. They were in a big room, furnished like some kind of living room. A fire was blazing merrily in a big chimney, and the walls were hung with elaborate tapestries, a rather unusual feature for the tower, as far as the group had already seen it. The ceiling was about 6 feet higher up than that of the corridors they had passed before, and now Garendor also became aware why that was the case: to get into this hall, they had had to walk down a short flight of stairs. From exploring the upper storeys, Garendor had a pretty good impression of how the storeys were generally structured and, more importantly, what size they had. It appeared that this room was built in front of the actual tower. But how, when all the lower storeys were hewn into the solid rock? Suddenly, his gaze returned to the tapestries. He walked over quickly, and pulled one of them aside, not really surprised about what they revealed.
"Look!" he called out to the others. They approached curiosly. Behind the tapestry was not the usual smooth rock, but a brickwall. Everybody's eyes were drawn inevitably to the sole other exit of the room, a rather inconspicious, plain, wooden door.
Slayer went over and tried to open it, but it did not budge.
"Magically locked," Moonshadow remarked, after a short examination. She put her right hand to the lock, and uttered a few words, then pushed the handle down.
The door refused to open.
"And protected against magic," the winter elf added, unnecessarily.
"Uhm, excuse me, but..." Violet aproached them hesitantly. "Maybe this will help?" She held up a small brass key.
Slayer took it and inserted it into the lock, turning it once, then pushed the handle agin. The door opened without further resistance. He stepped through, only to find himself in the open again, looking down into a narrow, yet green valley. A surprisingly well tended path wound its way down the steep slopes, and further down, he spotted the thatched roofs of a few buildings. They showed no sign of disrepair, which hinted at frequent use, and at another thing. They were not threatened by storms! He walked down the path for a while, then turned back to look. From the outside, the house they had come out of made a derelict impression. All the windows were barred, and the chimney had collapsed. Either the fire inside was magical, or the smoke was somehow pipelined. The upper slopes of the mountain were even steeper than the lower ones, and at some places the view was blocked by outcropping rock, so Slayer could not see the tower. He went back to report what he had found out.
"Where did you find that key, anyway?" Talos asked, after Slayer had finished.
"It was lying on the chimney-sill." Violet replied, shrugging.
"On the chimney, out of all places." Sya sighed. "You'd expect them to have more sense."
"Maybe they didn't expect us to come here in the first place." Moonshadow mused.
"Then why would they have guards ready?" Garendor asked.
"I don't know, and I don't want to stay to find out." Slayer said. "We have two possibilities now. We either go back and look for the others, not knowing how many more traps they have inside, or we try to find another way back up."
------------------
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 01-30-2002).]

Trinias followed Elthrin down the hallway. The mage seemed to be travelling rather fast, as if he was running from someone.

Fortunately, the mage soon slowed down and began to walk stealthily, peering around corners. Trinias was glad; his injury made it difficult to travel very fast.

Elthrin stopped suddenly and glanced around. His eyes swept over the place where Trinias was standing. Elthrin narrowed his eyebrows, then turned around and hurried down the next corrdior.

Trinias was about to follow him, but something caught his eye. There was a room off the hallway with several jars and vials sitting on shelves and tables. An alchemy lab?

Turning back to the direction that Elthrin had gone, Trinias realized the mage had already disappeared. Shrugging, he stepped into the alchemy lab and glanced at the various potions in the room, which luckily were all labeled. It might take a long time to find a healing potion, but it might take longer to find Moonshadow or Sya.

Sighing, Trinias began searching through the potions. The wound was getting worse.

***

After a few moments, Trinias realized that the potions must be sorted. All of the ones he had looked at so far were some sort of poison. He studied the shelves intently. Indeed, they were grouped by type.

He quickly went through the different sections until he came across the healing shelf. These mages certainly had a lot of potions. Trinias sorted through the bottles and finally found a simple healing potion. He was about to take the stopper out when a serene voice interrupted him.

"I would not use that if I were you."

Trinias whirled around. He hadn't notice anyone come in, and he was sure nobody had been in the room when he came in.

A small child stood up from the shadows in the far corner. She stared at him for a second, then began speaking again in her serene, melancholy voice.

"You can never trust the people here. Only a few of the mages are kind to strangers. Do not use the potions they have here." She withdrew a small vial from her cloak. "Here. Use this."

The child slowly extended her arm and offered the vial to him. Trinias stared at her, then accepted the vial. There was something...different about her. Not only that, but he was still wearing the chameleon cloak.

"I can see through chameleon cloaks," the girl said quietly. "That is how I knew you were here. Drink the potion, it will help." She stared at him intently. "I did not poison it, like these others have been."

Trinias nodded and slowly drank the potion. Immediately, he began to feel better, although it would be awhile till he was fully recovered.

"Who are you?" Trinias asked. "And why are you in this Tower?"

