The Order of the Dark Flame: Book 5. (story, no spam)

thantor3 · Post by **thantor3** » Fri Feb 01, 2002 4:36 pm

It had been a long and difficult night for Thantor.... one in which he did not sleep. In the darkness, the full impact of Georgi's loss came upon him. For a time he felt as if he were being carried away by an avalanche and he felt more lost, confused, and overwhelmed than he had in a very long time. He paced continually, going from murderous rage that what he loved had been taken from him... to a deep and aching loneliness at Georgi's absence. He regretted that he had not gone to her room sooner, that things could have been different if only... Try as he might, guilt and remorse were constant companions. He peered into the fire, seeking some sort of solace from the tearing pain he felt deep within his chest, but there was none. So he stood there, hemorrhaging, unwilling to staunch the flow....

The appearance of Mysteria had galvanized the remembrance of painful memories. While Mielikki's influence has done much to transform the way he felt about himself, the wounds left from his time in the village were old and deep. The whippings, the constant mockery, the unending days of self-imposed isolation.... Because of this, being around people had always been something of an ordeal, which is why he had been attracted to being a ranger. But the responsibilities of being a chosen of Mielikki had also required clerical duties, ones that, surprisingly, he had come to value. It afforded him both a way of devotion and a way of being with people that did not require either intimate contact or trust. Of the two, trust was the most difficult, the most confounding, and the least likely to be offered. After all those years of pain, to make himself vulnerable again seemed like absolute stupidity. But he had trusted Georgi... had made himself vulnerable.... Perhaps Georgi's momentary infatuation with Jerren was just normal feminine behavior. Thantor had considered this, but being so inexperienced he could not be sure. He hated that, hated the not knowing, the not being able to trust his own instincts and perceptions.

Right now, he could not be sure of anything, he told himself. But then he thought better of it. He was certain that he had not regretted any of the time he had spent here... with Georgi... with the Dark Flames. Despite the pain he was now experiencing, such experiences were a gift from life itself.... a gift he would cherish as long as he had breath. Though he did not know the course that Mielikki had charted for him, he promised himself that if it did not include finding Georgi and helping the friends he valued so highly, he would reject it. Amidst the chaos he felt in his heart, this one piece of certainty had allowed him to focus and become grounded. Seeing that it was light, he heavily descend the stairs and headed toward the kitchen.

Obsidian · Post by **Obsidian** » Fri Feb 01, 2002 5:55 pm

Seeing Nippy being tended safely within the confines of the keep, Farscape paused and took the time to dawn his armour. Buckling the intricate plate of dragon scale took less time than it would seem, almost folding itself onto his frame. There were very few clips or buckles. He was fully armoured in less than 3 minutes. Strapping onto his waist the longblade Vengeance to his left side and the brilliant hand axe Redemption to his right, he finally felt armed. From a hidden crevice in his pack he strapped an amulet to his forehead. It radiated energy, forcing the hairs on his forehead to stand up a bit. While his gauntlets on he heard a loud thump from somewhere within the keep, thinking little of it, he he turned around to check on Nippy, a load crash pulled the words from his throat.
Sprinting to the source of the sound, he found Maharlika lying on the floor, and two large blue creatures heading for his sprawled body. Killing first, ask questions later. Farscape lunged into action, in a dual wielded assualt to stun any ranger Farscape's blade bit deeply into the creatures to no effect.
"They're immune to blades..." He realized seeing the mace on the floor. Diving for it, he felt the a heavy fist slam him to the floor. Held to the ground, Farscape struggled violently against the crushing grip of this new opponent.
Finally breaking free of its viceful hold, he struggled to his feet only to be thrown out of the room by a great blow which took him off his feet and into the wall.
One creature stayed in the room while the other advanced on the dazed Farscape.
"I think not" He said twisting the onyx ring on his finger, and teleporting himself and Maharlika back to the common room.

(ooc, we paladins get knocked out pretty easily hey?)

