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

"You can just call me Lemenath, Ranari Aytann'Lyriamalwaar. I'm afraid I don't recall any Madaya Lyr’Uûna’Tâ, but I'm looking for a companion of hers. I would be willing to assist you in finding her, if you would like some help." he smiled a quiet smile.

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Katerei stared at Silvre for a fleeting second, then she shook her head vehemently. "No! I'm not leaving Cythera! I know I can't go back to Vera, but Silvre, that's why I came to here, because Vera is not safe!" She looked at the great wolf with a pained expression on her face. "Silvre, my ilaya, you know how I hate disobeying you, but I can't leave here. I understand why you want me to, because you think I shouldn't be around humans, but I have friends here. And they're not all humans- there's Moonshadow, Ranari, and..." Katerei trailed off, trying desperately to think of others, but she couldn't.

Silvre shook her head. "It is not just the humans, kithaya. It is the people around here. You should leave this island- come with me-"

"But where do you want me to go?!"

"The Amaroq den," Silvre replied calmly.

Katerei gaped at her. "But- the den- I know it's safe, but it's so close to Vera- but they could find it!"

"They would not. Remember- the den has long been protected. I would not have left it, if I did not think it safe for the pack to be without a leader."

"No. That's not true- it's safe for the Amaroqs, but it isn't safe for -me- to be there. Silvre, I've always trusted you, but this is the one thing you've forgotten. They can track the Elemence. I would be vulnerable no matter where I went."

"Then why would you come here, if they can still track you?" Silvre said, her tone of voice showing no emotions. But Katerei knew that the white wolf, her friend who had always stood by her, was not pleased.

"Because I had to go somewhere. Ferazel was here- I had not seen him in so long, I wanted to come. I had to come." Katerei swung around and she disappeared.

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

Sideline looked at Katze; Katze looked at Sideline.

"He's after Flynn!" they exclaimed in unison.

Sideline shook his head. "That guy attracts more trouble than everyone else I've ever met put together!"

Katze nodded, and looked back up the alley, in the direction Hergat had departed. "I wish I knew how Flynn could've gotten tangled up with that bunch; he wasn't even here when they arrived!"

Sideline shook his head. "We'd better keep our eyes open; when Flynn gets back, we'd best be the first people he meets. I'd hate for him to walk into Hergat unprepared."

Katze nodded in agreement. "Let me contact some people that might be able to help." She left the alley, carefully checking that none of Hergat's group were around to see where she went.

After a few minutes, Sideline did the same; he had some contacts of his own to make.


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

OK Magpie, I fixed things so that Rahl can be back in the tavern. We can explain how, later

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Kobayashi Maru!

** OoC. Okay, I'll re-enter the tavern, and I know the perfect way to do it **

A tired looking Ferazel walks into the tavern. He sits down at a large table, and winks. Another Ferazel walks in, and another. More walk in, and then some more. A table set for about fourteen was filled, and another, smaller, table was filling. Later, both were filled, and there were about twenty Ferazels in the bar. One patron, tired of the hallucinations, asked who was the real Ferazel, and for him to raise his hand. Twenty hands went up. The patron smacked himself on the head, and ordered a glass of heavy ale. Then, the first Ferazel decided to try to experiment with his flying spell yet again. He casted it on himself, and was airborne in less then two seconds. Another used it too, and another. After a couple minutes, only the last Ferazel was left, gawking at the strange sight of nineteen Ferazels floating around the ceiling. He said, "Damn, I really need to fix this spell." With a wave of his hand, a rain of blue smoke decended onto the patrons. Ferazel smacked himself on the head, and cursed the day he made that spell. He slumped down in a chair then, unconscious. A patron stealthily stole away out of the tavern.

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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)

Two strangers walked into the tavern, and immediately everyone's eyes turned in their direction.

The man appeared ancient - even for an elf, which he plainly was. He was rather atypical for an elf, standing no more than 5 feet tall; but he stooped, which probably lowered his height. He supported his weight on a polished ebony staff, of exquisite workmanship. His eyes were a clear blue, plainly failing since he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and his hair was an elvish gold, tinged with grey.

The woman was considerably younger, and of the two she was the principle point of attraction. It wasn't surprising, really, given her highly exotic beauty.

