Ambrosia Software Web Board: Shadow Games - Ambrosia Software Web Board

"There is no way I am going to leave DF captured. Guards!" They responded immediately. "Go back to Alaric, and tell him to muster all his power to find where DF is. Get the mages of Pnyx on it!" After the guards had left, Martel sighed, and slumped into his chair. "They might be of some help, but I doubt it. We're just too inefficient. Thank you all for telling me about this. I would be offended if I could not help rescue DF."

Avatara's sleep was not a pleasant one. The use of fire was a bit overwhelming, a surge to the mind that left him somewhat drained, but still excited. It was exhilarating to control forces such as that in battle, but still a bit dangerous. The burning desire for use of it and the fact that he could have easily mistakenly killed Saria was popping through his head, bringing guilt and fear for his comrades forward during his sleep.

Also on his mind was the nagging notion that it was something stupid that was preventing him from being able to communicate with DF. It worked the first time, when they first activated it, but since then they havent had a drop of luck their way. The words, expressions, and emotions were so skewed in the messege that any understanding pulled from it was easily contested as it was really just guesswork...

----

Martel ordered another drink and pondered his next course of action. He had sent his forces out, and if DF was to be easily found, he would be tracked. Only problem is that if these people were correct, and DF was being detained somehow, it would be almost impossible to deign his exact location. The fact that the others seemed to be confident that they could find him was his true reason for pulling forward. Even a hopeless quest had a chance of success if its arrangers believed in it.

His drink arrived and he leaned back as he took his first pull from the glass, drinking down the cold smoothness of his drink. Though it wouldnt do much to help in this situation, at least it helped to ease his tension some, and he scanned the tavern for the entertainment...

----

Saria had rested enough to gain her head before the fight so that she was in decent enough condition for being awake. She tagged along with Moonshadow for a time, taking in both the stories of old, and the tension filled moments of the present. She wasnt really asking for the information being passed, but it was nice to learn of the goings-on of this area from another point of view.

She knew something was being hidden through the quickened talk and pace of the other woman when she inquired as to if she had a boyfriend, and quickly decided to drop it, knowing that certain wounds wouldnt be good to poke at.

After she had gone around for a few hours with Moonshadow, examining the site of battle, taking a tour of the tavern, and being given a few more stories on the town in general, Saria decided to walk a bit on her own and suprised herself by arriving at Avatara's door, seemingly drawn there by something...

----

Avatara had agonized over his sleep on the matter at hand, and after a brief 4 hour rest, he couldnt sleep anymore.
Hopping out of bed, he quickly made his way down the hall to splash some water on his face, wake himself fully as he thought it over.
As he came back down the hall, he saw Saria standing at his door, calling in and knocking, though not showing any sign of extreme urgency.
"Hello" Avatara greeted as he tapped Saria on the shoulder, sending her a couple feet into the air "You seem to be a bit wired right now" he chuckled as she settled back down
"Kinda suprised me there, I usually dont block out the sounds of my surroundings, but I was trying to hear if you were in there and I was too focused" she tried explaining
Avatara scratched his chin, but didnt really care of the circumstances, but rather enjoyed having another mind trying to crack open his little problem.
"Ive tried sleeping, but have been unable to stay as such" Avatara started ranting as they went through the door.
Saria examined the quarters and noticed a few things new, such as the arrows on the wall and looked at Avatara
"heh..heh" Avatara sheepishly gathered the bow and the quiver and handed them to Saria "I was....testing it, just in case"
"Riiight..." Saria exaggerated her words just a bit to emphasize her disbelief, but smiled all the same as she tugged one of the crafted arrows out of the wall "At least you didnt open the power lock on these that DF crafted" Saria sighed, a bit relieved that the few arrows that DF gave her were still there "but how you did that is kinda odd"
"Err, I just aimed and shot" Avatara replied
"And what were you shooting at?" Saria queried, leaning against the dresser
"the wall, of course" Avatara grinned, gaining a laugh from his companion
"But down to business, I cant seem to get this thing anymore" Avatara brought out the talisman again "It speaks at random, in total gibberish. It seems as though its responding to me, but its not giving me anything of use"
Saria gazed at the small trinket, taking in its blazing look, but noticing it being a bit smudged, so she wiped it off.
"If that works, im going to go kill myself" Avatara half jested, watching intently
The voice cleared up a bit, but the message was just as clear as mud, which prompted a small frown by Avatara "at least its not quite as bad as before, but that didnt do much..."
"We will keep trying" Saria confidently replied "We shouldnt be too far from figuring it out

----

The Wizard kept his mind's eye open for Avatara and heard flickers of consciousness coming from a small trinket nearby. With his curiousity suddenly flared up again, he started going the way of his compatriot again, soon arriving at the door...

----

Avatara perked up when he felt another presence at the door and quickly moved to open it as Saria quietly whispered to him..

"whats going on?"
"just a friend arriving"
"how can you tell"
"I can feel his being right outside"


Avatara swung open the door and greeted Wizard again with a warm handshake and led him into the small quarters

"If ida thought a party was coming, ida decorated" Avatara jested, trying to ease the slight confusion in the room

"Hello Saria, its good to see you again" The Wizard, as gallant as ever, gave her a slight bow
"Hello.. ..... Err.... ....I dont seem to recall your name, sir" Saria embarassedly admitted
"I am called the Wizard" Wizard reintroduced himself "I met you at the mountain a few weeks back"
"Impressive memory" Saria complimented him
"Comes from years of practice back where I came from" Wizard smiled "Now for the reason I came, something oddly familiar hit my mind as I was wandering and it drew me here, and I believe I might be able to help..."

----

After another couple hours of the three of them thinking and testing out ideas, all three finally decided it was the final straw before they just head out, after gathering the others, that is.

"One last try, and we go get the others" Avatara said to the others, getting nods from each of them
"Wait" Wizard said, just as Avatara was about to concentrate "Id like you both to try something"
After a few moments, all three were looking at the trinket as an M, as it was originally, and holding it up again, and were suddenly blasted by the mental projection DF relayed onto them...