The child gazed at him again. Her eyes were black and sorrowful. "I am Lemni, the shadow child. Ask not of whom I am again. You would not know, nor do you want to. I am in this Tower for reasons of my own. The owners are unaware of my presence."

"Erm...ok," Trinias stammered. Something about this child scared him. She seemed wise far beyond her years, and her appearance was remarkable as well. Black eyes, long, straight black hair, a black cloak, and her skin was dark. She certainly fit the description of a shadow child.

Lemni was still watching him. She gestured to the door."Leave this room. Continue on with your business. Do not take the left hallway, where Elthrin went. There is nothing wrong with him- he can be trusted- but that is not the way you wish to go. Take the right corridor, and make haste. I must leave, for other presences call me. Now- fare well on your journeys, and heavens watch over you."

She closed her eyes, raised her hands palm-up, and disappeared without a trace.

Trinias stared at the spot where Lemni had stood. He shivered, even though the room was particularly warm. Lemni was different. Not odd. Just different.

He quickly left the room and heeded Lemni's advice, taking the right corridor. He wasn't sure what he would find down here, but as he walked a shadow fell across the hall. "I will look for you in Cademia," a voice whispered, ever so softly. It echoed throughout the corridor, the serene voice of a shadow child. "Fare well," and the shadow disappeared.

<edit>
Ok, cache, I posted with Trinias. Hope I did everything ok.
And a note about Lemni: She is my character, and will return to Cademia. I may mention her later on, but please do not use her anywhere else yet.
</edit>

------------------
Need a name??? Need a character??? I GOT LOTS!!!
Email me or visit my site at [url="http://"http://www.danicsoft.com/kat"]http://www.danicsoft.com/kat[/url]

[This message has been edited by iKaterei (edited 01-31-2002).]

Avatara stepped into another room off the corridor. Just like the last one, it was lit by a dim blue lighting source that was in a line above the table that was the predominant feature in the room. On the table lay several racks of glass tubes, most of which contained some type of colored liquid and a few small blocks of some strange colored stone. Off to the side, on a shelf, was a few sheets of scribbled writing, probably relating to the alchemy they were trying to perform.

Avatara walked over to the stones, and noticed one of them had the glint of gold. Shaking his head over the power of greed, he walked out and proceeded down the hall.

The next room was different in the fact it seemed to be a type of armory, with the coals of the forge glowing dimly, adding a warm contrast to the ever-present blue. On the tables in this room lay various weapons, appearantly alchemy had been performed on these too, but for what arcane purpose?

Avatara continued down the abandoned, lonely hall...

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

Trinias made his way stealthily back to the stairs. Lemni had said to go right, but had given no further advice. He paused a moment, pondering the memory of the child. Even though something about her had frightened him, he still had a sense that she could be trusted. He was feeling ambivalent about possibly seeing her again in Cademia; part of him dreaded the thought, while another part was quite looking forward to it. Besides, he owed her one.

"Up or down?" he asked himself. "Right now, I wish I'd borrowed Temrel's Locator from Flynn. OK, dungeons are usually down, so I'll try that." So thinking, he checked that there was no traffic, then began to descend. He'd traversed nearly three flights, when he heard voices approaching from a side-corridor.

"'Bring the weird ones', she said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. I'd like to see her take these two on, without magic!"

"Aye, that'd be a sight, to be sure!"

Trinias quickly descended the last few steps to the landing, taking up position at the mouth of the opposite corridor. He didn't have to wait very long. An armoured guard emerged, and began to climb up the stairs. He was followed closely - but not too closely - by the bound and severely beaten figures of Rogan and Arsloss. Behind them were two more guards. One of these had his arm wrapped in a bloody bandage, and the other was limping. It was these two that had been - and still were - complaining loudly.

Next in line was a mage, an older man greying at the temples. He was staring intently ahead, wearing a look of distinct disapproval. Trinias smiled to himself; he didn't have to be clairvoyant to predict trouble in store for the injured guards.

Finally, there were two magesses walking side by side. The elder was a grey haired woman with sad eyes. The younger, an apprentice, had shoulder length brown hair, and brown eyes. "You know, she's kind of cute," Trinias thought, then shook himself. "Get a grip, Trinias, this is a bad time to be thinking like that! You need to find a way to free those two, and then find the others!"

He waited until the small procession had passed, then fell in step behind them.

----------

As they travelled up the stairs, Trinias noticed with annoyance that the two magesses were falling behind; there was no way he could get past them to catch up with the guards. They seemed to be talking quietly, so he crept closer to eavesdrop.

"I'm telling you, Doria, we'll never get a better chance to overthrow the prefect!" the girl murmured.

"Perhaps; if the rest of these people aren't dead already."

