November 601
11-21-601 (Wednesday)
What is it with all these 'rituals' that aren't rituals?
First the one in Tyrangel, which ended up with Meissen chomping my head off, and
now this one to take us to the Golden City. Cleo said it wasn't a real ritual,
and maybe she is right, after all no components were used, but I still don't
think I like them much. Tinker found out that this ritual would open a portal to
take us to this city, so he didn't want to go. I don't blame him, the Queen in
this place can supposedly turn you to gold with but a touch. Cleo told me that
she needed Tinker to go, and then everyone else agreed, so I got stuck hitting
him in the head (This is the SECOND time I've had to do this for everyone). He
went down like a felled tree, and wouldn't that be our luck. Just as Tinker hit
the ground, we get attacked by some random creatures. We shoved Tinkers body in
the middle of all of us so he didn't get hurt. That would be my luck, wouldn't
it? Well, we fought those things off, and were preparing for this
not-really-a-ritual when a man I had seen earlier asked where Tinker was. Well,
he was at my feet of course, but I didn't believe this guy had the best
intentions for my brother. Thank goodness it was dark already, so I directed the
man toward the bar, hoping Cleo could finish before he returned. All the while,
I was kicking Tinker closer to the middle. Hehehe, I thought it was kind of
funny...tricking that guy anyway.
Cleo had us repeat a few words with her and give up
some of our blood (did I mention that I don't think I like these rituals
either?), and when she finished, a portal appeared nearby. We all went through,
pushing Tinker with us, and on the other side was as she said...a city made
entirely of gold. Well, not entirely... Large gems adorned the outer walls that
surrounded it, but otherwise, the city would most likely blind someone during
the day. I was calculating about how much of that gold I could carry back when I
heard Cleo warn everyone..."If you take anything back with you through the
portal from the city, ANYTHING, even the smallest pebble, you will be turned to
gold on the other side." So I stopped that train of thought. Sure, I'd be
pretty, but knowing my friends, they'd break me apart and sell off my innards.
No thank you...
We were there looking for sand of some kind. Golden sand... I
was still thinking how we'd get that out of the city without becoming a statue
ourselves, but that was why we were there and since the portal had already
closed behind us, we might as well look, yes? We broke up into two groups. Cleo,
and her group went to find the sand. I went with Kiril and some others to find a
way to return home. after several hours and some rather nasty fights later, we
met up again. Cleo, it seemed, had found her sand, and we had found a way to
return home.
The portal stood open before us. We were ready to leave,
eager to get out of this place. Everyone but Tinker... He hates going through
portals... I know that's ridiculous...portals...but he does, so Kiril paralyzed
him to make getting him through that much easier. We took the gold sword out of
his hand that he'd been using (that would have been a close call) and shoved him
through. I went after and then Kiril, and the others. What I saw on the other
side though, took my breath away. There stood Tinker, in the position he had
been paralyzed in, but made entirely of gold. NO! That couldn't be right. We
took the sword from him! Crap, that must have meant he had something else as
well. The others were in shock as well. They took him quickly to our cabin so
they could begin a DFM. I fought with them, but in the end, Dusty took me to the
tavern so I would not have to be nearby. I was sick the rest of the night.
Tinker was having a 'real' ritual done on him because we were dumb and didn't
search him for anything else. Blah... My dreams were restless that night.
11-22-601
(Thursday)
This night was incredibly stressful. Kiril was to face one of the wolf pack who
had gone over to Gulsoth. They were to duel to the death. As if I could stand by
and watch that happen... Well, I didn't. The plan was to hide nearby and wait.
If anything went wrong, I would run in and do what I could...which is usually
not much, but at least I would try. Anyway, I crept into the woods and took up a
position nearby where the fight would be. It was dark and the forest full of
shadows, so this was easy. Tinker was close as well, and Dusty somewhere behind
me. They were the only ones I had seen, though I knew everyone else was most
likely nearby as well. Kazzander was with Kiril, maybe for support, I do not
know, but there he was. I couldn't see very well from my position, so I began
creeping forward to get a better view. My journey was cut short at the sight of
several undead walking up the trail with Eldar, the betrayer of the wolf pack.