Her hair was tied back in a high pony tail. This left her pointed ears clearly visible, proving beyond a doubt that she had elvish blood; but, unusually for one of elvish decent, her hair was a very dark brown, almost black. It was this feature that created her exotic appearance.

The old elf stopped a passing patron and asked a question; the patron pointed in the direction of the table at which Darken Rahl was sitting. He walked over to the table, while the girl made for the bar.

"May I sit down?" the old elf asked Rahl. Darken waved in the general direction of a chair, which the elf took to mean 'yes'.

After he had made himself comfortable, he again addressed Rahl. "Most people call me 'The Scribe'. I travel with my great-something grandaughter, Brianna, collecting stories, and recording them for later generations to read. I'm told you have recently returned from an adventure worthy of being recorded. May I prevail upon you to relate to me the tale?"

Rahl turned his heavy gaze upon the Scribe. "There's not much to tell. I was going to go on a trip in a balloon, then suddenly I found myself standing where the balloon had been - but it wasn't there!"

"I see," the Scribe frowned. "Not much to tell at all."

"If you ever find out what happened," Rahl continued, "please let me know."

"Of course, of course," the old elf muttered with a wave of his hand, then lapsed into silence.

Brianna reached the bar, and looked around in puzzlement. She turned to one of the patrons. "Who's running this place?" she asked. The patron pointed at a transparent blue frog, sitting on the corner of the counter. "Rana," he belched.

Brianna blinked her bright green eyes; she'd seen some strange things in her travels, but this had to be the weirdest.

She shrugged, then addressed the ghostly apparition. "Uh, I'm looking for some work; do you need any help running this place?"

"Ribbit, ribbit!" Rana replied, somersaulting twice.

"That means 'yes!'" one of the patrons quipped.

"Oh, ok," Brianna replied, sounding unconvinced. Nevertheless, she moved behind the bar and began to orient herself to the operations of the Alraeican Tavern.

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This post brought to you by Insomnia Publishing.

[This message has been edited by theScribe (edited 12-19-2001).]

Phinril was hurrying along an alley, when something struck him hard on the head, knocking him to the ground. He sat up, dazed, and picked up the now broken object that had struck him.

He looked at the saltshaker, then up into the empty sky in perplexity, wondering if there was such a thing as a god of mischief.

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[This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 12-19-2001).]

Phinril slipped around the corner, entering a dark building. The light was blocked out, with the exception of a single line from under the door, and that did nothing to illuminate the room.

"Al'Quasi Infirma Nethïrûín." He spoke to the darkness.

"Nefrïn Al'Quasi Infurás." The darkness answered.

"I'm glad you showed up." Phinril staggered over away from the door, using his hands to feel out a chair. Once he was sure it wasn't rigged, he continued, "As I expected, my associate is so caught up in his business that this will work out perfectly."

"I see. And what do you wish me to do?" The darkness asked, in a deep voice.

"I need you to prevent Hergat from meeting Flynn for some time. I've got a plan, but it needs time to take fruit. We must have Flynn alive, or the High One will be displeased. You know what happens when he is 'displeased'..."

"Ah yesss...his royal highness, a snobby selfish dolt that doesn't know his rear from his face. Are you willing to accept the consequences of my services?"

Phinril halted. Personally, he didn't care what happened to Flynn, or his associates. It was all part of his plan. However, the one thing he hadn't counted on was Lemenath. The wild card in his ideas had decided to abandon him over some fancy. He almost chuckled at the idea of Ranari discovering who Lemenath truly was. He didn't have blood on his hands, but he wasn't a perfect saint either...

Ever since he'd joined and later left the 'Royal Militia' Phinril and Lemenath had been close friends, helping each other out in dire need. Hergat had joined them a bit later, having known Lemenath from some previous contact, and the three of them went around, usually as mercenaries, ready for hire to whichever Baron felt like paying them the most for use in their petty squabbles. Then came this most recent mission for an unbelieveable sum, just after Xenar joined the group providing extra muscle and intelligence. But recently, Lemenath had severed his ties with the group and fallen for the other elf. That would end bad enough. No, Phinril couldn't have Lemenath interfering with his plans.

"Yes I do." He stated calmly.