"I'm sure they aren't; look at how those fools have underestimated them, all along! They locked them up, and they escaped almost immediately - through our most supposedly impenetrable magic barriers! And what about what they did to the floor of that cell? The guard that fell through the illusion was lucky he only broke his leg, and not his neck! Have you ever even imagined power like that before?"

"I believe you may be right, Jinny," Doria replied, thoughtfully, then smiled broadly. "You've inspired me with your confidence, young lady; we must be ready to act if the opportunity arises. Oh, if only we could alert some of the others! I don't believe for a second even the two of us together could overcome Marlea."

"Yes, that is a problem. If only Elthrin hadn't run off like that!"

"Don't blame him, dear. His heart's in the right place, but he was never long on courage. He'll be there to help us rebuild when it's all over, that's enough. But we do need a way to take care of Marlea!"

"Leave her to me," Trinias murmured. The two women froze in shock at the sound of his voice - which resounded from immediately behind them. They turned slowly, seeing nothing; Jin began to panic, until Trinias pulled his hood back, cancelling the chameleon effect.

"You!" Doria gasped. "But you're dead, they shot you!"

"You see, Doria?" Jin said gleefully. "They're hard to kill!"

Trinias nodded, and readjusted his hood. "I have a score to settle with Marlea. When the trouble starts, do what you can to free my companions - but stay safe!"

The two women nodded to the now empty air, turned, and hurried to catch up to the guards.

------------------
On the other hand, you have different fingers.

[OoC] Ok, I'm not sure if this works exactly with what Moonshadow posted- I may have read it differently then she intended it to be. But nobody can complain, seeing as nobody's posted anything else!
[BiC]

Slayer looked around expectantly, waiting for everyone's opinions.

"Well, we could always split up," Sya shrugged. "But I suppose it's probably best to stick together."

Moonshadow studied the rocks that blocked their view of the tower. "If somebody could climb those, just a little ways up, they might be able to see another entrance to the Tower or something."

Talos nodded. "And they'll have a better view of the valley, as well." He looked around. "Any volunteers?"

Garendor nodded. "I will climb thurr rock, thee be wary while ye wait."

Sya watched anxiously as Garendor began climbing. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea," she said worriedly. "That's a really steep slope. What if he falls, or if he's seen?"

Everyone watched as Garendor scaled the steep rock face. He stopped a fair ways up and looked around, taking care to lie low so as to not be seen. He peered around for a moment, scanning the landscape, then began climbing back down the rocks.

"Arr, I could see the tower, but there be no visible ways to get in," Garendor said. "We will have to return to thurr Tower, I believe."

Slayer nodded, sighing heavily. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to that, but if there aren't any other ways I suppose we will. Make sure you remember the way, though- we should probably come back to this valley. And keep that key, it may be useful."

***

They entered the small house again and were glad to see that nobody had come in after them. Sya and Moonshadow stepped out into the hallway to see if anyone was there. The corridor was empty. Sya grinned wickedly. "I've got a plan," she said. "Come back into the room for a moment."

Moonshadow followed Sya back into the room where everyone else was waiting. Sya walked up to Slayer. "I've got an idea. Wait here with the rest, and lock this door after I leave. Don't worry about me, I'll pick the lock when I return."

Slayer began to speak, but Sya raised a hand. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

She laid her shoulder bag on the floor, took off her black cloak, folded it up and laid it on top of her bag. Underneath she was wearing forest-green pants, a black shirt and black half-arm gloves. She also laid down her bow and quiver of arrows.

Sya nodded. "I'm going now- I should be back within half an hour. Lock the door after me," and she slipped out the door silently.

***

Sya ran lightly down the corridor. Living with humans most of her life hadn't completely tamed her skills as an elf.

She stopped at the corner and peered around. Nobody there. Perfect.

Crouching down in the shadows, she shut her eyes and, hidden, in the shadows, turned into a black fox.

Sya trotted down the hallway. She loved this feeling, of being small, silent, hidden by the shadows. Her hearing and smell were good, too. Now she could sense a mage or guard anywhere near her.

Within minutes, she found exactly what she was looking for. A young mage, apparently unskilled. He was coming down the hallway towards her. Sya crouched down in the corner, waiting.

When he was directly in front of her, she leaped out and pounced on the mage, pinning him to the ground. She clamped her mouth onto his jaw, not enough pressure to puncture the skin, just enough to keep him from shouting.

Standing lightly on his chest, she turned around and batted a paw against his belt. The piece of parchment tucked into it fell out onto the ground. Sya nosed around him, searching for a key or something, but the map was all he had other than an empty bottle.

Snatching up the parchment in her jaws, Sya swished her tail soundlessly against the mage and ran back down the corridor.

***

Sya knew what the parchment was, so she didn't bother stopping to check what it was. It seemed rather odd that she had been able to keep the young mage pinned down, but she ignored that and ran silently all the way back to the room where everyone was waiting, enjoying the feeling of being a fox while she could.

