The Gaze of Eternity

[Zadown]

The Dreamer looked back at Gyrfalcon, his eyes shifting to yellow.

 

"You are the one who has more experience of talking with mortals, at least more than me. I have the means but not the desire to interrogate him my way, especially since that might just burn out his mind and not tell us anything ... you mortals are sometimes more fragile than you are stubborn."

 

The cold smile on the planewalker's face told more than his words.

 

"But if you wish and deem it the most useful method, I can always try my ways with him."

[Ozymandias]

Timothy eyes him critically, in the way that a rat that knows the snake is only toying with him does.

"I wouldn't recommend it. Not if we really need the information from him."

He scratches the back of his head, frowning in consternation. With a sharp intake of breath, he looks over to Gyrfalcon. "Gyrfalcon, you'd better go after him. I'm not exactly known for my people skills either."

[Wyvern]

-Part 2: Infinite Wisdom and Peace-

 

Power.

 

Vigor, energy, strength, control, influence, authority...

 

What power lies deep within one's soul? What traits and abilities are inherited in one's lineage... in one's bloodline...?

 

An aging man with a slightly grey beard and a distant, vacant expression in his eyes shifts his gaze from his mug of ale on the table and turns it towards the other 4 members of his adventuring party. The man then stretches, moving his position in his chair and in the process displacing a piece of his yellow cloak and revealing a claymore seathed underneath. If one were to examine the sword's scabbard, one would also notice a symbol etched into it depicting a serpant coiling around a fist holding the sun. If Kaylera were to have seen this symbol, she would have instantly identified it as the ancient herald of the S'den clan...

 

Seated around the aging man at the tavern table are 4 other adventurers: a smelly ogre berserker with a huge mace in his belt, a dark elf with a slanted gaze and a bow strapped to his back, a mysterious, somewhat somber woman, and a man dressed in the attire of a barbarian. The adventurer dressed in the fashion of a barbarian, who had begun to lose his patience with the aging man, quits nervously playing with his food and says:

 

"Y'Tren, don't you think we should-"

 

But the aging adventurer and leader of the party, Y'Tren, swiftly raises a hand and the barbaric man suddenly stops in mid sentance and recedes back into silence. After a moment or two of quiet, Y'Tren directs his gaze to outside the window of the pub and notes the position of the sun in the sky. He then speaks up and says:

 

"You're correct Reyn... We have idled here long enough. Tis high time we went and gathered some information on this monk you told us of... Jakob, was that his name?"

 

Reyn grins and nods, lifting himself from his seat and rubbing his palms together in anticipation. His moment of happiness is disrupted, however, when Y'Tren casts him a cold gaze and a frown.

 

"That is, of course, if Jakob truly lives in the Saint Andrew's cathedral and knows about the whereabouts of the Pool. I've been following your directions to this point..."

 

"Hey!" exclaims Reyn "Don't worry... If there's one thing I know about pointy ears, it's that he's a straight arrow. Booby trapping people and leading them in the wrong direction would be the last thing going on in his mind."

 

"Let's hope so..." responds Y'Tren "... for your own safety and well being."

 

The end of this sentence is accentuated by the enormous ogre berserker leering at Reyn and cracking his knuckles maliciously. The barbaricaly dressed thief lets out a nervous gulp...

 

"Myth and Reyn..." continues Y'Tren "... you will make haste and head off towards Saint Andrew's cathedral, located along the outskirts of town. Once there, you will first find Jakob's room and raid it for any objects of interest, then attend the speech of the evening in the hopes of afterwards finding Jakob himself and questioning him about the whereabouts of the Pool. Use force with Jakob if nescessary. Boar Head and Gallaros will stay here with me and await your triumphant return."

 

Reyn smiles and nods, then briefly turns his head towards Myth (the woman) and winks. Then, he points a finger at Y'Tren and says:

 

"I've been leading you all this way... don't forget your side of the bargain."

 

Y'Tren nods at this statement and murmers:

 

"How could I forget... you want the Dreamer and the half elf warrior Gyrfalcon dead for murdering your two previous allies. Fear not Reyn..." Y'Tren points to the ogre "Boar Head here should be enough to take care of them both... he breaks adventurers like twigs. If he should prove to be insufficient, Myth and Gallaros are equally skilled."

 

Satisfied with Y'Tren's response, Reyn turns to Myth, smiles, and mutters: "Shall we be off...?"

[Guest Myth]

Myth nods, shortly

"Certainly!"