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Sat Feb 02, 2002 3:34 pm

The kitchen, usually a haven from the chaos of battle or despair.....echoed the confusion and evil surounding the keep. A palpable sense of something dark and uncontrolled had insinuated its way into the heart of this place that had been her home for so long. And this room.....held so many memories....recollections both poignant and pleasurable. Looking at Jerren.....on the other side of the kitchen.......only intensified her bittersweet reflection. She saw, by the shadows surrounding his eyes, that despite his earlier avowels, the void still gaped behind him....it's tentacles ever-present.....ever-near.

Suddenly seized by an acute sense of helpless anguish, Dragon Wench abruptly stepped out into the icy cold the morning had brought....breathing in searing lungfulls of the glacial air. She wished there was somewhere she could go....that there was a place where she could simply allow the pain of her life to fade away into simple oblivion.

As she had done so often in the past.......she fled for the stables, and entered Midnight Spirit's stall. Gently, he knickered at her......intuitively understanding the confusion that reigned within her soul. Despite the knowledge that she was needed at the keep......she opened the door and vaulted upon his back.

Tearing from the stables, without a backward glance, they cantered into the freezing wind....its raw chill permeating to the very core. Hair streaming behind her.......Dragon Wench rode hard, rode blindly....... her destination a sunless blanket of uncertainty.

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Sat Feb 02, 2002 11:11 pm

Gwalchmai heard Yshania’s plea that they not allow the enemy to separate them, and he nodded his agreement. Even so, his mind considered the feasibility of this request, not in terms of the immediate situation, but in more abstract ways. The Dark Flames have always been a loose band of comrades, and their membership has changed many times over time. It is inevitable that some will leave, perhaps others return. He, himself, hated such change, though every tenet of his faith taught him that he should accept such changes and respect the new balances they bring. Still, he feared the day when his group of friends would dissolve. He knew the world was fortunate that he did not have the power to bend reality to his will, otherwise Loner would never have left, Georgi wouldn’t be missing, Dragon Wench would be happy again, and no one would feel the sorrow of loss or the sting of betrayal. It was thoughts like these that made him realize that he wasn’t a very good druid. Sighing, he looked at Yshania, and admired her centered-ness, her honest realization of her class.

Together, they followed Anicka’s tracks into the clearing where minions of the Shadow Master had first ambushed them. Here, many other tracks appeared, and the druids lost Anicka’s tracks.

“This is hopeless without the aid of a ranger.” Gwalchmai dismounted and walked in the snow. “I can’t tell what half of these track belong to, let alone which ones lead which way!” Suddenly, he tripped and fell head-long into the snow, making a nice impression with his face.

Yshania giggled; a musical sound under most circumstances, but not currently very amusing to someone whose beard, mustache, eyebrows, and hair were currently caked with snow. “Ho. Ho. Ho.” Gwalchmai groused, “I hope you are getting your kicks! What the heck did I trip over?” Feeling through the snow at his feet, he soon found a wand tipped with an intricate mechanism – the portal wand that Anicka had brought back from the lair of the Abomination.

It seemed obvious what had happened. Anicka had used the wand to return to try to rescue her men. “We need to decide how best to proceed,” Gwalchmai said, trying to shake the snow out of his boots. “We can wait here for the others, then go through the portal and try to help Anicka; one of us could go through now while the other goes back to the keep to get the others; we could both go through now to help Anicka and hope the others will follow us; or we could both go back to the keep and hope that Anicka can take care of herself.” He looked at Yshania. “What do you think we should do?”

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Sun Feb 03, 2002 12:05 am

Aegis and Bloodstalker left the keep of the Dark Flames, the other making sure Nippy was better first. The two raced down the trail left by the Gwally and Yshaina, Aegis following with ease. the tracks were simple to follow, and even where there had been more tracks meshed together, his keen eyes found the proper way, and led the two towards the clearing where Gwally and Yshania waited.

