Rahsas sat in the darkened chamber to which they were brought to after Robyyn's accusations, quietly discussing this latest bombshell with Gomurr. He knew in his heart that he wasn't a killer, but all of the evidence pointed to him. He remembered the old one, and the day of his death, and the staff making a sickening thump each time it struck his ancient body. He even remembered holding the old man's dying body, his life blood flowing out over his own still childish hands. Something was still escaping him though......WHY COULDN'T HE REMEMBER!!!!!
Gomurr looked over into Rahsas' eyes, "Rahsas, there is no need for you to worry. We will find a way to get home, and then all of this foolishness can be forgotten. If this is indeed your home, and what Lady Robyyn says is true, I'm sure that there were circumstances that she failed to mention."
Rahsas looked back at Gomurr and said, "Master, there is no doubt in my mind, that this is where I come from, but there is serious doubt in my mind about Robyyn. She seems to know all the answers, but speaks in riddles and half truths."
"I know this well," returned Gomurr. "and that fact worries me a great deal. While speaking with her, I began thinking about her guards and servants, the means by which we were brought here, and my own inability to draw on the Crimson Dawn. She has shown great mystical abilities, and seems to be hiding even more power. I believe it is she that blocks my powers. Were my abilities up to par, I would probably be able to get us home. What of your shadowgate power, has it returned?"
"No sir," Rahsas answered. "It is like you said before, somehow, I am being blocked. What can we do? She is so powerful and outwardly means us no harm, but what can she gain by keeping us here?"
"I don't know, Rahsas," whispered Gomurr, "but I'm almost frightened to find out."
Just then the doors to the chamber slid open and the guards with the soulless eyes entered.
"Lady Robyyn demands your presence in the grand auditorium.......Follow us!" boomed the guards in unison.
Gomurr, Rahsas, Jam, Rita and Bux all followed, feeling like lambs being led to the slaughter. When they entered they saw the Lady Robyyn sitting on a crystalline throne in the center of what can only be described as a room made entirely of mirrors. The room itself was a pyramid with a floor that was also mirrored. When the doors shut behind them there was no evidence that they ever existed, for they too were mirrored. The whole thing, despite it's brightness and beauty, was maddening to look at. Every where you turned you saw yourself looking back. Gomurr felt that it was some sort of elaborate spider web with them trapped in the center.
"Welcome my good travelers," Lady Robyyn cooed. "I must apologize for my outburst earlier. I was highly agitated and realize now, to argue the point of guilt or innocence is useless. I can produce no evidence to the fact that Rahsas is guilty, and you can produce none to say he is not. Thus, we are at an impasse, so I shall not mention it again. Now, I promised gifts to you earlier when we met, and gifts you shall have."
With that, Lady Robyyn slapped her hands together quickly and the doors slid back open. In strode several servants with the same white on white eyes of the guards. They were all carrying large cushions in their arms with small ornately carved boxes resting in the center. The final servant to enter carried a large almost black staff with an ornately carved head piece. All the items were deposited at the feet of Lady Robyyn, and she dismissed the servants as soon as they had placed their burdens there.
"Please step forward one by one and accept your gifts as tokens of respect and friendship," said Lady Robyyn in a highly ceremonial voice.
Gomurr was the first to approach.
"For you my ancient comrade, I give the gift of knowledge. I see in your eyes a curiosity about this place and it's history, so I give to you an ancient script detailing the genesis of my kingdom," Robyyn intoned as she gave Gomurr a gigantic book bound in thick green leather, and closed with golden hinges.
Rahsas was the next to approach. He almost cringed at the though of taking a gift from this woman who believed he had killed their mentor, but he wasn't about to deny her this seemingly important ceremony.
"For you, brother of my heart," she hissed sarcastically, "I offer this fine staff made from the trees that once grew in abundance here, but now are almost nonexistent. I fear my touch does not bring about the growth of nature like that of our master. May the strong wood of this staff keep you on the path of goodness you now tread."
