NationStates Jolt Archive

Ar'mai was sitting in her chamber calmly and preparing for whatever lay ahead. If they ever took her outside into the fresh air, she would have her chance to send a signal to the rest of the party - otherwise she would have to find another way to wreak havoc...

"He wouldn't have caused me a problem anyways," Lorathin commented, "Silly oger, I wasn't responsible for the storm, at least not in any direct way."

He shrugged as he didn't really care if he was arrested so didn't plan to resist, also Kalzog would likely pound the soldiers anyway.


The simulacrum had seen a soldier open a side gate and snuck in. Once there, it began working it's way toward Ar'mai, being as patient as necessary.

The Ogre hiccuped and smacked several soldiers into the walls.

"Stop, ogre!" shouted Sarik, from across the room.

Just then, a figure about the same size as Sarik stood in the doorway. "You will be taken to court peacefully or forcefully, yet it seems you have chosen forcefully," shouted the newcomer with an air of superiority.

The Ogre smiled and charged at the figure, who stood motionless, not even drawing his sword. Just then, massive chains erupted from undearneath the ogre.

Kalzog tore through the chains and continued plodding through, even as more chains took hold of him. The ogre began to slow down as the weight of the massive chains took it's toll on him. He growled as he stood motionless, a few feet away from the newcomer. Kalzog was covered in so many chains, he looked like a mound of chains with a head on top.

The remaining soldiers walked to the rest of Sarik's party, ready to bind them. Sarik looked at the others to see what they were going to do.
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The guards opened Ar'mai's cell door and stood next to it. "Lord Inzikai awaits you in the throne room. You will follow me to it, or face the consequences," he said nearly monotone.

"You alright under there Kal?" Lorathin asked, an amused smirk on his face as the oger got buried under the chains.

The guards opened Ar'mai's cell door and stood next to it. "Lord Inzikai awaits you in the throne room. You will follow me to it, or face the consequences," he said nearly monotone.

"Okay," Ar'mai said with a slight smile to the nearest guard as she stepped outside her cell.

When she was next to the two men, she snapped her fingers and a blindingly bright light appeared. She then daintily walked down the corridor of the dungeon and made her way to what she guessed was the throne room.

Inzikai was sitting on this throne when a bright light appeared to walk through. Using a simple spell, he sheilded his eyes from the incredible light. "Must you always complicate things, elf? I must say, I've gone through more guards than usual just because of you!" he grumbled.

"I hope you like traveling...Cause we are going to go to the mountains. I hope your body can handly the bitter wintery coldness, because we won't provide any coats for you..." Inzikai smiled cruelly as he lazily slumped back in his chair.
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"Shut up, human," growled the Ogre as he struggled to get through the chains.

The soldiers began to binds the other's hands together.

"Bring them to the Court of Miracles...they will be tried by the Judges themselves...including me. I will enjoy having all of you executed," replied the man in the doorway. He glared at Kalzog and smiled mischeiviously. He then turned around, his cape fluttering, and he trudged through the rain to a small building across from the inn.

A judge! Oh no...this may not bode well for us nor the Order...they may begin to distrust us... Sarik bowed his head and let the soldiers bind him, as he didn't want to make things worse. If only that ogre didn't go on rampages...

"Oh, I just thought this place was a little dank. I thought I might liven it up with a little light here and there. You know, it does wonders for your mood..." Ar'mai replied with a grin.

When Inzikai mentioned the mountains and cold, Ar'mai remembered back only a month or two ago when Sarik, Lorathin, Bael'ther, and she had to travel into the frozen lands. Brrrr... It was cold she remembered, but she didn't reply to his comment - she would have to find someway to deal with it.

"Ha ha, elf, ha ha," grumbled Inzikai. Although, he had to admit, the elf did seem to make things more...livelier. "I like my places dank, thank you. It does wonder to one's skin," he chuckled.

Inzikai stood up and walked down the stairs of his throne. "I would ask if you had everything packed, but I remember you only had your bow and arrows," he laughed. "So, let's get moving..." Inzikai stood next to Ar'mai. "Follow me, and don't go anywhere else. You won't get far in this area, nor the mountains..."

The simulacrum had entered the throne room shortly after Ar'mai, her 'port had actually saved it time. It then took up a position slightly behind to the side of the elf.

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Lorathin stuck his tounge out at Kalzog. "Before you try arresting me, I'd like to know the charges, and see a copy of the legal codes." He commented as a soldier approached.

"You, in particular, had something to do with that storm. The town watch had seen it. There is no storm casting allowed in the Imperium, unless ordered by the Judges or done by the Judges themselves," replied the closest guard.

"You'll see the legal codes soon enough," replied another with a sneer on his face.

"Kill 'em, human! It is the only way to save time," shouted the Ogre as he struggled against the bindings.

"Don't do it, Azrael. It would only complicate things further," replied Sarik, glaring at the Ogre.

"Ha ha, elf, ha ha," grumbled Inzikai. Although, he had to admit, the elf did seem to make things more...livelier. "I like my places dank, thank you. It does wonder to one's skin," he chuckled.

"Yeah - specifically, makes them scalier..." she replied before following beyond Inzikai without another word.

Inzikai chuckled at the elf's comment. "Is there any better kind of skin? Our scales are tough enough to be armor. I bet you wish you had this kind of skin," he laughed as he led her through the maze that was his castle. Finally, he opened a door, that led to the stables.

"Who to take?" he asked more to himself as he walked from stall to stall. He finally stopped at one massive one that reeked of death. "Ah, my very own mount. I call her Blight," he smiled as he opened the door revealing a massive dragon. Yet this dragon looked dead. It was missing skin in some places and was only bone in others. It's wings were massive, yet they had patches of holes all over them. It would be a wonder if the thing could even fly. It's eyes were completely black, yet it acknowledged the appearance of it's master and bowed low.

"Isn't she beautiful? I captured her myself so long ago..." Inzikai patted her rotting head.

"Stunning..." Ar'mai repied with an obvious lack of interest - she had no care for her captor's pets or prizes as her mind was busy planning and plotting...

"Actually I didn't. I talked with a friend through it, but he was the one who created, controlled, and had he been less of addle-brained, would have gotten rid of it. As is, I'm not coming with you unless I get a copy of the legal codes," Lorathin replied, "And a chance to read them in a place of my choosing." He added to forstall chicanery on thier part.


Had the simulacrum had a nose, it would have wrinkled it in disgust at the sight of the beast on it's way to becoming a bone dragon.

"Quit your yapping and kill them!" shouted the Ogre again. If one listened closely enough, one could hear the strain Kalzog was putting on the chains.

"Silence, Ogre. As for you, human, you cannot see the codes. You will come with us. Even if you hadn't summoned this storm, you should have kept your ogre friend out of trouble..." replied the soldier, anger creeping into his voice.
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"You dislike my beautiful mount? I have to say, for being an elf, you don't appreciate her beauty. I bet you think a winged horse is beautiful," laughed Inzikai, knowing of her mount. He saddled up the massive dragon and signaled Ar'mai to sit. "You have two choices. You can sit with me, you can sit in Blight's claws, or you can-" he was about to finish by saying she could be with the guards, but decided against it, considering all the pranks she has pulled on them. "No...you will sit with me. Only choice," he corrected.

"He's not my friend, simply companion of convinence. Also, as I said, I'm not coming with you until I can read the codes in a place of my choosing." He replied calmly.

He disliked cops of any breed, and these were more annoying than most.

"For once, I agree with the human. We ain't friends," hiccuped Kalzog.

"Bind him," was all the soldier said. About four soldiers surrounded Lorathin, ready to pin him against the wall.

Lorathin just stood there, "You're wasting your time, won't be able to arrest me." He replied with a somewhat smug grin.

"How so?" asked the soldier giving the orders. The other soldiers continued to walk up to Lorathin.

"You'll, oh, and don't worry, I don't intend to hurt anyone." He replied

"Not hurt anyone? Human, kill em all! Think of the elf! She's probably being tortured and here you are trying to smooth talk your way out of a good fight!" The ogre shouted.

"Hurry up and bind him already. We have other things we can do," shouted the officer.

The soldiers began to put the bindings on Lorathin, wondering what he was planning.

"No...you will sit with me. Only choice," he corrected.

"Wow... are those my choices," Ar'mai commented sarcastically. "Such a hard decision. Do you think I could have an hour to mull it over... maybe even a night to sleep on it. I have found that it is best to sleep on such an important decision like this - it gives a little perspective."

"You should be a comedian, elf," chuckled Inzikai sarcastically again. "No time. You could sleep on the ride there, however, as it may take a couple days. Now sit!"

The dragon looked curiously at Ar'mai, unsure of what to think.

"No she isn't." He replied, and as soon as they started on the second knot, the first came undone. When they went to fix it, the knot they'd been working on undid itself.


Meanwhile the simulacrum was going to be following Ar'mai wherever she went, even on dragon back.

"You should be a comedian, elf," chuckled Inzikai sarcastically again. "No time. You could sleep on the ride there, however, as it may take a couple days. Now sit!"

The dragon looked curiously at Ar'mai, unsure of what to think.

Ar'mai merely smiled without another comment. She gently climbed onto the dragon's back, petting it lightly and reassuringly as she did.

"Then let us be off," shouted Inzikai, as the dragon walked outside. It opened it's wings and flapped, taking off, even with all the holes in it's wings. Inzikai took a seat in the saddle behind Ar'mai.

"Now elf, are you willing to tell me your name, or must I keep calling you elf?" asked Inzikai.
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"How do you know if the elf is dead or not?" hiccuped Kalzog.

The guards continued to try to bind Lorathin, but each time resulting the same way.

Sarik chuckled until he was smacked on the back of the head by the guard that was holding him.

"Thats it. Kill him if he won't come with us," barked the officer, pulling out his sword.

"You seemed so content with calling me elf that I thought I would let you continue," Ar'mai replied. "Who knows, maybe I will start calling you lizard... and then we will have this special bond - like an inside joke - wouldn't that be nice!"

The simulacrum joined the two on the dragon, though away from them to avoid accidental contact.

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He smiled and replied, "Magic."

When the soldier smacked Sarik he added "Now that was uncalled for, and I told you when I'd come with you."

"What do you want from the code?" asked the Captain curiously, his blade ready.

Kalzog watched intentively, hiccuping every few minutes. Finally out of patience, he shouted, "Someone do something...these chains aren't comfortable..."

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"Never cease with the jokes? Just to let you know, we aren't lizards. We don't scurry around and we definetly don't live under rocks. Nor do we constantly stick our tongues out," replied Inzikai, intentially sticking his forked tongue out after he said that.

"So I can prove that you need not detain me, nor the elf, nor your countryman. The oger, I'm not sure about but if you intend to arrest us simply because we are here then arrest all other patrons of the inn, including the inn keeper and his family, otherwise you are simply being xenophobic." Lorathin explained as he ordered a drink from the bartender.

"Never cease with the jokes? Just to let you know, we aren't lizards. We don't scurry around and we definetly don't live under rocks. Nor do we constantly stick our tongues out," replied Inzikai, intentially sticking his forked tongue out after he said that.

"Nor do you," Ar'mai replied with a grin as she waited for them to take off into the air on the back of the large dragon. While waiting, Ar'mai realized that it was quite ironic that Inzikai had mentioned her winged horse as it was by killing a dragon that she had managed to attract and capture it...

Inzikai merely smiled as the Dragon launched itself into the air. Within minutes, they were high into the air, just under the grey clouds that covered nearly all the Cult's territory.

"Isn't this the perfect day to go flying into the air? The coulds are oh so soothing..." Inzikai took a deep breath of the somewhat stale, humid air that smelled a bit of death. "Don't you just love the marshes? Disease, insects, and creatures of differnet shapes and sizes always roaming around..." And demi-gods... Inzikai stifled a laugh. "Tell me elf, does your land have lush, beautiful marshes like mine?"

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The Ogre hiccuped, then shouted, "Hey..I ain't done nothin....wrong..." the Ogre hiccuped again.

Sarik again chuckled a bit, but this time recieved no slap on the head.

The officer signaled a lightly armored soldier to give him a long rolled up scroll.

It states here, "Any whom travel throughout Imperium Lands causing are in charge of all persons or people in their party...Then, in another section, it states, Murder is punishable by heavy fines. Murder of an official or figure of authority is punishable by death, or set in the Gladiatorial games..." The soldier smiled wickedly, as he looked up from the parchment to the human. "Seeing as you came with the ogre, you will be charged similarly. The other patrons, the barkeepr, and their families are safe from this incident..."

OOC: Let me know if you want any changes to this post..

IC:

Rastilia Da'Logure, One of the Princesses of Mezkinban and High Prestess of the Underground temple of Minax was once again on another holy mission to cause death and destruction across the various realms. This one being called Lustria.

Rastilia was in the marshes looking for a group that was working for the Cult of Valtrox. She had taken on the job of helping with the expedition expecting to help her goddess cause an increase Death and Destruction through out the world.

Rastilia kept a hooded cloak over herself to hide her identity as a Dark Elf. The surface world was not a safe place for her people's kind especially in foreign lands were the people usually had a hatred or fear of her kind.

She held out her Staff of Arcane Might and used it like a walking stick. To give any nearby travelers the impression that she is an old lady with a walking stick. This had been one of her many disguises across many different lands. Very few people would have guest under the hooded cloak was an armored dark elf high priestess that could probably level a small village..


Rastilia finally after a few hours of traveling found the spot she was to meet her contact a demon called Rothargot. Upon reaching the spot she took off her disguise and revealed herself. The Plate Mail armor now showed clearly the dreaded High Priestess of Minax Rastilia Da'Logure.

"Let's see that. I personally believe you are reading out of context to suit you, rather than as the law dictates." He replied after he drained the tankard.

The ogre hiccuped before responding. "Aye...Again, I agree with the human...." he smiled and licked his lips as he watched Lorathin finish up his beer.

"Scan it all you want, mage," replied the officer. He gave the scroll to the lightly armored warrior, who walked hurridly towards Lorathin, handing him the scroll.

"Being a lieutenant of the Imperial Guard, I had better know the rules," replied the officer, smiling confidently. It was true, all Imperium soldiers are required to know the rules, most of them required to know them by heart

Sarik watched attentively, wondering if the officer did make it up.

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Rothargot watched the dark elf approach. He flapped his wings excitedly before folding them behind his massive body.

"Welcome, elven creature. If you do not know already, I am Rothargot, One of the generals of Valtrox's legions. Forgive me, for my master has not told me who would be meeting me here, so I must ask you: What is your name?"

Rastilia smiled her usual dark smile like a predator before her prey. She then replied in a very polite tone, "My name is Rastilia, High Prestess of the Death Goddess Minax."

Rastilia then starts to look around for signs of anyone else. The area seemed to be secluded.

Lorathin began reading the document, looking for the sections the guard had cited, as well as if they were valid or if he was trying to pull a fast one.

ooc: Is he?

OOC: LoL the scroll will tell Lorathin everything the Officer said. The Imperium Judges are somewhat corrupt, but they make others believe that their word is law. Soon you'll find out theres more at work with the judges than one may think...

The officer smiled evily as he knew Lorathin would find nothing against these claims.

"Hey, Azrael...lemme see..." replied the Ogre, struggling to see the document again.

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Rothargot noticed the elf looking for others. "There are others with us, but I have sent them on the journey already. We may catch up to them...or we may not..."

Rothargot imitated Rastilia's smile before returning to his normal stoic look. "Minax and Valtrox may gain much in working together," he began as he turned around and began trudging through the swamp. "Come, we shall begin our journey to the Library, where our mission will be accomplished..."

He finished reading the document and passed it to the oger. It appeared they were playing straight, but something was definately off.

"A little closer if you will, Human. My eyesight is not how it used to be..." replied the ogre, grin starting to form on his face.

He frowned at the oger and held the paper closer. He doubted whatever Kalzog had planned would be good.