Myth stands up, the action revealing that under her cloak she dark tunic and mildly close fitting black pants

She stays silent until the two have left town.

"Walking in the light is all very good, but I'd rather not approach the cathedral in the light.

Also, My looks have changed since I was last at this spot. The monks are not likely to recognize me unless something suggests it to them, but I have been here before. Some of them have a good reason to dislike me."

Reyn looks at Myth, interested

"Maybe it would make a story to pass time during our walk?"

"I may as well tell you, I can not think it is in your interest to cause me trouble at this moment, and this way you will not mention the thing by accident.

I was eighteen, young and way too talkative (well, not by normal standards, but by my own). A young monk with initials of J.a.M (I never found out his name) interested me in 'talking' longer than I should have... In the intervening time the head monk then found out that his papers were missing.... I made out that night, but not with the papers."

Reyn laughed, and Myth shook her head

"That's the kind of mistake I avoid, by avoiding people. I've never done anything like that since then.

Stand alone, and don't make friends on the job."

Both were pretty silent for a while, and then they saw the cathedral in sight.

As evening fell, the two 'wanderers' decided to go in and ask for shelter. Each was shown to a small room. As soon as she was alone, Myth opened her door and peeped into the passage way. Seeing that all was clear, she slid along the wall off to reconoiter.

[Gyrfalcon]

Ozymandias the Elder wrote,

 

With some trepidation Gyrfalcon hurried after the furious monk.  Bare minutes passed before making his excuses to the Dreamer, Timothy quickly exited Jakob's room and took to pacing the halls.  Shifting back and forth from kneading his temples, throwing his hands in the air in disgust, and thrusting them behind his back in a hunched march, Timothy wandered and wandered, wondering.

 

   Wonderful.  Wonderful.  I'm traveling with an starry-eyed idealist and a madman- who's a MAGE, at that.   We've managed to anger the monk who's their only lead in this pool...matter.  You can almost hear history turning with these two, but LORD, I HAVE ROCKS IN MY HEAD!  

 

I'll be dead or a mindless slave before the day's out, I'm sure.  

 

He strode along, fuming at the architecture for a while.    Oh well.  I can think of worse ways to spend my time.  

 

Damned assignment.

Gyrfalcon25 wrote,

 

Gyrfalcon was *not* in a happy mood, to say the least. First, Jakob had blown up rather spectacuarly...

 

"Jakob!" The half-elf cried, striding quickly after the old man. "A moment, please-" Jakob whirled around, fury blazing in his clear grey eyes, though now and then they showed hints of blue. "NO! Not a word out of you, young man. I will not listen to your arguments, I will not give up my secret. Continue to follow me and I shall have the Paladins escort you to the roadway, with more then a few welts for your troubles!" Gyrfalcon stepped back, as the monk strode forward, managing to loom somehow. "Trouble me no more! If I see your face again during your stay at this church, I will make sure your stay ends!" The monk snarled before whirling and stalking away. Gyrfalcon stood where he was for long minutes after the monk left, slightly stunned. Finally, he shook his head and ghosted the other direction. He'd rather not be put out of the church just yet...

 

This led to where Gyrfalcon now walked the halls, mood darkening steadily. When they had arrived at the church, they had all had such great hopes of finding the location of the Pool and continuing their journey... instead, they now had *no* leads, with the monk adamant that he would never tell them.

 

Gyrfalcon's eyes automatically scanned the halls for threats, though there should be none. He passed by a woman dressed in dark colors, who for a moment seemed to look at him oddly. He dismissed that thought, of course- he was starting to jump at shadows, for some reason.

 

He tried to ignore the whispered thought sometimes you jump at shadows because the shadows will jump at you.

[Wyvern]

As Gyrfalcon passes Myth in his disappointed travel westward through the church, Jakob marches furiously in the opposite direction. The monks face is still red with rage, and he stops near a beautifull statue of a maiden holding a child in her arms in order to slam his fist into the stone wall in vehemence. Having stood there for a few moments in silence, Jakob slowly feels his anger begin to disipitate. His face gradualy changes from its reddish tint back to a calm and natural pink... He then sighs, removing his fist (which is throbbing in pain due to the impact) from the wall and continuing in his slightly less determined march eastward through the church halls.

 

Derick you old fool... What were you thinking? Sharing your knowledge with the likes of these vagabonds...

 

Jakob stops his walking for a moment in order to ponder on the subject...

