Rings

[Zoombie]

Garret slept, and the night was quiet. The Troggs head mainly served the soldiers at the fortress, but he, Felix and Book had found rooms. Unbeknownst to him though, Keith had booked the last room available. Two doors down from his. Garret slept peacefully though, still completely worn out from his ordeal. Book snored lightly and Felix was curled up in his bed, hissing softly. However Keith was not sleeping as well, tossing and turning.

He woke up, frustrated and reached for the lamp. The lamp was a modern marvel cooked up by a industrious human. All you had to do was flip a switch, and a small gas tank would fill the lamp with gas, then light it with a small clockwork powered flint. So after a few seconds and some light clicking, the lamp suddenly glowed warmly, filling the room with orange light.

Keith sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor. A browning stain was spread over the ragged carpet that covered half the room. The other half was hard, cold wood. Four other beds where cramped in, each against a wall. Keith was glad no one else wanted this room, because he didn├óÔé¼Ôäót relish sleeping with a stranger in his room. He grinned, thinking that it probably wouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót of made any difference. He couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót sleep anyway.

He looked out the window and saw the soldiers where still busy at the Fortress, from the lights on the top of it. He also saw some of the poorer people slumming in the ally ways through out the entire city. The bullet foundries surrounded the outside of the town, and each seemed to belch smog into the air. Around them where the shanty towns, each one filled with poor men, Kia and women trying to earn some money, and live. Keith sighed. It was so different from Emperryon. He could sell his trade, doctoring the soldiers, then buy a ticket home. He could join the army and get even richer. But the Necromantic Wars had each lasted longer then the last. And the first one had been thirty years. The second was forty four years before the enemy had been completely repulsed all the way to the second Dark Twin.

Keith stood up, deciding to go for a walk and work out his restlessness. He opened the door, hit his forehead on its low frame, and walked out of the Inn. The bar was closed, but the outer door was open. He walked into the street, and began to walk. He saw huddled human forms in the slums, but each was sleeping. A oil drum, discarded from one of the factories, had been turned into a warming flame. As Keith walked around a corner, a man stepped out from the ally way. Keith tensed, ready to run. why didn├óÔé¼Ôäót I bring my knife? he thought to himself as the man stepped forward menacingly.

├óÔé¼┼ôListen├óÔé¼┬ªI don├óÔé¼Ôäót have any money on me├óÔé¼┬Ø Keith said, holding his hand up. Suddenly ten more men came out from ally ways behind and around him, creating a cordon of men that completely surrounded him. Keith looked around, trying to find some escape. ├óÔé¼┼ôKeith Tarren├óÔé¼┬Ø the leader said, pulling out an ornate pistol ├óÔé¼┼ôyou are hereby bound by law├óÔé¼┬Ø. His cloak parted as he drew a sword, reveling a soldiers uniform. The men around him also drew there pistols and swords, flashes of red uniforms visible under there cloaks. Keith put up his hands, flustered.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat do you want me for?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, fear giving away to anger at this inconvenience. He hadn├óÔé¼Ôäót done anything├óÔé¼┬ª ├óÔé¼┼ôYou are under arrested for murder├óÔé¼┬Ø the leader said, watching as his men cuffed Keith, none to nicely. Keith suddenly realized that the gang members must of reported him├óÔé¼┬ª after coloring the facts a bit. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo wait!├óÔé¼┬Ø Keith said, but one of the guards smashed him in the face, shutting him up. He fell backwards, and the guards kicked him in the stomach, for good measure.

As five of them dragged Keith away towards the prison where he would be sentenced, Srg. Kelly walked away to Smythson who had watched the entire proceeding affair. ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks for the information├óÔé¼┬Ø Kelly said, taking off his guardsmen hat ├óÔé¼┼ôWithout your info, we would never of found him├óÔé¼┬Ø. Smythson smiled, staring straight at him even with that eerie blindfold on. ├óÔé¼┼ôoh├óÔé¼┬ª its no problem├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôin fact, I need Keith for my own reasons. What are the usual sentences for murders?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked.

├óÔé¼┼ôUsually its execution, but with the war he might be put in the Penal Legions├óÔé¼┬Ø Kelly said ├óÔé¼┼ôit├óÔé¼Ôäós a safe bet for the P.L to grab him up. They have too little troops as it is├óÔé¼┬Ø. Smythson absorbed this information easily and grinned.├óÔé¼┬ØGood. I├óÔé¼Ôäóm glad to see a murders get what he deserves├óÔé¼┬Ø. Kelly nodded and walked after his men.

Garret woke in the morning, the skies greasy from the factories that where already in operation. He looked at his compatriots, and found them to be still asleep. So he headed down stairs to the bar. The bartender was there, serving drinks to a hooded individual. Garret couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót tell what race, or even what sex the person at the bar was, but he simply sat down a stool down from the individual and called the barkeep to him. ├óÔé¼┼ôWater please├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. The barkeep opened the spigot on the water barrel and poured a cup of some stale water. Garret drank it though, and it woke him up a bit.

├óÔé¼┼ôSo, do you always drink water at a bar?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked the woman, for her voice told that much about her. Garret smiled ├óÔé¼┼ôOnly when I have no money├óÔé¼┬Ø he said and she laughed. ├óÔé¼┼ôI never got to thank you├óÔé¼┬ª all of you├óÔé¼┬Ø she said. Garret looked at her quizzically. She drew back the hood and Garret suddenly remembered her voice and face from the Shadowrunner. It was the mage from the attacking ship.

├óÔé¼┼ôHow did you get here!├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, his voice louder then it should be this early in the morning. The barkeep looked at him threateningly, and Garret lowered his voice. ├óÔé¼┼ôHow did you get here before us?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd what is your name? Who are you?├óÔé¼┬Ø. She grinned and started her story.

Juliana had been born in Salem, and her magical talents had manifested at a late age. She had been seventeen, and the Magi Guild wouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót accept any one under six, believing anyone older couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót adjust to there life. She had been forced into the streets, shunned by her superstitions family and she had to turn her talent to thievery. By the standards of pickpockets, she had gotten rich, capable of stealing a purse from a nobleman from ten feet away.

She had met Hawk, a man who had chosen a flamboyant name when he had turned to piracy. He was hansom, charming├óÔé¼┬ª and as she later found, a selfish and self centered man. But, unfortunately, before she had found out his true occupation, she had already signed onto his ├óÔé¼┼ôtrading├óÔé¼┬Ø ship. She had remained naively oblivious to the bad side of her lover, until they had attacked there first ship.

The crew had been slaughter mercilessly, there goods stolen and there ship burnt to the ground. When Juliana refused to use her powers in combat, Hawk had kicked her savagely, and left on the floor of his cabin. She had lain there, listening helplessly to the screams of the innocents. Hawk had come back, hours later, drunk├óÔé¼┬ª

Juliann├óÔé¼Ôäós voice trailed off at this point, and Garret decided against pressing the issue.

The second ship they had attacked was more heavily armed, but still, Juliana refused to help. In fact she had tried to escape over board with a rope, but each time she had been discovered. Each time Hawk had punished her. But she remained rebellious. After the battle Hawk had come to his quarters, where he kept Juliana, clutching his arm. He had been shot. He threatened to shoot her if she didn├óÔé¼Ôäót heal him, and she did so. He had repaid her by locking her in the room, and not beating her.

The third battle was when she finally helped. She had closed her eyes and lashed out with her power. A wave of heat had smashed over the deck of the enemy ship and the gas balloons ignited. The trader ship had blown up, almost destroying the Hawkwind. Hawk had beaten her for excessive force, and took to chaining her to the deck. This had gone on for two more horrible years, until Hawk had become very rich.

He upgraded his ship, getting more crew and guns. They where about to leave, and Hawk was celebrating his newfound victory, when the stranger had met them. Juliana was naked in the bed, pretending to be asleep as Hawk had talked to the black robed stranger out side the inn├óÔé¼Ôäós room. She heard about how they where to attack a ship heading through Terrix in a few days. Hawk had burst in, and Juliana had feigned surprise to hear about the mission. She was surprised about how much it would pay, and hoped Hawk would be in a good mood for the rest of the night.

As Hawk snored, Juliana lay at the edge of the bed, keeping as far away from him as she could.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhy didn├óÔé¼Ôäót you just kill him?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret cut in, looking concerned. Juliana laughed without humor ├óÔé¼┼ôBecause├óÔé¼┬ª I was weak. Afraid├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, before continuing the story.

Hawk and his crew set out of the gate, but marveled as a massive volcano consumed the port town that occupied the mountain side. Juliana felt the massive amounts of magic, fueled by├óÔé¼┬ª some perverted life force. She recognized it as Blood Magic, the most forbidden of all magic├óÔé¼Ôäós. She refrained from telling it to Hawk, as he would probably just ignore or scold her.

However Juliana├óÔé¼Ôäós rebellious streak wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót over. She had to be deprived of food for the first three days of the long, drawn out combat against the Shadowrunner. Then, she had realized that she could look like she was helping, but not actually doing anything. So when forced to fire blasts of flame at the Shadowrunner , she aimed close to the ship.

When Hawk and his crew had boarded the beaten and wrecked Shadowrunner, Juliana had used her powers and found the crews plan out. She saw her way out, and took it, lying to Hawk. As the two ships began to be engulfed in flames, she clambered down the rope along with the rest of the panicked and confused crew. When they had gotten to the ground level, she had split off.

├óÔé¼┼ôbut├óÔé¼┬ª how did you get here?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked again. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy that├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, turning to face him, a long jagged scar ran down her right cheek ├óÔé¼┼ôWould be telling├óÔé¼┬Ø.

[Zoombie]

Smythson walked through the streets of Stelvi, and smiled at the blissfully unaware humans that continued their pointless war. He knew, generally, where he was going, but took his time. The trial wouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót occur for another two days. He tied his bandana tighter around his head. No sense in panicking the populous, because his property would be back in his hands in two days.

Keith sat in his prison cell, huddled for warmth in the dank room. Water dripped from the ceilings, most likely because the dungeon was lower then the sewers, in the old castle structure that eventually made way for the fortress. The Castles where as deep as they where tall, but where too thinly spread out for the growing Necromancer threat. So they had been turned into the Fortress, and Terrix had never been breached again. Keith, thought he could hear other voices in the cells down from him, but it might have been the wind whistling through the very thin air ducts.