----

Avatara saw DF chained up with dark chains, eyes sewn shut and ears blocked off. His body was smaller than Avatara had ever seen. The small decrepit man was where DF's mind radiated, and he saw DF as DF now knew himself to be in his mind.

"You must go there" DF shot a mental picture to Avatara
"Any other information you have for me?" Avatara quickly asked, knowing this may be a onetime thing
"This is not your final destination, but its not your first" DF cryptically replied "Here is where the zetacomb lies, under guard by some fiendish beasts. My enemy seeks this relic and will stop at nothing to attain it. If you can get it first, you will not only stop his plans, you will hold the power in your hands to free me."
"So, whats all this business with the talisman?" Avatara questioned some more, determined to find out exactly what was going on
"It holds the power to do just this, allow me to focus my mind completely for others" DF answered "It needs to be held up by three to get a full projection, and the three each see something different, which will help to show the path of success"
"Did you arrange all this?" Avatara continued, making sure that he wasnt venturing into a trap
"I have had glimpses of what they are trying to do, so im trying to throw the best wrench into the works. They have underestimated you and everyone else, thinking im an end-all solution to their problems" DF explained "Only problem is, with my power and the darkness of he who is containing me, we have no choice but to try and stop them now, before he can toss a blanket of darkness over everything"
Avatara suddenly started noticing the others, and seeing DF fade again
"So, I take it I need to discuss with the others to find out what is going on fully" Avatara quickly asked, knowing time was up
"Heh, yea, it may be a pain, but im trying to relay a lot of info in a short time, so I hope you can understand"
With that, DF disappeared from Avatara's mind.

----

The Wizard was walking through a dark mountainside, following a path he knew that was set for him. Though he could easily break this mental projection, he decided not to as this was supposed to be what he was looking for.

Upon coming to the cliffside, he saw a terrible army brewing. Lightning flashed in the dry storm that was soon to be arriving on the scene. Jagged rocks thrust out of the ground all over the place, and undead warriors of all sorts around. The scent was putrid, and the scenery was dead. The black sky punctuated the air with the scent of evil, and it was all that the Wizard could to to resist breaking the projection immediately.

He saw a huge cage which was being teased and taunted by a portion of the army, while the rest seemed on guard duty. There were all classes, from warlock to simple undead drone, all standing guard in case of attack. Wizard surmised that it was probably due to the fact that they had no will of their own, so any offtime was non-existant, which made them perfect for guards.

He watched as suddenly, a small group containing DF in a different sort of armor, whilst the armor that DF normally wore was on the body of another. There was a troll, a dwarven warrior, and a couple other male humans who suddenly burst into the complex, waging a fierce charge into the centerpoint of battle. Suddenly the sky went nuts, sending bolts of pure energy arching down upon the undead as the warriors weapons went clashing against the enemy.

The fight set waves of undead, newly created and already decrepit after the warriors, only to be felled simply by the precise flailings of the group working as one. DF's signature shadow attacks were being used as he also ignited his shadowfires and waged hand to hand fighting. Attacking one enemy after another, suddenly many powerful mages appeared. Each twisted and disfigured, they soon joined in the mettle of battle, countering the spells being tossed around by the valiant men as they fought against impossible odds to finish this.

The spells and magic brewing around were absolutely insane, smashing waves of bodies, shredding skin and bone as one, splashing undead fluids all across the field, but eventually everyone had a breaking point. The battle was going far without injury when suddenly one of them fell to his wounds, only to rise again from a quick spell from a holy warrior. This was going on over and over, with the holy warrior slowly moving to the middle of the pack in order to become more protected. The flashes of rage and power were easily seen, as the blinding swordswork hacked the bodies to shreds, cutting through row after row of undead. As the battle heated up suddenly with mounted troops and mages coming forth to the slaughter, more men were falling, and suddenly, the group suffered a severe loss when the holy warrior suddenly fell, a spear protruding from his forhead, causing instant death.

After that, the waves of undead crashed down again, and the men suffered loss after loss until DF was alone, fighting against innumeral enemies when suddenly, pure fury poured into his spirit. His body went to complete flame, and he moved insanely fast. Slaying one after another, suddenly DF pounded his two swords into the ground, followed soon after by his two fists screaming.

Suddenly, the ground appeared to pulse, and suddenly energy waves shot out from DF's body, both of shadow and light, disintegrating those enemies that were around him.

The magic wrought in the battle was now staggering, and the army was now broken. The final warriors ran up only to be slain and DF quickly ran up and started slaying the master mages that hung back and were trying to fuse together a massive spell. DF went from one to another, slaying them all as they tried in vain to finish the spell when he suddenly came upon the final one, whose final chant came as DF split the body in half.

In a final act of rage, DF slammed his fists down as one and his shadow's spirit split the complex to shreds, ruining the headquarters of his enemies.

The storm then started, and DF freed those trapped in the cage, and after a few words, he departed their company in order to find his slain comrades. After looking over the corpses of those he had come with, he quickly took one along with him.

the one with his armor Wizard thought over the scene again, and quickly realized why DF generally acted solo. His allies seemed to die a lot.

As he built a small wooden sled, suddenly DF bent over and started screaming. His clutching of his head, tipped Wizard off to what was happening. He seemed darker, pulsing darkness with every heartbeat. It gradually died down, and DF stood up again, knowing something was wrong, but unable to do anything about it. He wordlessly finished up his task, and put his friend upon the sled he had built, and quietly walked off into the wilderness, his friend in tow...

As DF walked off, Wizard took one final look around. The carnage would probably not be happened upon for a long while, but he knew something was up still in the air around here. As this faded, Wizard sat back and thought over the events.

----

Saria watched again her flight, but instead of following, her vision took her another way, and she suddenly realized she was seeing things through the eyes of DF.