When she reached the door, Sya resumed her elf form and quickly picked the lock. It was a plain brass lock that they had stuck on, and wouldn't really keep anyone out, but it was better than nothing.

She slipped back into the room and glanced around. Everyone was still there. Sya nodded happily and walked up to Slayer again. "I completed my mission," she said proudly and handed him the roll of parchment. "I retrieved a map of the Sorcery Tower."

------------------
A sense of peace fell over me as I watched the sunrise from my room...then I realized my window faces west.
***
Email me or visit my site at [url="http://"http://www.danicsoft.com/kat"]http://www.danicsoft.com/kat[/url]

Trinias was marginally surprised to find that they were making for the same chamber in which they'd been ambushed earlier. The guards and their prisoners passed through the curtain, allowing it to drop behind them; Trinias carefully moved one edge aside, until he could just get a look inside.

He hadn't had a chance to get a good look at the room last time, so he took the opportunity now to inspect the layout. The walls all had inlaid wood panelling, with surprisingly little decoration. The curtain he was standing behind was the nearest thing to a tapestry. The far wall was dominated by a painting of a figure in some kind of regal clothing, which were of a long-outdated style; Trinias guessed it must be a portrait of the Tyrant, from the time that the tower was first set up.

Beneath the portrait was a long table, parallel to the far wall. There was a single high-backed wooden chair, positioned centrally on the far side, in which was seated a middle aged man in silver armour; he was scowling, but it looked to be more from habit than anything. Trinias was surprised that he didn't seem to be a mage - although, there was no reason a mage couldn't wear armour.

Marlea was standing off to the left, next to the guard with the impressive bow, who looked to be the guard captain. From the way Doria and Jin had been talking, Trinias assumed Marlea had to be one of the more powerful mages in the tower, and she was certainly one of the Prefect's more trusted advisors.

Besides the small group of prisoners and guards, there was one more person in the room: a middle aged mage, that seemed to be arguing with the Prefect.

"That's what he said, and I think he believed it!"

"Of course the Tyrant still exists," the Prefect replied. "Believe me, I'd know if it were otherwise! What would be the point of this tower, if things had changed as much as you say?"

"What indeed?" the mage responded, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Unless, perhaps, someone has their own agenda..."

The Prefect frowned even more, and Marlea began to look a little nervous.

"You're speculating about things you can know nothing of, Aldwin. You skirt the edge of rebellion." The Prefect's voice was silky, yet venomous.

Aldwin pressed on, oblivious to the veiled threat. "Nevertheless, if I ever find out for sure, there will be an accounting!"

The Prefect made the tiniest gesture. It was seemingly a most inoffensive action, merely a forefinger raised a centimetre off the table; few would have suspected it signified a death sentence. Aldwin missed it, but the captain didn't - and neither did Trinias.

Trinias quickly dropped the curtain, drew the Opal Sting, and fitted an arrow to the string. Casting his cloak back so that his quiver was unobstructed, he pushed swiftly through the curtain.

Things had changed dramatically in the few moments it had taken Trinias to prepare. The captain had drawn his sword and leaped across the room, intent on cleaving Aldwin in two in a single mighty stroke. Realising at last that he was in mortal danger, Aldwin was cowering, waiting for the blow to fall - but it never came.

Trinias raised his bow, took aim and fired, all in one swift motion. The arrow sped true, striking the captain in the chest and bowling him over backwards. He screamed, as his chest glowed bright red, and began to smoke.

Before the first arrow had covered half its flight, Trinias fired again. Marlea shrieked hideously, as the shaft buried itself in her stomach - then she began to freeze. The remaining people could only watch, dumbfounded, as ice cocooned her body before their eyes. In a few instants, she was frozen solid - and then, with an awful crack, the newly formed ice-statue broke in half. The top half toppled to the ground, and shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Nobody move!" Trinias shouted sternly, Covering them all with his loaded bow. He glanced at the magesses. "Except you two of course."

The magesses had been shocked almost as motionless as the rest, staring back and forth from the scorched body of the captain, to what remained of Marlea, their nemesis. At the sound of Trinias' voice, Jin quickly shook it off and ran to free the prisoners.

"Now, Prefect," Trinias continued, "why don't you tell Aldwin what's really been going on?"

------------------
On the other hand, you have different fingers.

[This message has been edited by Trinias (edited 02-09-2002).]

Slayer looked at the map, startled. "Where'd you get this map from?"

"Don't ask," Sya grinned. "Maybe I'll explain later, but for now we've got to decide where we're going."

Violet leaned over Slayer's shoulder to study the map. She frowned. "Well, we don't know where anybody else is, even with this map. Searching for them is just going to be a wild goose chase."

"Violet's right," Talos said, standing up and looking at the map. "We'd probably be better off doing something else- like searching out this 'Prefect' person. See where it says 'Prefect's quarters'?"