"Good, I'll do what I can. Remember though, if anybody gets in the way, I'll eliminate them without hesitation." came the reply. "You might want to consider telling your elf associate to take a vacation, to keep him out of the way." The voice almost spat the words "elf associate"

"Yes, I'll do that." Phinril said, standing up.

"Good, I'll expect payment at the meeting stone, a fortnight hence. Don't be late." The voice cautioned. Phinril knew he was dismissed and left, wondering if he was making the right choice.

The oddness of the mysterious saltshaker completely slipped his mind...

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Lemenath and Ranari had been walking for some time in the forest, away from the bustle of Cademia, when Lemenath called a halt. Smiling at Ranari, he stepped aside, letting her see the view ahead.

"Its...beautiful!" she gasped, momentarily at a loss for words to describe the emotion of wonder she felt at the moment, even in the elven tongue.

Ahead of them lay a saphire blue lake, its still silent waters gently lapping the shoreline. On the east side of the lake, a small sheet of ice captured and reflected a silvery glow from the dying sun, which was just slipping behind the mountains to the west of the lake, in an impressive display of pinks, oranges, and reds which blended into the softer twilight blues and purples. A few clouds hung in the air, the ice crystals within sparkling beautifully to the elven eye. The snow capped mountains shone like carefully formed pearls, and were even reflected delicately in the lake, showing off their glory. The forest trees around the lake were an emerald green of spring; life tingled in the air, but didn't disturb the peace. All around was an inward tingling of joy, though neither knew where it came from. Ranari had never seen a sight like this in her life, and the newfound exitement momentarily overwhelmed her with wonder and astonishment.

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Xenar strode into the tavern, took a quick survey of the patrons in the bar, rose his eyebrows in astonishment at seeing two more elves here, and settled silently at the table he usually occupied, keeping his back to the wall. There he sat, absently drinking, absorbing information and storing it away for future reference and use...

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"Travel with an alert eye, and a drawn sword."

Oooops...Just screwed up my account- can't post now. Soon as I get my new email address, I'll re-register under this name. Until then, it's unregistered posting for me.

*Katerei sighs, smacks head and makes mental note to RTFM more often.* ;;;

*Next morning already? Well, then I hope you don't mind that I'll just 'switch back' to the evening before, for Ranari. Even though it's my fault for not posting sooner... but I just couldn't make up my mind about what to post ::sighs:: it's difficult ::more sighs:: Oh well...*

Ranari stepped out of the forest slowly, looking around with wide eyes, and expression of wonder on her face. She brushed back her hair absent-mindedly while turning around to take in everything. Who knew if she'd ever see such a sight? She was determined to memorize it all. "It's... she tried again. "It's like..." Yes, what was it like, anyway? She searched her memories for something comparable, and had to admit there was nothing. She had seen many beautiful things, but not one of them had been like this. "Uncomparable..." She turned back to Lemenath, who was still standing at the edge of the forest, watching her, and suddenly she couldn't help but feel stupid. He had taken her all this way just to show her this special place, and all she could say was 'uncomparable'. Would he think that was stupid? It *was* stupid after all, wasn't it? The sight deserved a more appropriate reaction, didn't it?
"You've really never seen anything like this?" Lemenath asked, a little incredulous.
"No. Not once. I mean I have seen sunsets, and mountains, and lakes and all that, but-" She stopped, realizing she was about to justify herself. She turned back to the lake, breathing deeply. 'Stupid!' she chided herself mentally. 'You're screwing again, like you should have know you will.' If only somebody as unexperienced as her was here, she wouldn't feel quite as insecure about what to do and say. She heard the sounds of soft footfalls as Lemenath walked down the trail, stopping beside her. "The sun will have set soon. Doy you want to go back to Cademia?"
Back to the humans' city? She shook her head vehemently. Not a chance. She didn't believe any city on this world was worth missing this unique view. "No!" She replied emphatically. She looked around for a few moments, then set down the trail to the lake. A few steps ahead she stopped and turned around. "Are you coming?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

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

NOTE to all Air Castle posters: It's going to take a little while for events in the tavern to catch up to Air Castle, so please don't start posting back in this thread until after the messenger has arrived to inform everyone of the balloon's return. At that point, I'll probably move my last post to just prior to the messenger's arrival, to fix the flow of events.

Thanks,
- cache.

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Kobayashi Maru!