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Sun Feb 03, 2002 6:35 am

Yshania smiled warmly at Gwalchmai, despite all the pain and confusion, he remained grounded and true. Her smile soon dissipated, however, when she saw what he held in his hand…the portal wand!

‘We cannot allow one of us to enter the portal alone!’ she exclaimed, ‘the Dark Flames would then be seeking three of their separated number! Aegis has gone to raise the alarm, he is aware of the need to perform the ritual! I so hope he alerted the others…

‘We could go through together, and hope the Dark Flames realise what we have done…we would have to mark the trail, I am unsure as to whether they would be as…’ she spoke the next word, irony heavy in her voice ‘fortunate as we were to discover the portal wand…tethering our horses near would help, we would also need to clear the ground of snow where we may drop the wand’

Yshania turned, distracted by the sound of footsteps…her hand instinctively dropped to her scimitar…Aegis and Bloodstalker approached the two druids ‘what news of the keep?’ asked Gwalchmai, concerned by Aegis’ speedy return ‘did you deliver Rai’ya’s message?’ he looked intently at the elf…

A way off, Yshania heard the unmistakeable sound of hooves. Straining her eyes through the dawn shadows, she saw Dragon Wench galloping away, away from the keep, and alone…where was she running to? Yshania’s heart dropped, as she swung Pridwen around ‘Gwalchmai, please wait here for me!’ Digging her heels into her horse’s flank, she set off on a gallop after her friend.

Catching up, she tried to get Dragon Wench’s attention, but she seemed lost in herself, her jaw set, her eyes staring ahead, though apparently not seeing…Yshania yelled, as the horses thundered along, side by side…

‘Dragon Wench!’ her friend did not respond…frantically, Yshania threw back her cloak and made a grab for the stallion’s reins, snatching them on the third attempt, she pulled up Pridwen and – wrapping the other horse’s reins around the pommel of her saddle - used her own horse’s strength to slow down Midnight Spirit, whilst at the same time muttering a charm animal spell on the stallion.

Dragon Wench thrashed around, trying to regain control of her steed, then realising the futility, she flung herself from her horse and stormed away. Yshania dismounted and watched after the other woman for a moment, before setting off after her, slipping in the snow as she ran. The darkness was not going to take this friend! She resolved…but Dragon Wench had stopped, hanging her head. Slowly Yshania approached her and placed her hand on Dragon Wench’s shoulder. After the longest moment, her friend turned to face her, tears streaming down her face, profound pain and confusion shifting in massive waves behind her eyes…Yshania felt her own heart would break…such anguish…Dragon Wench looked so lost, and so small and vulnerable...

She reached out and put her arms around her friend, pulling her close and dropping with her as she collapsed to the ground. Yshania began to weep herself, as the sobs wracked Dragon Wench’s body…such despair…she kept hold of her friend, wrapping her heavy cloak around them both, as the other woman pulled up her knees, and folded her arms around herself…

‘We will get through this!’ Yshania said, glaring at the keeps dark silhouette, though her promise seemed empty and unrealisable…

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Sun Feb 03, 2002 8:38 am

Jerren watched Dragon Wench as she fled from the kitchen. Feeling a spiritual wrench, he instinctively wanted to follow her…to deny the vacuum of the dark void that continued to tempt him back…his time within that void had changed a part of him irrevocably, and the part of that temptation to return…the part that reached out and touched his soul…was the realisation that however deep the love, a distance such as they had experienced would alter them both indefinitely, and as much as he yearned, he was unable to affect the process, nor avoid the eventual impact it would have on Dragon Wench. For neither of them to have left, but to have been effectively snatched away, he felt so acutely that this pain was a destiny, a lesson to him. He allowed the pain to course through his body like molten blood. Closing his eyes, he invited the suffering, keeping it alive as a reminder of where he had been…and where he needed to go. He had resolved to fight the void alone, not intending to presume, but respecting his love had been through so much already, he had not wanted to involve her in his own personal battle…but this was happening regardless, after such a night of passion, and in the cold light of dawn, she had picked this up and was now running blind. Her face, as she had looked at him across the kitchen, was so full of hurt, and yearning and despair…he lowered his chin to his chest, recalling from somewhere the words of a travelling seer “If you love someone, set them free…if they return, then they are yours…if they do not, then they never were” but it was the imparted wisdom "For even as love crowns you... so shall he crucify you." that cut him deep. Unable to hold back any longer, he stifled the sob but allowed a silent tear to course it’s way down his face…

