Rings
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Your always suspisious... oh and here is the next one!
Training began the next day, after Garret could stomach Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós face again. And all the memories that it bring back. But he conceded that he needed to have all his skills relearned, in a year at least. For the night before he attempted to train again, he looked out on the glowing rings above him and wondered what Smythson was doing.
Bernard hacked at the underbrush, trying to force a way through along with nine other workers. They had all been ├óÔé¼╦£freed├óÔé¼Ôäó from slavery, and told that once they got back from this expedition, they would be free to go with all the spoils they were supposedly going to get. But so far he had to do NOTHING but hack at the damned jungles. His hands where completely covered with blisters, and blood and other fluids ran down the handle of his machete, and as the pain shot through his hand after every strike. So he imagined that bastard Smythson├óÔé¼Ôäós face in every one of the leaves, making each attack against the trees pleasurable.
They had been at this for a week, and every night they set up camp, guards watching for any thing dangerous. Bernard thought that they would shot anything large enough to shoot, just for the heck of it. He hacked at the plants and suddenly there was a whiff of something fly through the air. A million pin pricks of pain peppered Bernard├óÔé¼Ôäós face. He staggered back, and saw the leaves had covered the needle launcher. He brushed away the needles, but the poison was already flooding him.
Smythson looked over and saw the black skinned slave die in twitching convulsions. ├óÔé¼┼ôHmm├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered, looking at the ing├â┬®nues array of needle catapults that had peppered the man├óÔé¼Ôäós face. ├óÔé¼┼ôLeave the idiot to rot├óÔé¼┬Ø the foreman said and Smythson gestured to the other workers. They immediately began to hack at the underbrush, looking about warily. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt appears that we aren├óÔé¼Ôäót alone├óÔé¼┬Ø said Keith quietly.
Garret jerked back, falling on his back. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat├óÔé¼Ôäós wrong?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Juliana, running over to him. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót know├óÔé¼┬Ø he said quietly as Juliana helped him to his feet. Garret looked out the window again before walking with Juliana to his room. He made sure to wake up earlier this time round.
├óÔé¼┼ôToday we are going to do something more sedate├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said as she gestured to a bizarre contraption. It was a six pointed star with an orb at each endpoint. The orbs, in counterclockwise order where Blue, White, Purple, Black, Green, Grey and Red, while in the middle of the star was a dais with a single bullet, the old kind that where little more then tiny cannon balls. Surrounding the dais where tools, ranging from a awl to a bizarre pick, a minilathe and a long rod tipped with a crystal.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is it├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós a ManaSculpture, something you invented├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said. ├óÔé¼┼ôSee the six orbs├óÔé¼┬ª they are the six different abilities mages can have, but you as a Talent can use all of them, while a Magi can only use the one they have been gifted with├óÔé¼┬Ø She took hold of the White orb. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is life├óÔé¼┬Ø she lifted it, and her fingers disappeared into the orb, causing white light to flare from the points where they pierced it. She pulled it apart and the orb spit into two smaller orbs.
She pulled the orbs to about a full arms length apart, and shimmering lines appeared between them. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe lines are Lay Lines, and the brighter they are, the stronger the magic being transported between them. Lay lines are like water, they flow from a weaker source to a stronger source. When magic runs through an object, that magic infuses it and becomes part of our world├óÔé¼┬ª permanently├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôNow let me show you how I can turn this bullet, which is an instrument of destruction, into a healing device├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said. She pressed down a foot petal connected to the Sculpture which raised the dais to the level of her hands, and she pressed the two orbs together. The lines flexed outward, just like when you take a flexible piece of straw and press the ends directly together. The lines bulged around the bullet, creating a mesh. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is how we can create a shield of light, fire, death├óÔé¼┬ª illusion whatever├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, removing her fingers from the orbs, which floated gently around the dais. She picked up the long rod with the crystal and etched a pattern in the air, leaving a glowing line.
├óÔé¼┼ôthis will create artificial lines in the very fabric of the universe, and will tell the magic how to form a shield, or in this case show the area of effect├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara said, drawing a mesh over a smallish sphere, and then amplifying it by tapping a small plate against one of the spheres. The mesh she drew suddenly quadrupled and became a massive sheath that was geometrically perfect. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe better the mesh, the more effective the defense. Once Kealrith the├óÔé¼┬ª innovative spent fourteen years making amour with the perfect defense. It was a completely opaque shield around a single paudriean, and created a wall of fire exactly one foot too small, so when he activated it cut his legs off├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôOne foot off, and his legs where gone?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked ├óÔé¼┼ôHow?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôKealrith was a gnome├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said smiling ├óÔé¼┼ôNow here is the hard part. You need to put your own magic into it, so that this pretty mesh actually works├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret felt a building concentration of energies from Sara and suddenly there was a flash of white. A slight light formed around the bullet. Garret picked it up and felt health radiate through his body. His bruised back suddenly felt very good.
├óÔé¼┼ôNice├óÔé¼┬Ø He said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, why don├óÔé¼Ôäót you give it a try?├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said brightly, picking up the miniature lathe ├óÔé¼┼ôthis is the nanolather, and its used to alter the matter of most small objects├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara started to teach Garret, who started to learn about magic, sculpting, swordplay, history, biology and chemistry. He learned and the days began to fly past, in a increasingly fast rate as Garret relearned his skills.
On Shamazad, in the increasingly dangerous jungles, Smythson pushed the slaves harder. When even the foreman started to complain about the workload put on the slaves, Smythson slew him effortlessly. The slaves worked all the faster as the still walking corpse of there former overseer started to hack away at the foliage tirelessly. Smythson smiled as the slaves began to work all the faster. Keith looked on emotionlessly.
Days became weeks. Then weeks became months. Two months. Three. Time rolled on in an unstoppable wave. The small expedition became smaller as hidden traps began to kill them off one by one. But the corpses of the slaves that fell got up and began to work.
Garret was adept at all he attempted to master. The Tempest became its namesake, slaying all the opponents in the arena, from Trolls to Dragons to even the horrific undead that where randomly someone Garret knew. Though always disturbing, Garret found that he could eventually dispatch them easily through bodily dismemberment.
He also learned the skills of the arcane, becoming able to master all the abilities of magic. Fire, Water, Earth, Life, Death, Air and Mind all came to his easily. And powerfully. Some times Juliana, Felix or Book would watch as he learned a new technique. Some times they ohhhed and ahhhhed when Garret did something particularly impressive, but Juliana always had a smile for him.
His nights where always filled with sleep, as his days where filled with work. After a year, Sara proclaimed him ready for the final test
Smythson, after a year of toil, had used a bound leaf to cover his eyes. Keith and he where the only survivors, all the others where killed by a molasses of traps and defenses all scattered in pretty much a straight line depicted on the map. It must have been to deter any who used the map. Smythson was beginning to hate the map, but at least his minions were quiet. But they decayed fast, so he sent his most decrepit one through the door way of the temple.
The Temple was where the Lay Stone was hopefully located, and it was a massive building stretching from the base of the jungle to the tips of the tallest trees. It was roughly conical, made of a glossy black material. Smythson had looked at it and saw a massive blackness, which blocked even the infinity of the universe├óÔé¼Ôäós magic. Smythson grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is the place├óÔé¼┬Ø.
He pointed at the massive door that opened like a gapeing maw in the lowest point of the Temple. The shuffling mass of rot that was the overseer walked in. Suddenly a massive spike was rammed through his stomach. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe should watch for traps├óÔé¼┬Ø Smythson said as the pathetic zombie struggled to extricate itself. As they walked past the zombie Keith cut its head off, efficiently and quietly.
Smythson looked at the huge pendulum that had skewered the zombie and noted what had set it off. He walked down the hall way for another five feet, but suddenly it split, going of in two paths, one slanting slightly up and one slightly down. Smythson looked down one corridor and saw that it too branched off. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe might need some more friends├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered.
Garret walked into the Training Room and was pleased to see Juliana had arrived in her best dress, to watch. Garret rechecked his belt and pants and metal curies, his sword, his four rune stone├óÔé¼Ôäós. They where his best ones, each one amplifying his best Talents, Fire, Water, Mind and Earth, each with a directional and amplification rune attached.
├óÔé¼┼ôAre you ready for your final test, Garret?├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara asked. She was dressed in the same garb├óÔé¼┬ª was it a year ago? Garret thought├óÔé¼┬ª on his first day of training. ├óÔé¼┼ôI am ready├óÔé¼┬Ø he said steadily. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour final test will be├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôme├óÔé¼┬Ø. She snapped her fingers and the Training Room became the arena, with its stands filled with a screaming crowd. In the front box Juliana, Felix and Book sat, grinning. Juliana smiled and waved. The last month had been hard on both Garret and Juliana, as his training was getting more and more intense. However she still stood by his side.
Sara drew a light rapier, and Garret saw that she had four rune stones as well. what though Garret thought. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis duel will begin when your ready├óÔé¼┬Ø said Sara. Garret crouched down, holding the Tempest above his head. Sara drew her rapier and stood erect and ready. Suddenly she whipped her free hand down to her rune stones in a sudden blur and fired it at him.
Garret used his legs to vault to the side, dodging the sudden burst of frigid water that shattered the wall of the arena. ├óÔé¼┼ôAll right, lets see how you like this├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered and grabbed his Mind rune stone and threw his power out. Sara suddenly stood up and glanced from left to right, as if confused. Garret ran round the stadium and was happy to see that Sara was following something invisible in the air.
The Mind Rune he had made was illusionary in nature, and it had done exactly as he hoped it would. It created a Garret that only Sara could see, along with the real one. It would mirror what he was doing perfectly. He ran up to Sara, sword raised in a easily blocked, but powerful over the shoulder strike. Suddenly Sara turned and sliced at Garret as he was about to attack. Her rapier cut a long, but thin slice along his arm, slipping under the his armpit and cutting up as he turned, trying to deflect the attack.
Garret broke away, blood dripping slowly from the wound. ├óÔé¼┼ôGuess it dint work├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôNever assume that a illusion will work, Garret├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, grinning. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour right├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, and grabbed a rune from his belt and flicked it towards Sara, sending a blast of searing flames at her. She flipped aside, but Garret was already vaulting over the molten path of flames that his bolt had left behind. Sara was caught off guard as Garret turned in air, and landed on the wall with his feet, attacking Sara with his sword.
She blocked, but a flash of sparks showered outwards, and Garret kicked off from the wall, up and over Sara. He dropped the Tempest and grabbed two runes, firing a gust of wind while buffeting Sara with a stream of icy water. The woman dodged the water, but was still off balance when Garret landed. The Tempest had sunk to the hilt in the packed dirt. He landed on his feet and jabbed twice at Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós face with his right fist. She ducked under them and head butted Garret, smashing him in the hip.
Garret fell to the ground on his side, but he rolled to his other side as Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós blade sank into the ground perilously close to his head. He jumped to his feet, but kept his back parallel to the ground as Sara swiped at where his torso WOULD have been had he completed his jump. Garret stood up but immediately ducked so he was facing the ground, as Sara swiped again. He grabbed the Tempest and stood. Sara swung but her blade was blocked by Garret├óÔé¼Ôäós.
Garret backflipped and got away from Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós vicious attacks. He got to the other side of the arena and looked at Sara straight into her eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôAll right├óÔé¼┬ª its game time├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered and ran across the courtyard, meeting Sara in the middle. Its game time.
Training began the next day, after Garret could stomach Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós face again. And all the memories that it bring back. But he conceded that he needed to have all his skills relearned, in a year at least. For the night before he attempted to train again, he looked out on the glowing rings above him and wondered what Smythson was doing.