Kalzog took a couple seconds to look at the scroll, before opening his mouth wide and leaning close enough to snap it from Lorathin's hands. He chewed it and spat it out, much to the horror of all the soldiers in the room.

"That's what I think of your laws, lizard trash!" he shouted.

"You vile criminal! That's a respected document of the government! If you ever make it out of the gladiator pit alive, the Judges would kill you themselves!"

The Ogre merely let out a deep laugh.

"You need your head examined Kalzog." Lorathin commented with a shrug. "Lead on guards." He commented

"I don't need my head examined...they need their rules examined..." replied Kalzog, as the magical chains seemed to pull the Ogre along by themselves.

"Sir? Shall we cuff the human?" asked the soldier closest to Lorathin.

"Yes," he simply replied. Looking at Lorathin, he added, "You better put them on. You've already seen the documents..."

Sarik merely trudged along after the Ogre, trying to plan out what he was going to tell the Judges...

He put the cuffs on, thought they didn't stay locked. He just shook his head at the pointlessness and waste of time of this.

"Tell me elf, does your land have lush, beautiful marshes like mine?"

"By definition I find that marshes lack the same beauty that my land knows..." Ar'mai commented simply, but a bit louder so that her voice wasn't lost in the air blowing past them. "I doubt you know beauty like my home..."

ooc: What about Bael'ther :p (I sort of forgot to RP him in the encounter)

OOC: LoL I noticed that, so I just kinda let him go with the flow. You can have him resist if you want, but he'll end up in the same place they're going
"Then perhaps, I will visit your home someday..." replied Inzikai. "Tell me, what kind of land does your home reside in?"

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The Soldiers led the party to a large prison, where they were locked up, together in a large cell, until the storm would pass and they would be able to continue to the capitol city and the Court of miracles.

As they closed the gate to their cell, Sarik sighed. They had left all the bindings on each one of them, so they couldn't do anything with their hands. There also appeared to be powerful magics on the locks to prevent escapes.

"Ogre...why did you have to do this?" he asked as he looked out the only window.

Kalzog just grunted. "Don't talk about it...I'm getting a headache..."

"Quit with the pointless banter," Ar'mai replied smugly. "You and I both know that you don't care nor would I tell you so that you could attempt an attack." She fell silent afterwards.

ooc: No that is fine... B will stay silent.

Bael'ther stood silently, his arms bounded by magic and manacles.

Lorathin shrugged and dropped the cuffs. "Man it was annoying trying to keep those closed enought to satisfy the guards." He muttered

Inzikai chuckled a bit. "You don't trust me, elf? How come? I've been nice to you all this time and this is how you treat me. I'm shocked, elf," replied Inzikai sarcastically. Inzikai yawned and leaned back in his royal saddle, which was actually quite comfortable with it's back cushion so he could lean backwards.

"Do you honestly think I would invade your elven home?" he asked again, glancing at Ar'mai.

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The Ogre looked at Lorathin. "Hey, maybe you could unloose some of mine while you're free?" he slurred.

"I would, save for three things, you're drunk, as soon as I let you out you'd try to break out, and third, it's not exactly easy. No offense Sarik, but your countrymen are messy." Lorathin replied

"Do you honestly think I would invade your elven home?" he asked again, glancing at Ar'mai.

"Taking away someone's liberty isn't considered 'nice'," Ar'mai retorted.

"No... I don't think you are that stupid."

"I'm only looking out for my own people. I don't want an elf running around blinding my poor citizens, or burning their hands off if they touch you," Inzikai replied, his eyes closed. "And I'm not stupid."

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"The Imperium has changed greatly since it's glory days," replied Sarik.

"I ain't drunk..." hiccuped the Ogre.

"Well you're more intoxicated than normal." He replied

"And I am only looking out for myself in a hostile society. If someone desires to put their hands on me... they better have my permission," Ar'mai commented.

"And I said that you weren't stupid. That means not stupid," Ar'mai said mockingly. "Understand?"

Rastilia caught the Demon's subtle threat instantly. Living all her life in an underground city of Dark Elves tends to make her ready for treachery and to put up a strong front to avoid being considered weak.

The High Priestess did not show that she was at all phased by the smile and replied. "The Goddess only seeks to further the cause of death and destruction across the mortal realm." She followed Rothargot and asked, "How far is the library from here?"

"Do not worry...death and destruction will run rampant across the world..." Rothargot stated as he walked through the marsh, setting alight several ferns in his way, as well as making the swamp water boil. Rothargot was beginning to get the hang of using his powers in the mortal world...

"The Library is still quite far. We will need to travel through desert. The sun may be your worst enemy there, for there is little to hide under when it does come about."

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"Nope," responded Inzikai, as he crossed his eyes, smiling slightly.

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"You ain't seen nothing, mage," chuckled Kalzog.

"I worry what they may do to us," Sarik finally said. "The gladiator pits are where many have met their bloody deaths, including some of the most powerful figures in Lustria. I've only heard rumors of what they keep in the dungeons for the gladiators..."

As if on cue, lightning streaked across the sky as something howled in the distance.

"Thats alright...we have weather man and his baubles here," Kalzog stated smugly.

"Oh blow it out of your ear Kalzog." Lorathin replied, "As for the gladiator pits, I'm sure there won't be a problem with that."

Rastilia continued to follow Rothargot. She noted the boiling water and the burning ferns he had created. She tried to avoid them as she quickly followed behind him. Rastilia decided to respond, "For all our sakes, I hope that death and destruction does run rampant. The Goddess is not one to suffer fools or disappointment in her endeavors."

Rastilia shivered after saying this for fear of invoking the wraith of Minax. The Skull and cross symbol around Rastilia's neck seemed to press near her reminding her of her goddess's impatience. Rastilia eager to change the subject asked, "If I may ask, I was wondering how I am to evade the sun?"

The ogre chuckled. "Your a funny one, human. If they unloose me from these chains, we'll be unstoppable...In fact, I'll put on a good show for the audience..."

The storm outside seemed to die down and Sarik began to grow nervous. As soon as it died down, they would be forced to continue to the court in which their sentences would be heard and carried out...
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"I hope you are not calling my god a fool...It is not wise to doubt Valtrox's power...He has given his word as a gift to show his respect in doing so...I'm sure that once our goals are complete, your god will be quite happy..." Rothargot kept his stoic impression, but he knew that no god in the world would like Valtrox's plan. Because once it's done...Valtrox would be unstoppable this time...

"I was hoping you would know, but we can get a larger robe for you, to cover your body better...I would suggest we move once the sun set, but then our gods would have to wait longer..."

"They could always re-chain you. Would you have any objection if I put a silence spell on him?" He asked Sarik, "And don't look so nervous."

Rastilia replied, "I am not foolish enough to doubt any gods power. I am just reminding you that if we fail. The Goddess will surely get her death and destruction by other means." Rastilia let her implied threat hang and continued to follow behind Rothargot and looked around for signs of anyone else. She did not want to be seen by any other surface people for fear of their reactions.

After a few seconds she said, "I could ask the Goddess for a cloud of darkness during the daylight hours. This would however require me to invoke the Goddess power."

"Go ahead and try human!" growled Kalzog as he struggled against his chains again.

"Sorry. Im worried the longer we wait, the longer Inzikai gets to accomplish his goals, as well as do whatever he wants to Ar'mai..." replied Sarik as he paced around the room.
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"That would be beneficial, but that may attract the attention of the Empress' armies. Perhaps if you summon a smaller version for yourself? Unless you'd feel comfortable standing in my shadow the entire trip," replied Rothargot as he stopped before a small clearing. "Do you have a ride or would you like me to carry you?"

"As to Inzikai, I can't say anything about that, as to Ar'mai I told you she's fine. Annoyed, but fine." He replied before turning to Kalzog, "Just calm down, your wasting your energy when it might better be used later."

Rastilia replied, "I can make a smaller version for myself. I would just need a crystal or something to focus the energy to keep the cloud safe during the night hours." Rastilia then thought about her present situation as she followed Rothargot. She finally said, "I can summon a Nightmare with the staff that I am holding."

Bael'ther stood by idly and watched the others argue.

:p

"Would a glass crystal work?" asked Rothargot as he spread out his wings. "Follow my lead, Rastilia."

He jumped high into the air and let his fiery wings carry him higher. He floated a while, waiting for Rastilia to summon her nightmare.
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The storm was ending as the sun peeked out from underneath the clouds. There was a knock on the door and it opened. "Greetings, criminals. It's time to continue our journey..." said the guard mischieviously. He walked around the others examining them. Sarik slowly crept up behind Lorathin while the Officer examined the ogre.

"Azrael, put on your binds while he's distracted. It would come in handy later if they don't know your bindings aren't on."

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High in the sky, Blight, Inzikai's dragon, roared in delight as the air became fridged and snow fell from the sky. Blight began to descend as 5 massive stone structures reached towards the sky, as if it were someone trying to escape an avalanche but freezing to death in the process.

"Looks like we're here," smiled Inzikai, his eyes opening. "Not quite like the marshes, but the coldness is just as good. Right, elf?"

Rastilia watched Rothargot take to the air. She then gave a command to her staff in the ancient language of her homeland. The commanding words activated the Staff of Arcane Might. The top of the Staff's head started to glow and the shadows started to form into a form of a star pentagram. The shadows after forming this shape, suddenly burst into a blast of darkness engulfing the immediate area. The darkness eventually subsided revealing a horse of pure shadow and darkness with red eyes.

The Nightmare and the Dark Elf locked eyes for a few moments fighting a game of mental will. The winner would control the loser's mind and body for the next couple of hours or days. Rastilia after a few seconds finally mounted her new steed and joined Rothargot in the air. She then said, "Yes, a glass crystal will be perfect for containing the dark energy of the Goddess."

Lorathin nodded and returned the bindings to thier appearent closed position as the guard was examining the oger.

"Looks like we're here," smiled Inzikai, his eyes opening. "Not quite like the marshes, but the coldness is just as good. Right, elf?"

Ar'mai didn't respond to his annoying banter. She was concentrating on keeping warm in the frigid temperatures of the new lands.

Something hit her. A spell that she had read about when she was younger, but not one she had ever needed in the warm climate of her homeland. However, she just couldn't put her finger on it. Perhaps with some more thought...

Rothargot watched the ritual with immense curiousity. He has never seen a necromatic spell before, even though Lord Inzikai was a necromancer himself. "Fascinating. A glass crystal it shall be then...Now follow me, we have wasted enough time..."

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Inzikai smiled. "Don't you love this weather? I wish it was like this all over...except the marshes. I love snow..." Inzikai glanced at Ar'mai with a sly grin on his face.

Blight was circling around the site, searching for the best spot to land, all the while descending slowly...

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Satisfied the Ogre hadn't done anything to the chains, they approached the rest of the group, examining them carefully. They soon approached Lorathin.

"Hey, Do you guys have any water? I'm quite thirsty..." interrupted Sarik, subtly getting inbetween Lorathin and the guards.

"And I have a splitting headache..." added the Ogre.

The officer outside the gate shouted "Hurry up!" and the rest of the guards towed the captives outside in the bright sun.

Sarik squinted as he was temporarily blinded. "You guys should put more windows in there..."

When Sarik was looking his way, Lorathin nodded slightly at his thanks for Sarik's actions. Meanwhile he looked over at Bael'ther and commented, "She is fine, I'm keeping an eye on her."

Ar'mai continued to ignore Inzikai as she concentrating all of her energy on remembering what that simple spell was. It was something symbolic... she remembered.

---

Bael'ther shot Lorathin a glance that seemed to ask rhetorically, And if she wasn't fine? What could you do then?

Rastilia smiled and replied, "Yes, Lets continue with our quest." Rastilia then with a minimal of mental effort ordered her Nightmare to begin following Rothargot.

Lorathin just smiled as he knew should worst come to worst he'd be likely be able to rescue her, though he'd definately not like the results. As long as his simulacrum remained near her the option remained, drastic as it might be.

"Elf, time to go," Inzikai stated as Blight landed. Inzikai stood up and waited for Ar'mai to get off. As he waited, he pulled out a heavy robe and slid it on.

**********************************************************

Rothargot led Rastilia towards the border and landed as the marshes dried up, and the grass turned to sand and rock, where the forest began to end so there was enough shade for the Dark Elf.. "Looks like we're almost there..." muttered Rothargot.

He got a clump of sand in his hands and squeezed it with both of his hands. There was a slight burning smell as Rothargot turned the sand to glass. As soon as he finished, he held out his hand, a small crystal of glass in his palm. "How is that?"

**********************************************************
The guards led the party onwards until they came upon a massive dome shaped structure. Sounds of cheering, booing, and applause came from it, as well as an occasional scream.

"Ahh, the Coliseum of Justice...fine way to end one's life, isn't it?" asked the Officer to the partymembers as he rode his horse by the arena. "And straight ahead...the court of miracles...."

Sarik looked ahead and saw massive gold spires sticking out of it. The whole building seemed to point up in a jagged pyramid in the middle, with four spires on each end. Sarik noticed as they traveled on the main rode, the words for justice were written in thousands of different languages along the walls of the buildings they passed.

The simulacrum got off the dragon and continued to follow Ar'mai.

**********************************************************

"It might be if your life is intended to end today, otherwise it's rather tacky." Lorathin replied, "As to your court, it's rather hypocritical, what with proclaiming justice, when you and your thugs act in such an unjust manner."

The officer glared at Lorathin. "Perhaps I will ask that you be executed right away..."

"A question about the pits...Would I remain bounded by these chains?" asked the Ogre, as he trudged along with the help of the chains pulling him.

"Coliseum, criminal...and that is to be decided..."

"I remember when the Imperium was a becon of just amongst dark times. When the Order and the Imperium stood against the injustices and evil of the North. When we held off the eastern walls against the Morgrathiens. What happened to the Imperium I knew of before?" asked Sarik.

"These are dark times paladin. I also remember when the Order kept to themselves, not causing trouble in other territories..." came the reply. "I'll enjoy watching you all die..." he said as he faced the Court again.

"I can promise you wouldn't like to see me die, guard." He replied adding just a hint of mocking contempt into his voice. "You don't defeat evil by becoming it, as you seem bound and determain to do."

"Elf, time to go," Inzikai stated as Blight landed. Inzikai stood up and waited for Ar'mai to get off. As he waited, he pulled out a heavy robe and slid it on.

"Alright, Lizard," Ar'mai replied mockingly as she jumped off the dragon with all the agility of an elven ranger. "It's quite cold here," she remarked as she shivered slightly, her skin becoming pale. "Just like you..."

Huh? she thought as something hit her. That's it! Now what were those words...

Inzikai smiled at the comment. "Why thank you, elf," he chuckled. He jumped off, less agile than the elf, but landed on his feet. "Aren't these structures beautiful?"

Inzikai walked towards one of the massive stones, where a heard of excavators and scholars stood.

"Tell me elf, have you seen anything like this?" Inzikai asked, not even looking at Ar'mai.

**********************************************************

"Why wouldn't I like to see you die, mage? Justice is not evil...Nor is it good. It is just..." replied the officer as if he repeated the same phrase many times before.

"Cause, baubles and goodies will pop out of his dead corpse...and the sky will storm for ever and ever..." chuckled Kalzog. "And you wouldn't want to kill me. The world will split in two, and will be thrust into Chaos itself...The ultimate goal of any chaos shaman..."

"Yah, and a horrid smell you won't get rid of for weeks," chuckled Sarik at the Ogres comment.

Rastilia and her Nightmare avoided leaving the shade of the forest. Rastilia took a long look at the crystal ball that Rothargot created and said, "It should be adequate for a few days of travel." Rastilia then quickly dismounted from her mount and prepared to begin the prayer to the Goddess Minax. She breathed slightly and started to grasp her Skull and cross symbol pendant that hung around her neck.

