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

*** OoC ***
You know, just twelve hours ago, Moonshadow was saying this story needed a post from DesertFox right about now
*** BiC ***

The Scribe slipped his glasses from his nose and laid them carefully on the desk. He rubbed his eyes tiredly; he couldn't remember the last time he'd worked so hard on a research project.

He wouldn't have minded so much, except he simply wasn't getting anywhere. His persistent search had turned up a few interesting snippets that made mention of the countermeasure, but not one of them gave any clue as to what it was, or how it could be controlled, harnessed - or at need, destroyed.

He yawned tiredly, but shook himself awake. It wouldn't do to give up now, lives were at stake. Including that of his descendant, Bri'anna. He'd already given up too much for her sake to give up now.

"Perhaps a walk, to stir the blood," he said to himself. He picked up his staff, and wandered out into the passageway.

The Sorcery Tower was largely deserted, now. Most of the records had been removed to Pnyx, only a few mages remained with Doria, cataloging and packing up what was left. There'd been no sign of trouble from the creature that had been trapped below, so the mages had gradually relaxed their caution.

The passageway was long and unlit, so with a word, the Scribe called forth a white glow from the jewel on the top of his staff. He wandered along through many twists and turns, relying on his highly exercised memory to guide him back to the room he'd claimed as his study. He saw no-one about; the mages had long since finished clearing the areas he meandered through.

Musing deeply, he tried to make sense of what little information he'd garnered so far. That wasn't a lot. Eventually, he shook his head and sighed deeply. "It's no use. The Tyrant clearly went to a lot of trouble to keep the mages here in ignorance of his weapon, other than the fact of its existence. No matter how deeply I delve, the information simply isn't here."

"Perhaps I may be of some assistance?"

Startled, the Scribe stopped dead in his tracks and looked around quickly for the source of the voice. He saw a 'man' standing against the wall a few feet away, watching him - 'man', because the creature's features seemed to flow and alter before the Scribe's very eyes.

"Who -what are you?"

"My name is Duraylan; and I am an Undine."

---------

Trinias walked along in silence, frowning worriedly. When the troll had attacked he'd reacted quickly enough, but the effect the troll had had on Larc's arrow gave him (and fortunately Brianna and Sya) pause. That momentary hesitation had been enough for him to notice something else: the Opal Sting appeared sluggish. Its colours were still bright but duller than usual, and moving far more slowly than he was used to. He'd been prepared to attempt to create an explosion in the ground beneath the troll's feet if he'd had to, but with the current state of his bow, he wasn't at all sure the power was strong enough to work.

"Well, that's one question answered," he murmured quietly, "this anti-magic does affect elemental powers."

Brianna had been equally quick to pick up on Larc's warning, and had held her fire. Her bow was completely unmagical, so she'd quickly lowered it and stepped back out of harm's way. Shi had alighted on a branch near her, at eye level.

"I wonder what got him all worked up?" Shi asked, when it was all over. Brianna waited a few moments, before she realised that her normally talkative friend had actually finished speaking.

"I have no idea," she replied.

Shi hopped off the branch onto Brianna's shoulder. "Do you mind if I ride for a bit? I'm feeling a bit worn out."

"Not at all."

Some time later, Brianna stopped, and looked back with a strange expression.

"What is it?" Shi queried.

In reply, Brianna called out to Trinias. "Hey, wait up a minute - Grandfather's coming!"

Trinias walked back to join them. "Why didn't he just teleport right to us here?"

"You'd better ask him that."

Trinias nodded, and took the opportunity to sit down and rest.

---------

It was almost an hour later when the Scribe and a companion caught up with them. "I'm sorry to make you wait," he apologised, "but that was as close as my magic could get, with the current strength of the anti-magic field."

"Yes, we've noticed it's effects," Brianna replied, indicating Trinias' bow - whose colours were now very faded indeed.

"I couldn't find much more that was of use at the Tower; it seems they knew little about the threat other than that it existed. My companion here, Duraylan, has offered to aid us however he can. He's - "

"An Undine!" Trinias growled. The others were very surprised at his reaction; none of them could ever remember seeing him so angry before.

"Who are you? Have we met before?" Duraylan asked curiously.

"My name is Trinias," Trinias responded, staring at Duraylan intently.

"Trinias? I know of no-one by that name, except - incredible, have the seven returned to Cythera?" Duraylan asked excitedly.

Trinias nodded. "I am one of the 'seven', as you call us; we call ourselves the Ronin."

"I've heard the stories since I was a child! I never thought I'd ever actually meet one of you face to face! Please, I understand that you must find it difficult to trust me - but believe me in this: we are as threatened by this weapon as are all of you. You must have seen, Trinias - the elemental powers of your weapon are affected; and in the same way, so will my people be affected. We need to solve this problem as much as you, our paths in this cause are the same."

Trinias nodded begrudgingly. "I will admit, the threat appears as grave for you as for anyone else. I'll accept your help."

"Yes, yes, good, that's all settled," the Scribe interjected hastily. "Now, we'd better get moving, don't you think?"

A very short time later, they were standing on the coast, staring across the short distance of ocean to the island beyond - the end of their journey.

------------------
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 05-22-2002).]

For the first time in the journey, Razmalak felt happy. He had always loved the sea- the salt in the air, the roar of waves on the shore, the scream of the seabirds.
He had always wanted to go off to sea- to explore beyond the horizons of Cythera. Despite what his mother always told him he was always sure there were other countries out there- other places to go and other people to meet.
When he was six him mother sent him straight to the dark academy- Razmalak had never found out why- and stifled his dreams of sea exploration. Now it looked like he would finally be able to achive his ambition- albeit only to an outlying island.

Razmalak had another reason to feel at least slightly smug- all the heros (or near all) relied to some extent on magic- either through magic as a direct force or through magically enhanced weapons. They were all gradually being affected by the Anti-magic. The battle with the troll had proven that. But Razmalak had survived most of his life in an academy dedicated to the teaching of the darkest of magiks with the basic natural talent of a watervole. It may not have given him all that much of an education, but it had given him a pretty impressive survival instinct.

