Chapter 30, in which the Adventurers doesn’t follow the doctors orders

Dragon Hunter
The man almost smiled as he heard the news, some doctor had found a group that matched their description. They had been found sleeping, and unwakeable, at the island of Fibula. He had managed to "persuade" a "friend" of his to find out where this doctor lived. He was now outside the doctors house, and knocked on the door...


Tranquillity
Tranquillity awoke with a gasp and sat up in bed. She looked around her and saw her fellow adventurers surrounding her. Each lying on a separate bed. "You won't believe the crazy dream I just had." she said to the others. She stopped and pulled a piece of hair off her tongue. A cat hair... she looked down at her body and saw signs of perspiration and fighting. "It wasn't a dream was it?" she asked and looked around at her companions for confirmation.

"Well... that was a unique experience." she said with a grin. "Sooo... when do we eat? I'm starved."

Red Un
Red Un looked around.

"Seems like there ain't gonna be food for a while..."

He banged on the door again.

"Open up! We were just drowsing off, that was all!"

Meanwhile, the doctor was returning home. The new development in his latest...acquisitions... were quite interesting. As he came closer to his secluded house, he saw that someone was standing outside of it, knocking on the door.

Curses! the doctor thought. Has somebody found out? Is the Thaisan authorities on to me?

He approached slowly.

"Ah...excuse me...who are you?"

Knight Fenix
Fenix awoke with rain splattering his face. He felt older, and his head hurt. He picked himself up and felt around for his bastard sword. It was clung onto his back as he had left it. The book was next to him. He read the title "Adventurous...". The pages were blank. He spiked his hair back up, and looked at himself in a puddle.

"Hey i'm pretty hot..."

Fenix laughed aloud and went in search for another adventure.

Dragon Hunter
As he heard a voice behind him, he quickly spun around, and faced the stranger. "I assume you live here", he said with a cold voice. He stared the man straight into the eyes, and said "I've heard you have found some people sleeping on Fibula. They are friends of mine, and I wish to see them, now." The ring on his finger was of a silver-like colour, though now it had changed to iron grey, and grew darker as he waited for an answer from the doctor...

Braldril
Braldril sat up and shook his head and a wave of thick hair went in every direction. He stood up and stretched his back.

"I agree with Tranquillity. Let's eat!"

Red Un
The doctor sighed.

"Oh, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Those people who you speak of are all dead. I merely found their bodies, and decided to investigate what the cause of death may be. But now they've been buried..."

Then he smiled.

"Say, I'm rather thirsty... would you like to come inside for a... drink?"

Meanwhile, Red Un looked around.

"Hmm... I have a bad feeling about this place..."

Delai
Delai stood up in the room.

"Where are we Red?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it."

"Food? Can we find food in here?" wondered Tranquillity.

Delai grimaced, "Exevo Pan-pizza" and threw the cheesy confection to the starved populace. "We need to get out of this room Red. We're back in Tibia, that's obvious, but where in Tibia are we?"

"I don't know."

Dragon Hunter
As he was a suspicious person by nature, and this doctor seemed a bit… odd, he decided to do something he hadn't done in a while. Barely hearable he whispered "Urish Nagag Erth", while he was looking into the doctors eyes, and after the words where spoken, he saw beyond the eyes, and into the doctors mind, and started to search for information of his friends...


Red Un
Why is this man looking at me in such a strange way wondered the doctor. I need a new soul soon, or I'll go back to dust again. But not this man, he's far too strange for my liking...

The doctor smiled.

"My good sir, I can see that you are baffled to hear that your friends are all dead. I suggest you go back to the city and get some rest. Doctors orders."

Meanwhile, Red Un was messing with the door again.

"No lock...but it's shut tight... anyone got any idea how to get it open?"

Tranquillity
Tranquillity winked at Red Un, "Well if you’re at a loss for ideas I've got a pretty good one." She took out her sword and swung it hard at the door.