She started to begin her prayer to invoke Minax's power. She recited the ancient chant in her native tongue, "Lady of Destruction, Queen of Death, and Mistress of Dark Magic. I humbly beseech your assistance to protect your servant from the vile rays of the sun. I humbly beg for your might to create a cloud of darkness that can block the most hated light."

A small black cloud was starting form over Rastilia's head. As she continued to repeat the prayer it would grow a little each time until it reached a size large enough to engulf the Nightmare and Rastilia in it's shadow.


OOC: The red text is her speaking in Drow.

"The oger has the general gist of unpleasent things, but failed to get the specifics." He replied

Inzikai smiled at the comment. "Why thank you, elf," he chuckled. He jumped off, less agile than the elf, but landed on his feet. "Aren't these structures beautiful?"

Inzikai walked towards one of the massive stones, where a heard of excavators and scholars stood.

"Tell me elf, have you seen anything like this?" Inzikai asked, not even looking at Ar'mai.

"I can't say I have," Ar'mai replied as she examined the magnificent stones. "What do they do?" she asked curiously.

Inzikai smiled. "That's what we're trying to figure out..." he lied. He actually knew what they did. Inzikai and only Inzikai knew what they did.

"Perhaps they were once part of an ancient structure. My scholars report to me they were part of some sort of temple...Imagine, these structures may bring the Skizzarish back together..."

Inzikai looked away, towards the ground inbetween all the structures. Some of the snow was dug up, revealing several patches of stone with similarly carved symbols. "Those stones aren't the only part either...My excavators tell me that what we stand on now, deep under the snow, is tons of stone, stretching far and wide...."

"Come. Let's go to my tent and see if theres anything new since I last came here..."Inzikai said as he began walking towards a city of tents. "It'll be warmer," he said as he looked back at Ar'mai.

**********************************************************

Rothargot studied the Nightmare horse. "Now what happens if you lost your game against the beast?" he asked as he walked around it.


**********************************************************

"I am quite a skilled psychic, aren't I?" grumbled the Ogre.

The group had finally made it to the massive Court of Miracles. The large, heavy wood doors were pulled open by Mammoth-like creatures, as the party walked through into the dark, cool interior.

In fact, it was so dark, one couldn't see the walls.

"Kind of dark, dont you think?" asked Sarik, looking around.

"Silence!" shouted the officer. The guards knelt down in front of the party and about 30 seconds later, they got up and disappeered amongst the shadows.

"Criminals, it has come to our attention that you are charged against the murder of a soldier, along with the summoning of the terrible storm that hit a day ago. Explain yourselves..."

"As I told your friends, those mewling guards neither I or the oger, or even the elf priestess were responsible for causing the storm to come into being. Also, is it not self defence if you are attack and defend your self?" He asked

"Come. Let's go to my tent and see if theres anything new since I last came here..."Inzikai said as he began walking towards a city of tents. "It'll be warmer," he said as he looked back at Ar'mai.

"Such a warm heart," Ar'mai remarked as she began walking behind Inzikai as she mulled over what she had just seen.

That is it! she screamed in her thoughts. Inner Warmth!

As they walked, Ar'mai began muttering to herself the prayer/spell that had just come back to her in a wave. With the Inner Warmth and compassion of your heart, grant me your blessings and protection from this cold, Elune.

"I thought you had just said I was cold?" asked Inzikai, slightly smiling.

As they continued walking, Inzikai heard the muttering behind him as the elf followed. Slightly annoyed he turned around, "Silence, elf. Muttering and whispering are for backstabbers and thieves. I trust you are beyond those kind... What were you saying?"


**********************************************************

"Yet no one attacked you. Self-defense it was not," came multiples voices at once. "You are held responsible for your Ogre, as you should have stopped him. You could have prevented a death and several woundings. You could have prevented this..."

"Who is this priestess you speak of?" asked a single voice off to the right.

Rothargot studied the Nightmare horse. "Now what happens if you lost your game against the beast?" he asked as he walked around it.

Rastilia replied somberly, "That depends on the Nightmare. If she had won the most likely outcome is she would dominate my mind and body for as long as she so desired or until the spell wore off. If she was hungry or angry she might have also tried to devour my soul."

The Nightmare did not seem to pay attention to Rothargot. The abmination of darkness and shadow just looked straight ahead. A clear indication that Rastilia's power controlled this creature.

"Do you really think I could restrain someone who outmasses me by around seven hundred percent?" He replied, "As to the priestess, she was kidnapped."

"Silence, elf. Muttering and whispering are for backstabbers and thieves. I trust you are beyond those kind... What were you saying?"

"If you trust me, then why must you know what I said," Ar'mai questioned, as the knew feeling of inner warmth radiated through her body. She would slowly become warmer from the inside out, with her chest being the warmest...

"I don't know, elf. Do you trust me? You still haven't given me your true name," replied Inzikai.

**********************************************************

"I don't way that much," chuckled the Ogre.

"Silence, Ogre. Yes, we do expect you to restrain the Ogre. All of you."

"We are done with this trial...Your fate is to be determined by the Coliseum. If you are lucky enough, you will survive. If not, then we hope you have wished your loved one's goodbye. As for the priestess, we have no clue as to her whereabouts and we do not know have anything to do with her. If we find her, we will escort her to your graves."

**********************************************************

Rothargot lost interest in the Nightmare and walked to the edge of the forest. "What would it have done with your mind and body?" he asked as he spread his wings again. "Tell me while we move."

With that, Rothargot took off again, floating in place, above Rastilia, waiting for her to follow.

"Sentencing without a trial, and you call that justice?" Lorathin barked with a short mocking laugh. "You have got to be one of the most caprisious courts I've ever had the displeasure to meet, and that's saying something."

"I don't know, elf. Do you trust me? You still haven't given me your true name," replied Inzikai.

"No, I do not trust you. I do not trust anyone that would hold me captive," Ar'mai replied in a harsh and telling tone.

"But elf, I give you the freedom to roam around unchained for a while. I have not harmed you either. You elves are very interesting to say the least," replied Inzikai, slightly surprised at the elf's tone. He hasn't heard a tone like that since he was a child. He chuckled at the thought.

**********************************************************

The judges didn't respond, but a click could be heard and all of a sudden, the party fell into a great void.

Sarik fell with a loud metallic thud, and he could hear the same happening to the others, except Kalzog, who landed with a crash.

Sarik luckily landed on his haunches, though painful, he could see everything. The room was much brighter than the Court. It seemed as though they were dumped in a large, wide bin.

Suddenly, there was another click, and many clanks after that. They began to move forward.


"What the? What's going on?" asked the Ogre, as he was laying on his stomach.

"I guess this is how they get their criminals to the pits..." replied Sarik.

Lorathin landed on Kalzog, though lighter than the others as he'd caught himself somewhat with a spell. Bouncing off the oger, he dropped the cuffs that he'd been carrying around for show.

"But elf, I give you the freedom to roam around unchained for a while. I have not harmed you either. You elves are very interesting to say the least," replied Inzikai, slightly surprised at the elf's tone. He hasn't heard a tone like that since he was a child. He chuckled at the thought.

"For a while would be the key part," Ar'mai said. "I doubt I am free to leave these lands whenever I please," she said, quite annoyed with him.

"Well I couldn't have you running off to tell The Patriarch or Sarik what's going on here. They'd just call another crusade to take the credit of finding these artifacts. Who knows what they may do if they have possesion of these structures..."

Inzikai continued walking to the tent, glancing at Ar'mai every now and then...

**********************************************************

"It's good to know that I am here to cushion your fall, Azrael," growled Kalzog. "Now how about you take these chains off me?"

"How heat resistant are you Kalzog?" Lorathin asked


Once Ar'mai had gotten a good distance away from her captor, the invisible simulacrum touched her gentlely on the arm.

"And who knows what you may do if you maintain possesion of these structures..." Ar'mai said, echoing his words and turning them against him.

"Like I said, I haven't a clue on what they are, much less, how to use them. I only seek them out to unify the Skizzarish factions," replied Inzikai. "You are quite angry at me today..."

**********************************************************

"Heat Resistant? Much more so than most of your kind, human. If it's magic, then I'm practically invulnerable to it," said the Ogre smugly.

"Actually I meant molten steel." He replied, "Will it sear your flesh or not?"

"My flesh is as strong as any rock, as any diamond. I feel no pain, human," smiled the ogre wickedly.

"If you say so." Lorathin replied, "Sarik, Bael, I'd stand back." He added as he didn't want to burn either of them.

"Like I said, I haven't a clue on what they are, much less, how to use them. I only seek them out to unify the Skizzarish factions," replied Inzikai. "You are quite angry at me today..."

"Get used to it... or get lost," Ar'mai replied simply.

"If you say so." Lorathin replied, "Sarik, Bael, I'd stand back." He added as he didn't want to burn either of them.

Bael'ther took a couple of steps back and turned his head gently to the side.

Inzikai laughed. "Ah..." was all he chuckled. They finally reached the large tent. Inzikai opened the tent flap, revealing a warm interior, with many luxories, including a throne, a desk, and a large bed. On top of the desk were stacked many papers.

"Ahh..seems like we've made a lot of progress..." said Inzikai, smiling slightly. He signaled for Ar'mai to go in. "Ladies first," he said with a smirk.

**********************************************************

Sarik stepped back, behind Azrael, and next to Bael'ther.

"Hurry up and set me free...I hate this position," growled Kalzog.

Ar'mai stepped into the tent to see the desk and stack of papers. "Chivalry in captivity... a rare combination," she commented softly. "Rare and pointless."

"Ah...I thought you meant my desk," he chuckled. "You still think I'm evil, don't you? I'm an ordinary guy, trying to make an ordinary living, and you, being part of an opposing group, was caught. You're living pretty well for a POW, elf," he replied as he walked to the desk to examin the papers.

"So tell me of your homeland, elf," Inzikai said as he flipped through the pages, occasionally tossing one in a nearby bin.

Lorathin casted a spell that caused a small beam to stick out of his finger. As he passed it down the metal, it began to glow, almost as if a blowtorch was being applied to it.

Kalzog winced slightly as the chains grew hotter. "Can't you do it any faster?" he growled.

"I'm also cutting through the binding spells, and like I told Sarik earlier, they're messy, but alright, though it'll mean stepping up the heat, sure you can handle it?" He asked as he spoke a few extra words and the metal increased in heat, starting to glow white hot, and the area they were in raising a few degrees in temperature.

Rothargot lost interest in the Nightmare and walked to the edge of the forest. "What would it have done with your mind and body?" he asked as he spread his wings again. "Tell me while we move."

With that, Rothargot took off again, floating in place, above Rastilia, waiting for her to follow.




The dark cloud, which was several feet above Rastilia and her Nightmare, provided a protective shadow from the sunlight that would destroy the Nightmare and blind Rastilia's vision. Rastilia gave another mental command to her shadowy beast and the horse floated up after Rothargot.

Once in the air Rastilia decided to reply to Rothargot's question, "The Nightmare might have used my powers and connection to the Goddess to command me to gather souls of living beings for her exclusive consumption. She could also try to probe my mind for useful information that could benefit her some how. I personally do not know everything that a Nightmare would do to a victim of a mental battle."

Rastilia looked at the desert and her infra-vision used to see in the underground tunnels of the Underdark was going mad from the intensive heat around the dry sand.

"So tell me of your homeland, elf," Inzikai said as he flipped through the pages, occasionally tossing one in a nearby bin.

Ar'mai looked at him for a moment in thought as she sat upon the comfortable pillows on the ground. "I guess it couldn't hurt..." she commented finally.

"Where I come from it is the most beautiful place in the world. The land is fertile and produces a bounty of crops. There are grassy fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, over rolling hills and to the water's edge. The forests which we inhabit are full of animals living in harmony and it is a serene place of bliss."

"Sounds like a place of tranquility...sounds a bit like the lands of the Order..." Inzikai said dreamily. "Would you believe that my land, the land of the Cult, used to be exactly like that? In fact, when my father ruled the land, we co-existed with elves. I even had one for one of my magic lessons. Tall and strict...we didn't get along together."

"That was long ago...Elves haven't been abundant in Zlatlan for over..." Inzikai stopped himself before he could talk about the conquests of the elves his father allied with. He went back to shuffling through the papers, desparetly trying to change the subject. "Are you hungry?" he finally asked.

**********************************************************

Rothargot grunted as he listened to the different ways the Nightmare would use the Dark Elf's powers. "Are you ready to traverse the desert?" he asked. Perhaps we'll find some ruins to hide in while the sun is out so you won't have to use the cloud so much."

**********************************************************

"Anything is better than this position," replied Kalzog, still wincing. His muscles bulged as he began to break out of the chains. "Almost there."

"Actually, no - not one bit," Ar'mai lied. "In fact, I am quite comfortable at the moment and I would love to hear the rest of what you were saying. 'Elves haven't been abundant in Zlatlan for over...'"

Inzikai cocked an eyebrow and looked at Ar'mai for a bit. He coughed as he went back to his paperwork. His tongue darted out of his mouth, a common nervous habit of his. "Nothing. I don't remember," he replied after clearing his throat. "Surely there is something you want?"

After a few more seconds, Lorathin stepped back and gestured a few words, generating a shield for Bael'ther, Sarik, and himself against the soon to be flying semi-molten metal.

"You should be able to break out now." He said to the oger.

Inzikai cocked an eyebrow and looked at Ar'mai for a bit. He coughed as he went back to his paperwork. His tongue darted out of his mouth, a common nervous habit of his. "Nothing. I don't remember," he replied after clearing his throat. "Surely there is something you want?"

"Certainly is," Ar'mai replied with a grin. "I want to know what you are talking about. You can't just end a sentence with 'Elves haven't been abundant in Zlatlan for over' and not tell me how long or why," she said. It was something she was in fact very curious about, but it also entertained her to see Inzikai sweat.

ooc: @Theao: Ogre, not Oger :p

"Silence. You wouldn't want to hear it," he grumbled as he increased the speed in which he looked over papers. "I hear the chef here can make a delicious stew, perhaps you want some?"

**********************************************************

And break out Kalzog did. He pushed his arms outward, the chains giving way until finally, they burst out into little bits of shrapnel. "It feels good to be free!" laughed Kalzog as he pushed himself up.

"Thanks, Azrael," replied Sarik as the debris bounced harmlessly off the shield protecting them.

"Can't have you getting injured now can I?" He asked retorically, "Now no causing havoc, alright Kalzog?"

Sarik chuckled at Lorathins comment, as the large bin they were in continued to clank along the belt. "I wonder how they got this to move?" he asked aloud.

"Havoc? That is my specialty, mage. In these pits we're headed for, you're going to want as much havoc as possible," replied the ogre, his wicked grin back on his face. His eyes glittered with a tint of red.

"Fine..." Ar'mai said dejectedly.

---

If Bael'ther could have grunted, he would have in response to Lorathin's comment. It was at this time that he felt Kalzog should wreak all the havoc he could.

The Nightmare continued to follow Rothargot never deviating for a second. The ominous black cloud also stayed above the group casting a dark shadow down upon them. The High Priestess Rastilia quickly responded to Rothargot's question, "I am more than ready to journey through the desert." She then took a long look at the desert and asked, "What kind of ruins do you expect to find out there?"

"When we get to the pits, feel to go hogwild causing chaos, but no havoc till then." Lorathin replied


Ar'mai would hear an almost inperceptable whisper in her ear, as the simulacrum asked if she had any messages for Bael'ther or anyone else.

Inzikai smiled with relief. "Was that a 'Fine' as in you want the stew, or a 'Fine' you don't want to hear my horribly boring, long, no-one-wants-to-hear story," he chuckled. In fact, the story would probably make a good book, had it not been so heart-breaking and violent...


