Ambrosia Software Web Board: The Alraeican Tavern, Part V - Ambrosia Software Web Board

...and so, the ongoing epic of the [url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/webboard/Forum5/HTML/000920-5.html"]Alraeican Tavern[/url] continues with Part 5!

Enjoy!

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

[This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 12-10-2001).]

Apparently, Avatara and I had the same idea, and he just happened to be faster than me. Alright, so here's the new topic- let's try and get some more great posts!
-Katerei

------------------
Follow in everybody's else's tracks- and blend into the crowd.
But make your own path- and your footsteps will be recognized forever.

Quote

She's been pretty busy lately, I think - for example, she has a Maths exam tomorrow, and went to bed early. She still expresses keen interest when on IRC, though, so there's hope!

------------------
Kobayashi Maru!

A thump was heard at the front door. People turned to look, and saw the door swing open with a -crash- as a lone man walked in. He looked weary and tired. People noticed that he was drenched with water -- it had begun to pour rain and flash lightning very close by. The storm got worse as the man fell down through the door.

The man dizzily staggered to his feet and immediately signaled for a whisky. People gathered around him, asking if he was all right. He took the entire shot in less than a half a second and asked for just one more glassful. Then he began to speak.

"I've come here from a long way," he began. He drained the next shot of whisky and continued. "I came here to warn you...a man named Tavara has taken over the island I live at with his army of daemons, liches, undead, scyllae, et cetera...and now he's coming --" he choked and sputtered here, and then his eyes got slightly glassy.

"Hurry, do tell!" a man shouted from the crowd.

The man who stumbled into the tavern began to speak again.

"He's...coming -- *cough* -- to...here!!" he finally gasped out.

"Bah, what a cheap practical joke!" yelled a skeptical man from the crowd.

"No...I've got proof...wait...my name is Gwydion...and...and --" he was cut off by a series of chokes, and then passed out.

------------------
YakKa Foob MoG. GRuG
PubbuWuP ZiNk WattooM
GaZoRK. CHuMBLE SpuZz.

Gwydion sat up and looked around at the scene before him. Several patrons were busy dragging the dead outside, to be buried later. Others were helping the injured. A few hurriedly piled up a mound of sixteen men in silvery armor, and quickly set fire to them.

All around, the tavern was a mess. There were overturned tables, burn marks all over. Some tables looked like they were chewed through with some kind of circular burning object. Broken clay, glass, spilled liquor, splintered wood, and blood lay all over the floor. A few patrons were trying to upright the tables. Overall, it appeared to Gwydion as if some battle had taken place recently, but there was nothing he knew of that could burn holes like he had seen in the dead and the inanimate objects in the room.

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

Quote

*I'm still here, don't worry I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon, either
Oh, btw, Katerei. Ranari will refer to Moonshadow as Madaya Lyr’Uûna’Tâ when 'introducing' her, and Madaya afterwards. She will not use Moonshadow, thinking that the human name lacks depth and descriptive detail. It's insufficient
Sorry for not mentioning that sooner.*

Katze gulped as she surveyed the destruction around her. This had been the weirdest and certainly most dangerous encounter she'd ever had. They had been incredibly lucky to have the four outlanders... but then again, they could just as well have been the reason for the whole mess. Changing your name for cover was one of the oldest 'tricks' ever... She set off to look for the four visitory, determined to find out in how far they were responsible for all of this.
***
Ranari looked at Katerei, wondering why the woman was so terrified by her. She looked down at the bracelet, then up at Katerei again, before turning to look directly into Silvre's eyes. "My name is Ranari Aytann'Lyriamalwaar of the Unicorn Clan. You can call me Ranari, though, if you like." Even though neither of them could know that, those simple words bore great meaning. Only friends and realtives called each other solely by their first names. Ranari looked at Katerei again, then back down to the bracelet. She fiddled around with the clasp for a few moments before taking off the bracelet. She dropped it into her open palm and outstretched her arm towards Katerei, who backed away slightly. Ranari tilted her head, smiling. "You can have it, if you like." She looked at the ornate object thoughtfully. "It's pretty, but that's about all it does. It seems to frighten you, though. I heard it's easier to overcome fear when you can control what you're afraid of. I don't know... maybe you should try it..."

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

Hergat was easy to spy out in the croud, and Katze picked a moment she could talk to him alone.

"What's the meaning of all this? I have a feel..." Katze began but was interrupted by Hergat.

"I see you have questions. I'll try to answer them. Yes, no and yes." he said calmly.