Garret introduced Juliana to the others. Both Book and Felix where dumbfounded as to how she had gotten ahead of them. But, as Felix said, they did seem to be in the same circumstance. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are we going to do, now?├óÔé¼┬Ø Book asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôGet a job├óÔé¼┬Ø said Juliana. ├óÔé¼┼ôBuy a new ship├óÔé¼┬Ø said Felix ├óÔé¼┼ôGet past the Fortress├óÔé¼┬Ø Said Garret. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø said Book, thinking ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy don├óÔé¼Ôäót we do those in that order?├óÔé¼┬Ø.

Stelvi and the pass it was named after, had a large amount of natural resources in the vast mountains. So the miners toiled night and day to produce the three things needed to make guns. Metal, Saltpeter and the unbreakable metal, Hilidium, where all mined out of the vast reservoirs of Terrix. The rest of the materials required, that is wood, food and manpower, came primarily from the vast forests of Emperryon, which was now cut off. The man power wouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót be an issue for a long time, maybe never, because the city of Stelvi held over two thousand people, not even counting the soldiers from the fortress. So Garret went out to find a job they could all do.

What he found was not promising. Nearly every factory in the city that made bullets paid one tenth of a coin an hour, and the die off rate from worker quitting and├óÔé¼┬ª well dieing was staggeringly high. The shops where, if possible, even worse unless you had connections in the trade syndicate, and those connections relied on money and goods that they didn├óÔé¼Ôäót have. He checked out the mines, but was immediately dissuaded. They only used Penal Legionaries, because off the dangers of working with Hilidium, and the simple instability of mines.

He came back with the bad news. The others told him of what they had found. Juliana had tried to find jobs as well, and found much the same thing as Garret. Felix came back with the news that all ships in the area where being impounded for military affairs. Book had tired to learn more about the Fortress, but discovered something shocking.

The newspaper, a relatively new invention that hadn├óÔé¼Ôäót found its way to Emperryon yet, proclaimed ├óÔé¼┼ôTrogg Attack Repelled├óÔé¼┬Ø on the front page, but Book flipped to the near back in a section titled Law and order. He read it allowed to the rest.

Murder caught
Keith Tarren, a human, was captured today by the police. Keith, a man who has no records of any kind in Stelvi, was found to be a illegal immigrant from Emperryon. Who knows what he could have been fleeing, for on his first night in Stelvi he murdered five people, expertly. He was caught due to an anonyms tip off. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe believe this may not have been the first time he has murdered, but we hope it is the last├óÔé¼┬Ø said a police spokes person, captain Gerard Smith. Keith Tarren├óÔé¼Ôäós trial will be head in two days.

-John C. Clancy

├óÔé¼┼ôWho├óÔé¼Ôäós Keith?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Felix. ├óÔé¼┼ôHe is an acquaintance of mine├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said ├óÔé¼┼ôThat is we met him, back at Emperryon but├óÔé¼┬ª he didn├óÔé¼Ôäót come along.├óÔé¼┬Ø Book spluttered ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is crazy! Keith didn├óÔé¼Ôäót seem like the murdering type├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt says that someone tipped the police off├óÔé¼┬ª maybe it was self defense├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana pointed out. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót know├óÔé¼┬ª but wait..├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, chewing his lower lip thoughtfully ├óÔé¼┼ôLook at the date of the paper!├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix pointed out ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós the day after we got here!├óÔé¼┬Ø.

Garret got up and begin to pace ├óÔé¼┼ôHe must of gotten here about the same time we did├óÔé¼┬ª but how├óÔé¼┬Ø. Book looked pointedly at Juliana who sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Garret walked over to the door and opened the door. A rather short, dumpy man in a plain suit healed an envelope that was yellow and weathered. ├óÔé¼┼ôLetter for Mr. Felix├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, handing it to Garret before walking down the corridor briskly.

Garret turned the envelope over in his hands handed it to Felix. Felix slid one of his claws down the edge of the envelope. He took out the letter and read it quickly. ├óÔé¼┼ôoh no!├óÔé¼┬Ø he whispered, his silted eyes widening ├óÔé¼┼ôoh no!├óÔé¼┬Ø he said louder, clutching his head and crumpling up the letter in his hands. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is it?├óÔé¼┬Ø Book asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts from my boss!├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôFelix├óÔé¼┬ª you may be one of our best pilots├óÔé¼┬Ø Ulysses said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut that doesn├óÔé¼Ôäót give you free reign to BLOW THEM UP! You usually play hard and fast with flying regulations, safety regulations, and crew relations! I have caught contraband on your ship five times, but each time you have had a legal loophole! Now, I personally like you but this time you have gone too far. This company can├óÔé¼Ôäót take an economic hit like that, not in war time. But├óÔé¼┬ª due to the profits you somehow managed to rake in each year, I├óÔé¼Ôäóm going to give you one last chance├óÔé¼┬ª what the hell happened to the Shadowrunner. The boss of Cargo Express sat down at his desk, and glared at Felix.

Felix grinned.

├óÔé¼┼ôI cant believe you got fired├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said too Felix as he sat on one of the beds in the hotel room. The Kia was holding the form that Ulysses had handed to him. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou had a reason├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said ├óÔé¼┼ôI can testify to that├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said ├óÔé¼┼ôHe said that a ship is worth maybe ten times as much as cargo. Then he also pointed out that in such a circumstance, one is to surrender and give all your cargo to the pirates├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôbut that├óÔé¼Ôäós crazy!├óÔé¼┬Ø protested Garret.

├óÔé¼┼ônot if it works nine times out of ten├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said. Garret chewed his lip. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait├óÔé¼┬Ø Book said ├óÔé¼┼ôDidn├óÔé¼Ôäót he say something about contraband?├óÔé¼┬Ø. Felix suddenly stood up ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, I├óÔé¼Ôäóm off to find a job├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, walking towards the door. Juliana laughed. Garret got up and stopped Felix ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót bother├óÔé¼┬ª its pretty bleak out there if you want to earn anything this lifetime├óÔé¼┬Ø.

A dull boom broke in on the rather cramped room. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the├óÔé¼┬Ø Book muttered, before a second and third loud explosion rocked the city. They all clambered to the nearest window and looked to the Fortress. The sky was lit with intermittent explosions, as cannon fire sounded out in like a continuing drum beat. ├óÔé¼┼ôI think we should get under the furniture├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy?├óÔé¼┬Ø Book asked. A misfired round exploded over the city, and a piece of shrapnel bounced off the window, leaving a faint chip on it.

Book ducked swiftly as a huge rock flew up and over the Fortress, but its trajectory missed the city by a few hundred feet, and it slid over the terrain leaving a massive gouge in its wake. The return fire from the cannons was deafening, as nearly ever battery fired in tandem. After a few seconds a red glow came from the Fortress as countless bombs exploded. The sound was defining.

Srg. Kelly looked over the edge of the Fortress, and saw the arrays of cannons below him fire again. They did massive damage to this sudden Trogg offensive, but only to the trebuchets. Another one just exploded as countless non-explosive cannonballs ripped through its fragile wooden structure. However it was not the trebuchets that where the main concern, as there rocks where often of low quality, and broke against the walls of the Fortress.

It was when they sailed over the Fortress to hit the land behind it. Kelly tired not to imagine how many might die if even one shot was to hit the city, so he simply watched the battle. The land troops had little to do other then chuck bombs and be ready├óÔé¼┬ª for when the tanks showed up.

The tanks, as they where nicknamed by the soldiers, where monstrous black constructs. Each one was basically a black box, made of thick wrought iron. The weight must have been incredible, but the sheer number of Trogg under each managed to move them forward on ponderous wheels. The first hundred or so that emerged from the night time mists seemed like a slow invasion of the dead, and many of the cannon crews panicked, firing round before order to. The cannon fire had simply bounced off, leaving faint dents on the sides and tops.

The battle had ground on now for only ten minutes, but it seemed as if it had been hours. The tanks had approached and the bombs had simply bounced off and exploded in the air. And so, Kelly had watched as the Trogg army advanced towards the Fortress, and was ready to repel the Troggs that where surly ready to scale the Fortress, once the tanks had arrived.

├óÔé¼┼ôNo DAMN THEM! Its to damn early for an attack!├óÔé¼┬Ø Smythson shouted, throwing a piece of crockery against the wall of his house. It shattered, leaving a blemish on the wall, but Smythson didn├óÔé¼Ôäót care. He was ready to leave his new house, but first he walked to the man who was bound up, hanging from the ceiling by a very long rope. ├óÔé¼┼ôW-what do you want with me?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, sobbing. Michel was a rather wealthy factory owner, so Smythson though he was perfect for his operations here.

Smythson walked over to him, leaning over to stair into Michel face, his eye sockets bared and hollow. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy├óÔé¼┬ª I don├óÔé¼Ôäót need you at all├óÔé¼┬Ø He said, and then Michel screamed, his face contorting horrifically as his skin tore and his eyes popped, blood flowing down from his sockets. He screamed and screamed as his entire body began to morph and tear. His muscles melted away and his tendons snapped. He stopped screaming only when his lungs started to tear down the middle. He stopped living when his heart exploded.

Smythson smiled, looking through his new eyes. He saw normally now, but the fluorescent glow of his new sight, what he named truesight, was tiring. He walked over to the mirror and smiled, looking at his fresh blond hair, his green eyes and a face five years younger. ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks├óÔé¼┬Ø he said to the dripping mound of blood and bone that was once Michel├óÔé¼Ôäós├óÔé¼┬ª

[Archangel of Death]

Bout time! (on my response too). And yuck.

[Zoombie]

I feel i must warn my more squemish (read, sissy... im just kidding...no im not... yes i am) viwers that Smythson is evil, dispicable and a necromancer. So he has some very (very) nasty magic at his disposale. He ususaly is doing something nasty to further his omminus agenda....