Slayer frowned. "Do we really want to go after the Prefect, though? He's likely to be dangerous."

"Well, it can't hurt to look," Sya pointed out. She was eager to get going.

Moonshadow nodded. "We can't stay in this room forever. Somebody's bound to come in eventually, and we're not doing any good just standing here. If someone can figure out where we are, I suggest we get going."

"Arr, thee be correct. We need to find thurr others of our group," Garendor growled. "They may be in trouble."

Slayer nodded. "Yes, just wait a moment...Alright, I believe that we're be right about here. Come on, let's get going!"

***

Ten minutes later, they found themselves standing in front of the door to the Prefect's quarters. Fortunately, it had been on the same floor. Slayer looked at the heavy oak doors. "I think two people should go in and check it out. The rest of us will wait here. Moonshadow and Garendor, how about you two?"

They nodded and Moonshadow reached out to check the door. A thick bronze lock was placed on it. Moonshadow bent over it for a moment, then drew back holding the lock. She pushed open one of the doors and stepped through, Garendor following.

Sya stood outside with the others, waiting impatiently. She couldn't wait to actually do something again. Fiddling with her quarterstaff, she wondered what Moonshadow and Garenor had found.

They returned shortly, looking disappointed. "Thar be no one inside," Garendor reported. "Not much to be found at all."

Slayer nodded. "It would figure." He studied the map again. "What about this- the Council Chamber? It's upstairs quite a ways."

"Sounds appropriate. I bet the Prefect is there," Sya grinned michchieviously.

"So, is that where we're headed?" Violet asked.

"I suppose so," Slayer said, sighing. "I hope we find actually something this time."

***

Following the map, they found the Council Chamber fairly quickly. Violet looked surprised as they approached. "This is the room where we were first attacked!"

"So it is," Sya remarked. "In that case, we're bound to find somebody there." She crept towards the doors and peeked through. "I can't see much," she whispered. "Wait a moment."

She opened the door slightly more and stepped through, glancing around. Back in the corridor, they heard her gasp and then she returned, looking shocked. Talos was about to berate her for going in so suddenly when she could have easily been seen, but Sya spoke first.

"Trinias is in there!" she hissed. "He's not dead!"

Moonshadow smiled. "Of course he's not dead. That little scoundrel can get out of anything," she chuckled. "What else did you see?"

"Not much. But I think the Prefect's in there."

Talos nodded. "Then what are we waiting for? Come on, he might be needing help!"

They hurried through the doors and up to Trinias. He turned around, surprised. "Thank goodness you're here!" He glanced up at the Prefect. "I think we may be in a bit of trouble..."

------------------
A sense of peace fell over me as I watched the sunrise from my room...then I realized my window faces west.
***
Email me or visit my site at [url="http://"http://www.danicsoft.com/kat"]http://www.danicsoft.com/kat[/url]

A few minutes earlier...

"Now, Prefect," Trinias continued, "why don't you tell Aldwin what's really been going on?"

The Prefect looked impassively from one person to the other, as Jin finished freeing Arsloss and then Rogan. Rogan sighed with relief, and massaged some life back into his wrists. He then wandered over to the still-smoking body of the guard-captain, carefully avoiding Trinias' line of fire, and took the dead man's sword.

"That's better! Now, if only I had my wine," he lamented.

Arsloss was squinting suspiciously at Jin and Doria, who drew back from him with uncontrollable revulsion. "Are you sssure we can trussst thessse two, Triniasss? I do not mean to offend, but you could be easssily swayed by a pretty faccce."

Trinias frowned, mildly annoyed. "I'm not a fool, Arsloss, I know when to keep my mind on business!"

"I am sssorry I doubted you, friend Triniasss. And you did free usss, young one, ssso I sssuppozzze I owe you my thanksss."

"You- you're welcome, s-sir," Jin replied nervously, and was clearly relieved when Arsloss turned away from her and back to the Prefect.

"So you want me to tell Aldwin everything? Well, why not? It may surprise even you, young archer." He turned to face Aldwin. "What the warrior told you is true. The last of the Tyrants was overthrown centuries ago."

Aldwin gasped. "But how? And why are we still here, serving a master long dead?"

"Yes Aldwin, those are the questions. The how, we do not know. As you are aware, this tower became cut off from the world several centuries ago, when a certain mage's experiments in weather control exceeded his abilities. But what the then current occupants of this tower at first thought of as cursed accident, we have come to know as our first line of defense - a defense so impenetrable, that none until now have ever breached it!"

"You mean the snow storms," Rogan interjected.

"Precisely. How you lived through them, I don't understand - but I'll have that knowledge out of you, one way or another."

Trinias jerked his bow a little, attempting to reassert control over a situation that seemed to be rapidly escaping him. "Please, continue."