 

But then, Derick has never judged an adventurer incorrectly, as far as I've known him... He certainly must have had good reasons if he were to have sent them here to me for information... He knows how I feel about the Pool... perhaps I overreacted...?

 

Jakob sighs and leans back against a wall, rubbing his forehead stressfully...

 

No! They would never be able to understand about Elena... it's hopeless...

 

The monk walks forward only a few more steps, however, before stopping once again and looking back towards the direction from which he came. He lets out a deep sigh...

 

Perhaps it would be for the best... I'm certain that Derick would be angered with me if I didn't... Besides, the half-elf does show quite a bit of determination...

 

With that, Jakob reluctantly turns around and begins walking in the direction from whence he came, towards Gyrfalcon and the other adventurers. It was getting late and the time of the evening speech was drawing closer... never the less, he still had time to tell them a thing or two before then...

 

Passing the door to his room which had been left slightly ajar, Jakob notices that the Dreamer is still sitting in the same position he had been when he had initialy entered the room, deep in thought. He was contemplating whether it would be better to follow in the steps of Gyrfalcon and Timothy or to use force to get information out of the pesky monk. Jakob raps on the wooden door with his fist to get the Dreamer's attention, and then says:

 

"Come... let's find your two allies. I may have some information on the Pool that you can find usefull..."

 

Having heard this, the Dreamer smirks a heartless grin and gets to his feet, heading out the door of Jakob's room.

 

"That's quite a change of heart, considering you were threatening to kick Gyrfalcon out of the cathedral a few moments ago..."

 

Jakob sheepishly nods, then states:

 

"I apologize for my reactions earlier, but the Pool is a thing that I still find difficult to talk about, even today. As I said, it ruined my life..."

 

With that, Jakob shuts and locks the door to his chamber and heads down the hall eastward with the Dreamer, in search of Gyrfalcon and Timothy...

[Guest Myth]

OOC:Third attempt to write this without my comp freezing up

IC:

A shadow detached itself from the wall and, waiting until Jakob and The Dreamer had rounded a corner, followed. When she saw them go into a room with a shut door, she returned to shadowhood in a nook in the wall

I could try to overhear, but that's a bit dangerous. Particularly considering that I don't have to, I could just go search Jakob's study. Maybe that would be better, because I'd rather figure out what's up with that messed-up elf thing before I encounter it. I know I was careless, I should have used my blurring magic, minor as it is, it fools most people-too dumb to note their surroundings well enough. I just didn't expect anyone to be there, not that that's an excuse. Most, though they might have seen me would never have thought a second about me. I saw his back stiffen, he did. Way too perceptive that not quite elf thing, I'll have to watch him.

Myth comes out of her hiding, and walks over to Jakob's door. After a quick look both ways, revealing a clear coast, she pulls a couple pins out of the bottom of her right pant leg. Using these, the door is soon unlocked, and she has entered. Once in, the door is relocked. Myth then takes a little piece of metal down, and puts it on the doorknob.

There's my guard. I'll know if anyone tries to come in.

Looking around, the room seems pretty typical of what one might expect from a monk-relatively plain though well cared for.

This thing's affected him pretty deeply, he must have some relic of it. However it shouldn't be too prominent-he doesn't want to think of it. I'll start from the left corner of the room.

Very carefully Myth approaches Jakob's desk peering at it closely but then shaking herself

What am I thinking, this is a monk, he's not going to have booby trapped his desk.

She opens each drawer, and glances at the papers. As each one fails to be of interest, she puts it back, exactly as she found it. His dresser is alike lacking in what she looks for.

She raps the bedposts, but then laughs at herself for checking there.

The next wall includes a portrait of a beautiful woman.

I wonder who she is.

On prying she notes that behind it is a chest, not large but locked.

Myth smiles, and the pins come out again.

I wonder what's in here...

[Wyvern]

As Myth carefully searches through Jakob's chamber for items of value, the monk and the Dreamer head down a side hall in search of the other adventurers. Eventually, the two of them find Timothy arguing with Gyrfalcon beside a large statue of an angel at the center of the hall...

 

"So he just shrugged you off?!" reiterates Timothy, visably frustrated that Gyrfalcon had had no luck with Jakob.

 

"Listen..." sighs Gyrfalcon "... I already told you, the Pool seems to be a highly personal matter for Jakob... It doesn't seem likely he'll ever want talk about it. We may simply want to search for information elsewhere..."

 

"But..."