**********************************************************
"My master, the all-knowing Valtrox has told me of wars waged across this land. It was a land full of cities and civilization. The Iskani Empire was at it's golden age, an unstoppable power. Empress Rimoru decided to invade the other factions, and succeeded until her empire stretched halfway across Lustria, including the capitols of The Cult and The Order."

"This was a rare case in which the Imperium, the Cult, and even the Order joined forces and battled their ways across their own lands. They decimated the Empress' armies, and tore down her cities, practically wiping everything off the map. Soon, sand covered the area as the lands became inhospitable. Yet there are old city ruins scattered amongst the desert, safe havens for criminals, spies, and outlaws. We need'nt worry about them..."

**********************************************************

"No havoc till then? What fun would life be with no havoc?" he chuckled as he examined the red marks the chains made across his body.

"It would give me a chance to rest, and you a chance to work out the kinks." He replied, "Oh, and." He gestured with his fingers at Bael'ther and Sarik's bindings, which proceeded to become as soft as wet paper, "Should have done that sooner."

He then sat down and began dozing.

Inzikai smiled with relief. "Was that a 'Fine' as in you want the stew, or a 'Fine' you don't want to hear my horribly boring, long, no-one-wants-to-hear story," he chuckled. In fact, the story would probably make a good book, had it not been so heart-breaking and violent...

Ar'mai didn't respond, but instead sat warmly upon the cushions.

Finally she spoke again, "If you won't tell me about the past... at least tell me about the future. What do you have planned?"

Inzikai looked up from his papers and sighed. "I thought I told you, already? Using these stones, we'll bring peace and prosperity to Lustria, and probably the world."

"Hey, interesting fact, An excavator believes the rocks above ground are nothing. They extend far below the surface..." Inzikai smiled as he crumpled the paper and tossed it out.

**********************************************************

Sarik chuckled as he played around with the papery chains.

Kalzog stomped over to Azrael and picked him up. "Wake up!" he shouted, his smile still on his face. "No time to sleep at a time like this! I'm free, they're free, we're all free! Let's plan our escape! Let's cause chaos on all these machines! We can ruin the Imperium from within their own court!"
"Quit your manic babbling, Kalzog! We're probably close to the pits already. Plus we haven't a clue as to how we're traversing over there. For all we know, we could be going in circles until we die..."

"How?" she asked simply. It was one thing to dream of unity, but if he didn't even know what the stones did, how could he be sure that they would bring him his desire. She believed that there was something far more sinister at play - why else would a dark God be involved...

Lorathin looked at Kalzog, and made a rude gesture. "Now put me down and let me sleep, go plan your chaos with Sarik and Bael'ther."

"You're so inquisitive," smiled Inzikai.

"I'll be right back, I will be getting something to eat. Would you like any?" he said, purposely avoiding the question.

**********************************************************

"Ho ho! 'Tis a good day for chaos!" replied Kalzog, as he tossed Lorathin lightly on the floor. "Has anyone ever been a gladiator before?"

Rastilia continued to listen to Rothargot's story about the Iskani Empire. It reminded her a lot about her own homeland and how it was conquered brutally by the undead legions of the Grand Shadow Empire. Rastilia decided not to mention that story and said, "So, you expect to find ruins of long dead cities full of bandits and other rabble?"

Lorathin landed lightly and went back to his nap.

"You're so inquisitive," smiled Inzikai.

"I'll be right back, I will be getting something to eat. Would you like any?" he said, purposely avoiding the question.

"No!" Ar'mai snapped, annoyed by Inzikai's avoidance and repetitive questions. "You asked me less than five minutes ago - I said no. What is going to change in that time. The answer is still no. What I want is for you to quit avoiding my questions and give me a straight answer...." she said as she ranted on.

"It is the last you can do while you hold me captive," she added, calming herself down and taking a deep breath.

Inzikai nearly jumped at the outburst.

"That is classified information, elf. If I were to let you free, and if you did manage to get back to Sarik, you would explain everything to that pawn, who will in turn, report it to his devil of a master. The Patriarch will magically unify the other clans and kill me." he said angrily, his voice slowly getting louder.

"Now you see why I cannot tell you," he said somewhat sadly, before looking away, rubbing the nubs on his head. "Ugh...I'll be right back..."

With that, Inzikai put some papers in a drawer in his desk and locked it. Putting the key in his pocket, he walked off to get his stew.

**********************************************************

"Yes, my master has told me so, so I will believe his words of wisdom," replied Rothargot as he continued to fly across the desert.

Once Inzikai left, the simulacrum again tapped on Ar'mai's arm.

The High Priestess listened to Rothargot's reply. Rastilia was not using her normal amount of attention to control her mount. The Nightmare continued to follow slightly behind Rothargot however, there was a slight hint of resistance in its red eyes. The Nightmare was beginning to fight against the Rastilia's mental control…

"That is classified information, elf. If I were to let you free, and if you did manage to get back to Sarik, you would explain everything to that pawn, who will in turn, report it to his devil of a master. The Patriarch will magically unify the other clans and kill me." he said angrily, his voice slowly getting louder.

"Were you planning on letting me go free?" Ar'mai called after him.

She sat looking at the drawer, wondering if it was locked magically or just by simple key...

Once Inzikai left, the simulacrum again tapped on Ar'mai's arm.

Apparently, the simulacrum was not that inteligent. Ar'mai was trying to get information and did not want it to be found out - she would continue to ignore it.

Ar'mai's suspicions were correc. The simulacrum wasn't intelligent. Unless it was being 'accessed' it could only follow those commands programmed into it, and even then it could only hold up to four commands.

Shortly after meeting the vampire, Rothargot had told the three that he had another business to attend to, that they were to continue southbound without him, and to make haste. And so, Maverion and Teralynn set off for the borders on their horses through the dead of night. Neither trusted the vampire too much, still, as they were the closest sources of food should it become hungry.

It was difficult for normal people to move with much speed while in the mires, for the darkness could make a single wrong turn extremely deadly. Maverion had no doubt that the murky waters to either side of the path have claimed their share of lives, the unfortunate victims' bodies still buried in the bog, petrified by the peat. These two, however, were not normal people. Using their minds to probe ahead of them, they could sense the road ahead, the beaten dirt paths below, the sharp limbs of the trees up front, the watery darkness to their sides, and most dangerous of all, the soft ground that offered the promise of a solid surface to travel on, but only offered death to those foolish enough to get stuck in them. With this ability, they were making good time.

"We'll need to purchase additional supplies and another beast of burden when we reach the border," Maverion said, raising his voice so that it could be heard over all the sounds that came with racing horses. "Ours horses alone won't be able to carry all our provisions plus their own food and water once we enter the desert."

Teralynn said, "I know. How far to the border?"

"Less than half a league," said Mave. "There'll be a small town before we reach the border. We can resupply there and let our mounts rest before continuing on."

A smirk appeared on Teralynn's face. "No doubt the vampire would need...replenishment...there as well."

It was still dark when they reached the town, and there were a few guards on watch duty, but not many. Long, sharpened poles formed a wooden palisade that surrounded the town. The fires from the pits on top of these walls showed those guards walking around the top of those ramparts, although some of the motionless ones had probably fallen asleep on their feet. One of the guards, a Skizzarish, was standing over the closed wooden gateway and held his palm up as the two riders came to a stop just outside of it. "What is your purpose here?" he called out.

"We seek supplies for our journey into the desert," Maverion said.

The lizard looked at the two. "No one may cross the border without permission!"

"We are on a mission for Lord Inzikai. He sents us directly," said Mave.

The guard snorted. "That's highly doubtful. Where's your proof?"

Teralynn rolled her eyes. "We do not have time for this," she said to Mave. Then she focused her penetrating eyes on the Skizzarish's, narrowing them as she focused. Within seconds, the guard became clearly agitated, swiping his arms around himself wildly before taking one step too far backwards and falling off the rampart. The other guards above the gate watched with astonishment as he landed with a thud before looking back at Tera with fear. "Anyone else want to doubt us?" she asked, arching a thin eyerow.

The gates immediately began to swing open.

Already knowing that Mave's eyes were on her even without looking at him, Tera said, "Do not worry. I did not kill him. The only real damage he sustained was from his little fall."

It was about an hour before dawn when they got everything together. Several townspeople were awoken from their slumber in the name of expediency in the process, but it was a necessary evil.

"There is a ruin a hour's ride away in the desert," Maverion explained to Tera. "If we get there in time, it'll offer us some shelter from the elements, and perhaps even an old well. But we'll need to move fast and get there before sunrise. Otherwise, the vampire might not be very happy."

Tera grinned. "What a shame."

They rode out of the town with their three horses, though the original two horses did not get as much rest as they would have liked. A short time after they began, Teralynn asked, "What is this ruin we are headed to?"

"It was called Ivarn," said Mave. "At its height, it was a rich and powerful city, a part of Iskan. It laid on a busy trade route, being the last stop before the merchants, soldiers, and everyone else headed into the desert, and the first stop for anyone coming out of it."

Tera's eyebrows furrowed. "But it is already in the desert?"

"Not in those days," Maverion said. "Back then, the forests extended all the way down to there. But then armies demolished the once great city, leaving it to be abandoned, and in the following centuries, the forests turned to swamps, and the desert slowly moved in and took over everything."

She looked at him, "How do you know all this?"

He shrugged, "I study the history of these lands whenever I have the chance."

The twilight sky was growing a lighter blue with each passing minute as they reached the large hill of rubble that was the ruins of Ivarn. Yet, as the two guided their horses through a high and shadowy archway, about a dozen men of various species appeared out from behind doorways, big holes in the wall, or behind large piles of debris, surrounding them.

"We'll be takin' those horses an' tha little lady," one of the men said, giving a grin that showed a missing tooth, with the rest being very yellowed. The other men pulled out swords and knives, smiling and chuckling amongst themselves.

Maverion glanced at Teralynn, then smiled back at the one who spoke, who appeared to be the leader of the brigands. "Alright. She's yours...if you can handle her."

The man grinned all the more as he approached Teralynn. She, however, remained motionless, simply giving the man an icy look. In another second, the man's eyes shot wide open in fear. He began backing up as he saw both woman and horse turn into a large dragon, growing until the high arch no longer seemed very high at all. The long neck of the dragon snapped forward, and the next thing he knew, the razor-sharp teeth of the dragon's maw were biting into him. The other men surrounding them became terrified as well at the sight, and began fleeing from the scene.

Mave, of course, knew what was really going on, and simply watched as Tera sat calmly in her saddle while the leader flailed about as if he were being eaten or something before falling limp, dead. When the other outlaws started to run, Maverion quickly drew his dagger and flung it at one of them, sending him to the ground. Mave then drew his sword and charged with his horse at some of the other men.

Meanwhile, as Tera continued to sit quite placidly, a couple of other men began screaming and rolling around, as if they were on fire and were burning to death.

Maverion's sword sliced through a few more fleeing men as his dagger unlodged itself and flew through the air at its next target, controlled by his mind.

Before long, all dozen men were dead. Some showed clear signs of injury, while others did not have so much as a scratch on them. (OOC: Dar Kavryn, if you're still around, we can assume your guy took a number of them out as well)

By the time the horses were unburdened and Maverion cleaned his weapons up, the sun was out and displaying its full might. Mave made his way upward, into the open air, shortly followed by Teralynn.

"We're standing in history," Maverion said upon hearing Tera's footsteps behind him.

Tera looked around at the piles upon piles of broken stones, the color of which almost matched those of the sands that enveloped the place. "Is that why you came up here? To see the rubbles of a long-dead city?"

"Well, that, and to search for signs of Lord Rothargot," said Mave. "He is the one who is supposed to meet with the empress of Iskan, and so he should be rejoining us shortly."

Teralynn nodded. "I will see if I can sense him." Her eyes went distant and her mind began to reach out to the vast distances all around them, in search of the demon. All of a sudden, the stones beneath her opened up and swallowed her. She let out a gasp before the opening reclosed, solid as before, leaving no trace of what just happened.

"Teralynn!" Maverion shouted as he jumped to grab her, but he was too late. There was not even a crack wide enough for an ant trail to get through in the stonework. He stood up, frowning and eyebrows furrowed. Looking around, he could find no clue as to what happened, and so he closed his eyes and sent his mind out as well, but this time looking for Teralynn instead.

Just as before, the stone ground under him opened up and swallowed him before closing up and leaving no signs of the two.

OOC: The desk is just a simple key lock, and inside would be several sketches of Valtrox with size dimensions, as well as sketches of the structure they are unearthing with it's size dimensions as well. Only if she opens it though lol;)


Inzikai heard Ar'mai's call and sighed. Elves are so...stuck-up... He laughed at the idea as he walked to the food tent and picked up some stew.

**********************************************************

"The ruins are close by. Prepare to land," Rothargot called out to Rastilia.

**********************************************************

"I have never been to a gladiator arena, much less been a gladiator," replied Sarik in answer to the Ogre's question, as he leaned up against the wall, relaxing as best he could. "I don't think Bael'ther has either."

After making sure Inzikai had truly left the tent area, Ar'mai snuck over to his desk. She simply murmured two or three words in a basic Elven tongue and the drawer sprung open. Her keen senses would alert her to Inzikai's return long before he made it back to the tent, giving her enough time to return everything to where it was.

She picked up the pages and began examining them. There were several sketches of Valtrox with size dimensions, as well as sketches of the structures they were unearthing - they too had size dimensions written on them. Ar'mai didn't know how useful they would be, but she held them up in the air for the simulacrum to see and then returned them to the desk.

"Go..." she whispered as she relocked the desk and sat back down on the comfortable pillows.

---

Bael'ther didn't respond. It may have been true that he was never in a gladiatorial battle, but that didn't mean he hadn't battled like a gladiator.

ooc: Does he still have his weapons?

OOC: No, I should've posted it earlier, but I'll just edit my post. All weapons were taken from them, to be placed in the Arena itself.


Inzikai walked back to his tent, recieving the occasional bows from passerbys. His guards opened the tent flap for Inzikai.

"I brought some for you, elf. I wouldn't want you to starve on me," he said, setting the stew in front of her, a wooden spoon included. Inzikai returned to his desk, set his bowl on a stack of papers, and once again started scanning through several papers on his desk.

"How old are you anyways?" he asked before he swallowed a spoonful of the soup, before squinting his eyes and opening his mouth, breathing heavily. "Too hot," he responded, coughing slightly.

Ar'mai smiled as he set the soup down in front of her. She actually was hungry as she hadn't eaten in a while. Picking up the wooden spoon, she brought a small amount of the soup to her mouth to test it. Not bad, she thought.

"How old do you think I am?" Ar'mai asked in response to his question.

"Hard to say, actually. My history teacher was several hundred years old, yet reminded me of a twenty year old. So, using him as a template, I'd have to say, around 300 years old," he answered after studying her several minutes.

The simulacrum had speed-read the information Ar'mai had 'fed' it, and passed it on, as it was possible to do so with minimal output, what with Lorathin sleeping at present.

Suddenly, the noises ended, and their container stopped with a jolt, making Sarik bang his head against the wall. "Are we here?" he asked to no one in particular.

Kalzog's eyes continued to glow a reddish color as he silently stood, unmoving. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

Suddenly, the container sprung from it's horizontal position to a verticle one, flinging every one of it's inhabitants off. Sarik yelped in surprise as he was suddenly falling into a massive funnel.

Kalzog roared with laughter as he took off. Remembering Lorathin's landing, he grabbed the man from air, and kept him close by as they slid down the slide.

After several minutes of sliding upside down, rightside up, and any other direction one could imagine, the end was near.

Sarik fell though first. He landed on his haunches and sat there for a moment, rubbing his backside. Suddenly, out came Bael'ther, landing right on top of Sarik.

"This is...awkward..." he said as he looked up. Some metalic clanking was heard as well as a distance laughing. "I suggest we move before the Ogre comes through."