Der-draigen · Post by **Der-draigen** » Sun Feb 03, 2002 10:36 am

The tunnel walls had become slimy the further Der-draigen descended; and the atmosphere grew ever thicker with the stifling presence of the once-cleric Argonton, now apparently known as the Shadow Master…Der-draigen assumed therefore that she was drawing closer to his lair.

How long had she been down here? Hours? Days? Weeks??…..That odd feeling of time-displacement persisted. It couldn’t be because being underground disoriented her; she’d had plenty of experience with that…..No, it was likely some manipulation of the Shadow Master.

’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Eh, Der-draigen Cham?

Der-draigen drew a sharp gasp of breath and fell back against the slime-dripping stone, her eyes wide, the hair rising on the back of her neck.

Now how did I know that? the voice continued. You falter, crooked one. Your nerve fails you. I knew it would be so. That little conversation we had in the druid’s room gave me quite a lot of…insight…into you.

Der-draigen remained motionless.

But you don’t believe that’s true, do you, Der-draigen? That conventional wisdom that would have us believe it is better to have known happiness – to have seen what your life could have been – and to have it taken away – that that is better than never knowing, never seeing, and therefore losing nothing. It’s rather like the difference between a man who loses his sight at the age of, say, twenty, after having the use of his eyes all his life; and a man born blind, who can’t lose anything. Wouldn’t you agree, Der-draigen? Wouldn’t that be your assessment of…the situation?

Der-draigen staggered forward. A surge of personal hatred crashed over her. She tore along the tunnel almost blindly, flexing her hands as she went and muttering something to herself in that old language she used with the wolves.

Ignorance is bliss, is it not, Der-draigen?

The voice was now accompanied by distant-seeming cries, laughter, and sharp whispers. The minions, more than likely, Der-draigen thought dimly as she went on. She tried to assess how many she would have to face; but even with the talisman’s aid it was difficult. ”I will end you,” she communicated to the voice, and it laughed.

Finally, she came upon a wide open space in the tunnel, like a clearing in a forest. It was so vast that she could not see the opposite wall; nor, indeed, could she be certain there even was an opposite wall. It was cloaked in shadow, a darkness that began about four yards away from where Der-draigen stood.

Then she realized, it wasn’t a shadow. The whole mass that covered half of the round chamber…was Argonton, himself.

Der-draigen straightened, and faced him. She smiled her cold smile, reached a hand into her cloak, and drew out the talisman. It shone against, rather than into, the darkness; and the darkness drew what might have been breath at the sight of it.

”You want this, don’t you?” Der-draigen thought toward the shadow. She felt it reach out in the talisman’s direction.

”Come and get it.” she told the shadow; and the shadow replied, With very great gladness.

The Der-draigen was assaulted from behind by the minions, and she stood her ground against them.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 1:31 pm

A gaping emtiness yawned within her.....and stretched its path outwards creating darkness where there had ever so briefly been illumination.
Trying to contain the tears that refused holding back, Dragon Wench, buried her head into her friend's shoulder and allowed the sobs to wrack her body....to consume her to the very depths of her heart. Yet......as much as she yearned for them to do so........they did not, could not....extinguish the fires that still lingered at her core.

After a long moment Yshania found the words to speak.
"You are not dressed for this cold, and you are not armed.....it is too dangerous to be out here unprotected like this....."

Dragon Wench stared mutely at her friend....she had not noticed the cold outside....the hollow inner chill had numbed all sensation........Being armed was the last thing she really cared about.......