Yeah, and everybody who's joined Omen's Return won't be able to post here either. Which includes me, but I'll be introducing a new character soon named Indigo. Of course, I still have to figure out his stats and everything...

-Kat

OK, I'll give Avatara a few more hours to respond to Moonshadow's last 'Ranari/Lemenath' post, then I'll be tempted to take a crack at it myself; this delay while we wait for him is annoying.

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Kobayashi Maru!

Wow, I feel so loved...hang on a bit and I'll throw a post up.

Lemenath walked quietly next to Ranari, the early sunlight peeking through the treetops. Last night was...Lemenath couldn't quite find the term for it, "odd" might've suited it, but "pleasing" could fit better. Ranari's reaction to the lake reminded him of a child playing.

His thoughts were interrupted as they rounded a final bend and came into view of Cademia. A quick glance at a balloon stationed nearby was all it took to raise him to alarm. He tugged at Ranari's arm gently, urging her onward but she semi-consciously seemed not to want to continue. Lemenath turned to face Ranari.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way, but I need to ask you for your help." He said, wondering what he had been thinking.

"Go on." She replied softly.

"There's a man down there, goes by name of 'Flynn'." the word seemed to stand out harshly amongst the elven language so Lemenath switched to human. "I had a former...travelling companion, a human." he paused, considering what to say next, "He wishes to kill this Flynn, I tried to change his mind...and failed. I need you to help me save him, for at least today."

"He's a human, why should I care?"

"Because, from what I've learned he travels with someone known as Moonshadow. The locals describe her as someone who looks like you." Lemenath noted that sparked her interest. "Will you help me? If so, we must hurry."

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"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."

[This message has been edited by Lemenath (edited 12-23-2001).]

Yes, Lemenath, it's all a plot to make you feel guilty.

*** OoC ***
I think this post will fit best before Moonshadow continues; so as promised, 'tis moved. Once Moonshadow does what she has to, it'll be time for the messenger, and then everyone can get posting again.
*** BiC ***

About the same time, the three remaining Ronin sat down to breakfast together. Kwon made no mention of his late-night excursion, nor of the strange wolf; he considered that that was up to Katerei.

While Kwon started to clear up, and Ulf was still eating, Sasha went to check the stables. She found that the strange horse had left sometime during the night; even though it wasn't hers, she still felt a little sad. She saddled a horse, and left for an early morning ride.

When she returned, Kwon was part way through his early morning practice routine, and Ulf was sitting on the steps, watching. She returned the horse to the stable, and gave it a good grooming. Kwon was just finishing up when she re-emerged.

"I'm going to the tavern for a while; coming?"

"Yes, I will join you," Kwon replied. Ulf nodded.

"Right," Sasha continued. "I'll just leave a note, in case Ranari returns."

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

Arriving at the tavern, they were somewhat surprised to see the new barmaid, delivering a tray of drinks to a table. They approached her to introduce themselves.

"Hi, my name's Brianna; pleased to meet you!", she responded, after their introductions. "Find yourselves a table; what can I bring you?"

"A wine, two beers and a glass of water, please," Sasha replied. Brianna began to make her way over to the bar, and the Ronin found a table over against one wall.

Rahl watched them sit down, then turned to the elderly elf and pointed them out. "If you're looking for stories, there's some people you should talk to."

"Thank you," the Scribe replied, and slowly made his way over to the indicated table.

"Greetings," he began, "I'm known as the Scribe. May I sit down?"

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Sasha was part way through relating the tale of the Undead War to the Scribe, when she noticed a man rush breathlessly into the tavern.

"That balloon thing - it's back!" he panted, then hurried back out.

"Please excuse us," she said to the Scribe, "some friends of ours have just returned from an expedition." The three Ronin followed the breathless man.

The Scribe sat there for a moment, staring after them, then levered himself to his feet with his cane. When Brianna made as if to come and help him, he waved her away. "I'm not going far, I'll be all right."

He made his way outside, and soon saw what all the fuss was about - the balloon was the tallest landmark in Cademia. He approached as close as the crowd allowed, and settled in to watch.

He soon saw his three new friends, along with four new faces, loading a wagon and preparing to depart; he found it fairly easy to match the faces with names from Sash's story. They spoke to a silver-haired elvan woman, who promptly disappeared in a flash of light, then the seven drove away.