She was slowly brought through the rebirth of the mind of the new keeper, and slowly she felt consciousness being cut off from everything.

She quickly went over the next few weeks worth, the power in the enemy slowly growing. She felt it start plotting, a trap of sorts, for future use. Then, suddenly, she saw dark secrets, terrible facts, and sinister plans.

A graveyard, a sacred burial place with the bones of a great adventurer that passed long ago. She found this to be the target area of the being that now occupied DF's body. The trees slowly swayed as the headstones slowly died away to erosion.

She got her bearings and quickly surmised it to be a two-three day travel to the southeast. The small burial patch which held several legends long past was not extremely small, but there was a sense of urgency. The dark mind was planning on moving out a few days later.

She slowly was developing a counterplan as the mists of her mind dissolved back into the room with the others as they were suddenly breaking free.


"Wow..." was all that Avatara could say, and the other two nodded in affirmation

----

After discussing what each saw, Avatara was slowly understanding what was being done here, but before he could reveal, Wizard piped up

"He sent me to learn of the past, as I probably needed to see it most" Wizard started "And gave you more info on future tasks that need completing, seeing as he knows you well enough to trust you. And he gave Saria the other perspective, as she was the one this all started with, and her sense of direction can easily guide us to our next objective"

"So the graveyard is where we need to go?" Avatara confirmed with the rest "I would assume after completing the task set forth, we should probably refer back to the talisman for more information"
"It would seem so" Saria nodded in affirmation "I wonder how long it will take to arrive, and how long we will be waiting for our enemy"
"Not only that, but im just curious as to what will be seen next time, and if it will be the same as before"
"Well, one thing is for certain, we will set out a few hours after daybreak, which should occur soon here"
"I will retreat to the tavern" Wizard said "And rally the troops"
"Ill seek out Moonshadow, she was wandering and told me to meet back up with her in about an hour here" Saria stood and waited as the others followed suit
"Ill go find whoever might be hanging around outside" Avatara piped in "And if I spot your knife, ill retrieve it for you"
"Sounds like a plan, lets get going" The Wizard opened the door and the three left on their tasks.

This post has been edited by Desert Fox: 30 January 2005 - 05:57 AM

Selax sat silently in his chair which he had turned to face the window. He didn't ordinarily rent a room, but he had needed time to think and the tavern's owner had offered to let him use one of the rooms, so he had accepted. Wizard had been by and told him about the events involving the talisman. The graveyard that Saria had seen intrigued him. How was it possible that such a place could exist without his knowledge? He hadn't been in Cythera for several hundred years but still it disturbed him that such a special place could exist and he didn't even know who was buried there. Of course, it was quite natural that he might be distracted at this time, but Selax knew that he must be focused and, having good control of his emotions, shrugged the mood off. They would be leaving soon and he needed to be ready for what lay ahead. So, he went into his memory and began to practice various fighting styles in his head. Something told him that his enemy wouldn't seek him alone.

This post has been edited by Selax: 30 January 2005 - 03:15 PM

Medoc woke up that morning feeling refreshed, he hadn't had a good night sleep in weeks and it finally felt good to sleep in a good bed. The sun hadn't risen yet but the sky was starting to lighten up. Medoc got out of the bed and exited his room walking past the room where Saria had slept and instantly noticed that it was a different colour, everything seems to be darker. Walking into the bar section of the tavern Medoc noticed that it looked a little different, in some ways it looked a little like Saria's room, darker than what he remember it, the smell was a little different as well.
"Whats happened Selax, did you have a party or something last night?"
"Ah, your finally awake, cant believed you slept through all of last night. We didn't have a party as such, it was more on an invasion of undead and wraiths, just your usual night in Odemia."
Medoc just looked at Selax, blinked a few times and then ordered a beer, "I don't care what this is going to do to me, I need a drink!"

As she met back up with Saria, Moonshadow noticed the other woman appeared to be in thought.
"What's on your mind?" she questioned curiously.
"Oh, just thinking about the vision," Saria replied, smiling slightly.
"Vision?" Moonshadow questioned, cocking her head.
"Oh, yes. You see.." Saria proceeded to fill her in, and Moonshadow listened attentively, nodding occasionally or inserting a question to clarify a point. Finally she remarked, "That seems interesting. I didn't know the Fox was capable of magic of that kind. Would you like breakfast?"
"Um." Saria blinked, surprised at the sudden change in topic. "Sure."
Moonshadow smiled, leading Saria through the streets to the market, asking her what she would like to eat. Once there, she purchased some freshly baked bread, cheese and two apples, and the two of them sat down on the edge of a fountain.
"I've done some thinking," Moonshadow began slowly as Saria helped herself to some bread and cheese. "You mentioned you have a.. talisman.. that Fox gave you." Saria nodded. "I would like to examine that item, if you do not mind. The magic on it appears to be most interesting - some type of scrying or divination perhaps, and surely more - and maybe," she paused to take a bite of an apple, "maybe I can find out something about Fox's location using it. You know, backtracking?" She glanced at Saria to see if the other woman followed her line of thought.
"It might be worth a shot," Saria said thoughtfully. "But Avatara has it currently, so you'd need to ask him."
Moonshadow nodded. "Oh, and another thing. I looked around for your dagger after we parted earlier, but I was unable to find it. I think the magic fire consumed it." She shrugged, looking at Saria somewhat apologetically even though really, it wasn't her fault. "I figure we're leaving soon though," she continued. "And I'm not sure if it'd be good if you were without a way to defend yourself in close combat, so -" she took her sheathed dagger off her sash and offered it to Saria "- you should take this."
As Saria seemed about to decline, she grinned at her a bit ruefully. "I'm not really good with daggers anyway. I mainly just have it because.. um.." She hesitated, and took another bite of her apple to cover it. Saria couldn't be sure, but there seemed to be the faintest blush on the elf's cheeks.
Saria looked at her questioningly. "Yes?" she prodded.
".. becausemymotherrefusedtoletmegocompletelyunarmed." Moonshadow finished quickly, clearly embarassed, and Saria couldn't help but laugh.
"I won't tell," she promised, while Moonshadow mumbled something under her breath. Saria could only make out a few words which sounded like 'over a hundred' and 'old enough'.
"So, um, take it?" Moonshadow asked, still holding the offered dagger.