Dragon Hunter
Having heard the doctor’s thoughts, his ring grew even darker, almost black. He narrowed his eyes, and with a voice so cold you could think it would make fire freeze, he said "I don't believe you. So why don't you just make it easy on yourself, and tell me the truth, I don't wish to do this the hard way, and you will surely regret it if you go down that path." He could recognize a liar usually, but this man he wasn't sure about. Before he cut off the mental link, the doctor could feel an overwhelming, dark presence. Whatever was in front of him, it was no man, and possibly not of this world. The huge man removed his hand from the sword, and clenched his fists. If this man would defy him, he wouldn't face Algathar, Noroden or Eldared. He would face the force that back home was known by the name of Arodec Darkclaw…


Red Un
The doctor backed away, visibly scared.

"I'm... very sorry... I don't what you're... talking about..."

Then he suddenly stopped.

Such a powerful being must have a powerful soul!

He suddenly stretched out his hand.

"You should always follow the doctors orders..."

His hand started to shine, and a beam reached out and touched Arodec on his head. The soul-transfer was beginning...

Meanwhile, there wasn't much left of the door. Red Un grinned.

"I guess that was the most obvious solution. Let's go!"

He walked out into a torch-lit corridor.

"My dwarven senses tells me that we're not very far below ground..."

Dragon Hunter
Arodec felt a sharp pain inside, and the ring turned black. Before the doctor was sent flying backwards he got a taste of an awesome power. "Bad move" Arodec said, with a voice sounding as if it came from the depths of hell. His skin started to turn black, and was forming into scales, and wings grew on his back. His hair seemed to disappear, and his dark green eyes were changing shape, and now they were only dark green (no whites or pupils). He stopped when he was around five meters tall, and now he looked like some kind of dragon-man. His black scales were covered with silver and golden patterns, and his cold dark green eyes were focusing at the doctor. He said, "One last chance, mortal. Tell me the truth, and I will spare your pathetic life!". If he could, he would have smiled. He hadn't taken battleform in what felt like an eternity...


Tranquillity
"Then let’s get above ground!" said Tranquillity. "I can't wait to feel some fresh TIBIAN air again. It's surprising how much you miss things like that." Tranquillity stepped through what remained of the door and followed Red Un down the corridor.

Red Un
The doctor stumbled away from the beastly figure before him.

"Must...have...souls..."

He fumbled with the door to the house and got it open.

Those fools sleeping below will make easier prey… I'll deal with that abomination later...

Meanwhile, Red Un walked through the dark corridor. There were many doors along the walls, and all of them had simple switch-locks. Red Un opened one and looked inside...

...and then rapidly closed the door again.

"Those poor people... or what's left of them..."

Dragon Hunter
He quickly shrunk back to human form, he couldn't afford half of Thais seeing him like that. He drew his blade and gave chase. Who, or whatever the doctor was, he had no doubt he had either harmed Arodecs friends, or was keeping him from them. It really didn't matter which one it was, he would give this man a painful end once he got his hands on him...

Delai
"So Red Un, do you dwarf senses tell you where we'll pop up when we get above ground again?" Delai asked. "Because I for one am not ready to fight my way through a dragon's nest."

Red Un looked at her as he shut the door. "Those poor people, or what's left of them," he muttered.

"Errm, they're dead?"

"Yes, they're... dead."

Delai looked back at him, to the door again, and walked towards it bracing herself as she went, Red Un grabbed his arm. "Don't put yourself through it, it's over for them."

"I'll stay outside, provided you give me a brief description of what happened to those victims."

Red Un
"Well... they look like they've been turned inside-out, and then back again. And the look on their faces... pure terror..."

The doctor descended the stairs, and noticed that there were voices coming from the basement.

What? They're awake?

He realised that he was surrounded, on one side an angry dragon-creature-thing, and on the other...who knew?

Dragon Hunter
He was closing in on the doctor as he rushed down the stairs. Then he suddenly heard the voice of Red Un, and the doctor seemed to react to it as well. Arodec raised his left hand, and from his fingers a bolt of dark energy shot out and hit the doctor in the back. It was a weak spell, but it at least wouldn't drain him in the way more powerful spells would, and while it wasn't likely kill his prey, the pain would probably slow him down...