"Yes, no and yes?" she frowned.

"Yes they were looking for me, no I did not reveal myself-nor change my name, Hurphindal Retelchazer is such a long name for my clients to remember so its Hergat for short, and yes I'll be leaving after I finish my business." Hergat explained.

"Then why the hell didn't you go with them and spring away later? 28 are dead because of you! Twenty-eight!" She screamed, obviously angry.

"Simply because it wouldn't have mattered. They'd be dead either way, this way there were less casualties." he replied simply.

"And how soon will you finish your business? The sooner, the better." She didn't speak the last part aloud.

"I don't know, it would go faster if you helped give me some information." He grabbed her collar, and swung into an alley, pressing her against the wall and dropping his voice, "I'm looking for the one they call 'Flynn'. Where is he?"

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

[OoC]
Sorry about that, Moonshadow. Not your fault, though, I probably should have noticed that earlier. Glad you're back, but I really can't blame you if you're busy.
[BiC]

Katerei stared at the bracelet in Ranari's outstretched hand. She bit her lip and glanced at Silvre. The white wolf looked back at her calmly. "It will not harm you, kithaya. This cannot be Zrenerr's Bracelet, as our new ilaya has just proven. Remember, Zrenerr's cannot be taken off freely. He has to allow the wearer to take it off, and as you just saw, Ranari undid it by her own will."
Katerei turned back to Ranari. "Well..." she said hesitantly, "I suppose you're right, Silvre." She slowly reached out and picked up the bracelet from Ranari's palm. "Tyekipa, my ilaya," she said, bowing slightly to Ranari. "Thank you."
Hands shaking, Katerei fastened the golden chain around her wrist, the raindrop-shaped pearl hanging down. She looked at it with a strange expression on her face. It seemed to be fear, yet she did not seem afraid, or it could be despair, worry, or even sadness. Maybe it was all four.
Katerei shut her eyes. A blue light had come up, and it hurt her eyes. Then suddenly she opened them again. The light was coming from herself. She turned to look at Silvre and Ranari. The wolf looked as if she had actually expected this, while the silver-haired woman was looking very confused.
The blue light grew stronger and stronger, becoming so bright that it illuminated the whole area near them. And suddenly, fire erupted all around them. Katerei shrieked and drew back, only to realize that she was getting closer to the flames behind her. Transparent images had begun to drift around. Three people...a woman, with navy blue hair down to her ankles, was writhing in pain and screaming...a tall man, with silvery-blue hair was fighting against some invisible force...and the third person- a man cloaked in black, laughing cruelly at the other two. His eyes were terrible- black, hollow, lifeless.
Katerei stared at him, and a terrible expression covered her face- a mixture of fear and pure hatred. She said one word, in barely a whisper, one word which meant nothing to many, but everything to others. "Zrenerr."
She turned, leaped over the raging flames and fled into the forest. Instantly, the fire and the three people disappeared.
Ranari turned to Silvre, shocked. "What happened?"
Silvre bowed her head solemnly. 'It is the Ancient Magic, older than even the Old Magic that most people know of. Part of the Ancient Magic foretold that, in the instance of fearing memories, when the person involved touched an object which brought back these memories, the memories would be released. So said, when Katerei touched the bracelet which brought back the memory of Zrenerr and her parents, her memories were released to outside. What you just saw were her memories."
"That makes sense." Ranari said. "From what I could tell by reading her memories, it fits with what we just saw."
Silvre raised her head and looked Ranari straight in the eye. "It was displayed as she remembered it. I will tell you about it, for I believe you should know, but I beg you not to tell anyone else. It will be up to Katerei to tell the others. And, for now, I shall only describe the incident of what you just saw. What happened before then is not important right now. "
Ranari nodded silently.
"The woman you saw was Katerei's mother, Kyla. The man with the blue hair is her father, Link. The other man was Zrenerr. He was torturing them, with Katerei there watching. Zrenerr was using a very powerful spell, which causes immense pain to whoever it is directed at. It is the Old Dark Magic which some of the most powerful ancient wizards and mages used." She looked at Ranari very seriuosly. "Katerei knew this, and it's part of the reason why she hates Zrenerr so much."
Silvre continued on, measuring her words very carefully. "The flames you saw were also used on Katerei's parents. It is in their blood to be extremely afraid of fire, and when Zrenerr used the fire on link and Kyla it was too much for Katerei. She broke down and has never been quite the same since. She is deathly afraid of fire, and it has become very hard to get across to her."
Ranari stood there, still shocked by what she had just found out. The bracelet was still a mystery, but things were beginning to make sense. It would explain why Katerei had been so cold to her- not only did she wear a bracelet resembling something that Zrenerr owned, but Katerei must be wary of any new people.
Silvre interrupted her thoughts. "I am going to look for Katerei. Normally, i would ask you to come, but I sense that I should go alone. Nothing against you, my ilaya, but Katerei is going to be very troubled."
"I understand,' Ranari said. 'Farewell."
"Seyqua, kithaya," Silvre whispered, and she disappeared behind a tree in a thin silver streak.