Sarik and Bael'ther jumped out of the way, just as Kalzog landed, flat on his feet, in a crouching position, slight cracks forming around his feet. "Hah! I'm loving this place already, Sarik!" he laughed. He set down Lorathin, whom he held above him the whole time, so as not to squish him between the funnel or land on him, both could have killed him.

Lorathin had given the impression of sleep the entire fall, but 'woke' when Kalzog put him down. "Thank you for that." He said to the ogre, "And remind me to tell what I've found out once we've exited the arena."

"That may be a while, mage," replied Kalzog as he walked over to a nearby gate. He reared his fist and slammed hard against the seemingly normal barred gate. Kalzog's fist glowed bright white as it smashed into the bars, which glowed with their own dark purple glow. "Powerful enchanments..." he muttered.

The roaring of an audience could be heard, as the ceiling shook, sending dust all over.

"We must be under the Arena..." coughed Sarik, after he sneezed.

"Much neater spells." Lorathin commented as he took in the rest of the room.

"Hard to say, actually. My history teacher was several hundred years old, yet reminded me of a twenty year old. So, using him as a template, I'd have to say, around 300 years old," he answered after studying her several minutes.

"Interesting guess," Ar'mai replied simply.

---

I need a weapon... thought Bael'ther as he dusted himself off.

"Interesting? Does that mean I am right or wrong? Was I close?" asked Inzikai, grinning slightly.

**********************************************************

It was a medium sized room, just enough room for the whole party to lay down without touching another, barring the chance of one of them rolling around as they sleep.

"Well, seeing as I am unable to do anything at this moment...I will be resting, preparing for my battle," grinned the Ogre, his eyes returning to their normal color.

"I'll see what I can find out about the ring, who we'd fight, or anything that may be of use to us..." replied Sarik.

Harlin looked around at the others in the group before slipping the bindings from his arms in one deft movement. He then tended to Shara and Minos before walking over to the elf warrior. He could tell the look of longing in Bael'ther's eyes, and reached inside his leather armor to pull out one of the many concealed knives he hid there.

"It's not much, but it's what we've got," he said as he handed the blade to the enormous warrior.

Meanwhile, Shara was tending to the short sword the guards had 'forgotten' to take from her. In reality, she'd seduced them into thinking she was an innocent young women, who couldn't hurt a fly. Oh how wrong they had been.

Also, the guards couldn't deprive an 'infirm old man' of his walking stick, and as a result, Minos was still in posession of the weapon of as yet unknown power.

After his brief exchange with the elf, Harlin looked around at his other new friends and with a sense of forboding and said, "Good luck, and may Arcturus bless and keep us."

Kalzog scoffed at Harlin's comment. "I need no blessings, nor luck. When we fight, it will be a glorius fight!" With that, he found a small pile of hay located in one corner. He began to shape it to his desire.

"Thank you, Harlin. I believe we're going to need what blessing's we can get..." replied Sarik, giving him a reasuring smile. "Are you guys alright?"

"Oye! Gerroff me, ya big lunk!" growled something in Kalzog's corner.

Kalzog barked something in some crude language, probably whatever the Ogre language was. He pulled out something small, but broad from the pile of hay. "Hah! Look, it seem's we've been placed into a cell with a runt!"

"Who ya call'n runt, ya overgrown greasy lard ball!" continued the muscular dwarf, who appeared to have a black eye, as well as several teeth missing.

"I was calling you a runt, but now I see you're just a hairy fleabag that I could flatten with my bare hands right now!" replied Kalzog.

"Set me down ya beached whale!" continued the dwarf.

Kalzog merely responded with a laugh, before setting the dwarf down.

"Ah, is this my reward? Getting a group of people to die with me, and my own elven companion?" he said, winking at Shara.

"I for one, am not dieing today." Lorathin commented to the dwarf, "But what have you fought recently?"

"Ho! Ye better be listen'n to what I been fight'n. 'Tis not even th' worse of it!" muttered the dwarf, looking around suspiciously.

Sarik couldn't help himself, from the exchange of insults between the Ogre and the dwarf, and the heavy dwarvish accent the dwarf had, Sarik just began to laugh.

"Pardon me, dwarf, but I just keep finding surprise today...Please, continue," chuckled Sarik.

The dwarf glared at Sarik. "Yah, ya better quit yer laugh'n before I turn ya into a purse!" he added before he turned back to Azrael.

"Ye better watch yerselves. I myself battled a cyclops, several other inmates, drakes, an' a kraken...That kraken 'ad to 'ave been the worse!"

"Kraken? Those live in the water, you twit," replied Kalzog, who had taken the dwarf's spot in the corner.

"Ye idiot! I can tell yer an outsider! The arena ain't only what ye saw outside...there are many arenas within this whole coliseum. Underground, above ground, every plane ye feeble mind can think of..."

"Watch who you're talking to, dwarf. My threat still stands..." replied the Ogre.

"Any extra-planers?" Lorathin asked with interest.

"Eh? Extra-planars? Whatcha mean?" asked the dwarf, as he checked some scabs and cuts along his arms.

"Gith, trifelings, demons, those sorts." He replied

"Hmm...I never battled them meself in these games, but i wouldn't doubt it. Speak'n of which... It seems ye guys will be the main attraction...They've been advertise'n all over the place...whatever they have planned for all of ye, it's gonna be big...Come to think of it, The Arena has been get'n many massive shipments from all over the continent...from the most exotic to the common things, to tha unknown...Matter of 'act, I believe they may even be putt'n on a staged show starrin' you all to represent some battle that took place long ago..." replied the dwarf as he twirled his beard.

"Well I am not about to put on a show for these plebs." He commented, "Nor will I act the part of some long dead 'hero', or 'villian' for that matter."

"Ye only have to do whatever ya usually do...these 'plays' usually mean ye gonna die..." replied the dwarf. "And if ye ain't diein', they'll get somethin' that will kill ya! I've seen it meself. They brought a centaur, massive beast 'e was. An' he was me par'ner. We made a good team, ya can bet on tha'! An we staged a show how the Imperium killed the centaur invasion of some age long gone...I was just there to 'elp me par'ner. We lasted quite a ways, killin' their soldiers, or at least the other inmates dressed up as Imperium Soldiers, wave by blink'n wave. Then, they brought in a wurm! They said one o' their corrupt judges rode it into battle in the actual battle. Rubbish I say! The wurm killed me partner, but not after we gave it a serious thrash'n. I had ta finish the job meself, an' they seemed satisfied ta have killed me par'ner..."

The dwarf sniffed a bit, and his eyes seemed a bit watery, but other than that, he didn't shed any tears.

"They'll bankrupt themselves if they want to bring me down." Lorathin commented in a flat tone.

"Hah! Thats the spirit, human!" laughed Kalzog, who had been relaxing the whole time.

"That may be a while, human. I bet, By the end of the 10th game, you'll be wishin' they gave ya death long ago...I'm in me 16th game an' I find it hard ta keep want'n to stay alive. But I jus' remember me ol' friend and trusted ally, Chief Higsthor of the Morgrathiens, an' I fight for 'im. Cause I know, tha' when he defeats Inzikai an' his vile minions, he'll come in for me...he'll come for me..."replied a saddened dwarf.

"Chief Higsthor? Inzikai? I thought you guys were allies," replied Sarik, suddenly paying close attention.

"Nay! Ye got ta be joke'n! They are as bad as they can get! An Inzikai knew this from the start! So he persuaded the other elders ta kill 'im. An they almos' did if it weren' for me an 'is father! I was sent 'ere ta die, while Higsthor's father died in front of 'is own son's eyes...T'was sad..."

"They won't keep me past the first match, not profitable." Lorathin replied, "And when the ogre breaks out, and breaks the arena up, we'll take you with us, alright?"

"Aye, we be takin' ya with us!" mocked the Ogre, his eyes stil closed. He chuckled at his own joke. "Azrael, you must be a mind reader...I was thinking up ways to grind this Arena to dust..."

"I thank ya, lads. All of ya! If I make it, I'll make sure ye all can visit the Free Morgrathien territory all ya want! And have beer on the house, courtesy of Loraf Loadquarrier!"

"Now you have yourself a deal!" replied the Ogre who perked up happily.

Sarik made sure to take a mental note of this. If a war were to erupt between the Order and the Cult, the Order would need as many allies it can get, and the Imperium seemed to be to corrupt to help them in this. Empress Rimoru would hopefully join up with the Order as well... thought Sarik.

"No, I just know how much you love pounding on things Kalzog." Lorathin replied, "And I'd keep him," He points to the ogre, "Away from your kegs, he's liable to drain them dry."

It could have been hours, or just minutes, maybe even seconds. It was hard to tell, as when Maverion awoke and opened his eyes, all his saw was darkness. The air smelled ancient, as if it had been stagnant for hundreds of years. There was a sound not too far away from him, and a hand instinctively reached for his sword.

A feminine voice said, "Ah, at last. It took you a while."

"I can't see anything," Maverion said, relaxing just slightly when he realized it was Teralynn.

There was a shuffle and the light crunching of sparse sand underneath moving feet. "Neither can I," Tera told him. "I explored the place a little bit. It appears we are in some subterranean hallway that branches off some ways away. I have not found any light source."

Maverion stood up slowly, allowing his sore back to adjust to the new, standing position. He was not certain how far they had fallen, but it must have been either fairly short or it was not a straight fall down had it been a long one, or else he would be a lot worse off, if even alive. Using his mind to sense the surroundings, much as he did while riding his horse through the swamps the previous night, Mave was unable to find any openings nearby that may have been where the two of they fell out of. They were at a dead end of some kind of hallway, and the only exit was to go down that hall.

Teralynn's voice said, "So, did any of your history lessons say anything about where we could be?"

"No," Maverion said with a shake of his head, which, although Tera could not have seen it with her eyes, she would have picked up on it with her mind. "But the hallway seems manmade, so if we're under Ivarn, and workers were able to come down here to build this, then they must have had a way to get back up to the city as well. Unless..."

There was a pause, then Tera asked, "Unless...?"

"Unless," he continued, "this is a tomb for someone important. In which case it could be completely sealed off and cursed to prevent grave robbers from coming in."

Mave heard a deep breath being taken and exhaled, then a very sarcastic, "Great." Another pause. "Why were we sucked in?"

"I don't know," Maverion answered. "But it looks like our only option is to explore those other hallways you found and hope this isn't a sealed tomb."

They went down the hallway, and upon reaching the branching, made sure they remembered which route they took in case they needed to get back to where they started, although there was not much of anything to get back to but an empty hall. Following several more twists and turns, corridors and stairways, they came upon a long hallway with what seemed to be a large room at the end of it. That seemed a little more promising than anything else they had encountered so far.

Maverion walked down the pitch black length of the hall first, with Tera to the side and slightly behind. About halfway through, Mave had an uneasy feeling and his walk slowed to a halt. Tera kept moving, but then one of Mave's arm shot out in front of her, blocking any farther advance just as a metallic sliding sound came out of the stone walls and a slight gust of wind blew over her face. Metal spikes had shot out along the walls, floor, and ceiling right in front of them, missing them by a mere inch or two.

Her heart skipped a beat as that happened, and a dumbfounded expression appeared on her face. "I...I cannot sense them at all."

"Neither can I," Maverion said, with an equally worried expression on his face. In his mind, all he could see was the hallway. The metal rods that nearly skewered them were completely invisible.

Teralynn continued trying to find the spikes with her mind. "Why? ...How did you know it was there?"

"I didn't," Mave said. "I just had...a feeling. And I don't know why we can't sense them. Maybe...maybe the trap was designed to be undetectable to even our powers."

Very few times in her life had Teralynn been unable to defend herself, and those times served to make her more mad than anything else. "Then this had better be a tomb," she said, "because if I find whoever designed and built this place, then they would beg for a thousand deaths before I get through with them. Can we get past these bars?"

Maverion carefully reached his hands out and felt where each rod was. He then used that information to picture them in his mind, and focused his powers to force the spikes back into their hidden crevices. Although hoping that they would not trigger the spikes again, he nonetheless kept pushing on the spikes with his mind while the two crossed over to the other side of them. Just as Mave released the spikes, they popped back out into the hall. The two continued down the hallway, but this time at a much slower and more careful pace.

Yet, with every step, everything seemed to get a lot warmer. Tera was the first to mention it, and then the walls began glowing as they became hotter. Realizing that they would be cooked alive if they stayed in the hallway for much longer, the two began to run at top speed for the end of the corridor. Every step was torturous as the floor began glowing brighter and brighter, the heat transfering easily through their shoes and into their skin and flesh. Then, a slab of stone began lowering itself at the end of the hallway to block their way to the room on the other side. The two ran all the harder, hearing the grinding of the thick stone dropping into place to seal them in to the hallway.

Teralynn was the first to make it through, thanks to her superior athletic prowess. Maverion dived beneath the dropping slab after her, trying to roll through what little space was left at the bottom. The stone on the ground burned immensely, his clothes doing little to block the heat. He felt Tera grab him and pull him out of the hall just before the slab slammed shut, and everything became utterly dark again.

For a while, they just laid there on the ground, breathing hard and letting the cold stone floor of the room soothe their pain. Maverion had no doubt that his feet were burnt along with various other parts of his body from when he was rolling under the stone slab. With any luck, it would not be too bad, and they could continue on without anything more than just annoying aches and pains.

They did not know how long they laid there, but some time later, Maverion forced himself on to his feet, and nearly collapsed again. The soles of his feet still burned and were extremely tender, but he wobbled his way forward anyway. Using his mind to probe the room, he found it to be very large indeed. It was also full of things, though what exactly, it was difficult to determine.

A few more steps later, and fires burst out of two large stone torches standing off to either side of him. A feeling of dread came over him as he thought that what he just went through was about to happen all over again. But as it turned it, row after row of stone torches began lighting themselves all over the room simply to illuminate the place.

What he now saw astonished him even more.

Teralynn came shuffling up next to him, her eyes large and mouth slightly agape at the beautiful sight. They looked at each other, almost in disbelief, before looking back at the wonder in front of them. A smile grew on Tera's face, and she began chuckling.

"Oooh yes," Mave managed to say through his hoarse, dried throat. "This place has got to be cursed."

The dwarf eyed the Ogre with a grin on his face. "Then maybe we otta see who can drought the most beer?" he asked mischieviously.

"Now that would be nearly as much fun as pounding this place down to its very foundations," Ogre laughed. "Azrael, out of the time we knew each other, you've seemed to know me to the core," he chuckled again.

Shara grimaced at the comment from the dwarf as she stood and hefted her shield.

"I am no one's," she almost spat at him, then a more gentle tone entered her voice, "save perhaps Harlin, if we make it through this alive."

Hearing this, Harlin turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. Shara replied with a smile before her face hardened with the tension of the situation.

"Perhaps, perhaps I'm just seeing the face you choose to present, rather than that of your true self." Lorathin commented

"Aww, we have two wittle love birds with us," replied Kalzog, a mischevious grin on his face.

In response to Lorathin's answer, Kalzog laughed. "Indeed, I put on this face to hide my fuzzy cute bunny that I really am..."

Lorathin smiled, and concentrated for a few seconds on Kalzog. With an audible 'pop' a pair of fake bunny ears appeared on the ogre's head. "I guess you are a fuzzy bunny after all." He quiped

"Interesting? Does that mean I am right or wrong? Was I close?" asked Inzikai, grinning slightly.

"You tell me the answer to my questions, and I will tell you the answer to your questions," Ar'mai said, while a wide grin appeared on her face.

**********************************************************

"It's not much, but it's what we've got," he said as he handed the blade to the enormous warrior.

Bael'ther looked down at the blade - he would have laughed at he not been in such a dismal position (and able to). The blade he had been handed was nearly the size of his hand... not much good in brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Next thing he knew, a dwarf appeared out of the corner of the room. Dwarves weren't overly uncommon to see back where he was from, though they tended to keep to the mountains and away from the forests. The few he had known were fierce warriors, comparable to many of his clan...