Sensing the direction of her thoughts, Yshania shook her, almost violently. "
"We are all in this together......don't go down that path."

Saying nothing, Dragon Wench simply dropped her head, and allowed Yshania to help her onto Midnight Spirit's back and to lead them both back to the keep.......

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 2:32 pm

Yshania climbed up into the saddle and glanced across at Dragon Wench...she was staring straight ahead, her face drained and expressionless...Yshania noticed she was shaking violently. Unsure as to whether this was the cold or shock, she unclasped her brooch and threw her cloak around the other woman's shoulders...Dragon Wench said nothing, just took the edges of the cloth and pulled it tight, burying her face in the folds...

Taking the stallion's reins a second time, Yshania clicked her tongue for the him to follow, which he did calmly and obediently...

Yshania was well aware that she had implored Gwalchmai not to allow a separation, but he was not waiting alone, and she sensed that he would understand her accompanying their friend to the keep to pick up her belongings....Yshania didn't know whether Dragon Wench was up to the task ahead, but she was not going to leave her behind.

Dismounting she held up her hand to her friend to help her down. Receiving no response, she tethered the horses and entered the keep herself. She ran up the stairs taking them two at a time, and tentatively knocking first, she pushed open the door of Dragon Wench's room. She found it empty, the bed still a knotted reminder of the love Dragon Wench and Jerren had shared. Without having been told, Yshania sensed profoundly that this emptiness was the reason for her friend's grief...

She took a cloak from behind the door, then lifted Dragon Wench's armour and sword from the rack. Sadly and respectfully, she closed the door behind her as she left.

Passing the kitchen she was surprised to find it empty, maybe Aegis had managed to deliver the message? she wondered...yes, they would have either left, or be preparing for the ritual. As she turned to leave, she noticed a folded piece of paper on the table. For a long moment she held it in her hand, deliberating, it wasn't clearly addressed...finally she sighed and opened it out. Reading it's brief and heart rending content, she shed a silent tear for her friend...there was going to be more than external shadowed forces to fight...

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 3:26 pm

Gwalchmai watched sadly as Yshania galloped away, riding Pridwen hard to catch up with Dragon Wench and Midnight Spirit. As usual, he found himself confused by a woman – in this case she had no sooner pleaded with him that they not be parted than she tore off leaving him high and dry.

Considering the two riders again, his mind abruptly changed subjects. He wondered if he should name the brown mare he found himself commonly riding. He was loath to apply a name to the horse, thinking that would imply ownership, and owning animals was anathema to the way he thought about nature and wild things. Still, he had ridden the mare for several months, and calling it “Hey, you!” was getting tiresome. This would require some thought. Perhaps Bob? Or Tex? Trigger? Betty? Wildfire? Sappho? Hirondelle?

Suddenly, he remembered that he was not alone, and turned to Aegis and Bloodstalker. “Has anyone been able to perform the Dawn Ritual yet? The day has nearly begun – time is running out.”

Bloodstalker looked confused. “What ritual?”

Aegis looked abashed.

Gwalchmai looked a little exasperated and wondered just how effective this elven ranger really was.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 12:47 pm

Dragon Wench watched her friend reappear from the keep, noting the expression she wore, the letter that she carried.

Her heart heavy with darkness and foreboding, she reached for it, knowing as she did, what it would contain. Silently she read, and allowed the tears to flood over her once more, like an avalanche....relentless in force, seemingly unceasing.

Yshania stood, gazing helplessly into the snow. The flakes were gathering in intensity, beginning to drive hard against the exposed parts of Dragon Wench's skin.....holding not the soft magic of Christmas but the bitter sting of sorrow and and utter annihilation. Seeing her friend shiver, the druid remembered the burden she carried, and passed Dragon Wench the warm outer clothing in her arms. Dragon Wench put it on, but found little comfort in the layers it offered. Her eyes went to her armour....and to her sword......to its lethally-honed edge. Wordlessly, Dragon Wench put out her hand, asking for the blade.