------------------
Follow in everybody's else's tracks- and blend into the crowd.
But make your own path- and your footsteps will be recognized forever.

*** OoC ***
Man, I feel out of touch; I've been rather busy the last couple of days, and events here have gotten way ahead of me!
*** BiC ***

Katze's eyes narrowed in suspicion. She exchanged a flashing glance with Sideline, who'd stepped up behind Hergat. Sideline's shoulder had been roughly bandaged, and he was supporting the weight of his left arm with his right.

"Flynn's not here," She said, frowning. "What do you want with him, anyway?"

------------------
My signature? You want to see my signature? Now why would I go revealing all my secrets to a total stranger, huh?

Ranari stared after Silvre thoughtfully. "Please come back when you're better..." she whispered. She looked around the forest, then bent down to pick up a handful of pine needles. She sniffed them carefully, then pulled out a small leather pouch and stuffed them into it. She picked some herbs, too, putting them into some other pouches. In the coppice she spied a small flower with delicate violet petals. She picked it carefully, icing it over so that it wouldn't wither. None of her friends would ever believe her adventures here if she didn't bring them some proof. She took one last look around and headed back towards Cademia. Madaya could arrive any time, and she wanted to be the first to meet her then.
***
Ranari walked into the town, looking around in amazement. Everywhere people were running around in confusion, everything seemed to be in an uproar. She stopped dead in her tracks as she sensed something else, something she had also felt int the tavern. Looking around, she spied three humans in a side-alley, a man and a woman she did not know... and another man who she did know. Admittedly not very well, but enough to know that she didn't really want to know him, even less than the other humans. The word murderer flashed through her mind whenever she looked at him. He had murder on his mind. She shook her head in disgust. How perverted did somebody have to be to freely murder one of their own kind... or to murder at all. Generally, it was none of her business... but who knew what damage the man might cause? She clenched her hands to fists, looking around quickly for an appropriate place from where to observe them. She spotted a bench conveniently close and sat down on it, beginning her mental eavesdropping.

------------------
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 12-12-2001).]

After waiting all night on the beach, and sharing another apple with the horse, Sasha decided it was time to return to the barracks. She got up and started back, and was mildly surprised when the horse followed.

Arriving at the barracks, she went around the back to the stables. The horse followed her inside tamely, and helped itself to some water and oats; the other horses whickered in welcome. Sasha left it there, but didn't close the door behind her - she had a feeling that that horse should be left free to do as it pleased.

Entering the barracks, she could smell a hot breakfast cooking. "Ah," she thought, "just what I need."

------------------
Two wrongs are just the beginning.

