Ambrosia Software Web Board: Bane (a Team Story) - Ambrosia Software Web Board

The sun started coming up over the horizon and DF awoke immediately. His sleep had been light for months, ready to pop up and fight at an instant's notice. He then realized where he was and tried to get back to sleep. After a few minutes, he decided to get up and climb. Opening his window, DF looked up and down. Saw that falling would be a bad thing he decided that it may not hurt to use a couple spikes he found a few days back. After about 45 mins of extreme exertion, DF finally reached the top of the pyramid. Beads of sweat poured out of any available pore of his body. He sat on the top, enjoying the cool breeze, and watched as the sun rose over the treetops. He sat there remembering why he pushed himself to the brink of insanity to get back here. He breathed in the cool clean air, quite different then the stale warm air of the other realm. He sat there and enjoyed the scenery. Below him, he saw a person, sleeping in a tree and wondered why he was there. DF curiosly stared at this person for a good 15 mins, trying to figure out why somebody would choose to sleep in a tree and noticed a few dark energies within him. Enough energy for a farmer to be wary of but most mages in Pnyx could strike him down easy as he tried to cast a spell. DF let off a slight chuckle.

After another 15 mins, DF decided to go down Pnyx and see if he could stop before he went splat on the ground around the Pyramid. With a quick motion, DF went sliding down the northern side. He made sure that the man in the tree wouldnt see him on his decline, should he think some malicious attack to cast while DF was wrecklessly having fun. At first, his slide was quite smooth and easy on him, but after a couple seconds, the ride got bumpy and started spinning DF in all directions and it was not a pleasant experience.
"Oh great, get back here to kill yourself on your first chance, nice one dimwit" DF said between curses as he started flailing about, skin being torn right off his body by the rough rocks. Soon after, almost all the cloth on his body was torn off. Seeing the ground come up quickly below him, DF suddenly realized he could easily get out of this. Casting a minor spell, his body immediately stopped rolling and hung there where it was. The big downside of this was DF immediatly became sickly dizzy and his spell broke. The slowed decent allowed DF to go the rest of the way down without worry, which didnt matter overly much cause he had already passed out.

Nearby, a guard heard a noise. He looked back at Pnyx and saw a man rolling down the pyramid and knew that this morning would be a bad one. He watched as the body got more and more battered as it went down the incline. Then, in a dazzling display of magic in a desperate situation, a greyness took over the body of the man, about 2 stories up. After a couple more seconds, the spell broke and the body rolled down the rest of the way. The guard quickly bolted over to the body and was quite surprized to see that it was DF.
"Couldnt get enough the first time, eh?" The guard jested as he poured a potion over the wounds "Heh, one idiotic stunt is usually more than enough to convice people from getting injured for a while, but I guess it takes more to teach you hero types"
A few minutes later DF reawoke and smiled an embarrassed grin "Well that didnt go as planned" he groaned, a bit humbly
"Gravity is a cruel mistress" the guard joked "and youd best learn that her rules always apply"
"That I will friend. Thats twice now youve helped me. If you ever need a favor, just ask" DF said as he gathered himself up
"Heh, youve already provided me with enough entertainment for a month" the guard said, still chuckling at the unrealty of it all "Just hold off on insane manuevers for a while"
"That I'll do" DF responded, walking back indoors, leaving the guard to wonder how he was gonna clean the blood off the side of the pyramid.

DF went back to his quarters and got some new clothes on. His gold had bought him some nice new clothes and he was now forced to wear em. With himself recollected, he went to the mess to see if anybody was there yet.

------------------
"What were those czarzs thinking when they glued all these diamonds onto the world's ugliest hat?"

[This message has been edited by Desert Fox (edited 04-15-2002).]

Blackfern awoke just after dawn, as was his habit, the cool morning breezes and telltale sun peeking over the horizon made promises of being a nice hot day. He got up scattering his bed of moss as to leave little trace of anyone being there, then decided to scout out the aria a bit and find some berries or other tasty edibles, the cheese and fruit cakes he had with him didn’t taste right, at least not for a morning like this. He did a quick scouting finding a few berries, but he didn’t want to take too much time so as not to miss the group of people that had stayed at Pnyx that night. "They will probably leave sometime in midmorning, if they are leaving at all" he thought "These mage types are not morning people, stay up to late at night studying their scrolls and weird harmful magic"

Blackfern sat back against a tree where he could view anyone leaving or entering the magesterium. He sat enjoying the outside air, a few birds were out singing, the sea could be faintly heard as waves rolled on the shore. He sat and remembered yesterdays events.

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

Blackfern had heard of a ruined city in southwestern Cythera, he knew from experience that ruined cities tended to have a few secrets buried in their rubble. Blackfern had started his search for the city from Catamarca where he was looking covetously at a wealthy household. Whoever planned the guard’s watches and reliefs did a very good job, too good; in fact, there was no way in without killing at least three people. Blackfern disliked killing, it was hard to kill without making at least one person aware of him, it only takes one person to raise the alarm.
"I’m getting lazy, to many good opportunities around here" thought Blackfern

Blackfern was going through the pass in the mountains between Catamarca and Pnyx, he was keeping off the main path as he usually did, but he could still see the road and any one walking on it. Blackfern didn’t believe in attracting unwanted attention, plus he knew the ways of the ruffians, watch the road by day, follow the victim and attack at night. Another thing Blackfern hated, open combat, though his combat at night could hardly be called open he still disliked violent confrontations.

Blackfern was looking at a bird, the way its bright yellow chest glinted in the morning sun when he sensed a group of travelers coming his way. He quickly stopped walking and ducked down in the undergrowth, peering through the leaves at the road ahead.
The noises grew louder, he sensed that there were ten people. "Odd" he thought "Ten people is rather large for just a group of travelers" he decided against ignoring them and continuing on his way, so he decided to get a little more comfortable, borrowing into the soft mossy ground and removing a few sticks and pebbles he lay waiting for the travelers to come enjoying the morning sunshine.

A few more minutes of waiting produced the first visual contact with the group, "Very odd" he thought "they all look like mages or the like, warriors too. Something must be afoot." Still wishing to remain hidden, for Blackfern had had some very unpleasant encounters with mages, he laid back and looked into the sky. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, frogs in some far of pond were croaking faintly, the leaves of the trees were rustling faintly in the gentle breeze.