Words were exchanged, and the duel began. I still could see nothing... At least
I wasn't standing by and watching it happen, right? How would I know when to
help? I slowly started creeping forward again. One step...two steps...then one
of the undead looked my way. I know because his eye were glowing and they stared
right in my direction. I froze, and so did my heart. I waited, it looked away. I
began creeping again...and again he looked. I was scared. What would happen if
he caught me? Where was Dusty? I hadn't seen him in a while. The fight raged on.
I could hear their swords clash, and at one point I heard Kiril scream for his
eye! I nearly jumped up then, but swords struck one another again, and I knew he
was ok. For now at least... The battle went on for what seemed hours, draining
the warriors of their strength and stamina. I STILL could not see, and I knew
that at any moment, one would fall. Again, I crept, and just as I neared a
clearing from which I could see...the fight ended. Kazzander raised up his voice
and yelled, "KILL THEM ALL!!!"
It was almost as if a dam had been broken before the undead. We all poured forth
from our hiding places within the safety of the forest and attacked. The undead
panicked and ran before us with Tinker, Dusty, and Max close behind them. The
others ran as well, and seeing that I wasn't necessarily needed for this
slaughter, and Kiril was still weak from the fight, I turned and headed back to
him. He was kneeling by Eldar, speaking to his body in a soft whisper. I could
not hear him, and I didn't try. This was not my place, so I took a knee and
waited. He seemed relieved that this was over and yet, somehow sad at the same
time.
When he finished, I went to him. I wanted to find out what had happened...since
I had missed seeing it myself...and I wanted to be sure he was ok. The others
returned sporadically to give their reports on how the chase was going with the
undead, and then they would run off again. Then I felt a burning in my chest as
something deep within tried to reach out and become me. I had no time to warn
anyone, and I could see Kiril's eyes widen even as I felt my body change. He
stepped back and turning quickly, threw up a circle of power. Dusty, who had
just been back for a moment, jumped back as well. He knew all to well what I was
becoming, and he lifted his shield for protection. But I was not there for them,
and I assured Kiril of this when he asked. I could sense the suffering of
another nearby, and with haste I set off to find it. Under some trees near our
cabin I found a small boy, his hands clutched tightly around an empty vial. He
was still alive, but in great pain. I tried to speak with him, but he could not
say much. Everything about this child pointed to the Toyman's handiwork, and I
wanted to weep. The town had argued and bickered instead of finding this menace.
Because of them, this child would lay dead by my hand this night. I pulled a
black dagger from my hip. The blade so dark, that no shadow could touch it.
Light itself, seemed to draw back from it's touch, and this...this would put him
to sleep forever. I held it over the boy, but could not bring myself to bring it
down into his chest. He was still very young, and I would not let him die this
way. I put it back and instead held forth my hand. After a moment, a blue bottle
appeared. It was small and seemingly harmless, to those who did not know better.
Putting the bottle to his lips, I told him what it would do, and that it would
not hurt. that he would be safe from now on, and that I would seek to find his
family. He said nothing, but sipped at the contents without hesitation. Then,
closing his eyes, he left this life and moved on.
It was then I heard movement nearby, and then my name. I answered and found
myself face to face with Max. He seemed a bit surprised to see me like this, but
said nothing. I buried the body, and returning to normal, headed back with the
others to find Kiril and Dusty. We all decided to find the LoreWeaver and pull
cards from her deck. I knew this was stupid, but I thought I might as well tempt
fate once in a while. If you don't, how do you have any fun? When we arrived,
Tinker was yelling something about getting kicked in the Penticles, and then
suddenly, without warning, a hand appeared out of nowhere, grabbed tinker, and
then disappeared again. OH MY GOSH!!!!! This was almost like what happened to
Bunny all those years ago. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I didn't know what to do! It
had looked like Gulsoth, but neither I nor anyone else knew how to find him in
order to get Tinker back. I overheard someone saying that Blackstar had drawn a
card that would allow him to return. I pleaded with him to let me have the card.
i would give him anything...ANYTHING. He had but to ask it of me. Blackstar
thought for a moment and even looked to Tiberius for help, but in the end, he
freely gave it to me with no strings attached. Using the card, all I could do
then was wait and hope for the best. I didn't need to do this long, as Tinker
wandered in shortly and told us how the hand had suddenly dropped him near the
goblin caves...o scratches or anything. What a relief!