Katerei dashed through the forest, leaping around trees and over bushes, not paying attention to where she was going. It didn't matter, just as long as she got away from the image of her parents and Zrenerr.
She kept running, not tiring, running and running past the trees, until the place where Silvre and Ranari were must be miles behind...
Eventually, she did stop, leaning against a tree and panting. The images were not quite so clear in her memory now. She had tried so hard to forget it, to erase all traces of it. To pretend it had never happened. But Katerei knew that wasn't possible, not at all, with everything she did, everything and everyone around her reminding her constantly. It would be in her mind forever.
Katerei turned around suddenly. A noise had come from somewhere in the low shrubbery surrounding her. It sounded rather like footsteps.
There it was again, and a rustling sound...maybe it was Silvre?
No, not the great white wolf. It was a man, with long black hair covering his dark eyes. He wore ragged clothing and carried a scimitar. When he spoke, his voice came out as a cruel, teasing tone.
"Saw you running, I did. Why were you running, missy? Running away from...hmm, maybe a person?"
Katerei stared at him, her blue eyes cold as ice. "Why do you want to know why I was running? Leave me alone!"
"Oh, but what if I don't?" came the taunting reply. "It's my business if you're running from something- maybe you're trying to escape from something?" His eyes glittered. "Maybe you've done something wrong...is that it? Commited a crime, and you're running so you aren't caught?"
"I haven't done anything! What do you want?" She drew her dagger and brandished it at him. "Go away! I can fight you, and I will!"
"Oh, you want to make something of it, eh?" the man sneered. "Come on, lads!"
Four men stepped out from the cover of the bushes. Each carried a weapon. The first man, who was obviously the leader, stepped forwards. "Look at what I found," he told the four others gleefully. "A young girl... running from something. What do you say?"
The man's henchmen grinned wickedly. Four different responses came. "Kill 'er, captain!" "Take her to the city and throw her in prison!" "Hold 'er hostage, sir!" "Steal her money and leave her to rot!"
The leader stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I see we have a variety of choices. Hmm... let me think...Ah, yes. Coswa, I'll go with your idea. We'll take her to Cademia and see if we can't get her into prison. If that fails, we'll come back to the forest and kill the missy here."
The men grinned again. Two came forward and grabbed Katerei by the arms. She struggled violently, but succeeded in doing nothing but slicing one man across the cheek. He slapped her across the face and growled at her, "You'll pay for that, trust me!"
They led her off through the forest towards Cademia.
***
Silvre dashed into the clearing just in time to see the five men taking Katerei somewhere. The great wolf did not hesitate to follow. Running behind them staying under cover, she watched as the leader reached out and took the dagger from Katerei- the sacred Amaroq Dagger. He said something which Silvre could not hear.
Startled, the wolf dropped back into the trees and watched from a distance. The bandits had the dagger. Of course, they did not know how to use it, but it still had terrible powers when in the wrong hands.
***
Silvre followed them until nightfall, where they stopped to set up camp. She did not dare to attack, because even the strongest Amaroq did not stand a chance against five fully-grown armed humans. Amaroqs could not use their magic on any other living thing.
***
After a short time, the moon came up. It rose aove the horizon, illuminating Cythera. It was a full moon that night. Silvre turned her head to the sky, and slowly her eyes began to glow and turn yellow. She stared at the moon for a few seconds, then gave a high, long howl which was heard all over Cythera.


[This message has been edited by Katerei (edited 12-12-2001).]

Kwon was meditating on the roof when he heard the wolf's howl. His sense of 'rightness' was disturbed - there was something out of the ordinary about this particular cry. He listened to the wind telling him which direction the howl had come from, and decided to investigate.

Creeping quietly downstairs so as not to awaken Sasha or Ulf, he collected his shoulder bag and made his way out to the stables. He was somewhat surprised to find the white horse there, but had time for only a brief 'hello'; he bridled one of the other horses (he preferred to ride bareback), mounted, and rode off into the night.

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

Some time later, Kwon's senses alerted him to the presence of six people ahead. He slowed the horse to a walk, and moved in their direction; soon, he began to hear snatches of conversation drifting through the trees.

"How much do you figure she's worth?"

"Strange one like that, enough to set us up for life, I bet!"

"I'd just as soon take it out of her skin, she ruined my good looks!"

Kwon dismounted, tying the bridle to a handy tree branch, and waited. The small band came into sight, and halted. Kwon took in the scene in one quick glance; if he was surprised to see Katerei, it didn't show in his inscrutable expression.

"Let her go." His voice was quiet but firm; the leader of the group looked at him in surprise.

"Another strange one! What, do you know her?"

"We have met only once; however, she has a good friend, to whom I owe a great deal. Let her go."

"You want her, you take her!" the man with the bloody cheek cried, as he went for his sword. There was a thud, as a shuriken embeded itself in his sword hand. He howled in pain, grasping his wrist with the other hand.

"I said, let her go." Kwon's voice hadn't changed it's tone in the slightest; it was still calm and collected - and supremely confident.

The brigands stared at him, weighing their options. Five to one had seemed good odds - but now things didn't quite look so clear cut.

------------------
Confucious say, who say I say all they say I say?

"Move any closer and I slit her throat." Hergat warned, sensing Sideline appoaching. Sideline stopped, and raised his hands slowly, showing he had nothing visibly threatening in case a silent observer was watching. "Now, that's not my question. I asked where Flynn was." Hergat stated slowly, pressing a dagger to Katze's neck. He knew she wasn't helpless but she didn't know if one of his friends were nearby to help and she knew he knew.

"I told you, I don't-" Katze was cut off by a loud outburst.

"Damnit Phinril! No, don't do that. Put the boxes over to the left. You're ruining everything!" Lemenath cursed somewhere around the corner.