 

"No, that's perfectly alright." interrupts Jakob "You need not search elsewhere, for I'll tell you all that I know. I'm placing my trust in Derick's judgement of your personalities and intentions..."

 

Both Gyrfalcon and Timothy turns towards Jakob and try to say something, but both are left somewhat speechless. The Dreamer cannot help but to let out another smirk upon seeing the dumbfounded expressions on his allies' faces.

 

"Come..." says Jakob quietly, adjusting his spectacles and continuing down the hall "... let us find a more secretive place to discuss these matters."

 

Jakob leads the adventurers down the hall and into a room containing two confessional booths, neither of which are currently occupied. The party manages to cram themselves into one of the booths, two people occupying each side of its interior. Once the group has acheived a comfortable position in the rather restrictive space, Jakob begins speaking:

 

"First of all, don't let my looks decieve you... I may look old in the eyes of youthfull adventurers such as yourselves, but I'm actually in my mid-fourties. Believe it or not, only five short years ago I was also an adventurer, embarking on daring and foolish quests..."

 

Jakob stops for a moment to clear his throat.

 

"My wife, Elena, was truly a hero. She was the kind of explorer that you'd come across only once in a million years... beautifull, compassionate, courageous, skilled... especialy when it came to navigation or diverse cultures. I swear... that woman could learn an entire language in the span of a week. How I loved her..."

 

Jakob comes to a halt once again and coughs. He then clears his throat again, and continues:

 

"With Elena's skills, it came as no surprise when she discovered the whereabouts of the Pool of Eternal Reflection. Though I can confirm nothing, she was certain that it was located on an island far to the South East called the Rainbow Vale. Somewhere on this island are located the Springs of Eden, where the Pool can be found..."

 

Jakob remains silent for a long moment.

 

"Unfortunatly, this cannot be confirmed, as Elena set off to find the legendary Pool and never returned. I was so grief stricken at her loss that I decided to give up adventuring and become a monk. The Pool has destroyed my life in this way..."

 

Another long silence.

 

"However, I'm quite sure that Elena was correct in her hypothesis. I still have parts of her journal and a gem that are vital if you want to find the exact location. These artifacts are locked away safely in my chamber, behind a picture of Elena. My last memories of her..."

 

With that, Jakob steps out of the confessional booth and helps the adventurers squeeze out as well.

 

"While these artifacts are precious to me, I'm willing to lend them to you..."

 

He smiles slightly.

 

"On the basis that you will return with them, that is..."

 

"Of course." responds Gyrfalcon, also smiling.

 

"I'll explain more to you about the use of the items a bit later... At the moment, a speech will be commencing in the main chamber of the church that I'm very eager to attend. I've heard fellow monks say that the scholar speaking with Father Andrew, Jagon, is truly a genious in the field of religion. Who knows... you may even want to consult him on the subject of the Pool after the speech has ended. I'm certain that one as knowledged as he would have at least heard of it..."

 

The adventurers nod to one another upon hearing this.

 

"Why don't you all join me in attending the speech? It should prove to be interesting, and I'm certain you'd all learn something..."

[Zadown]

The Dreamer looked at the other adventurers and Jakob with yellow eyes and gestured impatiently.

 

"I do not like that Jagon-creature, but since we seem to be intent on moving along at a snail's pace, it doesn't matter much to me if we go to listen to the speech or no. Perhaps he truly tells us some useful information, although I strongly suspect it."

 

He ignored the reactions of the others and started to walk towards the main chamber, eerie flickers of runaway magic manifesting as small sparks of light following him.

 

A speech... Jagon isn't what he looks like, I'll have to keep an eye on my mortal travelling companions in case the speech is something else entirely...

[Guest Myth]

Gyrfalcon25 wrote,

 

Gyrfalcon smirked at the Dreamer's words, and shook his head.  Unlike the Dreamer, he had been on the road for a long, long time, and any chance to rest was welcome, even if it did mean having to listen to a religious sermon of the supposed truths of this particular god.

 

As a general rule, Gyrfalcon disliked religions.  If you listened to them, most claimed that their God(dess) was the one true God(dess), and that your every move was by the will of their God(dess).  A proponent of free will (We live and die on our own choices, not some higher power's), he avoided religion.

 

Still, it would be restful to not have to move around much, and maybe he would learn more about the history of the Church...

 

Gyrfalcon had an interest in history and legends. The past repeated itself, and its good to know what to expect.