Red Un
The bolt hit the doctor and flew right trough him. He stumbled again, and was visibly bleeding, not just from the hole in his chest, but from numerous other wounds that seemed to appear. Then he saw Red Un.

Ah... a half-breed always has good soul...

He stretched out his hand again, and the beam hit Red Un, who suddenly froze. The doctor shivered.

"Must...have...souls..."

Dragon Hunter
He was relieved when he first saw Red Un, but that changed as he saw the beam. He rushed up behind the doctor, and made a diagonal slash across his back, hoping to kill him, or at least to take his attention away from Red...

Namaru
The attack didn't phase the doctor at all and all his attention was still fixed on Red Un.
"Adevo Res Flam."
The doctor screamed as he was consumed in soulfire and his attention was turned towards a newcomer.
"Uh-oh" Namaru said to himself as the doctor advanced on him. "this isn't good."


Darkness Fall-ll
Katherine could barely open her eyes. The noise that were going around her, hasn't made her realised whether she's back to Tibia or still in Dreamland...

"Guys, Are we back or not?!" Katherine questioned.

But, her fellow team mates seemed to be obsessed with a person. He seemed like a doctor... Katherine tried to get up, but her body were too weak to make big movements.

Delai
Delai looked at the 'doctor' as he burst into flames. He turned toward the new entrant into the battle, and Delai ran from the area toward Katherine, who was still on the floor in the room at the back of the hall.

"Exura sio Katherine" Delai muttered, shivering. I'm gonna need to find food somewhere soon, or there's not going to be anymore magical power left in me, he realized.

Knight Fenix
"Exiva "Red Un..."

Fenix walked in the direction of what his mind told him. He was now walking in-between the mountain path.

"Now I'm clueless...where'd they go...?"

Dragon Hunter
When he saw the doctor getting engulfed in flames he started to focus his energy. His sword hadn't hurt him, but his spell had. He sheathed his blade, and held out both his hands against the doctor. This was going to hurt, but it was going to hurt the doctor even more, he thought. He narrowed his eyes, and spoke a single word. A storm of dark energy shot out from his fingers, and hit the doctor with tremendous power. Arodec stumbled and fell unconscious to the floor...

Red Un
The doctor, under heavy attack from all sides, released his grip on Red Un who stumbled backwards and fell.

Then he (the doctor) started moving around and around as more and more wounds opened and a scream of sheer terror and pain emitted from his bleeding throat. He spun faster and faster, until he was merely a blur, and then, in a flash of blue light, he collapsed inwards, sending blood splattering all over the place. Red Un got on his feet.

"Yuck...icky..."

Then he heard strange screams of terror from the locked rooms that ended with sighs of relief. The dead had gotten their souls back and could now rest in peace.

And then the house started to rumble.

"Uh...I think we'd better get outta 'ere. Grab those who're still asleep and get goin'!"

Darkness Fall-ll
The horrified scream managed to prevent Katherine from falling into yet another slumber, as Whisky used its beak and broke the leather straps that were holding Katherine down.

"Ah! Finally, I'm able to move! Thanks old pal!" Katherine stretched out her arms and legs and gave Whisky a good pat on its head.

But her small celebration was short as the house they were in started to rumble, signalling a collapse of the house.

"Uh...I think we'd better get outta 'ere. Grab those who're still asleep and get goin'!" Red Un's voice rang through the whole house.

Acknowledging it, Katherine quickly grabbed her backpack which was under the bed she was lying just moments ago, and followed Red Un towards the exit.


Dragon Hunter
He hated when this happened. He appeared unconscious but was actually wide awake, just that his body was too exhausted to do anything except breathing and keeping his heart beating. He could hear how the house started to come down. With great effort he managed to whisper the words "Ashaki Karakh", and a healing light surrounded his body. He could feel how some of his powers where coming back, but it wasn't much. He managed to crawl up on his feet, and started to slowly climb the stairs, but fell down on his knees half-way up...