Hergat smiled grimly. "We're being watched, another time." He spun and threw her at Sideline, who was caught unexpectedly, and Hergat slipped off, sticking to the shadows.

Ranari was startled, there was an elf among the humans. And from what she could see, he wasn't getting along too well, having been caught up in an angry argument with a clumsy human.

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

And so it came to pass that Magpie, at last, had a spare minute to post.

Darken Rahl, his armour clinking, sat down. He ordered a double whisky with whisky and whisky with a splash of whisky and whisky topped up with whisky. He downed this in a few minutes and ordered another. He walked calmly over to one of cache22s characters (There is bound to be one of them here) and sat down. They smiled and Rahl asked what was going down around here.

------------------
"And yonder all before us lies... A desert of vast eternity"

Quote

For a minute I thought, for once, none of them were there - then I remembered Sideline!

Hmm, Darken's still dead, and his body is frozen in time in the storeroom of the balloon, somewhere over the western sea. Ah, well. Glad to see you're still around, Magpie!

------------------
Kobayashi Maru!

The bandit leader gave a loud cry, and charged headlong at Kwon. Three of his men followed - the fourth was in no condition to fight. Kwon stood his ground.

A quick shuriken to the chest took out of the leader, leaving only three. The rest of the combat was short and furious. Katerei had some difficulty following all the action - but it was clear that the outcome was never really in any doubt.

Kwon stood over the last brigand to fall, and looked at the man with the scarred cheek; he flinched away from Kwon's penetrating stare, and broke for the woods. Kwon let him go.

Taking the dagger from the body of the leader, Kwon walked over and severed Katerei's bonds; he then reversed the dagger and handed it to her.

"Thankyou," she said. Kwon simply nodded, then turned to face the trees in the direction from which the brigands had come.

"I heard your cry," he voiced loudly. "It was fortunate that I was in time."

Silvre emerged hesitantly from the edge of the trees, staring at Kwon intensely.

------------------
Confucious say, who say I say all they say I say?

Well I got magickly reincarnated, or something .

What is this in the tavern? The start of another team story?
So how did I die and get frozen?

------------------
"And yonder all before us lies... A desert of vast eternity"

Quote

Perhaps, though I suppose it has to wait until the Air Castle is *close* to wrapping up (or whatever else talm had in mind)

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

Silvre stepped out of the trees and stared at Kwon Chen. Her eyes were still glowing, but the man seemed to take no notice of this. He merely looked back at her, not blinking.

Katerei looked back and forth between the two. Neither the wolf or the man was moving.

Silvre studied Kwon Chen. There was something about him that was odd, she could sense it, but she wasn't sure what. Something...different. Not evil, not good, just different.

Meanwhile, Kwon could also sense something about the wolf that wasn't quite normal either. If he was at all surprised, he didn't show it. Of course, Kwon knew about several diiferent species of wolves, but this one was different. It stood over three feet tall, and had white fur. There was a golden chain around the wolf's nech with a small blue gem hanging from it. Its eyes were glowing yellow, and Kwon could tell that it wasn't just the moonlight.

Silvre broke the silence by bowing her head to Kwon Chen, and then she began to speak. "Quatra, ," she said, using the Amaroq word meaning 'experienced one'. She referred to him as this because he seemed to be more skilled than the other humans she had seen so far. As before, there was just something -different-.

She continued speaking to him. "Thank you for rescuing Katerei. I had hoped that my howl might alarm one of the humans near here that something was amiss. I hope that we can do you a favour some day later on, to repay the debt." She turned around suddenly to face Katerei. "Come, we must go, my kithaya. I need you to assist me with something in the forest." The white wolf leaped over a bush and disappeared among the thick trees.

Katerei nodded and silently followed Silvre.

***

They walked for quite aways, then Silvre turned and spoke to Katerei. "I do not actually need you to assist me with anything, as you may have guessed. I needed to talk to you, and we had to leave the company of your ilaya Kwon Chen first.."

"I assumed that's what you were doing," Katerei replied. "But why?"

Silvre looked at her in mild surprise. "I would have expected you to have already figured that out, kithaya."

Katerei stared at Silvre for a moment, thinking back to the previous day. Ranari...the bracelet...memories...fire, the flames, burning, the heat, the smoke, the ashes, the fire...Zrenerr...and her parents.

She glanced down at her wrist suddenly, which still had Ranari's bracelet encircling it, the little tear-drop shaped pearl hanging down...

"I understand now," Katerei said solemnly. "And I know what you want me to do."