Blackfern suddenly sensed a single person following the first group, "stranger still" he thought as he looked on, waiting to see the follower appear down the road. He then sensed that the follower was not using the road but was following just off the road in the sparse growth of trees and small plants on the roadside.
"something is up" he thought" very odd, I wonder where they are all off too."

Blackfern was very intrigued, and as a naturally curious person decided to give up the hunt for the ruined city and stalk the stalker. Blackfern enjoyed following someone who new very little about stealth, very easy to track, he didn’t even have to keep him in sight, he could hear him from quite a ways up the road. Blackfern had no worry of being heard himself, for the person he was following made so much noise there was no way he could hear Blackfern.

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

"I wonder where they are headed" Blackfern thought "at any rate, if a group of mages and warriors are headed somewhere it is probably important. The chances of finding something valuable are maybe a little slim, but nothing, besides pulling off a robbery on a very well protected place with no trace, is more enjoyable then trekking through the forest following someone who doesn’t know you’re there."


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


[This message has been edited by Blackie (edited 04-13-2002).]

Razmalak awoke and blinked in the warm sunlight. The sun was high in the sky.
With a yelp Razmalak realised that he'd overslept. He stood up in his tree to get a better view around him. With a start he spotted the party of heros several miles to the south. They'd gone without him!
Razmalak jumped down from his tree (mildly spraining his ankle in doing so) and gathered his belongings. He half ran, half limped off in the direction that the party he been in, cursing his student habits whilst doing so...

___
OOC: Just to get the story moving a bit. You can talk to old mages about elven kingdoms for only so long...

Az

------------------
___
Speak easy,
Drink easy,
Pull easy...

**OoC***
Well, I think we were waiting for MoonShadow, but I think we've waited enough…This story will die if it doesn't get moving.

------------------
"I am so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month. I am so hip I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis."
-Zaphod Beeblebrox
When I'm bored, my post number goes up.



[This message has been edited by idiotSavant (edited 04-22-2002).]

Sorry for the hold up; I ended up in a situation where I had to wait for a particular person, who found themselves in a situation where they didn't have time to post. I've been in touch with Moonshadow, and she's going to send me some notes on what she had planned; then I can post it, and hopefully get things moving again.

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

Larc and Martel were deep in conversation when Sya came up and asked "Who are you dragging along with us?" Larc smiled. "Ah! This is my brother, Martel. He is a very good swordsman who doesn't care a stink about magic." Martel rounded on Larc. "Listen, mister! Neither do you!" Larc responded, equally angry. "I do too! I am one of the best alchemists in the reigon!" "Alchemy doesn't count!" "Yes it does!" Larc screamed. "No it doesn't!" Martel yelled back, and then he took Larc's bow. "Ha ha! Got your bow!" A big brawl followed, encompassing the whole party, as they thought Martel was a ruffian, who had attacked Larc. All the time, Sya was yelling "STOP! They're just brothers! Martel was teasing him!" Of course, no one really listened to her until she whacked them with her staff. As they left, the guards of Pynx were saying, "Another failed expedition. Shame. Well, hey! It's a new record! Only 20 yards from civilization!"

*I don't know why it only posted the first 8 words! Sorry!*
------------------
Once upon a time. The End. "I'm a real nowhere man, sitting in my nowhere land..."
-Modification on The Beatles song
The Shadow is coming to Nova...

[This message has been edited by Mr. Somebody (edited 04-22-2002).]

Again, DF found himself in the back of the group. They had welcomed him quickly, since they had heard of him before. But none really seemed to want to know much about him or any of his little quests. Upon walking around a bit, the group's path went into a forest in which a few others decided to set up camp to rest up a bit before entering. Without saying or accepting a word, DF walked on into a thick area of trees. The others stayed behind, puzzled by DF's continuation.

DF had had a bit of time to think things over and was now a bit more at peace with himself. Things before drove him to the brink of insanity and unstable was a mere understatement on how bad his mind got mixed up. Though becoming significantly weaker since re-entering Cythera, DF retained some of his normal power. DF drew his sword for a bit of practice before once again going into battle. Taking it into both hands, DF kicked up a bit of dirt as he started to swing his sword around. The trees in the mini-clearing formed a nice hexagon around him with trees, allowing him to practice his attack stance when surrounded. He leapt back and backthrusted his sword into the tree directly behind him, stabbing the sword completely through the rough bark with a distinctive 'shing' sound. A slight tug and a few leaps later, he hit 3 other trees with opposing slashes. Violently swinging his sword around like he would never do in a friendly duel, he ripped his sword left and right with whoosh sounds through the bark of 4 other trees, leaving the tan line on the inside from the fresh wood just exposed. After 30 minutes of this, DF was sweating but going full pace, jumping back and forth, left and right, up and down, slashing the trees with impunity. The chips and slashes became frequent and very apparent as DF slashed each one quite a few times. In one final burst, DF leapt high into the air and fell down onto a tree, holding his sword diagonally down from him, cutting the tree from the top to the ground, effectively splitting it and felling it all at once. After doing this, DF realligned the tree on the ground so that it seemed like a normal tree, just on the ground. Then, DF practiced his downward slashes by cutting chunks off the end. After doing this, DF gathered all the pieces, and put half of them into a bag that he had begun to carry with him when he was accepted into this adventure. Then, almost as if he planned it, a wolf walked into the clearing and its pack close behind. It almost seemed as if they were around to investigate the sounds DF had caused over the past half hour. DF slowly stood as the wolves started to growl and bay at him. They began to surround him but DF didnt begin to fear them. He walked straight up at the alpha and suddenly, the two from his left and right flank rushed him. A quick left backslash and a stiffarm silenced one and sent the other sprawling forward. Upon seeing this, the rest rushed DF with their fierce teeth and claws. DF leapt high into the air and saw them as they swarmed the spot he so recently occupied and waited for him to come back down.
DF smirked, most enemies would think to do this, but to also protect aganst a downslash. DF wasnt like most people though, and cast a dark spell to send himself spinning down, he held his sword out as his quick spinning sprawl sent him towards the pack of wolves.
Only a second too late did the wolves realize what was going to happen and DF was upon them immediately, killing 4 wolves during his descent and rolling upon ground impact away from the rest. The remaining four wolves seemed to wise up a bit at this point and leapt at DF again, forcing him to take a lower stance. DF took his stance and stabbed up on the lead wolf and swung the sword to throw the now dead wolf at its comrads, knocking two back. The fourth struck him and knocked him over as it slashed at his armored torso and bit his armored shoulder. The other two wolves regained their balance and leapt at the more lightly protected arms and legs. DF thought quick and rolled onto the one attacking his torso, effectively smashing it underneath his weight and immobilizing its legs. Then, DF leapt up again, flinging the other 2 wolves off him, then DF fell back down with his sword pointed directly down to the middle of the wolf lying there trying to right itself. The wolf didnt have the slightest chance to avoid it and the tainted blue sword stabbed down through its body, killing it immediately. The other two wolves finally figured out that DF was not worth attacking again, since hed kill them if they did so. They ran off as fast as they could. DF looked around his body and found a few slashes on his legs and arms but nothing serious. DF then drew his sword out of the dead wolf and split it, cutting it up for meat. He did so with the other dead wolves and put those into his bag. After this, DF then headed back to the rest spot, about an hour and a half after he left.
Upon arriving, DF set up a fire and invited the others to eat with him.