Rahsas looked at the staff and noticed that the head piece was an intricately carved snake's head. The detail was incredible and it looked as if it could come to life at any moment. When he took it in his hand, he felt that it should signify something, yet he didn't know what. He also didn't fail to notice the implications of the snake imagery.....THERE IS A SERPENT AMONG US came to mind.
"Now come ladies, allow me to offer you gifts, that though can never be as beautiful as you, can accent that beauty," Lady Robyyn purred.
Rita was first to receive the gift.
"Child of the gypsy heart, I give you this ring. May it's fiery shine serve to remind you that beauty and strength of will are your greatest gifts."
Rita looked at the huge ruby ring Robyyn placed in her hand. She looked at Gomurr for an instant, and at his approval slipped the ring on. Next came Jam.
"To you, child of song, I give this balisset. May it's music serve to remind you to follow the song of your heart."
With this said, Robyyn handed Jam a small guitar that was intricately decorated with precious jewels and golden scroll work. The instrument itself was almost half the size of a standard guitar but produced a deep soulful strumming noise as it's strings were touched.
Finally Bux approached the throne. Lady Robyyn's eyes narrowed at her coming.
"Come child, I have saved a very special gift for you. You are as much sister to me as any I have ever met. Our similarities of appearance are an indication of a bond we share that transcends time. Take this trinket, with my blessing."
Robynn gently placed a small golden chain around the neck of Bux. At the end of the chain was a simple crystal pyramid. It seemed slightly plain compared to the ornate gifts the others had been given, but if Bux's immediate bow and smile was any indication, she was highly pleased.
With the ceremony completed, the travelers were allowed to return to their quarters. Each began examining their gifts almost as soon as the doors were closed behind them. All present expected some sort of treachery within each offering, but none was found. Finally Gomurr gave up and begin to thumb through the ancient script he had been given. The others, exhausted from the last few days drifted off to sleep even though it was only mid-day................except for Bux, who lay awake slowly rubbing the pendant around her neck and whispering to herself. The crystal glowed ominously and in another chamber Robyyn knew the child was almost hers.
Deadpool awoke with a bass drum pounding in his brain. So this is what it felt like to be time phased....not an experience he'd care to repeat. He immediately began trying to revive Siryn, who finally sat up, complaining of the headache that Deadpool knew so well.
"What happened Wade," Siryn moaned.
"It was that little minx of a pawn, that Nem has. She used her time pulses to displace us for a split second causing our nervous system to shutdown," Wade explained.
"Well, we'll see who laughs last when I get my hands on her.....I'll scorch her good," Siryn said.
Deadpool helped Siryn to her feet and they begin to walk toward the main buildings of campus. Deadpool pondered to himself. It wasn't normal for Gregor just to leave his back-up team high and dry, even if they had been taken out pretty early in the game. Something was going on here that they didn't know about yet. As they approached the central garden courtyard they saw Nem, Nytshade, Gregor and Blink staring blankly into space as if listening to the wind. Psi-Shot still sat on the ground, but had the same blank look on his face.
"Something not quite kosher is goin down here," whispered Siryn.
"I know what ya mean, babe, and with heavy hitters like that all spazzed out, it's something major league bad. I'd say it's time to call in some reinforcements," Deadpool whispered back.
At that moment, Deadpool noticed that Siryn too was beginning to behave strangely. She seemed to be struggling to comprehend some completely horrible and alien image. Her eyes glazed over and then a grimace would pass over her face. At one of these odd emotional changes, Siryn let out an ear piercing scream.
"Run Wade," she screamed, "He's going to make me hurt you. He can't get to you for some reason, so he wants you dead.....RUN NOW."