Silvre nodded slowly. "It is a risk, going back. The incident of yesterday has proven things, and I know that if you go back now terrible things could happen. You are not yet ready to return to the humans! I should not have let you stay in the first place. Yet you cannot return to Vera, either." Silvre grew stern all of a sudden. "You cannot return to Vera, do you understand? I know you want to go back, you have been thinking about it, but you can't. I will not allow you. It is far too dangerous."

Katerei looked down at the ground. She couldn't return to Cademia or Catamarca yet...but Silvre wouldn't let her go back to Vera. "But where shall I go?" she asked desperately. "If I can't go back with the humans, and I can't go home...I don't want to stay here, in the forest!"

"I would not let you stay here, either," Silvre said. "Here, too, is unsafe. You were captured by thieves once already. It will not happen again."

"Then where do you want me to go?" Katerei dreaded the answer. She waited silently, but the question was useless as she already knew what Silvre would say. Yet, until it was said, it wouldn't be true...and then it came.

"Away from Cythera."

Ranari looked after Hergat. 'Do you think you'll get away like that?' she thought, a grim smile creeping up on her face. She made a small movement with her right hand, and felt the small, invisible orb of her best spell form above her palm. She lightly tossed it after his diappearing back, feeling it carefully attaching to the man's mental essence. It would not influence him in any way, but it left a mark on him that would make him easy to trace with her mental abilities, and was yet impossible to perceive by others, unless they were strong telepaths, like her, or knew what to look for.
Then she turned to where the human was arguing with the elf. The elf was definately not like those on her world. Yet he was an elf, and no ignorant human should try and doubt the elves' superority. She walked over, a determined epression on her face.
"Excuse me," she began quietly, yet clearly audible. Both turned around to face her. She looked at the human, half-angry, half-questioning. "But do you know what you're doing there?"

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

"Me...no...speak...elf" Phinril replied with a smirk, despite the fact that Ranari had spoken in near-perfect human. Lemenath lashed out and backhanded Phinral, knocking him to the ground.

"You smell, get out of here you filth." Lemenath said with a wrinkling of his nose. Phinral stood, wiping blood from a cut on his cheek and glared questioningly at Lemenath. After another shove from the elf, Phinral staggered off, completely befuddled.

Lemenath turned to Ranari and smiled, "Greetings, I'm called Lemenath Crystâlïnér from Dirth'kai. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting on this forsaken world?" He spoke in elven, in a language surprisingly similiar to Ranari's.

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

Kwon stood for a moment, looking at the spot where Katerei and the wolf had disappeared. He'd been about to say, "No repayment is necessary," but they'd departed too quickly.

Kwon had been puzzling for some time on the many different races, from so many different planes of existence, that seemed to find their way to Cythera. He was hampered by his lack of experience with other worlds, but he'd reached a tentative conclusion: that Cythera was, in some fashion, situated at a dimensional cross-roads, a place where many realities came close to touching. The result of such a nexus, was that entities caught up in intermensional eddies would be more likely to wash ashore here than anywhere else.

A talking wolf would have seemed strange, back in his homeworld; but he'd long since ceased to be amazed at the strange creatures and powers that appeared to be inherent in this reality. That this wolf was linked in some way to Katerei was just another fact to be stored away, to be meditated on later.

He roused himself from his contemplations, remounted his horse, and rode back to Cademia.

------------------
Confucious say, who say I say all they say I say?

[This message has been edited by Kwon Chen (edited 12-17-2001).]

*Okay, I could translate the elven part again, but then it wouldn't be understandable for you, Avatara so I'll just write in English for now.*

Ranari smiled, obviously extremely happy she had at least found somebody who did not use the humans' primitive excuse for a language, was not a human, either, and - better yet - was an elf. There had been something odd about way he'd gotten rid of the human, though. Ranari shook her head slightly. The humans' company was already showing in her behavior, making her suspicious even of other elves. "My name is Ranari Aytann'Lyriamalwaar of the Unicorn Clan from Fir'dha. Ranari, if you like." She introduced herself, looking curiously at the elf. He looked different from her own people, with his golden hair. The closest to that color Ranari had ever seen was a very pale blonde. It was amazing. "I am looking for a friend of mine; her name is Madaya Lyr’Uûna’Tâ. Do you know her, Lemenath Crystâlïnér from Dirth'kai?"
She looked up at Lemenath expectantly, waiting for a reply.

------------------
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 12-17-2001).]

(likewise, I could've written that bit in "elven"...except its no fun to read something in a language you don't understand, i translated it for the benefit of the other people here.)

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