------------------
"What were those czarzs thinking when they glue all these diamonds onto the world's ugliest hat?"

[This message has been edited by Desert Fox (edited 04-24-2002).]

As he came back to the group, Martel approached DF. "I saw you back there in the clearing." Martel said slowly. When DF nodded, Martel went on. "You are a very good swordsman." DF smiled. "Thanks. It's been a long time since somebody told me that." Martel smiled too. "Would you mind teaching me some of those techniques?" Martel pleaded. "Sure, since you were so nice." Martel grinned at this. "Ok! Then I'll see you later, DF." Desert Fox looked after him as he left. "See you later, Martel."

*I know it's short, but it's something. *

------------------
Once upon a time. The End. "I'm a real nowhere man, sitting in my nowhere land..."
-Modification on The Beatles song
The Shadow is coming to Nova...

As the group waited outside the forest for somebody to take control, the various people split into smaller groups to specify on certain things. The more powerful mages got together and we casting tricks to amuse and enlighten one another. Others read scrolls, played games, had idle banter. The food DF had gathered was cooking well and everyone seemed all the merrier for it.

DF had pulled Martel aside during these festivities and led him to the same clearing he was in earlier. Though not as clean as before, with blood streaks and wood chips all over the place, it was still the same size and retained that hexagonal appearance, though one of the main legs of the hexagon was ripped up. DF decided to help Martel out a little, since their fates were somewhat intertwined with one another for this adventure.

"First thing's first" DF started, in a friendly manner "I need to see your stance. From the stance comes the power and grace that you will use in combat"
"Ok" Martel replied as he took his most common stance, the dueling stance, and faced DF.
"This is a start" DF said as he looked over Martel "Your stance is based on one on one combat. Rarely do you see that but we will work on it from here" DF taught as he circled around "First thing you need to do here is give yourself a wider stance and open your arms more...."

After a good 15 mintes, Martel's stance was drastically different. Instead of being able to face at one point and a small area around it, he was now able to fixate on anything in front of him. DF had given a couple good reasons why this was important in battle, such as it gives you more visibility of your surroundings. It is easier to see an attack and avoid it, but its not as well guarded against attack. It also opens up your body for attacking. After rattling off several pros and cons of the new position Martel now held, DF suddenly stopped.

"Looks like you need a bit more convincing than just idle talk here" DF smirked as he drew his sword "I could use a sparring partner, most wolves dont block"
"Uhh, I thought youd train me with the sword" Martel stammered as he thought of the prospect of fighting DF
"Dont worry, this is more of a test for me to see how good you are and train you accordingly" DF stated as he slowly advanced "Just use the increase in mobility the new stance gives you, it will serve you well"

At first, it was noticable that DF was scaling down his abilities. His attacks were slow and deliberate and allowed a lot of leeway for Martel to see, block, and counterattack. After a good 6 minutes of attacking like this, DF turned up the pace quite a bit. Martel was doing a little less counterattacking and looking and doing a heck of a lot more blocking. Several minutes later, Martel was starting to catch up and throw a counter in to throw DF off a bit. A few minutes after this, DF went even faster. Martel did his best, but he could not keep up. The slashes came too quickly for him to block them all, though he did block some which rose DF's eyebrow a bit. DF was not just straight out attacking anymore, he was hopping around, making Martel guess where his next strike would come from. His speed and ability allowed him to jump around and defend against the many tricky attacks DF was trying to pull and soon after, Martel was finding little trails of blood from where DF nicked him with the sword. Martel was starting to find this a bit fun. The random tricks were going by so fast that it was amazing that he was keeping up. After 12 minutes of this, DF stopped. Both men were sweating, and Martel was wiping some blood off the last slice across his arm.

"You are more advanced than you think" DF started "You should work more out of that stance, helps to improve reaction time and overall speed" DF continued, remembering how his fellow adventurer Rogan was very much the master of speed with swords "Also, you probably noticed that your couters threw me off a bit" DF noted, as he looked at Martel again "Had you timed them better to be in what seemed to be a complex manuever, you might have been able to press an advantage such as that. Your blocking is quite good, you must have been training somewhere"
"Just common fights with my brother and the occasional excursion I take out into forests and such" Martel sheepishly replied
"well, Ill teach you some of my attacks" DF piped up a bit, showing a bit more enthusiasm "You might want to practice these too"


For the next 45 mins, DF went through the basics of several of his techniques. He told Martel that they all should come from that stance. He also told Martel when it was best to use them. He taught how to block high with his sword and hold the block, allowing him to close in and get a good punch in. He taught his double sword slash, lending Martel his sword for the time being. Martel quickly took to liking this one and whenever DF would give him another exercise, hed do this immediately thereafter, so to hone his own skill in it and possibly become good at it. Also, another of DF's moves given to Martel was the foot-up slash. It was a variation of the foot sweep but instead of just sweeping the feet out, youd stab full force into the foot, and then pull to the side, causing an almost disabling pain.