He stood staring at the island, lost in thought. The island represented the end of their journey- but who here knew what else they would find in their path?
Razmalak also had to wrestle with an internal conflict- where did his loyalties lie? Any part in the end of the Anti-magic would bring praise from his former masters, but aiding these heros would not earn him any awards from them. On the other hand, he was beginning to become attached to this party. Could he bring himself to betray them for his personal gain?

He bacame aware of Shi watching him from Brianna's shoulder. He figeted under her gaze.
"What's up Razmalak?" She piped,
"Looks like somethings bothering you,"
Razmalak smiled nervously under her gaze.
"It's just... all these heros; legends some of them, and here's me. I just..."
"Oh, you're just scared. The troll frightened me a little too!"
Razmalak grinned at her.
"Yeah, something like that."
"I'm going to talk to Trinias now. Bye Razmalak!"

Razmalak watched her go. Somehow the fairy, or possibly phaerie, always put him at ease.
He cleared his mind of the internal conflict and turned to the group. He cleared his throat.
"Uh... How are we actually going to get to this island anyway?"

Az

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

"Well..." Trinias began, hesitating as everyone turned to look at him expectantly. "I... have no idea."
Shi shook her head, sighing. "Anybody else got a useless comment?" She asked. Now it was her turn to be stared at, incredulous this time. "What?" She stared back defensively. "It *was* useless!"
"Yes, but... that's no reason to put it like that." Brianna said, frowning. The Phaerie had never yet actually been rude.
Shi bit her lip. "I'm sorry... but this... anti-magic... is making me feel uncomfortable."
Sya nodded. "You look quite pale, too."
"Indeed." The Scribe agreed, looking at Shi worriedly. Something that Cairlinn, or maybe Rhia, had said tugged at the back of his mind. "If you want to stay here..."
For a moment, Shi was tempted. She was feeling worn out, moody, and quite generally not like her usual self. Then she glanced at Duraylan. Seeing the Undine smirk slightly, she shook her head vehemently. "Never. You can't have *all* the fun!" She exclaimed, glaring at the water creature. She didn't like him, not at all.
"That's all very well..." Indigo interjected, "but it still doesn't solve our problem." He pointed at the ocean. "I told you all along that we should have gone by boat."
"It's not that far." Duraylan remarked. "Even you land creatures should be able to swim to the island."

------------------
Wer denken kann, ist klar im Vorteil.

DF noted something fairly interesting that the others had missed, the magic that pervaded his blade since the time it was struck was still within his sword. The magic that he had obtained in Avatara's realm also stayed within his sword. He thought a few things over as he watched the others look stunnedly at the magic fading from the bows.
well, either the magic within this sword is too powerful to take away, or the anti-magic isnt really able to take it away from swords DF finally concluded I must check on Martel's sword to confirm my suspicion

As they met up with the Undine and the scribe, they continued down the path to the water and DF suddenly realized he was slightly jealous, this being had somehow heard of the Ronin, which DF had not , and not heard about his exploits and comrads. guess he either doesnt know at all, or he doesnt care. Either way, im a bit relieved cause the questions hes asking would irk even an elf in a meditative state DF mused as he trudged behind the group

Several steps later DF realized something else I dont like swimming, water clings to everything of mine and makes me feel soggy, and soggy is not a fun state to be in DF thought over this a bit and started to look around, getting the attention of Martel

DF whispered to Martel "We need wood, lets go to those trees over there and cut them down"
"Not grind em to firewood, just cut" Martel questioned in a low voice with a slight smile
"Yea, something like that" DF responded, with an equal smile "By the way, let me see your new sword"

DF and Martel stopped, leaving the group to continue on their way to the water's edge, all clinging to the words of Trinias and his Ronin tales. Martel drew his sword and presented it to DF in its full green splendor.
"It radiates still, despite the anti-magic" DF mused as he looked over the sword and drew his own "And if im not mistaken, the swords are gleaming a bit brighter than usual"
"I think you are right on that account, but we dont have time to do anything to check, if im correct, we need to make a raft, and if we are gone too long, the group will get worried that we are missing" Martel finally responded, after several moments of thought, and started over to the trees
"Yes, you are correct, lets get to it." DF responded as he sheathed his sword and started on a brisk jog to the cluster of trees that were his and Martel's next target.

DF watched and instructed Martel as he drew his own sword. DF's knowledge about elves was limited but he knew their speed and hearing were unmatched by most the other races, which is why they mostly prefered bows because they could get a few shots off before an attack were to come. Even Martel had a reserve bow strapped to his back, but he only had a few arrows. With this knowledge, he instructed Martel how to use his speed and velocity to his advatage, overlapping the defecit in strength which seemed to be the only disadvantage elves usually had in battle. Dexterity was their usual focus, not strength which was usually that of a troll or a human. DF then told Martel how to do an initial run, using the speed as the brute point of the attack instead of strength.

Martel charged the tree at his full speed, which was at least twice what DF could manage. He held his blade low and out, diagnal to his legs with the blade held forward. His target was the second tree in a line of two, meaning hed have to slice throught the first and the second at the same time. He ran faster and faster as he approached, and brought the blade more to his side than to his rear as it had been. When he reached the trees, he thrust his arms forward and up, releasing his strength concurrently with the velocity he had achieved with the running, slicing easily through the first tree and the second before slowing. Martel kept running with his blade high at first, then dropped his sword and went on a full sprint when he looked over his shoulder and saw the tree come crashing down right at him.

WHOOOMP, Martel had barely made it past the tree but the branches were another matter, and they flattened him easily, though they did no damage to him whatsoever. Peals of hysterical laughter could be heard from the base of the tree, where DF had witnessed the entire show and couldnt contain the laughter when the situation became surreal. Martel took this in stride, picking pieces of sod and branch from the various tears in his clothing and hair, and also wiping clean the small wounds that were inflicted by the fall. After a few mins, DF finally came back under controll and started to talk with Martel.