Tej walked up to his room and packed a few things, then took his stuff back to the bar area. He sat down at a table, and slept while he waited for the people to leave.

He slept deeply about his past until someone woke him.

OOC: Things can go on between Tej falling asleep and when the group leaves. BIC:

-Dark Jet

Selax stood in the street next to the tavern. There was a roll of thunder overhead. The rain had let up briefly, but it looked like it was probably going to start again. Selax leaned back against the wall, deep in thought. It had been a while since he had faced a true master who didn't use magic or have partners. Even so, the time lapse wouldn't be a problem with his memory, at least it shouldn't be. Of course, he might never find out if the group didn't get started moving soon. He had seen Saria and Moonshadow head towards the market. He hoped they or somebody was getting provisions for those who might need it. While he himself didn't eat at all, he knew they couldn't afford the time to go searching for food for those who did, especially not in this weather. If they were to reach the graveyard in time, they would have to leave in a few hours.

Avatara yawned, rubbing his eyes. For some reason he felt more exhausted than usual, and his back was stiff. Trying to tune out the dim jumble of background noise and blinking to adjust to the harsh light, he slowly was able to recognize he had been lying on the wooden floor of a large room, with chairs and tables and people. He snapped upright, suddenly remembering he was in the Odemia tavern; Saria was using his room, so he had slept down here, which explained his stiff back. They had been attacked, that explained his lack of sleep. There was something else - he dimly remembered the talisman showing him something about a zetacomb, but he shrugged it off - it wasn't anything that could be dealt with immediately.

"Are we finally ready to go?" A nearby voice complained. He wasn't sure, but he thought the man looked like Tej.

"Sure, just a minute, grab the others," Avatara held back a yawn as he began to gather his things. Yet another journey, this time randomly running around chasing visions Fox had given them. Still, there was something dark and dangerous running around, and it would be best to follow the only lead they had.

"What's wrong?" Martel asked. Being a member of the royal guard, he had wasted no time in preparing to leave. He was both armed and well-equipped, yet everything was arranged to give off the appearance of being a professional. Martel's uniform was even clean and unruffled, showing no sign of strain from the events the night before.

"Where's my bag?" Avatara asked, looking around. Everything had been displaced and he still wasn't quite able to shake off his grogginess. Martel's reply was interrupted as a messenger bearing some royal insignia pulled him aside.

"Hey, are we ready yet?" Medoc shouted out, slamming down his third mug of the morning a bit harder than he probably intended.

"Yes yes, let me just grab my stuff." Another yawn was forcibly stifled, what happened to his sword? He managed to make his way up the creaking stairs and find his way to the room he had rented. For some reason, the door was open, revealing a nice rotting corpse on the bed. Under the bed he found his gear stashed away, apparently unnoticed by the denizens from yesterday. He knelt down, repacking the equipment inside and checking his supplies.

"Morning," Saria said, hanging in the doorway.

Avatara looked up, then nodded towards the bed. "You have some strange tastes," he winked. She gave him a nasty look in response.

"Everyone's been waiting downstairs, you slept in." She accused him.

"Only an hour or so, I'll be down in a minute," Avatara sighed, everyone was so enthusiastic, he was drained. He resolved to get more sleep tonight. He fastened his sword to his back, making sure it would clear his backpack if he had to draw it in a hurry. A quick check around revealed he hadn't left behind anything obvious.

Avatara returned to the main room and walked over to the barkeep. Plopping down a large sack of oboloi, he apologized for the trouble the night before, then proceeded to join the group gathered outside the entrance.

"I hope you guys bought your own supplies, I'm kinda low of money..." Avatara grimanced.

"Where to?" Selax asked.

"A graveyard, that way," Avatara said, pointing.

"That way," Saria corrected, pointing more to the left, "Southeast."

"Yeah, shouldn't be too far, we'll hit the coastline before long." Avatara paused, looking at the group. They stared back at him expectantly. Selax idly stood by Wizard, revealing nothing of what he felt about all of this. Tej seemed anxious to get moving; Medoc was slightly off-balance, probably from drinking so much so early. Martel stood at attention, as if they were about to charge into a horde of demons. Saria stood near Moonshadow, both trying to hide a hint of impatience, each in their individual way. And to his right, amongst a mostly cloudless sky, the sun shone into his face, attempting to blind him.

"Well then, lets move out," with a wave and an unnecessary leap, the group set out from Odemia.

Cara sat on the wall like a cat surrounding the Inn watching her target, they had began to set out there was still a chance to kill him he wasnt far away.
Her eyes darted back and forth, she was weighing the odds if she should strike now. She could feel her Kris shivering violently as if it could taste the blood it was about to get.
Cara puled out her Kris and aimed at her target then threw it with deadly accuracy towards Selax.

OOC. do you think the knife should hit selax but not kill him but wound him badly instead.
its up to you. BIC

This post has been edited by Harlequins: 06 February 2005 - 02:13 AM

OoC: of course you do not kill other players' characters, unless they give you permission. Just an fyi.