After all this, DF and Martel came back and saw that the group had started to come in close to one another. They had decided to spent the rest of the day there and so they didnt overly miss DF and Martel much. DF then grabbed a finished cooked piece of meat and sat down to eat and talk with Martel and a few others that came by to see what theyd been up to.

------------------
"What were those czarzs thinking when they glued all these diamonds onto the world's ugliest hat?"

Twenty feet or so from camp, Razmalak shivered. He wished he could risk getting closer to the fire. He also wished that he had something to eat. But most of all he wished that he hadn't been jumped upon by two wounded, but very annoyed, wolf-lizards. (OOC: I'm assuming that they were wolf-lizards, this being Cythera and all.)(IC His ankle still hurt where he had been bitten whilst he was scrambling up a nearby tree...

___

Az

------------------
___
If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit...

The various members of the group were awake and quite loud well into the night. The cool breeze and the seemingly brighter fire let them all know it was getting quite late and one by one, each and every one of them fell into a deep sleep. It was this way until very late at night and there were only two left, Martel and DF. The various stories bounced around had astonished DF. The fights against vile beings much worse than the demon lords he faced came bouncing out just as fast as his insignificant battles against those lords. They were tough little stepping stones in his earlier accomplishments. As the night started to fall, and the people started to go to sleep, DF started telling the bloody battle against Dethelon and the many other beasts seen before. The Cerebrus and the Hydra were mere tales in their minds, though DF claimed them to be true. The Hydra didnt seem to act like a normal Hydra, pulling him down into the earth was not much of a tactic, it more limited it then him. He told it with extreme realism that, despite the absurdity of the idea, they actually believed it true. His long battle against Dethelon fascinated the few that were awake by the time he got to it, so much so that it didnt even seem like they were breathing, much less talking. The few physical attacks and extreme magic expelled were just the beginning but the tragic end of both DF and Dethelon shocked them. It didnt make much sense immediately. DF dying and Dethelon trying to take the force behind him, how could that be? DF had to explain what happened a few times before they finally understood and it seemed as if they moved a bit away from him. The idea was still appalling, though it was the only one that could be done. There were a few random ideas flowing out afterwards but not much from anyone, they all seemed to fall asleep.
As it was reaching time that DF and Martel were getting tired themselves, Martel popped a couple questions in.
"Are you sure about the dragons coming into Cythera? I heard you say something about the large Ice and Lightning dragons being transported into Cythera" Martel asked, a little bit worried at the idea
"Yes, I saw it. They dont seem to be much of a threat, but they should be taken care of, and soon if people dont want to worry much about them" DF answered with the calm demeanor he had developed since coming back
"Oh, and, why did you go to that other place at all?" Martel asked again curiously "Its kind of odd that you and several others were just there, no rhyme or reason"
"We read a scroll, stating something about a godly treasure and we followed it" DF started "A few people left midway, and a few that had been pulverized had come back at the end"
"Then, what happened to the godly treasure you quested to obtain" Martel asked, not giving DF enough time to fully answer the first part
"Calm down a bit" DF chastisized Martel a bit on his impatience "You should let me finish my answer before you go off asking more questions"
DF then pulled out a broken amulet from underneath his armor
"This is what I got" DF told him " its the amulet of self-control"
"Ive heard a story once about it. Why did you get it and why does it seem to be broken?" Martel asked, his curiosity piqued a bit
"Back then I had a bit of trouble keeping my powers in check. The people around me would die due to flaws in my magic. This amulet was a unique find, only told about in legends, and I obtained it to help myself" DF answered, seeming quite pleased that someone should ask him
"The amulet appears broken because it is" DF started, nonverbally letting Martel know hed be talking a bit "Back after the battles in that realm, I trained alone with the amulet guiding my actions and keeping my powers in check. Soon after I realized that I had grown accustomed to it and I was restraining myself more. Before I could give it up to another who might need it, I fought a shadow fiend in my small den, before the incidents at Pynx, and before I destroyed it, It shattered the amulet. Odd thing is, it shattered it into 7 pieces and stated that the amulet would reunite when the warriors that would unite and travel back to fight the dark emporer again came together. Since then, ive kept these 6 pieces in a bag and the final piece around my neck. One day, itll all come back"
His questions answered, Martel sat back a bit and realized how tired he was. He looked over at DF and saw him start to get comfortable for a little sleep. Then he saw DF sit up again, a little bit more aware
"Whats wrong, DF?" Martel asked, a bit alarmed that DF would get to attention so quickly.
"One of us needs to take guard for the night" DF answered quickly "I nominate myself, I accept, problem solved"
"Oh, ok, gnight" and with that Martel fell to the ground and slept
Before he went back into his own memories and ideas, DF took some firewood and animal meat and carried it a bit off to the weary traveler that was following them. He brought it out just far enough so that person would know its for him, but also that DF wouldnt go against him at this point. DF was wary of someone else abound, but couldnt find solid proof so he put that under his inflated paranoia.

----------

Raz knew hed been caught somehow. This stranger who wasnt there the night before brought out some items within his sightline and then turned and left back to the campsite. He hadnt said anything so perhaps he was the only one who assumed. Raz was about to leave the items there on the ground, to try and stave off any thought that there was somebody following them when his stomach growled and he shivered again.
"Ill indulge myself this once" Raz said to himself, confidently "He could think im some other group or person, just hunting or camping out and is giving off some spares" he rationalized "He wont expect me to continue following"

----------

DF thought back to the days behind him. The seemingly unending power granted to him by the power spot of shadow. He remembered slicing down the wall sealed up by the dark emporer. He remembered all of this as if it were yesterday. He remembered the pure insanity he went through trying to rid his thoughts of Dethelon's twisted being. Dethelon had only been a spark to rekindle him, he now was himself and himself only. At first, Dethelon's thoughs pervaded even the most protected of his own. He saw through Dethelon's eyes before and after it was twisted, he had seen the events that led to his fall from grace. It wasnt pretty. DF reminiced about this all night long, until the fire burnt out and the others started to stir.

------------------
"What were those czarzs thinking when they glued all these diamonds onto the world's ugliest hat?"

Cairlinn eventually raised her eyes to meet the Scribe's; there was a deep sadness about them, something that surprised the elf greatly.

"Cairlinn? What's wrong?"