Dusty drew next. Hehehehe, and he offered his card as a birthday present to me.
He had obliterated Diakaryu! He was always so wonderful... How could I NOT
accept this gift? I bet that Diakaryu was getting a big surprise, and that he wasn't
liking it...not one bit...
Me? I got one question answered. I bet you'd like to know what it was, wouldn't
you? Nope.
11-23-601 (Friday)
My memory is fuzzy on how this day began, but I do know that it ended in
Gulsoth's death. I remember the battle. It was fierce and chaotic. It is mostly
a blur with random images sitting still for me to focus on. I remember fighting
him, and I remember the rest of my group there. Danrick even saved the town!
Gulsoth had beaten on us most of the battle, but as he weakened he looked for a
way to escape. The portal he had come in through still lay open and so he ran to
it. He would never reach it though as Danrick leapt in front of it to block his
way. Gulsoth, seeing his path to safety on the other side of this snarling wolf
creature, reached up with his sword to strike him down. The blows were mighty
and would have killed anyone there, but not Danrick. He was born to fight, and
as he had learned to do in all his years of training, he parried each and every
one of them. Gulsoth's eyes widened...was it fear? Maybe, for then he reached
out to petrify the nimble fighter. Danrick knew he could do nothing against this
attack, but he still stood stalwart, never wavering. It was then I saw a flying
hobling! Yes...a flying hobling. Gravis! He leapt through the air, grabbed
Danrick's head and shoved it out of the way of the spells. Gulsoth looked
utterly amazed, but seeing he could not win that fight before his pursuers
arrived, ran off. A circle went up around Danrick and the portal and Gulsoth was
quickly beaten down.
I threw up a circle around his body, at Katar's request, to keep him from being
healed. We waited, unsure of what to do. I suggested we just run him through the
heart to be sure he was dead, but Katar said to wait. I watched as fight
continued outside. The Fools stood to one side and mocked everyone as they
fought. They did nothing! Not even as much as heal the wounded. How can Tiberius
call himself a noble? It angers me... Katar was obviously disturbed by this
also. He had me drop the circle so he could leave and fight with the others. As
soon as he was gone, I put the circle back up and waited. I hoped this creature
would die. He had taken Kiril once, and caused him great pain. Kiril still
suffered from this, and for it I would see Gulsoth dead. But, it seems, that
time was not now. As I peered through the circle wall at the carnage outside,
Gulsoth was reviving. I did not know this, and I only found out when he woke. I
had only a second before his sword pierced every part of my body and sent me
falling into a world of blackness. I had failed...
I woke on the battlefield to Cleo leaning over me. Thank goodness she had been
there. I jumped up to gather my bearings. A few small skirmishes were still
being fought, but not so any as to cause concern. Baron Kalrich and several
others were standing near where Gulsoth had been taken down again. There was
Tinker, Cleo, Dusty, Danrick, Kiril...where was Kiril? I looked around again
quickly. Where was Kiril!?!? I yelled for him. He did not answer. Panic! I
grabbed others and sent out groups to look for him. I was going to find him! I
was frantic, and it was then Tiberius found me. As the mass of purple inched its
way slowly toward me, I heard him call out. He said that Kiril was alive, but
had run off with Gilsoth's sword. He had gone to hide it so that Gulsoth could
not get it again should he return. Great! Now how was I supposed to make sure he
was safe? I did not ponder this long, for as soon as the thought entered my
mind, I saw him racing down the hill toward us. My mind now at ease, I began to
take in what was happening around me. Gulsoth was dead...or so it seems. I heard
someone say that a blue spirit of some sort rose from his body and spoke of
returning. I care not, we are safe for now and so was the sword.