The Scribe turned about, and retraced his steps to the tavern.

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

[This message has been edited by Ronin (edited 12-24-2001).]

Ranari clapped her hands. "Madaya is back!" She replied with sparkling eyes, seemingly ignoring Lemenath's request. "But..." She rummaged in her bag. After a short time, she pulled out a small, semi-transparent crystal. It was egg-shaped, with a height of about 3 centimeters, and covered with elven symbols for various elemental, stellar and arcane principles. Ranari stared at the item in concentration, whispreing an incantation. Even though Lemenath could make out the words, he found it impossible to understand them. All he could tell was that this seemed to be an ancient elven tongue, a very old version of her current language.
The crystal glowed warmly as it displayed an image: a female elf, her appearance surprisingly similar to Ranari's, talking to an old, dignified man in formal robes. As they watched the scene, the woman raiised her staff and disappeared in a flash of light. The crystal focused anew, this time showing the woman in on the outskirts of Cademia. Lemenath looked up. Indeed, there she was, maybe a hundred meters away.
Ranari frowned. "Oh, it's all your fault!" She accused.
Lemenath looked at her in stunned silence.
"I forgot to check... all the night, I forgot! I can't believe it!" It really seemed to upset her. "All because of you; and the lake was so beautiful." She shook her head, taking a deep breath. "Anyway... where is this, do you know?" She pointed at the displayed scene.
"Just there." Lemenath pointed down the path.
"Oh!" Ranari quickly stuffed the crystal into her bag, starting to run down the path, but Lemenath took her arm, holding her back.
"So... will you help me?" He asked urgently.
Ranari looked at him thoughtfully. Eventually she nodded. "Yes." She tilted her head, smiling. "But don't tell anyone, okay? ... helping some silly human..." She looked down at Lemenath's hand demonstratively, and he removed it, smiling apologetically.
As they walked down the path, on Ranari's request hurrying to catch up with Madaya, she couldn't help but wonder why she had agreed on helping Lemenath. 'I am acting very... unlike me of late.'

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

Moonshadow made her way towards the commercial district of the city, thinking over the things she was going to need to buy before their departure in the morning. Without realising which way she'd gone, she found herself in the vicinity of the Ronin's barracks.

Seeing Sasha enter, she decided to pay them a visit. "After all," she grinned to herself, "I haven't seen them in ages - not since earlier today!" She walked up to the door and knocked.

"That's strange," she thought to herself, hearing no answer. "Sasha only just went in, she must have heard me."

Moonshadow tried the latch, finding the door unlocked; she opened it, and stepped inside. "Hello?" she called, still receiving no answer. She spent a few minutes searching, even checking the roof - still nothing.

She stood in the middle of the main room, staring around in perplexity. "I wonder if Wolmark took them somewhere, through a portal?" It was the only explanation she could think of.

She sighed. There were things she should be doing - but her curiosity was aroused. She sat down to await the Ronin's return.

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

Ranari peeked in through one of the windows. She was unwilling to go inside, she still found her memories of her encounter with the human occupants of this place disturbing.

"What could Madaya posibly be doing here?" she asked herself. She was unable to find a satisfactory answer.

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

Moonshadow had only been sitting there for a few minutes, when she heard a sound from one of the other rooms. She looked up as a crowd of people emerged, chatting amongst themselves.

Moonshadow looked at the eight familiar faces - the seven Ronin and Katerei - then stared at the Ronin's grey cassocks, and unusual weapons.

"It was you! You were there, that time in the past!" she exclaimed.

Flynn grinned. "Yes; Kronos sent us back to help out."

Moonshadow stared at him with a wry smile, her eyes sparkling. "All of you, sit down and tell me all about it."

Trinias groaned. "This is going to take a while!"

*** OoC ***
And there, with some minor adjustments to time-frame, we have the tie-in for 'A New Story'.
*** BiC ***

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

Xenar turned to Phinral and nodded his head, indicating they should move on. They were atop one of the southern mountains on the land the locals called Cythera, a large swamp lay to their left. A short distance away to the right lay a volcano and beyond that the ocean shimmered, catching the light from the noonday sun.

"Personally, I'll be glad to get off this place." Phinral remarked as they continued to walk south, "Our little group has been breaking up as if something has got into them."