As the group stepped out of the inn, Moonshadow grinned. A familiar feeling was working its way through her body, the promise of excitement and adventure. It's been too long, she decided as she looked around for Avatara. She still needed to ask him about the talisman.
Spotting him at the head of the group, she almost skipped up to him, but halted herself just in time. The tingling was making her act weird - her last adventure must really have been too long, she concluded. She could feel it already, the danger, the strange sensation of being watched. She shook her head, trying to shake off the feeling as well. Really, she was getting skittish from imagined danger.
She took a deep breath, looking around to assure herself everything was, indeed, fine. Suddenly, she stopped, her head jerking up as she caught unexpected movement out of the corner of her eye. There, on the inn! At the same time, her arcane senses informed her of malevolent magic nearby. Even as she whirled around to face whoever it was, she saw the person raise her arm, and the sharp glint of metal catching the sun. Following the strangers' gaze, she noted the person appeared focused on Selax. For a moment, this confused her - why not Saria? - but as the figure threw the weapon, she allowed instinct to take over. Moving quickly, she darted forward, pushing Selax out of the weapon's path while ducking and twisting to the side to avoid being hit herself. It almost worked.
Gasping in pain and surprise, Moonshadow brought her right hand to her left shoulder, feeling something warm leak out between her fingers, soaking the pristine white of her sleeve.
Around her, she dimly noted her companions jump into action, some directing inquiries at her, others looking for the source of this sudden interruption, but her only thoughts were on the wound on her shoulder. The pain was intense and burning, and she was losing more blood than she expected, considering the cut on her shoulder didn't seem that deep. To top it of, her magic wasn't healing her as quickly as it should. Way to ruin a perfectly good morning, she thought wryly, ignoring those around her and focusing instead on eliminating the pain in her shoulder.

Selax was mildly suprised. A condition which annoyed him. Wizard's telepathy had informed him of another presence, he told Selax, and they had been watching, but, at that same moment as the attack, Selax's true enemy had launched an effort to distract Selax through the balance where the two could feel each other. Without the Wizard's warning, Selax probably would have been caught completely off guard, as the only enemy he knew of was far to the south. The effort had failed but had distracted Selax for a moment, almost long enough for the magic weapon to hit him. He wasn't sure that he could have dodged a serious wound, but being caught off guard while expecting an ambush was annoying, especially since someone else had gotten hurt. Pausing to say thanks, Selax took a leap and landed on top of the inn, but, as he expected, the assassin was gone. If she had remained in view, he was quite certain that his speed would have been good enough to catch up to her and hold her long enough for the others to come help. Obviously to avoid another distraction, he would have to create mental walls and separate himself from the balance. Unfortunately, his old antagonist would then be able to approach him with little warning. The Wizard would be able to help with that and also would be able to keep an eye out for the assassin. Selax decided on two things: he would travel invisible with the group for the rest of the trip (he would have to tell them this) and he would not be caught unprepared again. With a sigh, he flew back to the others to see if Moonshadow was alright.

This post has been edited by Selax: 07 February 2005 - 05:21 PM

As the effort he put into the healing spell gained, Avatara felt the groggyness he felt earlier spread out some. His body was moving more sloppily, he was feeling his focus dwindle. He felt...drunk.

"Av, what is wrong?" Moonshadow asked with clenched teeth, the wound was still not fully healed, but it seemed that Avatara was having trouble
"Nothing" Avatara responded, waving a hand "Just got a little lightheaded, thats all"

Avatara stepped back for a moment to regain his composure. Wiping his hands over his face and clearing his thoughts, he was able to think clearly again. After a few more seconds of focus, his drained feeling was faintly leaving his body, bit by bit relaxing him and giving him more precise control over himself.

Opening his eyes back up, the sky was a bit brighter, everything jumped out a bit more. It was like waking up from a good sleep, the kind that completely re-energizes the mind and soul, leaving one ready to go from the start.

Looking over at Moonshadow, who's pained gaze now had a tinge of concern played out, he cast a healing spell, which almost instantly patched up the flesh as good as new. Though he felt a bit of energy drain from him, he wasnt too concerned about it. It was the way of things when dealing with magic.

The group continued southeast as both Moonshadow and Saria stepped up around Avatara for a little chat.

"Southeast doesnt have a graveyard, Av" Moonshadow notified Avatara softly
"I know, but perhaps..." Avatara started to respond
"You do remember his sense of direction, right?" Saria then chimed in, sending Avatara into a skidder of memories.
DF getting lost in a forest, leading a group into a swamp which gave them all leeches. Avatara thwacked him good that time with his sword. DF leading the group in the direction he *thought* they were supposed to go, but leading them into an ogre nest. After getting out, quite battered, Avatara thwacked DF in the head quite hard. DF leading the group south ALL day claiming it was north, and nobody was thinking to question him. It then put them one whole day wasted, and one whole day's worth furthur away than they needed to be. Avatara smacked DF around for the next two days as punishment for that.
"God, why did I even bother listening?" Avatara admitted, and started laughing "Guess he got us lost again"
Moonshadow and Saria both looked at Avatara oddly "Sorry, Ill tell you about him sometimes. Perhaps I should grill him furthur on his directions"
"That sounds like a plan, lets call everyone in for a second" Saria planned with the other two "And we all will watch what happens when the talisman is used"

-----

It had been awhile since he cloaked himself, but Selax felt as though every move of his was being watched. He tried to deign its exact location, but every time he searched around, everything was as it should. The group was moving forth, Saria and Moonshadow were chatting a bit with Avatara, everyone seemed to be doing what they normally did. Tej and Medoc were goofing around, kicking up rocks and batting them around a bit while telling jokes and chatting of stories told many times. The Wizard seemed to be thinking of something, but otherwise kept to Tej and Medoc, laughing along with the jokes. Martel just solemnly marched, seeming to take in everything with a studied silence.

Nothing else. No other presence. He felt as though shadows were around, watching his moves. He couldnt quite place em. They were having fun with him, playing games with his mind. He was so thrown off by this when he started to notice Martel's gaze. what could he be thinking? Selax pondered as he silently watched Martel observing him for several paces before Martel broke the silence between them.

