Maglar

Crystallis

Tinkertown

@Shadow Dragon

A disheveled woman who might have been in her mid-twenties ran out of the building and picked up the five-year-old child. "There was a girl," She said holding her child to her chest, "but she disappeared, Lord Minoc took her somewhere and none of us know where. And now he's dead." The woman put herself in between the two children and Jabberwocky, "does that satisfy you beast? Or do you still lust for more blood?"

Crystallis

Tinkertown

@Shadow Dragon

Locke stepped forward, tears running down his face. He was only 14 but he knew he was about to die. If only he could touch the monster then the monster promised to leave his family alone and his friends and go away. Locke felt too weak to live the Sword higher than his wast. He forced his muscles to move and he swung the sword towards jabberwocky's taunting face.

"Got you!" Came a tiny voice from behind jabberwocky's leg. A little girl, maybe 5 years old, had been hiding behind Locke's legs And when Jabberwocky landed she slipped around to his giant scaled foot and with a little wooden sword Hit it as hard as her little body could. From the building a woman screamed no.

A voice sounded in jabberwocky's head, "Destroy them all," Draygon said inside of Jabberwocky's head, "and return to me."

Crystallis

Tinkertown

@Shadow Dragon

Locke looked at the dragon hopelessly, "You're up on that roof! I can't reach you up there!?"

Crystallis

Tinkertown

@Shadow Dragon

Locke stepped forward, tears in his eyes, "There's no Oracle here!" he cried, "Go AWAY! Haven't you killed enough!?"

Crystallis

The Castle of Solace

@Ponn@shadowsaint007

The King stood up at the explosion, slightly befuddled. His ears hurt from the noise and his eyes hurt from the bright light. "Tornel what are you..." Before he could answer Tornel pushed him to the wall and placed his body between the King and the girl. Sarah healed the dog who got up and stated barking.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!!" She screamed. For a moment Tornel questioned himself about who she was. Then his mind resolved. Too many strange goings on were happening; the girl in the dungeon, the girl before the king, the monster at the castle walls. The wizard didn't feel in control, and nothing made him angrier then not being in control. He loaded another vial into his gauntlet.

"Stay back Witch! I'll not have you murder out King!" He yelled.

The King had had enough. "You will stop this Tornel!" He commanded regally.

Tornel turned a weary eye back, "Yo... You Highness?"

"This girl is our guest, and under my Protection!" The King was furious, "you will NEVER use such weapons in my presence! I should have you beheaded!"

Tornel looked abashed, his face reddened, "Your Majesty I, I only mean to protect you. She is.."

"She is an Holy Oracle," The King proclaimed.

"a... a holy oracle." Tornel demured.

“Your Majesty,” a booming voice announced from the other side of the door leading out. “It is I, Sir Gravy! I have with me two envoys from Tinkertown, apprentices of Master Minoc! They say they carry an urgent message for you!”

Tornel's eyes widened in panic. "Your Highness! These individuals are precisely the reason I had to come to you to warn you about! They are monster's of Draygon, shapeshifters here to fool you. Do not..."

The King slapped the Wizard, *SMACK!* "Do not deign to tell me what I shall and shall not do," he said quietly, "I am your King! and it is I who command you." Tornel took to his knees and bowed his head.

"Forgive me Your Highness," he said, "I live only to serve." and I will dispatch of these wretches when I get the first chance. He thought privately.

"ENTER Knight!" The King yelled, "and come in with the messengers." The attendant, who had made himself scarce since Tornel entered the room, opened the door to reveal Sir Gravy and Stephanie.

The Ward

Marty had watched in a fugue as everyone settled into their circumstance, pillaged through the caches that had fallen from above them, and began walking in the direction of the blue line. As he came to feel alone he let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and his mind started working. What is this? he thought, What did I do? ....Oh, God! He looked up on impulse and felt himself begin to pray, What does thou wish of me Oh Lord? What is thy test?

Resolutely, he walked over to the container with the nutrient pack and began to load what gear he could. There was a military issue duffle bag at the bottom of the crate under the blocky container of vials. Marty smiled, he felt a strong sense of familiarity see the duffle, Thank you Father, he prayed. Carefully he loaded the vials, the med kit, the rest of the nutrient paste, and the blocks of what he figured were c4 explosives. The device with the dial that didn't make any sense hooked to a carabiner clip on his belt. Checking the weight and fit he shouldered the pack and picked up his weapons. He attached the torch to the small machine gun and then holstered the handgun and the weird looking thing that had the silencer on it. Every weapon had it's place on his person, it was too perfect not to be intentional.

Feeling the duffle on his shoulders and a vest loaded up felt good, it felt familiar. Marty took a moment to acknowledge that he didn't know who he was, how he had gotten to this dark place, or what was going to happen; but oddly, he didn't feel afraid. Somehow, deep inside, he knew he believed in a righteous God, and if this was where he was then this is where he deserved to be. He took a steadying breath and marched towards the voices of the others, they hadn't gotten far. There was the short girl and the giant, and there was the handsome guy walking ahead of them following the blue line. Marty sucked on some of his nutrient paste from the straw in his visor and wordlessly followed from the back.

Crystallis

Tinkertown

@Shadow Dragon

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

Locke walked out onto the small ledge that was the remnants of the bridge. He beheld the Jabberwocky and was afraid. Bravely he forced himself to step forward and look the beast in the eye. "Your Harpy is dead!" He yelled in his strongest voice, "We killed it. There's nobody else here. You got what you came for, now leave us be!" His heart was beating out of control, he had never been so scared in his life, but even though he was only 14 he was the only one left to tell the dragon beast to go.