Vodok
Vodok, who was glad to finally be able to rest his legs decided to stay behind with the sleeping people. He was chomping away at a large ham and gulping down some water at the same time. After choking a few times he decided to stop eating and went out to the rest of the group just in time to see a bleeding, burning person disappearing. "This is Tibia, righ'? We en't dead are we? Where are we?" Vodok started shooting out questions just for attention but nobody seemed to notice. So Vodok walked up to Red Un. "Can't we rest?" Vodok whined.

Red Un
"Ya can rest when we get outta here, Vodok!"

He grabbed the seemingly unconscious Dragon Hunter and dragged him up the stairs. The door to the outside laid just ahead.

Small pieces of the roof started to fall, and the walls looked dangerously unstable all of a sudden...

Darkness Fall-ll
Katherine rushed back to grab Tujex, who was still unconscious from all the rumbles that were going around him.

"GOSH! You're one deep sleeper and one darn heavy asshole!" Katherine complained to herself as she placed Tujex over her shoulders and headed for the exit.

With Tujex on her shoulders, Katherine's movement was certainly slowed down a lot. The support of the house grew more and more unstable as the seconds went by.

"KARR!" Katherine looked to her left, and saw Whisky transformed into a White Shield and blocked a falling pillar.

"Tha… Thank you!" Katherine said, gasping for air.

Master, no time for thanks, the house will collapse any minute now! We need to get out of here FAST! Whisky warned, as it floated around Katherine to block off any falling objects.

Looking in front, Katherine saw Red Un climbing up a flight of stairs.
"That must be the exit!"

Tranquillity
"Grab those who're still asleep and get goin'!" Red Un shouted.

Tranquillity nodded, she turned back and followed Katherine into the room where the others were. She saw Katherine grab Tujex and lift him onto her shoulders as she did the same with Bradril.

They both rushed out of the room and hurried after Red Un. Tranquillity ran as fast as she could under Bradrils weight but wasn't sure whether she would be able to make it out in time, she could see the walls and the ceiling begin to crumble all around her...

Delai
"Grab those who're still asleep and get going!" came Red Un's cry. Delai forced herself up as the unsteady floor shook and the very roof threatened to collapse above them. Katherine had hoisted Tujex up and was moving, Tranquillity was starting to run, she checked the room, nobody left in it but her and the roof that was starting to fall. "Great," she said. "UTANI GRAN HUR" she said, feeling the massive drain that the spells were putting on her body she sprinted forward, towards the stairs in front of her. Katherine was nearing them with Tujex on her back and Tranquillity was bearing Braldril.

A huge boulder began to break from the ceiling, threatening to crush Delai. "EXORI VIS!" she said as daystars swam before her eyes from the energy loss and the behemoth rock burst into pebbles. She turned to Tranquillity as they ran, "Do you ever find yourselves in a place where rest is not a crime punishable by death?"

Red Un
Red Un threw the door open, as a strange green mist started to surround the building.

"I don't like the look 'o this..."

He rushed away from the house, hoping that the others would follow...

Tranquillity
"Not... for... awhile." gasped Tranquillity in response to Delai's question.

Tranquillity reached the base of the stairs and stumbled. She recovered herself and began attempting to climb the stairs, just concentrating on lifting one foot at a time.

Knight Fenix
Fenix crashed into Red Un with a hug.

"Hey Mr. Undersoor look at me now! I finally found you...where are the others? And what is that weird looking fog?!"

Dragon Hunter
He slowly started to regain his strength, and could now at least open his eyes. He saw Red Un carrying him, and he made an attempt to smile, and said with a very weak voice "Thank you, my friend." He started to regenerate his strength faster and faster, though he was still weak...

Red Un
"I don't know what that fog is, but I hope the others can get outta there in time..."

Red Un looked over to Fenix.

"Hey! Where've ya been all this time?"

Darkness Fall-ll
Carrying Tujex on her shoulders, who weighted like a ton, Katherine finally made it to sunlight. Exhausted, Katherine accidentally dropped Tujex on the ground.

"Ops! I hope that fall didn't hurt Tujex too much..." Katherine gave a silly laugh.