"I can sense you, if you are curious as to how im tracking you" Martel said suddenly "I have a knack for sniffing out things that are hidden"
"And why exactly are you tracking me?" Selax asked, keeping his voice neutral as to belay any feelings that might be conveyed
"Im curious as to what exactly is going on" Martel admitted "I saw you suddenly glance back, and I spotted the assailant as well, but you tensed up, and then turned away. Im just curious as to what is going on around you."
"You need not concern yourself over actions transpiring around me, I have it under control" Selax noted pridefully
"I am concerned about what happens to the group in whole" Martel dug in furthur "That attack might have been intended for you and anticipated from a while ago, but it hit another, and injured our group. If you are hiding something, it might just kill us all before we are even aware of it unless you speak"
Selax listened to the words of this man. He knew his trouble was his own, but he realized now that what he had said was true, an unknown danger is perhaps one of the most dangerous of all. He started to respond when someone else spoke up, drawing everyone's attention away.
"Ill talk with you a bit later" Selax said, before turning his attention towards the distraction.

-----

"Hey Tej, have you ever gotten a venerial disease from a farm animal?" Medoc jabbed
The Wizard smirked, detecting what was coming next
"What, no." Tej shook his head, confused at the question
"Oh, I guess they are clean then" Medoc finished
Wizard and Medoc lost it, hysterically laughing which drew a strange glance from Saria.
"Im sorry dude, I just had to try it" Medoc admitted "You now"
Tej was about to start one when a shout from behind drew his attention, and the other two as well.

"Hey, everybody, I think DF doesnt have a sense of direction, mainly because he never had one before" Avatara called out
"Great, so we've been following a faulty compass" The Wizard softly said, drawing a chuckle from Tej
"We are going to try to communicate with DF again" Avatara announced, and drew the talisman from its spot on his armor "Now we need three people to touch this, and we will then be able to communicate with him"

Martel looked at the others, who seemed a bit skeptical, and stepped up "I would like a chance to peek into this" he said, as he walked up to Av.

Moonshadow also stepped up before the others could, wanting to see if her magic could help at all in deigning its secrets.

They each touched the talisman, freezing their perspective and sending their mind into DF's realm.

-----

Martel was in the past. Not too distant past. In fact, he had looked back on this day not too long ago. He remembered training with DF on a quest. His training was going well, and DF was now deuling with him. Martel smiled as he went into battle, remembering this point from that while ago...

"Wow" DF said as he quickly parried another jab and quickly swung at Martel's lower calf
"Hiya teach" Martel said, relishing in his past and apparent present
They both started fighting all out. Their swords thrust and parried so many times over the clash of battle was heard from far around. The clash of steel on steel coming at furious rate as each started to fight with all they had, including deadly force. The clashes, if not parried, would easily kill one or the other, but each had enough faith in his friend's skill that they would be able to parry, that they used it time after time, honing their abilities to the fullest.
Thrust, almost piercing high right. Block, elbow into lower ribs, Each blow went both with physical jabs as well as the swordplay. Punching where opportunity was seen, kicking whenever it was logical to. They kept each other at bay and slowed the pace slightly, due to both wanting conversation

"You have drastically improved" DF noted, gulping down a bit of air as he realized how out of breath he had become "In over the past few minutes even. I saw you change in the eyes, and suddenly you were fighting at a much higher potential than you had ever come close to before. It took all I had to keep you from slaying me, and I saw you pushing to keep me at bay as well. I have seen you become the warrior you need to be today, and now wish to congratulate you on your learnings"
Flashes of something were now seen, were now opening up in his memory. He had felt this feeling before, but only in flashes. He felt more aware. Much more aware of shadow energy than ever before. With a thought, he suddenly made a shadow flame, like he had seen in his memory long ago.
"I get it, it all makes sense now...." Martel said aloud as his mind jumped back to the attack he now finally understood"

With that, Martel suddenly flashed back to the group, who were all looking at him...

-----

Moonshadow looked upon the scene earlier in the day. The group had just set out. She was looking upon herself and the group from above, as though she were a bird looking out upon the scene. The group was just leaving as Moonshadow saw a shadowy figure in the distance.
It looks like...a shadow? Yes, its just a shadow in the distance. But still, a moving shadow. Not looking good here. Can I look closer...yes. That looks like....

Moonshadow then jumped back into the current again, trying to regain her frayed senses...

-----

Avatara saw the 'zetacomb', whatever the hell that was, and proceeded to look it over very carefully. He read the inscriptions all over it, looked it up and down several times over, and sat back.
I dont like the looks of this, it looks like its a possession tool, if I read the inscription right. If not, I cant quite figure out what it would be used for in truth
"Doesnt look like much" DF's voice chimed in "But it can be used for something on both sides. They havent fully controlled me yet, and I have a few powers still they havent detected. I need that to expell the foreign mind away, so I cant be repossessed if I can manage to knock out this possession. They need it to knock me away so they have full control over my body. I dont want this to happen, so I recommend getting this"
"Um, first, a question" Avatara chimed in
"Uhh, yes?" DF
"Your 'southeast' direction wouldnt happen to be off, would it?" Avatara asked "cause if I walk into another goddamn swamp to gain a few leeches, ill make sure to 'accidentally' lob off one of your arms when I fight against you later"
"Errr....where are you now, ill try to give directions" DF stammered, knowing Avatara could be quite cruel when he led him astray
"We are directly north of the Catamarca graveyard" Avatara smiled
"....I hate you" DF sighed "but technically im right, as the rock which marks the grave is a few yards east of the graveyard. Its a big rock, so I doubt its been moved unless they get there first"
"Just making sure" Avatara continued "We also want to know just WHY we are doing this?"
"This is to prevent them from bringing in another enemy that can hurt bad" DF warned "It needs to be done, and the best time to do it is now, otherwise youll have a whole lot more trouble when youre trying to accomplish the other tasks"
"Ok, and what about the wraith?" Avatara queried, getting the most out of this flash
"That one is still trailing you. I think it found your earlier predicament quite amusing" DF said "But also watch out, another form of my enemy trails you. I might be able to do something with this kind of attack, but it will be a time before I can explain it all to you"
"Which means you dont know" Avatara replied with a smirk
"Pretty much, kinda." DF half smiled.

Avatara felt satisfied at his conversation as he zoned back in to the rest...