With that over, and Kiril safe, I turned my attention to Dusty...who seemed to
have disappeared himself. He had just been there, so I knew he could not be
lying in the bushes bleeding to death. But where was he? It was then I remembered
him telling me of a cryptic message he had received. Something about meeting
someone so they could thank him for obliterating Diakaryu. He didn't want me to
come along, but I had insisted. That most likely meant that he had wandered off
without me, so I headed off as well. Danrick was supposed to be my bodyguard,
but finding myself alone after only 100 feet, I knew I was destined to do
without his protection. Had it been Max, I would have assumed he was shadowing
me in the woods, but come on...this was Danrick. Oh well...
The roads seemed awfully dark this time of night, especially with no one else on
them, but I kept on. I'd like to think of this as being brave, but I have come
to realize that it's just being stupid. I quickly found myself surrounded by
displacer beasts...at least 3 of them, all with gold collars, and after failing
an attempt to befriend them with food, I fought for my life. I'm no good at that
either it seems, and I soon found myself paralyzed and standing in the middle of
Low Town. Greatfully they didn't kill me, just paralyzed me and then nudged me
into the shadows of a building...with Durk. Hehehe, now that was funny!.
Unfortunately, he was paralyzed too, so I thought we were going to be standing
there all night with these creatures prowling about. I hadn't been there long
though when i heard footsteps running in our direction and then spells being
incant. that was Darius and Pollox, I could recognize their voices anywhere. We
were quickly found and released. I thought they had bested the beats, but upon
leaving the shadows I could see I was wrong. the creatures still roamed about
and so I raised my weapon to fight again. I remember seeing Dusty run up while I
was fighting, but then...my mind goes blank. It is an odd thing, as I remember
waking up in the woods near the large cabin we stayed in as House Drake. No one
was around, and my things were all still there, but I can not remember how I got
there. I ran back to my cabin and waited, hoping someone would find me. Finally,
I could stand it no longer, and I ran to Baron Kalrich's cabin to ask if he had
seen Dusty. I told him what had happened and how I was worried. He too, was
concerned, but could tell me nothing. Darius had arrived and gone looking for my
missing playmate, si when he returned and bade come with him, I jumped at the
opportunity. He had not found Dusty though, he merely needed me to help
him search. Did he expect me to sniff him out? We were unsuccessful, which gave
me even more concern. Dusty, I knew, would not resurrect here, and I might never
know if he was ok. Grrrrrrr... We headed back to Baron Kalrich's cabin and
inside...was Dusty! My heart leaped at seeing him and I ran in to hug him and
tell him how happy I was to see him. he did nothing back, though. in fact, he
seemed asleep, but I could not rouse him. Cleo said that they had tried to wake
him as well with no luck. All I could do was take him back to his bed in the
cabin and wait. What had happened?!? My poor, precious Dusty...
11-24-601
(Saturday)
Dusty was still asleep when I woke this morning, and despite my attempts to wake
him, he remained that way. He breathed though, so he was alive...as alive as he
could be anyway. How does one live when they can do nothing but lay there? Ho
can you enjoy all that is around you? The wind as it sings through the trees?
The scent of the flowers when you wake in the morning? The tickle of a spider as
it plays along your arm? Or even the stars as they dance in the night sky? This
last one I know he would miss the most...that and gazing up at the moon on a
lazy night while writing in that infernal red book of his. I did not know what
to do though, so I fluffed his pillows, made sure he was covered, and after
locking the ward behind me to make sure he was safe, I set off with the others
to finish adventures we had started. I could not enjoy myself though, as I kept
thinking back to Dusty lying in the cabin...sleeping... I made several
trips back to the cabin to check on him, and each time he remained the same. I
was truly beginning to worry. What if he never woke up?
Cleo insisted at one point that we go with her to cleanse some wells. Of what, I
wasn't sure, but it involved the sand she had gotten from the Golden City, so I
figured it wasn't something good. We made a final trip back to the cabin to
gather our needed gear and inside...was Dusty....awake!!! My heart leaped! I
could not hold myself back as leapt forward to hug him. He smiled and groggily
mimicked me...probably out of habit. No matter, he would be well, and that was
all that mattered. He said he had the strength to venture forth into the world
with us, I doubted that, but he would insist, and so off we went.