"Even here, in the enchanted realm, we have noticed the effects of this 'anti-magic', as you call it," she responded. "Strange things have been happening, but I did not see the connection, until you told me of this phenomenon."

"What kind of things?"

"Creatures from the enchanted realm have been disappearing, when they venture out into the mundane realm. No Phaeries yet, thank goodness; but some of the less powerful among the Phae - brownies were the first, then gryphons; even a wyvern. I do not know when this began, we do not mark time as you do; but it was while Shi'nayne was with us again, after her first sojourn among the mortals, and before she left us again."

"Couldn't you be more specific?"

Cairlinn began to shake her head, then a thought came to her, and her face brightened. "Yes, there might be a way! You may perhaps be aware that many of the mortals the roam your realm of 'Cythera' are endowed with magical abilities?" The Scribe nodded, patiently allowing Cairlinn to belabour the obvious. "What you may not know," she continued, "is that each such person has a presence here, in this realm. The strength of their presence depends on the degree of their native power. You yourself have a very strong presence; that is why you can be here at all."

The Scribe nodded, eyes wide in astonishment. This was something he'd never suspected. "Then the Phae can sense this 'presence'?"

"Yes, and also how each interacts with the others. Some are quite distinctive; the elementals, for instance, are quite different from a human or elf. We see these fragments of your souls like colours, feel them like a breath of wind. Most are of a single colour, denoting the type of power they wield, or the type of person they are. Your colour is white, a colour of goodness, so I knew you would be a friend. There are a handful we find quite intriguing; they're like viewing rainbows. Their power seems to come from many sources. One such rainbow recently became entwined with another soul, one of pale blue, like ice, and warm gold, both streaked with silver. We watch with interest to see what will come of that."

The Scribe was becoming impatient; Cairlinn seemed to be drifting off topic. He was about to say something, when she held up her tiny hand to forestall him.

"This entwining happened after the disappearances began; perhaps this helps you understand how it relates to your concept of 'time'?"

He thought hard for a few moments. This talk of rainbow souls sounded interesting, but he couldn't make any sense of it at all. Sadly, he shook his head.

Cairlinn thought hard again. "There is perhaps something else: once a great many souls moved."

The Scribe was once again confused. "You mean, they went from one place to another?"

"No; their physical location would have no influence here. It was like many people suddenly turned around, changed their alignment, somehow." She looked hopefully at the Scribe, eyes pleading with him to understand - and at last, he thought he did.

"The Sorcery Tower," he exclaimed. "It was set up to study magic, to combat the magic of Pnyx; but they abandoned their purpose, and joined Pnyx, instead!"

Cairlinn clapped her hands delightedly. "Yes, that's it! That's what it would be like!" She grew solemn again, as she returned to the real problem. "It was about that time that the disappearances began."

The Scribe nodded slowly. "The tower again," he muttered. "It all seems to come back to that. Something, some balance, must have been disturbed - unless it was that creature..."

"Cairlinn!"

Both the Phaerie and the elf looked up in surprise at the interruption. An almost frantic looking Phaerie flashed up to them, and grasped Cairlinn by the hands.

"The children, the children!" the frantic girl cried.

"Calm down, Rhia - what happened?"

"They - they were playing out near the edge of the realm, just past the boundary. I was watching out for them, I swear - they - they just vanished!" the distressed Rhia broke down and wept on Cairlinn's shoulder. The elder Phaerie looked up at the Scribe, wide eyed; she didn't look much calmer than Rhia did.

"Sil, my friend, you must help us; you must stop this thing! The Phae cannot survive without magic, it's our lifeblood!"

He nodded solemnly. "I'll do everything I can, as will my friends." He gazed wistfully at the ancient elven city. "I wish I'd had more time here, but I must go."

Cairlinn nodded, smiling gratefully. "You'll return - often, I hope."

He smiled at the thought. "Only if we succeed. Please send me to Bri'anna; I have much to discuss with her and the others, before I return to my research."

-------

Trinias awoke just after midnight, his usual time to take watch; even though nothing had been decided formally, his internal clock assumed it was life as usual. Desert Fox nodded to him as he joined him by the fire, and passed him a mug of coffee.

"Quiet watch?" Trinias enquired.

"Pretty much. I left some food and firewood for the guy that's been following us - you do know there's someone following us, right?"

Trinias nodded. "I'm just itching to know what he's up to, but I don't want to push him into revealing anything before he's ready. Still, we should reach the coast near the island early tomorrow; it'll be interesting to see how he manages to cross over." He frowned thoughtfully. "Come to that, it'll be interesting to see how we cross over. Maybe we should have come by boat, after all."

"Don't worry; there's no use planning too far ahead. We'll find what we'll find once we get there, that's all."

Trinias nodded. "Thanks, DF."

"Good advice." They both jumped at the voice, as Brianna stepped silently into the light of the fire and helped herself to some coffee.

"Elves!" Desert Fox grunted disdainfully, but he was smiling.

The light from the fire suddenly paled against a bright green glow that appeared before them; when it faded, the Scribe was with them.

"Ah, I'm glad to find you awake, granddaughter - and the two of you as well. I have news to discuss with you."

Trinias and Desert Fox exchanged glances, then listened attentively as the Scribe began his tale.

-------

The grey light of dawn was upon them before the Scribe finished, and they'd been joined by a few of the others through the night - the first of whom had been Sya, whose awareness training seemed to be bearing fruit.

Once he'd told them everything he knew, the Scribe teleported directly to the Sorcery Tower. He was convinced there must be something to discover there that could hold the key to unravelling the mystery.

It was a far grimmer group that packed up their camp for the final leg of their journey to the island. The knowledge that lives may well have been lost to the phenomenon - even if they were Phae - brought home the seriousness of the situation. Those that had looked upon the adventure as simply a bit of fun thought so no longer. They couldn't afford to fail.

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

[This message has been edited by Overmind (edited 04-27-2002).]