He stood in the corner and watched the preceding, listening carefully.

Filling the vast and cold room in front of Maverion and Teralynn were mounds after mounds of gold. Interspersed throughout were treasures from far away lands, having made their way here through the series of trade routes. Precious stones, weapons of unheard of quality, ancient tomes and giant pearls, all these and more littered the vault. Paintings of rich colors filled the walls and ceilings, interspersed with gold dust laid out like waterfalls coming down the walls. A couple of ten-feet tall statues stood on the two sides of the room, adorned with various jewelry, and their stone armor and weapons resembling those that were worn during the golden age of Ivarn, when no doubt all these treasures were amassed. Ancient words covered portions of the walls, some painted, some engraved, all of them a beautiful, flowing script. Colorful silk and rugs lined other parts of the walls and floor, miraculously undamaged by the ravages of time. Miniatures of strange and mysterious animals sat upon pedastals, made out of materials like ivory and jade and colored glass. In one corner of the room were large clay jars, glossy and with the image of grapes on a vine on them. No traces of dust could be found in the room.

Teralynn started making her way toward the hoard, but Maverion said, "Be careful. There could be more traps."

I know, Teralynn thought back to him, saving her parched throat from speech. Can you read what those words say? she tilted her head toward the scripts on the wall.

No, Maverion thought with a shake of his head.

Leaning over, Tera picked up a ring and stood back up to walk over to one of the stone torches to inspect it. It was a polished silvery-white metal, platinum, with a simplistic design, having only a single, triangular diamond embedded in it. But upon closer inspection by the light of the fire, she could see faint words all over the ring, barely distinguishable from the rest of the ring. They were very small, and looked to be of many different languages.

Teralynn, Mave thought to her.

She looked up at him.

The reflection from the jewel, he transmitted to her, pointing to the diamond on the ring. It was hitting the wall, he then pointed to a part of the wall with text on it. The words on the wall, they changed.

Tera looked at the text on the wall, then back at Mave. How?

I don't know, thought Maverion. Do it again.

She positioned the ring so that the light of the fire reflected off of the diamond and hit the patch of wall. Mave approached the reflection, which was unusually large and bright for something as small as that diamond was. The edges of the reflected light was a mixture of rainbow colors, blending smoothly into one another. The center, however, was normal light, but the words that it highlighted on the wall were now legible.

The treasury of Ivarn, Maverion read to Teralynn. Constructed during the reign of Countess Ristali, the greatest of the mind mages. He looked over at Tera. Maybe that's it. Ristali's line was full of mind mages. For security measures, the only way to access the treasury was with a mind mage, but unauthorized ones would get caught by traps that are impervious to mind mages.

Teralynn lowered her arm that was holding the ring to the light. So the army that attacked this city were not able to find this place to loot it, even when they leveled it. No one has ever been in here for countless centuries...

Until now, Maverion thought.

Teralynn grinned. Until now. She began to slip the ring onto a finger, but before she could, a breeze blew in the room, and an chill ran through the two's spines. The fires in all the torches shrank, becoming little more than candlelights that plunged the vault back into darkness save for a small area around the torches.

The haunting, whispering voice of a woman echoed through the room, "Take not of that which belongs not unto thyself."

Then it was gone, and the fires in the torches flared back up to their normal sizes.

Both Mave and Tera froze in their positions, looking at one another with an odd expression. Oookaaay, thought Maverion. Definitely cursed.

Teralynn arched an eyebrow. It probably just does that every time someone comes in here for something. You know, to frighten those who are easily scared. Besides, how does it know we are not here for official business? She slid the ring on.

Maverion was about to tell her to stop, but she had already put it on. He looked around, both in search of any traps that could be coming their way and for another way out, as their only known exit was currently a furnace.

She admired the ring on her finger for a few moments, nearly forgetting the pain in her body. You really do need to relax, you know. Nothing is going to happen.

The sound of grinding stone caught their attention, and their heads snapped toward the two statues. It was very slight at first, barely noticeable, but the two statues were starting to move from where they were standing. The more they moved, the more agile they became, until they started lumbering toward the two like any normal ten-foot tall giant.

Maverion would have groaned if his throat were not still a bit parched. Take that ring off!

Teralynn complied, and held the ring up to the approaching statues, one of which was nearly upon her. "Here, you can have it back!" she said to the closest one, backing away from it.

The statue raised its huge hammer, which appeared to be made of a different stone than the statue itself was, and swung it straight down at Tera. She jumped off to the side to dodge the swing and scrambled to gain more distance between them.

The second statue had a broadsword and swung it horizontally at Maverion to cleave him in two. He ducked down and made his way out of the statue's reach as best he could, given his tender feet.

I do not sense any minds in them! Teralynn's voice came into Mave's head.

They're golems, Maverion replied. They don't listen to reason, they just do what they were designed to, which in our case would be to kill thieves. They're probably immune to our powers. The giant sword sent gold coins scattering in all directions as the statue tried to halve Mave again.

Using his mind, Maverion lifted large shields, pedastals, and anything else he could grab and flung them at the golem, but to little success. Everything simply bounced off of it, not even slowing it down. Mave dodged another strike from the broadsword, but as he got to his feet to run, a large stone foot came flying at his stomach. Before he knew it, he was flying through the air with his organs feeling as if they had been flattened inside of him. He landed hard, but surprisingly not as hard as he had expected since he landed on a rather plush rug. Everything was still disorienting, however, and he was unable to get himself up, as much as he struggled to, let alone see straight. Before long, the sword-wielding statue as on top of him, the sword held right over him, ready to pierce straight down and through his body, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"The ruins are close by. Prepare to land," Rothargot called out to Rastilia.


The Nightmare was starting to follow Rastilia's command to begin landing to the ground. The shadowy monster decided now was the time to strike. It started to buck and breath it's deadly gaseous breath. It would soon fire a deadly stream of negative energy at Rothargot in an attempt to knock him out early.

Rastilia quickly understood something was very wrong with the control of her mount. She quickly began to start another mind assault against the Nightmare. This made Rastilia go into an almost mental trance in the middle of landing to the ground.

Sarik laughed as the Ogre grew slightly red in the face.

"'Tis an improvement!" laughed the dwarf.

"Wretched Human!" Kalzog growled as he pulled off the ears. "I should grind you into the floor for this..."

Suddenly, another clanking sound could be heard around the whole prison.

"What is that, Loraf?" asked Sarik, standing alert suddenly.

"No worries, 'tis only the cell's revolve'n. As soon as a team completes the battle, they return to their cell an' the next group is placed inta their spot," replied the dwarf. He pointed to the wall as it seemed to be moving to the right. Soon enough, a number showed along the wall, carved into the rough stone. 3.

"'Tis not good...when ya get a three for a numbah, ya can either go taday or ya may be lucky an' go tomorrow..." continued the dwarf.

**********************************************************

Inzikai lost his smile at Ar'mai's response. "So be it, I'll play your game. But we'll ask one question at a time, taking turns to answer them," he regained his smile and pulled out his chair in front of Ar'mai, along with a stack of papers and his soup.

"You answer first," Inzikai chuckled.

**********************************************************

Rothargot had landed, and looked over to see Rastilia having some trouble landing. "Mortals are strange creatures..." he muttered to himself. He wasn't sure if he should help or not, and if he should, what would he do?

"Okay," Ar'mai replied with the same devilish grin. "But it must be completely honest, true, and forthcoming." She wasn't going to let him spin the same bullshit he had before - playing the 'I don't know' card.

"You answer first," Inzikai chuckled.

"I don't think so," she replied slowly. "You hold all the cards here, what with the guards and such, so I think you should answer my question first. After all, if you refuse to answer there isn't much I can do..."

"So... tell me what your plans are... all of them. And don't spin me that crap about reuniting these lands under one peaceful banner," she stated.

Inzikai cocked his eyebrow. "Ahh the things I'm letting you into, elf..."

"My plans? All of them?" Inzikai's grin grew even wider. "Nuh-uh-uh, sneaky little elf. Specific questions, not some so broad as that," he said wagging his finger at her.

"So we'll be out of here shortly, if things work out well?" Lorathin asked as he smiled at the ogre's blush.

Inzikai cocked his eyebrow. "Ahh the things I'm letting you into, elf..."

"My plans? All of them?" Inzikai's grin grew even wider. "Nuh-uh-uh, sneaky little elf. Specific questions, not some so broad as that," he said wagging his finger at her.

"Fine..." Ar'mai replied. "How are you going to go about your plans?" she said with a grin.

"Well, I wanted to create a magnificent statue of me, and set it nearby the sea. Afterwards, I wanted to clean my castle, including my aweful mess in my room...The maids are not allowed to go in there. Later, I would rebuild a tower nearby the castle that used to serve as a guest room."

"As to going about to doing them...well, I must finish my business here first. Afterwards, I'll order workers to create a giant statue of me...My castle I'll do myself...unless you wish to help or do it for me?"

He laughed at his own response. "But I'm guessing that's not what you meant by 'all my plans'..."

"I suppose you're talking about this place, why I'm interested in it? Like I said, this place is key to unifying the Skizzarish clans, this part is true."

"These structures were created long ago, before my time. I know more than most people about them, yet still barely enough to tell you anything. But for our little game, I will tell you what I know."

"These ruins contain great power, not one that can be gained by a single person, as I expect you'd believe me striving for, but a power that would be gained for the whole race, and probably the whole world. A new door will be opened and the possibilities will be endless. Unless this whole excapade of mine is a total failure, in which I'd probably hide in exile until it's safe enough for me to return..." finished Inzikai in half-truths. He knew far more, such as the structures actually being a gateway into the underworld. The ruins contained a great power indeed...and this plan would not fail...

"Satisfied?" asked Inzikai. "If so, I'd like you to answer my question about your age. Was my guess close to your age and what is your age?" Inzikai ate some more of his soup, waiting for his answers.

**********************************************************

"I don't know. We may be placed back here an' have ta wait a full revolution until we fight again. This may take anywhere from a week to a couple months to a year or two..." replied the Dwarf.

Kalzog reclined back into his corner and closed his eyes, listening carefully for anymore useful information. Once in a while, he'd open one eye to make sure Lorathin wasn't doing anything suspicious...

"Satisfied?" asked Inzikai. "If so, I'd like you to answer my question about your age. Was my guess close to your age and what is your age?" Inzikai ate some more of his soup, waiting for his answers.

"Satisfied," Ar'mai replied, getting the information she had hoped for and more.

"Tsk, tsk," Ar'mai said, wagging her thin and delicate finger back and forth. "That is two questions. I will answer one. Yes..." she said before moving on. "My turn. What do you want with Valtrox compared to any other God?"

"Ah...caught in the act...Alright then," Inzikai replied, as he examined several rings on his hand.

"Valtrox...hmmm...Valtrox offered me shelter when none other did. He offered me strength, when all the others were weak. Valtrox was cast into the underworld, when he tried to aid us mortals. The other gods grew jealous and battled him, but realizing they could not win, they locked him in the underworld and gave mortals false information that he was to be considered 'evil'. Offering him my support for this injustice, he gave me confidence and power. I merely repay him in creating an empire to bask in his glory," said Inzikai, smiling as he played with his soup.

"Now why do you worship your god or goddess, Elune?" he asked as he looked back at Ar'mai.

The Nightmare unleashed its deadly breath attack. A stream of negative energy left the Nightmare's mouth and headed straight towards Rothargot with the intent to drain his very life force from his body.

Rastilia chose then to launch her own mental strike against the Nightmare shortly after it's attack on Rothargot. The affair would have looked comical on the ground with the nightmare floating around bucking but to Rastilia the danger to her life was very evident.

Rothargot roared at the attack. The negative attack from the Nightmare hit Rothargot square in the chest, and if it hurt, Rothargot showed no pain. Some of the rocks that seemed to make up his chest broke apart, but reattached themselves to his body as Rothargot stomped towards the Nightmare.

"I suggest you control your Nightmare before I do," he replied, the fire surrounding him brighter and stronger than usual.

"Actually once they take us to the arena proper, I don't believe we'll remain there long." He commented as he watched the ogre. "Relax Kalzog, I'm not going to pick on you for a while."

"I would hope not. If you were, I'd be picking your remains from my teeth," he replied as he closed his eyes again.

"Do ya have somethin planned, then, mage?" asked the dwarf as he sat against the wall that doesnt move.

"A couple actually, thought the first one is point the ogre at the problem, and get out of the way." He replied, "And you'd be missing your teeth if you tried to use me to pick them."

"Good plan," smiled Kalzog. "And I suppose you've worked out your abs of steel then?"

The dwarf looked confused as he listened to Kalzog and Lorathin speak. "Does the ogre get along with anyone?" he asked.

"In his own special way," laughed Sarik.

Rastilia would have replied if her life were not in serious danger at that particular time. The blasted creature had managed to trick her. This both enraged Rastilia and taught her a rather humbling lesson. That even, her great clerical and arcane powers were not infallible.

The Nightmare did not pay attention to Rothargot it seemed more concerned with the huge mental pressure building in its skull. Rastilia would have tried to calm it in a normal situation however the dark elf decided that a bit more power was needed to knock this creature unconscious.

"Something like that." Lorathin countered with a grin. "So how long do you think the rotation might take, as I feel like resting?" He asked of the dwarf.

"I'd say enough time for a long nap. I believe that's best so ya don't get nervous or tired durin' the match. I was sleep'n meself until that big oaf nearly sat on me!" growled Loraf.

"On your feet, lose your seat, dwarf. This is my spot now," responded Kalzog lazily.

**********************************************************

Rothargot watched the comical show taking place in front of him. He'd let this performance go on for several more minutes before he intervened.

Lorathin took a seat and began napping again.

The Nightmare finally lost the battle to stay conscious. The creature hit the ground a few seconds after Rastilia flip off its back and somersaulted to the ground landing on her feet. She held her staff in a protective stance ready to defend against the fallen Nightmare should it get back up and charge.

Rastilia noted the Nightmare was down. It seemed prudent to remove the creature now that it had already served its purpose. Rastilia pointed the staff at the creature and commanded it in her native language to unleash a spell of banishment upon the creature. The Nightmare started to fade away into what seemed to be oblivion. The Nightmare was being sent back to the abyss were it belong.

"You should control your creature better," rumbled the demi-god as he walked next to the dark elf.

"Let us get inside the ruins before some other problem presents itself..." he said, as he motioned towards an entrance of the ruins with one massive hand.


**********************************************************

Kalzog snorted with laughter. "With someone as lazy as that mage, it's amazing how much he knows. Just sleeps all day and all night..."

The dwarf smiled a crooked smile. "I would like that kind of life..."

Rastilia responded coldly, "I had perfect control, I did not even feel it resist until it was to late. I think something offset it." The dark elf priestess silently followed Rothargot into the ruins.

"And what do you think this distraction was?" Rothargot replied, ignoring her cold tone.

Rothargot walked into the doorway to the ruins and was surprised at how dark the place was, at least where the tops of the buildings were covered. "You should feel right at home here, Rastilia."

"Ah...caught in the act...Alright then," Inzikai replied, as he examined several rings on his hand.

"Valtrox...hmmm...Valtrox offered me shelter when none other did. He offered me strength, when all the others were weak. Valtrox was cast into the underworld, when he tried to aid us mortals. The other gods grew jealous and battled him, but realizing they could not win, they locked him in the underworld and gave mortals false information that he was to be considered 'evil'. Offering him my support for this injustice, he gave me confidence and power. I merely repay him in creating an empire to bask in his glory," said Inzikai, smiling as he played with his soup.

"Spoken like a true subject," Ar'mai replied to his interpretation of Valtrox and how the other gods were jealous. Apparently he wasn’t 'evil', just to powerful for everyone else to have to live with...

"Now why do you worship your god or goddess, Elune?" he asked as he looked back at Ar'mai.