This well looked like any other ordinary well. It was made of wood and stone. It
looked in need of repair, but that was the only thing of notice. The water
looked about 10 or 15 feet down, and being dark outside by now, there was
nothing to be seen in it. We waited...and waited. Nothing. It was then we looked
to Cleo, who just shrugged her shoulders. We continued to look at her, so she
remove the sand from her backpack and sprinkled it into the well. Why were we
here again? No creature leapt from the well to drag our spirits into
Oblivion....well...wait... Don't quote me on that yet...because just as I
thought it, wouldn't you know...it happened. I cannot even begin to recall what
the creature looked like. I'll venture to say it was big though, with lots of
dagger-like teeth, and it ran around hitting us a whole lot too. Like it had fun
doing it or something. Talk about a neat freak. You sprinkle a little dust in
it's house and voila...instant uber creature with a bad temper. Like I said, it
would run around and hit us, but eventually it ran back to the well and jumped
back in. So what did Cleo do? Yep...put more dust in the well. And once more, I
ran around like a pansy trying not to get hit. Well, it didn't seem like
anything we did was making a difference, so why bother? Again, it found a few
weaknesses amongst our group and once more it returned to the well. A
spells later we were feeling better, but we were still clueless as to what we
were supposed to do.
Finally someone mentioned that they had heard about another adventurer having to
fight something similar once. Apparently with the other creature, you had to
cast a healing spell of each type on it and then a few others on top of even
that. Well that makes me useless then doesn't it? Ah well, I was willing to just
be on my way, but since they all felt the need to finish this, it looked like I
was either helping or walking back to town alone...so I stayed. One more time
they threw in the sand, and again the creature came out fighting mad. Well, now
I could see how it would be annoyed. We were throwing a lot of dirt in there
now. As I said though, it came out angry and we fought it again. This time
however, Cleo dropped a circle around the well to keep it from returning. While
we fought it outside, she began casting all the spells we had discussed before
into the well. The creature fought fiercely having nowhere to run to now,
slashing at us in a frenzy. I moved to get behind it, but it turned on me and I
was forced to do nothing but block. Movement caught my eye. I quickly glanced to
see if it was friend or foe, but before I could return my focus to the task at
hand I felt it's claw sink into my belly. I squeaked in pain, but before I could
block the next blow, it had already struck...and the next, and the next...my
vision began to fade, and as I fell to my knees, the world went black.
My spirit began to grow restless...I could feel it slipping from my grasp, but
before it pulled free I suddenly saw light. My eyes opened and standing over me
was Dusty...with that worried look of his that always seems to be present when
he stares at me. He told me that the creature had been destroyed, so we were
safe, and that the well had been cleansed. I just kept thinking...glad I could
help...
11-27-01 (Tuesday)
So I think the little meeting I had with Diakaryu today went well...considering
the most current of events anyway. As usual, I was out walking in the woods (for
some reason this simple act seems to be more dangerous then me adventuring into
a tomb of undead or a city of gold). Normally I would have gotten some sort of
hint had I been more alert, but the only clue this time was that I nearly
tripped onto my face as something grabbed me by the ankles. It was then I heard
him...that raspy voice would be known to me anywhere. Seems he wanted to
'discuss' some things with me about the last gathering. I tried to explain to
him (as I now dangled upside-down in front of him) that I was pretty happy
with how things were going, and so I really didn't feel I had anything to say to
him. Nothing more was said at that point. His pathetic attempt at a grin turned
quickly into a sour frown at my words as I was shoved suddenly through a portal
nearby.
Ok, now granted I wasn't really expecting to get the red carpet treatment, but I
really was surprised at my new surroundings. It was pretty much a box made of
stone...the walls, the floors, everything, and no windows or doors. As my face
repeatedly hit the wall in front of me, it became obvious that what I wanted
didn't matter. Clearly he wished to talk with me, and so he would...
I put my arm up to cushion the blows, but that stopped after he broke my arm. A
few times I even tried to protest against the pain, but after a while, the blood
from the broken parts of my face, and the lost teeth just made it too difficult.