"Having fun with the tree there? If you want we can line up a couple more and do it again." DF jibed at Martel, illiciting a smile on Martel's face
"Well, I wanted to test my speed, but I guess Im not as fast as I thought I was. I would like to see you try to best my mark, lets find a tree that tall..." Martel started as he looked around the small cluster of trees
"No, thats quite alright, Id probably just stand there and split the tree as it fell onto my head" DF responded with a smirk
"You must have on thick head then" Martel responded, with a smile knowing he got DF back
"ooh, you are learning wit quite nicely, time to step it up a bit I guess" DF said with a wide smile
"Anytime you are ready" Martel mirrored DF's smile
"Not now, we must continue our work, and a bit more of your training. The slice and run technique will only work once if your fighting, mainly because an enemy wont think you would be cowardly enough to run away and would be stunned and youd be too far away for him to get to again" DF said with a small smirk "But time to work on a downslash"

DF showed him several techniques at it but the general idea was the same, this was a move to work in limited space and with an enemy who really didnt have a good defense, as it was a great way of hitting someone who ducks or tries to back away. He showed a couple high to low slashes where Martel would bring his sword from above to the ground, or from above and left to the ground. He realized how this could be a deciding shot in battle, for either side. if they had a weapon, a simple thrust would stop me real quick Martel quickly decided. To help with the lesson, DF made slashes on the two felled trees and they seemed to be a couple lengths of him apart, about 4 of them on each tree.

"Now, this is the best attack also if there is somebody down and you are trying to finish them off, or if they are on a lower level" DF announced, booming his voice a little to make sure Martel was focused on him "Ill do one tree, you do the other, mimicking my attacks"

DF did the full variety of attacks, though there were only three, and tossed in a jump version where he circled round, spinning the blade around him, and did a cross-downslash to chop the last part.

"Now you" DF said with a smile

Martel did each one with the grace that could only come from an elf but when he got to the last one, he tried the same move which resulted in his sword being flung out in DF's direction, and him being unable to chop.
A simple clang was heard and then he heard a thud follow which meant his sword hit the ground. DF stood shaking his head
"You have a better grip than me, which leads me to believe that you want me dead, cause there would be no other reason to throwing your sword at my head" DF said with a small frown
"Was unintentional, you have had more practice and more control over that move than I have" Martel countered as he bent down to pick up his sword. DF took the opportunity to slice through Martel's belt and jogged to the part of the tree that wasnt cut throught.
"Ill get this last part, then we'll slice em in half and drag them back. Just as DF sliced the last part through, Martel stood back up and his pants dropped, allowing DF another few minutes of humor.
"Oh, so now cheap pranks are the next level of wit, eh?" Martel said, with an embarrasing red creeping into his cheeks.
"Couldnt resist" DF said with a wide grin
As Martel tied together the branches with some material he had left over from town, DF decided to slash through the wood himself. By the time Martel was done, DF was done too.
"Guess we have to drag these things with us somehow" Martel said as he looked down with a frown
"We have to tie them together so that its easy, thank me for swiping some rope from Trinias, he wont mind, at least I hope he wont" DF said as he pulled out some metal spikes and leather straps

About a half hour later, DF and Martel stood over their handiwork and smiled. The raft was sturdy, allowing for at least 7 people to sit while 3 people held on and paddled. It was dual layered, allowing it a bit more sturdyness than normal wooden rafts allowed, and it was masterfully done, with leather straps bounding each log that was near one another to one another. Finally they were all bound together and a rope was pulled through, allowing DF and Martel to tug it to the group. As they jogged briskly to the coast, Martel had a few burning questions.
"How did you know to bring so many leather straps and those pikes, if you dont mind my asking" Martel asked with wonder
"I thought that we might need them for a raft because wed be going over a bit of water" DF answered "So as soon as I got back from my embarassing tumble from the top of Pnyx, I found a small show and found these items"
"Ahh, thinking I see" Martel said as he jogged along "wanna go faster, theyll worry if we are gone too long"
"Yes, I was holding back a bit so we wouldnt run out of energy but we can go faster" DF said as he sped up

They continued running and dragging the raft behind them until they got to the water.

------
The group seemed a little on edge about their water problem when DF and Martel got there.
I told you all along we should have gone by boat" Indigo said as he pointed out to the water
"Its not that far" Duraylan responded "Even you land creatures should be able to swim to that island"
"Wait" remarked Sya "We are again missing some people"
As everyone looked around, they realized that indeed, 2 people were missing from the group
"DF is always running off, god, its a wonder he finds himself getting back so often" remarked Trinias with more than a few snickers coming from around the group
"Martel is off with him too" Larc added "He gets lost more often then he is found. I guess he found someone whos the same way"
The slight fog and darkness hid DF and Martel until they responded
"Or it could be that they were off doing a task which could help your ungrateful quest" Martel shouted, which brought the group's attention to DF and his direction
"Ahhh, great, this is a most pleasing event indeed" Razmalak finally piped up "Now we dont really need to swim"
"except for three of us" DF remarked "and the list for volunteers starts"
nobody responded
"Oh great, you bums" DF said with a slight smile "Lets get this started in the morning, hopefully youll all be up for a swim then"
The group mostly conceeded to the point, taking note at the looming darkness
Only two people stayed awake. The Undine, Duraylan, and the scribe were the only ones who didnt feel like rest. The scribe didnt trust Duraylan, and Duraylan didnt trust most of the people around him. This made for an interesting night, at least, interesting in the fact that it wasnt boring, by any standard to the scribe...


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

We were the first political party to advocate renaming the Washington Monument the Big Stone U.S. Penis and putting big, orange foam testicles at the bottom.

[This message has been edited by Desert Fox (edited 05-28-2002).]