[Zoombie]

Garret huddled under the bed, faintly aware of Book and Juliana├óÔé¼Ôäós forms to the sides of him. He was more preoccupied by the sounds and raucous sounds of battle from the Fortress. Every so often a huge boulder would arch over the massive structure, and shatter onto the wastelands that surrounded the town. Every time that happened, the reverberations shock the window pane. Every cannon volley that ripped in a deafening crescendo as it raced down the Fortress, and ended at the other side.

Garret stared at the window and hoped a boulder wouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót come and obliterate the inn. Suddenly a huge form darted over the inn, blotting out the stars in the sky. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós a dragon├óÔé¼┬Ø whispered Book, sticking his head out form under the bed to get a better look. Juliana reached over Garrets back and dragged Book back under cover. For all the good it could do.

The Red Dragon had remained in the same spot with out moving for quite a while, staring at the city of Stelvi through her silted eyes. It look rather like a constantly flowing painting of red and violets that shifted along with the heat of the day, and the moving of its citizens. As night fell, she noted a loud sound from the Fortress. She clambered over the rocks with catlike agility, quietly maneuvering through the mountain range that crisscrossed the entire length of Terrix. After a surprisingly short time she managed to see over the Fortress and at the Trogg army.

For a time she was content to simply watch the blinding array of heat spitting form the cannons, until she noticed the blackness that was approaching the Fortress. It looked, if anything, like a staggered line of rectangles of complete blackness. She stared closer and saw faint emanations of heat from within the blackness.

Suddenly it clicked. but that tactic hasn├óÔé¼Ôäót been used in thousands of years she thought, vaulting off the mountain and spreading her wings. She opened her mouth to cook the Troggs in there box├óÔé¼Ôäós, when a speeding form smashed into her side. It was the Blue dragon, zipping over the city and into her. She struggled to right her self, but she was falling.

The Blue glided over her and looked down. She strained, and managed to get upright. But now her back was facing the Blue, so she winged her way up. She heard the tell tail sound of wings flapping. She spun to the side, and he shot past her, claws extended. She glanced at him and knew he would hit the ground, but at the rate he was breaking with his wings, he would live. ├óÔé¼┼ôStay down there!├óÔé¼┬Ø she snarled at him, before gliding towards the battle.

The Trogg army was advancing very slowly. The tanks, an idea dredged up from the upper echelons of command, where sluggish, being pushed by the combined might of a dozen Trogg each, and given the thick fur that covered there bodies kept them comfortably hot in the coldest climes of there homeland, made each tank a nearly unbearable hot box. The Red Dragon took aim, spinning gracefully down after a cannon volley, and fired.

The red gout of flame spread like a thick carpet over a large path of terrain. It was her single shot, but she had aimed well. More then twenty tanks where hit and incinerated, killing the Troggs inside with murderous heat. A larger number of the tanks where heated by the close proximity of the flames, and the occupants desperately flipped the tanks over to find respite from the heat. There relived at some fresh air was shredded by a volley of cannon and gun fire.

The Dragon winged away, spinning around to avoid a single cannon ball that some panicky Kia had fired. He hadn├óÔé¼Ôäót gotten it through his head that the Dragon was aiding them. The Dragon winged deftly towards the mountains, making sure to hide close to the ground to avoid that troublesome blue.

The Blue dragon ground to a halt, desperately trying to slow as he plummeted. Fortunately he managed to slow enough before hitting the ground. The Troggs where about fifty meters in front of him, but they couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót attack with out moving from there tanks, so he managed to get himself ready to fly after the treacherous Red. He was shocked however when she used her breath on the Troggs, rather the Fortress.

He watched her wing away, and decided that if she was going to do damage to the enemy, how could she be one too? He heard a ominous clang, and whipping his head around, saw one of the tanks open a small slit on the front. A huge multi shot ballista was packed into the front. He tucked in his wings and rolled to the side as the ballista bolts fired in a lethal wave. He opened his mouth a shot a bolt of lighting, using the magical arts practiced only by his kind. The bolt arched into the Tank, and from the howls he heard inside, did a fair amount of damage to its occupants.

The Red Dragon was assured that the humans would win, in the end├óÔé¼┬ª they where such a hard spices to exterminate. Even as she thought this, the humans and Kia had already boiled some water, dropping it onto the tanks as they got close enough. The Trogg died painfully, but it was better then the town being sacked. The Dragon slept, with one eye open.

Garret, Book, Felix and Juliana didn├óÔé¼Ôäót come out of cover for a good ten minutes after the last cannon shot. ├óÔé¼┼ôDid we win?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Felix. ├óÔé¼┼ôI think we did├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, standing up, and looking out the window, trying to see if any damage had been done to the city. He gasped. A huge swath of the street had been leveled by a stray trebuchet boulder. The path of destruction had destroyed every building on the street, across from the Inn.

Srg. Kelly looked over the rampart. The Trogg where retreating, and there tanks had been destroyed, either through fire, lightning or water. He grinned and joined in the cheering. As the solders began to spread out, getting the tanks for study, he looked back to the town. Two of the trebuchet boulders had hit it, damaging it and causing an untold amount of deaths. Suddenly├óÔé¼┬ª he didn├óÔé¼Ôäót feel as if it had been a victory at all.

Keith was listening to the faint din of the battle as it drifted down from the top of the Fortress. Keith hoped his side was winning. The Trogg don├óÔé¼Ôäót have courts, and if they found him in prison he would be just as dead if they found him in the city. So he hoped, and prayed to gods he didn├óÔé¼Ôäót ever really believe in. Suddenly he heard footsteps coming down the hall.

He looked up and saw a blond haired, wiry man who wore a black robe walked in front of his cell. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho are you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Keith asked as the man stared into his cell. The man didn├óÔé¼Ôäót answer, but simply placed his hand over the lock. With a soft click the door slid open of its own accord. The man stepped in. He looked at Keith and his face├óÔé¼┬ªmelted. All his features shifted disturbingly, and he suddenly looked like a black haired, gaunt man.

But Keith was transfixed by his burnt, shrunken eye sockets. They stared into his eyes, the shadows making them look like bottomless pits. Keith couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót help. He screamed as the man advanced, one of his hands outstretched. Keith backed into the wall, but the man├óÔé¼Ôäós fingers pressed against his forehead. They where clammy and cold, and Keith├óÔé¼Ôäós spine straightened, his eyes rolling back into his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôRemember├óÔé¼┬Ø Smythson said.

He paced around the room, staring at the featureless bricks that surrounded him. Ten paces by ten paces by ten paces by ten paces. An infinite walk that He could never escape, but could only go around and around and-

<blank>

A bandana wrapped around his head, obscuring his vision. But he can still hear the enemies. He swiped his sword around and felt hot blood splattering onto his face. He grimaced, feeling the red droplets run down his cheeks.

<blank>

In complete darkness he could feel the rustling of bodies moving through air. Each person was one of the unfortunate prisoners. As was he. But the one who survived would be freed. Or so They said. He felt something coming close and he threw his knife out. A dull thunk told him that his knife had struck home. A soft plop allowed him to retrieve it from the corpse. It was a fifteen year old woman, he guessed.

<blank>

Pacing, Pacing, Pacing. The cell is infinite and yet enclosed. He knew that his mind could encompass an infinite space, and yet the cell was finite. It was a lesson he had learned. How long has it been sense He had last seen someone? What was his name├óÔé¼┬ª Garret?

Keith├óÔé¼Ôäós eyes came back into focuses as Smythson removed his hand from his forehead. ├óÔé¼┼ôCome with me. We have much to do├óÔé¼┬Ø Smythson said curtly. Keith nodded, standing up ├óÔé¼┼ôYes master├óÔé¼┬ª we do├óÔé¼┬Ø.

[Zoombie]

Bout time! (on my response too). And yuck.

Do you mean "about time, Zoombie, that took forever to write" or "about time <x> happened to <x>"

[Archangel of Death]

The first one.

[Zoombie]

Sry. Its just my last few days have been nothing but free... timed.


and if you want i COULD try to keep to some kind of a scedual. Either Dayly, or Weekly? I cant seem to decide....


i think ill go with semi-daly updates. It will fluctuate, but not much. Unless something really wird happenes.

[Archangel of Death]

No rush, I'm just being slightly impatient is all. Don't feel the need to force out another chapter because of me.

[Min3mat]

agreed don't rush this! i like the way its getting :)

[Zoombie]

Getting? Getting what!

Or did you mean going?
















oh here is the next episode:

The next three months where uneventful. The Troggs where pushed back to the farthest point in the war. There army fell back and prepared, while the Fortress watched them warily. Smythson and Keith fell back into the shadows, soon disappearing from Terrix itself.

The damage wrought on the city brought the population together in a rebuilding effort. The two boulders had smashed fifty two houses and killed hundreds of innocents. Several factories closed and released there workers to the rebuilding and reconstruction. Theses workers life├óÔé¼Ôäós improved, marginally and the skies were cleaner for it.

Garret found a job. He was hired for a body guard service, and even though it was technically legal, it reminded him of the Interpreters Guild. However the crime rate against the rich men and women who hired him was surprisingly low, making his job incredibly dull.

Felix was hired as well, by none other then rival company to his old cargo running company. For two of those three months he was in on the newly reinstated supply run, with some of his older crew. Juliana simply came back into there semi-permanent room at the Troggs Head with money. She simply said that she ├óÔé¼┼ôdid some odds and ends around the city├óÔé¼┬Ø.

As the days ground by Garret found himself becoming content with his life. He knew the barkeep in the Inn by name, and the landlady stopped asking him if he and his friends where going to stay for the next week. His name was slowly gaining in reputation, mainly for good conduct and polite conversation. Felix came back from his first supply run with a box of the finest rum from the Capitol.

The Blue dragon gave up every finding the Red dragon and returned to his roost at the Fortress. The Red dragon was a scant mile away from the city but no one would find her. She was not the oldest, most skilled, or even the largest dragon. But she out aged the Blue dragon by at least ten thousand years, and could easily avoid him and any blundering humans


It was well into the third month of his stay when Garret first saw snow. He├óÔé¼Ôäós first thought was complete confusion. But when more and more snow began to percolate down from the skies he ran out into the streets. He looked up into the air and grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts just snow├óÔé¼┬Ø a passerby said, some what gruffly. Garrets good mood was suddenly stifled, and he walked back inside.