As Brink trudged forward, he thought of what had happened just a few days before the quest that started…
***
He had been at Land King Hall, for a private dinner with Alaric. As dinner finished, Alaric face grew concerned.
“Brink, in a little bit, I think you’ll find an offer come up to go on a new quest. I urge you not to except” Alaric’s voice was troubled.
“And why not? I am not bound to Cythera like you, nor do I have anything to fear for in my absence, save my business, which will be well taken care of .” replied Brink
Alaric’s tone grew even more serious and pressing.”This quest may be far more difficult then you think. I doubt that all will come back.”
“Hah, is that not a risk we must take? Must we hide our heads in fear? Perhaps you have lived too long in this castle of yours, Alaric! Have you forgotten how it feels to do more then to sit about and do nothing! Your mind is weak old man! When I left you I was, but a learner. Now I am the master!
“Only the master of evil, Darth.”
“Werd!”
“Narf!”
“Lol!”
“Ugh, don’t know what over came me for a second there, Alaric. Can’t remember the last few seconds…”
“Me either. Right, back to questing.”
“I shall go, Alaric, for I have no reason not to, save your intuition.”
“I feared as much. Still, here are two rings. They will help you on your journey.”
“Thank you”
***
There the meeting had ended, and Brink headed back to his own home, pondering what Alaric could have meant by the quest being more difficult…

------------------
Life is not but a chatroom

As she walked, Sya was thinking to herself. Thinking about their quest, about Pnyx, about where they were going...she'd really been hoping that something interesting would happen, but not much had. Well- those men, Desert Fox and Martel, had joined their group, and at least they were going somewhere now.

Sya cocked her head and looked at DF. She had sensed something odd about him, but she couldn't place it. Mysterious was the only word for it.

She hurried up to the front of the group, where DF was walking. She turned to him, smiling.
"Hi!"

He looked at her, slightly surprised. "Hello."

"So you're Desert Fox? I like your name- is it your real name?"

"Uh-"

"Well, maybe it is, maybe it's not. I like foxes. Where are you from?"

Desert Fox looked at Sya, wondering how to answer that. Fortunately, he was saved from answering, because Sya began speaking again.

"I'm from Catamarca, it's very nice there, you know. But I've been staying in Cademia recently."

"You like to talk, don't you?"

"Oh, yes, I love to talk, but you're one of the few people who has ever listened."

DF frowned. "And why are you in such a good mood? Aren't you at all worried about the quest?"

"Worried? Yes, of course I am. Actually-" Sya lowered her voice- "actually, I'm rather scared about it. I've only been on one quest before, to the Sorcery Tower." She raised her voice back to normal. "It was quite fun, though! I was nervous earlier, see, when the Scribe was here, but it doesn't pay to stay in a bad mood. I like being happy."

"At least some people can be," DF muttered. Sya almost caught what he said, but not quite.

"Well, ok, I'm going to go talk to Trinias now. I want to ask him some stuff. Bye!"

*

Indigo watched as Sya dropped back to talk to Trinias. He sighed. Couldn't she take anything seriously?

Although...he wouldn't really mind if she came to talk to him. However, Sya had been mostly ignoring him since he teased her about not liking boats.

Indigo frowned and absently twirled a throwing star. He wondered when he'd have a chance to use them. Soon, hopefully. And how on earth were they going to get across the water?

He himself was rather worried about this quest. It sounded awfully dangerous- but it would certainly be an adventure, he was sure of that!

Sighing again, Indigo went to talk to Martel. He needed a distraction.

------------------
Some people say I have too much time on my hands. I say their hands aren't big enough.

Razmalak knew the game was up. The party knew they were being followed and Raz could only tail them for so long. He needed a change of plan. Thinking for almost ten minutes, Razmalak began to formulate a scheme to get closer to the heros.
Razmalak watched the party come across a standing stone at the side of the road. Squinting, Raz could just about make out runes carved into the solid grantie face. Several members of the party seemed keen on stopping to examine these runes. This was just what Razmalak wanted. He reached into his robe and pulled out an essential tool for the budding evil sorcerer- "Kasgar's pockete disguise kit". From this he took a long white fake beard and a pair of dark glasses. Hooking the glasses behind his ears, hunching his back and pulling his black hood over much of his face, Razmalak looking surprisingly convicingly like a student dressed up as an old man. Glancing quickly at the party, Razmalak made off at a fair attempt at a run through the undergrowth, giving the party a wide birth. His plan was to hobble about around the next corner, pretending to be an old blind man.
As plans go it was a fairly good one; the party would take him into their confidence, and Razmalak could make up some wise sounding mumblings and pretend to aid the party.
It was, however, foiled by a slight lack of planning on Razmalak's part. Had he read the Runes on the monolith (which would have required him not having bunked off all the Rune Reading classes at the Achademy), he would have realised the flaw in his scheme. In fact, he probably wouldn't have blundered straight into the swamp...

Az

------------------
___
If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit...

Az, you have a genius for the comic! I always get a huge laugh out of your posts.

Anyway, I would have posted a response, but I was more in the mood to work on my new chronicle tonight (which I'm sure will make Slayer happy. )

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

DF found himself, somehow, at the front of the group and was kinda in a good mood because of it. This past day his fellow questers had found out all that they needed to know. They had finally accepted him as part of the group which made him feel a lot more welcome into Cythera as well. His time away had again separated him from the world, taking away any chance to repatch everything with everyone. The meeting from Sya had offset his grim mood and he felt a little cheer as he trudged along now. After a bit of idle banter, DF had found Brink to be an excellent prankster, though he always fought to suppress it, and they set on making a little mischeif as everyone trudged along. With assistance from DF's power, as Brink walked along he made a spot directly in Indigo's path . After a few seconds, Indigo stepped on it and was enveloped in an earthy spell which dragged him into the ground, yelping at the sudden shock of it all. A few seconds later he was shot up into the air and sent sprawling several feet forward into a big mud pile, which was also created by the earthly magic of Brink.

After standing up and wiping the mud from his body, Indigo suddenly realized that both Brink and DF had fallen to the ground laughing.

"Did you....see the...ll...look...on his face?" DF asked, his question skewed by the laughter pulsating through his body
"And....the way his.....body sprawled out everywhere...." Brink gasped in air between breaths, trying to regain his composure.

Indigo was not overly happy with this, as you could imagine, and decided to do something about it. While brushing off the mud, he got an idea.

Indigo decided that since he wasnt as keen at magic, he would use his skills. With almost blinding speed, he sped to the two laughing allies and depants them right out in the open, before they could do anything to block it.