"Yes I've noticed that too." Xenar agreed, "Hergat used to always be in control of a situation, the master of events. Now, he seems lost and disoriented, absent-mindedly running around and just focusing on his task. He's almost to the point where he hardly recognizes anybody anymore, its as if something is plaguing him, driving him to insanity."

"It could've been Meral, there was something odd about him. Even more so that he hired us to fulfil a contract that targets someone in a place that the gate hasn't been used for decades, with one exception." Phinril muttered, "...and that exception was a small group leaving here, nothing about anybody coming in for ages."

"Perhaps."

"And then there's Lemenath. He's been rather distant as well, and intentionally ignoring us."

"He's an elf! What did you expect! He does as he pleases!" Xenar's voice had a bitter tone.

"I thought he might have been different than the others. Might have been different..." Phinral replied softly, trailing off. Xenar understood, Phinril's homeworld was dominated by elven overlords that used humans as their slaves or for their wars.

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

Leandra started some tea brewing, while the rest of the Ronin, Katerei and Moonshadow sat down at the table; the Ronin began to relate their side of the tale.

"We'd hardly gotten unpacked after Talm's voyage, when Kronos showed up and whisked us away," Flynn began. "Actually, I have no idea how long ago that was, for you; for us, it was a week."

Moonshadow looked at him in surprise. "It was just this morning!"

"Really? Kronos must have returned us to almost the same time we left!"

"Anyway," Sasha continued where Flynn had left off, "Kronos spent most of that week instructing us in what we would find, and the things we had to do - and most importantly, not do! Then, at the appropriate time, he sent us into the stronghold, to meet up with you and the others. I must say, it felt very strange, knowing so many of you when you hadn't yet met us!"

Wolmark took up the tale. "Then Kronos sent Katerei, in order to preserve Ferazel's life. That was crucial to the mission."

"I always wondred about that," Moonshadow said, smiling at Katerei.

Everyone then started asking questions, the Ronin as much as Moonshadow and Katerei; they knew very little of what had happened before they had arrived on the scene.

After some time, Leandra interrupted them. "Lunch is ready; we'd be pleased if the two of you would join us."

"Thankyou," Moonshadow and Katerei said together.

Kwon stood up and made for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sasha queried.

"To see if Ranari Aytann'Lyriamalwaar and her companion would care to join us, also."

Moonshadow's eyes widened in shock.

Ranari berated herself, as Kwon approached the door. She should have remembered that strange man's abilities. She entered at Kwon's invitation, followed by Lemenath. Moonshadow stared at her, dumbstruck. Flynn stared from the elvan girl to Moonshadow and back, astounded at the similarity of their appearance. Lemenath stared at Flynn, perplexed; he hadn't expected it to be this easy to get close to him, and now he wasn't quite sure what to do. Everyone else stared from one to the other of the dazed foursome, not quite sure what was going on.

Everyone except Kwon. He alone seemed completely at ease - and consequently, he alone saw and understood the reactions of most of those present. Lemenath was still something of a puzzle; but Kwon had a feeling that that puzzle would make sense all too soon.

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

Katze banged on the door to the Ronin's barracks. Trinias answered, and she barged past him in search of Flynn. She absently noticed Moonshadow off to one side, having a quiet argument with someone that seemed to be a slightly younger version of herself. "What's that about?" Katze wondered to herself. In the instant before she could see him, Lemenath ducked behind one of the other doors, out of sight.

Katze grabbed Flynn by the arm, and dragged him toward the door to the back courtyard. "I need to talk to you," she said.

Flynn broke out of his daze. "Yes Katze? What is it?"

Katze sighed. "Your life is in danger," she began.

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

[This message has been edited by Ronin (edited 12-27-2001).]