"Ah... Elune," she echoed with such reverence and respect in her voice. "The White Lady..."

She paused a moment as she admired the memories and thoughts of the great goddess. "She is the cool breeze that cuts through the green fields; the whistling that echoes through the forest; the light and refreshing rain on a sunny day."

"She has taught and shown us much of what we know... for that we will forever be grateful..."

"Hmm...Interesting..." replied Inzikai.

"Aren't you going to ask me another question, elf? If not, I'm just getting started," smiled Inzikai.

"And what do you think this distraction was?" Rothargot replied, ignoring her cold tone.

Rothargot walked into the doorway to the ruins and was surprised at how dark the place was, at least where the tops of the buildings were covered. "You should feel right at home here, Rastilia."


Rastilia wiped away a great deal of sweat from her brow and replied, "Probably this infernal heat. The Nightmare is used to the cooler darker places of the world not a bloody desert." She followed Rothargot to doorway and her eyes quickly adjusted to the dark areas. She replied to Rothargots comment quickly and with a lot of vigor, "Perfect."

"Hmm...Interesting..." replied Inzikai.

"Aren't you going to ask me another question, elf? If not, I'm just getting started," smiled Inzikai.

"Oh, sorry," Ar'mai replied, awoken from her thoughts of Elune.

"Your abilities. What are they?" she asked curiously.

ooc: This would include everything from fighting abilities, magic abilities, and anything else that is special.

After a bit Lorathin's eyes opened and he looked at the dwarf, "How long do fights usually take?"

Teralynn in the meanwhile was having quite a time with her golem as well, having just avoided a right-to-left blow from the statue with the hammer. As the statue got off balance from this miss, she leaped between its legs and slashed at them with her metal fans before coming out behind him. There was, however, not even so much as a scratch on the statue's legs. She grabbed the closest thing to her, which happened to be a thick and heavy book, and launched it at the statue. That too did nothing to impede the creature. She then saw Maverion, about to be skewered. Mave! she shouted in his head.

All of Maverion's disorientation suddenly splashed away thanks to Teralynn's mental scream, and his eyes focused on the tip of the broadsword that dangled right over him. He saw it coming down, and it seemed almost as if time began to go slowly as he realized what last few seconds of life he had left. Mave desperately hope to just slide out from under there, but was still much too stunned from the kick to the stomach to be able to move much at all.

The sword continued to drop in slow motion right over him, but then the room seemed to move beneath him. He found himself sliding out from under the sword, but he was not doing anything. Confused, Maverion did his best to see what was happening, and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he realized that he was still lying on the carpet he landed on, but the carpet was now flying through the air and out of the statue's reach. Was he controlling the carpet? Or was the carpet controlling itself, much as the statues were?

There was no time to ask questions, however, as a ceramic miniature of an elephant came flying through the air, narrowly missing him and smashing into a hundred pieces against the wall. Mave looked down to see the statue picking up a large jar. With no time to waste, Maverion concentrated on getting the carpet to move, and to his surprise and joy, it started to work, but very slowly. The jar flew over his head and hit the ceiling behind him, bursting and splashing a liquid around the general vicinity. The statue grabbed a small pedastal, and Mave knew he had to figure out how to move the flying carpet faster than a few inches a second, and soon. But this time, the pedastal hit square underneath the carpet, and Maverion went flying off of it.

Plunging toward a hard landing several dozen feet below was not particularly pleasureable, and Mave desperately needed to break the fall in a more pleasant way. The carpet zipped through the air in a sideways arch and appeared right under Maverion before he hit the ground, saving him from a very unhealthy encounter with the floor. Mave looked up to see Tera in a losing fight against her golem, and before he realized it, the carpet was zooming towards her. He grabbed her just before the hammer came smashing down on where she was a second ago, and the carpet flew back up toward the ceiling.

Both golems were launching projectiles at them now, and although Mave was controlling the carpet with much more ease, he knew that they could not simply fly around in circles near the ceiling forever. It was evident that nothing they could throw at the golems was going to do any damage against them. Instead, they quickly formulated another plan of attack. The carpet then flew back to the ground and Teralynn deftly jumped off of it, rolling to a stop and quickly popping back up on her feet.

The statue with the hammer immediately headed towards her and she continued ducking and dodging the blows, all the while moving closer to the statue with the sword. Maverion, likewise, was flying at about head level to his assailing statue, moving out of the way of every strike while luring the golem ever closer to the other one.

Finally, the statues were within close enough proximity of one another. As the hammer-wielding statue started to lift its weapon, Teralynn ran over to the other statue while Maverion, on his carpet, flew in front of the sword-wielding statue and straight at the head of the hammer statue. The statue targetting Mave swung its huge broadsword at him, but Mave flew upwards right before colliding with the hammer statue, and there was a loud crack as the sword went through the hammer statue's neck, breaking its head off. At the same time, Teralynn used the momentum of her run to go partway up the sword statue's leg and push off of it in a backflip just as the hammer statue's bludgeoning weapon swept under her, shattering one of the sword statue's legs.

Teralynn tried to land back on her feet, but given the fact that they were already so strained, she fell instead before scrambling away from the area. Yes! It worked! she thought to Mave.

The head of the hammer statue fell to the ground, and its body tried to steady itself, flailing its arms around. In the end, however, all of it simply crumbled and broke into small pieces of inert rocks, leaving behind only the jewelry and other non-stonework that was put on it. The sword statue fell, with most of a leg now missing, but that was not enough to stop it. It simply stood back up on its good leg, balancing itself carefully, before going back to throwing objects at Maverion.

That wasn't enough, Maverion thought. We'll need another way to stop it.

Teralynn was unsure of what to do other than watch as the statue hopped around on its one, good leg. How? We no longer have the other golem to get them to attack one another, and there is nothing else we can do to harm it.

There has to be another way, thought Mave as he dodged a projectile. You can't use your illusions on it, and it's too heavy for me to throw around. Anything else that we throw at it doesn't even faze it. So when brute force doesn't work...

Tera looked around. I have an idea! Can you lift that stone slab seperating this room from the hallway? Before Mave could even answer, she ran over to the long, silken cloths hanging down from the ceiling and ripped them out of their holders.

I'll try, Maverion told her, watching as she quickly twisted the material up along its length to turn it into a cord. Why? What are you doing?

Teralynn tied one end of the fabric to one of the stone torches about three meters away from one side of the slab leading into the hallway and ran to the other stone torch on the other side with the silk in hand. The opening to the hallway is big enough to fit the golem's head through. If we can use the slab to crush its head...

Maverion began lifting the stone slab with his mind, though it was a very difficult task as the stone slab was extremely heavy. It was only moving up at a very slow pace, despite all his efforts, which in turn distracted him from piloting the carpet and made evasive maneuvers all the harder. From the widening slit below the stone slab, they were able to see the glowing-hot hallway, and a blast of fiery air burst forth from the hall and into the cold treasury room.

Tera tied the other end of the silk down, tugging at it to make sure it was secure. When Mave lifted the slab to a sufficient height, she sent to him, Now, try to lure it down this way. Center it as best you can with the hallway opening.

Mave did just that, guiding the hopping statue toward the hallway until the golem hopped right into the silk cord in mid air. Its upper body's momentum continued carrying it forward while the lower body stayed in place, causing the statue to fall forwards. It was either a lot of luck or divine guidance, but everything went as planned, and the statue's head fell right into the opening under the stone slab.

Teralynn mentally screamed, Drop the slab!

The stone slab came rumbling down, but did not gain enough speed and force to crush the statue's head. Instead, it just sat on top of it. The two of them looked at each other, both with a "now what?" look on their faces. Then the statue's arms started moving, pushing against the ground and the wall in order to free its head from under the slab. Maverion now mentally pushed down on the slab to make it harder for the statue to escape, but seeing as how the statue was much stronger, it was only delaying the inevitable.

And so it happened. With a terrible scraping and the popping of stones breaking loose, the statue pulled itself out of its temporary prison, its head radiating heat from being exposed to the intense heat of the hallway for as long as it was.

Then an idea came to Mave. He looked over at the large earthen jars with the images of a grapevine on them. Mustering his powers again, he lifted one of those heavy jars and threw it at the statue's head. The vessel shattered and cold wine splashed all over the golem's head, immediately boiling off from the heat of the head. Cracks started appearing all around the head, but before anything else could be done, another wine jar exploded on its head. The new round of wine seeped into the small cracks and enlarged them while forming new ones elsewhere, until finally the whole head broke apart. The body slumped forward, and shortly thereafter broke into tiny pieces.

Maverion breathed in deeply, and exhaled just as deeply. It was over.

But then the whole room started rumbling, and sand began to pour out from previously hidden orifices in the ceiling.

Quickly diving down, Mave brought the carpet to Teralynn before she would be buried underneath the rapidly rising sands and flew back toward the ceiling.

Coughing from all the dust she suddenly inhaled, Teralynn thought, Can we get back out through the hallway?

No, Maverion shook his head. It's still burning hot in there. We won't last two seconds in there. We need to find another way out.

As if that was a cue, the carpet flew them over to a portion of the wall halfway between the floor and the ceiling, which would soon be covered in sand.

Teralynn looked at him. What are you doing?

It wasn't me, Mave replied. It think the carpet is trying to tell us something.

Tera looked back at the wall in front of them, which had a painting of some kind of animal she had never seen before. Her mind went out toward the wall to probe it, and as she did, the stone wall opened up like a gaping mouth, much like when they were on the surface of the ruins, and quickly shut itself again. That must be how we got in here! The last time that happened was when I was probing for Rothargot. Those passageways must be triggered by that!

The carpet began backing up while keeping that portion of the wall directly ahead.

Teralynn arched an eyebrow. What now?

Ooooh no, Maverion thought.

What!?

The opening doesn't appear for very long, Maverion replied. I think we need to go at a high speed right as it opens in order to get through it before it closes on us.

Teralynn did not look too pleased with that idea. Then if we do not open the passage at just the right time...

The painting of that animal won't be the only thing on that wall, Mave finished her thought.

The carpet gave an indication that it was about to go, and the two leaned down as close to the carpet as possible to avoid hitting the wall above the opening. And then the carpet was off, zooming across the room toward the solid wall with the unknown animal. Both of them sent out their thoughts, and the stone split apart. The carpet and its passengers zipped into the passageway and the mouth closed right behind them, leaving them in darkness once again.

They were flying so fast that Maverion's probing thoughts could just barely sense the passageway in front of and behind them. The carpet made sudden twists and turns of its own will, leading them down unknown corridors as the tunnel behind them began caving in, giving them no chances to turn back should the carpet make a wrong turn. Their ride made one last turn into a long tunnel with a dead end, but it did not slow down one bit.

Her knuckles white from gripping onto the front of the carpet, Tera thought, We are going to crash!

No, Mave told her. Right before they would collide, Mave opened the stones up just as they did before, revealing a blindingly bright light.

The carpet burst out of the tunnel and into the desert air, a dust cloud from the collapsing tunnel following them out. Recovering from the sudden brightness, Maverion and Teralynn soon found themselves circling high above the ruins. They looked at each other and started laughing. The carpet slowed to a stop, and Mave shouted ecstatically from having escaped, from being able to fly, from everything.

Teralynn pulled the ring out of her pocket. With a grin, she slipped it on to her finger.

"That's a tough question, elf..." replied Inzikai. "I am...proffecient in knives and throwing knives, sword fighting with many different techniques and styles."

"I am also knowledgable in several magical aspects, such as fire magic, and my favorite, necromatic powers, more specifically, death magic. For example, I can raise minions from the dead. But what I'm most feared for, is my ability to dissolve the flesh from a mans bones..." finished Inzikai, as he studied one of his hands, a slight grin on his face. "I am also a good chef, as well as an able tactician and leader. Perhaps one day I'll treat you to a favorite dish of mine..."

"My turn to ask you a question. Tell me everything you know about the group you traveled with before I had my mole dashingly and heroically save you from the clutches of the vile Sark. And this includes yourself. Details and specific names, please," asked Inzikai, laughing at his comment.

**********************************************************

"Anywhere from a whole afternoon or morning, to several days. There are also celebrations that include a same fighting group that can last for years, but the fighters are given the evenings off each day," replied the dwarf.

**********************************************************
Rothargot walked in, his heavy feet leaving ash in his steps. A few inhabitants by the door silently backed up into the shadows to avoid the fiery demon. "High Priestess, I will be searching for some of our comrades. When I come back, you may do what you wish to these people...unless they offer something worth their lives..."

Some whimpering could be heard, but Rothargot ignored it. "Until then," he continued, "Don't kill anyone unless it is necessary."

"So you have no way of guessing, or knowing what kind of fight that's going on?" He asked as he was getting tired of waiting. It was boring.

Harlin watched the interesting spectacle from the corner and laughed at the small tricks that Azrael played on the ogre. A match made in heaven he mused.

As to the ogre's comments. "Well Kalzog, I'm not gonna complain," He looked over at the hybrid 'goddess'. "She's quite a woman."

Meanwhile, Minos knelt in an opposite corner, mumbling to himself, and as he did, his eyes were efused with a white glow as the relic set in the top of his staff began to shine brightly.

Harlin was watching this, and noticed how familiar the small piece of stone was. I know that I've seen that before... He called across to Minos, "What are you doing there my friend?"

In a deep unnatural rumble of a voice that seemed to emanate from all sides of the small room, Minos replied, "Preparing."

"No," the dwarf replied simply, sitting down in the middle of the floor.

Sarik was sitting down, his back facing the bars of their cell. The audience would roar once in a while, occasionally booing at some source.

Sarik and Kalzog watched Minos with curiousity as his eyes and staff head began to glow.

Suddenly, a click, and they revolved again, slowly.

Two...

Sarik's adrenaline began to pump. Suddenly, the announcer's voice rang somewhat clear through the cell.

"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages! Prepare yourself for the unknown! You have probably heard of the story of the Necromancers of Kryne, a secretive guild in which Lord Inzikai himself was rumored to have went through. And you probably believed them to be false tales, meant to scare little children. You are all in luck, as we have captured several of the necromancers, before they practiced their grusome rituals! Prepare yourself...for the undead!"

The audience remained silent, as the sounds of heavy chains was heard. Suddenly someone shrieked and a scream. Something roared some strange word, inciting the audience's pleasure. They screamed and cheered.

"And a great treat for you all. Some more rumors from the North, the terrible marshes of the Cult of Valtrox. Some of you have heard of the elven massacre Inzikai himself began, helping to expand his empire. We have found a few groups of elves wandering around up there. Let them take their land from this unholy army if they can!"

As soon as the word elves was brought up, Sarik glanced at Bael'ther and Shara, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

"You guys have any relatives hanging around Cultist territories?" asked Kalzog.

"Lousey judges," He muttered to himself, "The poor elves."

"I don't know any of my elvish family," Shara sighed looking away, "My parents died when I was very young, and at the time, we were living in Fandar."

Harlin turned from regarding Minos' ritual, and regarded the number in the wall. "Is there a one dwarf, of after this is it straight in?"

"Theres a one, an' theres a zero. Zero is not really written anywhere in the room, cause it's just a big hole in back, the hole leading to the arena, and many peoples deaths.... At room one, we pick a weapon they have, or we take our chances and go inta the Arena to find our own, which usually are hanging on the walls. Tha's what I do. I feel confident with me warhammer..." replied the dwarf.

"That's a shame..." Kalzog replied to Shara. "But that means you don't have to worry about watching your parents die now, then risen to battle you from the dead..." He smiled wickedly.

"Quiet, Kalzog," snapped Sarik.

"Sorry for your loss, Shara. Did you live in Fandar for a long time, or did you move shortly after?" he asked Shara in comforting tone.

"I was adopted by the Sisters of the White Rose, and raised in their convent. They taught me the healing prayers I know," She smiled at Sarik's compassion. "Thank you for your sympathy."