DF amd Brink were awestruck. They hadnt been paying attention and now they were supremely embarrassed. While peals of laughter erupted from the group, DF and Brink gathered their pants up and each got a spare belt.
"Oooh, sneaky one" DF said with a faint smirk
Indigo just smiled
"Ill get you back" DF said with a little venom in his voice
"And Ill be waiting" Indigo responded

The group then continued on their journey.

------------------
"What were those czarzs thinking when they glued all these diamonds onto the world's ugliest hat?"

[This message has been edited by Desert Fox (edited 05-01-2002).]

What the pranksters had failed to notice, was that three of their friends were missing.

The two members of the party with elven blood both possessed a far keener sense of hearing then the others, in spite of Sya's inexperience; the faint splash that had been barely noticeable to the others told them a considerable story.

Trinias was watching the fun enviously, but matters were weighing far too heavily on him to allow him to enter into the spirit of things. He started in surprise when Brianna grasped him lightly by the arm; he turned, noticing Sya nearby, staring fixedly toward the southeast. Brianna gestured in the same direction. "Someone's in trouble out there; I think it might be our 'shadow'."

"Out past the swamp marker," Trinias mused, "right where we'd have been if we hadn't turned aside. All right, let's investigate."

It didn't take them long to reach the spot; before long, even Trinias' ears could hear the sound of someone floundering about in the slimy mud. They emerged from the jungle right at the edge of the swamp, and immediately beheld the source of the disturbance.

Trinias didn't laugh; but it was a close run thing. Sya couldn't quite manage the same level of restraint, and fell into a fit of giggling. Brianna arched an eyebrow in her direction then, being quite practical, cut a long branch and held it out to the soggy apparition. Trinias, biting his lip to control himself, took a hold and helped her pull the man out of the clinging bog.

"Aherm, thank you very much," Razmalak said, in a voice obviously much deeper than his natural timbre. "I was just out for a walk, minding my own business, when this swamp jumped out and grabbed me! I don't know what the world is coming to,
when an old man can't even go for a walk in safety..."

Trinias refrained from commenting that the nearest town was over a day's brisk walk away, and that the last time he checked, swamps weren't actually capable of 'grabbing' anyone.

"Hello, I'm Trinias, and this is Brianna and Sya. We're on a quest, heading southwest; care to come along?"

Razmalak, who'd been trying to think how he could convince them to take him with them, was caught completely off guard by Trinias' offer. He spluttered for a moment, trying to think what he could say.

"Aherm, yes, well... all right."

Trinias nodded, and they began heading back to the group. "By the way," Brianna whispered in Razmalak's ear, "you might want to fix the other half of your beard!"


------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

Razmalak trailed along at the back of the party. He was feeling worse than stupid, and this wasn't helped much by seeing Sya turn around every five minutes and giggle.
His disguise was now about as see-through as his alibi but he couldn't decide whether he should take it off now or at least keep up the pretense for a little longer, if only to himself.
Even Alfie, his pet rat-lizard and erstwhile companion, had abandoned him and was now perched on the shoulder of Trinias and seemed to be enjoying the ride.
He was wet, embarresed and stinking of swamp-mud.
It's times like these, he thought to himself, when you've got to concider the positive points.
Ok, One: I've joined up with the party I've been trailing halfway across the kingdom. The party made up of some of the best known heros in the kingdom, that is even now on a journey into unknown perils and will surely be facing many dangers along the way...
Not much of a plus point there then.
And two... nope, can't think of a two.
Oh damn, I'm in this waaaay over my head...
___
Az

------------------
___
If you like a lot of chocolate on your web-board...

OOC: It's now the following monday- 1 post. It's also my birthday, so I'm going to permit myself a smiley. :-D

Az

------------------
___
If you like a lot of chocolate on your web-board...

[This message has been edited by Aben Zin (edited 05-13-2002).]

*Ok, two itty bitty little notes...
1. Martel and Larc are Elves. Please take care to remember that in posts such as the one where the other Elves go talk to Ramalazak (sp?) Ok?
2. Being extremely busy lately due to commitments, I will be posting irregularly and they will probably be short.
Other than that, here I go!*
Martel was having a great time with DF's little training sessions. He was really being accepted, or so he thought, which is probably true. However, until now he had failed to notice that Larc had been missing for a couple days. He was starting to feel worried. When they had stopped for a little bit, he shouted "Has anyone seen Larc?" However, "No." was the basic answer from everyone. "Where could Larc have gone?" he mumbled to himself. His stupid little brother. That night, late, just when he was about to take his watch, he went to DF. "Hey." Martel said. "It's my turn." DF was silent and frowning. "You know about how you asked about Larc today?" Martel looked worried now. "Yes..." DF was still frowning. "Is he exactly a good fighter, I mean like, if he got lost?" Martel replied "Well, he's good with a bow, but with a sword, a rock could do better." DF chuckled. "Oh dear. Well, I just hope he's safe. So Martel," Just then, there was a loud snapping of twigs and branches. "Move, move, move, move, MOVE!" A slightly battered Larc was dashig towards the camp. By now, the whole company was there, weapons drawn. Larc ran head on into Trinias, but Larc just screamed "MOVE IT BUDDY!" After Sya whacked him a couple times over the head with her quarterstaff, he was sensible enough to say "I was ahead a bit and there's this THING following me and I DON'T want to be in its path!" Immediately he leaped over them and ran up and into a tree.

*Ok, that was bad, but it's something!*

------------------
Once upon a time. The End. "I'm a real nowhere man, sitting in my nowhere land..."
-Modification on The Beatles song
The Shadow is coming to Nova...

Quote

Oops, my mistake! I completely overlooked that, sorry!