He stepped into his room, walking gently over the curled up form of Felix who was clutching an empty bottle. He then grabbed his sword and pistol and walked out of the room. As he walked down the hall he strapped the sword to his waist, then his pistol to his chest. Walking down the stairs, he noticed the snow was already starting to clog the streets. Rethinking his choice of shoes, he went back upstairs for his boots.

Now that he was finally outside, and on the way, the snow also seemed to redouble its efforts to clog the streets. Wind whipped it into his face and blew snow at him. It was beginning to get cold, and he was having trouble walking. After twenty minutes of slogging through the snow he arrived at his latest job.

It was looking like it was going to be a boring job. He was supposed to protect noblemen at a large banquet. He walked into the banquet hall, and was not to surprised to find a huge table, ornately decorated and decked out with every manner of food and drink. However there was one nobleman at the end of the very long table. ├óÔé¼┼ôHello you bastard├óÔé¼┬Ø he called jovially. Garret glanced at him and did a double take. It was Lord Balter.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret muttered. Lord Balter pulled out a ornate dueling pistol and fired at Garret who dived to the side as the bullet smashed into a wall and shattered the wood into tiny fragments. Garret got behind a small alcove and pulled out his old two shot pistol. He looked around the corner and looked at the gun, noticing that it was a new six shooter. ├óÔé¼┼ôDamn├óÔé¼┬Ø he said before bullet smashed into the wall next to his head. He jerked it back and felt the sting of a long, bloody cut across his forehead.

He looked at Balter again. The man fired again and missed again. Garret ducked back, checking his pistol again. Balter fired another shot, but this one was way off. Garret dived out of his cover and with the split second he had before Balter fired, he aimed. They both fired at the same time. A bullet whiffed by Garret ear. Lord Balter staggered back, a bullet lodged in his stomach.

The fat man fell backwards onto the table, scattering plates and dishes aside. Garret walked over to the man and picker up the pistol and looked it over. He grinned and holstered it ├óÔé¼┼ôI guess this will be my pay├óÔé¼┬Ø he said to the dead nobleman before walking out of the banquet hall.

The police let Garret go after only a few questions. Once it became apparent that he had been hired by Lord Balter, who had then tried to murder him, they stopped there questioning. Garret walked home through the wind and snow, until he finally got to the inn. The inn had its usual customers. ├óÔé¼┼ôBack already Mr. Garret?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked the barkeep. Garret grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôOh it was just some nutcase├óÔé¼┬Ø he said offhandedly as he sat down at one of the benches. He picked up the newspaper that occupied the stand normally.


He didn├óÔé¼Ôäót find anything interesting, so he chucked it back into the receptacle. ├óÔé¼┼ôNothing interesting eh?├óÔé¼┬Ø the barkeep asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôNope├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said getting up and walking up the stairs to his room. Juliana was reading a novella in her bed when he got there, with a new bag of money by her bed. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts been a week sense you came by here├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret commented as he walked in. ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóve been doing odds and ends├óÔé¼┬Ø she said putting down the book.

├óÔé¼┼ôYou know├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said thoughtfully ├óÔé¼┼ôI haven├óÔé¼Ôäót seen you around much at all lately├óÔé¼┬Ø. Juliana sat up and looked at him, grinning ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót you see me every night when I come back to sleep? Or have my invisibility potion begun to work?├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôI meant see you in a different light├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat sort of light?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked, leaning forward. Garret chewed his lip thoughtfully ├óÔé¼┼ôI was thinking├óÔé¼┬ª candlelight├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôWill there be dinner?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked
├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬ª its been a while since I have indulged myself├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, grinning ├óÔé¼┼ôhow about we go to that fancy restaurant, the one we went to when Felix got his job├óÔé¼┬Ø

Juliana thought about if for a bit.


Felix woke up and it was night. ├óÔé¼┼ôOhhhh├óÔé¼┬Ø he moaned as he sat up, looking at the empty bottle in his hand. His stubby claws made a odd squeaking noise as they ran along the glass. He blinked a bit and looked out the window and stared at the snow. ├óÔé¼┼ôNice├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered before turning around and falling onto the bed. He jumped up, suddenly realizing that it was Garrets bed. He noticed no one was in it. Juliana wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót there too.

The restaurant was billed to serve traditional Kia foods. Supposedly, that is. However once the food got to the table, Garret was hungry enough to try anything. As the food was placed on a raised platform in the middle of the round table, Garret looked at Juliana. ├óÔé¼┼ôI was reading the tourist guides to this place├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôTurns out we committed a faux pas last time we ate here. Apparently you eat Kia foods with your fingers. If you eat with utensils it implies the food isn├óÔé¼Ôäót good enough to touch├óÔé¼┬Ø.

├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬ª I guess I won├óÔé¼Ôäót be needing theses├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said, putting the fork down and picking up the red meat with her fingers and plopping it into her mouth. ├óÔé¼┼ôits good├óÔé¼┬Ø she said after swallowing it. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬ª lets begin├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, grabbing up a long, stringy noodle and swallowing it.

The dinner was good, if odd tasting. They had hit the second round of food when Garret announced ├óÔé¼┼ôJuliana I must confess├óÔé¼┬ª I have an secretive motive that fine cuisine and company├óÔé¼┬Ø. Juliana cocked her eyebrow ├óÔé¼┼ôthis better not better not be about how I got here ahead of all you-├óÔé¼┼ô Garret waved his hand and shook his head ├óÔé¼┼ôNo, its not that he├óÔé¼┬Ø grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós a bit more recent. Where have you been getting money?├óÔé¼┬Ø.

Juliana looked around conspiratorially. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬ª I suppose it cant hurt to tell you. I got a job too├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôThat much it obvious, but what job? Its not-├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôno its not illegal├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana laughed ├óÔé¼┼ôI was hired by the Magi down at the Fortress├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is so secret about that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked ├óÔé¼┼ôThose Magi never leave there hidey hole, but we all know about them├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôIts not there existence that├óÔé¼Ôäós secret, its what I├óÔé¼Ôäóm working on├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana explained ├óÔé¼┼ôSee I├óÔé¼Ôäóm what they call a Talent, and Magi├óÔé¼Ôäós are Specialists. Each person born with magical abilities usually can only effect one type, or sphere of magic├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSo you├óÔé¼Ôäóre a jack of all trades, master of none├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said
├óÔé¼┼ôHow did you know that? Its not widely know├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana asked quizzically
├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼┬ª remember it from somewhere├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said ├óÔé¼┼ôNo matter, continue your story├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôWell down at the Fortress they have been working literally round the clock to find a fool proof way of defeating the tanks. One of the Magi, a really nasty guy named Malwin thought up some liquid that eats through metal and flesh. But he can affect liquids, and he needs someone to help him carry the stuff. I can do it by encasing it in a shield and lofting it through the air, and since its small I can do it easily enough. But see the reason why I├óÔé¼Ôäóm not talking about it much is Malwin is a extreme paranoid. He threatened to fire me if I talk to anyone├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana looked around again ├óÔé¼┼ôSo don├óÔé¼Ôäót tell anyone├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said ├óÔé¼┼ôSounds like a creep though├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHe is├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said, drinking some water before starting to eat some more.




The oppressive heat of the jungle surrounded Janetown was always present. Keith stood, stalk still, outside the house that his master had found. After an hour or so of watching the crowds of people swarm through the reddish brown city he heard the door behind him open. He knew instinctively that Smythson was walking out, mainly from the distinctive sweep of his robes on the floor. ├óÔé¼┼ôMaster├óÔé¼┬Ø Keith said, bowing his head ├óÔé¼┼ôDid it go well?├óÔé¼┬Ø

Smythson turned to face his Initiate. ├óÔé¼┼ôI have some good news. I finally managed to convince that sniveling coward to put together and expedition├óÔé¼┬Ø He said, speaking of the mayor of Janetown. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo we can depart├óÔé¼┬Ø Keith asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôSoon, but first we need to verify the map├óÔé¼┬ª and get the key├óÔé¼┬Ø. As Smythson talked he pulled out a wrinkled piece of parchment from his robe, which he always wore heat or cold.

The parchment was ancient, so old that even the time stoppages that the Ancient Race had put on it had worn away. On it was depicted a loving rendition of what Smythson required. It was like five concentric rings, each a small distance away from the other, centered around a small bead. The entire apparatus was two cubits long, and it had the power to change the universe├óÔé¼┬ª but there was something that Smythson had failed to decipher on the back. It was a small, elegant, signature, written in the language of the Empire. Book would of recognized it on the spot, though. It was Garrets signature.

[Archangel of Death]

Gasp! I'm hope you remember how I said to ignore me, because I WANT MORE NOW!

[Min3mat]

:) sweet :)
i meant going btw

[Zoombie]

As Juliana talked about the more technical aspects of her job, Garret rested his chin on his hand, staring at her, smiling faintly. He drank in her voice and face, while his food sat unnoticed on the plate. The snow continued to come down outside, but as night fell it slowly faded into a light shower. The bill was paid and Garret walked Juliana outside, grabbing there coats from the front desk of the restaurant.

├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóve never seen snow before├óÔé¼┬Ø she said thoughtfully as they walked through the short drifts ├óÔé¼┼ôIts so beautiful├óÔé¼┬Ø she mused softly as the fakes drifted down from the sky. ├óÔé¼┼ôThere is something much closer to the ground that is more beautiful├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said. Juliana faced him, there foreheads nearly touching. Her scar was a thin white line running down her left cheek, but Garret didn├óÔé¼Ôäót care.

Felix was still celebrating his return when Book came to the Inn. Book had set up a small library on a tiny, vacant lot. Interestingly enough he had found a small but growing number of people interested in books. The workers that where rebuilding the houses destroyed by the Trogg attacks had wanted books on structural engineering and Book had scrounged around and somehow come up with them. The workers began to come back to the library after the reconstruction effort was done, looking for books for themselves and there children.

The word had spread, and Book had to hire three other librarians. Even so he stayed late at night, pouring over manuscripts and teaching illiterates how to read. Compared to the massive library back on Emperryon, his library was tiny. But he still loved it, and the books it contained. So he continued to work late. ├óÔé¼┼ôHi Felix├óÔé¼┬Ø he said as he came in, shivering cold ├óÔé¼┼ôNo one told me about the bloody snow├óÔé¼┬Ø he said as he sat down, rubbing his bare arms with his hands.