Razmalak didn't exactly sleep well either. A dark presence lay just beyond his perceptions, casting a shadow upon his dreams. The twisted, laughing faces of friends and former tutors mocked and taunted him as he slept. All the while a formless black shape watched over him, unseen but somehow making it's presence felt.
He awoke with a start. His heart was pounding and his forehead beaded with sweat. He breathed the cool night air and looked around him.
The moon was high in the sky and the air was filled with the chirping of crickets and the distant howl of other night creatures.
Razmalak glanced around at the mostly sleeping party. The Scribe and the Undine were sat watching each other over the glowing embers of the campfire. Razmalak could feel the tension in the air between them- it was eminantly clear that neither could bring himself to trust the other.
Razmalak smiled to himself. After many years of hard study at the academy (he could, for instance, put together a pretty impressive database of all the local alchoholic beverages and where they could be purchased) where cunning, diabolical or just plain evil plans were hatched, Razmalak had developed quite a knack for spotting when people were plotting something. Neither the Scribe or the Undine had anything to fear if he was any judge- both looked to suspicious of the other to be planning something.
He got to his feet and turned to the scribe.
"I just got to go and... you know... go."
The scribe just nodded at him and turned his attention back to Duraylan.

Razmalak strolled off into the night air. He wandered about twentyfive metres from the camp into a cluster of trees and unzipped the folds of his robes (the zip, incedently, had been invented in the Academy for this very purpose. Sadly for the robe wearing students of Pnyx it hadn't yet made it outside of the Dark Academy). He stood for a moument in a state of mindlessness that usually occupies someone in his position. When he zipped up agian he noticed to his dismay that a thick fog had blown in from the sea.
The fog was thick and smelt of salt. It seemed to glow with an cold inner light.
Razmalak looked slowly around him. He was well aware of how fast fog could blow in from the sea but this fog seemed... unnatural somehow. Razmalak thought that he could catch voices, right on the very edge of hearing. Razmalak stood still- every sence alert. Yes, there it was again: sad voices raised in song, deep and wavering in the cold, damp air.
He shivered. He desparately wanted to get back to camp but the fog had completely disorientated him.
Just then he thought he caught a voice he recognised as belonging to Martel calling his name.
"Hello?" he called.
As he stood listening for a reply he thought he could make out distant laughter.
Razmalak was an agnostic by nature- he couldn't really bring himself to worship the Dark Gods as he was supposed but he never really belived that there were any other divine powers watching over him. Now he hoped, and indeed prayed that there was.
Just then he heard a scampering sound behind him and turned to see something that was almost enough to make him truly belive that there was something watching out for him.
"Alfie!"
He almost cried with relief. Scittering toward him was his faithful rat-lizard. He picked him up and stroked his smooth skin affectionatly, before setting him down again and telling him to head back camp. Alfie looked quizically and scuttled straight back up his leg. Razmalak laughed. Somehow the fog seemed less opressive now. The fog still seemed to glow, but Razmalak realised that this was now a pre-dawn glow.
Razmalak set Alfie back down again and started off in the direction that Alfie had came from.
"Come on. Lets go and get some breakfast."

___

Az


------------------
___
...Remember when stars were in reach...

[This message has been edited by Aben Zin (edited 05-28-2002).]

Sya rolled over and drew her knees up to her chest, shivering. She had pretended to be asleep after realizing that the Scribe and Duraylan didn't plan on getting much sleep.

She really didn't know how long she had been lying there- far too long, though. Sya frowned. Sleep hadn't come easily tonight. Nerves, maybe. She was worried about the next day. Really, boats were bad enough, but now they expected her to ride on a raft?

None of the others seemed to mind very much. They seemed to possess some courage that she didn't have. What had she gotten herself into?

A heavy fog had rolled in, making visibility nearly impossible. There were advantages to being an elf, though. Sya closed her eyes and listened to what was going on around here. Not much. Most of the animals had already settled down for the night. A few owls and bats passed over every now and then. The Scribe and the Undine had barely moved. Everybody else was asleep- well, except for Razmalak, who had left recently.

Actually, he had a good idea. Sya opened her eyes partly and looked around. The Scribe had his back to her, and while the Undine was seated on the other side of the fire and facing her, he seemed intent on watching the Scribe.

Sya wondered what was making the two so tense towards each other. Trinias had seemed awfully suspicious of Duraylan too. Maybe they knew something she didn't, but it wasn't her business anyway.

Sitting up slowly, Sya watched the other adventurers out of the corner of her eye. The fire had dissipated most of the fog immediately near it, so she could see fairly well. She put a hand on the ground, supporting herself, then slowly drew back into the darkness where the firelight couldn't penetrate.

Nobody had stirred. Relieved, Sya stood up slowly and hurried towards the forest. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't want anybody to know that she was leaving.

It wasn't until she reached the trees that she realized the Scribe, being an elf, should have heard her. She shrugged. Maybe her natural elven stealth was getting better.

Sya leaned against a tree and closed her eyes, sighing. Her bow was still back at the camp. She wondered about it vaguely. Trinias had said that it might have had some magical properties, but it still hadn't shown any sign of it. Sya sighed in frustration. Especially with this anti-magic...if it was magic, she probably wouldn't be finding out about it any time soon.

------------------
We guarantee that if your great-uncle loses a leg by a pair of charging rhinos heading north on a Thursday, we will give you a full refund for the last pair of socks you purchased.

[This message has been edited by iKaterei (edited 05-30-2002).]

<OoC>
Just trying to get a feel for who is in this. Please report all that are part of the group and all the active people, then I can continue on
<BiC>

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

We were the first political party to advocate renaming the Washington Monument the Big Stone U.S. Penis and putting big, orange foam testicles at the bottom.

still here.
As far as I can tell, Harper and Brink are still alive. Yes, yes, I've been lazy, been playin' bit too much Diablo II, but I plan to get to work on CE. Really!

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Life is not but a chatroom

Sya and Indigo are still here.

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We guarantee that if your great-uncle loses a leg by a pair of charging rhinos heading north on a Thursday, we will give you a full refund for the last pair of socks you purchased.

Shi is still there as well.

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Wer denken kann, ist klar im Vorteil.

Trinias, Brianna and the Scribe are all present as well. Also Duraylan (the Undine), but as an "extra". He's fair game, make use of him as you like - just don't kill him or turn him evil

Other characters that I suspect have been abandoned:

Sicias
Alpha-Alaric
Ferazel
Rulir
Violet

Characters that just haven't reported in yet:

Larc
Martel
Razmalak

I think that's everyone.

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Kobayashi Maru!