Yshania, now pale, shook her head. "Armour first," she said softly, a quiver to her voice.

Dragon Wench acquiesced.....resenting the protection that it provided; with fear haunting her features, Yshania passed the sword.

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 5:09 pm

Gripping the blade tight, Yshania reluctantly offered the hilt to Dragon Wench. She tugged back as the sword was snatched, grimacing at the pain as her hand was sliced, but holding on regardlessly...catching her friend's eye, she held it as steady as the sword stayed, reaching between them, demanding honesty...and hoping for strength. The two women had shared over a few bottles that night by the fire in the kitchen, they knew each other's deeper thoughts, and what the other was capable of....sadly, Dragon Wench nodded once at Yshania, and the druid released the blade, clenching her fist to stem the blood flow. As Dragon Wench fiercely sheathed her sword and swung her horse around, Yshania raised her clenched fist before her, the blood running freely down her wrist, and whispered a cure moderate wounds spell. If only a cure wounds spell could help her friend...

Yshania climbed into the saddle, Pridwen skittering her concern. Urging the mare alongside, she turned to her friend 'You are a fighter!' she reminded her, firmly but softly...the other woman turned in response, her expression unreadable...

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 5:51 pm

“Alright,” Gwalchmai said after Bloodstalker explained he had no knowledge of the Rituals of Amaunator and would really rather not be involved, “I’ll go back to the keep and see if anyone there knows the rituals. In the mean time, maybe you guys could take a look at these tracks. I’m no expert, but it looks like several beings entered this clearing then moved toward the keep. Have you encountered anyone?”

Aegis was immediately interested in the tracks, “Well, there was a smelly golem that attacked us when I was going to ask Bloodstalker about the rituals….. Yes, right there.” He pointed as some small footprints. “I’ll wager that is our mage who created the beast. Slight traces of slime, heavy tread, but elven….. Drow, perhaps?”

“You were attacked? Is everyone alright?”

“Nippy’s leg was broken,” Bloodstalker said, “I think Thantor was looking after him.”

Gwalchmai was relieved, then scratched his beard in thought “A golem, eh? The mage must still be at large. I wonder how many other enemies have infiltrated the keep. Our defenses are not what they once were.” He started pacing. “I can see how that would prove a distraction. No doubt someone wants to keep us from performing the rituals.” He began to stride off toward the keep, and then remembered that he had ridden a horse. He whistled and said, “Come! Er, uh, Princess!” His brown mare looked confused, but walked up to Gwalchmai and allowed him to climb into her saddle. Tucking the portal wand into a saddlebag, he rode toward the keep.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 6:29 pm

"You are a fighter," the words echoed inside her skull, a dull, painful reverberation. Grimacing, she turned to face the wind, and pulled her cowled hood close around her face.

Jerren's letter still scrolled through her mind, she understood the reasons..........but even so the agony that was in her heart....that she knew lived in his....cried out the question that could not be resolved. "Why?" She remembered her wonder and disbelief at his sudden reappearance in her life....the way they had so tentatively touched one another, afraid to believe that it was real.....and then last night............

Unbidden, her tears came again, cascading over her..... a flood that had no end. She looked down at her sword.....fingered its hilt.....the sheathed blade beckoned seductively. Closing her eyes, she remembered her unspoken pact with Yshania, and turning she saw her friend riding close beside her, grave worry etched into her expression.

"You are a fighter," repeated the druid. Dragon Wench finally spoke.
"It is easy to fight the evil that you can see."

Bloodstalker · Post by **Bloodstalker** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 7:18 pm

Bloodstalker's eyes immediatly went to the tracks Gwalchmai had pointed out. He absently found himself wondering if Mysteria and her wolf would be of help in this instance, but the thought vanished as he watched the young ranger work the area.

That thought brought a grin to his face. Young elf indeed. He never quite got used to the way elves aged. This one looked to be younger than himself, but odds are he had been walking the realms since before Bloodstalker's grandfather was born. And evidently, he had spent that time honing his craft. Having survived for years in the wilds, BS had thought he was a comeptent tracker, but he felt inadaquate compared to Aegis and Mysteria. He felt his respect for Ranger's beginning to grow.