The Kia smiled and offered Book the last bottle of rum he had brought with him ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks├óÔé¼┬Ø Book said, taking a gulp. He spewed it back out ├óÔé¼┼ôGod!├óÔé¼┬Ø he spluttered ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat proof is that?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, whipping his hands. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót know├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said, taking a swig. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhere├óÔé¼Ôäós Garret?├óÔé¼┬Ø Book asked, waving the bartender over to him. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót know├óÔé¼┬ª he and Juliana where gone when I woke up├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWater please├óÔé¼┬Ø Book said to the bartender before turning to Felix ├óÔé¼┼ôI hope he hasn├óÔé¼Ôäót gone off on another crazy adventure├óÔé¼┬Ø

Felix turned to him ├óÔé¼┼ôHey, the last one got you here├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø Book said, looking at his drink ├óÔé¼┼ôbut├óÔé¼┬ª I├óÔé¼Ôäóm getting old├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, brushing his silver hair back from his eyes ├óÔé¼┼ôI think id like to stay here├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø he trailed off. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat and miss a chance to look at the library the Necromancers might have?├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix joked. Book laughed, and drank some water.

The Red Dragon watched the snow, as she had done a hundred times as she served the Fortress. But this time├óÔé¼┬ª it was different somehow. The dimming light from the sun caught in it and made the snow flakes into tiny crystals. Red mused for a while as the light faded and the snow simply tuned into ice. Then she looked back to the city and was shocked to see a humanoid figure standing in the entrance to the cave. She was even more shocked when she recognized the figure├óÔé¼Ôäós shape and heat signature.

├óÔé¼┼ôHello dragon├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, stepping forward into the cave. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you doing here?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked the Dragon, leaning her head forward. ├óÔé¼┼ôI have been tracking Smythson movements for months now, and I believe that we need to get Garret to my tower├óÔé¼┬ª now├óÔé¼┬Ø. The Dragon snorted ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy didn├óÔé¼Ôäót you come earlier then! It will take at least two months just to GET to your tower?├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara raised her left hand, which was sheathed in a black glove made of darkened rune stone ├óÔé¼┼ôI have a way├óÔé¼┬Ø

Juliana broke the kiss, but started the next one. They stood together, not even noticing the cold. Garret felt Juliana├óÔé¼Ôäós hands run down his back, and he stopped her. ├óÔé¼┼ôNot here├óÔé¼┬ª you├óÔé¼Ôäóll ruin your dress├óÔé¼┬Ø. Juliana laughed and they walked towards the Inn. They got back and the bar was closed. They dropped some money on the table and grabbed a key to an unoccupied room. They walked up the stairs, opened the door to the unoccupied room and locked the door.


While Felix and Book slept, Sara told the Dragon dire news. ├óÔé¼┼ôSmythson had revived the Evolva project├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said as she paced back and forth in the Dragons cave, not noticing the cold or the darkness ├óÔé¼┼ôEvolva?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked the Dragon. ├óÔé¼┼ôOkay├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara sat down ├óÔé¼┼ôNecromancers have discovered that there is nothing sacred about life and dead. When you can bring some one back and take them away at will, you realize that its not the individuals life that├óÔé¼Ôäós important. It├óÔé¼Ôäós what they DO with it that├óÔé¼Ôäós important. Choices are the most important thing anyone has, and Evolva stripes away theses choices. That is one of the reasons why its an abomination├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôbut what dose it DO?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked the Dragon

├óÔé¼┼ôYou take a hundred individuals and put them through the harshest training possible. The die off is ninety nine percent in the first two days! But that├óÔé¼Ôäós not all├óÔé¼┬ª the ├óÔé¼╦£trainees├óÔé¼Ôäó are brainwashed├óÔé¼┬ª they become absolutely loyal to the ├óÔé¼╦£master├óÔé¼Ôäó. Then at the end of the training program├óÔé¼┬ª there is the fight to the death. The strongest comes out and is given a finely crafted sword and they will follow there master until they die├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôWho created this├óÔé¼┬ªthis├óÔé¼┬ªthis monstrosity?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked the Dragon

├óÔé¼┼ôMargon, a Necromancer council member best left forgotten, created the first Evolva Initiate. The Initiate killed three council members before we took him├óÔé¼┬ª and Margon down. The woman was literally flipping of walls and dodging every magical shot we fired at her. In the end├óÔé¼┬ª Michelson died killing her├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara looked away then looked back ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need Garret in my Tower as soon as possible, and I know how to get him there├óÔé¼┬Ø The Dragon leaned in and listened as Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós plan. Then she began to laugh and laugh.

Light streamed through the window, and Garret woke up. He looked around and saw Juliana spread eagle in the bed, covered with a thin blanket. Garret stared at her, and thought its good to be home and found, to his surprise, that this day he actually meant it. Juliana├óÔé¼Ôäós eyes opened and she smiled ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm not going anywhere├óÔé¼┬Ø she murmured. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said.

The sunlight made the room glow, and Juliana sat up, the blanket sticking to her front as she looked at the clock, one of the many technological marvels in Stelvi, and swore. ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm late├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, abandoning all pretence of modesty, standing up and shedding the blanket. She grabbed her shirt and pulled it on as Garret got out of bed too. She kissed him before pulling on her pants and walking out the door. The door shut and suddenly├óÔé¼┬ª the room seemed darker.

Garret was pulling on his pants when someone knocked on the door. He finished pulling his pants up and opened the door. He opened the door and was shocked. A long, red haired woman stood out the door. Garret had to check twice, but he was certain of it. The woman had two long wings folded in the small of her back. She wore a small leather jerkin and a skirt. Garret gaped as the woman extended her very long, reptilian neck and looked inside the room. ├óÔé¼┼ôcan├óÔé¼┬ª I come├óÔé¼┬ª inside├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, but her voice had odd undertones and bizarre pronunciation of regular words.

├óÔé¼┼ôWho- what├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret stammered as the woman stepped in and flapped her wings experimentally, stretching them out. A small vase fell over, but Garret snaked out his hand and caught it. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho the hell are you!├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, angry that she had barged into the room. ├óÔé¼┼ôwha-├óÔé¼┼ô Garret managed to stammer before the woman shoved her face in his stomach, sniffing experimentally. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou├óÔé¼┬ª smell ├óÔé¼╦£ike someone else├óÔé¼┬Ø she mumbled as she sniffed him under the armpits.

Garret stepped back and grabbed her by the shoulders. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho ar-├óÔé¼┼ô he trailed off as he looked in the woman├óÔé¼Ôäós red eyes. Her red, silted, lizard like eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôthat├óÔé¼Ôäós impossible├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôNope├óÔé¼┬ª Garre├óÔé¼Ôäók you.. must come with me NOW├óÔé¼┬Ø she said slowly, but forcefully. ├óÔé¼┼ôHow├óÔé¼┬Ø he managed to say before she cut him off ├óÔé¼┼ôFind friends. We are leaving soon├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôleavin-
├óÔé¼┼ôTo the Necro..o.. Necro├óÔé¼┬Ø she stammered
├óÔé¼┼ôNecro-mancers├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said slowly. Then he did a double take ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat do the Necromancer have to do with-├óÔé¼┼ô

Red whistled shrilly, and balled her fists in rage. She suddenly grabbed the back of Garrets head and stared into his eyes. That├óÔé¼Ôäós better she thought Sara needs you, anyone who wants to come

├óÔé¼┼ôSara├óÔé¼┬ª you don├óÔé¼Ôäót mean THE Sara?├óÔé¼┬Ø

An image flashed in his mind, of a tall man wreathed in black robes. He tuned to face Garret, and to Garrets horror, he had no eyes. There was a flicker of memory├óÔé¼┬ª but it was gone

Find An image of Books wrinkled face flashed into Garrets mind and find an image of Felix├óÔé¼Ôäós face appeared as well. Red├óÔé¼Ôäós eyes suddenly widened as Garret thought of Juliana. A memory of last night drifted into his mind, but he pushed it away Her too├óÔé¼┬ª if she wants to come Red thought, perturbed.

├óÔé¼┼ôwait here, I don├óÔé¼Ôäót want anyone seeing you with those wings├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm going to get Juliana right now, then come back for Book and Felix├óÔé¼┬Ø. The Red Dragon cocked her head thoughtfully and began to sniff the bed. Garret was still straightening his shirt when he ran into Felix ├óÔé¼┼ôHey where were you and Julian-├óÔé¼┼ôThe Kia began to ask, but Garret stopped him ├óÔé¼┼ôGo to room one one four and talk with the woman in there├óÔé¼┬ª she will explain everything├óÔé¼┬Ø. Leaving Felix on that flabbergasted note, Garret walked out the door.


Snow drifted from the sky, but Garret didn├óÔé¼Ôäót notice. He broke into a run towards the Fortress. He reached it and was stopped by a guard ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat business do you have here?├óÔé¼┬Ø the burly man asked ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, I├óÔé¼Ôäóm need to assist Magi Juliana in her experiments, but she forgot a important manuscript at her house and I├óÔé¼Ôäóm here to deliver it├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret bluffed, rummaging in his pockets for anything that might serve as a convincing manuscript.

The guard, who looked pretty dim, was smart enough to asked for the document that Garret was supposedly delivering. Garret whipped out a thin piece of parchment and prayed that the guard was illiterate. The guards eyes starred blankly at the shopping list Garret had handed to him ├óÔé¼┼ôAll right├óÔé¼┬ª go on in├óÔé¼┬Ø the man said, opening the door. Garret thanked the local school system and walked into the Fortress.

After ten minutes of blundering he found a singe that pointed to some stairs and said ├óÔé¼┼ôLabs├óÔé¼┬Ø. He walked down the stairs and suddenly felt his heart size up. He clutched at his chest and staggered against the wall. He gasped as bizarre feelings whipped through his body. He fell forward and toppled against a wall. Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the pain had gone. Garret shakily strode up, and staggered down the stairs.