Bernard hacked at the underbrush, trying to force a way through along with nine other workers. They had all been ├óÔé¼╦£freed├óÔé¼Ôäó from slavery, and told that once they got back from this expedition, they would be free to go with all the spoils they were supposedly going to get. But so far he had to do NOTHING but hack at the damned jungles. His hands where completely covered with blisters, and blood and other fluids ran down the handle of his machete, and as the pain shot through his hand after every strike. So he imagined that bastard Smythson├óÔé¼Ôäós face in every one of the leaves, making each attack against the trees pleasurable.
They had been at this for a week, and every night they set up camp, guards watching for any thing dangerous. Bernard thought that they would shot anything large enough to shoot, just for the heck of it. He hacked at the plants and suddenly there was a whiff of something fly through the air. A million pin pricks of pain peppered Bernard├óÔé¼Ôäós face. He staggered back, and saw the leaves had covered the needle launcher. He brushed away the needles, but the poison was already flooding him.
Smythson looked over and saw the black skinned slave die in twitching convulsions. ├óÔé¼┼ôHmm├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered, looking at the ing├â┬®nues array of needle catapults that had peppered the man├óÔé¼Ôäós face. ├óÔé¼┼ôLeave the idiot to rot├óÔé¼┬Ø the foreman said and Smythson gestured to the other workers. They immediately began to hack at the underbrush, looking about warily. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt appears that we aren├óÔé¼Ôäót alone├óÔé¼┬Ø said Keith quietly.
Garret jerked back, falling on his back. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat├óÔé¼Ôäós wrong?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Juliana, running over to him. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót know├óÔé¼┬Ø he said quietly as Juliana helped him to his feet. Garret looked out the window again before walking with Juliana to his room. He made sure to wake up earlier this time round.
├óÔé¼┼ôToday we are going to do something more sedate├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said as she gestured to a bizarre contraption. It was a six pointed star with an orb at each endpoint. The orbs, in counterclockwise order where Blue, White, Purple, Black, Green, Grey and Red, while in the middle of the star was a dais with a single bullet, the old kind that where little more then tiny cannon balls. Surrounding the dais where tools, ranging from a awl to a bizarre pick, a minilathe and a long rod tipped with a crystal.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is it├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós a ManaSculpture, something you invented├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said. ├óÔé¼┼ôSee the six orbs├óÔé¼┬ª they are the six different abilities mages can have, but you as a Talent can use all of them, while a Magi can only use the one they have been gifted with├óÔé¼┬Ø She took hold of the White orb. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is life├óÔé¼┬Ø she lifted it, and her fingers disappeared into the orb, causing white light to flare from the points where they pierced it. She pulled it apart and the orb spit into two smaller orbs.
She pulled the orbs to about a full arms length apart, and shimmering lines appeared between them. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe lines are Lay Lines, and the brighter they are, the stronger the magic being transported between them. Lay lines are like water, they flow from a weaker source to a stronger source. When magic runs through an object, that magic infuses it and becomes part of our world├óÔé¼┬ª permanently├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôNow let me show you how I can turn this bullet, which is an instrument of destruction, into a healing device├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said. She pressed down a foot petal connected to the Sculpture which raised the dais to the level of her hands, and she pressed the two orbs together. The lines flexed outward, just like when you take a flexible piece of straw and press the ends directly together. The lines bulged around the bullet, creating a mesh. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is how we can create a shield of light, fire, death├óÔé¼┬ª illusion whatever├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, removing her fingers from the orbs, which floated gently around the dais. She picked up the long rod with the crystal and etched a pattern in the air, leaving a glowing line.
├óÔé¼┼ôthis will create artificial lines in the very fabric of the universe, and will tell the magic how to form a shield, or in this case show the area of effect├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara said, drawing a mesh over a smallish sphere, and then amplifying it by tapping a small plate against one of the spheres. The mesh she drew suddenly quadrupled and became a massive sheath that was geometrically perfect. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe better the mesh, the more effective the defense. Once Kealrith the├óÔé¼┬ª innovative spent fourteen years making amour with the perfect defense. It was a completely opaque shield around a single paudriean, and created a wall of fire exactly one foot too small, so when he activated it cut his legs off├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôOne foot off, and his legs where gone?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked ├óÔé¼┼ôHow?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôKealrith was a gnome├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said smiling ├óÔé¼┼ôNow here is the hard part. You need to put your own magic into it, so that this pretty mesh actually works├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret felt a building concentration of energies from Sara and suddenly there was a flash of white. A slight light formed around the bullet. Garret picked it up and felt health radiate through his body. His bruised back suddenly felt very good.
├óÔé¼┼ôNice├óÔé¼┬Ø He said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, why don├óÔé¼Ôäót you give it a try?├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said brightly, picking up the miniature lathe ├óÔé¼┼ôthis is the nanolather, and its used to alter the matter of most small objects├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara started to teach Garret, who started to learn about magic, sculpting, swordplay, history, biology and chemistry. He learned and the days began to fly past, in a increasingly fast rate as Garret relearned his skills.
On Shamazad, in the increasingly dangerous jungles, Smythson pushed the slaves harder. When even the foreman started to complain about the workload put on the slaves, Smythson slew him effortlessly. The slaves worked all the faster as the still walking corpse of there former overseer started to hack away at the foliage tirelessly. Smythson smiled as the slaves began to work all the faster. Keith looked on emotionlessly.
Days became weeks. Then weeks became months. Two months. Three. Time rolled on in an unstoppable wave. The small expedition became smaller as hidden traps began to kill them off one by one. But the corpses of the slaves that fell got up and began to work.
Garret was adept at all he attempted to master. The Tempest became its namesake, slaying all the opponents in the arena, from Trolls to Dragons to even the horrific undead that where randomly someone Garret knew. Though always disturbing, Garret found that he could eventually dispatch them easily through bodily dismemberment.
He also learned the skills of the arcane, becoming able to master all the abilities of magic. Fire, Water, Earth, Life, Death, Air and Mind all came to his easily. And powerfully. Some times Juliana, Felix or Book would watch as he learned a new technique. Some times they ohhhed and ahhhhed when Garret did something particularly impressive, but Juliana always had a smile for him.
His nights where always filled with sleep, as his days where filled with work. After a year, Sara proclaimed him ready for the final test
Smythson, after a year of toil, had used a bound leaf to cover his eyes. Keith and he where the only survivors, all the others where killed by a molasses of traps and defenses all scattered in pretty much a straight line depicted on the map. It must have been to deter any who used the map. Smythson was beginning to hate the map, but at least his minions were quiet. But they decayed fast, so he sent his most decrepit one through the door way of the temple.
The Temple was where the Lay Stone was hopefully located, and it was a massive building stretching from the base of the jungle to the tips of the tallest trees. It was roughly conical, made of a glossy black material. Smythson had looked at it and saw a massive blackness, which blocked even the infinity of the universe├óÔé¼Ôäós magic. Smythson grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is the place├óÔé¼┬Ø.
He pointed at the massive door that opened like a gapeing maw in the lowest point of the Temple. The shuffling mass of rot that was the overseer walked in. Suddenly a massive spike was rammed through his stomach. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe should watch for traps├óÔé¼┬Ø Smythson said as the pathetic zombie struggled to extricate itself. As they walked past the zombie Keith cut its head off, efficiently and quietly.
Smythson looked at the huge pendulum that had skewered the zombie and noted what had set it off. He walked down the hall way for another five feet, but suddenly it split, going of in two paths, one slanting slightly up and one slightly down. Smythson looked down one corridor and saw that it too branched off. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe might need some more friends├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered.
Garret walked into the Training Room and was pleased to see Juliana had arrived in her best dress, to watch. Garret rechecked his belt and pants and metal curies, his sword, his four rune stone├óÔé¼Ôäós. They where his best ones, each one amplifying his best Talents, Fire, Water, Mind and Earth, each with a directional and amplification rune attached.
├óÔé¼┼ôAre you ready for your final test, Garret?├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara asked. She was dressed in the same garb├óÔé¼┬ª was it a year ago? Garret thought├óÔé¼┬ª on his first day of training. ├óÔé¼┼ôI am ready├óÔé¼┬Ø he said steadily. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour final test will be├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôme├óÔé¼┬Ø. She snapped her fingers and the Training Room became the arena, with its stands filled with a screaming crowd. In the front box Juliana, Felix and Book sat, grinning. Juliana smiled and waved. The last month had been hard on both Garret and Juliana, as his training was getting more and more intense. However she still stood by his side.
Sara drew a light rapier, and Garret saw that she had four rune stones as well. what though Garret thought. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis duel will begin when your ready├óÔé¼┬Ø said Sara. Garret crouched down, holding the Tempest above his head. Sara drew her rapier and stood erect and ready. Suddenly she whipped her free hand down to her rune stones in a sudden blur and fired it at him.
Garret used his legs to vault to the side, dodging the sudden burst of frigid water that shattered the wall of the arena. ├óÔé¼┼ôAll right, lets see how you like this├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered and grabbed his Mind rune stone and threw his power out. Sara suddenly stood up and glanced from left to right, as if confused. Garret ran round the stadium and was happy to see that Sara was following something invisible in the air.
The Mind Rune he had made was illusionary in nature, and it had done exactly as he hoped it would. It created a Garret that only Sara could see, along with the real one. It would mirror what he was doing perfectly. He ran up to Sara, sword raised in a easily blocked, but powerful over the shoulder strike. Suddenly Sara turned and sliced at Garret as he was about to attack. Her rapier cut a long, but thin slice along his arm, slipping under the his armpit and cutting up as he turned, trying to deflect the attack.
Garret broke away, blood dripping slowly from the wound. ├óÔé¼┼ôGuess it dint work├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôNever assume that a illusion will work, Garret├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, grinning. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour right├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, and grabbed a rune from his belt and flicked it towards Sara, sending a blast of searing flames at her. She flipped aside, but Garret was already vaulting over the molten path of flames that his bolt had left behind. Sara was caught off guard as Garret turned in air, and landed on the wall with his feet, attacking Sara with his sword.
She blocked, but a flash of sparks showered outwards, and Garret kicked off from the wall, up and over Sara. He dropped the Tempest and grabbed two runes, firing a gust of wind while buffeting Sara with a stream of icy water. The woman dodged the water, but was still off balance when Garret landed. The Tempest had sunk to the hilt in the packed dirt. He landed on his feet and jabbed twice at Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós face with his right fist. She ducked under them and head butted Garret, smashing him in the hip.
Garret fell to the ground on his side, but he rolled to his other side as Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós blade sank into the ground perilously close to his head. He jumped to his feet, but kept his back parallel to the ground as Sara swiped at where his torso WOULD have been had he completed his jump. Garret stood up but immediately ducked so he was facing the ground, as Sara swiped again. He grabbed the Tempest and stood. Sara swung but her blade was blocked by Garret├óÔé¼Ôäós.
Garret backflipped and got away from Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós vicious attacks. He got to the other side of the arena and looked at Sara straight into her eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôAll right├óÔé¼┬ª its game time├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered and ran across the courtyard, meeting Sara in the middle. Its game time.
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DavetheBrave
- Posts: 281
- Joined: 22 Jun 2005, 02:52
An idea for this, is to put them all on a website somewhere, so they can be read as either a whole story or in sections. This will save people having to navigate their way through the forums looking for the next bit of the story. If you did that I would probably read it, but its just to frustrating right now, having to read it off the forum
Well...... im writing theses in one BIG word file, so i can email the entire thing to some one, if they wish it. Also i dont have accsess to a web site, and i think it would be self indulgent to ask for a forum all to myslef. That would be nice though...
But more realisticaly, is it that hard to navigate a forum? All you have to do is press a few buttons? Its much harder to write a five page story segment every day... not that im complaining. This is REALLY fun, and im loving this story, you guys and everything...
I... sleep...need...
Smythson looked at his map and grabbed his hair in disgust. The dammed labyrinth that he found himself in was riddled with traps, and even his zombies where slowly coming apart. The constantly splitting corridors made a massive mosaic of interconnecting patterns that when up and down, sideways and even straight up, assisted by ladders. Each one was riddled with traps, devices and doors. Smythson had mapped the FIRST floor of the Temple, and he was trying to find a pattern in the black hallways.
But there was nothing he could see. Keith was no help, as the loyalty conditioning left him rather un-talkative. As Smythson poured over the map, Keith simply disappeared from his side silently. Smythson didn├óÔé¼Ôäót notice until he heard a muffled scream and the sound of a sword being drawn. He walked out and looked at the creature Keith had caught. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo wait, don├óÔé¼Ôäót kill her├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, eying the extremely dark colored human ├óÔé¼┼ôMaybe she can help├óÔé¼┬Ø.
The woman Keith had caught wore a loincloth and a very thin, small shirt, probably to ward off the oppressive heat in the jungles. She spoke a bizarre native dialect, but seemed to be able to spot traps well enough. Keith had to hold her still when ever a zombie came by, but she eventually warmed to Smythson. At least, be less hostile. Smythson began to map out the second floor as he learned the natives language. Perhaps├óÔé¼┬ª there where more nearby.
Garret jumped as he reached Sara, and the two met in the air, there swords meeting with a massive shower of sparks, but it was the Tempest that proved to be the stronger. The rapier that Sara held shattered and the two combatants dropped to the ground, landing catlike on there feet. Sara immediately tuned as Garret ran at her, sword up and ready to attack. Sara blocked his swing with her hands and drove her fist into his face, and Garret jerked back, a welter of blood spraying form a suddenly broken nose. Garret pushed the magical energy of life through his body, focusing it on his nose. Cartilage crunched as his bones realigned and flesh was mended.
Garret back flipped away as Sara did a quick hook kick to Garrets head. As Garret ran back from a flurry of kicks and punches from Sara, until he was far from her. He looked as she drew a rune stone. Garret tensed, ready to dodge or grab a rune stone for himself. The rune stone was odd though, as it was shaped in a ring.
Garret spotted the link rune, and wondered how Sara would connect anything to anything. She couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót use her body as a conduit, unless it was a rune stone of air, as her skin was always connected to the essence of air. Her boots where too thick to allow a mana link through her feet, and she couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót use water, fire, death or mind in this area. how could it work? Garret thought.
Sara dropped the rune stone and a sword, long and two handed, appeared in the ring as it fell. The rune stone hit the ground and Sara caught the sword. how Garret managed to think before Sara pressed the attack. Her new sword was strong, fast and obvious light. Garret dodged until Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós foot jammed into his ribs, and he collapsed to his knees. He felt Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós sword at his throat, and felt defeat. The crowd grew deathly quiet. But his eyes where fixed on the rune stone. the rune stone[i/]. Garret jammed the Tempest into ground, feinting a renewed strike against Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós leg.
Sara snarled as she skipped back ├óÔé¼┼ôYield├óÔé¼┬Ø She said. Garret yanked the Tempest up out of the ground and Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós sword evaporated as its mana link to earth dissipated. Garret rose to his feet and planted his sword over Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós throat. She raised her hands and the rune stone landed on the ground, her sword becoming corporeal again. The stadium disappeared and they stood in the dark Training Room. Book, Juliana and Felix stood at the edge of the room and clapped. Sara smiled as Garret sheathed the Tempest.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou have become your self again, Garret├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said. A sudden flicker of rage passed through her eyes as they darted to Juliana. Garret shook her hand ├óÔé¼┼ôNow what?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIn two days, we will meet and discuss what to do. My spies have found that Smythson has been stumped in the Temple, for the traps that are in the place have kept him very busy├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara smiled ├óÔé¼┼ôYou can take two days off, Necromancer├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret smiled and walked out. Juliana joined him and they linked arm in arm. Book went off to his library, while Felix walked over to Sara
├óÔé¼┼ôYou├óÔé¼Ôäóre a good teacher├óÔé¼┬ª that was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen├óÔé¼┬Ø he said and laughed ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat a fight├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara smiled as the Kia walked out of the room. Then she shut the door to the training room and keyed her mind into it. Juliana, or at least a illusion of Juliana, appeared in the room. Sara walked over to her and wrapped her hands around her throat, and watched the light fade out of the illusions eyes. The corpse faded away and Sara felt a electrical, almost erotic pleasure run through her.
Juliana lead Garret through the hall ways ├óÔé¼┼ôI love this place├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, looking at the crystalline hall ways and stair wells that made up the Tower. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis room, I remember, is the widget room├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót remember what exactly in it, but its going to be impressive├óÔé¼┬Ø he pushed open the door, and Juliana followed him in.
The Widget Room was a massive library like room, filled with shelves and shelves of objects, organized by what they do, apparently. Garret picked up some goggles and read off the plaque that it rested on ├óÔé¼┼ôDesire Glasses: Shows you your most intimate desire├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôTry it on├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said ├óÔé¼┼ôAfter all, I need to know about my competition├óÔé¼┬Ø she grinned. Garret smiled and put the goggles on.
├óÔé¼┼ôI love you├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, wrapping her arms around him as h Garret took them off. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót work├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôI guess something├óÔé¼Ôäós here aren├óÔé¼Ôäót that long lived├óÔé¼┬Ø. Juliana frowned ├óÔé¼┼ôIt doesn├óÔé¼Ôäót look un-operational to me├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬ª maybe it doesn├óÔé¼Ôäót look operational when it is, cause I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót see a thing├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, walking down the shelves.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat├óÔé¼Ôäós this├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, picking up a small cube. A very scantily dressed man danced a very suggestive dance. ├óÔé¼┼ôHuh├óÔé¼┬ª guess a woman made this├óÔé¼┬Ø He said. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót be so sure├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said, picking up a flute that played it self seven times at once, so it sounded like seven flutes, each using a different valve and note. Garret picked up a sphere and it did nothing. ├óÔé¼┼ôHuh├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, and read the plaque that it rested on. ├óÔé¼┼ôPregnancy Sphere: Are you expecting?├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy would a Necromancer make a pregnancy test?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, partially rhetorically. Juliana snorted ├óÔé¼┼ôNecromancers are human, as Sara and you prove with out a doubt├óÔé¼┬Ø. She grabbed the sphere, saying ├óÔé¼┼ôLet me try this├óÔé¼┬Ø. The sphere glowed a soft yellow, and Garret swore he heard some childish giggling. His stomach did a loop, and his heart felt cold. Then it beat faster, then slower, then faster again. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh my god├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana whispered.
Garret suddenly made up his mind and felt a wild elation in him. ├óÔé¼┼ôI love you├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, grabbing Juliana by her shoulders and kissing her deeply. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø she said softly. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe are going to be parents!├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said quietly, all thoughts of Smythson, Sara, or anything else vanished. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót know├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said softly. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry. I will be here for you├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said. Juliana hugged him and suddenly gasped ├óÔé¼┼ôHow are we going to tell the others├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret thought of Sara and the frightening rage he had spotted flashing over Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós eyes.
They got back to their room, and then walked to the balcony, and watched the sky on Uluthwea. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts so big├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret whispered, awed by the massive spectacle. Juliana pointed outwards ├óÔé¼┼ôHey├óÔé¼┬ª Stelvi pass if over there├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, pointing at the far side of Terrix, which was cool and brownish. There was a light flash from a multitude of explosions. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª the war hasn├óÔé¼Ôäót stopped├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana muttered ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy hasn├óÔé¼Ôäót Sara stopped them?├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe Necromancer council is split, and none of them can make decisions, with Smythson gone and Sara pretty much abdicating her head seat. So the Necromancers have retreated to there towers, and continue to research and there other endeavors. The more friendly ones come by, but the rest have spread out. It feels as if every empire has fallen, and all that├óÔé¼Ôäós left is ancient hatreds that are playing themselves out├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, looking at the vast expanse of Uluthwea.
├óÔé¼┼ôI think that all that├óÔé¼Ôäós left, I us├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said, turning to Garret and kissing him. They backed into there room, and Juliana shed her fancy dress├óÔé¼┬ª very quickly. Garret blew out the mage light with a thought and focused on nothing but the moment.
Sara walked through the Tower, placing her hand on the ice she knew so well. She turned and her face leered out of the shadows at her. She gasped and her counterpart grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat bitch Juliana has stolen Garret, after we slaved to find him for ten thousand years├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, her face contorting with anger. Sara backed away ├óÔé¼┼ôGo away├óÔé¼┬Ø she said softly ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót need you anymore├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós conterpart sneered ├óÔé¼┼ô├óÔé¼Ôäódo away├óÔé¼┬ª I don├óÔé¼Ôäót need you anymore├óÔé¼Ôäó of course you need me! You can think twice as fast, and twice as well with me! You NEED me or Smythson will rule us all, and Garret will die along with you├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Sara closed her eyes ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót hate Juliana├óÔé¼┬Ø she lied. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour lying├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart said. Her features shifted and she wore Juliana├óÔé¼Ôäós face ├óÔé¼┼ôLook me in her eyes and tell me you don├óÔé¼Ôäót want her dead├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós eyebrow twitched as she stared at Juliana ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼┬ªdon├óÔé¼Ôäót├óÔé¼┬ªhate├óÔé¼┬ªyou├óÔé¼┬Ø she said slowly, her jaw tightened. ├óÔé¼┼ôCome on├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós counterpart said, shifting back to her original features ├óÔé¼┼ôYou know you want him├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôremember when you and Garret first found that oasis in Terrix and yo-├óÔé¼┼ô Sara slapped her self, cutting off her counterpart mid sentence. ├óÔé¼┼ôGo away├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, very quietly. But her counterpart was already gone.
Garret awoke next morning and left the room quietly. He met Sara in the halls on the way to the banquet hall. She left the hall way, heading into her room ,and once she was sure Garret was gone she looked in the mirror that hung above her bed. ├óÔé¼┼ôTold you├óÔé¼┬Ø he counterpart said, staring at her from the mirror. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, and a sob came from her throat. ├óÔé¼┼ôJuliana├óÔé¼Ôäós pregnant├óÔé¼┬ª with Garrets child├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart said ├óÔé¼┼ôthe one thing he swore he would never force on you, he give to her by mistake├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Sara looked under her bed. ├óÔé¼┼ôPull it out├óÔé¼┬ª use it!├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart said. It was a tiny vial of Green Dragon blood, taken from the blade that had stabbed Garret, and would kill Juliana in a few second. ├óÔé¼┼ôKill her!├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart whispered. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou never could plan├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said softly ├óÔé¼┼ôIf I killed her, Garret would never love me├óÔé¼┬Ø. Her counterpart├óÔé¼Ôäós eyes widened. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou would├óÔé¼┬ª do it for her?├óÔé¼┬Ø. She asked, her eyes bulging. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬ª its for him├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said softly, eyeing the poison.
But more realisticaly, is it that hard to navigate a forum? All you have to do is press a few buttons? Its much harder to write a five page story segment every day... not that im complaining. This is REALLY fun, and im loving this story, you guys and everything...
I... sleep...need...
Smythson looked at his map and grabbed his hair in disgust. The dammed labyrinth that he found himself in was riddled with traps, and even his zombies where slowly coming apart. The constantly splitting corridors made a massive mosaic of interconnecting patterns that when up and down, sideways and even straight up, assisted by ladders. Each one was riddled with traps, devices and doors. Smythson had mapped the FIRST floor of the Temple, and he was trying to find a pattern in the black hallways.
But there was nothing he could see. Keith was no help, as the loyalty conditioning left him rather un-talkative. As Smythson poured over the map, Keith simply disappeared from his side silently. Smythson didn├óÔé¼Ôäót notice until he heard a muffled scream and the sound of a sword being drawn. He walked out and looked at the creature Keith had caught. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo wait, don├óÔé¼Ôäót kill her├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, eying the extremely dark colored human ├óÔé¼┼ôMaybe she can help├óÔé¼┬Ø.
The woman Keith had caught wore a loincloth and a very thin, small shirt, probably to ward off the oppressive heat in the jungles. She spoke a bizarre native dialect, but seemed to be able to spot traps well enough. Keith had to hold her still when ever a zombie came by, but she eventually warmed to Smythson. At least, be less hostile. Smythson began to map out the second floor as he learned the natives language. Perhaps├óÔé¼┬ª there where more nearby.
Garret jumped as he reached Sara, and the two met in the air, there swords meeting with a massive shower of sparks, but it was the Tempest that proved to be the stronger. The rapier that Sara held shattered and the two combatants dropped to the ground, landing catlike on there feet. Sara immediately tuned as Garret ran at her, sword up and ready to attack. Sara blocked his swing with her hands and drove her fist into his face, and Garret jerked back, a welter of blood spraying form a suddenly broken nose. Garret pushed the magical energy of life through his body, focusing it on his nose. Cartilage crunched as his bones realigned and flesh was mended.
Garret back flipped away as Sara did a quick hook kick to Garrets head. As Garret ran back from a flurry of kicks and punches from Sara, until he was far from her. He looked as she drew a rune stone. Garret tensed, ready to dodge or grab a rune stone for himself. The rune stone was odd though, as it was shaped in a ring.
Garret spotted the link rune, and wondered how Sara would connect anything to anything. She couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót use her body as a conduit, unless it was a rune stone of air, as her skin was always connected to the essence of air. Her boots where too thick to allow a mana link through her feet, and she couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót use water, fire, death or mind in this area. how could it work? Garret thought.
Sara dropped the rune stone and a sword, long and two handed, appeared in the ring as it fell. The rune stone hit the ground and Sara caught the sword. how Garret managed to think before Sara pressed the attack. Her new sword was strong, fast and obvious light. Garret dodged until Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós foot jammed into his ribs, and he collapsed to his knees. He felt Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós sword at his throat, and felt defeat. The crowd grew deathly quiet. But his eyes where fixed on the rune stone. the rune stone[i/]. Garret jammed the Tempest into ground, feinting a renewed strike against Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós leg.
Sara snarled as she skipped back ├óÔé¼┼ôYield├óÔé¼┬Ø She said. Garret yanked the Tempest up out of the ground and Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós sword evaporated as its mana link to earth dissipated. Garret rose to his feet and planted his sword over Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós throat. She raised her hands and the rune stone landed on the ground, her sword becoming corporeal again. The stadium disappeared and they stood in the dark Training Room. Book, Juliana and Felix stood at the edge of the room and clapped. Sara smiled as Garret sheathed the Tempest.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou have become your self again, Garret├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said. A sudden flicker of rage passed through her eyes as they darted to Juliana. Garret shook her hand ├óÔé¼┼ôNow what?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIn two days, we will meet and discuss what to do. My spies have found that Smythson has been stumped in the Temple, for the traps that are in the place have kept him very busy├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara smiled ├óÔé¼┼ôYou can take two days off, Necromancer├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret smiled and walked out. Juliana joined him and they linked arm in arm. Book went off to his library, while Felix walked over to Sara
├óÔé¼┼ôYou├óÔé¼Ôäóre a good teacher├óÔé¼┬ª that was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen├óÔé¼┬Ø he said and laughed ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat a fight├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara smiled as the Kia walked out of the room. Then she shut the door to the training room and keyed her mind into it. Juliana, or at least a illusion of Juliana, appeared in the room. Sara walked over to her and wrapped her hands around her throat, and watched the light fade out of the illusions eyes. The corpse faded away and Sara felt a electrical, almost erotic pleasure run through her.
Juliana lead Garret through the hall ways ├óÔé¼┼ôI love this place├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, looking at the crystalline hall ways and stair wells that made up the Tower. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis room, I remember, is the widget room├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót remember what exactly in it, but its going to be impressive├óÔé¼┬Ø he pushed open the door, and Juliana followed him in.
The Widget Room was a massive library like room, filled with shelves and shelves of objects, organized by what they do, apparently. Garret picked up some goggles and read off the plaque that it rested on ├óÔé¼┼ôDesire Glasses: Shows you your most intimate desire├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôTry it on├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said ├óÔé¼┼ôAfter all, I need to know about my competition├óÔé¼┬Ø she grinned. Garret smiled and put the goggles on.
├óÔé¼┼ôI love you├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, wrapping her arms around him as h Garret took them off. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót work├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôI guess something├óÔé¼Ôäós here aren├óÔé¼Ôäót that long lived├óÔé¼┬Ø. Juliana frowned ├óÔé¼┼ôIt doesn├óÔé¼Ôäót look un-operational to me├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬ª maybe it doesn├óÔé¼Ôäót look operational when it is, cause I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót see a thing├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, walking down the shelves.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat├óÔé¼Ôäós this├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, picking up a small cube. A very scantily dressed man danced a very suggestive dance. ├óÔé¼┼ôHuh├óÔé¼┬ª guess a woman made this├óÔé¼┬Ø He said. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót be so sure├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said, picking up a flute that played it self seven times at once, so it sounded like seven flutes, each using a different valve and note. Garret picked up a sphere and it did nothing. ├óÔé¼┼ôHuh├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, and read the plaque that it rested on. ├óÔé¼┼ôPregnancy Sphere: Are you expecting?├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy would a Necromancer make a pregnancy test?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, partially rhetorically. Juliana snorted ├óÔé¼┼ôNecromancers are human, as Sara and you prove with out a doubt├óÔé¼┬Ø. She grabbed the sphere, saying ├óÔé¼┼ôLet me try this├óÔé¼┬Ø. The sphere glowed a soft yellow, and Garret swore he heard some childish giggling. His stomach did a loop, and his heart felt cold. Then it beat faster, then slower, then faster again. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh my god├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana whispered.
Garret suddenly made up his mind and felt a wild elation in him. ├óÔé¼┼ôI love you├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, grabbing Juliana by her shoulders and kissing her deeply. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø she said softly. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe are going to be parents!├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said quietly, all thoughts of Smythson, Sara, or anything else vanished. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót know├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said softly. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry. I will be here for you├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said. Juliana hugged him and suddenly gasped ├óÔé¼┼ôHow are we going to tell the others├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret thought of Sara and the frightening rage he had spotted flashing over Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós eyes.
They got back to their room, and then walked to the balcony, and watched the sky on Uluthwea. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts so big├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret whispered, awed by the massive spectacle. Juliana pointed outwards ├óÔé¼┼ôHey├óÔé¼┬ª Stelvi pass if over there├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, pointing at the far side of Terrix, which was cool and brownish. There was a light flash from a multitude of explosions. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª the war hasn├óÔé¼Ôäót stopped├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana muttered ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy hasn├óÔé¼Ôäót Sara stopped them?├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe Necromancer council is split, and none of them can make decisions, with Smythson gone and Sara pretty much abdicating her head seat. So the Necromancers have retreated to there towers, and continue to research and there other endeavors. The more friendly ones come by, but the rest have spread out. It feels as if every empire has fallen, and all that├óÔé¼Ôäós left is ancient hatreds that are playing themselves out├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, looking at the vast expanse of Uluthwea.
├óÔé¼┼ôI think that all that├óÔé¼Ôäós left, I us├óÔé¼┬Ø Juliana said, turning to Garret and kissing him. They backed into there room, and Juliana shed her fancy dress├óÔé¼┬ª very quickly. Garret blew out the mage light with a thought and focused on nothing but the moment.
Sara walked through the Tower, placing her hand on the ice she knew so well. She turned and her face leered out of the shadows at her. She gasped and her counterpart grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat bitch Juliana has stolen Garret, after we slaved to find him for ten thousand years├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, her face contorting with anger. Sara backed away ├óÔé¼┼ôGo away├óÔé¼┬Ø she said softly ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót need you anymore├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós conterpart sneered ├óÔé¼┼ô├óÔé¼Ôäódo away├óÔé¼┬ª I don├óÔé¼Ôäót need you anymore├óÔé¼Ôäó of course you need me! You can think twice as fast, and twice as well with me! You NEED me or Smythson will rule us all, and Garret will die along with you├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Sara closed her eyes ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót hate Juliana├óÔé¼┬Ø she lied. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour lying├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart said. Her features shifted and she wore Juliana├óÔé¼Ôäós face ├óÔé¼┼ôLook me in her eyes and tell me you don├óÔé¼Ôäót want her dead├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós eyebrow twitched as she stared at Juliana ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼┬ªdon├óÔé¼Ôäót├óÔé¼┬ªhate├óÔé¼┬ªyou├óÔé¼┬Ø she said slowly, her jaw tightened. ├óÔé¼┼ôCome on├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós counterpart said, shifting back to her original features ├óÔé¼┼ôYou know you want him├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôremember when you and Garret first found that oasis in Terrix and yo-├óÔé¼┼ô Sara slapped her self, cutting off her counterpart mid sentence. ├óÔé¼┼ôGo away├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, very quietly. But her counterpart was already gone.
Garret awoke next morning and left the room quietly. He met Sara in the halls on the way to the banquet hall. She left the hall way, heading into her room ,and once she was sure Garret was gone she looked in the mirror that hung above her bed. ├óÔé¼┼ôTold you├óÔé¼┬Ø he counterpart said, staring at her from the mirror. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, and a sob came from her throat. ├óÔé¼┼ôJuliana├óÔé¼Ôäós pregnant├óÔé¼┬ª with Garrets child├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart said ├óÔé¼┼ôthe one thing he swore he would never force on you, he give to her by mistake├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Sara looked under her bed. ├óÔé¼┼ôPull it out├óÔé¼┬ª use it!├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart said. It was a tiny vial of Green Dragon blood, taken from the blade that had stabbed Garret, and would kill Juliana in a few second. ├óÔé¼┼ôKill her!├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart whispered. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou never could plan├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said softly ├óÔé¼┼ôIf I killed her, Garret would never love me├óÔé¼┬Ø. Her counterpart├óÔé¼Ôäós eyes widened. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou would├óÔé¼┬ª do it for her?├óÔé¼┬Ø. She asked, her eyes bulging. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬ª its for him├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said softly, eyeing the poison.
Actually it was an experimental process that artificially creates duel personalities, so while one thinks about what move to make in chess, the other can whisper in the main personalities ear. Its like having an adviser in your mind. Only problem is the counterparts manifest themselves as a PART of your personality, weather its your conscience, or your jealousy.
he next two days passed uneventfully. Aside from the congratulations from Felix and Book, and a incredibly strained congratulations from Sara. Garret looked into her eyes as she shook his hand, and there was nothing but an impartial, detached calm behind them. He detected no rage against Juliana, or him, and decided that she must be accepting his choice.
Garret explored the widget room, finding many interesting, if useless, toys. He never touched the Desire Glasses. Juliana tried out the massive chess board, but Felix, who was becoming adept at the game, won swiftly. Book found a massive tome on Dragons and spent several long hours tutoring Red on her own biology.
Red was the most unusual creature that Garret had met├óÔé¼┬ª ever. She flew short distances, could smell better then any dog, and could see into the deep infrared. Her grasp of human conventions was still shaky, but Garret caught her examining her figure in a full length mirror. He grinned and went to his room.
The two days were mainly spent sleeping though. Garret was exhausted from his training, and Juliana wanted to abstain during her pregnancy, so the two spent there time talking, reading, or in Garret├óÔé¼Ôäós case, sleeping. However, the night before Sara had called for a meeting; Garret rolled over in bed and looked at Juliana.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked, looking at him slantwise ├óÔé¼┼ôI won├óÔé¼Ôäót, even this early├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret shook his head, and readied himself ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót want you to come with us tomorrow├óÔé¼┬Ø. He was right to be ready for a shock. Juliana├óÔé¼Ôäós ├óÔé¼┼ôWHAT?├óÔé¼┬Ø was the loudest thing Garret had heard, but it was overrun by her tirade next. Sitting up in bed, she glared at Garret. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf you think you can shelter me as you go off to save the world, or something, and think I will simply go along with it, then your dead wrong├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Garret listened to her rage for a few more minutes, groaning inwardly. ├óÔé¼┼ôWill you listen!├óÔé¼┬Ø he snapped, cutting her off. Juliana was taken completely aback, used to winning minor arguments with Garret. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót want you to come, not because I think you can├óÔé¼Ôäót handle yourself, but because your carrying our child, and I couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót bare to lose both of you, at once├óÔé¼┬Ø
Juliana opened her mouth. Then closed it. ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said softly ├óÔé¼┼ôcouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót bare it├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø. Juliana hugged him close. ├óÔé¼┼ôI couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót bare losing you too├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, and Garret knew she was crying softly into his shoulder. He took hold of her and looked at her ├óÔé¼┼ôI will not die├óÔé¼┬Ø he said firmly ├óÔé¼┼ôI think I can take anything Smythson can throw at me├óÔé¼┬Ø. Juliana smiled ├óÔé¼┼ôTo think I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót hear of that name months ago, and now I cant stop thinking of him, and what he is doing├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Garret kissed her, and in the back of his mind prayed that it wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót the last time.
Smythson had learned the natives speech, in a rudimentary fashion at least, and could now speak broken sentences to her. ├óÔé¼┼ôBring Tribe├óÔé¼┬Ø he had said. She shook her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø she had said. Smythson whipped out one of his favorite runes. It was a perverted version of the Mind rune, and wracking pain filled the woman, causing her to jerk her limbs widely. ├óÔé¼┼ôBring Tribe├óÔé¼┬Ø Smythson said, with greater force. The woman chocked a broken word. ├óÔé¼┼ôY-Yes├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Sara stood at the conference table, staring at ever person there. ├óÔé¼┼ôSmythson is at least ten months away from discovering the location of Laystone, and even though we never got to test it, and there fore don├óÔé¼Ôäót know what it dose, we do know that it is the most powerful thing in-├óÔé¼┼ô
├óÔé¼┼ôYou don├óÔé¼Ôäót know what it does?├óÔé¼┬Ø Book cut in.
Sara glared at him ├óÔé¼┼ôNo. Garret invented it a few weeks before Stelvi tried to kill him. We hadn├óÔé¼Ôäót found an area worth testing it at, but we did find where to store it. The Temple is a structure as old as the Rings themselves. And it├óÔé¼Ôäós based off a geometric pattern that I and Garret know├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSo we will go there, find the Laystone first and use it against Smythson. With his death, we can destroy the damned thing. Its too dangerous. So you have a hour to gather your essentials and then we meet at the hanger├óÔé¼┬Ø. She finished. The others where surprised at her abruptness. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said, perking up ├óÔé¼┼ôYou said Hanger?├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara smiled, and got up, Felix following her.
An hour later and Garret was breaking away from Juliana. ├óÔé¼┼ôbe safe, be free├óÔé¼┬Ø he whispered in the language of the Old Empire. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôJust a blessing├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, walking away with out looking back. All he had where five rune stones and the Tempest. Juliana watched his back, until he went round the corner. Garret knew├óÔé¼┬ª that if he looked back he would never be able to leave her side.
The hanger was a rather small ice cave. Garret looked around expectantly for the massive balloon of the air ship. He spotted what Felix was hugging passionately, as if it was a Kia woman he was madly in love with. It was a long tube with a bizarre projection on the front, with two wide wings projecting out from the side. Garret walked towards it and noticed it had five seats. The last two had mounted, crank powered gattling guns, and the two in the middle where simply seats and, most bizarre of all, they had a glass cover in front of them.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell is that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. Felix got up, and looked at him with tear filled eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis├óÔé¼┬ª is a impossibility!├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is a heavier then air ship! It goose incredibly fast, and can get from here to Shamazad in only two weeks!├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret gaped. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou want to fly one of the guns or, take the middle?├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix asked.
In the end, Garret took the back gun, Red took the gun in front, while Book sat behind Felix with Sara in the middle, ready to use her spells for offensive capabilities. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo how did you Necromancers build this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. Sara looked back ├óÔé¼┼ôJust because we use magic, doesn├óÔé¼Ôäót mean we gave up technology├óÔé¼┬Ø she said. The propeller, as it was called, spun up and Felix drove the plane out the hanger with a loud, shrilling Kia war cry.
Garret screamed as the plane dove out of the hanger and spread across the tundra of Uluthwea. ├óÔé¼┼ôWOOOOOO!├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix screamed as the plane zipped over the ice. Juliana watched from the balcony and began to pray for Garrets safety. She said a prayer to each of the gods she knew, and watched as Garret and her other friends disappeared.
Sara stood, precariously, as the plane flew forward. She raised the Onyx Glove and pointed at the front of the plane. Then she raised her hand to the massive ring in the sky that was Terrix. ├óÔé¼┼ôReady!├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôNOW!├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara shouted and her magic flared. A gate opened in front of them and then they where on Terrix, the sky suddenly different. Sara sat down exhausted.
The plane flew over the massive crystal fields of Terrix. Garret watched the air warily, but nothing dangerous presented itself. As night grew into dawn he realized something was following them. ├óÔé¼┼ôRED!├óÔé¼┬Ø he shouted over the roar of the engines. Red looked around and swore, a human ability she had picked up very fast. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós the blue dragon, and he├óÔé¼Ôäós sworn to hunt me down!├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWill he attack us?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôYes! I├óÔé¼Ôäód say we should shoot first, scare him off├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret nodded and began to crank his gun. The blue dragon got close, but suddenly a hail of bullets ripped into his left wing. Crying out in pain, he dropped back and landed, screeching in agony. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry├óÔé¼┬ª he├óÔé¼Ôäóll be fine├óÔé¼┬Ø Red said ├óÔé¼┼ôIt just hurts a lot├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret laughed and let his gun wind itself down.
They landed and harvested the ├óÔé¼╦£fuel├óÔé¼Ôäó for the plane. That is contact with the energy├óÔé¼Ôäós of earth, so all they had to do was land and rest. They set up tents. Felix got his own, right next to the plane. Book and Red offered to share the largest tent, and finally Sara and Garret used the last two tents, which were the smallest and worst.
Garret was looking over his small bed roll when he heard his tent├óÔé¼Ôäós door open. He turned and Sara walked in. ├óÔé¼┼ôCan I help you?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. Sara closed the door deftly, using a interesting device called a ├óÔé¼╦£zipper├óÔé¼Ôäó to close it quickly. Sara grinned as Garret stood up, his head almost touching the tent ceiling. ├óÔé¼┼ôI love you├óÔé¼┬Ø she said softly, walking up to him. Garret remembered the Desire Glasses and knew that it had found his most secret desire.
├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, but he trailed off. ├óÔé¼┼ôJuliana is a incalculable distance away, and theses tents are soundproofed├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, her face incredibly close to his face. ├óÔé¼┼ôcant├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret finished, his voice barley a whisper. Sara looked into his eyes, and Garret knew it would be so easy to lean forward and take her, and no one would ever know. But I would Garret thought.
Sara let her shirt fall from her body. Garret├óÔé¼Ôäós heart was torn and for an eternity he was caught between two equally strong feelings. Then he turned away. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe will have a long trip tomorrow├óÔé¼┬Ø he said softly and then he crawled into his bedroll and closed his eyes, willing the mage light off. Sara stood there for five minutes, a still as a statue. Then she grabbed her shirt and left, quietly. Garret fell asleep.
In another tent a more awkward conversation was taking place. ├óÔé¼┼ôso├óÔé¼┬Ø Book said, sitting on his bedroll and looking at Red who was clasping her wings as tightly to her back, trying to keep them shut tight. ├óÔé¼┼ôI was thinking your coming along nicely in your├óÔé¼┬Ø. Red removed her shirt and tossed it in the corner. She was still grappling with the notions of modesty. ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, her odd pronunciations almost gone from her voice. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd well├óÔé¼┬ª you├óÔé¼Ôäóre very attractive├óÔé¼┬Ø. She looked at Book. ├óÔé¼┼ôI mean attentive, very attentive├óÔé¼┬Ø He said, covering his slip.
The Dragon stared at Book. He was old, but still strong. He was short, but not dwarfish. His hair was silver, not white. Old was not even a consideration to a creature that was over forty thousand years old, and she studied Book through her silted pupils and judged him based of who he was. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou know├óÔé¼┬ª I wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót studding humanity with you for the pure research├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, her back arching. ├óÔé¼┼ôI kno- what?├óÔé¼┬Ø Book asked before she pounced. The tents edges where ripped by her wings.
The next gate trip took place over the same endless crystal fields, four days later, and suddenly they were over the temperate forests of Emperryon. Sara didn├óÔé¼Ôäót speak to Garret that entire night, and Felix was enthusiastically worked on the engines of the plane. Book disappeared into the woods with Red, saying that he was going to try to find some edible plants. Garret looked at Felix as Red got up and followed Book with out preamble. Felix shrugged ├óÔé¼┼ôHell I├óÔé¼Ôäóm not bigot. Live and let live├óÔé¼┬Ø he said.
Two days later and the plane was almost close enough to the ring├óÔé¼Ôäós edge to make the gate without undo stress on Sara. But as they where ready to come down for the night there was a sudden bang. Garret looked up and saw s thick smoke spurt from the engine. ├óÔé¼┼ôI need to come down!├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said, and the plane slowly came down in the nearest field. The engine was on fire by that point, and Felix had to turn it off while Garret used a rune stone to douse the fire.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt will take a few days to repair this├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, and Felix nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôLets set up camp├óÔé¼┬Ø. They had repaired the damage to the large tent, and soon the camp was set up. Garret thought he could remember something important they should do. Then he lost it. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait! We almost forgot to put our lights├óÔé¼┬Ø Book cut in as the camp got ready to go to bed. Sara slapped herself ├óÔé¼┼ôEven weak phantasms can posses a sleeping person!├óÔé¼┬Ø she said and gestured. Mage lights appeared spreading lights over the entire camp ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need to put up more permanent lights in the morning, but these will do├óÔé¼┬Ø. They went to sleep, and the phantasms gathered at the edges of the camp, but couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót reach the sleeping people inside.
Two of them weren├óÔé¼Ôäót asleep though├óÔé¼┬ª
Garret explored the widget room, finding many interesting, if useless, toys. He never touched the Desire Glasses. Juliana tried out the massive chess board, but Felix, who was becoming adept at the game, won swiftly. Book found a massive tome on Dragons and spent several long hours tutoring Red on her own biology.
Red was the most unusual creature that Garret had met├óÔé¼┬ª ever. She flew short distances, could smell better then any dog, and could see into the deep infrared. Her grasp of human conventions was still shaky, but Garret caught her examining her figure in a full length mirror. He grinned and went to his room.
The two days were mainly spent sleeping though. Garret was exhausted from his training, and Juliana wanted to abstain during her pregnancy, so the two spent there time talking, reading, or in Garret├óÔé¼Ôäós case, sleeping. However, the night before Sara had called for a meeting; Garret rolled over in bed and looked at Juliana.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked, looking at him slantwise ├óÔé¼┼ôI won├óÔé¼Ôäót, even this early├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret shook his head, and readied himself ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót want you to come with us tomorrow├óÔé¼┬Ø. He was right to be ready for a shock. Juliana├óÔé¼Ôäós ├óÔé¼┼ôWHAT?├óÔé¼┬Ø was the loudest thing Garret had heard, but it was overrun by her tirade next. Sitting up in bed, she glared at Garret. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf you think you can shelter me as you go off to save the world, or something, and think I will simply go along with it, then your dead wrong├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Garret listened to her rage for a few more minutes, groaning inwardly. ├óÔé¼┼ôWill you listen!├óÔé¼┬Ø he snapped, cutting her off. Juliana was taken completely aback, used to winning minor arguments with Garret. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót want you to come, not because I think you can├óÔé¼Ôäót handle yourself, but because your carrying our child, and I couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót bare to lose both of you, at once├óÔé¼┬Ø
Juliana opened her mouth. Then closed it. ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said softly ├óÔé¼┼ôcouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót bare it├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø. Juliana hugged him close. ├óÔé¼┼ôI couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót bare losing you too├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, and Garret knew she was crying softly into his shoulder. He took hold of her and looked at her ├óÔé¼┼ôI will not die├óÔé¼┬Ø he said firmly ├óÔé¼┼ôI think I can take anything Smythson can throw at me├óÔé¼┬Ø. Juliana smiled ├óÔé¼┼ôTo think I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót hear of that name months ago, and now I cant stop thinking of him, and what he is doing├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Garret kissed her, and in the back of his mind prayed that it wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót the last time.
Smythson had learned the natives speech, in a rudimentary fashion at least, and could now speak broken sentences to her. ├óÔé¼┼ôBring Tribe├óÔé¼┬Ø he had said. She shook her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø she had said. Smythson whipped out one of his favorite runes. It was a perverted version of the Mind rune, and wracking pain filled the woman, causing her to jerk her limbs widely. ├óÔé¼┼ôBring Tribe├óÔé¼┬Ø Smythson said, with greater force. The woman chocked a broken word. ├óÔé¼┼ôY-Yes├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Sara stood at the conference table, staring at ever person there. ├óÔé¼┼ôSmythson is at least ten months away from discovering the location of Laystone, and even though we never got to test it, and there fore don├óÔé¼Ôäót know what it dose, we do know that it is the most powerful thing in-├óÔé¼┼ô
├óÔé¼┼ôYou don├óÔé¼Ôäót know what it does?├óÔé¼┬Ø Book cut in.
Sara glared at him ├óÔé¼┼ôNo. Garret invented it a few weeks before Stelvi tried to kill him. We hadn├óÔé¼Ôäót found an area worth testing it at, but we did find where to store it. The Temple is a structure as old as the Rings themselves. And it├óÔé¼Ôäós based off a geometric pattern that I and Garret know├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSo we will go there, find the Laystone first and use it against Smythson. With his death, we can destroy the damned thing. Its too dangerous. So you have a hour to gather your essentials and then we meet at the hanger├óÔé¼┬Ø. She finished. The others where surprised at her abruptness. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said, perking up ├óÔé¼┼ôYou said Hanger?├óÔé¼┬Ø. Sara smiled, and got up, Felix following her.
An hour later and Garret was breaking away from Juliana. ├óÔé¼┼ôbe safe, be free├óÔé¼┬Ø he whispered in the language of the Old Empire. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôJust a blessing├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, walking away with out looking back. All he had where five rune stones and the Tempest. Juliana watched his back, until he went round the corner. Garret knew├óÔé¼┬ª that if he looked back he would never be able to leave her side.
The hanger was a rather small ice cave. Garret looked around expectantly for the massive balloon of the air ship. He spotted what Felix was hugging passionately, as if it was a Kia woman he was madly in love with. It was a long tube with a bizarre projection on the front, with two wide wings projecting out from the side. Garret walked towards it and noticed it had five seats. The last two had mounted, crank powered gattling guns, and the two in the middle where simply seats and, most bizarre of all, they had a glass cover in front of them.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell is that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. Felix got up, and looked at him with tear filled eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis├óÔé¼┬ª is a impossibility!├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is a heavier then air ship! It goose incredibly fast, and can get from here to Shamazad in only two weeks!├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret gaped. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou want to fly one of the guns or, take the middle?├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix asked.
In the end, Garret took the back gun, Red took the gun in front, while Book sat behind Felix with Sara in the middle, ready to use her spells for offensive capabilities. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo how did you Necromancers build this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. Sara looked back ├óÔé¼┼ôJust because we use magic, doesn├óÔé¼Ôäót mean we gave up technology├óÔé¼┬Ø she said. The propeller, as it was called, spun up and Felix drove the plane out the hanger with a loud, shrilling Kia war cry.
Garret screamed as the plane dove out of the hanger and spread across the tundra of Uluthwea. ├óÔé¼┼ôWOOOOOO!├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix screamed as the plane zipped over the ice. Juliana watched from the balcony and began to pray for Garrets safety. She said a prayer to each of the gods she knew, and watched as Garret and her other friends disappeared.
Sara stood, precariously, as the plane flew forward. She raised the Onyx Glove and pointed at the front of the plane. Then she raised her hand to the massive ring in the sky that was Terrix. ├óÔé¼┼ôReady!├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôNOW!├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara shouted and her magic flared. A gate opened in front of them and then they where on Terrix, the sky suddenly different. Sara sat down exhausted.
The plane flew over the massive crystal fields of Terrix. Garret watched the air warily, but nothing dangerous presented itself. As night grew into dawn he realized something was following them. ├óÔé¼┼ôRED!├óÔé¼┬Ø he shouted over the roar of the engines. Red looked around and swore, a human ability she had picked up very fast. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós the blue dragon, and he├óÔé¼Ôäós sworn to hunt me down!├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWill he attack us?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôYes! I├óÔé¼Ôäód say we should shoot first, scare him off├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret nodded and began to crank his gun. The blue dragon got close, but suddenly a hail of bullets ripped into his left wing. Crying out in pain, he dropped back and landed, screeching in agony. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry├óÔé¼┬ª he├óÔé¼Ôäóll be fine├óÔé¼┬Ø Red said ├óÔé¼┼ôIt just hurts a lot├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret laughed and let his gun wind itself down.
They landed and harvested the ├óÔé¼╦£fuel├óÔé¼Ôäó for the plane. That is contact with the energy├óÔé¼Ôäós of earth, so all they had to do was land and rest. They set up tents. Felix got his own, right next to the plane. Book and Red offered to share the largest tent, and finally Sara and Garret used the last two tents, which were the smallest and worst.
Garret was looking over his small bed roll when he heard his tent├óÔé¼Ôäós door open. He turned and Sara walked in. ├óÔé¼┼ôCan I help you?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. Sara closed the door deftly, using a interesting device called a ├óÔé¼╦£zipper├óÔé¼Ôäó to close it quickly. Sara grinned as Garret stood up, his head almost touching the tent ceiling. ├óÔé¼┼ôI love you├óÔé¼┬Ø she said softly, walking up to him. Garret remembered the Desire Glasses and knew that it had found his most secret desire.
├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, but he trailed off. ├óÔé¼┼ôJuliana is a incalculable distance away, and theses tents are soundproofed├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, her face incredibly close to his face. ├óÔé¼┼ôcant├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret finished, his voice barley a whisper. Sara looked into his eyes, and Garret knew it would be so easy to lean forward and take her, and no one would ever know. But I would Garret thought.
Sara let her shirt fall from her body. Garret├óÔé¼Ôäós heart was torn and for an eternity he was caught between two equally strong feelings. Then he turned away. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe will have a long trip tomorrow├óÔé¼┬Ø he said softly and then he crawled into his bedroll and closed his eyes, willing the mage light off. Sara stood there for five minutes, a still as a statue. Then she grabbed her shirt and left, quietly. Garret fell asleep.
In another tent a more awkward conversation was taking place. ├óÔé¼┼ôso├óÔé¼┬Ø Book said, sitting on his bedroll and looking at Red who was clasping her wings as tightly to her back, trying to keep them shut tight. ├óÔé¼┼ôI was thinking your coming along nicely in your├óÔé¼┬Ø. Red removed her shirt and tossed it in the corner. She was still grappling with the notions of modesty. ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, her odd pronunciations almost gone from her voice. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd well├óÔé¼┬ª you├óÔé¼Ôäóre very attractive├óÔé¼┬Ø. She looked at Book. ├óÔé¼┼ôI mean attentive, very attentive├óÔé¼┬Ø He said, covering his slip.
The Dragon stared at Book. He was old, but still strong. He was short, but not dwarfish. His hair was silver, not white. Old was not even a consideration to a creature that was over forty thousand years old, and she studied Book through her silted pupils and judged him based of who he was. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou know├óÔé¼┬ª I wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót studding humanity with you for the pure research├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, her back arching. ├óÔé¼┼ôI kno- what?├óÔé¼┬Ø Book asked before she pounced. The tents edges where ripped by her wings.
The next gate trip took place over the same endless crystal fields, four days later, and suddenly they were over the temperate forests of Emperryon. Sara didn├óÔé¼Ôäót speak to Garret that entire night, and Felix was enthusiastically worked on the engines of the plane. Book disappeared into the woods with Red, saying that he was going to try to find some edible plants. Garret looked at Felix as Red got up and followed Book with out preamble. Felix shrugged ├óÔé¼┼ôHell I├óÔé¼Ôäóm not bigot. Live and let live├óÔé¼┬Ø he said.
Two days later and the plane was almost close enough to the ring├óÔé¼Ôäós edge to make the gate without undo stress on Sara. But as they where ready to come down for the night there was a sudden bang. Garret looked up and saw s thick smoke spurt from the engine. ├óÔé¼┼ôI need to come down!├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said, and the plane slowly came down in the nearest field. The engine was on fire by that point, and Felix had to turn it off while Garret used a rune stone to douse the fire.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt will take a few days to repair this├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, and Felix nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôLets set up camp├óÔé¼┬Ø. They had repaired the damage to the large tent, and soon the camp was set up. Garret thought he could remember something important they should do. Then he lost it. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait! We almost forgot to put our lights├óÔé¼┬Ø Book cut in as the camp got ready to go to bed. Sara slapped herself ├óÔé¼┼ôEven weak phantasms can posses a sleeping person!├óÔé¼┬Ø she said and gestured. Mage lights appeared spreading lights over the entire camp ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need to put up more permanent lights in the morning, but these will do├óÔé¼┬Ø. They went to sleep, and the phantasms gathered at the edges of the camp, but couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót reach the sleeping people inside.
Two of them weren├óÔé¼Ôäót asleep though├óÔé¼┬ª
Garret stared at the ceiling of his tent, and whished that the mage lights wouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót shine through so strongly. He could hear the phantasms outside, whispering and trying to lure him out of his tent. fat chance he thought. He could probably name seven creatures scarier and deadlier then them. He sat up when he heard a loud crash and tinkle of something heavy and metal falling on something smaller and also made of metal. He opened the door and walked out.
Part of the plane had fallen off and Felix was happily screwing it back on. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell are you doing!├óÔé¼┬Ø he whispered, not wanting to wake the other sleepers. Felix was under the plane and fiddling with something, and apparently didn├óÔé¼Ôäót hear Garret. ├óÔé¼┼ôFelix├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said softly. Nothing. ├óÔé¼┼ôFELIX!├óÔé¼┬Ø he shouted. Felix sat up, hit his head on the plane underbelly, then crawled out. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh Garret, good!├óÔé¼┬Ø he said distractedly.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you doing?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh├óÔé¼┬ªcome down and look├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said, ducking back down under the plane. Garret groaned and ducked down with him. ├óÔé¼┼ônow see here├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, pointing at the engine ├óÔé¼┼ôThis rune stone is connected to the earth, via the landing wheels. Then it use├óÔé¼Ôäós THIS rune stone to convert the energies of Earth to something called ├óÔé¼┼ôelectricity├óÔé¼┬Ø and uses it to run a combustion engine by burning USELESS oil, and get this├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø he pointed at a massive array of tubes ├óÔé¼┼ôthis is a collection of pistons that are pushed up and down by the explosions of the oil, as its ignited by the electricity├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret nodded and listened to Felix ramble on about the combustion engines, and realized he couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót hear the phantasms.
He looked out and saw they where still there, hoping that someone would investigate the silence. Garret shook his head and ducked down. Felix hadn├óÔé¼Ôäót even noticed his absence. Felix was talking about how ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is the greatest mesh between magic and technology, and then it gets taken down by a bird flying into a venting port├óÔé¼┬Ø when Garret cut in saying ├óÔé¼┼ôI got to go to bed├óÔé¼┬Ø. Felix grunted and continued repairing the plane.
The next morning and Felix was almost done. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis ├óÔé¼╦£problem├óÔé¼Ôäó is actually pretty easy to fix, and we should be flying by├óÔé¼┬ª this night├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret grunted, busy trying to get a fire going. Then he mentally slapped himself and pulled out a fire rune. Red brought back a dead rabbit, whipping her mouth with a napkin, before handing it to Garret. ├óÔé¼┼ôHumans don├óÔé¼Ôäót usually kill there food with there teeth├óÔé¼┬Ø Book whispered in Red├óÔé¼Ôäós ear. She blanched and went to the river to wash out her mouth.
After eating a rather overdone rabbit, and scoffing some rations packed in the planes trunk, Felix got back to work. Red flew around the plane, trying to work the kinks out of her wings. Book watched her, and Garret sat down and looked at his friend. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø the older man said. ├óÔé¼┼ôHow is it going├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, rather lamely. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, considering that we are going to fight someone who is trying to steal an artifact of insane power, and we are trusting out life to a rickety machine that might explode at any moment, and of course, you turned out to be a-├óÔé¼┼ô. Garret held up his hands ├óÔé¼┼ôStop!├óÔé¼┬Ø he grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôSo I├óÔé¼Ôäóm glad your keeping an optimistic outlook├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou know she├óÔé¼Ôäós going to turn back into her natural form after a while├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø Book said as Red made another pass round the camp ├óÔé¼┼ôbut, she has lived forty thousand years in her natural body, and who knows how long it will take her to want to go back to it├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, getting up and walking down to Felix.
├óÔé¼┼ôHey├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós almost ready├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said, and Garret stood. He looked around and realized how beautiful Emperryon was. Gorgeous trees and a sun that was just right, and nothing was too cold or too hot. Then he remembered the icy beauty of Uluthwea and the open planes and sweeping badlands of Terrix. ├óÔé¼┼ôHell├óÔé¼┬ª screws dieing. I├óÔé¼Ôäóm not going to miss all this├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered to himself.
After a few hours the plane was ready, and Sara was taking one last drink from the river. She walked over and looked at her reflection in the water. ├óÔé¼┼ôHello├óÔé¼┬Ø her reflection said. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh crap├óÔé¼┬Ø she muttered. Her counterpart beamed as if her fondest wish had come true. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat do you want?├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara asked, leaning back onto her knees grabbing her hair. ├óÔé¼┼ôI have done you a great service! When you where asleep, I took control and├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart grinned and leaned forward, almost coming out of the water itself. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd I turned off the Tower defensives├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart finished.
Sara stood straight up, stomping her foot in water to dispel her counterpart. She suddenly felt very, very cold. She walked back to the plane. Garret looked at her, bemused ├óÔé¼┼ôAre you okay?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, looking at her in concern. She smiled, falsely, and nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, lets go├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret looked at her quizzically before climbing into his seat.
Juliana was reading when the first tremors shook the Tower. She jumped to her feet, and ran to the nearest window. She spotted a flying figure darting around the tower. She swore it was a three armed, orange skinned woman on what looked a flying carpet. Juliana ducked backwards as a bolt of pure energy smashed into the wall near her head. The windows flashed and glass shattered inwards.
Another blast blew the wall in half and Juliana ran, firing ineffectual blasts of magic at the flying carpet. Another bolt of energy shattered the corridor she was running down, and glass shards cut her back up. Juliana collapsed, in a daze. She felt a dozen or so cuts on her back. She dared not move, with all the shattered ice and glass that covered the floor.
She looked up and saw the flying carpet land softly in front of her. The woman├óÔé¼Ôäós bare feet walked half a inch off the floor. Juliana looked up into the woman├óÔé¼Ôäós pitiless black eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou├óÔé¼Ôäóre the best Sara could leave to defend the tower?├óÔé¼┬Ø she sneered ├óÔé¼┼ôYour pathetic├óÔé¼┬Ø. The woman raised her arm. Juliana braced herself for the attack.
The plane flew through the portal and suddenly Garret was hit with a wave of oppressive heat, humid and feted. Also the jungle was much higher then expected. The plan began to skim the canopy and then a wave of brightly colored birds rose into the air. Felix shouted in surprise and pulled up, trying to avoid the birds. Suddenly there was a bone crunching noise and gore was splattered around from a bird hitting the prop. Then there was an explosion as a bird got jammed in the gears, breaking the engines.
The plane shuddered and was through the cloud of birds. But the nose of the plane was falling slowly to the top of the canopy. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need a place to land!├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix shouted! Sara stood up and held up a fire rune stone. The plane hit the canopy a split second before Sara let lose a blast of lava. A branch smashed into the plane├óÔé¼Ôäós right wing, and shattered it. Garret felt something smash into his forehead and all was dark.
Red woke up first and sat up. ├óÔé¼┼ôBook├óÔé¼┬Ø she whispered, a fear gripping her heart like she hadn├óÔé¼Ôäót felt for at least a thousand years. She got up and noticed her left wing was ripped, and torn. She ignored the pain as she surveyed the crash. Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós blast of flame had cleared the area of tree├óÔé¼Ôäós, except for four trees that must have been a long as a dragon, and as thick as a house. The plane had been shattered, but the cockpit was rather intact, and there she found Felix. He was alive, and rather uninjured. So she dragged him out and left him on the ground.
She then looked around and saw a crumpled body. She ran over and found Sara, buried head first in the ground. She was still alive, but only barely. From what Red could see, Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós spine might be broken. ├óÔé¼┼ôRed├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara groaned. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Red asked leaning in frantically. ├óÔé¼┼ôGet├óÔé¼┬ª bullet out of pouch├óÔé¼┬Ø Then she fainted. Red looked over Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós body and found a pouch. She opened it and felt├óÔé¼┬ªgoodness radiate out of it. She rummaged around until she found a smallish lead ball. She felt something indescribably odd.
Red looked around and saw, to her amazement that her wing was healing. But the power in the ball was fading, and Red could feel its effects weakening. She frantically pressed it into the small of Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós back. After a few minutes Sara was rolling over. ├óÔé¼┼ôFind the others├óÔé¼┬Ø she said softly ├óÔé¼┼ôI can heal myself from know├óÔé¼┬Ø. Red didn├óÔé¼Ôäót need to be told twice. She ran.
She found Book nestled between the two parts of the plane. He wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót breathing. ├óÔé¼┼ôno!├óÔé¼┬Ø she whispered. She ran over and pressed the ball into the man├óÔé¼Ôäós forehead. A minute ticked by slowly. Then another. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Red said, trying to deny it. Then Book coughed, and his eyes flickered open. ├óÔé¼┼ôHi├óÔé¼┬Ø he said and fainted. Red felt the lead ball drain completely, and she threw it away. It thunked against Garrets head, as he was waking up. ├óÔé¼┼ôGod damn it├óÔé¼┬Ø he whispered as the tiny ball bounced off his skull.
The group picked themselves up, slowly. Book was still the most injured, his leg broken. But he was alive, and Red was still fawning over him. Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós spine was straightened out, and she could walk and such. Garret had landed the farthest, but the branch that had smashed into his forehead had flipped him out of the seat, and the foliage at the edge of the destruction wrought by Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós spell. The braches had slowed his fall, and then he had landed on some very soft and none poisonous plants.
├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóll stay here and look after Book├óÔé¼┬Ø Red said immediately, staring at every one else. ├óÔé¼┼ôFine├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said ├óÔé¼┼ôHe dose need looking after├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo me, Garret and Felix will head to the Temple, and if I think my gate was accurate, we should find it in at least a├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara trailed off, for as she was talking she looked at each of her friends. Then her eyes rested on something just over Red├óÔé¼Ôäós shoulders. The others stared at it. Red turned.
It was the Temple, and it was massive, stretching up and up and up, a massive black edifice that dwarfed even the tallest trees. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou still have that map, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. Sara nodded absentmindedly. Suddenly there was a flash of lightning and a torrential rain began to pour from the skies. Red flapped her wings out to cover Book, the rain sliding off her wings. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe├óÔé¼Ôäód better get going├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, and Felix dragged himself to his feet.
Garret did likewise, and Red started to drag wreckage and driftwood into a makeshift shelter. The three of them walked through the rainforest, and towards the Temple. Red and Book where shelter from the rain, but not from fear for there friends safety, and even with the healing orb├óÔé¼Ôäós entire energy used on Book, he was still wounded. The Red did all she could to make Book comfortable, then she wrapped him in her wings and they fell asleep the best they could.
Garret hacked through the underbrush with the Tempest, and even though that├óÔé¼Ôäós not what it was designed for, the sword allowed him to clear a path. He didn├óÔé¼Ôäót want to deforest it with fire, so he simply hacked and pushed. Sara and Felix followed close behind. Sara was drilling the combination to the corridors. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós a simple patent for each floor. You just reverse the lefts and rights every time you change floors, going down. So for the first floor its left, right, right, left, left, right, left, right, right, left├óÔé¼┬Ø and so on.
The rain slid down the leaves and it seemed as if the sky├óÔé¼Ôäós where trying to drown out pretty much everything on Shamazad. The sun was wrong too, for it was much too large and the air was hotter then anything Garret had ever known. But they pushed on, knowing that Smythson could find the same pattern they knew at anytime.
Smythson found the tribe of native woodsmen to be very useful. Dead that it. There reanimated corpses where useful as cannon fodder for the traps in the Temple, and because a strong premonition told him to go down, he sent them slowly percolating through the floors, heading down. He didn├óÔé¼Ôäót even notice the rain, though Keith the ever watchful reported on a flash that may have been lighting├óÔé¼┬ª or something else.
As Sara, Garret and Felix slowly worked there way through the jungles, a thousand million miles away├óÔé¼┬ª woman died in a blast of pure energy.
Part of the plane had fallen off and Felix was happily screwing it back on. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell are you doing!├óÔé¼┬Ø he whispered, not wanting to wake the other sleepers. Felix was under the plane and fiddling with something, and apparently didn├óÔé¼Ôäót hear Garret. ├óÔé¼┼ôFelix├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said softly. Nothing. ├óÔé¼┼ôFELIX!├óÔé¼┬Ø he shouted. Felix sat up, hit his head on the plane underbelly, then crawled out. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh Garret, good!├óÔé¼┬Ø he said distractedly.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you doing?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh├óÔé¼┬ªcome down and look├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said, ducking back down under the plane. Garret groaned and ducked down with him. ├óÔé¼┼ônow see here├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, pointing at the engine ├óÔé¼┼ôThis rune stone is connected to the earth, via the landing wheels. Then it use├óÔé¼Ôäós THIS rune stone to convert the energies of Earth to something called ├óÔé¼┼ôelectricity├óÔé¼┬Ø and uses it to run a combustion engine by burning USELESS oil, and get this├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø he pointed at a massive array of tubes ├óÔé¼┼ôthis is a collection of pistons that are pushed up and down by the explosions of the oil, as its ignited by the electricity├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret nodded and listened to Felix ramble on about the combustion engines, and realized he couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót hear the phantasms.
He looked out and saw they where still there, hoping that someone would investigate the silence. Garret shook his head and ducked down. Felix hadn├óÔé¼Ôäót even noticed his absence. Felix was talking about how ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is the greatest mesh between magic and technology, and then it gets taken down by a bird flying into a venting port├óÔé¼┬Ø when Garret cut in saying ├óÔé¼┼ôI got to go to bed├óÔé¼┬Ø. Felix grunted and continued repairing the plane.
The next morning and Felix was almost done. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis ├óÔé¼╦£problem├óÔé¼Ôäó is actually pretty easy to fix, and we should be flying by├óÔé¼┬ª this night├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret grunted, busy trying to get a fire going. Then he mentally slapped himself and pulled out a fire rune. Red brought back a dead rabbit, whipping her mouth with a napkin, before handing it to Garret. ├óÔé¼┼ôHumans don├óÔé¼Ôäót usually kill there food with there teeth├óÔé¼┬Ø Book whispered in Red├óÔé¼Ôäós ear. She blanched and went to the river to wash out her mouth.
After eating a rather overdone rabbit, and scoffing some rations packed in the planes trunk, Felix got back to work. Red flew around the plane, trying to work the kinks out of her wings. Book watched her, and Garret sat down and looked at his friend. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø the older man said. ├óÔé¼┼ôHow is it going├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, rather lamely. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, considering that we are going to fight someone who is trying to steal an artifact of insane power, and we are trusting out life to a rickety machine that might explode at any moment, and of course, you turned out to be a-├óÔé¼┼ô. Garret held up his hands ├óÔé¼┼ôStop!├óÔé¼┬Ø he grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôSo I├óÔé¼Ôäóm glad your keeping an optimistic outlook├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou know she├óÔé¼Ôäós going to turn back into her natural form after a while├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø Book said as Red made another pass round the camp ├óÔé¼┼ôbut, she has lived forty thousand years in her natural body, and who knows how long it will take her to want to go back to it├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret said, getting up and walking down to Felix.
├óÔé¼┼ôHey├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós almost ready├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said, and Garret stood. He looked around and realized how beautiful Emperryon was. Gorgeous trees and a sun that was just right, and nothing was too cold or too hot. Then he remembered the icy beauty of Uluthwea and the open planes and sweeping badlands of Terrix. ├óÔé¼┼ôHell├óÔé¼┬ª screws dieing. I├óÔé¼Ôäóm not going to miss all this├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered to himself.
After a few hours the plane was ready, and Sara was taking one last drink from the river. She walked over and looked at her reflection in the water. ├óÔé¼┼ôHello├óÔé¼┬Ø her reflection said. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh crap├óÔé¼┬Ø she muttered. Her counterpart beamed as if her fondest wish had come true. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat do you want?├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara asked, leaning back onto her knees grabbing her hair. ├óÔé¼┼ôI have done you a great service! When you where asleep, I took control and├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart grinned and leaned forward, almost coming out of the water itself. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd I turned off the Tower defensives├óÔé¼┬Ø her counterpart finished.
Sara stood straight up, stomping her foot in water to dispel her counterpart. She suddenly felt very, very cold. She walked back to the plane. Garret looked at her, bemused ├óÔé¼┼ôAre you okay?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, looking at her in concern. She smiled, falsely, and nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, lets go├óÔé¼┬Ø. Garret looked at her quizzically before climbing into his seat.
Juliana was reading when the first tremors shook the Tower. She jumped to her feet, and ran to the nearest window. She spotted a flying figure darting around the tower. She swore it was a three armed, orange skinned woman on what looked a flying carpet. Juliana ducked backwards as a bolt of pure energy smashed into the wall near her head. The windows flashed and glass shattered inwards.
Another blast blew the wall in half and Juliana ran, firing ineffectual blasts of magic at the flying carpet. Another bolt of energy shattered the corridor she was running down, and glass shards cut her back up. Juliana collapsed, in a daze. She felt a dozen or so cuts on her back. She dared not move, with all the shattered ice and glass that covered the floor.
She looked up and saw the flying carpet land softly in front of her. The woman├óÔé¼Ôäós bare feet walked half a inch off the floor. Juliana looked up into the woman├óÔé¼Ôäós pitiless black eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou├óÔé¼Ôäóre the best Sara could leave to defend the tower?├óÔé¼┬Ø she sneered ├óÔé¼┼ôYour pathetic├óÔé¼┬Ø. The woman raised her arm. Juliana braced herself for the attack.
The plane flew through the portal and suddenly Garret was hit with a wave of oppressive heat, humid and feted. Also the jungle was much higher then expected. The plan began to skim the canopy and then a wave of brightly colored birds rose into the air. Felix shouted in surprise and pulled up, trying to avoid the birds. Suddenly there was a bone crunching noise and gore was splattered around from a bird hitting the prop. Then there was an explosion as a bird got jammed in the gears, breaking the engines.
The plane shuddered and was through the cloud of birds. But the nose of the plane was falling slowly to the top of the canopy. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need a place to land!├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix shouted! Sara stood up and held up a fire rune stone. The plane hit the canopy a split second before Sara let lose a blast of lava. A branch smashed into the plane├óÔé¼Ôäós right wing, and shattered it. Garret felt something smash into his forehead and all was dark.
Red woke up first and sat up. ├óÔé¼┼ôBook├óÔé¼┬Ø she whispered, a fear gripping her heart like she hadn├óÔé¼Ôäót felt for at least a thousand years. She got up and noticed her left wing was ripped, and torn. She ignored the pain as she surveyed the crash. Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós blast of flame had cleared the area of tree├óÔé¼Ôäós, except for four trees that must have been a long as a dragon, and as thick as a house. The plane had been shattered, but the cockpit was rather intact, and there she found Felix. He was alive, and rather uninjured. So she dragged him out and left him on the ground.
She then looked around and saw a crumpled body. She ran over and found Sara, buried head first in the ground. She was still alive, but only barely. From what Red could see, Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós spine might be broken. ├óÔé¼┼ôRed├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara groaned. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Red asked leaning in frantically. ├óÔé¼┼ôGet├óÔé¼┬ª bullet out of pouch├óÔé¼┬Ø Then she fainted. Red looked over Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós body and found a pouch. She opened it and felt├óÔé¼┬ªgoodness radiate out of it. She rummaged around until she found a smallish lead ball. She felt something indescribably odd.
Red looked around and saw, to her amazement that her wing was healing. But the power in the ball was fading, and Red could feel its effects weakening. She frantically pressed it into the small of Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós back. After a few minutes Sara was rolling over. ├óÔé¼┼ôFind the others├óÔé¼┬Ø she said softly ├óÔé¼┼ôI can heal myself from know├óÔé¼┬Ø. Red didn├óÔé¼Ôäót need to be told twice. She ran.
She found Book nestled between the two parts of the plane. He wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót breathing. ├óÔé¼┼ôno!├óÔé¼┬Ø she whispered. She ran over and pressed the ball into the man├óÔé¼Ôäós forehead. A minute ticked by slowly. Then another. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Red said, trying to deny it. Then Book coughed, and his eyes flickered open. ├óÔé¼┼ôHi├óÔé¼┬Ø he said and fainted. Red felt the lead ball drain completely, and she threw it away. It thunked against Garrets head, as he was waking up. ├óÔé¼┼ôGod damn it├óÔé¼┬Ø he whispered as the tiny ball bounced off his skull.
The group picked themselves up, slowly. Book was still the most injured, his leg broken. But he was alive, and Red was still fawning over him. Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós spine was straightened out, and she could walk and such. Garret had landed the farthest, but the branch that had smashed into his forehead had flipped him out of the seat, and the foliage at the edge of the destruction wrought by Sara├óÔé¼Ôäós spell. The braches had slowed his fall, and then he had landed on some very soft and none poisonous plants.
├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóll stay here and look after Book├óÔé¼┬Ø Red said immediately, staring at every one else. ├óÔé¼┼ôFine├óÔé¼┬Ø Felix said ├óÔé¼┼ôHe dose need looking after├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo me, Garret and Felix will head to the Temple, and if I think my gate was accurate, we should find it in at least a├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara trailed off, for as she was talking she looked at each of her friends. Then her eyes rested on something just over Red├óÔé¼Ôäós shoulders. The others stared at it. Red turned.
It was the Temple, and it was massive, stretching up and up and up, a massive black edifice that dwarfed even the tallest trees. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou still have that map, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø Garret asked. Sara nodded absentmindedly. Suddenly there was a flash of lightning and a torrential rain began to pour from the skies. Red flapped her wings out to cover Book, the rain sliding off her wings. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe├óÔé¼Ôäód better get going├óÔé¼┬Ø Sara said, and Felix dragged himself to his feet.
Garret did likewise, and Red started to drag wreckage and driftwood into a makeshift shelter. The three of them walked through the rainforest, and towards the Temple. Red and Book where shelter from the rain, but not from fear for there friends safety, and even with the healing orb├óÔé¼Ôäós entire energy used on Book, he was still wounded. The Red did all she could to make Book comfortable, then she wrapped him in her wings and they fell asleep the best they could.
Garret hacked through the underbrush with the Tempest, and even though that├óÔé¼Ôäós not what it was designed for, the sword allowed him to clear a path. He didn├óÔé¼Ôäót want to deforest it with fire, so he simply hacked and pushed. Sara and Felix followed close behind. Sara was drilling the combination to the corridors. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós a simple patent for each floor. You just reverse the lefts and rights every time you change floors, going down. So for the first floor its left, right, right, left, left, right, left, right, right, left├óÔé¼┬Ø and so on.
The rain slid down the leaves and it seemed as if the sky├óÔé¼Ôäós where trying to drown out pretty much everything on Shamazad. The sun was wrong too, for it was much too large and the air was hotter then anything Garret had ever known. But they pushed on, knowing that Smythson could find the same pattern they knew at anytime.
Smythson found the tribe of native woodsmen to be very useful. Dead that it. There reanimated corpses where useful as cannon fodder for the traps in the Temple, and because a strong premonition told him to go down, he sent them slowly percolating through the floors, heading down. He didn├óÔé¼Ôäót even notice the rain, though Keith the ever watchful reported on a flash that may have been lighting├óÔé¼┬ª or something else.
As Sara, Garret and Felix slowly worked there way through the jungles, a thousand million miles away├óÔé¼┬ª woman died in a blast of pure energy.