The Scribe continued to stare intently at Duraylan. He really wasn't sure why he'd grown suspicous of the Undine, unless it was because of Trinias' initial reaction to him. He'd grown to trust each of the Ronin's instincts, even more so since learning some of their true history from Major Hart.

Yet Trinias' willingness to accept Duraylan's help was a telling argument, as was the evidence of the Opal Sting, that the elementals were just as susceptible to the anti-magic as the rest of the Cytherans - or the Phae. The Scribe sighed. This wasn't getting them anywhere; he might as well abandon his mistrust and get on with the task at hand.

Idly, he began to wonder what Sya was up to. He'd sensed she was troubled, and hoped she wasn't planning on leaving them; the fact that she'd left her equipment behind was a good sign. With the aid of his staff, he rose slowly to his feet. He nodded at Duraylan, who blinked in surprise, and went to see if there was any way he could assist the young, troubled elf girl.

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

Martel and Larc are here, I just need ideas...

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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...

*I have an idea! *

Martel was restless, although tired from building the raft with DF, he could not sleep. When everyone was asleep (except Mr. Undine and the Scribe, who were so busy trying to kill each other by sheer mind power, that he didn't think they would notice,) Martel left to the outskirts of the camp. In a large thicket, Martel quickle checked that he was not being watched and transformed into his animal shape, a falcon. For some reason, his family was all able to turn into birds of some sort. Martel soared over the horizon. "I will scout out the island." Martel sternly thought, "But I must be back at dawn, or whenever they set out."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The Heroes were just about to set out on the raft "I'm not swimming! You are!" were common shouts until DF realized something. He yelled loud and clear, "WHERE'S MARTEL?????"

*btw, Martel is NOT safe. someone PLEASE send the Heroes to get him... *

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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...

OOC: Razmalak is here. To a degree. Woth the end of College in sight, my posting might dramatically decrease, but you never know...

Az

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___
"Your superior intellect is no match for out primative waeponry!"

Duraylan watched the commotion silently, mildly annoyed at the humans' apparent dislike of water. What very strange creatures they were, he thought. The lives of entire magic-dependent races were at stake, and they were wasting their time quarreling over something as trivial as swimming across a short stretch of ocean.
"Oh, stop this nonsense already!" Somebody suddenly called in a shrill, high voice. Duraylan turned his head, trying to locate the speaker. Just like every other member of this motley group, he knew the voice of Shi, but where was the Phaerie? Though she was small, it was usually rather hard not to notice her.
"Shi!" Brianna's shocked voice cut through the Undine's thoughts. "What... what's happened to you? You..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at the winged woman in disbelief. Quite suddenly, Duraylan knew why he had had trouble spotting Shi. It was still a little difficult to concentrate on her, even though Brianna had pointed her out.
Triniad took a few steps towards the Phaerie, hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him. But there was no doubt... through Shi's tiny form he could see the forest behind her.
"What?" Shi asked, suddenly the focus of everybody's attention. "It's not like a little water's gonna hurt you."
"That's not it." Brianna said.
"Oh? So why were you all arguing about it, then? What's wrong?"
Everybody seemed reluctant to answer her question, so Razmalak spoke up, hesitantly. "You're kinda, uhm... transparent."
Shi gaped at her, then raised her hands. "You're right..." She whispered after a while. "But..."
"So that's what Rhia meant, when she said the Phaerie children just disappeared..." The Scribe looked at the Phaerie gravely. "I think you really should turn back, Shi, or you'll -"
"No!" Shi crossed her arms. "I won't."
"Shi..." Brianna began.
"No." The winged woman repeated, lifting her chin stubbornly. "You can't force me."
"But -"
"No but." Shi cut Inidgo's protest short. "And by the way, I'd suggest you hurry up a bit." She cocked her head. "Otherwise, you'll never catch me. Byeeee!"
Before anyone could so much as blink, she was gone, flying towards the island.

------------------
Wer denken kann, ist klar im Vorteil.

[This message has been edited by Moonshadow (edited 06-03-2002).]

DF finally got mad at all the commotion and the running of others.
"Okay, we are going now, Indigo, Undine, you are with me in the water, the rest get on the damn raft" DF fiercly commanded with such startling force that everyone jumped into position, even the scribe himself was scared a bit by the ferocity in DF's statements.
"We have dicked around long enough, now its time to end this" DF firmly stated as he, Indigo, and Duraylan shoved the raft with their allies into the water.
After the initial push, the three had no problem pushing the watery craft, due to Duraylan's superior water movements. Idle banter took place on the raft but all those knew the seriousness of the situation and the new personality that took over DF. The commander personality, the kind of person who uses armies to their full benefit and potential. DF felt something odd, something he hadnt felt since Avatara was trying to seal the breach that the dark emporer forced into the land DF had known so little but so much of and into Cythera. DF also felt Martel there too, but his strength was fading. He sensed Shi too, just less and less every second, which drove him harder to put more strength into his swim.

Suddenly, Shi fell, and DF shouted more orders to the rest, resulting in Brink and Larc plopping into the water to put more force into the push and Sya with Brianna hunting the water for their increasingly faint friend.

Suddenly a shout from Sya and the raft was steered to the spot in the water where Shi fell, and they then noticed the pharie in the water, struggling to stay afloat and struggling even to stay conscious. Sya jumped into the water and retrieved the small being and hefted her onto the raft.

"What should we do?" Sya asked very worriedly "We cant bring her along"
"We need one of us to go back, thats her only chance of survival" DF said after a few moments of silence, after he noticed everyone was waiting for him "Sya, can you do it?" DF figured she was getting a bit too antsy about the upcoming events
Sya was sullen instantly "You're saying you dont need me?" she stated sadly, a bit disappointed in this turn of events.
"If you want, I can do it, or have someone else" DF said after a few moments of thought "You just seem to want to avoid this more than anyone else"
"I do want to continue" Sya said after a few more seconds "Can I?"
"Ill take her back" Brianna finally piped in "I want to continue, but this is equally important"
DF nodded at her "Then take this" DF fished a small potion out of one of his small pockets "It may help you if you get tired on your way back"
"Thanks" Brianna said as she carefully paddled back to the shore they were previously at, a bit sad she had to leave this far into the adventure but knowing her duty was just as important. Every several meters she noticed the pharie was getting more opaque, meaning her mission was going to be successful, even if it meant abandoning her friends.