-----

"Wow.." Moonshadow was the first to say something
"What?" Tej asked, as it had been mere moments since Moonshadow touched the talisman
"I saw....DF" Moonshadow replied, finally understanding what she saw "I saw him, in full shadow, and it was hard to recognize"
"When did you see him?" The Wizard piped up, looking around him for a sign
"In my mind, he was watching the knife hit me earlier" Moonshadow then shook it off "I think its following us"
"Well, we are headed south, DF seemed to remember once I reminded him of what I did before" Avatara shook his head "But it seems that this task is necessary to be able to continue without so many problems as earlier"
"I saw my past" Martel said "But I fought him with my fastest skill allows right now. I am much stronger than before. I remember that day from long ago. My body felt normal, but I remember having a different drive, something else was moving me then. This time, I was that other force, pushing me to where I am now, boosting my warrior skill" he gasped as he took it all in "and it finally explained all those odd things ive been able to do recently"
"That is very strange, a fight you had a while ago. Was it your training with him you spoke of?" Avatara queried
"Yes, the final day, where I felt myself at my full potential for once, and had strived ever since for it. He recognized me as a full warrior and gave me the workout of my life" Martel shared, a prideful smile on his face
"Well, now its south we head, so lets continue. Thanks for demonstrating Av, apparently that thing is instantaneous."
"You mean that we werent sent into a trance for a while?" Avatara was curious
"You touched it, then stepped back gasping a few seconds later. It had to be instantaneous if what you all say is true"
"Wow, interesting" Avatara looked more closely at the talisman Just what exactly is this thing anyways

The group then continued on, traveling south now, and continued their daily chatterings with one another.

This post has been edited by Desert Fox: 08 February 2005 - 05:06 PM

Selax pondered recent events as the group continued. He didn't know the identity of the assassin, but he did know that his real trouble was something that only he could handle. It was his duty and right to see justice done for what had happened so long ago. For years, he had feared betrayal, but only when he sensed the arrival of his old friend had he known for certain. Soon, the group would establish camp. Around midnight, he would slip out onto the road with Wizard and Martel (if he wished to come and see the answer to his questions). They would watch out for the assassin, while he waited for his enemy (who would probably be waiting for him). If all went well, they would be back in the camp by morning, but he knew that wouldn't happen. If all should go really badly, Wizard and Martel could distract his old friend until the rest of the group arrived. The third possibility was that the group would hear the fight and rush in before he could finish it. Hopefully, that wouldn't happen because that might make for a lot of future trouble.

As the group traveled along the dirt road, they chatted while viewing the fields of gold and green, the tall grass reaching out to the sky. The sky was blue for the most part, but gray skies loomed ahead, meaning muddy roads along the way shortly. Also in the distance, there was a forest that spread between them and their destination. Normally the group would have gone a different direction due to the weather, but Saria convinced them they would be alright when in the treecover.

Every few minutes, Moonshadow would see the shadow she saw in her communication with DF. It would come and go, right when she turned. It became frustrating rather quick when she would see it in the high grass and it just disappear like that

Martel also noticed the shadow. The power he felt from the communication was helping him detect the being that was seemingly following them. The only problem was that whenever he looked to see it, it would vanish, leaving him clueless. That was, until he saw Moonshadow noticing it too. He eventually timed her looking in which direction and caught a full sight of the being.

Why that looks like Martel's mind went into a jumble that looks like DF!

The being saw him a moment later, and disappeared, leaving Martel with his original assumption. He looked to the sky and saw the storm brewing ahead. Wanting to avoid trying to discuss this in the rain, he approached Moonshadow to try and discuss what it was

Saria noticed the movements, but knew already. The being was a shadow warrior that DF made for battle. It fought as fiercly, but wasnt as durable as DF. She still had a few nasty nicks from close call attacks in duels. She saw it move ahead, into the forest.

The forest loomed over the group as they approached when the rain broke out. Drenching everything in sight, the group fortunantly had prepared in one way or another to avoid the falling water.

a muddy forest, with enemies around Saria thought to herself We have to be on guard for whatever may happen

The group trudged forth in the mud into the darkened forest with Saria in the lead, going through the trees to keep a lookout.

This post has been edited by Desert Fox: 10 February 2005 - 03:34 AM

Tej suddenly asked in confusion Medoc, "What is that?" Tej pointed to a tree.
"Umm a tree.." Medoc repiled even more confused than Tej, "what you have never seen a tree?"
"A better question would be what is a tree..." Tej said.
"Well..." Medoc begun to explain.

-Dark Jet

Selax had also noticed the movements, but, when the others ignored it, he didn't say anything. He didn't know if whatever it was would cause trouble later or what it was planning to do. He flew up and peeked through the tree cover. He saw nothing, but he knew the assassin was probably following them. Or was already ahead of them.

OOC: Sorry for the absence.
BIC:
Martel moved closer to Selax. "He's close to us." Selax nodded, and they walked for a little bit in silence. "What type of being is he?" Martel asked.
"What do you mean?" Selax replied.
"Knowing what kind of being he is would aid my combat against him when he attacks."
"No," Selax paused, "Do not attack him. It is my destiny to conquer him. I must fulfill it."
"I disagree." Martel said tersely, "I do not want anyone weighing down this group. I would have been dead long ago if a friend of mine had insisted on fighting his 'personal demons' alone, and I had listened. This group will not die. I cannot respect your decision. So, what type of being is he?"

Selax turned to Martel.
"Come with me at midnight, after we make camp. Then you will see your answers. This being is no threat to you or any of the others, unless you get between me and him. He will avoid me, if any of you attempt to interfere. Besides, you could only fight him if you use magic, otherwise he would kill you. The assassin is the one that you must watch for. We will speak no more of this."
Selax hovered up to the tree tops and stayed there.

Martel grunted. 'Magic. My brother may be an alchemist,' he thought, 'But it doesn't mean I'm going to accept magic.' Since Selax had so abruptly ended the conversation, he walked off on his own, thinking.