The Prefect glared at him a moment, then calmly complied. "Slightly more than fifty years ago, while my predecessor still held power, Marlea's mentor developed a spell for farsight. He was overjoyed! for the first time in centuries, we were able to learn what was happening in the outside world; with some care, we were even able to occasionally spy on Pnyx itself! Much of our magic has been improved by the knowledge gained in this manner. But they also learned the bitter truth - that the Tyrant had fallen long before, and your cursed Landking ruled Cythera! That truth was kept secret, known only to the then Prefect, the far-seeing wizard, and Marlea, his apprentice. I learned of it when I came to power, and when the wizard passed on, Marlea became my chief advisor. We began to build an army, training men and constructing enchanted weapons. The golems are a relatively new discovery, and will aid us greatly in our conquest."

Aldwin slowly shook his head, confused. "But why, if the Tyrant is gone?"

"Fool! Why should we serve anyone? With the power at our disposal, we can be rulers! All that stands in our way is Pnyx; and in another month, we'll be ready to move against it, and wipe it out of existence!"

Something in the Prefect's words finally penetrated Aldwin's daze; a fascinated gleam entered his eyes, as the possibilities unfolded in his imagination.

Jin sidled quietly up beside Trinias. "Watch out," she hissed in his ear. "If the Prefect talks him round, he can summon the other mages!"

Trinias glanced at her in surprise - and over her shoulder he saw a very welcome sight indeed.

"Thank goodness you're here!" he exclaimed, as the rest of his companions filed up to him. Jin, startled, gave a small shriek, and half hid behind Trinias. Sya glared in her direction, then continued to scan the room.

Trinias glanced up at the Prefect. "I think we may be in a bit of trouble..."

------------------
On the other hand, you have different fingers.

[This message has been edited by Trinias (edited 02-18-2002).]

*I love this story! I hope you don't mind if I add a bit! *

Just then a side door burst open and in dashed an old, (in fact he looked like he was older than the first Tyrant!) very dirty elf with his bow string streched to the limits. It was armed and pointed at the Prefect. He seemed to notice the company and glanced at Trinias and said "What do YOU think. Should I shoot him?" "No." Trinias replied. "He might just serve some further purpose." The elf dropped his bow and noticed Moonshadow too. "Thanks." "For what!?" Moonshadow exclaimed. "Well see, I was in the same cell as you guys. I was in there soooo long that the guards forgot about me. When you escaped, I followed your lead." "Oh. Ok." Moonshadow answered. She still sounded a bit uncertain, however. Arloss was not so trusting. "Why are yousssss here anywayssssss?" He accused. "Oh, yes, how rude of me. My name is Larc. Almost ironically, I can change into a lark. I came here about twelve years ago while casually flying over the mountains. I saw this settlement and so I wanted to check it out. When I changed back into an elf, the Prefect and the Captain of the Guard caught me and locked me in that cell. I only wish you hadn't killed the captain. I wanted him too." He had obviously directed this at Trinias. "I ssssssee. Thisssss explainsssss your ragged appearance." Arloss replied. "Yes, do you mind if I join you for your return journey?" Larc pleaded.

*I will leave this up for someone else to answer. *

------------------
Once upon a time. The End.

[This message has been edited by Mr. Somebody (edited 02-18-2002).]

*** OoC ***
Welcome aboard, Mr. S.

I've just got a few notes, that I hope will help you avoid any disappointment. Firstly, the story is moving pretty slow right now, averaging about 2 posts a week, I think - although this week has been a bit better. Secondly, I think we're pretty close to the end, so there isn't much time for you to get really involved; but I hope you continue in the Tavern, and in other stories later.

Oh, and just to avoid later confusion, I'm cache22 - Trinias is one of my characters.
*** BiC ***

"Of course you can come," Moonshadow replied.

"A bit soon to be thinking about returning home, don't you think?" Rogan objected. "We've still got to get out of here, yet!"

"Sssh," Trinias hissed, "this could be critical!"

"Yes," Aldwin was saying, "no more hiding out in this tower; free to roam at will, do what we want! Perhaps even study everything the mages at Pnyx have already accomplished!" He turned to face the new arrivals, and his voice took on a harsher tone. "How convenient, all together in one place! Tell me, intruders, are you prepared, now, to die for this Landking of yours?"

"If it becomes necessary, yes," Slayer replied, without hesitation. Most of the others nodded in agreement.

"I know nowt of this 'Landking'," Garendal interjected, "but right good have these un's been to me. I stand by them, and think myself right honoured!"

Aldwin turned back to the Prefect, and smiled. "Give it up, Mephistos; you'll never win, facing warriors with morale like that, and the abilities these ones have already shown!"

Trinias slowly released the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding; the crisis had passed.

"Somebody tie that guy up," Slayer instructed, indicating the Prefect, "and we can start thinking what to do about this place!" Rogan and Talos moved to comply, under the watchful gaze of Brink and Trinias.