DF had a plan. His scroll, safely folded in wax, should be able to send a teleport to Brianna if she wanted it, he had to distract the antimagic powers though, which might not be possible. He felt Martel's power get smaller every few seconds, which pushed him furthur and furthur. The rest of the group retained their positions, the 5 swimming, and Sya looking for shore and the anti-magic.

----
Martel cursed again his idiot manuever. He fell from the sky at the shore, his hawk ability completely irradicated once he got close to the anti-magic. Fortunantly, DF taught him how to land without hurting himself. He then faced something. This something didnt look like anything, but looked like everything.

Thats the anti-magic Martel thought, gasping I thought itd be black, what is this?

Suddenly the thing moved toward him, forcind Martel to draw his sword, which staved off its advance for a moment.

Ha, it has a mind, its probably wondering why its effect isnt working on my sword Martel gloated to himself If I surprise it, I may be able to get it myself
Martel decided to start off fast and used his speed with a charging attack, in which the anti-magic formed to defend itself somewhat
The strike was extreme, the flash of the sword hitting the anti-magic was eerie, it didnt look like anything, it was as if it happened but it didnt. Martel went through the anti-magic with magic spreading through it, causing an ungodly shriek, as if the thing hadnt been touched by any form of magic ever and hadnt been prepared for it this time.

The next charge Martel set himself up to repeatedly slash the thing over and over, but when he got close a discharge of sorts propelled him away. Flying fast backwards, Martel watched the thing follow and when he hit the ground, he rolled back onto his feet again. He then saw the thing form up for an attack and tendrils formed, whipping at Martel, who tried to block with his sword, but the first of the tendrils changed somehow, a bit more opaque and it whipped the sword out of his hands, causing bad thoughts by Martel.
aww nuts, what am I supposed to do his frantic thoughts led to anger, which he used in its rawest form and savagely struck at the mystical thing, which couldnt comprehend the attack and took it in full force, retreating with every blow with a shrieking sound before it regained itself and lifted Martel in the air and struck him in ways that Martel didnt understand, his energy seemed drained once he was thrown across the ground again. He felt as if he got pounded into the dirt by many fists but didnt feel the blows. He realized this to be a problem, and ran for his sword and was chased, taking many attacks of the same sort. Once at his sword, he attacked again, and the thing took its tenril and tried the same stunt, which Martel avoided and attacked again, stabbing into the thing. The attacks going back and forth, but Martel realized that he couldnt keep this up. Every time he sustained an attack, he felt more and more drained and the thing didnt seem to be tired at all. Every few moments he was feeling more and more tired, but he took his sword to attack and defend over and over
Gotta last till...they get back at least...that I have to do Martel's thoughts staggered as he sustained another attack and immediately countered. each attack was coming faster and faster.

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

We were the first political party to advocate renaming the Washington Monument the Big Stone U.S. Penis and putting big, orange foam testicles at the bottom.

No, he was too weak. Martel knew he could only survive if the heroes came very fast, or, if he could stop the anti-magic. Suddenly, it was as if time stopped. Martel was no longer being attacked, and yet he still was in great pain. However, he could now think for an eternity, without more harm. Martel tried to sit up. He could not move. Instead, he just thought. This anti-magic, why is it on this island? It was quite obvious to the Tyrant and his subjects at the Sorcery Tower that the mages were at Pynx. Pynx! Ah, his home, where he was captain of the guard. Now, Martel! Focus on the moment! Focus on now! What if, what if there was an even greater source of magic on this island, and that was how the anti-magic kept itself with un-waivering power these long years. What if the center of the anti-magic was a thing of magic so powerful that the anti-magic was built from this source! What if all they had to do was touch this thing of power with magic? I know what I must do. I must go back, and warn the others and share with them my knowledge. Get up, Martel. GET UP!

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

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" DF yelled at Martel on the raft, and he switched to a mimmicking tone. "Oh DF, but all we have to do is touch this thing of power with some magic, EVEN THOUGH IT'S IN THE SMACK DAB MIDDLE OF THE DAMN ANTI-MAGIC!!!!!!!" The force of this last statement into Martel's face made everyone very surprised. No one could describe how much Martel was surprised, but they could tell you that he fell off. Larc turned to DF, who had calmed down considerably. "That was cool! Could you teach me to do that?" Everyone, including a now very wet Martel laughed.

------------------
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 06-19-2002).]

(Don't use long dividers! --Slayer)

[This message has been edited by Slayer (edited 06-19-2002).]

As the raft pulled up on the shore, Martel was playing a desperate game of cat & mouse with the creature. He knew that the only way this beast could be harmed was with the touch of magic. But with the anti-magic's presence sucking all magic from the area, what could he do?
Then, to Martel's surprise, the creature began to retreat! Then he realised that it's attention had been diverted- diverted that is by the arival of the other members of the party!
---
Razmalak was first on shore, scambling up the sandy cove. His first sea voyage had not gone well for him and he had been sick over the side of the raft several times, much to the amusement of the aquatic Undine.
He was, therefore, the first of the party to notice the creature- now a formless, writhing mass of light and colour. Halfway up the beach Razmalak stopped in his tracks as the thing swept closer. He was frozen to the spot, to petrified to move. Within mouments the thing was upon him and then... Through him!
Razmalak turned to see the thing head further down the beach. It was clear that it's target was the Undine.
Unacustomed fear rose in Duraylan's eyes. His race relied on Cythera's magic for their very survival. Unlike Shi the Undine did not rely on magic to maintain his physical form, but he still had a spiritual link to the magic of this land. He could feel that this creature that was moving so unstopably toward him could sever that link. It would be as if, while he still had a body, he would be deprived of all sences, all feelings. This link was to deeply intigrated in his soul for it to be affected by the mere presence of this abomination, but it's touch would change all that.
---
Breathlessly, Martel caught up with Razmalak, who was watching the scene with a feeling of overwhelming helplessness.
"Wh... What's happening?" Panted Martel,
"That thing, it seems to be attracted to the strongest source of magic. What can we do?"
---
Unlike Razmalak, Duraylan was not rooted to the spot. Like a shot he was out of the water and away along the beach, the anti-magic close behind him.
Razmalak and Martel rejoined the rest of the party by the raft.
"I don't get it," Said DF,
"Why didn't he just dive back into the sea?"
"I think our quest must be to important to him and his people." Replied the Scribe,
"We should make use of this oppertunity to find the source of this being's power."
"And fast," said Sya,
"That Undine can't run forever."