He came round the corner, and saw the Laboratories. The walls where dank, and mage lights hung from every door spreading a sterile white light around. The bricks seemed to shimmer lightly, and one even wriggled unsteadily. Garret lent against a wall and felt something cold seep into his hand. He looked at the wall and the shimmering semi-translucent layer that seemed to compliably covered the wall had begun to crawl up his arm. He backed up and the material broke with the wall like a soap bubble. He staggered back, new pain running through his system. It seemed like everything was going slower.

He looked up and saw Juliana coming out of a room. She saw him and immediately began to run towards him, as if running through molasses. ├óÔé¼┼ôGarret!├óÔé¼┬Ø she cried, and Garret fainted. Juliana stopped him from hitting the floor, but Malwin was not impressed. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell are you doing!├óÔé¼┬Ø he snapped ├óÔé¼┼ôWe can leave this vagabond to rot, for all I care!├óÔé¼┬Ø. Juliana looked at the short, stubby man and her eyes flashed. Malwin backed away ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóll fire you if yo-├óÔé¼┼ôhe began to say, but Juliana lay Garret gently on the ground ├óÔé¼┼ôI quit. I├óÔé¼Ôäóve hated you from day one, and this acid compound will never work unless you reverse the orientation of the mana lines, you twat!├óÔé¼┬Ø she spat venomously. She then grabbed Garret, hoisted him onto his feet and half dragged; half walked him up the stairs.

Garret came in and out of consciousness as Juliana carried him home. His legs worked automatically, and they only stopped working when he arrived at room one one four. Red was leaning over him as Juliana, Book and Felix looked at him. ├óÔé¼┼ôHe touched the protective sealant├óÔé¼┬ª I don├óÔé¼Ôäót understand why it did that though├óÔé¼┬Ø he thought he heard Juliana say. Red touched her cool, moist fingers to his forehead. ├óÔé¼┼ôSleep├óÔé¼┬ª and remember├óÔé¼┬Ø she whispered. Garret fell asleep.

[Zoombie]

There├óÔé¼Ôäós not going to be a new Rings episode today. I├óÔé¼Ôäóm going to see the new Firefly movie, Serenity. There├óÔé¼Ôäós also not going to be one tomorrow, as I├óÔé¼Ôäóm going to have my first Marching Band competition. Whish me luck.

[Min3mat]

*slaps zoombie with a severed hand*
only joking have fun :)

[Zoombie]

Well... remember how i said i MIGHT not be able to do an episode today... well...


HERE IT IS!!

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you doing?├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôYou old fool├óÔé¼┬ª.├óÔé¼┬Ø

Garrets eye├óÔé¼Ôäós opened slowly and he sat up. He had been lying in a plain white bed, with a single pillow. But it was the room surrounding it that had captured his attention. It was a wall made of ice, pure and crystalline. Garret gently put his feet on the floor and noticed that the floor wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót cold in the slightest. He got up and looked around for his shirt.

Then he did a double take. A thin scar ran down his stomach, but it had been stitched close. He felt it, but it wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót painful at all. So he looked around and saw a plain white shirt. He grabbed it and put it on. He then walked out the door, noticing that it too was made of ice. The door handle was a shimmering crystal that he suspected might also be ice.

He opened the door and walked into a hall way. It was long, and had many doors. However one at the end was a dull gold, and suddenly Garrets head was filled with pain. He staggered against the wall, feeling its slight chill deepen into freezing cold. He backed away from the ice and heard a slight drip, then another drip. He looked at the wall and noticed that the place where his arm had touched it was melting. His arm felt bone cold, but the cold slowly faded until his arm felt normal.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat├óÔé¼Ôäós going on?├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered, the pain slowly draining from his head. He looked back up to the door and felt a flicker in the back of his mind. He walked towards it, noticing that his feet where getting colder. He looked down and saw the flood was melting in his foot steps. He reached forward to open the golden door. He felt, rather then heard, a man behind him.

Garret spun round and saw a black haired man, with a thin scar running over his left eye, witch was a mess of scar tissue. The man├óÔé¼Ôäós face was contorted with hatred and rage, and Garret noticed that he held a dagger too late. The man stabbed him in the stomach, and Garret doubled over, a indescribable pain rushing through his blood. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou old fool├óÔé¼┬Ø the man muttered as he pulled the dagger out of Garrets stomach.

Garret looked up the man├óÔé¼Ôäós face, but he wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót there. Garret stood up and looked at his stomach. There was no sign of any wound there. Until he noticed a almost unnoticeable white line right where the man├óÔé¼┬ª stabbed him. He had never noticed it before. He probed it gently with his finger, and felt a faint twinge of pain.

He looked back at the door. Something stirred in the back of his brain, and he knew he needed to open it. But not why, so he placed his hand on the plain wood knob and turned it slowly. The door swung open and Garret looked into the room. It was not ice, but rather a plain wooden room. It was a semi circle, with a fire place in the middle. A two person bed lay on the opposite side of the fire place, while a single globe of yellowish light hung over the bed.

Garret clutched at his temples as a wave of memories assaulted him. He saw himself. He saw his wife. He saw his brother. He saw his general. He saw his life and his death. Garret screamed and fell to his knees, pain overcoming his senses. Some one said something, faintly as if she was a long distance away. He struggled to hear her, but the world suddenly snapped back into focuses. The woman repeated her self. ├óÔé¼┼ôMemories are almost always painful├óÔé¼┬ª even if they are happy ones, as you are no longer living them├óÔé¼┬Ø

Garret looked at her. She was tall├óÔé¼┬ª and familiar. The woman in the message rune stone. The woman in his memories. The woman he had known. Sara, the Thirteenth necromancer on the council. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho├óÔé¼┬ª am i?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked, standing slowly. Sara smiled faintly ├óÔé¼┼ôYou are already remembering├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, helping him to his feet ├óÔé¼┼ôI will help you with the rest├óÔé¼┬Ø. She led him into the hall.

├óÔé¼┼ôwhat is├óÔé¼┬ª never mind├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked, looking around the ice halls. His home he thought. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is the Necromancers Tower, the tallest of thirteen. It was your home, Garret├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, opening the door to the room Garret had woken in. ├óÔé¼┼ôListen, your real name is├óÔé¼┬Ø she spoke a shot, fluid sounding word ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd you are eleven thousand years old├óÔé¼┬Ø she continued. Garret sat, and remembered as Sara spoke.

├óÔé¼┼ôYou and your brother both rose quickly in the Old Empire, and he was quickly voted into the seat of Emperor├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara paced back and forth ├óÔé¼┼ôHe ruled for a hundred years, and you wandered from Ring to Ring, researching and learning. You discovered a way to retard the ageing process far better then the best Magi in the Old Empire. You shared it freely with your brother, but├óÔé¼┬ª his natural fear of loosing his hard won power began to turn to envy├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôYou found beauty in the most far flung places, whether it was in the jungles of Shamazad, or the crystals fields of Terrix, or even the ice in the glaciers of Uluthwea, which is what they called the Outer Dark twin, back then. After a hundred years of wandering, you returned to the Capitol, which is what Emperryon was called. It was a massive bejeweled city, that stretched from end to end of the Ring├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós voice trailed off as she remembered the city.

├óÔé¼┼ôI am not a monster├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, sudden doubt filling him. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Sara. ├óÔé¼┼ôI am not a monster├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret repeated with more force ├óÔé¼┼ôThis man you speak of razed the Old Empire to the ground!├óÔé¼┬Ø He stood ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót care about the past├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôI am not a monster├óÔé¼┬Ø he repeated. Sara held his shoulders with her hands and stared into his eyes ├óÔé¼┼ôYou never where a monster├óÔé¼┬Ø she said softly

├óÔé¼┼ôYou met me on one of your returns to the city. I was a simple court lady at the time, and I was almost immediately smitten by you├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara smiled ├óÔé¼┼ôbut some one else was already├óÔé¼┬ª lusting for me. Your brother. But I loved you, and we went to Uluthwea together. There you taught me, and I discovered my true talent├óÔé¼┬Ø she held up her left hand and a bluish fire enveloped it ├óÔé¼┼ôI am also a Talent, and you taught me how to use the power I have to do good├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôYour brother saw the power that you were gathering, and he wanted me. I never realized until the day an ambush party of bowmen and legionnaires attacked us as we explored Terrix, that your brother had gone quite insane├óÔé¼┬Ø

Twenty, maybe twenty five red clad men with spears suddenly springing from camouflaged blankets. A rain of arrows converging with deadly accuracy on Sara. Blinding rage, focused into a wall of force. The clouds of red that where once humans├óÔé¼┬ª

├óÔé¼┼ôYou remember, don├óÔé¼Ôäót you├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said thoughtfully ├óÔé¼┼ôI never was afraid of you until I saw the power you have├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret put his head in his hands and closed his eyes trying to drive the memory of those red clouds of blood and the tiny bits of bones that where intermingled with it. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour brother declared official war, but he knew that your retaliation was only a matter of time. So he marched on us├óÔé¼┬Ø

Garret astride a four legged lizard that hurried forward at an incredible speed. He yelled a battle cry to his army, a small bunch of humans that sympathized with his cause. Behind him rode Sara, his general Stelvi and two promising Necromancers, who where magi rather then Talents. He saw the massive organized legion ahead and focused his anger into a pulse of light. The enemy fell in droves, blinded and burnt. Garrets army crashed into them and turned what looked like a defeat into a deadly rout

├óÔé¼┼ôWe won, easily├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut├óÔé¼┬ª why did I raze the Capitol? Why did I do something as horrible as genocide!├óÔé¼┬Ø he stood up, again. ├óÔé¼┼ôStelvi defected, not because he realized we where right and your brother was wrong├óÔé¼┬ª but because he was playing us against each other. Stelvi was a extremely weak Talent, and while you went back to Uluthwea, he found a perfect way to not only take out the Old Empire and you at the same time, but also ensure he would be powerful enough to rule all the Rings├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôStelvi├óÔé¼┬Ø she almost spat the name ├óÔé¼┼ôFound out about something that you had banned. Blood Magic. Using the power of the dead and the blood they shed, you can power a spell to an incredible degree. So Stelvi said you ordered that city was to be razed to the ground. He then ordered the second Necromancer├óÔé¼┬ª a hideous man named Smythson to remove the faces of as many men, woman and children in the city. This excesses power of Blood Magic allowed Stelvi to gate all the way to your Tower├óÔé¼┬Ø

The strangely perverted ripple of a Gate opening. But something was wrong├óÔé¼┬ª Garret turned as he saw Stelvi walking down the hall. He stroked his silver streaked beard and called out ├óÔé¼┼ôStelvi├óÔé¼┬ª do you bring the surrender? He asked, but he suddenly noticed Stelvi pull out the poisoned dagger. Garret tried to throw up a shield, but the dagger slipped into his stomach. An indescribable pain rushed through him. Garret doubled over and whispered into Stelvi├óÔé¼Ôäós ear ├óÔé¼┼ôHow├óÔé¼┬ªcould├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø he gasped out. Stelvi pulled out the dagger ├óÔé¼┼ôYou old fool├óÔé¼┬Ø Stelvi said venomously. Garret felt his live pouring slowly out of him, as the blood of a Green Dragon spread quickly through his blood. ├óÔé¼┼ôNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!├óÔé¼┬Ø Screamed someone, but Garret fell back even as Stelvi screamed. The traitorous man├óÔé¼Ôäós hand had been shriveled into a blackened husk. Sara stepped into Garrets field of view. ├óÔé¼┼ôDie├óÔé¼┬ª you├óÔé¼┬Ø She snarled, her hand outstretched.