A slight motion attracted Moonshadow's sharp gaze. She turned towards it, and realised someone was hurriedly backing away from the still-open door that Larc had entered by.

"Watch out!" she called, simultaneously flinging a bolt of ice at the retreating figure; the icicle impacted on the door an instant after it clicked shut, penetrating it a good few inches. "Missed!" she exclaimed in annoyance.

"Scatter!" Trinias yelled, remembering Jin's earlier warning about the mages. The group dove in all directions, trying to look everywhere at once. They didn't have to wait long; they'd only just acted in time.

Out of nowhere, the room was suddenly populated with a score or more mages, spaced out along the walls. After taking an instant to orientate themselves, they cut loose with everything they had.

Overconfidence is often a weakness, and so it proved for the mages of the tower. The last time they'd attacked this group, they'd been shocked and demoralised by the apparent sudden and brutal slaying of one of their own, and had proved an easy conquest.

This time was different. Their weapons were drawn, and they were already in motion; and most importantly, they knew what to expect!

Sya dived low and rolled between two of the mages. Coming up unexpectedly behind them, she quickly rendered them unconscious with two swift blows from her staff. She dived away to one side, always keeping in motion, and hunting for more targets.

Violet had her sword drawn, but was both less skilled and less experienced than most of her companions. She found herself dodging attack after attack, with no time to think of making any offensive moves. Gradually, she managed to work herself towards a corner, out of everyone's way - and where she only had to watch for attacks from two sides at once.

Moonshadow whirled about to see a mage flinging a magical bolt of some kind in her direction. She instinctively transformed, and the bolt passed harmlessly beneath the snow falcon, which then dove on her attacker. It was hard to say which was louder: the shrieking war-cry of the bird of prey, or the screams of the mage who'd attacked her, as she mercilessly clawed at his eyes.

Trinias' first arrow was aimed at the Prefect; but Mephistos hadn't attained his position by being an easy target. Diving to one side almost in the same instant as Trinias yelled his warning, the red glowing shaft barely grazed his shoulder before burying itself in the back of his chair. The chair was soon ablaze, as the fire magic expended itself uselessly. Trinias had no time for a second shot, since he had to start worrying about just staying alive.

Garendor crouched down on all fours, and pounced at a suddenly terrified mage. Before the mage had time to cry out once, those fiercely rending claws had done their terrible work. A nearby mage, afraid that he was next, turned the force of his attack on Garendal. A lightning bolt struck the tiger-man, hurling him back into a wall. He dropped to the ground, badly burned and unconscious.

As if things weren't confused enough, several of the attacking mages suddenly realised that Doria, Jin and Aldwin were actually fighting with their enemies! Aldwin seemed unwilling to risk anything really lethal, and was casting various spells to try and knock his former comrades off their feet. Doria and Jin seemed to be casting spells of protection over the intruders. Short lived as those spells were, they were fending off a huge amount of the magical power intended for their destruction.

One by one, nearly half of the remaining mages suddenly ceased fighting, uncertain what to think.

The Prefect leaped over the table, sword drawn, and rushed at the nearest intruder - who happened to be Talos.

"A sword!" Talos yelled; his sabre had been sacrificed in escaping the dungeon. Brink instantly threw him his, knowing Talos was by far the best swordsman among them. Talos caught it deftly. "Now I'm ready for you!" he taunted Mephistos.

Mephistos lunged, and it was hard to say which of them was the more surprised, as they began a flurry of strikes, lunges and parries that were nothing more than a blur to anyone else. Talos suddenly noticed the faint blue glow to both Mephistos' sword and armour, a glow that was largely masked by the light from the purple crystals along the walls. He was facing someone using magically enhanced weapons, while he had only Brink's unenhanced blade and his own native skill to draw on.

Talos smiled. It was a long time since he'd faced a real challenge.

The two fought without seeming to tire, moving back and forth as first one, then the other, gained the upper hand. Talos had to grudgingly admit that their skills, native or not, were fairly evenly matched - but there were some things he hadn't tried yet, and experience often counts. He launched into a sudden volley of attacks against which Mephistos had no option but to retreat. Talos forced him back and back, bent on trapping him in a corner - from which there'd be no escape.

Mephistos, realising for the first time that he might actually lose, began to cast about for a way out - but Talos saw every opportunity as soon as he did, and every avenue was barred to him. Talos lunged suddenly, and Mephistos leaped backwards to avoid the blow, thudding heavily into the very corner Talos had been driving him towards.

Someone shrieked. Mephistos' eyes widened in surprise; he lowered his sword and took a slow step forward; Talos kept his blade at the ready, watching closely for any tricks. Mephistos slowly turned around, to see Violet cowering in the corner. Her left arm was covering her face, while her right held her naked sword - which was now tipped with red.

Mephistos lowered his gaze to the pool of blood that was starting to form at his feet; then collapsed heavily to the ground.