---
Az

------------------
___
"Your superior intellect is no match for our primative weaponry!"

Skeiron stood atop the small tower, staring down at the beach through the screen of trees. While his vantage point gave him a clear view of the events taking place there, the people on the shore couldn't easily make out the moss encrusted form of the tower due to its natural camouflage.

He chuckled, and turned to the woman at his side. "I see they've encountered the first of the guardians, Penthesileia."

"Indeed," she replied. "If their progress with the beast is anything to judge by, they'll never penetrate the defences to find the island's secret. Do you really think these are the best Cythera has to offer?"

"I don't know, and I don't particularly care," Skeiron replied. "Whoever may rise against us, it will be the same. Once the field has reached its full potential and all magic on Cythera has been eliminated, there will be anarchy - and there's nothing they can do to stop it. Nothing! Then, when the ensuing chaos has reached its zenith, we will appear - and restore order."

"Under our own terms!" Penthesileia smiled, but it never touched her eyes; they remained harsh and cold.

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

* Just a note, I will be gone until the seventh of July, so I am not abandoning the board for another one of those creative breaks.*

The Heroes were in great confusion. Everyone was asking how they were going to get through the anti-magic. DF looked at his sword curiously and said "The swords still contain magic. If, no, it's impossible to get the magic out without destroying the sword." Everyone was still grim, there was no solution, said some, others said that Martel was wrong in his theories. Martel turned to Larc, who seemed to me reciting something under his breath.

"Larc? Larc are you ok?" Larc nodded, but did not stop the rhythm of his chanting. Then, he quickly drew his sword and grasped it tightly. For a brief moment, it glowed, and then Larc collapsed.

There was a great screeching roaring sound as the anti-magic seemed to rear back high and collapse, just like Larc did. But the anti-magic didn't collapse. It formed a tunnel of light, glowing in and out, in and out. The group turned back to Martel, who was with Larc. "What did you do, Larc?" Martel asked in surprise. Larc gasped to try and tell him.

"Yetsonian ancient sword magic. Optional class section: Magic Advanced 1C920: Ancient Decarda Arts. I only remembered that one spell for a tiny light. It worked, right? Well, unfortunately, it has drained me completely. Go, go on without me."

"We will make camp. We will not leave a man..."

"ELF."

"...Elf behind." someone finished.

=-=-=-=-=-=

Penthesileia looked at Skerion. "They are not just Cythera's best, but also warriors of other lands."

Skerion looked mildly upset. "Yes. We will have to see to it that they are dealt with."

"I think they are no concern. They have only passed the first of the anti-magic guardians. We are safe, as is our secret." Penthesileia replied.

------------------
"I have a personal life, y'know! I just don't use it."
The Shadow is coming to Nova...

DF watched Larc's cast spell and the resulting of the creature forfeiting some. The stationary position and the pulsing let DF know that it was resting but would be back soon.

"We will make camp. We will not leave a man..."

"ELF."

"...Elf behind." someone finished.

"We cant, we havent even started to fight it" DF said, astonished that his allies would want to make camp in the middle of a battle "We must fight it using the advantage Larc gave us, now, he has given me an idea"

DF approached Raz and talked in hushed tones to the weak mage
<you know spells like that too, you must>
<i paid no attention when they tried to teach me>
<you must have some rememberences>
<yes, but they seem to mix and match a lot, always failing> Raz thought back to the night with the thieves and his face reddened
<still, I only learned a few spells that require a chant, and one that may work with my sword, I want you to try something>
<if you think I can do anything here, you're sadly mistaken>
DF had had enough of Raz's degrading of himself and backhanded the man, sending him sprawling backwards to the ground, but before he could hit, DF grabbed his shirt
<YOU WILL CAST YOUR MOST POWERFUL SPELL WHILE I ATTACK OR I WILL FINISH YOU ONCE IM DONE>
and with that, DF started towards the thing, his sword drawn and his mind focused. DF breathed a heavy sigh and started a low chant

"DF!!" Brink shouted and Indigo rushed to stop him, only to be stopped by a bubble of grey that had emerged from DF's body.
"What the...?!" Indigo was now being pushed back by the expanding bubble that DF was exuding from his body and was starting to get angry at the indignity of it "Stop that!!"
Despite the command, DF continued to expand that bubble until the rest of the group, except for Raz, was being pushed far back.
"DF!" Martel alerted "Magic doesnt work on that you twit"
DF looked at Martel with now grey eyes "Back, friend, and watch" and he started his chant again, his bubble dissolving into grey specs and disappearing entirely. Everyone could now see DF's magic concentrating on his sword, making it glow grey instead of grey-blue.

At this point, DF's scroll which he had so casually used once jumping on the island, flashed bright white and teleported Brianna to that exact spot. Her form was that of readiness and she looked to be willing to take on anything. Her face sagged as she saw DF squaring off against what she presumed to be the enemy, it was something like an orange aura around a darkened object. She saw him only backed by Raz and gave him a shout.
"Im here" she shouted as she rushed to him but was suddenly repelled by something. She then noticed that everyone else was at the same distance, looking on as DF and Raz were each chanting something.