He continued to talk as beat me, as if we were just casually meeting as friends
would...something about how we had crossed the line and how we would all suffer
for it. He has never killed any of us before (just tried, I guess), but now he
would systematically perm us all one by one. Unless...unless, he said, I bring
him Dusty. HAH! Nope. That just ain't gonna happen.
Seems he was expecting that answer from me though, as his face never really
changed. In fact, instead of really saying anything at all, he opted instead to
pull out a ritual scroll. I was a bit taken back by that, but not too horrified.
Meissen told me that you need a fish to do rituals and as I looked around, there
were no fish to be see...so I shrugged at him. Then he pulled out a piece of
chalk and drew a...FISH!!! inside a circle in the corner! OMG!!! Hopefully he
was just playing around...because this wasn't funny anymore. He mumbled a few
incants and the fish began to glow briefly. My heart began to quicken
now...surely he wasn't serious. That's when he dropped the pile of twigs, teeth,
and flowers on the ground. My eyes widened, and I began to panic. Calm down Tia,
he's just playing...calm down. He left the circle, almost cackling, and grabbing
me began to drag me back toward it. I tried to grab onto the walls, the floor,
anything at all, but to no avail. The scratches being left in the stone were
enough proof, I think, that I was no match for his strength. It seemed an
eternity as he pulled me along until I finally hit the circle. Then slowly the
magics of it gave way and my foot slipped in, then my legs, my waist...I was
frantic. There was nothing more I could do, even my tears were not helping at
this point, but still I refused to give in. I was slowing myself now, but by now
was already in up to my chest, now my neck, and finally...I was completely in
the circle. I began to feel ill. His hands began to glow and I watched as the
bones in my arm knitted themselves back up, and the flesh heal. My nose stopped
bleeding, and the ache in my jaw began to go away. Why had he healed me... Probably
so I could suffer the full effect of whatever evil he had concocted. His hands
began to glow again, and as I braced for the blast, I suddenly could not
move...I was paralyzed! Pacing back and forth, holding that infernal ritual
scroll, he then told me of his plans. Yes he planned to Obliterate Dusty, but he
also had plans to turn Kiril. I could only whimper...and then with an evil grin,
he opened the scroll...
Strange words began to pour forth from his lips, and one by one the items in the
circle began to disappear. I screamed in my head! What was he doing to me? I
wanted to run. I wanted to hide. He continued chanting and it seemed as if all
the magic in the world were in this circle. Finally, it was too much, and having
no willpower left, I openly wept. By the time he stopped the ritual and left the
circle, I was sobbing. He then disappeared for a moment, and I suddenly
collapsed on the floor in a heap, the spell broken. My spirit did not seem hurt,
but I could still feel residual magic. What had he done to me? Crawling to the
edge of the circle, I beat on the walls. I could not stand it any longer. If I
did not get out soon, I would go insane... Diakaryu returned after what seemed
an eternity, and I asked him what he had done to me. He seemed to find that
funny as he smirked. Nothing, he told me... Nothing? Nothing?! How could he have
done nothing to me if a ritual had been cast? He then said that the ritual had
been used to contact someone...someone who hated me almost as much as I hated
him...Al'more... NO! That was not possible! She was dead, I had made sure of it!
Or so I was told anyway!!! If he...NO!! He had apparently sent word to her that I
was here for her taking. I screamed again and beat on the circle. That would be
a fate worse then death, and indeed, I begged him to kill me then. Instead, he
waved his hand and the familiar sound of ripping fabric accompanied the portal
he created. In vain, I continued my efforts to escape. he watched for a moment
and then stepped through the portal. I screamed! She would never kill me!!
I would remain her prisoner forever!! I could not have that! The portal began to
close, my only chance of escape gone. I reached down for the dagger on my hip,
and taking a deep breath, I slid the blade across my throat. I could taste the
blood as it rushed into my mouth, and I dropped the knife as I struggled for
breath that would not come. My world turned to red and then slowly, ever so
slowly it faded to black... All I remember after that is waking up in the manor
house, in my room. The resurrection had been successful, and I had been brought
there to rest. I shuddered at the thought of what might have been, and at what
had happened. At least they were safe, my friends... For now anyway...