All thoughts on the subject stopped when Aegis announced his suspicions of a mage, Drow he suspected. His eyes narrowed. Here was a situstion where he felt more than formidable. he had fought many wizards over the years, but never Drow. The thought unsettled him until he remembered Striker and his daggers. A Wizard is a wizard, he figured, and not much different in the end. Hit fast, hard, and with no hesitation. Hesitation was the biggest weapon a mage had over an advesary he had discovered long ago. Even many hardened warriors would pause fo an instant when the were met with the sight of a mage weaving his magic. Most that did never survived.

He knew the power an experienced caster could weild,in some instances being able to snuff out the life of a foe almost instantaniously, but still, he had never know one who could cast their spells with their throats slit. It tended to break their concentration.

Looking at Aegis, a gleam came to his eye.

"So, do we go back to the keep, or try and trail these tracks?" he asked.

He waited for the ranger to reply. He knew it probably made more sense to go back to the keep, but he had never been rationale when confronted with wizards. Besides, he told himself bitterly, The chance of walking into a trap was almost nonexistant. While he may not be the tracker a true ranger was, he knew that his sensitivity to magic would give him ample warning before an attack.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 7:52 pm

Aegis shook his head towards Bloodstalker. "No. I'll go on alone, you go back to the Keep, and inform the rest." Aegis tunred towards the trail, and knelt down near the racks again. "I'll go on ahead, and try to find where the trail ends." He glanced towards his comrade, and saw the concerned look on his face. "Do not worry about me. I have spent two hundred years on this plane. I Will meet you and the others back here in an two hours time." Bloodstalker, stalling for a moment, finally gave, and nodded.

"Take care then." He nodded to Aegis, then turned and headed back to keep.

Aegis waited until Bloodstalker was out of site before quickly scaling a nearby tree next to the trail. He lofted on one of the lower branhces, out of sight from somebody on the ground, but in clar view of the tracks. He began to move through the boughs of the trees, leaping from branch to branch, follwing the ever present tracks.

Maharlika · Post by **Maharlika** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 8:10 am

Where'd everyone go?

Maharlika finally awakens, his head still reeling. A few moments and he remembers the last thing that happened before unceremoniously sent to dreamland.

Where's everybody?

Nippy · Post by **Nippy** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 4:07 pm

Nippy sat on one of the pine chairs of the kitchen. His leg was raised up on the table and his trouser leg rolled up past his knee. Thantor stood over him and sighed at the damage.

Nippy grimaced with pain as Thantor started assessing the wound on Nippy's leg. The ankle was broken, and the shin. Muscle damage was great as the bone had tore into it. Thantor judged the spell needed and cleaned the wound of any last remaining disease or poison. Nippy's spell worked, but it was by no means permanent. After all, a Slime Golem's diseases were great.

Thantor's hands weaved intricate patterns in the air. Traces of blue green light left light marks on the back of Nippy's eyes and Thantor's chanting was loud and strong.

As the spell began it's climax the room started to change, it became lighter as Nippy's pain receded. He felt the bone contract and set with a loud crack and the white bone was lost from view. The sinews and muscles tightened and his strength renewed. The leg was now straight and the only obvious sign of damage was a long thin bright white scar running up his shin. It ended midway up and Nippy would keep the scar as a reminder of battle, a reminder to be more careful and another successful battle for the Flames.

He pushed the chair back with a loud screech and stretched his shouldersm torso and leg. He went through his normal patterns of exercise, testing his leg strength. It was as strong as ever.

The sound of a boiling kettle broke Nippy's thoughts. Thantor was sat staring into space at nothing and Vivien was making some fresh coffee.

Nippy touched Thantor on the shoulder and thanked him for his efforts. A spell like that took it out of someone...

He went over to Vivien and helped her with the mugs and sugar...