Seeing that only few of the team mates have escaped from the underground building, Katherine called over to Fenix and Red Un, who were standing just a feet away from her, though a pale green mist lowered the visibility.

"Hey Guys! We need ropes to help the others out before the underground Collapses!" Katherine, placing on emphasis on the word "Collapses".

Already, Katherine was standing at the exit of the door, giving assistance to any beings that might pop out from the exit. Sounds of pillars, walls and rocks falling and crushing everything continued below her in the near darkness.

Red Un
Red Un saw Katherine emerge from the building and dropping Tujex. Then she seemed to yell something, but there was some kind of strange distortion.

"...Guys!... need.. to ...others... before... Collapses!"

Red Un just waved his hand.

"Uh...yeah! Whatever you said! But I ain't comin' close to that building again!"

Tranquillity
Tranquillity was only ten meters away from the exit when suddenly a large chunk of the ceiling broke off and landed right next to her, shattering. Pain flared across her leg and side as rock shards embedded themselves into her leg. She gasped at the pain but couldn't stop, she knew that if she did it would be the end of her as well as Bradril.

She somehow managed to make it the last 10 meters to the exit and stumbled out, falling on the ground. She rolled Bradril off her shoulders and rolled over onto her side so she could examine the damage done by the shattering rock.

She grimaced at the sight. She knew that it would be unwise to heal the cuts until the rock was cleaned from them but the pain was nearly unbearable. Faintly she called out, "Is there... water... nearby?"

Tujex
When Tujex hit the ground, he snorted and wiped his nose with his sleeve. The half demons eyes slowly opened and he climbed to his feet. "What the heck...?" he muttered as he stared into the collapsing house. He looked to see Tranquillity and Braldril lying inside the house. "Hey!" he screamed as his eyes began to glow dark green. In a matter of seconds his inner demon, Ikozura, was unleashed. He flew into the house, knocking falling rocks and wood away with his claws. He snatched Tranquillity from the ground, and picked up Braldril in the other hand. His demon wings spread and he began hovering above the ground. He lunged forward, spinning out of the door, and transforming back into his elven form as he reached the others. He landed on his side, Braldril rolling off somewhere, and Tranquillity still in his arms. He sat her down and looked to see if everyone was there. "Thanks... to whoever dragged me out of that house," he said as he noticed the look on Katherine's face. "I'm guessing that was you..." he said with a smile. He started to say something, but realized it might offend her. And the thought of what happened last time he offended her kept him from doing so.


Red Un
"Tujex! Ya have to get back there and help the other before the house collapses, and worse, is wiped away from time!"

Red Un looked down at Tranquillity.

"That's a nasty wound ya got there. Guess you'll have to clean it..."

He looked around, and saw that there was a river nearby. They were actually quite close to Greenshore.

"Be right back!"

He ran towards the river.

Meanwhile, the house wasn't just breaking down, it seemed to start to become less tangible as well, as if it was a disappearing shadow...

Tujex
"Alright, I'm going!" he exclaimed as he shifted back into his demon form. He raced towards the house, standing the doorway and shouting "Who else is in there..." He slowly stepped into the house, and began scanning the area for any sign of anyone.


Red Un
Red Un got to the river and took out an old rag he always carried around. He dipped it into the water and went running back to Tranquillity.

"Uhm... I'm not sure how to do this...perhaps it would be better if ya did it yourself."

He handed the wet rag to Tranq.

Tranquillity
Tranquillity ripped off a part of her shirt and used it to stop the flow of blood, then when Red Un handed her a wet rag she took it and used it to clean the wound and remove the small pieces of rock in the cut. Once this was done she set took out a blue rune from her bag and placed it beside her. She then set her teeth and pulled out the large shard of rock from her side. She gasped from the pain but immediately pressed the rune to the wound. The rune began to disintegrate as the wound began to heal over. This done she took out some small green leaves from her bag and chewed and swallowed them as a precaution against infection.

The pain was beginning to recede and she looked up towards the others, "Having a healer for a mother comes in handy sometimes."