Shara looked from Sarik to Kalzog and in a cold tone told him, "As for you, watch your tongue foul ogre, else you shall taste my cold steel."

"Is that a threat, puny elf?" smiled the Ogre, sinisterly. "Don't think they took away all my weapons...I rarely need the club, when I have my own hands..." He cracked his knuckles, as he sat up.

Loraf looked between elf and ogre, unsure of what to do.

"Save your anger for the pits. Kalzog, I suggest you apologize to Shara. That was very rude. Poor Shara has lost her parents at an early age, and that is not something easily handled."

Sarik turned to Shara, giving her a reassuring smile. "Shara, I admire your strength in being able to handle the burden well."

"Hah! No one asks the poor Ogre about his family...Where's my sympathy?" Kalzog asked.

"What happened to your family Kalzog?" Lorathin asked

Shara scowled at the ogre and drew her sword, "'Twas no threat, 'twas a promise."

At this, Harlin walked over and lightly took hold of her shoulders, "I think it would be best if we could all just stop fighting each other for a little while, and focus on the situation at hand. From the sounds of things those necromancers aren't doing too well."

"I killed them," replied Kalzog smugly, in answer to Azrael's question. "Ahh...we got along so well..."

"Elf, perhaps you better watch me carefully in the upcoming match...Perhaps the opponent won't be the only thing I'm killing..."

Sarik listened to the arena noise above. Indeed, the sounds of fighting could be heard in the distance.

"Oh, and the Necromancers are dead! Repeat, the necromancers are dead!" shouted the announcer. There were boos from the audience as well as applause. A split crowd...

"Oh? Whats this? The necromancers rise again!"

There was a great many gasps in the crowds and the crowd burst into cheering again. The scream of an elf, female by the sound, could be heard above.

"It appears the tables have turned on your little elven friends..." Kalzog smiled.

"Both of you, knock it off. ogre, no killing the elves, elf, no threatening the ogre." Lorathin commented

Harlin laughed at the crowd's reaction, "That's the problem with necromancers, they keep resurrecting themselves."

Rothargot walked in, his heavy feet leaving ash in his steps. A few inhabitants by the door silently backed up into the shadows to avoid the fiery demon. "High Priestess, I will be searching for some of our comrades. When I come back, you may do what you wish to these people...unless they offer something worth their lives..."

Some whimpering could be heard, but Rothargot ignored it. "Until then," he continued, "Don't kill anyone unless it is necessary."

The Dark Elf High Priestess followed behind the Demon that had escorted her thus far. She looked around at the inhabitants, they seemed a pathetic lot as they cowered from Rothargot. Rastilia smiled and said in a cold hissing voice, "Very well, They may make tempting sacrifices to Minax should they try to cause trouble."

Rastilia then grasped her three-prong whip to indicate a threat to anyone foolish enough to try and challenge her.

"I suppose we shouldn't have trouble with necromancers, right Sarik?" asked the ogre, glancing at Shara once in a while.

"I've dealt with ones far deadlier than those up there. I don't think we'd have too much trouble..." replied Sarik, as he watched the ceiling, as if it showed him the battle in the arena.

"The elves are greatly outnumbered! This has been a great battle, folks! Surprises as every turn! Who will make it alive? Will the elves battle their fallen comrades as well as the necromancers? Or will they become new recruits to the legions of undead?" shouted the anouncer excitedly.

The crowed ooed and ahhed and burst out cheering as something exploded, once again shaking the dust from the ceiling.

"Azrael, how did you know how Ar'mai was doing?" asked Sarik suddenly.

**********************************************************

Rothargot smiled as the dark-elf threatened the rabble around them.

"I love your way of crowd control, Rastilia. Tell me, what do you think of the undead, considering your race is under their control," he asked as he scanned the hallways.

"My turn to ask you a question. Tell me everything you know about the group you traveled with before I had my mole dashingly and heroically save you from the clutches of the vile Sark. And this includes yourself. Details and specific names, please," asked Inzikai, laughing at his comment.

"Hmmm... that won't get you much," Ar'mai replied. "I don't know much about any of them - though I guess that doesn't include myself," she said as her eyes stared distantly, her focus concentrated on her memories and thoughts.

"Well lets see," she began, "Kalzog is a giant ogre. He is quite powerful as he is resistant to most magic and his skin is quite hard and protective. He is a bit unstable and enjoys a good battle - he is basically an uncontrollable wrecking ball."

"Lorathin.... or whatever he is going by now is a peculiar and mysterious mage. One that I find particularly annoying. In my opinion he is overconfident and sure of his abilities; rarely does he think he can't solve the problem or conjure up some magic just for what he needs."

"Sarik... well, you probably know Sarik better than me as he is your nemesis. He is a knight and hero of his people and he is a skilled fighter."

"I know nothing at all about Shara, Minos, and Harlin as I just met them before... before I was captured by your deceiving men."

"As for Bael'ther - he is a giant Elven warrior and my good friend. He can't speak due to a battle injury he suffered in one of the major wars - actually the one in which we met - and he is very protective of me," Ar'mai explained before pausing in thought about her companion.

"Me... well, I am not that special. Just an Elven ranger from a clan far away - I met Sarik while on another quest and I have been in these lands for a little over a month now."

She smiled as she finished answering the question. "My turn again."

"Hmm..." she mumbled as she thought. "I can't think of anything - so I guess we are done for now. If I think of something later, we can continue." She smiled slightly as she shifted in the comfortable mass of pillows and leaned back a little farther.

"Wait wait wait. You forgot something very important. Notice how I said specific details and names. You forgot your name," Inzikai replied with a smile. "Then, I'll let you rest."

"Also, let it be known, Sarik is not truly my nemisis. He is only misguided by the real puppeteer. The Patriarch is not who he may seem..." Inzikai said, once again swirling his soup.

"The same way I know what she and Inzikai are talking about, or at least were. Though it's easier to find out when I'm not awake." He replied

Rastilia looked around making sure no one was trying to be the hero and start any trouble. Those that looked like they might try something received a dark glare and along with the sight of Rastilia making a grasping motion at the hilt of her whip to reinforce the threat.

Rastilia then replied to Rothargot's question, "It depends on the undead most of them are just mindless puppets serving their cold and rather emotionless masters. The Undead only defeated us because unlike the Dark Elves. The Undead are completely united with a clear and stable hierarchy. My people made the mistake in believing that our goddess Loth would give us the power to stop them however, Loth is so chaotic and unstable that she ended up hampering our defense against the Imperial Grand Legion.

The fact was we will still suffering from constant and petty infighting that did more hampering than helping us. In the end after several years of fighting, The Undead defeated my race and took our city. They seem to have done us a favor however, they destroyed Loth's temples and executed all her priestesses. This left the younger generation of females, like myself to take power. We however found that we lacked a source of divine power to tap into and give our people a set of directions. It was then I learned the name Minax. The Lady of destruction came to me in my dreams. She told me if I became part of her church and spread her word amongst my people she would protect them and bring a new order that would unite my people instead of having them battle each other to prove who is stronger like Loth's mandate used to be.

I have been in the service of Minax for 250 years hunting down Loth's heretical worshipers. I have created a massive inquisition in the Underdark and have brought the various Dark Elf houses under the service of the Queen of Death."

"So that explains why you're resting so much?" asked Sarik. "For a sec, I thought age caught up to you," he chuckled.

"So what are they talking about then?" asked Kalzog.

"And where are they?" added Sarik.

**********************************************************

"So do you dark elves plan on retaking your homes or do you plan on serving the undead for eternity?" asked Rothargot as he picked up someone and brought the innocent civilian up to his eyes.

Rothargot snorted smog out from his nostrals and upon realizing he wasn't Teralynn or Maveron, he tossed the victim into a nearby wall, a audible crack sounding along with some crying.

"More or less. They're talking about various things, including us and his plans." Lorathin replied, "We'll cover where they are when we're in a position to do something about it."

"So do you dark elves plan on retaking your homes or do you plan on serving the undead for eternity?" asked Rothargot as he picked up someone and brought the innocent civilian up to his eyes.

Rothargot snorted smog out from his nostrals and upon realizing he wasn't Teralynn or Maveron, he tossed the victim into a nearby wall, a audible crack sounding along with some crying.


Rastilia ignored the cracking sound and the crying. She finally decided after several seconds on how to reply. "We currently do not have the power nor the numbers to defeat the Grand Shadow Empire. We have only our power in Minax who is also patron deity of the Empire. So, to rebel would be foolish considering her son Alfred Von Antheron is on the throne."

"Good choice," Rothargot responded simply. "It reminds me slightly of how Valtrox grew in popularity amongst Inzikai's kingdom. They used to worship Kriz, the god of life, yet, with several key strategic moves, Valtrox is now openly worshipped and his power grows every second...And the rewards he gives are...godly..." Rothargot smiled at the thought. "Tell me, Rastilia, how long have you lived here in the mortal planes?"

**********************************************************

Sarik simply nodded at Lorathin's reply. He then turned his attention to the dwarf. "Loraf, You've said that cell one let's you pick your weapons? What exactly do we do in this cell?"

"Usually, they give us a grand feast, wha'ever we want, ta be our last meal before we die. Considerin' they 'aven't come to ask what we want, we may not ge' the option..."

"We had better...No one likes an Ogre on an empty stomach..." Kalzog growled.

"They're probably afraid you'll cause a food shortage Kal." Lorathin teased, "Or bankrupt them demanding wierd foods."

Kalzog chuckled at the comment. "I eat anything available, not just the wierd stuff. And I don't eat enough to bankrupt a whole country..." he replied.

"Just enough to bankrupt the restaurants providing the food?" added Sarik.

Lorathin chuckled at Sarik's barb. "Have they ever skipped a 'last meal'?" He asked the dwarf.

"Good choice," Rothargot responded simply. "It reminds me slightly of how Valtrox grew in popularity amongst Inzikai's kingdom. They used to worship Kriz, the god of life, yet, with several key strategic moves, Valtrox is now openly worshipped and his power grows every second...And the rewards he gives are...godly..." Rothargot smiled at the thought. "Tell me, Rastilia, how long have you lived here in the mortal planes?"


Rastilia had to think about that for a second, She had not really thought about her age in a long time. She finally replied after a few seconds, "I have been on this plane for about 400 years. I have on occasion visited my goddess's on her home plane but other than that I primarily reside in this plane."

"Not fer me, they ain't. They did for a group of bandits they recently brought in though. I say, always accept the meal, 'cause ya never know when yer gonna get yer next meal," replied the dwarf.

**********************************************************

"Do you have any siblings or other family?" asked Rothargot. "Forgive my questions, but I have only recently been brought into the mortal plane, and Inzikai hasn't been so helpful as to guiding me through mortal lifestyles..."

He turned a a corner, into an even darker hallway. Rothargot's dim fire cast eery shadows on the walls.

"Then we may or may not get fed." He commented

"Aye, an' the ones that ain't fed tend ta die fast," replied the dwarf, saddly looking towards the ground.

The audience cheered again, as something roared on the arena floor.

"It seems the elves have summoned something from their homes! It appears to be a giant bear!" the announcer shouted.


Suddenly, the sound of a sword scraping along metal bars sounded.

"You guys are in luck," replied someone covered in half shadows. "If I were a judge, I would have had you executed on the spot..."

"Ahh, our own personal captor," replied Kalzog. "Come to give us our courtesy gift?"

"Unfortunately, yes. You are all to put on a great spectacle I hear. Invitations have been sent out to all the leaders of the factions. The Arena is to be packed...So, tell me, what would you guys want to be your last meal?" replied the guard officer that arrested them earlier.

"How wide a selection do you have?" Lorathin asked, "Oh, and you'd better join us in the meal." He added with a slightly nasty lilt to his voice.

"Pick anything, and chances are, we can give it to you," replied the officer.

"Aw, I didn't know you guys adored me that much," the officer replied sarcastically to Lorathins comment. "Why had I better join you guys for the meal? If I were to join you guys for it, I'd be sure to poison your dishes. And as you guys die slowly, I'd tie you all to the wall, slice up your magic friend here, and feed you Human Mage steaks."

"Do you have any siblings or other family?" asked Rothargot. "Forgive my questions, but I have only recently been brought into the mortal plane, and Inzikai hasn't been so helpful as to guiding me through mortal lifestyles..."

He turned a a corner, into an even darker hallway. Rothargot's dim fire cast eery shadows on the walls.


Rastilia followed behind Rothargot, She looked around and took note of the shadows on the walls. She replied rather quickly, "Most of my family was killed during the war. I am one of the two noble survivors of House Da'Logure. The current head of my House is the other my mother. Matron Mother Thrasia Da'Logure, She however has left the world of the living and is now a Lich. She currently resides and rules over our defeated city as Matron Mother of the first house and has the blessing of both the Empire and the Goddess."

"A massive maelthra tropalkia." Lorathin ordered, "And if this is our 'last meal' you'd better have one yourself."

"Oh, ha ha, mage. But I'm not the one going to get killed in this match..." scowled the guard. "What in blazes is that maelthra tropical thing?"

Kalzog, Loraf, and Sarik looked at Morti with curiousity.

**********************************************************

"So are you considered a princess, then?" asked Rothargot, continuing down the darkening hallway. There were noticably less people in these parts.

"Not maelthra tropical, maelthra tropalkia." Lorathin corrected, "And it's a method of preparing and cooking dragon meat. Now chop chop and deliver."

Harlin thought about the various delicacies of his homeland. "Could you prepare me a janash-seasoned vol'ka root?"

Harlin had chosen his meal carefully, as the root had many healthful properties, and tended to increase awareness in those who ate it.

Minos still knelt in the corner, the whiteness in his eyes and on his staff seeming to drip away like water, then they would change substance and seem to dance like fire, then form into a haze, and then harden into an apparent solid. He paid no heed to the guard at the door.

Shara, meanwhile, licked her lips. "I would like some grana bread with a hoapa butter spread, and a light mixed greens salad."

"I'm sure we could get that," he said challengingly. "How about everyone else?"

"I think I'm in the mood for a delicious guard such as yourself," replied Kalzog with a smile. "But I'll settle for six cows, raw."

"Just several gallons of water, and a loaf of bread please..." Sarik answered.

"Why so little, paladin?" the guard asked.

"I don't want to get sick watching the Ogre eat," Sarik replied simply.

The guard wrote all the orders down in a small notebook. "And what of your silent friend?"

Sarik looked at Minos and Bael'ther. "Just bring seconds of everything but the cows," he replied.

"An I'll jus' 'ave a nice juicy steak. Three slices, medium rare," replied the dwarf, who seemed annoyed of being ignored.

"You're food will arrive soon, cretins..." growled the guard as he walked the direction he came from.

"Oh, and make sure that nothing is added between the cooking and serving." Lorathin called out.

"Oh, I won't," replied the Guard as he exited the room.

Actually, he made sure to get the cooks to give a tiring potion on the food, except the cows, since they will be eaten raw...

Two hours later, the guard officer, along with several others, brought huge platters full of food. The smell was delicious, except for the cows themselves, as it wafted into the cell.

"Eat well, because it will be your last meals ever," replied the guard officer with a smirk, as the other guards speedily slipped the food through the door, before closing it.

Luckily, only one cow went through, and it was already killed. One guard remained by the door to feed the other meals to the prisoners, should they ask for it.

Properly cooked maelthra tropalkia had a unique taste that was altered if anything was altered in the recipe. Taking a bite, Lorathin spit out the food. "What was put in this?" He asked the guard in a flat voice.

"Why do you think I would know? I never had the stuff, so I don't know how it's cooked. Maybe you just haven't had it in a while and you don't remember how it tastes," answered the guard. "Now keep eating, I'm not here to talk to rabble such as yourself..."

"Take a bite if you dare, though I know it's been tampered with. In all likelyhood all of it has, hasn't it?" He replied