Stelvi screamed as his jaw bone began to shrivel and blacken until all that was left was a blackened skull. He collapsed and his skull shattered, as his flesh burned away. Sara leaned over Garret as he faded out. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh god├óÔé¼┬Ø she said. He fainted with her lips on his..

├óÔé¼┼ôHow did I survive?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Garret quietly. The pain, newly remembered, was indescribable. ├óÔé¼┼ôI immediately put you in stasis for the next ten thousand years. Green Dragon blood, which was covered the dagger, can only be cured by the Green Dragon who gave the blood. I spent ten thousand years searching for that Dragon. He helped me, but your memory was damaged. You ran, deep into the forests of Emperryon where the Dragon lived.

We lost you, and I searched for you for ten years as you found an identity, the identity of Garret the swordsman. I when I found you, I also learned of what Smythson had been doing all this time. He had hidden away from me when he learned of Stelvi├óÔé¼Ôäós death. He joined us again five hundred years of hiding, and he wanted what Stelvi had tried to get. Now he has found your Laystone, and he is going to use it.├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara looked at Garret. Garret├óÔé¼Ôäós blood suddenly ran cold. The Laystone. He suddenly felt a trickle of fear├óÔé¼┬ª no terror run down his spine. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe have to kill Smythson, and now├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, opening the door and striding down the hallway ├óÔé¼┼ôWait! Smythson needs at least a year, or two to get to the Laystone! Its hidden in the depths of Shamazads jungle, and then he will have to work through the defenses. He will also have to lead an expedition, raise money and everything else├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret stopped, his hand on the handle of the armory ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is still hard for me├óÔé¼┬Ø he said quietly ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót remember everything, just flashes, but I remember what that bastard did to me├óÔé¼┬Ø He opened the door ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm going to kill him├óÔé¼┬Ø.

Garret walked into the room, which was small and circular. Swords of every type and verity lined the walls, but Garret passed over each and every one until he found a simple, double sided long sword. He took it and felt it. It seemed to merge with his arm, it was so well balanced. He swung it experimentally and it cut through the air with a faint swishing noise. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe Tempest├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said ├óÔé¼┼ôbut you├óÔé¼Ôäóll need to re-learn how to use it├óÔé¼┬Ø

Garret turned ├óÔé¼┼ôI understand we have time. I will start relearning everything tomorrow. Because today I need to talk with the others├óÔé¼┬Ø he said walking past Sara and into the hall. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho is├óÔé¼┬ª Juliana?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Sara quietly, not turning to face Garret. Garrets shoulders slumped as he remembered the wonderful years with him and Sara. ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm sorry├óÔé¼┬ª your only a memory├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôI cant turn my back on today├óÔé¼┬Ø.

[Zoombie]

Serenity, the movie adaptation of the totally awesome TV Show Firefly, is not just a good movie. Its an AWSOME MOVIE! It literally blew my head off, and had me laughing/crying/screaming with glee/screaming with terror for the entire film. From its brilliant intro, to its nail biting and hair pulling finale, the entire film reeks├óÔé¼┬ª of greatness! Just, bring some tissues if you├óÔé¼Ôäóve watched the show. It will help you if you think of ALL the main characters expendable.

Now that I├óÔé¼Ôäóm back from Marching Band and├óÔé¼┬ª guess what? I├óÔé¼Ôäóm wayyyyyyyyyyyyy to tired to write a new Rings Episode, so I might as well give you all a sneak peak into the next sires I├óÔé¼Ôäóm thinking of:

├óÔé¼┼ôJitters├óÔé¼┬Ø said Alex, clasping his hands together. Alex├óÔé¼Ôäós dark, cultured face smiled benignly at ├óÔé¼╦£Jitters├óÔé¼Ôäó, a thin Caucasian man with a permanent twitch above his left eye. ├óÔé¼┼ôJitters├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex repeated ├óÔé¼┼ôYou have yet to pay us back for the hypo├óÔé¼Ôäós we lent you last month├óÔé¼┬Ø.

├óÔé¼┼ôJesus man, I mean Jesus! You gotta give me more time man!├óÔé¼┬Ø Jitters moaned, trying to back away unsuccessfully, as two burly Russians held him hard. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, actually├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex said ├óÔé¼┼ôYou are going to pay us back by becoming our first recruit├óÔé¼┬Ø. Jitter├óÔé¼Ôäós face slumped as he stared into Alex├óÔé¼Ôäós black eyes ├óÔé¼┼ôWha-wha?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jitters stammered. ├óÔé¼┼ôI bought this factory from the Tecurch for a considerable water sum├óÔé¼┬Ø. He flicked a single switch and ancient, ponderous machines came to life.

A coffin like container rolled up to the location of the four men, and the two Russians shoved Jitters into the pod. The man screamed and tried to climb out, blubbering with fear as he heard the chilling sound of a buzz saw revving up. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry, they use anesthetic├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex said. Suddenly four long rails plunged into four points, two into his arteries in his wrists, while one rammed into his throat, smashing a hole in his neck. The last plunged into his heart, and began to pump chemicals into his blood. The ones in his wrists also began to pump more chemicals into his bloodstream.

Jitters gagged as machines slid down the tube and into his throat. They began to modify his body, altering his lungs and removing non vital organs. The conveyer belt moved him to a collection of buzz saws. Jitters watched with a detached calm, the anesthetics flooding his body, as the machines amputated his arms and legs. The machines inside him had already put up rudimentary plates in his arm and leg sockets. The conveyer belt moved Jitters to the next line and placed new arms, two of which where gigantic scythe blades. Jitters was flipped over and four more cyber interfaces where placed onto his spine, in a checkerboard pattern.

Jitters stopped screaming in his mind once his brain was half removed, the emotional right side of his mind ripped out with the surgical precision of a laser. Then a computer bank was placed into it, and Jitters ceased to be. Once the conveyer belt arrived at the end, Jitters was ten feet tall and had four tentacles, each tipped with a pincer and a manipulator. His two humanoid arms where giant scythes, while he had four legs, each one clawed to give him almost vertical climbing capability, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is your prime function, RoboCop?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Alex, making a extremely old reference. Neither of his guards laughed, but the newly created Cyborg tuned, mainly run by Jitters human brain, augmented by the data stores and targeting systems of an optical computer, with a five thousand terabyte of memory supplied by a rack of crystalline data stores. A synthetic voice spoke ├óÔé¼┼ôTo uphold your life, prosperity and trade├óÔé¼┬Ø.

Alex grinned and turned to his advisers, Grimond and Edmund, and grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôI LOVE that guy!├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, clapping his hand on Jitters metallic hip.

This has been a sneak preview of ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós the End of the World as we Know it, but I feel fine├óÔé¼┬Ø

[Zoombie]

Garret managed to keep his composure until he got to his room at the end of the hall. As the door shut, a racking sob came to him. Tears streamed down his face as the harsh reality rammed home onto him. My entire life├óÔé¼┬ª.has been a lie he thought, reflecting on the memories of his past, all so blurry and vague, suddenly seemed to barley cover a vast gap of un-being. His mind had invented something to build his new life on, and had come up with Garret.

He lay on the bed, and stared at the wooden ceiling, the pain slowly ebbing into a throb in the back of his mind. He didn├óÔé¼Ôäót think he could sleep, with all the memories that where filling his head. But he suddenly realized what was wrong. His memories weren├óÔé¼Ôäót HIS. He saw them through someone else├óÔé¼Ôäós eyes, not his. He began to call up his incredibly long life, but it still wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót HIS life. He suddenly felt very tired, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

The next day dawned, the sun small, cold and distant. Garret remembered where his training chamber was, and headed out through the myriad of rooms, hallways and stairwells. On the way he met Book. Book was quiet as they walked through the halls, but the shorter man turned to face Garret ├óÔé¼┼ôSara told us last night├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø he said quietly. Garret felt a cold stone in his stomach ├óÔé¼┼ôIs it true?├óÔé¼┬Ø Book asked him. Garret closed his eyes, and nodded.

They continued to walk, both completely silent as they maneuvered through the strangely beautiful corridors. Book split off at what Garret remembered to be the main dinner area. Garret, who wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót hungry, went straight for the training chambers. He walked through the twin doors that separated the training chambers from the rest of the tower. They were huge, wooden and inscribed with two runes, which read ├óÔé¼┼ôKnowledge, Power├óÔé¼┬Ø. It was a lesson that Garret had wanted to impress on all of his acolytes. Especially his first one.

He pressed his hand against the doors and they swung ponderously open. Sara stood in there, but she had abandoned her white robes for a light shirt, and two long pants that flared outward at the ankles. Sara turned and smiled, and Garret remembered the first time he had saw her. Short cropped red hair. Hazel eyes. Slightly oval face. She was still beautiful, but she ran her eyes up and down Garret her face was suddenly filled with worry.