She looked back down at the wound which had reduced itself to a rather nasty looking scab. "I'll have to get rid of that later when I can find some elf root." she muttered to herself.

Red Un
In a dark room somewhere sat a number of hooded men around a large table, discussing. Suddenly, the door to the room flew open and another robed man came rushing in.

"He's alive! The half-dwarf's alive!"

Many of the people around the table rose and everyone talked to each other in upset tones.

"He's out of the Dreamland?"

"...Impossible..."

"Damn that luck, damn it..."

"But how? But how?"

"He knows too much..."

"Damn that luck, damn it, damn that luck..."

Then the man sitting in the middle lifted his hand.

"Silence."

Everyone fell silent and sat down. The man in the middle sighed.

"So. We have tried magic. We have tried monsters. We have tried nature itself. We have cheated, we have lied, we have murdered, and still this half-dwarf has evaded our every attempt. Not only that, he has taken down quite a few of our best members."

He paused. The others grumbled silently. He resumed.

"But there is one thing left. There is the girl."

The other mumbled in exited voices.

"The girl!"

"But he doesn't know..."

"Too dangerous..."

"Too much at stake..."

"Silence. The girl it shall be."

Meanwhile, Red Un was starting to get worried about the house. It was possible to see through it now.

Knight Fenix
"Mr Undersoor... (pant-pant)… you run too much..."

Fenix sat down on the ground and looked at what Red Un was staring at.

"Spooky eh? Reminds you of those times o..."

Fenix ranted on as the house became clearly invisible.

"…and the candy corn was so sweet that you could...Mr. Red?"

Fenix looked up at the little dwarf and pondered what was on his mind.

Dragon Hunter
He could feel the strength returning to his limbs, and was now strong enough to stand, and the process kept increasing its speed. He gave a suspicious look to the people nearby, and turned to Red saying, "You seem to have made some changes to the group, are they worthy the benefit of trust?"

Darkness Fall-ll
"HA! Tujex, I guess that fall really knocked you back from reality..." Katherine giggled to herself...

But jokes aside, causalities were serious on the team, as several team members were attending to several injured adventurers who managed to narrowly escape the rumble.

Katherine went around, checking if everyone's alright.

Red Un
Red Un hoped that Tujex could get the others out before the house collapsed or disappeared, or both.
Tranquillity
"DELAI!? Did she get out!?" Tranquillity shouted.

Delai
Delai stood in the chamber below the rest of the party. "Oh, this is peachy." She looked at where the shaft had been, and muttered: "exori vis". The sealed chamber above her created a small opening, too small to fit a human through, but large enough to let some light in. "Utevo res ina rat" she said as nearly the last of her mana left her. She climbed through the hole in her new form and as she changed back she found Tranquillity yelling back at the hole to see if Delai had made it back up. "So, what happened?" asked Delai.

Darkness Fall-ll
Suddenly, that name "Delai" struck a bell in Katherine's mind.

"Delai... Delai... Delai... Why does this name sound so familiar yet so distance?" Katherine asked herself.

Before she could ask anything, most probably regarding about who the heck Delai was, a rat crawled out from a small opening just to the left of Tranquillity and transformed itself back to human.

"EEK!" Katherine screeched when she saw a rat turning back to a human. She immediately swung her staff towards the human, the Serpent head of her staff stopped just in front of the throat.

"WHO ARE YOU!?" Katherine threatened. "Speak! Before I thrust my staff through that small throat of yours!"

Red Un
Red Un grabbed the staff and pushed it downwards.

"Hey, it's just Delai. Nice move there, turning into a rat to get out and all."

The Doctor's house was now disintegrating totally, and as it finally collapsed, it also disappeared completely in the green mist. And then the mist disappeared as well. All that was left was some mossy and overgrown ruins, as if the house had been destroyed thousands of years ago.

And it had.

Red Un yawned.

"Well, I suggest we go to Greenshore and find some place to rest. Let's go!"

He started to walk towards Greenshore, enjoying the fact that he was finally back in Tibia.