This is never gonna work, I will fail, there is no chance this could work, not even one time. I dont even know all the words to this, only a few basic ones and fragments of the rest. I cant do this. He is insane Raz's thoughts were rushing by him as he chanted unfamiliar words and was suddenly astonished to see something happen
doesnt mean anything, itll fail, just like last time, these words arent familiar at all anymore, im not trying, what the hell... Raz finally felt the presense of another in his mind, assisting his words, helping him along, but he couldnt figure out who it was odd that this could even happen, im not even magical


DF was focused, his task at hand. He had experimented with massive sword charges, but this was unlike any he had before. In the other dimension he could not use his full power for it meant death, as the enemies would come again and destroy him. Suddenly, as his mind began to panic from his realizations, a soothingly familiar voice perked his mind up and sharpened his resolve. After a few minutes more, DF was ready.

"Strange being, I do this for Cythera. You are too great a threat to leave alone at this time. Therefore I must destroy the threat"
"RAZ, NOW" DF shouted as he charged full force at the beast, his sword an impassive grey that seemed deeper then possible. His charge was that of his favorite sort, his sword held at an angle from his body, but close enough not to cause problems. As he got near, he screamed the final part of the spell.
"DONOS" and his body suddenly glowed a bright blue, then a deep grey that seemed to suck all the color away. Then Raz shouted his own final word "TRE'LENG" and suddenly a bright white strip appeared in the middle of DF's sword.
DF leapt in the air and charged his body forward into the antimagic, sending all his energies through his sword, siphoning every last bit he had into it all. The white strip suddenly sliced out the creature inside the anti-magic, sending it back out as DF's full force took out the shell that had protected it. Suddenly, a massive grey flash all around DF took place and the grey spear of energy shot into the remainder of the anti-magic, then almost as suddenly, the bright and grey colors that swarmed suddenly dissipated, leaving only a trail of dust, a bunch of destroyed vegetation, and DF face first in the dirt, not moving. The creature suddenly stood again, realizing the magic protection was over, and approached DF. It looked down at the warrior who destroyed his shell and how helpless he was, and immediately set to kicking the crap out of his body, taking pleasure in the resulting cracks of broken bones and the 'Umphf" exuded when he hit certain points. DF could barely feel it, but his body was being mangled.

The shocked expressions of the rest at the destruction of the anti-magic and the now bloodied body of DF as the creature that was torn from the thing. It set them to supreme rage as each of the warriors charged the unknown creature, intending to tear it up as bad as it had torn DF up to this point. The only thing was, the creature was stronger than he seemed...

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

We were the first political party to advocate renaming the Washington Monument the Big Stone U.S. Penis and putting big, orange foam testicles at the bottom.

Razmalak stared and his fingers.
"Muh?" he stammered.
"Muh... Magic?"
A rictus of a grin spread over his face. He'd done magic! He pointed his finger at an nearby innocent looking bush.
"Wheee!" he cried. A small green spark lept from his fingers and burnt a hole in his sandles. As far as shrubery could express feelings, the bush looked hurt.
Then he heard a cry of pain from DF. Still not quite in full control of his actions he yelled "Hey!" and pulled out Stick.
While the others were still gathering their wits he ran up to the creature and started laying into it with Stick.
It straightened up and turned around to focus it's full attention on this insignificant, yet spotty creature that dared attack it.
It was at this point that Razmalak regained full control of his sences. His eyes widened in fear as the creature loomed over him, it's intent all to clear.
He dropped Stick and stared up into what he guessed were it's eyes.
"Uh... Nice beastie...?"

___
OOC: "Stick" btw, is the name given to Raz's 3 foot length of rune encrusted bog oak, an eminantly non magical weapon.

Az

------------------
___
"Your superior intellect is no match for our primative weaponry!"
[url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/acomicaboutus"]Don't ask, just click.[/url]

Sya watched, thunderstruck, as Razmalak began to attack the thing. How much damage could a 'stick' do, anyway?

She was shocked and didn't know what to do. Larc and Desert Fox were both down- and she didn't know how long Raz would last. Paling, she looked around. The anti-magic hadn't really affected her- she wasn't magical- but it seemed to be affecting most everyone else.

The creature had turned around to face Raz. Sya turned away, nearly panicking. She hadn't been in many battles, but this one certainly seemed the worst. They didn't stand a chance.

She glanced back, then suddenly came to her wits. Raz was backing away from the creature. Wide-eyed, Sya dove forward and barreled into Raz, knocking him out of the way just as the creature went to attack.

Razmalak and Sya tumbled onto the ground. Sya kneeled on the ground, panting. Enraged at losing its prey, the anti-magic creature thingy turned and glared at Sya. She scrambled up and groped for her bow where she had dropped it. Grabbing Razmalak's arm, she dragged him back to the others, keeping a wary eye on the creature as she did so.

"We can't keep this up!" she whispered urgently to Martel, who was closest nearby. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the creature hesitate, not knowing who to attack first. It decided on Trinias.

Sya gasped as it darted towards him. Martel watched her move, seemingly in slow motion. She leaped into the air, grabbed an arrow, fit it to the string and shot at the creature, all in one swift movement. The arrow glowed red as it flew, whistling through the air. It struck the strange creature in the middle, and it shrieked as it pierced.

Sya collapsed to the ground in a heap. Indigo rushed forwards to her. "How did she do that?" He glanced back. "Did DF kill the anti-magic force?"

"No," the Scribe said slowly. "My magic won't work. We're not done yet."

"Then how did she do that?" Indigo demanded.

Sya rolled over weakly, staring up at him. "It's a different sort of magic..." she said quietly. "Not like normal. It's...ohhhh..." and she blacked out before she could finish. Indigo paled and pulled her back towards the others.

Violet was watching the creature. It was writhing on the ground, but within seconds it stopped and lay still. She stared at it. "Is it dead?"

"I don't know," Brink replied tersely. "We'll have to wait and see."

------------------
We guarantee that if your great-uncle loses a leg by a pair of charging rhinos heading north on a Thursday, we will give you a full refund for the last pair of socks you purchased.

[This message has been edited by iKaterei (edited 06-28-2002).]

Sorry, I didn't notice until now that DF brought Brianna back. I'll have to ask you all to ignore that, since there are certain things that would happen if Brianna was actually on the island, and I'm not up to writing them yet. So, I hereby declare that Brianna is back on the Cytheran mainland, with Shi.

Sorry for any confusion.

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