"You need to get out of here." Katze stated matter-of-factly. "You seem to attract trouble... more trouble than is good for you, anyway."
"Trouble of what kind exactly?" Flynn inquired.
"Assasins." Katze replied. "From out of Cythera, I might add."
Flynn looked startled. "What would they possibly want from me?"
"I have no idea, but you should take care." Katze proceeded to describe the strangers. When she came to Lemenath, Flynn raised is eyebrows.
"A golden-haired fellow, you say?"
"Yes." Katze frowned. "Do you know him?"
"Not really. He just arrived here, though... with her-" He pointed roughly in Ranari's direction. "- whoever she may be."
"And where are they now?" Katze asked suspiciously, drawing her dagger. That's when Flynn noticed the three elves were no longer in the room.
***
"You need to get out of here! *We* need to get out of here!" Ranari hissed urgently, in Isdira, just to make sure the humans didn't understand. She grabbed Moonshadow's arm and dragged her into another room, out of sight of the humans. "They are dangerous!"
The older elf sighed. "Listen, Ranari... I don't know what you're doing here, but -"
"No but! We're leaving!" Ranari contradicted vehemently.
"Aren't you forgetting something there?"
The two women spun around at the voice. Lemenath was standing in the shadow of the door, leaning against the wall. Neither of them had noticed him before, preoccupied as they had been.
"You promised to help me." He reminded her.
Ranari gave an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, I know... it's just -"
Lemenath raised a golden eyebrow. "You changed your mind?"
"Well... uhm..." Ranari stuttered, unnerved by his intent eyes. She glanced at Moonshadow, pleading for support.
Moonshadow bit her lip, trying not to laugh. She wasn't sure what was going on, but Ranari's expression was adorable. Apparently she had gotten herself into trouble again. "Ranari..." she began sternly. The adressed girl grimaced. She knew that tone of voice. "When exactly do you plan to introduce me to your charming new friend?"
Ranari blinked. that was not what she had expected. Then she remembered Moonshadows request. "Uhm, yeah... this is Lemenath Crystâlïnér from Dirth'kai. Lemenath, this is Madaya Lyr’Uûna’Tâ of the Unicorn Clan, from Fir'dha... my sister."
"Pleased to meet you." Both said, simultanously.
"A common phrase, wherever you go." Moonshadow sighed, smiling wryly. "Ah well... what has she done this time?"

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

Lemenath sighed and glanced over his shoulder. "I don't really have time to explain it all, but to make a long story short I did not come here alone." He wasted no time on describing his friends, letting the images he conjured to do that instead. "The bottom line is, one of my travelling companions is here for a simple reason. He wants to kill the one called 'Flynn'." Moonshadow's jaw tightened and her eyebrows raised, but she made no other movement and let Lemenath continue. He personally gave her credit. "I however, do not wish for this to happen. Ranari has agreed to help me."

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"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."

[This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 12-27-2001).]

Moonshadow looked at Ranari with raised eyebrows. 'So... did you intend to let him down?'
Ranari bit her lower lip. 'No! I would have helped, really... I would... just... just I wanted you out of here before!'
'Well, I'm not going.' Moonshadow's mental tone was matter-of-factly, and didn't leave room for contradiction. 'Especially not when Flynn's in danger.'
Ranari looked as if she was about to protest, and Lemenath looked as if he was wondering whether the sisters were losing it, just standing there and staring at each other like they were.
To end the argument for the time being, Moonshadow turned to the door. "I'll inform Flynn." She announced. "We have a journey planned, and the faster we get out of here the better."
Ranari frowned. A planned journey? "Well, then. But you won't leave me behind this time!" With a determined expression she followed Moonshadow out of the room. Lemenath shrugged, then followed them. After all, both of them would try to help Flynn, no matter what their motives. And he didn't really care whether they minded him tagging along on their journey.
Katze frowned, dagger ready, as the elves re-entered the room. She wasn't suspicious of Moonshadow, and the other girl seemed harmless enough for comfort, but she wasn't willing to trust the male elf. The tavern incident was all to clear in her memory, and it didn'T matter that he and his companions had helped them. She had no doubts that they had been the original source of the trouble. Reluctantly, she put the dagger back, not taking her eyes off Lemenath.
Moonshadow headed straight over to them, and began to talk almost before she had reached them. She quickly resumed what Lemenath had told her, and on seeing Katze's suspicion made sure to stress his good intentions. At least she hoped his intentions were good. And if they weren't... well, she'd be there to make sure he'd be awfully sorry.
"And now I'll go and get ready. We should leave as soon as we can... I'll come back soon. Lemenath... if you plan on coming with us, you should get yourself a horse."
'And Ranari... I trust you'll take care of him.' She winked at her younger sister, said goodbye to everyone, and left for - well, wherever she left for. *shrugs*

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