Crystallis

The King's Study

@shadowsaint007

The king reached over and put a reassuring hand on Sarah's shoulder. "It's alright child," the king said warmly, "It's alright." He sat back in his chair, "You've had quite the adventure haven't you? Spider-queens and flying mo... AHH!" he said as the food arrived. "Here is our repast! Please, don't be modest, I'm sure you are famished." The attendant put the food down on the table between the two of them. The King picked at one of the pieces of bread nearest him. "Try the cheese with the wine, it'll help with the strong flavor, and sip the drink child, don't gulp it." He looked at her as one would look at a grand daughter.

"I've visited Kensu's island when I was younger, though it has been sometime," the King smiled, "I know of the cave you speak of, it did look most dangerous, I'd not send one as young as you to such a place, but Kensu must have known what he was doing. You say you found the sword?" Sarah nodded and produced the sword for examination.

"My what a beautiful peace," the King said forlornly. He handed the sword back to Sarah, "It is good that you were able to save some of the people of the islands. They have always been a peaceful group, and they have always been very generous with their gifts to the castle. Master Kensu always said it was the will of the ancients that we be good to each other. What was that he used to say, oh yes it was that we 'love the way we look at others, and love the way others look at us.' It is a queer expression from those old archives he used to study." The King shook his head nostalgically, "It is a shame he has passed, especially in these times." The King drained his wined glass in a single swallow and poured himself another.

"William," he called to his attendant, "bring me the Tome of Memories," he commanded. The attendant, who was standing by the door, nodded and began to search the many shelves for the book. The King ate some bread and took a sip of his wine.

"The flying creature that disguised itself as a man was most likely one of Draygon's underlings. They somehow have the perverse magic to do such things." He looked out the window at the small, moving figures camped out in front of the castle moat. "Out there is one of them," he said, "His name is Bandersnatch, and he is a truly awful creature. He can change form between a beast and a man as well. As a beast he stands taller than three men head to shoulder, and he exhales an awful green sludge that poisons the water and burns the flesh." The King chewed his food while he talked and did not take his eyes from the window, "and now we've given him our own Sword of the Fire. I knew the weapon had power, it never dulled, never chipped, but we thought it was mostly decorative. Whatever infernal magic lets him use it to shoot fire I don't care to know."

The King turned to face Sarah again and smiled, "Don't worry though child. He will not morph into his horrid monster form and eat us all," he talked to her like he was telling a story to his grand child and not like there was a threat immediately out the window. "All he wants is a tribute, and to try and make us frightened. We will... OH Yes! Thank you William." The attendant put a heavy book on the table by the food, bowed, and retreated back to his spot by the door. The King moved the tray and flipped through the book to a marked page. There, drawn in beautiful detail, was a perfect drawing of Sarah, pink hair and all, laying peacefully in her cryostasis pod.

"There," the King said, pointing as if that explained everything, "There.. you.. are, child." He smiled and looked into her face, reading her reaction. "This book has been prepared by our wise men over the last 200 years. It catalogs all that we know from the world of the ancients, and it also tells the story of who we are and where we came from." The old King turned to a page closer to the beginning of the book, "Here it tells of the great Cataclysm that destroyed the world," he said pointing to a picture of castle in the sky floating over a burning landscape.

"After the Cataclysm it teaches us that there was a dark age as the world tried to heal. But then look at all the pretty animals and plants that bloomed." The King carefully turned through pages and pages of animals and plants which included descriptions and notations naming them as edible or medicinal.

He stopped at a page with a drawing of a young man sleeping in a pod, "...and here are the chapters devoted to the Oracles. According to our histories we found the first Oracle about 300 years ago. They, er.. I mean you, were never made public knowledge. A Brotherhood of Wizards were formalized to study you and protect you. They began a crusade to search the world studying the artifacts of the ancients and tend to what Oracles they find. As to your purpose or function I don't know. Tornel never seemed to credit you as any more than empty shells useful for decoration and testaments of the ancients." The King smiled into his mustache and carefully turned the pages of the book, there were not many pictures of Oracles, and their locations were not recorded. "It's surprising that you've woken up, and it's strange that the agent of Draygon wan....." A loud rapping sounded at the King's door.

"Your Most Royal Highness!" Came a familiar voice, "It is I, Tornel, I seek an audience." The King motioned for the attendant to open the door. Tornel came in, wiping his hands on a cloth as if he just washed them, "Your Highness I have excellent news! We have captured one of Dra... Who is that!?" He exclaimed, pointing at Sarah.

"Do you not recognize her Tornel? She is one of your beloved Oracles come to life and sitting in our presence. Her name is Sarah." The King said.

"Your Highness step away from her! She's a servant of Evil!!" With a flick of his wrist a small vial hurled towards Sarah's feet and when it hit the ground it exploded jolting Sarah and Pip against the wall....

SYNOPSIS

Ain't no summin this all up, you just gonna hafta read it. BTW, our good friend Tornel just threw a firecracker at you and it blew up at your feet, I hope you're okay.

Quick Match

Anyone who's interested in a fight say something in the OOC or PM me and we'll see if we can set one up.

Quick Match

Anyone who's interested in a fight say something in the OOC or PM me and we'll see if we can set one up.