Deadpool didn't know who "he" was, but things were starting to make sense. It had to be a telepath of incredible power to take out Nem and Psi-Shot and to break through the psi-baffles that they both wore. Lucky for Deadpool, the Weapon X program that had provided him with his crude healing factor also had proofed him against psi-attack. Somehow his healing factor was fighting off the telepathic probes, and although his head throbbed and pounded with the effort, his thoughts were still his own.
At first, he looked at Siryn in shocked silence, but when she fired her first flame blast at him, he realized that she meant business. At the same moment he back flipped away from the scorching heat of her blast, a kinetic energy projectile courtesy of Gregor, a psi-dagger from Psi-Shot, as well as one of Blink's pulse bolts struck the ground in front of him. What was going on......they were all asleep on their feet just minutes ago..and now they are blasting away at him. Deadpool knew he had to get out of there or he was a goner, and having been in combat situations almost his whole life, he sprang into action.
The first thing Deadpool did was to take Siryn out of the fight. He couldn't risk killing her, if the others forced him into using more lethal methods. She was quick and agile and her fire blasts were at highest intensity, but he was faster and had taught her everything she knew about combat. With a grace almost lyrical, he back flipped again and landed behind her. He then knocked her unconscious with a single stroke across the back of her neck. As she collapsed, he scooped her into his arms and ran for the nearest cover. He knew he couldn't take on all of these people, but he also knew he couldn't let her fall back under the influence of whatever held the others. There was only one chance of escaping.
Deadpool ran toward the spot where they had parked the cars. Gregor's energy bolts seared the earth around him. The smell of ozone was hot in his nostrils. Just as he reached his humvee, a teleportal opened in front of him and out leaped Blink and Psi-Shot. Blink was as fast as her namesake, but Deadpool was faster. A sharp uppercut across the bridge of her nose sent her wheeling into darkness.
"That's for the pulse bolt earlier, little girl," laughed Wade, "and as for you young man, this is for not treating your elders with the respect they deserve."
With this, Deadpool back-kicked Psi-Shot in the head. The young psi's neck snapped back and, although he fought to maintain his hold on awareness, was soon sleeping the troubled sleep of the defeated. This left only Gregor. He could hear the roar of Gregor's afterburner blast field as he tossed the unconscious Siryn into the passengers side seat.
"Just got one shot with this, better make it a good one," Deadpool thought.
He activated the vehicles engines and pushed a few keys on it's onboard computer. He knew there was no way to take on Gregor with physical force. His blast shield protecting him from all harm while it was activated. But Gregor himself had helped him design the arsenal that he now prepared. With a final key stroke a liquid cannon sprang from the back hatch. Much like the high pressure sprayers used by policeman to control riots, the liquid cannon sprayed out a stream of thick yellow fluid that on contact with air became resin-like and extremely sticky. The jet of liquid caught Gregor in the chest and immediately began to stretch and stick to his blast shield. As the resin spread, the blast shield, which was usually almost invisible, became more like a sticky bubble with Gregor inside. When Gregor touched down, the resin anchored him to the ground and he was momentarily trapped. Deadpool knew this wouldn't hold him for long, so he took the opportunity to make good his escape. He had to find some help.......but where?
"DAMN!" shrieked the Shadow King.
He should have sent them all after the tainted one. How Amal Farouk missed the day when all minds were his to command. Those were days when no one could stand against the might of the shadow king. No one held the mutated genetics, the mental conditioning or the technological magics that prevented his entry into their psyche, but even now, in this time of super-mutants and silicon chip psi shields, there were ample minds with such delicious emotions on which he could feed. What harm could one mind-twisted mutant do? He couldn't have spared the two wenches, even for a moment. He needed Nem and Nytshade to open the dimensional pathway. His sharp fingers sliced through their ripe psyches...twisting pain centers.....and promising the soothing release of the pleasure hormones when they completed their task. These two puppets who held such hate for one another were now working in perfect unison thanks to his guiding touch, but they must work faster......for he knew.....deep within his black heart that the escapee would bring others, and even his power had limits.