Selax looked at the sky. Soon, night would fall. Then, soon after, he would be fighting one of the deadliest swordsman that he had ever faced. It had been some time since he had had a true one-on-one sword fight based on skill. He had grown stronger since the last time they had fought. He would be ready.

*OoC*
I normally try to avoid double posting on a TS, but since its been three days...
*BiC*

The group continued on, heading for Catamarca. The rain continued to pour down. Selax looked up somewhat uneasily at the sky. Then, he heard the sound that he had been afraid of hearing-a roll of thunder.
Great. Lightning, just what I don't need. Hmm, nobody needs it, especially since we are surrounded by trees, he thought, glancing at the trees around them.

"How much longer until we get out of these trees?" Medoc asked Saria.
"Hopefully not too much longer, this storm doesn't seem to bad but it looks like its getting worse." Saria answered.
The rain was starting to get heavier and the lightning was starting to become more frequent. The path that they were walking on wasn't too bad, it had been used for many years so it couldn't really get too much worse. Although the trees protected them from the rain, well most of it, a lot of water was still getting through but that wasn't what everyone was woried about. The lightning strikes sounded as if they were getting closer to them which was usual for a moving storm.
"Medoc, you never answered my question." Tej said.
"What question was that?" Medoc asked.
"Why do we have trees, you said what they were but not why they are here. Animals are here to be eaten."
"Well, trees are green and they can be eaten. They are shelter as you can see now and..."
"You don't know do you?"
"Not exactly, if you are hungry enough they can be eaten, they make great shelter in the sun and rain but other than that I don't know. Does anyone know? I would also like to know."
The group kept walking through the forest, waiting to get away from all the lightning rods. The storm didn't seem like it was ever going to stop, they could only wait, wait for what ever was going to happen to happen.

Suddenly, they emerged from the forest. It was now pitch black and it was obvious that to go any further would require torches or casting some form of Embrightenment. Someone cast Embrightenment at a level sufficient for seeing. The sight that met the group's eyes filled them with dismay.
They were on a low hill, with the forest behind them and no shelter on their right. On the left, there were signs of possible camping ground. However, the attention of the group was focused on the ground below them.
The rain had turned the ground into a muddy mess covered with puddles and small lakes. Going through that mess in the day would be difficult-at night even more so. It could only be done with one of the highest forms of the spell. It also looked like it might flood, so waiting might no be wise; however, if they went, they might get caught in the flood.
"So what do we do now?" Selax asked the others.

Avatara raised his arm and opened his palm. His hand was surrounded by first red, then blue light, then finally settled into a sphere of brilliant white light. The ball of light bagan to expand, slowly dimming as it encompassed more and more of the surrounding area. Just after the light reached back to the forest, a sharp crackling sound came from the trees, along with what sounded like hissed curses. Martel thought he had seen movement, and he started back to assess the situation.

Selax began to follow behind. "Stay back, Martel," he said. "This is probably the assassin I warned you about, and none of your business." Selax motioned back to where Avatara and the others were standing.

"I've told you before: it's my business what happens to any member of this party," Martel replied, poking into the shadows of the trees with his sword. "This should only take a minute; it doesn't seem anyone's here."

As Martel took a step forwards, Selax reached out to keep him from reentering the forest. Just as Selax's hand was about to touch Martel's shoulder, two unfamiliar hands reached out from the shadows and pulled the two of them in together.

"Martel! Selax!" Saria exclaimed as the two disappeared. She raced over to where the two of them had disappeared, but could find no trace. "It looks like we're down two men," she said. "I guess we'll have to speed up our plans; we don't want to get caught off guard. Tej, Medoc, Moonshadow - how fast do you think you can get across the valley and to the object? I'll stay with Avatara and help him keep the light up."

----

Martel and Selax fell unceremoniously out of the darkness, disoriented. As Martel picked his head up, he saw a lake and several flickering torches on one end. He turned around, to find another figure standing above him.

"Are you two alright?" a female voice asked. "Most people don't take well to shadowjumping."

"That was disorienting," Selax said. "We're not with the rest of our group anymore, are we?"

"No," she said, "you're about a mile up along the valley. Those torches you see there are on the top of a dam, and there are some creatures there preparing to break the dam as soon as your friends try to cross."

"Damn," Martel said. "How long do we have before they destroy it? And for that matter, who are you?"

"I think they're waiting for a signal before they start their work. And there will be time for introductions later - we don't have much time to work with here. We need to prevent them from flooding the valley"

Selax pondered the situation.
"I doubt that they will try to cross now. They will probably enter the forest to look for us. If Wizard uses his telepathy, he will be be able to find us and to sense the creatures. He will guess what they intend. For the moment, I believe that you can act against these creatures safely. You have probably thrown one of my pursuers off for a time. I can get you closer to them, but I don't think that I can help you. There is no time for explanations now. Come and grab my robe."
When he was sure that they had a good grip, he took off. He flew low to the ground, keeping out of the light and making no sound. When he had gotten them half of the way around the lake, he let them down.
Selax turned to face both of them.
"This as far as I can accompany you. Someone is waiting for me here and, if I tried to help you, he would attack me and ruin any plans. Send some sort of signal if you are successful. Goodbye and may you succeed. I will rejoin you soon after your attack."
He flew away, leaving the other two to make their plans to attack the dam.


Selax turned invisible and flew to the other end of the lake. There was a clearing by the water and he landed here. He wavered into view. Then, he turned to face the other side of the clearing. His enemy was here-he could feel him through the balance.
"Show yourself. I know exactly where you are, so you may as well stop hiding."
A moment later the air in front of Selax wavered and another figure appeared. Like Selax, he was dressed in black and hooded. In fact, he looked almost identical to Selax, but somehow, if one looked at both of them together, one could tell the difference. The figure smiled.
"You don't seem glad to see me. Does facing the only other being of your race worry you?"

This post has been edited by Selax: 19 February 2005 - 05:19 PM