├óÔé¼┼ôOh my god!├óÔé¼┬Ø she whispered ├óÔé¼┼ôGarret, you can├óÔé¼Ôäót train today├óÔé¼┬Ø she said firmly. ├óÔé¼┼ôBu-├óÔé¼┼ô Garret said. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour tense, your angry, sad and a thousand other emotions at the same time. Come back here in a week AFTER you have some down time and AFTER you can actually learn something. Now go, explore, read, play chess, talk├óÔé¼┬ª anything├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara looked at him. Garret smiled faintly ├óÔé¼┼ôIs that an order?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôyes├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, smiling as well.

Garret walked out of the chamber and to the banquet. Felix and Book where there, talking and Garret joined in, nervously at first. But Felix broke the ice by asking ├óÔé¼┼ôSo can you really raise the dead?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, jokingly. Garret laughed, and looked at Felix ├óÔé¼┼ôNope, I cant yet├óÔé¼┬Ø. They talked, ate and joked, but Garret felt a tense undertone to everything. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhere is Juliana?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked, once the meal was over. Book looked at his plate, and Felix├óÔé¼Ôäós grin swiftly faded.

├óÔé¼┼ôShe is out on this glorious balcony, but she hasn├óÔé¼Ôäót come out of there for the night├óÔé¼┬Ø Book said quietly ├óÔé¼┼ôShe took├óÔé¼┬ª what Sara told us hard├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said. Garret stood up and left without a word, his face dark. Book looked at Felix. Felix looked at Book. They both realized that the room was very cold.

Juliana was standing with her back to the door, looking out over the breathtaking view of Uluthwea. A grandeur unrivaled by anything Garret had ever seen. A massive sea of ice, covered with snow and back lit by a distant, mournful sun. The wind whipped through the air, as Garret realized how tall the Tower was. It was incredibly tall, and Garret felt a stirring of memories. His memories, not some half forgotten other man├óÔé¼Ôäós memories that where crammed into his skull.

Juliana heard the door open and turned slightly, facing Garret. Garret remembered the first time he had seen her, and how even when she was beaten and raped, she had more life and anger then she did now. Her face was icy and her blue eyes stared into Garrets. ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, but then she turned back and stared at the glacier. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts beautiful├óÔé¼┬Ø She said finally. Garret walked forward slowly and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Garret looked out at the view with Juliana. No words where needed, but they both knew what Garret and Juliana wanted to say to each other. Garret took his hand of her shoulder, but Juliana put her hand on his. She turned fully to face him and smiled. ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm glad to know that your still you├óÔé¼┬Ø she said and smiled. Garret leaned in and kissed her fully.

They moved back to Garrets rooms, and closed the door. Garret suddenly realized that his life still had a island of sanity and normality. Sara listened through the door and felt tears trickling down her face. She walked away, trying not to listen through the relatively thin wooden door. She never thought she could feel jealousy, after ten thousand years of learning, and suddenly anger flared in her mind.

The week passed quickly for Garret, Juliana and Book. Book read in the massive library of the Necromancers, learning more about history, biology and weapons then he had ever dreamed. Felix and Garret found a gigantic chess board in the lower levels. With massive piece├óÔé¼Ôäós made of ice that moved themselves, Garret and Felix spent many happy hours ordering there piece├óÔé¼Ôäós about from raised daises. Juliana and Garret spent there evenings talking for the most part, while Book and Felix explored the tower.

Garret warned them away from the Labyrinth and Margon├óÔé¼Ôäós chambers, but other wise the two friends spent there time wandering and looking at the vast arrays of marvelous rooms, and found more wonders then could be counted. They found a fountain of intricately made wood that constantly shifted its shape as water moved around and altered weight, and pushed little pipes of wood up or down on small axel. They saw a small pool of water that was alive, so when they skipped rocks of it, bioluminescent patterns traced themselves over it like infinitely intricate spider webs.

The Dragon was reading and practicing human language and practicing flying with the stunted wings she still had. Garret watched her from the balcony as she soared over Uluthwea surface. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour gorgeous├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret called out, but got punched in the arm by Juliana. ├óÔé¼┼ôI think I├óÔé¼Ôäóve got this language of yours down!├óÔé¼┬Ø the Dragon called back, and Garret laughed.

On the last day before Garrets training began, Juliana took him aside and showed him something. A massive painting that showed the entire life of anyone who touched it, like a massive tapestry, and would continue to do so until it ended on a mournful portrait of the person who had touched it, in the final moments before there death. It was currently set to a portrait of a black haired man was turning away from a blurred sword, as it tore a massive gash up his torso and into his face. The woman holding the sword was also a blur, dressed in a black uniform. She was also doing a cartwheel off the wall, her sword up side down compared to the man├óÔé¼Ôäós face.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhy don├óÔé¼Ôäót you touch it?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Juliana. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót know├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said ├óÔé¼┼ôI think I would really like to see yours├óÔé¼┬Ø he smiled. Juliana reached out and ran her finger along the side of the painting. The painting began to paint out her life, and Garrets eyes widened. He was suddenly livid with rage ├óÔé¼┼ôThat bastard├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered. ├óÔé¼┼ôHawk is very dead, I├óÔé¼Ôäóm sure of that├óÔé¼┬Ø she said darkly. Garret saw a painting of Hawk reaching out his hand to a dark figure in the night, his leg horribly mangled. The next was of Juliana jamming a makeshift knife made of burnt and twisted metal form the Shadowrunner├óÔé¼Ôäós turbine into Hawks stomach. Hawk brining up a small dirk he had tucked in his belt. The dirk cut a thin line down her cheek.

Garret looked at her and saw tears running down her cheeks. ├óÔé¼┼ôI still hate him├óÔé¼┬Ø she said softy. Garret turned her around and walked her out the room, ignoring how she had gotten to Stelvi Pass before they did. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót forget about that man though├óÔé¼┬ª its worse to forget something painful and forget the lesson you learned. But don├óÔé¼Ôäót let the memory consume you, either├óÔé¼┬Ø. She looked at him and managed to smile ├óÔé¼┼ôI know something to help me with it├óÔé¼┬Ø.


The next day Garret felt at peace with himself for the first time for at least ten millennia. Juliana├óÔé¼Ôäós black hair was splayed over the bed, and Garret felt her upper leg on his. The fire was still crackling merrily, and for a second Garret believed that he was back on Emperryon with Juliana and that he would spend the evening with Felix playing chess on a small board made of wood rather then ice. That Book would be at his library, and the Guild would be the most powerful thing in the world.

He got up, but Juliana├óÔé¼Ôäós arms reached out and ensnared him. An hour later he got up again and Juliana started to massage his shoulders. ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said ├óÔé¼┼ôThat feels great├óÔé¼┬Ø. Juliana murmured softly ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót want you to leave├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôNeither do I├óÔé¼┬Ø. He remembered the dark circular chamber of the Training Room and felt a certain dread. He rose to his feet and started to put on his clothes.

When Garret opened the door the Tempest lay on the floor. Garret picked it up and unsheathed the sword, feeling it hum with resonance. He grinned wolfishly as a new memory flashed before his eyes. A vision of a stocky man with an axe suddenly falling in two pieces, the Tempest severing his spine right below his intestines. The man fell apart and the memory was gone. But it was HIS memory, not something seen through the eyes of another.

He felt renewed hope and walked towards the Training chambers. Sara was there ├óÔé¼┼ôYou├óÔé¼Ôäóre an hour late├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut├óÔé¼┬ª I forgive you├óÔé¼┬Ø she smiled wanly ├óÔé¼┼ôI think you needed the extra hour├óÔé¼┬Ø She gestured and suddenly the dark, small room was a massive coliseum. ├óÔé¼┼ôI want to see what you remember of sword play, before we go onto magic├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret looked and saw that she was wearing thin curies with long pants that bulged at the calves but tightened at the ankles. A broadsword was strapped across her back ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm here to help, if it gets to be too much for you├óÔé¼┬Ø

Garret looked around and saw a four legged feline run at him with a massive shock of thick hair surrounding it├óÔé¼Ôäós neck. He brought Tempest up and sliced along its belly. Gore splattered onto Garret├óÔé¼Ôäós neck and shoulders. The felines momentum carried the corpse into the ground where it crumpled up in a boneless heap. Garret looked left and right. A burly, green skinned warrior dressed in a loin cloth, wielding two large axes charged at Garret. Garret brought the Tempest up to block the attack, but the sword sheered through the axe easily. Garret whipped his sword around again and lopped of the creatures head.

The next attacker was a four armed humanoid with pink skin and a long mohock that ran all the way from the tip of its forehead to the small of its back. Garret blocked its first two attacks, and dodged the third arm but the fourth clipped his side with its sword. Garret rolled under the things legs and stabbed through its back and tore up until the creature was limp on the sword. He pulled the Tempest out and the creature collapsed.

The next attacker was a two headed creature that breathed a noxious fume and drilled its tail into the ground, which then burst forth and stabbed at Garret with murderous looking stingers. Garret ran up its tail and hacked through its incredibly thick midsection and sliced into its brain. Now how did I know to attack there? he thought as the monster fell to the ground. Garret stood panting and flicked his sword to get rid of a large chunk of brain matter.

Garret heard a horrible tearing, ripping sound from behind him. He turned and saw something hideous staring at him. A woman, black hair falling out in clumps, her body decaying as she tore into the corpses of the monsters Garret had slain. This new monster looked at him and Garret dropped his sword in horror. It was Juliana. He backed away and felt his gorge rise. Suddenly he was back in the dark Training Chambers. ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm sorry├óÔé¼┬ª I know that I shouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót warn you, but that is one of your creations├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret looked at Sara in horror.

├óÔé¼┼ôIt was a failed experiment that we never managed to fully contain. It was an attempt to restore the dead fully, not just as spirits and phantasms. But only the dark part remained, and now those creatures roam the darkness in the night, feeding off any flesh they can find, living or dead. Juliana can very well become one of them, and you will have to destroy her body├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said. Garrets gorge did rise and he vomited all over the floor. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou said I wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót a monster├óÔé¼┬Ø he gasped as he staggered out of the room

[Archangel of Death]

*looks suspiciously at Sara*

Yes, we are still lurking about. Do keep them coming.