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On the other hand, you have different fingers.

[This message has been edited by Trinias (edited 02-19-2002).]

"That was very nice swordwork, Mr. Talos." Commented Larc as he shot arrow after arrow at the surrounding mages who kept popping up out of thin air. "Why, thank you!" Talos smirked and he hacked down a curtain that fell on several mages, rendering tham helpless. Sya was enjoying herself very much as whacked ten mages in a minute who came up consecutively in the same spot." "Wow!" Someone who couldn't be identified over the battle yelled. "How many mages can they cram into this place?" "Obviously quite a few!" Someone else replied.

*Thanks for welcoming me Cache22/Trinias! I know you're near the end, but it'll be fun! *

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Once upon a time. The End.

[This message has been edited by Mr. Somebody (edited 02-19-2002).]

The battle degenerated into complete chaos, as more and more of the mages began to side with Aldwin and the two magesses. The warriors could no longer tell who they were supposed to be fighting, and retreated to the sides and corners, where they could watch unharmed while the friendly mages screened them from the magical attacks.

Eventually, reaching the point of total frustration, Aldwin threw up his arms and screamed at the top of his voice: "Enough!"

The mages stopped attacking, although a few could be forgiven for continuing with their defensive spells for a short while.

"Now, listen up!" Aldwin commmanded. "There's no cause for us to fight amongst ourselves! These strangers have brought news from the outside world, that we all need to hear!" He turned to Slayer. "If you'd be good enough..."

"Certainly," Slayer replied. He raised his voice, so that everyone inthe chamber could hear him speak. "Things in Cythera have changed greatly, since the time that this tower was first built. Your task was to assist the Tyrant defeat the power of the Mages at Pnyx, who had managed to elude him. However, the Tyrants no longer exist!"

This last was greeted with mixed murmurs of fear, disbelief, relief and anger. "It's true," Aldwin shouted. "The Prefect admitted as much to me, in this very room, not twenty minutes ago!"

The talking went on for some time, but there was no sign of hostilities resuming. Sya made her way to the corner in which Violet was crouching, staring in shock at the body of Prefect still lying in front of her.

Sya knelt in front of her, blocking her vision, and began to talk to her softly. Violet stirred, her vision refocussing on Sya's face. Satisfied that Violet was coming round, she pulled her to her feet and led her away.

Trinias made his way through the carnage to the body of the guard captain. That bow intrigued him, and he wanted to get a closer look. He picked it up and ran his fingers over the fine wood. He collected the matching quiver, and slung both items over his shoulder.

As he turned, he felt something land on his shoulder - the snow falcon. "Moonshadow? Why didn't you change back?"

Quiet, I'm talking to Flynn. He sensed there was trouble when we were first attacked - he got as far as the Huntsmen's cabin, before being stopped by the snow storms. The poor dear was driven almost frantic when this fight broke out, and he couldn't get here to help; but I've reassured him, now.

"Uhuh," Trinias responded disbelievingly; he found it difficult to believe Flynn could get frantic about anything.

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On the other hand, you have different fingers.

"Oh my goodness.", said Violet as Sya led her to an empty chair. "I didn't know what to do, he was just standing there not expecting anything... so I stabbed him." As Violet regained her composure she went to help people collect the dead bodies and help the wounded.

***OoC***
Finally I posted something, although its not very good. I have to go do homework.
***BiC***

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"Have you done 7 impossible things before lunch today?"

Welcome back, Violet! Glad to see you're still interested in posting!

(And we don't mind if it's short, we're just glad to know you're involved )

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Kobayashi Maru!

After helping Violet, Sya walked over to where Trinias and Moonshadow were standing. "So," she said, "the battle's over and the Prefect is dead. Any ideas as to what we do now?"

Trinias shrugged. "Not really. Our original goal was simply to find the Sorcery Tower, and we've already done more than that. I guess we just have to figure out a way to get out of here."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Sya grinned. She gestured Slayer over. "We've got a map."

"A map?" Trinias repeated in surprise as Slayer came over. "How'd you get a map?"

Moonshadow rolled her eyes, but she was grinning. "Sya got it somehow. She hasn't yet told us how, but I'm guessing it involved stealing it from somebody."

Sya grinned mischieviously. "It's not stealing. It's borrowing without the intention of giving it back or paying for it."

"Same thing," Slayer said. "Anyways, why did you call me over here?"

"Because you've got the map, and if we're done here then it's time to leave," Sya replied.

Trinias nodded. "I'm pretty sure we've done everything here that we can." He glanced around at the bodies still scattered around the room. "Moonshadow and Sya, can you help heal these people? Slayer and I will round everyone else up."

Sya nodded. "Ok, will do. I hope none of my potion bottles broke..." She walked off to one of the injured mages, digging through her bag for healing potions.

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Fee, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishmuffin.