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Part 46: New day, new roads
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Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dworkin (GM)
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Morning, after what was, for some, an all too brief night.
This deep within the palace, with no windows in the suite, the first
signs of a new day are the distant chiming of the bell, and the sudden
bustle of the servants arriving with a breakfast of fruit, bread and nodhi.
The meal is accompanied by honey pitchers af water, pots of richly
aromatic tea, and a strange red-gold liquid, clear and cold, and called darta by the servants, who offer it, served in miniscule glasses, to everybody.
There is chatter among the servants, quiet and fast, and every time the
doors open they pause, just long enough to see who enters.
Piecing their conversation together reveals that Jonnee has left the
palace, moving out shortly after midnight, with two legions at his
command.
The servants do not know where he went to.
Nor does Parenalle, when she arrives half an hour later, an event which
silences the excited gossip of the smaller brintizzi. All she is
able to say is that there are places, hidden places, where the warriors
train. She suspects that the legions have gone to just such an
encampment. "These places are hidden, so that enemies cannot fall upon the warriors, before the training is completed."
The brintizzi liason studies the faces in the room. Strange
faces, but no longer as repulsive to her, with their pale, scaleless,
translucent skin, as when she had first seen a human. "You will be sent for shortly, I believe. I know that the queen wishes to speak to you again, before you leave."
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
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Hidden places. Hidden faces. Jonnee knows more than I anticipated. Aaron nodded to himself, pleased that they knew such a man as he. Aaron
only hoped that when the time came to use those legions, he'd be able
to speak to Jonnee again.
He sighed, his thoughts drifting for a moment. Cyan's loss had hit him
harder than he thought... but with so much emotion vested into a
comrade who'd accepted him for what and who he was, even despite his foolishness, without bringing it against him...
Aaron gritted his teeth, it was nearly too much to bear thinking about.
When everyone else had shunned him, she still stood by, though
cautiously. She had been the only one to even remotely care about Aaron the person, and not merely his "whys" or his "whats."
He knew, oh yes. When the time came, the enemy would pay. He would
anticipate any eventuality. Nothing would surprise him. Such was the
survivability of the common Amberite.
Aaron nodded to Parenalle, sensing that their time had drawn to a close.
"Thank you for letting us know. We will need a few moments to prepare,
but we should be ready when the time comes. Parenalle, you have been a
great help to us. You have my thanks."
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
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Chance had slept on the couch, insisting it would be the most
comfortable spot in the suite. Couches were like roads in that regard.
He said little as he woke and others began to move about, stirred by
the bell and sudden comotion.
He wore silk pajamas, dark green, but as he stood and walked to the breakfast they shifted and became jeans and a t-shirt.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
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Dorian finally emerges from his suite, satisfied that his preparations
are complete-- or as complete as they can be int he time available.
They would never ben complete.
Spying Chance, he turns his gaze to Berd. "Another straggler, then?"
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
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Devlin sits up on the couch where he had slept all night realizing that
Serena had stayed there the whole night with him, acting as his pillow.
His feelings for her grew then. Looking at the woman he smiles and
says, “Good morning, You should have left me and went to a more
comfortable place to sleep.”
The man then stretches, and rolls his head around to get the kinks out
of his back and neck. Smiles at Serena again, touches his hand to his
own lips and then reaches out and touches the woman’s cheek gently with
the hand.
“I’m famished.” Without saying more he stands and goes to help himself
to plenty of the foods that were brought in for breakfast.
He is eating when Aaron makes an appearance. Plate in hand Devlin walks
over to the other man an looks at the work he did the night before
while Aaron speaks to Parenalle. When he is done he simply asks, “How
is that feeling? I think I got all of whatever was... well... There
were the remains of some creature there. It did not go easily. If you
have any trouble with that, let me now.”
He doesn’t really wait for any rely before he returns to the couch to
sit beside Serena and finish his breakfast. He has a plate piled high
with food and he offers it to share it with her.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
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Berd sits near the table, chewing on some food clenched tightly in his
little claws. He ponders their discussions last night, and the
avenues of choice for today.
His eyes flick over toward Serena and Devlin, and he narrows his
eyes. The woman had brought up an interesting point that bothered
him all night, as it has for some time now. They don't know the
leaders of the enemies. At best, they have names.
Sepiroth. Harabonah. They know there are different
factions. And they know that someone in Amber has assisted the
Archons.
This is insufficient.
And now he wonders if anyone has considered an answer to her question -
how to discover their leaders. For the only way to deal with this
problem is to cut off the head of the enemy. That seems to be the
single fact on which all the group agrees.
His eyes slowly turn toward Aaron as the man makes his entrance.
Berd settles himself, carefully keeping a 'psychic distance' between
himself and the man. Aaron. I might note that I continued to attempt to bespeak Tamiel last night for over an hour.
I failed. Either she is somewhere I cannot touch her, refusing contact, or destroyed.
As for the Metatron, with rest behind me I will undertake contacting It immediately.
Chance's shifting clothing is interesting, to be sure. Berd studies the man, then turns his attention to Dorian. An
associate of Luke's. We seem in dire need of assistance of any
kind at the moment, and Luke has vouched for him. Chance, this is
Dorian, a long-time member of the quest.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
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Dorian looks dour, glancing from Luke to Chance to Berd. "I
see, and I suppose we're okay with that? I agree we could use the help,
but perhaps our application process is a little thin?" He turns to Luke. "And
I can't help but notice how many of our recent additions have come
through Luke. One could think he was trying to undermine us by filling
our ranks with his own people. Of course, that would be foolishly--
After all, you only have our best interests at heart, as we should so
plainly see by your abundant generosity."
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
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Aaron raised his head, two good eyes gazing upon the drake with his
color-shifting gaze. His arms were crossed before his chest, and he
leaned back against the wall of the room, taking everyone in.
"Good to know, Berd. The sooner we can figure out who leads our enemies, the sooner we can get to taking them out."
He glanced from Dorian to Chance and then sighed.
"Look, we're in dire straits as it is. We need as much help as
possible, and honestly, if our newest additions don't come right up and
try to either kill me or steal my mind and soul, I'm fine with them.
Let them see what happens when they betray us, if they wish to try."
Aaron's eyes looked to Chance then, and his gaze was a firm one.
"If you do betray us, I will know and seek you out. Nothing will save
you from it. If I die, others will come and do what must be done. Do
not fear me, but fear our enemies, for fear of them is wise. We've
stepped into setup after setup, lost friend after friend on this trail
of destiny. If we fail, if this group does not succeed, everything ends."
"Dorian may disagree with me, which is not surprising since he doesn't
think very highly of me, or any of us, anyway..." he glanced at him
knowingly, then continued. "But I'm going to be frank anyway. I will
openly speak of plans infront of this newcomer, because the discussion
needs to be made and everyone I need to speak with is right here."
He let that hang for half a second before speaking, turning his
autumn-colored eyes upon everyone there, taking in the sheer pleasure
in the fact that he could take everyone in.
"I wish Metatron's counsel. However, I know we must do without that for the nonce. In light of that, does anyone have any idea how we may be able to find the Archon leaders? We have a
destination in mind, but we have no way of knowing whether that will
serve our purpose. Any ideas, theories or hypothesi?"
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Luke
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"Dorian..." Luke sighed, shaking his head. "Didn't you just chastise me last night about getting along? Was the sarcasm necessary to make your point?" He steepled his fingers. "Serena
came to you first without my assistance. Devlin was with her the
second time, not with me - I merely hurried them along. Who was
next? Oh, yes - Meredith. So as you see, Chance is the
first one I've brought before you. Now regarding your 'ranks', I
suspect...feh, enough. I tire of fencing with you."
Pointedly turning his back on Dorian, he faced Aaron. "You
needn't worry about Chance, Aaron. He doesn't live up to his name
except in the best possible way. As for your destination, let
that be your path to the leaders of the Archons. Let this be a
trip to shine some light through the darkness of ignorance. Find
out more about your enemies, and do it swiftly. And what better
place to begin than their home?"
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
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Berd watches Luke in silence, listening to his response to Dorian for a
long moment. Then he glances at Aaron before sighing
deeply. His burning eyes slowly turn back toward Chance.
Well, Chance...if you stay, I will be forever
in your debt. If you leave, now, I will not be in the slightest
bit surprised, and I will take you wherever you request to go.
I apologize for this poor greeting.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
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"Not bad, Luke," Dorian smirks. "You're actually getting the
hang of it. You may have a place in this party, yet. Next thing you
know, we'll start trusting you, too."
He stoops over the breakfast like a vulture, hunting for heavy matter-- breads, meats, and vegetables.
"But trust is such an ephemeral thing. For too long I've treated it like a commodity. This new one..." he gestures almost dismissively towards Chance. "We
could have Meredith touch him, and she can tell us if he's to be
trusted. But then, we would have to decide if we can trust her. We
could ask her to open up her mind so Berd and I could examine her, but
then you would have to trust Berd and I-- and I would always wonder if
I had seen the real Meredith, for if she has the power to get through
my defenses, she likely has the skill to construct a false mind for me
to examine.
"It never ends. Trust isn't a commodity. It never exists. It's like
faith, a foolhardy belief in something that lacks evidence. Therefore,
I trust no one and I expect none from any of you in return."
He looks around the room as his words fade. He was sure they would
raise someone's ire, but that was par for the course he played on. He
was always irritating someone, but he had wouldn't let that silence him.
With his breakfast assembled, he sought a place to sit, but he found
the room suddenly becoming crowded. There would be more talking and no
silence to be found-- disgusting.
Looking to Aaron, he says, "I assume we'll be doing the thing
where we sit down and inventory are individual ability, such as they
are sometime soon. I can't wait." He turns to return back to his room. Somewhere in the back of his head, Cyan is urging him to eat with them. He refuses.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
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Chance simply nods to Aaron, unsure of how to respond to any of it. And
with Dorian talking. Luke was tired of fencing with him? Hell, after
that speech Chance was already tired of him. Speaking of tired, why did
they all look like they never splept even though they'd had a quiet
night? The weight of the worlds, he supposed. But still, they looked
like the needed a bar and brothel to loosen them up-- at least the half
of them did.
Some-- he glanced at Serena and smiled-- seemed to radiate an inner
peace. That was refreshing. The one hovering near her seemed to have
momentary peace, but he had the impression it was fleeting, punctuated
by some sort of innder demons.
It made him wonder even more about Berd's daughter, the diplomat, the
one who Luke said had held them together somehow. She was an angel
indeed, to pull that off.
Was this all of them, or were they more clowns in the circus?
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
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Chance looked around for someone not engaged in a conversation. "Sorry
to interrupt, but -- this world where we're heading. Luke told me some
details, but... I'm not clear on what the place is. Is this their
homeworld, or merely a staging area in our universe?"
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
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Meredith had risen early, despite a night of unfulfilling sleep. Her
dreams, usually an escape, had proven to be more of a prison. Lucky for
her, Meredith was always up an hour before the sun, providing a
merciful release. She does not wish to disturb the others at so early
an hour, so she takes her time tending to her personal business instead
of heading to the suite. She is pleased with the progress and soon has
everything in order. She does a mental checklist of her belongings
after carefully belting her blade in the manner James showed her the
previous night. She does not have many personal belongings (as in
nothing that she is not wearing) so this endeavor does not take much
time. She still has a lot on her mind and the poor sleep did not help
matters. She decides to take a walk. Time blurs as she strolls the
castle, her mind elsewhere. By the time she reaches the suite she is
one of the last to enter.
She slips in as Master Luke finishes speaking and Master Dorian is
hunting the breakfast bar. She takes a silent note of his selections
and stays by the door. He is headed straight for her on his way out to
his suite, no doubt planning to blow right past her and pretend that he
does not notice her. Meredith steps into his path on purpose, sweeping
into a deep curtsy. She knows that he still mourns Cyan, that they all
do, but the bard would not want this. Neither would his wife for that
matter. She feels partially responsible for this, for touching him
without his permission. "Master Dorian, good morning to you" she meets his gaze with a small, but friendly smile "Please, indulge them. You do not give nor expect trust, so please stay as a silent observer. Your presence is valued." she speaks to him quietly while, deeper in the suite, Master Chance questions the others about the Archon world.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
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"By your own reasoning, Dorian, this means nothing, but I trust her."
James appears, leaning against the doorway from which he has just
emerged. He is, without making any outward sign, proud of
Meredith for standing up to Dorian; not confrontational but forcing the
sorceror to acknowledge her.
"From what we know so far, Chance, it appears to be
a birthing-place, which would make it an important staging post.
I don't know that we've seen the Archons' homeworld, but what we have
been shown of the Archons' native habitat is so alien and inhospitable
I doubt much else could survive."
"I have been thinking, as I'm sure you all have, about our need for
information. My personal thinking is that we will get one chance
only for victory against the Archons and our victory must be
absolute. Anything else invites a counter-attack too terrible to
consider. I think that once we have investigated this fortress we
must track down our other lead. Return to Amber. Even if we
can't unmask the traitor, we can tell the family and make life hard for
him or her. Mobilising Amber would greatly increase the rate at
which other worlds can be put on guard against the Archons. It
might even throw the Archons off our scent for a while."
Nothing new, it pained James to admit, but all they could do was chase
one lead at a time. Maybe Dorian's contacts could speed up the
process.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
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"You're right, James. Yes, it's old news, but it's about time we
started using it to hit them back. They've hit us too many times as it
is, and I'm pretty damn sick of it."
His eyes glimmered, nodding in agreement with the idea of getting back to Amber.
"That is a highly plausible idea, and a good one to consider doing.
Amber needs to be notified of all that we've learned anyway, but for
now let's plan our means of penetration regarding our next target."
Aaron sighed. "It's defenitly not going to be easy."
He looked to Dorian.
"Didn't you say you had some friends somewhere who could help us with infiltrating that place?"
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
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"Stay a silent observer?" His countenance darkens as his posture
stiffens. He begins to say something but doesn't, seemingly struck by
some thought. He frowns as the others begin to speak.
"It is no longer important, Aaron," he snaps, glancing over his shoulder. "It would not be as useful as I had thought." He shrugs, appearing distracted. "A random thought, not focused on our objective, that's all."
He looks down at Meredith again, but this time he seems to be looking through her. His features betray an inner turmoil.
"Yes, it is a birthing world, they...." He again shrugs and forgets his words. He glares again at Meredith for a moment, then turns away.
He finds a chair to sit down, concentrating now on his food. "Yes, the retaliatory strike. That would have to be dealt with... how fast do these Archons pass through worlds, anyway?" He looks up suddenly. For a moment, he looks concerned, deeply concerned, but he quickly masks it.
"Berd-- or anyone-- I don't believe I've seen.... how fast can an
Archon move through worlds? How fast could they track someone located
in a nearby world, if they had strong cause to look for that
person....?"
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Parenalle (NPC)
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There is a light rapping at the door, and it opens, to admit a
messenger brintizzi. The small creature approaches Parenalle,
speaking almost before it has reached her, its words rapid, making its
high pitched voice sound like lark song. When it falls silent, it
steps away from her, with a shallow bow.
Parenalle thanks it, then turns to the group, "The
queen will see us in half of an hour. She is currently taking
breakfast, but we are to go the Morning Terrace in a little while, and
she will meet you there."
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
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The light in the room dims for a moment, but then clears. Berd's
head comes up, and he gazes around the group with brilliant, searing
eyes. When he finally speaks, his voice is low and subdued,
without its customary weariness.
The Archons, Dorian, move through the Underflow
at identical speed to myself. Perhaps quicker - they are more
accustomed to it, while I am out of practice, so to speak. He pauses, considering further discussing the situation at hand, the one of which everyone speaks at the moment.
But this news is too pressing. It cannot wait.
I have spoken with Metatron. It is in
hiding - the Seraphim have moved against Tamiel and her allies,
destroying her and scattering the others, slaying some. Someone
must have informed them of her location.
There will be no assistance from that quarter. *sorrow* And a bright light of their people has been extinguished.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
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Dorian pushes his food aside and stands, looking at Berd. "That
is grave news, indeed. But perhaps important that we have learned of
it, now. It helps me in this decision. Tamiel and her allies were
powerful indeed, if they could not stand against them, then I cannot.
Further, if they move so quick, they could easily track and capture
anyone attacking from a nearby shadow..."
He looks at the ground for a moment, as if collecting his resolve for
some difficult task. Finally, he releases a great sigh and begins to
speak. "I
am more of a fool than I realize. You see, trust is indeed a flimsy
thing. James, you are right when you say that your trust of Meredith
means nothing to me, for I know you also trust me -- and you should
not. I can only hope, that as an aside, you'll learn to be more wary of
imposters...
"For I am not the real Dorian. The real Dorian is
currently racing across shadow to destroy the Archon's world. You see,
it was easier to create a clone and teleport away with sorcery than to
argue with the lot of you.
"His mistake was in trusting himself, for he neglected make me loyal to
his cause. Further, he trusted his broken pattern to make me real
enough to traverse shadow, but neglected to consider how that touch
might alter my personality. His pain and anger is thin, so it was the
first thing to crumble. I have found it difficult to mimic his mean
streak this morning.
"Nevertheless, he is clever in many regards. He travels by means of
worlds that are faster than this one, to speed his journey. I do
recommend you hurry, but be cautious. He is determined and his traps
are many. If you try to stop him by force, there will be casualties--
but unfortunately, he chose his perparations after he left, so I do not
know specifics.
Regarding his spies, I believe he planned to stop on his home world of Samhain first to collect them. He may yet be there."
He turns to Meredith with a look of grim resolve. He pulls a simple silver ring off his finger and then extends his hand. "You
may touch me, if you would like to verify any of it, or see if I hide
anything. I would ask you to destroy me here to spare me his wrath, but
instead I will offer to help you to find him... for it will save his
life... my life, oddly enough."
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
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No. No! This cannot - Luke! Go - find him and stall him!
Dorian, can your twin place traps within the Underflow? Is it within his power, yet, to touch that stream?
Berd's eyes begin to burn and he rises upon his hind legs, fanning the air with his wings. His mind fractures in the bridging, and there is a brief impression of a hydra, a many-headed spirit, that suddenly splits in different directions.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
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Dorian shakes his head. "No,
we cannot manipulate the underflow directly, only through other means--
his pattern, sorcery. Through those means... well, he knows who it is
that would follow him and how... if he thinks of such a possibility,
who knows."
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Luke
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"Got it, Old Man." Luke went from
leaning against the wall to standing straight as an arrow in an
instant. A curious expression of concentration appeared on his
face, replacing the sardonic smile at the back-and-forth among the
members of the group. Then he paused. "Good job with the stall...and the save," he commented to Dorian.
Then his form blurred, as if a thousand Lukes occupied that space for an instant. And he was gone.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
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Berd's eyes continue to burn, part of his hydra-mind tracking Luke, other parts seeking, and another focused on this very room.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
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Meredith takes on Master Dorian's looks, his glare, his turmoil. She
keeps her expression calm and does not react. When he starts to talk
and takes a seat to eat she bows to him. She wants to thank him, but
knows better. That would only incent him more. Instead she moves
towards the breakfast table, sighing quietly in relief. She smiles a
good morning to James, but does not interupt the conversation going on.
She chooses an odd looking fruit and sinks into the same arm chair she
sat in the previous night. She takes a small bite of the fruit and
follows the conversation, looking tired.
Master Dorian's relevation shocks her. She shakes her head, declining his offer of touch. "I do not think that would be necessary Master Dorian, unless another insists upon it" she replies quietly, doubting they will insist upon it. There are more
important things to do and soon Master Luke is off seeking the true
Master Dorian.
"When Master Luke locates the true Master Dorian
someone should stay behind to meet with the Queen. There is still a spy
in our midst, the domherr did not send information on Tamiel, although
I could check the egg again, to see if someone else did. Was Tamiel's
location ever discussed here, on the Brintizzi world?" she looks around to everyone in the group as she speaks, her voice quiet, yet firm.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
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From the doorway, James groans. "Dorian's need for revenge, however thin it might be, might yet kill us all."
James does not trouble himself to doubt this clone Dorian's
revelation. Luke and Berd are satisfied and James himself finds
it almost impossible to believe that the true Dorian would offer to
submit to Meredith's insepction, even as a bluff, after what happened
yesterday.
"If Dorian can lay traps in the Underflow, we must
assume he will. He must know that we cannot catch him
world-walking even if we hell-ride, so he will know that is the way we
must travel - barring some intervention from Chance or Meredith?" James looks askance at both, but without any real expectation of suggestions.
"If I were Dorian, I would not try to touch the
Underflow directly, I would try and guide the pursuit to Samhain,
somehow divine the arrival point and set my traps there, knowing that
if I was caught the confrontation would be on home soil."
"The problem will be if Luke doesn't find him on Samhain. If he
chooses to directly attack the Archon's world his attack is most likely
to come from one of the linked worlds - and we don't even know how many
there are."
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
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"Yes, his plan when he left was to attack from an adjascent world,
where the environment wouldn't kill him. That alone might take some
time to locate. He plan was to create a flood with his initial attack,
then work on the trickier star-portal to finish the flood."
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
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Devlin is almost unshocked by what Dorian has done. He shakes his head; he actually chuckles once under his breath. "I
should have known. I was... Berd, Dorian knows as much of that world as
you and I. He also knows where it lies and I'm sure he knows what
worlds lie near it. Last night when he wanted information on the world
of fire and ice I showed him everything I knew, including the path
there that you showed me originally."
Devlin looks at his plate of food, no longer feeling hungry. "This is my fault, but I do not know how I would have known or prevented it."
There is also something more important on his mind, "But
I think we have something more important to deal with. That is how the
Others found Tamiel. If they can find that one then they can find us."
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
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Meredith shakes her head "I am sorry James, I can provide no help in that quarter" she takes another small bite of the odd fruit, chewing neatly. She
takes the lack of answer to her question as a negative and stays quiet,
listening to the others sort things out while they wait for word from
Master Luke.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
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"Take no blame Devlin. He was honest in his request to learn the
nature of the place to attune his spells-- in addition to using it for
other means. He would have asked that of you anyway, and had planned to
do so before he thought to leave."
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
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Aaron wasn't surprised, really. Berd acted swiftly and with tact, Aaron
was pleased to note. He did not fear Dorian, nor the man's motivations.
He was sick of the bickering and thustly, took matters into his own
hands.
What would he have done? Aaron knew he could not take the Archons on
alone, and he felt that despite Dorian's amazing abilities and his
far-from-obvious strategies, the man was about to get horribly
destroyed by their enemies.
Aaron looked to Devlin and shook his head.
"Dorian's right in that it's not your fault at all. It seems that only
one of us had any idea what the real Dorian was planning, so you are
not to blame." Aaron chuckled slightly, a small half-smile playing on
his face. "That man amuses me to no end. Who would have thought? A
clone?" And he laughed, a high sharp thing.
Sighing, the man shook his head and turned to look at Dorian's clone.
"Dorian, if your other dies, will you remain? I am curious as to what
would happen if such a thing was to occur. No matter the situation, we
need to take this new information into account and plan to accomodate
it."
Aaron's face took on a solemn look as he considered the other news, the
death of Tamiel and the flight of his teacher, Metatron. For a moment,
he considered who may have betrayed Tamiel, and he could not forgoe the thought that it
may have been Metatron who had done the deed. Archons were beings you
could trust only so far. Aaron hoped he was wrong.
"Tamiel. Would that I took the time to know you better." he said quietly... and added her name to the long, long list.
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Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
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Dorian has confirmed to me that his twin cannot 'mine' the Underflow against me, Berd states quietly, eyes still burning like tiny stars. I feel it safe enough to risk carrying you to him, but we must leave soon.
Despite the speed of the Underflow, it takes time to cross such a vast
gulf - if we wait until Luke locates him, we may not be in time.
And things grow worse.
If the Enemy has destroyed Tamiel, might they know where to find the Heart of Broken God?
His lambent eyes settle upon James. Luke
and I can only watch so many Worlds at once, and there are many
connecting to the World of the Archons. We must move now, to
block him before he reaches that world. But if we face him on
Samhain, the battle will be well-nigh impossible - Dorian or
his...allies likely holds control of that world. In that case,
any effects Luke or I might produce will be severely limited.
But I would not have the battle be a physical one, or a duel of the
minds. I would have us attempt to reason with him. He is
furious from shock and grief, but I suspect we might still touch his
heart.
If Dorian has already left Samhain, we can only hope Luke is in pursuit and can lead us directly to him.
Devlin, Dorian is correct. No blame can be ascribed to you -
Dorian is a master planner of great age and skill. But I disagree
- the most important thing at this moment is to stop Dorian from
completing his strike upon the World of the Archons. I tell you
all this - Luke cannot stop him alone. He is mighty, but not what
he once was; Dorian, prepared, will get the better of him.
We must act, and act now.
Meredith, a valid question - but Tamiel's location has been a secret
for some time. We did not discuss it during our time here.
Now, should you wish to examine the egg, by all means. Should you
wish to join us, that is also acceptable. I leave that choice in
your hands. As it is in the hands of all others, here. I
cannot stand by and risk the destruction of that world. I go,
now. Those who wish to come...well, I welcome your presence.
I have always said that Dorian would be a terrible enemy. I only hope I am not about to discover the truth of it.
My apologies to the Queen, Parenalle - I will not be joining her this morning.
OOC - If the 'Dorian' and 'Dorian' is getting confusing, sorry.
Berd doesn't have any problem thinking of both Dorians as 'Dorian'.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
Serena had sat astonished at the news that this wa bnot the real Dorian
and furious that tghe real Dorian had gone off on his own. However,
remembering Berd's words she maintained a calm facade.
"
There is no fault to be blamed except for dorian
himself. His rashness could easily manage to get us all killed. We
should have kept an eye on him knowing how fragile he was after Cyan's
death. So, Devlin if there is fault to blame, it falls on those of us
whonew Dorian better. However fault is not a luxury we have now. The
question is what do we do now until Luke either catches Dorian or not?" Serena walked over and linked her arm with Devlin's and looked up at him.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
It is a relief that Tamiel's whereabouts were not betrayed here.
Meredith considers Master Berd's offer, and his idea to reason with
Master Dorian, while she chews. She shakes her head slowly, a
negative.
"I would like to come, but I am afraid my presence
would only be detrimental to your cause. Anything I would have to say,
to rationalize with Master Dorian, would only serve to remind him that
I violated his privacy, saw things he wished to keep secret. It would
only infuriate him more and make your task that much harder" her eyes, staring into nothing, settle on Master Berd"Thank
you for the offer, but go, and if you catch him know that his heart has
been walled off completely. It is as if he considers his feelings for
Mistress Cyan, his wife, to be a terrible weakness. Reaching his heart
will be a task in and of itself" Meredith pauses, a sad look passing her face as she draws breath to continue "
If you break the seal on the egg Master Berd, I will examine it while
you are gone, see if I can glean more information about Harbonah... I
will be waiting here for your return, please be careful" her eyes have shifted from Master Berd, she addresses the last sentence to James.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"If Dorian dies, I will stay with you, but you must understand that
I am but a weak version of him. I lack much that he does not. I will go
with you, Berd-- though, as a warning, I was only touched a little with
Broken Pattern. I am mostly powered by the sorcery of this world. Once
I leave it, I could fade at any moment. Given that, I would be willing
to stay and talk to the queen-- though I don't know how well she would
welcome a confessed imposter here."
To Serena, he says, "We can go to Samhain directly. I can show
Berd the way. We will either head him off, meet him there, or learn if
he has been there and passed already.
And Meredith is correct, but at the same time, she has valuable insight
into the man's mind. Perhaps even more than I, since I am a corrupted version of him, due to the touch of the broken pattern. I lack most of his current hate and anger."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
You are correct, Serena - I should have
listened more to him. Considered him, rather than become wrapped
up in my own thoughts.... Berd fingers the hilt hanging around his neck. As for what we do, we go. Now.
Meredith, the decision is yours to make. There is wisdom in
Dorian's words, but if you feel you would be best suited here, we will
trust your judgement. As for the egg... A flick of power snaps in the air like a whip. and the blackness around the egg begins to slowly fade. It will be gone within five minutes.
Dorian, if you permit, I may be capable of solving your
'problem'. I would not suggest you speak with the Queen - I would
rather have you with us, should you so desire.
So saying, the little dragon flits to the air, hovering beside Dorian
and landing upon his shoulder should the man permit.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Time is of the essence, Berd. Let us make the real Dorian a
priority. The issue of reality does not concern me, though I hope to be
around long enough to solve this issue.
"I believe the other altered my mind enough to make me aware of my
status and accepting of it, so it is of no concern to me-- an easy
solution, and ironic that he took the time to do that, but not to make
sure I would not betray him."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
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Devlin wraps his arm around Serena's when she does the same. He's still not sure...
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Parenalle (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Puzzled by the sudden turn of events, and not entirely sure that she
understands it all, Parenalle can only sit in stunned silence as the
group of wanderers suddenly explodes into incomprehensible activity
around her...
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance may not have been listening, seated as he is on the chair. One
leg over the other, supporting his guitar. He casually plucks at
aimless single notes. Yet, his brow his bent in concentration as the
others speak. He had known, thanks to Luke, that things were
complicated. This, however, was madness. One of their own group had
betrayed them, gone against the group's consensus, perhaps. Not only
that, but in a manner most brilliant and bizarre. Other than Luke, most
people he'd ever met had been of the ordinary variety. This whole clone
business was unsettling, to say the least. It would definately be an
interesting ride.
"Hey, I'll go, man," he pipes up when Berd mentions going after the dark man. "I mean, this Dorian cat doesn't know me, yet. He won't know my tricks. Just my presence will throw off his groove, I imagine."
Too bad Luke wasn't here to vouch for him again. He felt something like
a child asking to go to an adult tavern, suddenly. He shouldn't.
"Also, I was thinking that if he can throw out one duplicate like that, he might have decoys out there to confuse the trail." He looks at Dorian. "What do you think."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Indeed, anything to throw him off balance might help, Chance. And I
can say he's had for a while a spell that conjures many clones of
himself to confuse enemies. It's a classic, you could say. He hasn't
had it prepared for a while, but in this case, he might revert to it.
He most definately had a spell to conjure the drakes prepared."
Another thought occurs to him. "Oh, yes. He's mentioned his staff. Take that away and he loses his protection. This..." he reaches under his clothing and pulls forth a small, golden,
diamond-shaped amulet with a geometric shape inscribed on it in black. "His
spells are stored in this. Take it away and he loses his sorcery. He
rarely captures any of his spells in his pattern. However.... well, the
one spell he doesn't store in the amulet is one that replaces teh
amulet complete with additional spells. That, and he may or may not
think to carry a fake. In fact, anything I say is suspect, really."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith is almost finished with the fruit when she speaks up again after thinking on Master Dorian's various words.
"If there are those who doubt Master Dorian's
words, or what he remembers, please let me know. By touching him I can
seek additional information, although I am sure you have protection
from my touch as well" her eyes lower to the simple silver ring Master Dorian removed before offering his hand to her "As
for the trip, I will take Master Dorian's recomendation. I have insight
into his mind, true, but you were created from it and know his feelings
better than I. If you truly think I can be of service I will come,
otherwise I will stay behind" she bows her head slightly to Master Dorian, awaiting his thoughts.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
Serena regarded Meredith with two minds. One did not want to hurt her feelings but the other in her opinion could cause danger."Meredith,
my only concern is that if something were to suddenly occur that you
would need to act on that you would first turn to one of us for
permission and that delay could cost lives. If you would allow me to
enter yuor mind I would be able to possible 'heal' the mentality that
you are in some way our servant and not our equal. Would you consider
that?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
-----------------------------------------------------------
The way that Serena' arm is wrapped around Devlin's it once again comes in contack with the black gauntlet he wears.
"I don't think it would be wise to break up our little group." Delvin says to Berd. "Unless you think we should remain behind." There is a somewhat confused expresion on his face though, as if he's trying to figure something else out while he speaks.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I don't think you need to concern yourself too much about that, Serena."
James own feelings about the matter are that Meredith's 'mentality' is
not an affliction to be cured but something she must overcome for
herself. To short-circuit that may be to deny her an important
part of herself. Nevertheless, James remains silent, such a
process also demands that Meredith make the choice to accept or decline
Serena's offer.
James is unsure whether to go or to stay. He knows that Dorian must be stopped, but, "I
will stay. Someone needs to talk to the Queen and, meaning no
disrespect, her dealings with Meredith so far been, at best, as an
employee. Also, from what Meredith has told me of the egg, I
don't want her using it alone."
"I suspect that where you are going, physical strength will not be much
use to you. Only ask Dorian for me whether there is nothing left
in all the worlds that he cares for enough to stay his hand. For
if he hurts the Archons like this, they will find and destroy anything he cares about. I only fear the answer may be 'No'."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Thank you, Dorian. That will be of great help.
Luke hunts him now. He has not yet located Dorian, but...he
will. In the meantime, I think we should be away, all those who
are going. And Devlin, I think you are correct. This will
require all of us. His lambent gaze falls upon James. It is possible some of us underrate themselves as diplomats.
With the lives of an entire race at stake, not
to mention Dorian's own, I am against anything that does not focus our
full attention upon the matter at hand. But that is for each of us to decide, priorities dependant.
Dropping that line, he glances at Meredith. Choose
quickly, Meredith. Stay or come - I believe you would prove of
great value, as you have thus far. But that is my thought only.
The rest of those who will join me, gather around.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
"If we flout the Queen's instructions, we may end up needing diplomats here as well."
James sighs, then squares his shoulders, "I still don't like leaving Meredith to try the egg alone. If she stays, I stay. If she goes, I'll come too."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Call me silly, but maybe we could just explain the situation to the
queen. What do you think, Parenalle? Would the queen be understanding
in light of a crisis?"
Even as he speaks, Chance gathers in close to Berd awaiting that profound experience the drake liked to call travel.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron already knew his own decision. He felt that Dorian shared his own
mindset when it came to Cyan's death. The difference between the two
had been the severety and the swiftness of their chosen actions to pay
the Archons back. Aaron was waiting, biding his time until all was set
and right, waiting for the time when he could forge his terms and crush
his foes with them.
Dorian moved off, striking out on his own with little thought or care
for those who'd joined the cause beside him. Aaron let it go, but he
wasn't about to leave the man to die.
He immediately moved towards Berd and stood beside him.
"Focus is what we need. Whatever happens, it's certainly going to be one hell of a show. I wouldn't miss this for anything."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith takes the final bite of her fruit and rises from the armchair.
She disposes of the core and pauses facing the wall. She understands
the woman's concern and her offer is tempting, so tempting. To be done
with all of this indecision, to no longer feel like she was being
tossed around and used by life instead of controlling and enjoying it.
To finally be able to anchor herself, to find herself. She pauses, the
temptation stronger than she thought... but then she shakes her head
slowly. Here she was again, getting distracted, allowing the waves to
take her where they would instead of moving in her own path. No, she
would fight this out on her own. The easy way would be just that, so
easy, but would she still be herself afterwards? It was one of the
hardest decisions she had ever made on her own. Meredith turns to
Mistress Serena and shakes her head. "Your
offer honors me Mistress Serena. There is nothing to be healed, only
uncovered and shifted, and that I will handle on my own" she dips into a quick bow.
Meredith will not fight them on this matter. They wanted the group to
stay together, but more importantly to her James wants to go. He
rationalized it well, but the sigh, the squaring of the shoulders,
speaks volumes to her. It means a lot to her that he would sacrifice
that to stay behind with her, but she will not ask that of him. She
moves to stand beside him and looks up at him. For a moment she just
stares, then she smiles softly and shakes her head.
"I will not speak on your behalf James, and I will not..." she stops, too many things to say, too little time. She cuts to the chase. "I will go" she tells him quietly. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a moment. "Yes, I will go. The egg can wait, this cannot" She opens her eyes and nods. She knows she has made the right decision.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
The group appears to be in concensus. They will go, all of them -
James only wished to stay with Meredith, and she is coming.
Serena has expressed her own desire, as Berd expected she would.
Devlin, of course, will be with her. The others stand
ready. Berd begins to gather a shadowy cloak about their minds,
to shield them within the Underflow. There are things which may see them there otherwise, for the group burns very, very brightly.
Parenalle - please give our apologies to the Queen, he reminds their guide. We cannot afford even a moment's pause.
I take full responsibility.
Still sitting atop Dorian's shoulder, Berd marshals his strength;
reality bleeds away around the group, a soap-bubble thinning and
thinning further until...
The little drake opens his mouth. A chime like that of a crystal bell rolls forth. The rainbow membrane is crossed.
The Void beckons.
Now, we fly.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Parenalle readily agrees to pass on a message to the queen. She
will understand. She may be angered or concerned by the guest's
sudden departure, but she will understand. They are, after all, as heroes of Legend, and when duty summons them, it will brook no delay...
The Underflow is becoming almost... familiar... to many in the group now. The sensation of falling through a river of stars, and into something fluid which lays far
beneath. A sensation of speed, and the movement of great shapes
nearby, menacing, in the same way that a booted foot is menacing to the
ant. Terrifying in that they could snuff out life in an instant,
and not even notice the deed.
Time is almost meaningless here, though its flow, the rush of entropy,
is still discernible in all that is around the group, it simply fails
to impinge on their particular slice of reality in any way that could
be said to actually matter.
And then they are falling again, into stars which rush up to meet them
like bubbles in white water, and there is one particular bubble rushing
towards them, expanding and then bursting to leave them standing on a
bleak mountainside, where ice-rimed stones glitter in the starlight
which blazes from the clearest of skies.
Samhain lays just beyond the mountains.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ilsefranvir sang, flying from Aaron's sheath as he loosed the blade,
ready for anything. He advanced slightly and crouched, casting the
entirety of his gaze across the lands before them.
"Berd and my dear heart, do either of you sense anything?"
He felt Arianne focus her intent within the back of his mind, felt her
sensing and feeling, looking for any less obvious signs of danger that
his eyes may not recognize.
Aaron reached down, placing fingertips to the earth at his feet. A feel
and a sense for this world that Dorian called kingdom and home.
"We must be cautious. Dorian could be a god here, for all we know." he said, glancing at the Dorian clone. "Is he?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
I sense nothing. No traps. No
spells. And no Luke. Either we are too late, too early,
or...it is too quiet. Please, those who can - verify what I
say. Dorian may be obfuscating his intentions.
I can bring us further, of course, but I thought it might be best to 'set down' here for a quick check.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dorian smirked, eyes flashing with distant memories, as he stared at
the mountains before him. They, at least, began to look familiar. "Not anymore, Aaron." His smile seems ironic, though only he seems privy to the irony. "It
has been some time since we've been here. I imagine that Dorian here is
much like Jonnee was back there, a legend. However, who knows what he
could accomplish upon his return. Who knows what might have changed. If
not too much time has passed, he could command legions, if not the
world, I suppose. He could just as easily be alone and isolated, moving
quickly and discreetly."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
Serena nodded to Mereidith and said with a smile,I
respect your decision Meredith and I take back my concern as it is
obvious when necessary you are perfectly capable of standing up to
others and taking your life in your own hands.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
The entire travelling experience was new to Meredith. This was much
different than passing through the tunel that connected her world to
that of the Brintizzi. It is both a wondrous and terrifying experience
and when it is over, she needs a few minutes to get her bearings. She
looks up at James, the wonder and fear still clear on her face, but
then the fear fades, leaving only the wonder as her eyes drift from him
to the starry sky. She looks around with wide eyes, and pulls the cloak
tigher around her, feeling the cold mountain air. She is curious and
there is much she wishes to know, but they are here for Master Dorian.
There is a Purpose to serve.
Meredith bows to Mistress Serena, no longer so hung up on semantics.
Sir Chance helped her with that... that reminds her, she needs to thank
him... again the distractions! She pushes it aside for another time,
when this matter has been settled. Meredith then looks to Master Berd,
and nods her head once, slowly. "Please allow me a moment" Meredith inclines her head and then steps away from the group. She puts
in a good ten feet of distance, she wants to clearly know the group and
not be distracted by the Master Dorian who travels with them. She takes
in a deep breath, focuses, and opens her mind.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
There is a cry eching among the peaks, inhuman and shrill, answered
moments later from further away, and then the only sound is the sighing
of the cold breeze between the high pinnacles which tower above the
group like fangs in the jaw of some monstrously archaic and ancient
predator.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd's method of travel is wonderful, in its literal sense, but James
is becoming more accustomed to it. At least he doesn't feel as
disoriented upon arrival anymore.
Like Aaron, James draws his sword almost immediately upon feeling solid
ground under his feet. Even if Dorian has not prepared a
reception for them, the sorceror had always described this as an
unfriendly place. Wary and expecting attack, James keeps a
careful watch over those using their various abilities to search for
Dorian and Luke, particularly Meredith as she walks away from the
group. He quickly picks up on the cry above them.
"Something knows we're here."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Don't be alarmed, that isn't their hunting call. Just evening
chatter-- a declaration of their presense and identity, so to speak."
He looks off into the distance with a faint smile. He inhales deeply as if enjoying the smell of the air. "It's odd. Their cries are so familiar-- well, everything is familiar-- and yet this is the first time I've been here."
Turning back to the others, he adds, "Though, anything with a mind could be used as a spy."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
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Unseen by the group, Meredith's brow crinkles as she frowns slightly.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
-----------------------------------------------------------
Devlin looks around the newst of the places he's been. He wonders at
the way some immediately draw weapons, always assuming the worst befor
it happens. The man stays pretty quite, allowing the others to make the
decisions about what to do next, wondering if they will catch Dorian
before he attemps to destroy tha Archon world, wondering if he wants
to. He's still not sure about the whole thing...
Unconciously Devlin removes his arm from around Serena's breaking the contact of his gauntlet from the woman.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
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Berd slowly swings his head one way, then the other, staring about himself with his burning eyes.
There is...a problem. More than
one. First of all, Dorian was not here when Luke passed this
way. Luke now orbits the Archon's world, evading their guards and
watching for Dorian.
Possibly Dorian had not yet arrived here when Luke came.
Second of all...the world here is under control of another. Not
Dorian. I cannot use it as a weapon, as I might in other
places. This severely limits my capabilities.
At best, I could struggle to wrest it from the grip of...she who holds it. If I do, she will surely know I am here.
Dorian - can you sense the other of you? Anywhere?
Meredith?
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
Serena is obviously listening but at the same time seems sort of distracted or otherwise also occupied.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dorian nods. Berds news meant a lot to him, hearing that she still
lived and had power here. There could be no doubt in his mind of who she was. So much time had passed, he could only wonder what her reaction to
his presense might be. And further, if she could tell he was an
immitation of the original, how great her wrath might be.
"If she still has control, then she has had it for some time. And
her power has grown considerably. I could look, Berd, but I fear my
presense might set off more alarms than any other-- Dorian's or hers. I
would prefer to remain masked. However, can you tell if she controls
the world through sorcery, or through the tainted pattern of Dorian?
For if it is sorcery, we can guess he hasn't arrived or hasn't
completed his work here."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance was silent, standing a short distance away from them. He looked
around, studying the landscape. In his mind, however, he was still
falling through the river of stars. It wasn't much unlike travelling
with Luke, but it was an amazing experience. A part of him wanted to
jump up and down, yelling, "Do it again, Berd!"
He didn't know much about this Dorian character, only what he'd met
from his double, but they seemed to be preparing for all out war with
the guy. There had been some mention of talking to him, but mostly they
seemed prepared for the worst should talking fail. Luke had proven a
powerful ally, and Berd seemed no less so. He felt confident in
assuming the others were no less powerful. Then who was this man that
could put all of them on the defensive just with the mere hint of
threat?
"On a more physical note, maybe we should try to blend in a little
somewhere. Out in the open like this, we might not be seen, but if we
are we'll draw attention."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Wise decision, Chance. We should find
somewhere nearby that is more hidden from prying eyes. I leave
that to the more soldierly oriented among us.
I will search for evidence of the Broken Pattern within this force, Dorian. A good thought.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The air grows colder, and there are more of the strange cries from
several somewheres. though none of them seem particularly close by.
The sky is entirely cloudless, and, at this altitude, the stars burn
with unwavering intensity, bright enough to reveal a fissure in a
nearby rock face, a deeper blackness upon the dark grey surface,
perhaps the entrance to a cave.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I'll take point, Berd. James?" he asked, then began to move.
He kept low, keeping both eyes sharp and active. Aaron clutched
Ilsefranvir in his hand, knuckles white as he seemed to find the place
where they could hide while they built upon their existing plans.
"That looks like as good a place as any," he said, pointing to the shadowy fissure nearby.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
We may have a problem. Another problem.
Berd sits up upon Dorian's shoulder, his muzzle twisted in a draconic frown. The
control of the world comes from a perfect vicious circle. The
power that controls the world is drawn from the world itself which is
controlled by the power.
On the one hand, it has no taint of the Broken Pattern to it.
On the other, I have sensed something similar in nature before.
Not completely, but similar. It is possible that someone else
came here before Dorian, and set up shop. Aaron, I may have been
premature with my confession to you some time ago.
This...has the scent of Argus. Your brother's construct.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Argus?" Dorian asked with a hint of a low growl. "How could that be?" That made him angry, somehow. That anyone had been interfering with his world while he was gone. It was foolishness, of course, to assume
Samhain would remain untouched in his absense. Still, it irritated him,
and he wanted to know how this had happened. More specifically, he
wanted to know her roll in it. Was she a pawn? Was she a
partner? Likely, she was both. He wasn't sure which he hated worse.
Perhaps it was time to take Samhain back.
Once again, he reminded himself that he hadn't been here before. This
wasn't his Samhain; it was Dorian's. She wasn't his wife; she was
Dorian's.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly had the urge to strike out at
something. He resisted, however, and fed that desire into the center of
himself. Later, later...
"If that is the case, Berd, we must crush it immediately. Argus cannot
be allowed to survive. My brother's experimentation is much too
dangerous to continue on."
Even after death, he still meddles.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Still standing alone and apart from the others, the frown fades from
Meredith's face. She chews on her lower lip without realizing it, her
expression reflecting deep concentration.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
It is not Argus. Not precisely. Nor, the more I examine it, does it have the scent of Jadus upon it. Berd's tone is thoughtful. More of a similar...flavour. A living construct, of sorts, much as Argus was. He glances at Dorian, then Aaron. My apologies.
But the principle is the same. Something was created
here. It has grown far beyond what it once was. Now it has
seized control of the epicenters of power. It holds the land in
steel talons. Berd looks very disquieted, and rightfully so. This negates many, if not all of his own advantages.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dorian nods. "Then that could indeed be Dorian, but not necessarily so. He had certain ideas when he left, concerning Argus and... that thing. Yet, it could have grown on its own, just the same. We must be very cautious here."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
-----------------------------------------------------------
Devlin listens to the others as he follows toward the fissure in the rock... Argus?" something else he knows nothing of and this is not the time for
lessons, he'll have to figure it out as he goes, as he is getting used
to doing.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron exhaled, obviously relieved, but he was still very concerned. He
glanced behind him at the group of adventurers, his eyes flickering.
"The fact that it's even remotely like Argus sets alarms off in the back of my head, Berd. We'll have to be very careful."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"If luke is at the Archon world, can he bring us there in a hurry if
Dorian arrives? If so, we have the two places he is likely to appear
covered, it seems."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
"All very interesting, but we are kind of exposed
here. Aaron, if you've got point, go ahead we'll follow.
I'll take rear."
James starts ushering people towards the shelter Aaron has picked out.
"Meredith. We're moving to cover, come on."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
If Meredith hears James, there is no indication. She does not answer
him or move to follow his direction. She is intent on her task,
blocking all else out so that she is not distracted.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The fissure in the rock is narrow, and open at the top, a narrow strip
of stars, high overhead in the otherwise total blackness. It runs
perhaps ten yards back, and then there is a block of stone, wedged
between the walls, which forms a low roof. The taller members of
the group are forced to stoop in order to pass beneath that lintel.
The ground is rough, strewn with pebbles and larger stones, and James
glances back to ensure that Meredith, in her tattered shoes, is coping,
and he realises that the girl has not followed him into the crevice...
Beneath the stone roof, the floor descends gradually. Twenty feet
in, everybody can stand straight, and twenty feet beyond that, nobody
can reach the roof, even stretching upwards.
Under cover, Berd exhales a little light, a faint misty illumination,
and well it is that he does so. A short pace before Aaron's feet
is a flight of steps, running steeply down into an abyss of stygian
gloom.
Carved steps, coated in thick dust and drifts of grey-black sand, and every tread rimed with frost.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Still unresponsive to James, Meredith stops chewing on her lip. Her
face is now blank, her eyes still closed. Her entire body relaxes, her
shoulders are no longer squared, her hands hang limply at her side. Her
breathing deepens and slows.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Damnit. James, stay by Meredith. See if you can keep her with us,
please." Aaron said after looking back and taking a headcount. Standing
at the top of the steps, he turned to peer down, and shook his head.
"Seems to me that we've come across a little more than just some shelter."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Working together, Luke and I can bring everyone
there with...startling speed. Think of it as a lifeline thrown to
a swimmer. Berd glances back nervously at James and Meredith.
James, you may need to get her attention as
best you can. If that means breaking her concentration
physically, do so. The will holding this world is old, powerful,
and...terrible. If she is 'reading' it, she may not be able to
break free from whatever pain she senses.
Unwilling to enter the cave without two of their members, Berd focuses for a moment. Agreed,
Aaron. It warrents further investigation. I would send a
'servitor' down, myself, but anything I create may begin an
investigation on the part of she who holds this world. A worried glance at Dorian. This is something I would rather avoid until we know more...but I can investigate, myself. To a certain extent.
It is in my mind that this is familiar...many of the broken patterns we
have encountered have been found beneath the Earth. In dark
places.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Perhaps we should simply look... the old fashioned way." He glances back. "Once we have all our members, that is."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James doesn't go more than a few steps before realising that Meredith
is not responding. He waits just long enough to ensure everyone
else is moving before following Berd and Aarons' urgings.
James circles around Meredith till he is face to face and calls her
name, quietly at first then twice more, progressively louder. If
that fails to get her attention, he will do the same while gently
shaking her shoulders. If that fails he will simply pick her up and carry her to cover before attempting anything else.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Nothing James does illicits a response from Meredith, even picking her up. She is light, too light, and limp like a doll.
Unknown by James the contact and movement of her physical body jars her
mind. By the time James reaches the cave entrance Meredith returns to
herself. Suddenly her eyes snap open and she gasps sharply, her eyes
immediately closing again. She does not know what is happening and is
not ready to see yet. She continues to breathe slowly. Oddly, her body
does not tense, she is prepared to go along with whatever is happening.
She learned long ago that fighting the tide only resulted in more pain,
more injuries. It was easier to just go along and work the details out
later. In moments she recognizes the feel of James's mind and her eyes
snap open again, this time staying open and clearly showing her relief.
She made it back. "It is you" she proclaims quietly, happily and buries her head into his shoulder, her arms tightening around him.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
Serena had coontinued following Berd and Aaron while maintaining her
silence as she walked with Devlin. As they made their way with the rest
of the group. Serena seeems to watch Meredith but then turn away as she
seemed occupied again.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
-----------------------------------------------------------
Devlin's head titls to the side as he looks down the stairs carved into
the passeage. His eyes begin to glow like a cats as he one again
adjusts them so that he can see in the dark and then he take a few
steps forward so that he can peer down the flight.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
Still glancing back towards James and Meredith with either irritation or concern, Dorian says, "We should probably not use powers to conjure even simple light. Does anyone know how to make light by more mundane means?"
In principle, he knew the general physics behind such things, but in
practicality, he had no idea where to begin. He looked around
considering fuel that could be used.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
It looked like a good shelter, he supposed. They could use a place like
this while they made their next move, which seemed rather like just
waiting for Dorian to show his ugly head either here or on the Archon
world. This whole deal with some power having a vice grip on everything
didn't sound too fun, though. He wasn't sure what was going on there.
He kept quiet and stayed in the back of the group, wondering why the
girl was taking so long. Had she gotten herself in trouble with this
power on this world?
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James doesn't put Meredith down as soon as she stirs. She's so
light that it's no trouble for him to carry her and he's still
concerned for her well-being, a concern heightened by her peculiar
reaction.
"Yes, it's me. Are you ok? What happened out there?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith's body is shivering slightly. The full effect of the cold has
hit her and a for a few moments after James speaks she just rests in
his arms with her head against him, drawing on his support, his
strength, his warmth. The experience had showed her things and in one
sense she is not ok, but she is in the way that James is referring
to. The presence did not harm her and she made it back safely. It
appears as if her theory was correct, but only time will truly tell.
Meredith nods slowly, answering James silently before replying, the edges of her sharp accent dulled "At
first I searched for Master Dorian, but I could not find him, only the
one who already travels with us.... but there was this presence, like a
shadow behind everything in this world. Its power is more than Harbonah
and the egg... it was like how we traveled here, something out there
could just crush you with a careless movement or thought" the slight shivers are interupted with a deeper shudder as she recalls the feeling, so familar, yet more real than before. "It is far away, distracted by something. It did not know where I was and it was laughing" Meredith raises troubled eyes, finally looking up at James "Horrible,
hollow laughter, with no joy, no happiness. I was worried and I tracked
it. I was hoping to find where it was, what it was, something useful,
but instead I was caught in its web" she lowers her eyes as well as her voice "The
presence was there, in the middle of it all, watching images. They were
mesmerizing in their beauty and they moved so quickly.... I could not
pull myself away from them and I was lost"and I failed unspoken, the sentiment is there "When my body was moved it jarred my mind, freed it from the images and I returned" she returns looks up at James again "You have my gratitude James, thank you" she says sincerely before continuing. Now she chooses her words carefully "The presence made no move against me, now it is just very cold" the small smile does not quite reach her eyes, she is hiding something
from him and is not happy about it, she look away, unable to continue
meeting his gaze.
And it was not just very cold, she was very cold. She
hated the cold, already old injuries were aching and the gooseflesh of
her skin had caused scabs to be pulled tight. She hopes that they do
not re-open.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron reached into his long coat, coming out with a pack of cigarettes
and a book of matches. He looked at the cigarettes almost longingly,
but sighed and replaced the pack in his jacket. How long since he'd lit
one? He certainly could've used one after Cyan, that was for sure.
He raised the matches between his fingers.
"Got anything to burn?" he asked.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James sets Meredith down gently, but stays close, within arms
reach. There had been something in her eyes when she had finished
speaking, but he wasn't sure what. She was probably just
distressed at the experience she'd been through.
"You're welcome, I'm glad you got back. And you are cold."
James looks about for options. The clothes he has are not really
suitable: it's one thing to offer your jacket to a lady, quite another
to offer your shirt. All he has with him are Fangmir and Cyan's
harp, both hastily snatched up as Berd prepared their departure.
"Good thinking, Aaron, but I don't have any
wood. I could get some but I'm wary of using Pattern on this
world. What do you think?" They could probably all use some warmth while waiting, but James didn't want to risk drawing unwanted attention.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd looks irked. I would normally make a fire or the fuel, but given the hazards of piquing the interest of
this world's controller, I suspect that would be a very poor idea.
Regrettably, I have nothing. No clothing to burn or offer, no fuel to light.
The disgruntled drake slowly flips through his options. He
could...no, that wouldn't work. Perhaps...no, that would
certainly alert her. What if...no, definitely not.
With a sigh, he gives up, leaving that task to the others. Instead, he turns burning eyes on Dorian. Dorian, what would satisfy her so? Is it possible that Dorian's capture might drag such laughter from her?
And...I believe that once we find an adequate place of safety, perhaps
in the depths of this hole, you should tell the others of this
world. In detail.
The dragon thinks of what Meredith has said, what Dorian has told
him. It is unlikely the circumstances will be similar here as on
Jadus' world. There, thanks to Luke, he had been able to overcome
the machine with ease. Here, perhaps not.
Dorian, meticulous, exacting, and coldly dangerous, is a far better and more dangerous creator than Jadus. And this creature is certainly no Argus.
Meredith, I regret the lack of proper
clothing. Should I summon Luke to us, I will instruct him to
bring along a coat...but I can do nothing at present. Nor, I
think, would it be wise to utilize the Pattern. The Logrus might
be hazarded, with something brought here...but regretfully, unless
someone has been holding back we are without a Chaoslord. The little dragon sighs, looking down into the hole.
And it only appears more cold there.
His dragon eyes, suited for a flying predator, slowly survey the
countryside, looking for pieces of wood or the like with which to make
a torch.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"One thought does strike me," Dorian muses. "Samhain is a
world of sorcery. Is she able to track and investigate every instance
of sorcery that occurs, given so many users of the art? Perhaps a
simple conjuring would be, as they say, under her radar? Sadly, we
cannot tell this for certain."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith catches her breath as her feet touch the stone floor, the
coldness cutting through the thin soles and hole of her shoes to bite
her skin. She adjusts, finding a better positioning, making it more
tolerable. Immediately, she pulls up the hood of the cloak and wraps it
tighter around herself. Inside the cloak she crosses her arms, tucking
her right hand in her left armpit while her left hand holds it in
place. The fingers had gone from aching to burning, and what little
heat she had would help soothe it.
She shakes her head at the Masters Berd, Dorian, and James, her eyes
scanning the cave. They spoke of all this effort, when it was not
necessary. The cave floor was adequately lit from the starlight and she
sees some things that are useful. Here is a skill she actually was
taught, not one she took. Earlier the memories of Lorne would have made
her smile to herself, now she simply bows to James and the Masters
Berd, Dorian, and Aaron.
"Please, it is not necessary to go to all that trouble my lords, even if circumstances allowed. A simple fire will suffice" Meredith's head is not completely bowed, but her eyes are lowered.
She then moves about the cave gathering items. Dried leaves littered
the entrance, along with some sticks and twigs. The old nest from some
type of rodent-esque creature was a good find, the fibers would be
great tinder. Meredith deposits the items under the crack that opens to
the sky, when there is a fire the smoke will need somewhere to go. Once
she has acculumated enough debris, she gets to work setting it up. She
falls into a crouch, wrapping the cloak around her instead of letting
it settle in a circle around her. She shreds the nest material, and
construts a pyre from the twigs and sticks, the tinder strategetically
placed. It is not as good as she would like for her fingers are
numb with the cold, but it will do. She does not use all the material.
When she is done she looks up at Master Aaron with a quick bob of her
head. "It is ready my lord" Meredith, leaves it at that, unsure of how the device he holds works.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The kindling catches quickly, if a little smokily, as Aaron strikes a
match and applies it. Light spreads from the small fire, reaching
into the depths of the cave, and revealing an odd inscription,
previously invisible in the inky darkness, on the roof, just above the
entrance.
The stairs can be seen more easily now, or at least the first few
steps, each of them inscribed with the image of an octopus-like
creature, worn smooth by the passing of many feet, and almost hidden by
thick dust. At the limit of vision, there is a niche carved into
the wall of the staircase, though its contents, if any, cannot be seen
from the head of the stairs.
And beyond, that, there is only the chill blackness of the deep abyss.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd watches as Meredith seeks out sufficient fuel for warmth. It appears, the Drake dryly notes, that sorcery will not be necessary.
Especially considering we seem to have sufficient light to see the cave
at least. We still need a torch. Sorcery might yet provide
that, Dorian. Now, these inscriptions.... The little dragon shakes his head. Regrettably, skill in languages and runes is not my speciality. Were Cyan here....
But I can say that if there is power here, it slumbers deeply. I sense nothing at present.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
Serena had been looking through her bag that was always with her but as
soon as AAron found matches she resealed the bag with a shrug. With her
arm linked around Devlin Serena seemed to be listening to all that was
being said.
After a few moments Serena said,"I am going
to attempt to look at those symbols using my method of world walking.
Sometimes when things are viewed using that image one sees things
clearer. Of course there are often many times it doesn't work at all." Sereena said this quite dryly as it was the unfortunate truth. Then she
pulled the Pattern up and tried to see if it would show anything
different in the runic message.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"God, be careful, Serena." Aaron said, understanding full well what
happens when something detects the Pattern. He sighed, shaking his head.
"We don't know how many eyes our enemies have."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Once the fire has been struck, Meredith stands and oddly enough, moves
away from the tiny flames instead of huddling closer to their warmth.
It is a small thing and she does not want to take another's place
beside it.
Still hugging her arms to her body, she eyes the fire critically. It is
just tinder and will be gone soon. They needed something with more
substance, wood. As Mistress Serena moves to examine the runic
inscription, Meredith bows, addressing no one in particular. "The fire will burn out quickly without wood. I will not be long" Meredith then heads for the exit to the cave. She could probably learn
about the runes through her touch, but does not offer. She is confident
in Mistress Serena's abilities. Meredith moves quickly, for only
through movement will she regain some of the warmth the stone floor has
leached away.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Will someone get that girl a cloak?" Chance remarks. "I would do it myself, but my clothes are something of a set and I'd be standing here naked." He glances at Dorian.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dorian scowls, looking back at Chance. He had the advantage of two
cloaks, given that he had conjured a heavier one expecting the other
world to be cold. When Dorian made the clone, he made the clothing and
accessories to match.
He removes the heavier of the two layers and hands it to Chance. "Well, I can't give it to her myself. She might think I was being nice to her."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Oh, for the love," Chance sighs. He snags the cloak from the callous one and heads out after Meredith.
"Meredith," he calls after her. "We... er... found this extra cloak you can wear. It's a bit chilly these parts." As he follows, he holds it out for her.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith had reached the exit/entrance of the cave when Sir Chance
called after her. She pauses, watching him approaching with the cloak
with a carefully blank expression. When he offers her the cloak she
just looks at him with serious eyes, as if weighing the intent behind
his words. There was a time when she would have smiled, shown how
touched she was by the simple gesture. Instead she bows to Sir Chance,
formal and polite. "Sir Chance, your offer is kind, too kind. If I use the cloak, another will go without" Her eyes, lowered demurely, rise to meet his briefly and she allows herself a small, heartfelt smile "Once the fire is built up, it will be much warmer for everyone. I will survive until then, thank you" and it is a sincere thank you. Meredith tries to bolster the smile,
infuse it with some bravado she did not truly feel. She is about to
turn away, to hunt for the wood, when a thought occurs to her. "The
search for wood would go faster with two sets of eyes, perhaps you
would assist Sir Chance? If it suits your fancy of course" she lowers her head, waiting for his reply.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance smiles, but its weak, looking slightly irritated at her refusal. Such demeanor was alien to him. "I
don't think my offer's too kind. It's practicality, Meredith. If you
don't take it, it's going to lie here on the floor at my feet unused--
and what's the sense in that? Not only that, you'll get some kind of Samhainian flu and be in bed for weeks, unable to help us-- so it's practical.
Now, how about you take the cloak and we can go look for some wood?" He continues to hold it out to her.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith reacts to the irritation, even if it is mild, in Sir Chance's
demeanor almost instantly. She only stays her movement to listen
politely to his words. He could have said that the cloak was going to
give her the Samhainian flu and she still would have accepted it at
this point. The reaction is ingrained so deeply in her that she is in
no position to question it, let alone resist it. She curtsys to him,
hiding the wince of pain that the movement causes her aching body well
but not perfectly. "It shall be as you wish Sir Chance" she agrees quietly, calmly.
She accepts the cloak from Sir Chance with fingers that are past shaking and burning and are deadened from the cold. She hated the cold and in another time she might have joked about how Master
Dorian had chosen a freezing world for his home just to spite her.
Instead she silently dons the cloak, it takes her a few times to get it
fastened, it is hard to work with gloved fingers, not to mention numb
gloved fingers. Soon enough it is on over her thinner cloak and she
gathers the thick woolen folds around her, for a moment just happily
soaking up the warmth left from Master Dorian. She assumes it is from
the little fire."Thank you Sir Chance, your kindness honors me" she bows to him again and steps out of the cave into the chill night
air. The cold still bites at her feet, but that was the least of her
worries.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance smiles, relieved. Though, having come from Dorian she might still catch some sort of Samhainian disease. As he steps out into the cold, his clothing flutters again,
though not as a result of any breeze. Then he is wearing a heavier
overcoat that covers to his knees. Leather gloves, lines with fur cover
his hands. He pulls a hood up over his head.
He adjusts the set of the guitar, now in the form of a guitar case, on his back for comfort and prepars to let her lead the way.
"I've been meaning to say, Meredith, that I'd be really happy if you
just called me Chance. I don't have any titles, and I prefer it that
way. To me, titles make a person something we aren't. So if you're just
Meredith, then I'll be just Chance? That okay?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James grunts, "I
must be getting soft. Time was, it would be me making the fire.
I've made do with less. These days, I'm getting used to using the
Pattern to get precisely what I need."
He watches Meredith venture out in search of wood or other fuel.
She shouldn't be outside, cold as she is, but he takes some comfort
when she accepts Dorian's cloak from Chance. They should be okay.
"So, Dorian, can you read that or are we going to while away the hours playing 'Guess the runic alphabet'?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The search, even with additional eyes, turns up little more than
brambles, brushwood, and more dead leaves and twigs. Certainly
not much that would serve as a torch. It will all burn though,
and allow them to keep a fire going a little longer, during which time
something might turn up.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Serena! Veil your Pattern! Berd's mental voice is frantic, suddenly. There is no power here, and in this dead area it shines like the sun!
Already the drake weaves his cloak about the group, more and more
tightly, preparing a mirrorbright shield behind it. There is no
way Serena could have known this would be the case, but it is. It
is, and they may have been given away.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith stares up at the sky, taking in the sight of all the stars
burning so cleanly, so clearly, against the dark backdrop. She was
hardly allowed out at night and there was no window in her room. It
truly is beautiful. For awhile it seems as if she is not going to
respond to Sir Chance, for she is lost in thought, remembering another
man who was happier without any titles, who showed only her his true
self. Under the thick layer of the winter cloak she shudders, her right
hand aching almost at the thought. She lets the thoughts run their
course instead of fighting them and pushing them aside. Then she
responds to Sir Chance. She does not look away from the starry sky.
"It is a matter of respect, Sir Chance, not an
attempt to make you into anything other than yourself. It is not a
title in the true sense of the word, but rather a way of respecting
your elders" she lowers her face from the sky and looks at him
sadly, they have reached an impasse and already she knows who will
cave. She is not comfortable calling him simply 'Chance' but incapable
of telling him 'no.' She begins the search and changes the subject.
Picking her way carefully across the cold, rocky ground Meredith speaks
as she gathers pieces of driend bramble, brush, and the odd stick.
Nothing for tortches, but they will help with the fire. "Last night at the Brintizzi palace, you shared some helpful advice" she pauses in her collecting to stand and look at him with a sincere smile "Thank you" she does not pause for long, for although it is getting colder, the
work is helping her to stay warm (mostly). She bends and straightens
carefully, she does not want anything to split.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Well, I'm not sure which part was helpful, but you're welcome all the same." He picked up another stick, trying to keep an eye on the kinds of
things she collected as a guide. They were going to need a lot of wood
if it kept getting colder. He looks to the eastern horizon for a moment.
"Now, don't get me wrong, Meredith. I appreciate the respect, and
there are many ways to show respect. But you can call me whatever you
want. Like I said, it would make me happy. Think of it as a friend,
asking for a favor. That's all."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"No, James," Dorian answers, glancing at the runes. "It's an ancient language, long dead on Samhain. I can't read the whole thing, but it's something about.... death"
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith nods in reply to Sir Chance, but it seems like more of an
acknowledgment than an agreement to honor his request. He has put her
in a funny position, for he hit the nail on the head... a friend only
asking for a favor, only he was not her friend. On the other hand it
was a small thing to do to bring him happiness. Things were never
simple. Torn by this indecision, Meredith keeps quiet until she has
gathered as many brambles and sticks as she can carry and looks at Sir
Chance through the tangle of thorn and bush she carries "This should suffice for now, it should get warmer once the sun rises" still undecided, she does not address him by name. Meredith then heads
back towards the cave, stumbling more now that she cannot see very well
to get her footing.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The light spreads as Meredith adds more fuel to the fire, the flames
leap upwards, and the cave becomes more clearly visible, including the
contents of the niche on the stairs. Bundles of branches... no...
in the brighter light they can now be seen as stacked torches, left
here for those who need light as they descend into the pit.
The leering monstrous face carved on to each of the steps seems to come
to life in the flickering light, but still the deeper regions of the
staircase are in total blackness, beyond the reach of the firelight.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith is not surprised that the fire was left unattended in her
absence. She deposits her load of sticks and brambles against the far
wall of the cave and waits for Sir Chance to do the same. She bows her
head to him, speaking quietly "Thank you again for your assistance" before making a few choice selections from their find.
It does not take her long to get the fire built up and she kneels
before it, gathering the thick cloak about her and soaking in the heat.
She looks around, eyes settling on the runes. She is curious about
their message, but uncomfortable asking about them.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James moves to help Meredith with the wood she has found and to stoke
the fire, but in truth there is little enough to do and James merely
ends up feeling awkward as he hovers uselessly while Meredith fixes up
a welcoming blaze.
Realising his 'assistance' is a lost cause, James seats himself close
to the warmth of the fire. Following, Meredith's gaze to the
revealed runes, he comments, "So
far, all we have is that one of them means 'death'. It could just
be catacombs down there, but I'm not in any hurry to go exploring
unless we have to."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith nods slowly at James's words, her eyes still on the runes. She shifts them to James, her look thoughtful. "I may be able to find their meaning through touch" she turns her head towards the others, lowering her gaze "Unless there are any objections"
After the debacle with the presence on the world Meredith is hesitant to forge out on her own again.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
For myself, I would rather see what we might discover from the lettering, then proceed down the stairs. Berd, still seated on Dorian's shoulder, stares into the blackness for a long moment. It could be important. We have arrived here, through the Underflow, and I do not believe much in coincidence.
Again, I will note that I am...not terribly useful at the moment, save
for sensory information. I cannot manipulate the World around us
without alerting the World's Controller.
Perhaps Serena's brief use of the Pattern will tell us something.
As to whether or not Meredith should examine the letters.... There is a kind of mental shrug. For myself, I leave that up to her.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
(NPC'd)
"There is, as Berd said, np power in the
inscription. I did manade to get a partial translation, a few
letters here and there, which seems to agree with Dorian's, and from
that I would hazard a guess that the final word is awaits"
Serena kneels, sketching in the dust of the cave floor with a fingertip. "This is what I got, with Dorian's help, and assuming that the same rune is the same letter every time."
Letters take shape: _O _A__ _OW DEATH AWAITS
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Well done, even with the danger. Hm. 'To Walk Low?' This reminds me too much of an Indiana Jones movie, Berd 'mutters' psycically.
Assuming, of course, that the runes correspond exactly with the English
alphabet. I suppose we must, in order to at least attempt a
translation.</purple></b>
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"It cannot be To Walk Low. The T is represented in the word awaits. If our assumptions are correct, they would look the same. Perhaps No Talk Now or Go Take Vow or Go Take Bow," Dorian muses. "We
can assume the first word is either GO or NO, since all the other
vowels are accounted for. Using the same method, the third word either
ends in _OW or _UW, since it would be hard to place a consonant there.
We should assume _OW, since a _UW is rare, even in Samhanian dialects--
and because Serena says it is _OW. Thus, we narrow our list of the
third word down to bow, cow, now, pow, row, vow-- any other words use
characters we see in the last line. The second word, sadly, doesn't
share any other character, beyond the A character. The list there is
exhaustive... talk, walk, tale, gale, male, sail, cake, bake, take, and
so forth...
It is consistant with Serena's added work." He gives her a polite nod. "So we should assume the characters are the same, and the middle character of the third word is an 'O', as she says."
He glances at the drake on his shoulders. "Cryptography always was a hobby of mine, but without further clues, those words can only be guesses."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
-----------------------------------------------------------
Devlin looks at the letters that Serena scraped into the dirt, "Go back now." He says, putting in his own dime on the matter. It wasn't like he had
actually gave it much thought, his mind was yet on other things.
Then he looks around at the others in the light of the fire that Meredith created. "I
think I have a way to convince Dorian not to do what he has set out to
do.. If we find him, that is. I have a belief, one that I do not
believe any one else thinks possible. While we search for Dorian we
should discuss it. If I cannot convince any of you then there will be
no way that I'll be able to convince Dorian."
The man looks around again. "I had thought not to say anything about it, but, now it makes sense."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sighing, Aaron removed a cigarette from his pocket and sat down on the
rough, cold ground. He took joy in the light that his match made, being
able to see it with both eyes, the glow of the lung-destroying menthol
setting his face aflame in the dimness.
"Go back now. Huh." he said, exhaling. "Seems like somebody doesn't
want us here." Aaron glanced up at everyone, the cigarette hanging from
his face at a cockeyed angle. "It's not like we've ever listened to obvious messages of doom before, though. Why start now?" he said, and shrugged.
Turning his gaze specifically on Devlin, Aaron took a drag.
"What, exactly, is your belief, Devlin?" he exhaled. "You've made me significantly curious."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith nods at Sir Devlin "Well done Sir Devlin" she congratulations him, a smile in her voice but not on her face.
Master Aaron requests more information on Sir Devlin's plan and
Meredith decides to try to get some more information about this
'awaiting death.' Sir Devlin has proven to be a quiet but sharp man.
His plan would be better then their current plan, that was for sure.
She adds a few more sticks to the blaze and rises to gather a few more
pieces of the brush and places them next to James and speaks to him
quietly as to not interupt the others "I am going to examine the inscription on the step" she chews her lip, unsure of herself, and finally just blurts out "Would you mind looking after the fire for me please?" she looks at him, a little apprehensive.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd's eyes glitter with amusement, and a certain amount of respect. Dorian and Devlin have done a far better job of deciphering the meaning than I. Puzzles....
He sobers, though, at Devlin's words. Very well, Devlin. If you have something that might deter Dorian, by all means.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
-----------------------------------------------------------
Devlin looks around; at least he has everyone’s attention. He watches Aaron smoke for a minute, something he has done himself.
”First I want to ask a question.” He says. “Tamiel has been destroyed; How did Tamiel’s enemies and ours know how to find her?”
The man does not wait for an answer, instead answering the question himself, “They
found out where Tamiel was from someone that was there. Those people
would be: Aaron, Berd, Dorian, James, Jonnee, Serena, myself....” He looks at each person that is there in turn and pauses before saying the last name, “... and Cyan.”
Devlin rushes forward before anyone can say anything to object because he’s sure they should know what he’s thinking.
“When I was returning from that dying world,
carrying James to safety, I felt Cyan within the gate, by my side,
brushing up against me as we both ran...” Now he pauses, but for just a moment to allow that information to sink in. “The
vision that was replayed for us of Cyan’s death, it does not fit, it
does not match what I know happened; what I felt. I believe that what
was shown to us was a lie.”
Devlin looks directly at Berd now, “I think
that which you saw was left behind by the Archons for our benefit, so
that you... so that all of us, would believe that Cyan was dead, so
that we would not look for her. I believe that Cyan yet lives; that our
enemies are extracting information from her.”
He shakes his head. He knows how this must sound and he’s betting that no one believes what he is saying, “How will this information persuade Dorian not to do what he plans to do?” Devlin asks, but again he does not wait for an answer. “I believe that if he does destroy the Archons’ world that their first act will be to destroy Cyan.”
“I too would like to see that world destroyed, if no
one but the Archons will suffer because of it. But I think that must
wait until we are sure. What we should be doing is using that egg
device to find Harbonah. That is surely the Archon that has Cyan. Then,
when we have retrieved our friend; when we have discovered what else is
on the Archon world...” Devlin ends there, letting the others complete his thought themselves.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Go back now is a likely solution," Dorian notes. "In any event, 'death awaits' is a clear enough message. Yet, I see no reason to explore further
unless there is evidence that it will aid in our quest. However, I
share some of Berd's feeling on the matter of coincidences. Our being
here is evidence enough. And the potential for death is relative, we
are undoubtedly, not as easy to kill as the average inhabitant of
Samhain. Though, the people of Samhain are powerful and cunning in
general."
"Your idea will get his attention, but he already suspects Cyan is
alive and that does not stay his hand. He is careful. It is likely he
will search for her in detail before he attacks that world, but will
still destroy if he believes she is not there. If we can convince him
she might be there and cloaked, that might stay his hand. Sadly, he is
a master at deception, of which my own existance is testiment. I do not
recommend altering the truth.
I say we can use your words, Devlin, but be forewarned they will not completely stay his hand."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James looks up, a little surprised by the hesitation in Meredith's manner. "Sure. But you've done a good job, I doubt I'll need to touch it for a while."
Before she can leave, he continues, "Please be
careful, I don't you want you getting lost again. If you hit
trouble try and call, if you haven't said anything in five minutes I'll
come and get you." He means it too. James has a good
time sense, as many trained soldiers do. He doesn't need to count
out the interval, but in the back of his head he's already ticking his
way to 300.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd considers long and hard, a feeling of shocked surprise
reverberating through teh link. When he finally speaks, his voice
is slow, as if dragged from him. I
cannot fault your optimism, Devlin. However...the psychic
fragment I sensed was true. I studied it, very carefully, and
have done so many times since. I carry it, here. He touches the broken hilt, hanging around his neck. Frozen in a shattered palanquet, there is no question of its veracity...we could have Meredith examine it, if you wish.
Perhaps things became confused, during the battle. Perhaps, when
you went through, Cyan was coming through with you, but the magic that
shattered the portal threw her back. I cannot say. But
there is more than the hilt.
Cyan is...was a part of me. Literally. A separate being,
with her own spirit, but linked to me in a fashion difficult to
understand or explain. I searched for her for a long time, and have only begun to give up. Part of me still searches.
I found no psychic trace of her leading away from the world. I
found no trace of her in the Underflow. I...cannot see how this
is possible. I wish you were correct, Devlin...or perhaps
not. For if that is the case, it would mean Cyan is in their hands.
Berd sadly turns his head to look down the steps. Dorian
has not yet arrived here, or if he has, is caught up in something
else. Luke wards the Archons worlds, and can bring us to him very
quickly - we would both tug, from each end, as it were. I cannot
help but think we were brought here for a reason. He glances over to where Meredith and James are caught up in their own issues. I believe we should seek further, deeper in.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I agree, we move on." Aaron said, smoking.
He rose, leaning on Ilsefranvir as he did so. Aaron gestured down, into
the darkness, light from the dying fire glinting off the edge of his
blade.
Aaron stared off into that darkness, frowning. The man took one last
drag off of the cigarette before tossing it to the ground and grinding
it out with the toe of his boot.
"Despite how much I miss her, I don't want her to live if it means
she's a prisoner. I trust Berd in this, and there's more than one way
the Archons could have gotten ahold of Tamiel's whereabouts."
He sighed, and spoke it.
"Perhaps Metatron betrayed her."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith does not repsond when James comments on the fire. Unused to
even the smallest praise, she is not comfortable responding and so does
not. She nods to him, accepting his directions, and lowers her eyes "Thank you" her voice is whisper soft, for others are speaking. She hesitates, as
if there is something more she would say, but then rises and slips back
away from the fire.
She reaches the top step, coated with years of dust and frost, the
stone underneath worn smooth from the tread of feet. This is the part
that intrigues her. If death awaits, why have so many taken the stairs?
She works out a few possibilites as she kneels and gently wipes away
the dust and frost with her gloved hands, fully exposing the old
inscription. She then gathers the cloaks about her. She is still warm
from the fire, but does not want that to change. She does not react
when Master Berd mentions her name, for she was not addressed directly,
the servant in her still ruling most of her actions. Instead she gently
disengages from the bridge.
Meredith closes her eyes and gets her scattered thoughts and feelings
under control. The Ancient language is a soothing presence, bringing
order to chaos. When she is fully together, her mind heavy with intent
and focus, she removes the glove from her left hand and settles it,
palm down, on the inscription of the tentacled creature.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
From somewhere beyond the cavern comes the sound of another of the
creatures calling out to its neighbours, then several replies before
they settle down again.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith fights the urge to jerk away her hand as the coldness seeps
into her skin, her bones, and finally it feels as if it is in her
blood, coursing through her body, spreading chill as it travels.
Despite the heat from the fire, the thick woolen cloak, her own thinner
cloak, she starts to shiver. Her fingers are frozen in the outstretched
position, she could not move them even if she wanted to. She holds
steady, spiralling through eons until she finds that which she sought.
Then it is over and Meredith slowly pries her hand from the stone. It
feels like a block of ice instead of a hand. She figures she might as
well press on, since she already had taken on the coldness of the ages
it was better to get it all over with so she can be done with the
damned cold once and for all. Her focus, her will, shifts. In the
Ancient language the difference from 'intent' to 'purpose' was slight.
Properly focused, the cold lump of flesh that is her hand falls
uselessly onto the floor of the cave. Even though it is so cold she
cannot feel it, all she needs is the contact to send her spinning back
in time once again.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
-----------------------------------------------------------
Devlin continued to look at Berd. He was surprised that Dorian had
suspected the same. Aarons suggestion that it had something to do with
Metatron... This one was supposed to be on the same side as Tamiel.
And, he had expected Berds response. Sometimes one could be too sure of
oneself, think that they can make no mistakes. Everything that lives
can make a mistake.
He wasn't even paying attention to the other things that were going on
in the now lighted cave. It seemed that most if the people in this
group were too stuborn for there own good. Dorian, so sure he is right
that he will risk everything, the universe itself, to prove it. Berd,
so sure that he is right that it would rather do nothing than take a
chance at finding out it was wrong. Each of them had their own flaws
and Devlin was sure he had his. There was the rub. Devlin was not
afraid to admit that he wasn't perfect, that he might have his flaws.
He wasn't even sure what all of those flaws were, but he was not afraid
of any of them.
Devlin was half tempted to go look for Cyan himself, except that he
didn't have a clue where to start... except for Harbonah. And the only
connection to that creature was an egg, an artifact that he had no clue
how to use. Even if he did that artifact was sitting back in the suite
of rooms where they had left it. Foolish
His gaze had not moved from Berd as he thought, though in reality it was merely moments, it had felt much longer.
Now the man turns away from Berd in time see Meredith's hand fall,
hitting the stone floor of the cave with a thump. He just stands there
for a moment looking before asking, "Are you okay?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd stares back at Devlin, levelly. His eyes glitter in the dim light.
Then the drake turns toward Meredith. He sighs, waiting to hear
whatever revelation is forthcoming. It won't be good, that much
he knows.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James keeps one eye on the fire, one eye on Meredith and an ear on the conversation.
The thought had also occurred to James that they might have been
deceived about Cyan's death, Berd's evidence notwithstanding. It
was even possible that this Harbonah held Cyan captive even now,
although James would not wish it on the Bard, better by far to be dead.
It was certainly worth discussing with Dorian and equally worth
following up when they could. Still, James couldn't help but feel
that too much was being read into Tamiel's demise. Her position
might have been exposed for any number of reasons. Coincidence
had to remain a possibility otherwise they would rapidly end up
paranoid.
When Meredith broke contact and then moved to resume her scrying, James
scrambled to his feet and crossed to her. Standing behind her, he
starts silently counting to ten, but only gets as far as five.
"Sod this." She is too used to taking punishment upon herself. Like Jack.
Without any further preliminaries James reaches down and, gripping
Meredith around the waist with both arms, lifts her off the floor.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith, does not answer Sir Devlin, her eyes are still close, her
mind elsewhere. More than likely she does not hear him. When James
picks her up the first thing he notices is that she is cold.
It radiates through the layers of clothing, she is beyond the point of
shivering. Her face is pale, lips tinted a slight blue and her hand,
her hand looks grotesque. The once smooth, pale flesh is withered and
blackened with what looks like frostbite.
She comes to her senses as soon as the contact with the stone floor was
broken. Reflexively she pulls her uncovered arm across her chest so it
is not flailing about and does not accidentially touch anything. Her
eyes open and she looks a little disoriented. It takes a few moments
for her to realize what is going on, that someone is holding her up
from behind... that that someone is James. His presence, her elevation,
the cold, it all added up to her messing up. "Sorry" she gets out quietly, lowering her gaze even though she cannot see him.
That is when she sees her hand.
She starts to shake then, her nostrils flare as the panic seizes her
and her breathing grows labored. It is her worst nightmare come true,
the dreaded, hated, despised cold. It made everything worse, she hated
the cold hated it! She took it into herself and it was rotting her flesh. She was
going to lose the hand, the only talent she had, gone from the cold and
then it could spread, her entire body was cold, it was getting colder!!
Useless, she was, she would freeze into ice, an ice sculpture... did
she ever truly exist? There was only cold, cold, cold. A billion years
of cold, eons of coldcoldcoldcold. She cannot stop it, it was in her
veins, the despised cold, killing her slowly from the inside out. James
can feel her actually grow colder, the blue tinge on her lips
darkening. Still she is in a fit of panic, her head shaking out of sync
with the shaking of her body, a repetitive denial even as the black
lines slowly grew, slowly spread past her wrist, crawling up her arm.
She twists, not to get away, but to hide it, hide the cold, hide the
spreading horror. It was consuming her, the cold from the stone,
bitingeatingfreezingrottingkilling!!!
And over it all was the face of a man, him watching the one nightmare he never put her through and smiling. Why did he need to, when she would do it to herself?
It is then that something in her breaks, the panic releases its hold,
and she sags in James's grasp. The wound does not hurt physically, but
still she sobs quietly and tears gather, unshed, in her eyes. What had
she done to herself?
Unseen, the thin lines of the spreading frostbite retreat, once again
only affecting her black and twisted hand. The blue fades from her
lips, and color rises on her cheeks, making it look as if she had only
been out in cold weather rather than freezing to death.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
"She's freezing!" James exclaims in
shock almot immediately upon touching Meredith. He can feel it
even through the thickness of Dorian's cloak.
Never should have let her do it! James curses his foolishness silently. He doesn't allow long for recriminations, however, but starts barking orders.
"I need a large bowl of lukewarm..."
James is so busy talking he barely hears Meredith's quiet
apology. Time for that later. Then Meredith goes into
shock, or so it seems to James, her body and head shaking fitfully; her
temperature, impossibly, falling still further. He shifts one arm
from her waist to her shoulders, supporting her body against his,
trying to stop her from hurting herself. He talks quietly into
her ear, ignoring the occasional clash of heads as she shakes and
twists. "It's okay, I've got you. You're going to be alright."
Finally, the fit passes and Meredith all but collapses in his arms.
"Lukewarm water! I don't care how you get it.
If you have extra clothes or blankets, get them now. Serena,
help, it looks like frostbite!"
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Serena and Dorian have the necessary
magic. This is a world of sorcery, as Dorian has pointed
out. Likely as not, Serena can simply heal her without anyone
noticing.
If not, I will get you the water immediately, James.
Berd begins to slowly bring up his own defenses, preparing in case he
has to get the water...or if Serena or Dorian's assistance sparks some
kind of reprisal.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"What the hell?" Aaron asked, turning from his introspective gaze down
the stairway. When he saw James and Meredith, Aaron shook his head and
sighed.
"Great. Well, I guess you can't have everything..."
He approached James then. "Set her down here," he said, removing his
jacket and laying it flat on the floor of the cave. "How the hell did
that happen? What was she doing?"
Aaron turned to Berd, a curious look in his eyes, though he held in an unasked question.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Still in James's arms, the tears overflow from Meredith's eyes, tracing glistening tracks down her face.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd stares back at Aaron for a long moment, waiting, then turns back
to study Meredith when it becomes obvious there is no question
forthcoming.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
(NPC'd)
Serena crosses the chamber, stopping beside Meredith. Pulling a
towel from her bag, she wraps it around her own hands, then takes the
girl's hand, wincing at the bone-chilling cold which seems to emanate
from it, biting even through the thick fabric. She holds the hand
gently, studying it, turning it in her grasp and inspecting the
blackened flesh.
"I... I'm not sure that I can help this. Not
without risking drawing attention to us. Warm water will do it
though. It does look like frostbite." She shifts her attention then, removing Meredith's shoe, the one with the gaping hole in it.
"Strange. I would have thought her foot would
show signs of it too. Her feet have been in contact with the
floor for much longer than her hand was, and these shoes would provide
no protection."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
After a moment, a small, dancing faerie appears next to Berd, slowly
shimmering into existance. An instant later it vanishes.
Several moments pass, then it reappears on the ground. Before it
sits three bowls - one empty, one full of water, the other full of
steaming, very hot water.
That should suffice...enough to mix to a level
of heat of your satisfaction, Serena. The water is actually from
another world, brought here through the Underflow, and my creation was
small enough to hopefully pass unnoticed.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
(NPC'd)
"Thank you, Berd."
Serena mixes the water, testing the temperature constantly until she is
satisfied. Then she places the bowl near Meredith. "I
want you to put your hand into the water, and hold it there, no matter
what. It might feel like the hand is burning, and I'm telling you
this, so it won't come as a shock and frighten you. It isn't
burning really. It's just the skin waking up. Do you
understand that, Meredith? It won't really be burning."
She smiles, an encouraging smile, "Now, put your hand in the water, and keep it there."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James uses his grip on Meredith to gently coax her into kneeling or
sitting on Aaron's jacket so that she can place her arm in the bowl of
water provided by Serena. He stays with her the whole time,
hoping that his body heat will help break the chill he still feels in
her. He wishes he could do more to help, but he is mindful of
Berd's caution against using Pattern here.
James answers Aaron, "She was using her ability on the octopus sign on the step. Some kind of adverse reaction. I don't know."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith kneels on the jacket, thankful for the seperation between
herself and the cold stone floor. She is coming back to herself,
fragmented thoughts coming together coherently once again. She speaks
through the bridge, her voice as quiet and unassuming there as it is in
person.
Master Berd please, no... but it is
too late, the bowls and water have already appeared. She hopes that the
action did nothing to bring attention to their location and presence on
the world. She elaborates on James's words, more of an
explanation of what happened When I touched
the engraving the cold from the existense of this cave had to be taken
to see back far enough. I did not handle that well and I apologize. I
will be more mindful in the future
Meredith drops from the bridge and slides her hand into the water, her
face a blank mask, her mind now ready to siphon off and
compartmentalize the pain.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
And why, Berd replies to the unspoken protest, do
you think we are here, putting ourselves at risk? To save one of
our own, and to save a world from death. We are all equal here,
Meredith, whatever you might think. The bowls were risky, yes -
but it was the best possible means to quickly find a way to assist
you. Your well-being is no less important to those around you
than Dorian's.
We do not 'trade' lives, one for another of 'greater' value. Such concepts have no meaning, the drake gently states. We risk for Dorian, we risk for Archons we do not even know, and we will risk for you, as well, he finishes, quietly.
While the dragon is curious to see what she has learned, now is not the
time to ask - she will tell them when she is able. Instead, Berd
focuses outward, hunting and searching for any sign that his trifling
act of creation has been noticed by her.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron sighed, shaking his head.
"I know full well, from very painful personal experience, never to mess
with things you don't understand." He flexed his left hand
unconsciously and turned back towards the cavernous entrance.
"We need to go soon." he said, ignoring Berd's statement, but agreeing with in nonetheless.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
Serena walked over to Meredith and drawing her hand out of the water began to examine it closely."How is it feeling now Meredith? I hate to rush you, however,Aaron is correct. We need to be going as soon as possible.
After speaking Serena glanced up at Devlin briefly before returning her
attention to Meredith's hand. As she examined the hand she seemed to be
utterly involved with what she was doing and looking to find.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Relief eases the look of concentration on Meredith's face. The pain is
not as bad as she anticipated based on Mistress Serena's words. It is
tolerable. She is suprised by Master Berd's words, shocked that he
would find her hand and the lives of the group to be equal but she does
not argue or press the issue.
The young woman turns her head, her eyes staring into the flames, watching them
dance while her hand is examined. She links back up with the bridge and answers Mistress Serena there. It is well Mistress Serena, I am ready to depart. Thank you for your help Is her hand really well? Meredith has no clue, but she is not willing to hold up the group over it.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James looks sceptical. His experience with hypothermia and
frostbite lead him to expect a longer recovery time. Still, he
trusts Serena's judgement in such matters.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith soaks in the heat of the fire and it drives away the last
vestiges of the cold induced panic. The tingling in her hand, while
strong, is soothing. It feels good, this sign of heat, especially when
compared to the biting cold of the engraving.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd merely hums to himself, quietly. His thoughts, for the moment, are his own.
He does, however, keep the small faerie around. It already
*exists*, and as such does not cause any ripple in reality. The
little girl flits over to land on his back. Now Dorian has two
passengers. It doesn't change the weight much, though.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
Serena frowned as Meredith pulled her hand away but decided not to
argue with her. After all she was the one who knew how she felt. Just
then Serena got an expression of surprise that one would only have
caught if they happened to be staring right at her before her feaures
smoothed out again.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
There is a sudden gleam of light from beyond the cave, not much, a
faint silver highlight along the edges of the narrow fissure, almost
fainter than the ice-brilliant stars which burn high above.
"Selene." says Dorian, quietly, "Moonrise."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Serena
-----------------------------------------------------------
After a few moments more of gazing at meredith's hand Serena picked up her bag and looking Meredith in the eye said,"There
is still some damage to your hand and all it will take is a poultice
made from herbs and bandages to make sure it heals without
complications. With your permission I would like to apply the poultice
as soon as possible."
Serena then began making up the poultice and taking out bandages as
though Meredith had said yes. Serena could not think of any reason why
she would decline and even something as smallas a hand injury could
prove a problem if they came under attack.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
And we may have a problem. Again. Dorian, is there anything about moonrise that may be special?
Luke has sensed a...change in a nearby World to the Archon's home. He refers to it as a folding.
Perhaps a hyperdimensional fold - take the space between two Worlds,
fold it, and punch a hole to step between. But Dorian cannot be
sensed, cannot be found. Is this possible, Dorian? Is it
within his capabilities, or Hers?
Enough time has been wasted. Dorian's plans may be nearing
fruition. If he is beginning his attack upon the Archon's world,
then Berd must be there to stop him. But...is he?
The little drake lets out a frustrated hiss before sending the tiny,
glowing faerie zipping down the stairs to see what might lie
below. Simultaneously, he begins delegating tasks to other parts
of his conciousness.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance watches with some concern from the sidelines, glancing
uncomfortably down the dark passage. He didn't like this place at all.
He didn't know what exactly had happened to Meredith, but he didn't
like it. In fact, the whole situation was beginning to bother him a bit
too much. He shuffled his guitar forward from his back, using the strap
to rotate it into a playable position. Softly, he began to play. It was
a quiet, comforting tune. It meandered up and down the scale aimlessly,
as if choosing each chord and note on delicate tiptoes, like a child
playing hide and seek.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
Turning back to the others, Dorian says, "I
wish I knew more about this place. Perhaps with some research in a
civilized area, we could learn a bit more. The symbol on the steps must
patch something in the history books."
He watches Serena and Meredith, seeking any opportunity to help a
wounded teammate, but there is none. She is in good hands with Serena.
"No, there is nothing about moonrise that holds any particular
interest-- just memories. At least, nothing I know of. Since I know
nothing of this place..." He shrugs.
"Folding?" Dorian ponders. "No, that is not Dorian, nor his wife. Even if he has manage to upgrade her as he planned, she would lack the experience working with the stuff
of worlds. Her experience is only in the form of sorcery. And if Dorian
can do such folding, he learned it very recently-- or he did not share
it with me. It must be something else. And yet-- the timing is ironic,
is it not? If it is him, it is masterfully executed..." Dorian
brings his thumb and forefinger up to his chin, contemplating. His
voice and expression are that of an admirer viewing a new work of art
from a favored artist.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Mistress Serena's voice seems to jolt Meredith to the cave. She brings
her hand in front of her, finally looking at it. The relief is clear on
her face, but she still seems distracted. The skin looks a bit withered
and dry, but the color is a more normal, if pasty, shade of pale. She
flexes her fingers stiffly, making a fist. An involuntary grunt of pain
escapes her as her fingers twist and tighten into a painful cramp.
Meredith turns her attention to Mistress Serena as she prepares the
poultice while the cramp passes. She would rather get going as Master
Berd suggested, but does not speak out against Mistress Serena, who was
after all trying to help her. Instead Meredith nods and turns her
attention to slowly working on extending her fingers without inducing
another cramp. Her eyes pause on James before bouncing back to her hand.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James stands. The information Berd provides may mean action at a
moment's notice. He would prefer that Meredith had more time to
recover, but, as always, time is a luxury they do not have.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
The cramp passes and Meredith exhales slowly, her shoulders slumped.
She looks at her hand a few more moments before she rises, echoing
James's movement. She starts working on getting things together while
Mistress Serena prepares the poultice so that they can leave as soon as
the healer is finished.
Meredith moves across the cave, keeping her bare hand in front of her,
no longer pressed against the cloak, but in plain sight. She recovers
her glove from the foot of the stairs and tucks it into her belt. She
then retrieves Master Aaron's coat with her gloved left hand and shakes
it out, facing away from the fire, doing her best to remove any dirt
and grime from the stone one handed. She approaches Master Aaron,
pausing a respectful distance in front of him and bows her head,
offering the coat her eyes lowered. Thank you for the use of your coat Master Aaron she says, still using the bridge provided by Master Berd.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd suddenly bows down low on Dorian's shoulder, closing his eyes shut hard.
An instant of sharp pain snaps through the bridging, then fades.
The little dragon's eyes slowly open again, dulled to almost grey.
Too late. I am a fool. The folding
Luke felt may have even been the spell beginning. Dorian has
struck, using the Broken Pattern to guide the path of the spell from a
faraway world. The Archons' world...is no more.
There comes an instant image of incandescence - the image of a world's death, consumed by the power Dorian's magic summoned.
Berd slowly turns his head away, staring down the passage after his faerie creature. And now, it seems, we have time. His mental voice is heavy with sorrow. Only...I fear what Dorian may do next.
Luke has been injured - I do not know how badly. Apparantly
Dorian's magic was potent enough to spawn reflections in nearby worlds.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron closed his eyes, merely nodding to Meredith. His hands were clenched tightly into fists.
"We may not have been able to do anything about it. To level such a force against an entire world takes effort."
Aaron sighed.
"There go our answers. What a waste." Sighing, Aaron turned and retrieved his jacket from Meredith, mumbling a thanks.
"Dorian may be exhausted now and thusly, easier to find. Or am I merely
being optimistic?" he asked the Dorian clone... whom he wanted to punch
straight in the face, he suddenly felt.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Master Aaron retrieves his coat and Meredith barely notices, her mind
stuck on Master Berd's relevation. They had waited too long, how big of
a role did she play in that delay? Her feelings for the Archon world
are mixed, but the reflections in the other, uncontaminated, worlds
trouble her deeply. And Master Luke has been injured. What would happen
to the true Master Dorian when they found him now? Now truly gone
rogue, she silently wondered if he was still considered part of the
group by the others, and is glad for the distraction.
Meredith steps away from Master Aaron, taking her place by the fire
once again, still standing. She pulls the glove onto her right hand,
forcing it into place. This time the cramp does not catch her by
surprise and there is no sign of the pain on her countenance. Once it
is on she massages the hand with her left one, speaking through the
bridge Mistress
Serena, while I highly respect your judgment as a healer, I would ask
that you please save the poultice for Master Luke, he may need it more
than I. Master Berd, is Master Luke able to return here or are we to
fetch him?
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd turns toward Meredith and gives her a sad, non-toothy smile. Keep
the poultice, should you so desire, Meredith. Luke's injuries
cannot be healed by such things - he is more a creature of spirit than
flesh, and it is his spirit itself that was damaged by the forces
unleashed.
For even the spirit is not immune to powers of such great magnitude that they shatter a world.
As for Luke, I believe him capable of returning, but whether he will,
or will search further for Dorian, is unknown. He is furious at
the situation, and the Prince, once enraged, is very difficult to sway
from his goals.
The drake blinks tired eyes, now slowly beginning to burn again. As
for Dorian...if we can find him, perhaps we can make him see
reason. He has committed a grevious crime. But then, so
have I. So have others. The only ones who cannot find
redemption are those who do not seek it.
But it is a hard road.
Aaron, it may not have been the only world upon which the Archons
spawned. And as for Dorian's magic, my thoughts were to disrupt
it in the casting - a tricky situation, but not impossible.
Failing that, a disruption of the gate itself might have been
sufficient to save the world from complete destruction.
Conjecture, regrettably.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
And in the moment following Berd's words, Devlin staggers, and falls to his knees, hands raised to clutch at his head...
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Don't blame yourself, Berd. If Dorian was
capable of using the Broken Pattern to guide his attack home from a
distance then he has abilities none of us fully comprehended.
More than that, the window of opportunity in which to stop him was
vanishingly small."
But I still should have picked it. We knew he had ties to
Amber, how else would he know that other than to have some contact with
a Pattern. And that folding, bringing two places together, like a
planet and the heart of a sun. I thought somebody else would pick
it and now Luke's been injured.
James frustration bubbles to the surface, "Dammit! How could anyone so appalling short-sighted come to rule a planet?
"Except, of course, enormously powerful sorcery." He grimaces as he answers his own question, then sighs.
James' first thought as Devlin goes down is Already?! as his instinctive reaction is that the Archon's retaliation has commenced.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith's eyes shoot to Sir Devlin as he staggers to his knees, his
head in his hands. James's outburst startles her, and she looks at him
briefly, concern and worry on her face, before rushing to Sir Devlin's
side. She kneels to his left, and does not touch him. Instead she
stares at him intently, focusing.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
-----------------------------------------------------------
Devlin first clutches his head, and then rubs it vigorously. ”My own fault.” he says, shaking and still rubbing his head.
He lets himself sit on the floor of the cave, legs crossed, still a bit dizzy. Devlin continues to hold his head, ”It was the bird, there was still a connection. I should have broken it off... Before...”
Devlin just sits there for a moment before lowering his hands. His eyes
are closed and anyone can easily see that he is fighting to control
himself; taking deep breaths through his nose.
When he opens his eyes and stands it is equally easy to see that he is far from pleased. ”If you can communicate with Luke.” Devlin says to Berd, “Tell
him to forget Dorian. He has made his own troubles and we are better
off without fools whose personal vendettas outweigh logic.”
The man looks around at the others, ”As far as returning to the Brizinti(sp?) world, they knew we were there, they know where it is, and it is
logically the first place they will attack. I would like to retrieve
the egg as it may be of use, but the only way that we can get there in
a hurry is by a path that our enemy is sure to be watching; waiting for
us.”
Devlin looks around again at the others, shakes his head, looks at the
stairway descending into darkness. Without saying another word he moves
in that direction and without pausing he begins down the flight of
stairs, adjusting his eyes to the darkness as he goes.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd's attention splits as Devlin falls to his knees - part of it focuses immediately upon the agonized man. Twice
a fool, I! We never thought of his bird...Devlin. Is there
anything I can do to assist? Is it your bird, or something else?
One part of his thoughts turns toward James. It comes as an echo along the bridging, a thought underneath his current concern with Devlin, but no less strong. Rage,
grief, loss, any number of things can cause one to lose one's focus,
James. I know this. I am certain you do as well. The
future is no longer his concern - he wishes to destroy them, now.
What happens next...is unimportant.
And I have been clumsy - so much I should have thought of.
Dorian's Broken Pattern. Devlin's creation. The folding.
Both voice fall silent, though, as Devlin speaks. Berd listens, his shining eyes bright in the darkness.
I am sorry, Devlin. For your bird. There is another pause.
Luke will continue to search for Dorian,
though. He will continue with this, unless stopped. He will
continue to attack, to destroy, and the Archons will strike back.
Dorian must be halted before he destroys more lives. Before....
The little dragon's mental voice trails off, and then he sighs. Before the Archons take revenge. Which they have no doubt already done, if that venue is truly open to them.
I...I will ask Luke to retrieve the egg for us, Devlin. He watches as the man follows his little faerie down the stairs.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith smiles in relief as Sir Devlin returns to himself, released
from the pain, and instantly drops her intense stare. She is still
kneeling close to him and watches from lowered eyes as he gains control
of himself. She also cannot help but notice his displeasure over Master
Dorian. She suspects the group will not agree on how to handle their
fallen comrade. She rises moments after him and watches him descend the
stairs, down into the unknown, the place of infinite sorrow and scant
hope. The place to be complete.
She moves quickly, quietly to follow Sir Devlin, gathering the thick
cloak about her with stiff fingers, anticpating the increased cold. Her
eyes cannot adjust to the dark, but in her mind she has walked this
staircase millions of times. She knows the way.
It does not take long for her slight form to be swallowed by the darkness.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"This is all a blatant afterthought." Aaron said, as angry as Devlin
seemed to be, the man's collapse momentarilly forgotten. "Maybe we can
turn Dorian, maybe not. The big question is: what the hell do we do now?"
Ilsefranvir flickered in the firelight, the wraith within murderously
silent as she sat on her frozen throne, mulling on infinity.
Aaron sighed, needing somewhere to put his new energy. He wanted to
turn around and stride down into the cavern, perhaps daring something
to try to kill him... he hadn't felt like that in a long, long time.
"God. How long was I in that depressing funk? Who the hell was I?" Aaron shook his head at the thought, gripping Ilsefranvir in a tight fist.
"What's next? The Brintizzi may be a good choice, but how can we be
sure? The Archons may have already sacked that world, may be doing it
as we speak... though they must certainly know that Dorian has negated
a piece of their existence. Now is a good time to strike, my friends."
he said, after a moment, his voice a bit calmer. "We must take
advantage of the waves this thrust of Dorian's has made. Our enemies
defenses will only be thicker once their guard is back up."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
-----------------------------------------------------------
Devlin can hear the others speaking. He had heard Berd say that Dorian
would continue. At that moment he did not care. If Dorain was keeping
them busy then they would not be looking for them. Berd had thought
there was some reason they were drawn to this cavern, if so then they
needed to find out why. He was sure the others would discuss it to
death, Devlin needed to do something and if they needed to know what
was below then they needed to know now.
His senses peaking Devlin hears the slight footfalls behind him on the
stairs. He does not have to look back to know who it is. The man holds
his hand out to Meredith, wondering if she will take it in her own,
wondering if she is wearing her gloves, not really caring. "Do you know what lies below?" he asks her.
At the same time Devlin turns his senses on the subject; sight,
hearing, and smell all multiply as he strains to detect whatever is
below and before them.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 06:05, Tue 21 Mar 2006.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Dorian
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Damn." Dorian says. His shoulders slump. He looks fallen. He felt guilty, as if he had done this thing. In a sense, he had. And in a sense, he had not.
The duality of his nature seemed to come to together now. He understood
Dorian's reasons for the attack, his emotions behind the move. He
understood the veneer of fake logic erected to maintain the attack. He
could guess at how Dorian would feel now in this catharsis after his
success.
"Yes, the broken pattern. It is irony that it was Luke that
introduced him to that power, is it not? I'm sorry-- I thought you
understood, when I said he planned to attack from an adjacent world,
that he would do so. And when you said a fold, I didn't understand
until now what it was. It is not like a fold in my perception, though I
can see how it is such, too."
He felt helpless. So much more could have been done. Apparently, Dorian
had attacked from much farther away than even he had thought
originally. It made sense. Given time to plan his strategy, he would
have modified the method after some small research. He should have
guessed. He should have tried harder to out-think his creator. If
anyone could have out-maneuvered Dorian, it was Dorian himself. And why
not? Had the other made sure he wouldn't do so? Had he suspected his
own clone might betray him? Only Dorian would think of such
possibilities.
No. It was unlikely. The truth was he had failed.
He felt sick.
"He is not short-sighted, James. I think you know Dorian better than
that. He is angry beyond reason right now. You remember what he was
like when you met him. Much of what he became-- Cyan was the keystone.
Given time, that new Dorian would have had the strength to stand on its
own, but he was still fragile. Too much of his being hung on
her. She was... well, it's difficult even for me to say; for I speak of
myself at the same time... she was his light. Without here, there is
only darkness. I do not think I err when I say... he-- we-- loved her.
She was his life, in a sense.
But I don't think you understand his darkness. His distraction, should
Berd have found him, was a conjuration of Cyan herself and a host of
Archons to attack her. They would be as real as he could make them. If
Berd had confronted him, he would have made Berd choose between
stopping him and watching Cyan die again. That is the depth of the pit
he founders in-- absolute pain and darkness. He doesn't even fathom
that he would have to watch her die, too. He doesn't care."
And what now? What would Dorian do next? His plan had been to simply
return and pretend nothing had happened, but there were other
possibilities. Had he come to Samhain at all? Had his plans changed?
"I cannot say what Dorian will do now. My memories are of a hasty
plan, and they are not what he follows now. Can Luke tell if any
survived the attack? He may hunt those down-- and he may discover Luke
in the process. I need not say that meeting would go badly, given his
paranoia. Luke may want to back off for a bit. Dorian may seek other
worlds to destroy, hoping to do as much damage as possible before they
destroy him-- for such is not beyond him. He could become the ultimate
suicide bomber, in his state. He could even have another
world-destroying spell tied to his life force-- he's contemplated such
things. A second spell, powered by his life force, holds the spell of
destruction in check. When his life force fails, the first spell is
unleashed....
Berd is right. We need to stop him."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
As Meredith travels, her mind is working on Sir Devlin's exact
question. Until she had explained the impression she had gotten,
actually put the emotions into words, she had not seen it as a puzzle.
Now she did, and her mind whittled away at it. Sadness, hope, prayers,
completeness... the unslaught of sorrow, the flickering of hope,
underlying completeness. The runes, death awaits.
The tentacled creature, carved so long ago, prayers, and sorrow,
everyone who went down came back, only sadder... her mind distracted,
her eyes completely blind in the darkness, she comes across an answer,
of course! It all made sense now... and then she walks right into Sir
Devlin and his outstretched hand.
"Oh!" she exclaims, quickly backing up,
almost tripping over the stairs and extra lengths of cloak in her haste
to retreat. In the dark she dips into a curtsy her tone apologetic and
quiet "My apologies Sir Devlin. I do not know for sure, but I think it may be a tomb" she stands a stair up from him, waiting for him to start to move again,
afraid of rudely running into him again. How thoughtless of her!
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
The music falters and stops. "And can I just say--" He seems at a loss for words. "Hell!
You people are walking around with the power to destroy worlds?
Seriously, can somone explain to me why Luke thought I could help here?
I'd say I want nothing to do with this, but I'm in too deep to back out
now. I guess I really am nothing more than a cheerleader, because this
is a kind of power I can't even fathom."
He shakes his head, still overwhelemed by just how omnipotent his new
comrads seemed, now. Normally, he could use his songs to open a mind to
mind connection with somone, no matter where they were. He didn't dare
do so with this Dorian fellow, who could crush worlds in his rage. It
reminded him of old stories of angry gods smashing entire civilizations
in their wrath-- only a little worse. No, he'd be opening no such
connections with this god. Not that he could force such a connection,
anyway.
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by Devlin
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Take my hand," Devlin says to Meredith, "I
will lead you in the dark so that you do not bump into things. Perhaps
we will find a light of some kind when we reach the bottome so you can
see this tomb."
===========================================================
Re: Part 46 - New day, new roads by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James shrugs slightly and looks away, a gesture of resignation. "You're
right. I don't think Dorian is short-sighted, I just hoped that
having thought it through his self-discipline would be strong enough to
restrain himself from such a foolish venture. I underestimated
his reliance on Cyan, how fragile he was. And I guess I've never
seen him really angry."
"Aaron, I would suggest we wait, follow up our other leads. The
Archons will be buzzing after this attack. They will expect
follow-up attacks, something to capitalise on the destruction while we
have the initiative. But we don't. Anything we tried now
would be lashing out blindly. Pull back. Their readiness,
and the tension that causes after a while, may put them off balance;
cause them to do something stupid.
"In the meantime, let's do what we need to do here, collect the egg,
warn the Brintizzi and then maybe away to Amber. Even if the
Archons know we're there, their ability to retaliate will be limited
and it will feed into their suspicions that a bigger strike is coming."
=========================================================== |
|