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

Razmalak noticed with some surprise the commotion at the head of the party, but the first indication of danger he got consisted of Alfie, who had been perched on the shoulder of Trinias, scampered toward him at high speed and shinned up his trouserleg (not a pleasant experience- ratlizard claws are sharp). He lay curled up quivering in Razmalak's breast pocket. This worried Razmalak more than slightly- Alfie had survived several years in the Dark Academy (with all the horror that entailed- think Hogwarts but evil), and nothing much phased him. The next indication of danger was a bit easier to gauge- a long, low growl came from the bushes ahead of the party. It was beastial in nature, but with a edge to it that made it sound almost human. In fact, it reminded him of one of his old Dark Masters.
"Oh crap," he muttered. If he was found associating with Heros the Academy would have to devote several hours to planning his slow and painful death.
Around him the party were drawing their weapons or preparing spells. After a swift tactical assesment, Razmalak reasoned that it would be better on all acounts if he stayed out of this fight- after all, he would only get in the way. Instead he made for the nearest tree. To his surprise this turned out to be occupied by a frighteded looking Elf.
"Get you own tree!" Larc hissed, dislodging Razmalak with a well placed foot.
Razmalak picked himself up and swore silently as the beast stepped onto the path...

___

Az

------------------
___
Some nights I still sleep on the beach...

The group was shocked beyond imagine when an ordinary looking troll walked forward on the path. Not too often were troll seen in this area, but never had they seem a troll so bold as to walk along a path where enemies would be. They tended to be more of forest dwellers, and mean ones at that. From his tree, Larc, took out his bow and arrows and readied his shot, knowing what would happen when he did this. He needed some way of warning the group.

Everyone started to calm down and become cocky once they saw this menace. But when Larc's arrow went at it and was deflected perfectly back to him, they knew something was odd about this one.

Fortunantly for Larc, he had prepared for his attack to fail and a sinister counter to come. He ducked down and inverted on the branch he was clutching, hugging it closer as to keep from falling down to the ground. The arrow passed where he previously was, illiciting a sigh from him, but before he could react, a string of lightining cast from the troll electrocuted him and sent him sprawling to the ground.

The attack on Larc set Martel's blood boiling, and he fiercly charged the troll. The swiftness of the elf astonished those assembled as they regathered their wits and viewed the specticle. The troll drew a sword, but it shone a greenish hue and he held it back as Martel ran a blind charge at him. DF noticed something odd going on and pushed past the stunned assembly and rushed after Martel, intent on stopping him before....

Too late, Martel brought his sword up and leapt into the air, slashing down with such force that even DF wasnt prepared for the whoosh of air that accompanied it. The swiftness of the troll's defense came up just as fast and the clash of the swords could be heard for a couple kilometers around. The fight didnt end there as Martel still had anger to vent off at his enemy and he quickly flipped his sword for a blade upperslash designed to catch enemies off guard by its simplicity. The troll saw the sword beginning to come up and leapt back. When Martel's sword was completely in the air, the troll leapt back towards Martel with a simple stab set for Martel's midsection.

aww hell, not like this Martel's mind shrieked as he discovered he had no way of getting out of harms way. Just then, he was bashed aside by a low body check by DF who also leapt with his hands, intercepting the troll on its midsection and sent it sprawling into the air.

"Somebody, NOW" DF shouted as he prepared for the troll to land.

Brink had readily prepared and cast a spell from his spot which encased the troll in solid rock. DF saw the spell taking effect and cleared a landing. Then he awaited the troll to land...

The troll teleported, using magic of its own, to right behind DF and landed a stiff kick at the back of his head, stunning him and sending him sprawling to the ground. Martel regained his senses and ran up on the troll again, intending a high to low cross-slash to take the troll out. The troll pulled its sword back and awaited Martel. The clash of swords could be heard again, but it was accompanied by a slicing sound and a loud thud as the troll's sword sliced Martel's in half and he kicked Martel in the gut. Martel fell like a bag of bricks and the troll attempted a downward stab but was stopped by a flying jumpkick from Indigo, who finally came to his senses and sprinted to the fight. The troll was sent sprawling to the ground, separated from his sword, to where DF was getting up. DF quickly regained his mentality and cast an electrifying spell on his sword as he slashed downward, taking off one of the troll's arms and sending jolts of electricity through its body.

"Whoo, that was something else" DF said as he walked away from the twitching body of the troll "sorry I didnt get him right away, he was a bit more crafty then I thought."

"No problem at all, its a good thing you regained your wits faster then these guys did, otherwise id be gone" Martel said as he motioned to the group as it quickly closed on thier positions "But my sword is busted" Martel said, holding the broken sword up for everyone's inspection

"Why not take the troll's blade, he no longer has use for it" Indigo said as he hefted the sword off the ground "Its a bit heavier than yours was which is probably why it sliced right through yours"

"And it seems to be enchanted in one way or another so it may have more than one use" Sya chimed in, seeming a bit more cautious since they had just been attacked

'Hmm, maybe. But do you think its right?" Martel asked "I mean, taking his weapon is like stealing"

"He attacked us, which he had no need to do. We need all the items we can get and if a hostile person wants to lose his life at our feet, we should take what we need. Just take the sword and lets get on. I see the water up ahead" Brink said in responce to Martel's thoughts

"Well, it makes enough sense" Martel said as he took the sword from Indigo "And it would help me seeing as the troll destroyed mine" Martel thought a bit more and then exclaimed "Yes, it shall repay his debt to me for destroying my sword"

"thats good" Larc said as he approached the group, assisted by DF, who had just given him a healing potion "your moral issues with stuff is laughable sometimes"

"Hey" Martel exclaimed, a bit more jublient since his brother was doing fine thanks to DF "Lets get moving so we can finish this. It seems like weve been traveling forever"

"Thats just because after walking a bit you start to think" Larc responded, setting up a joke "and seeing as most of your thoughts released to us are annoying, that must mean the inside of your head must be screaming for you to shut up"

This illicited a chuckle from most the group but a small growl from Martel

"Its all good, lets get moving guys" DF said, as he started down the path. The rest of the group took his cue and followed.


------------------
"What were those czarzs thinking when they glued all these diamonds onto the world's ugliest hat?"

[This message has been edited by Desert Fox (edited 05-22-2002).]

After walking for about half a kilometer DF stopped, which stopped the rest of the group.

"Now why is it that Im following you all when it has been proven that I have no idea where I am going ever" DF asked, which got a small laugh "I mean, damn, I got lost in another realm in a different adventure and now your having me lead though I dont know where we are headed?" DF smiled as they suddenly realized what he meant. "Lets go, I dont prefer being out in front, since they are always blamed for getting others lost"

The group then continued on, DF back a few steps but still in with most the group.

------------------
"What were those czarzs thinking when they glued all these diamonds onto the world's ugliest hat?"