Myth wrote,

Click, the small box snapped open

On top a few, small, leather bags were visible, with papers peeking out underneath

*Noise of people walking by is to be heard out in the hall*

Myth opened one bag, and pulled a large jewel out of it. "Hmm.. kinda strange, but hey. Magic or not this jewel's worth having."

The first bag, with jewel disappeared into a pocket of Myth's

The second bag opened contained a compass

"Odder and odder! A compass? What's the point of that? Worried about losing his way? Ahh well, this can all be investigated latter."

Having secreted that bag too, Myth looked at the papers

*moderately long pause*

It sounds as if quite a few people are walking by in the hall*

"Not quite sure what these are. Suggesting where some place is? This monk's more intellectual than I.

Now where to keep these safe from wrinkling and elements?"

The bag with the compass is opened, she puts it in with the jewel. Next Myth folds the papers and puts them in the compass' bag. Both are stowed away.

"Now what is that noise out in the hall. Where are they all going?"

Looking around to make sure nothing has been left disarranged, and waiting until a quiet moment in the hall, and then leaves Jakob's study. Pulling a bit of wax out of her pocket, she jammed it deep into the lock after closing.

"There, the door will stick a bit when he tries to unlock it, so hopefully he'll be too scatterbrained (looking at him, he looks like he might be that kind of guy) to note that the key hole is actually in an unlocked position. If not no matter, but I do like to cover my trail. I doubt I have time to try any of my other more perfect tricks for such a case"

Using her talent, that's not quite a magic though almost she blends into the walls, and follows in the direction she heard the crowd take, arriving just in time to see a man climbing onto the podium.

[Wyvern]

*Shhhnnnnnooooooorrrreee...*

 

"Yes, I am quite excited..."

 

*Shhhhhnnnnnooooooooorrrrrrrreeee...*

 

*laughter*

 

*Shhhhhhnnnnnoooooooorrrrrreeee...*

 

"This scholar is supposedly quite knowledged in the field..."

 

*Shhhhnnnnnnnoooooorrrrrrklekakle!*

 

Reyn awakens from his deep slumber on the bed of the church chamber he had rented out to the sounds of several voices chatting outside the room and footsteps moving down the hall. He turns towards the window of his room only to notice that the night had truly fallen and a half moon was out...Upon seeing this, Reyn's eyes immediatly widen and he quickly jumps from the bed and grabs his inventory. He had overslept! The monks chatting outside were obviously headed towards the evening speech... and he hadn't even raided Jakob's room yet! Y'Tren was going to kill him!!!

 

Before exiting the door to his chamber and joining the enormous crowd eager on attending the speech, Reyn does a silent prayer in the hopes of catching Jakob afterwards so that he might be able to get a bit of information out of him. Otherwise, Y'Tren would be furious...

 

With that, Reyn exits his chamber and joins the crowd headed towards the central chamber of the church...

[Yui-chan]

A quiet and still shadow sat on the rafter in the high-ceilinged backroom used for confessionals, her chin perched on her fist as she mulled over everything she had overheard. The way was quite clear, but she frowned and sighed, shaking her head gently.

 

It is neither dignified nor honorable to be skulking about in the shadows. I should never have allowed my situation to degrade to such a point. I am a daughter of the Matron, and as such I should be elevated in my social and moral fiber to such a degree as to be exceedingly shamed by my serruptitious behavior. The frown only deepened.

 

However, I've a task set before me that I dare not fail at, and that troublesome male human refused to aid me. There is no more to be found in the Muriska library, at least nothing that has not already been duplicated and expanded upon by the Avian scholars... This is truly a dreadful connundrum.

 

The winged woman gave another soft sigh, spending long moments after the footsteps of the four men had faded down the hallway in contemplation of what she had done and what she should do now. Her thoughts went in circles, corralled on one side by the duty that defined her life and on the other by the much-vaunted sense of decency and honor with which she was raised. It was a conflict she'd never faced before, and one which did not sit well with the meek little scholar.

 

... finally, as the voices of the many who were travelling towards the lecture hall had finally faded into the distance, her head came up, a new resolution in her eyes. With a sharp nod to herself, Kaleyra vaulted down from the rafters, spreading her wings wide to alight gently on the floor of the chamber.

 

As she strode from the room towards the echoes of gathering scholars in the distance, she mumbled to herself, "No more hiding."

[Wyvern]

As a mass of clouds moves over the night sky and the moonlit fields of Terra slowly darken, the huge central lecture chamber of the Saint Andrew's Cathedral begins to become flooded with people... Most of the crowd is comprised of scholars and monks of the church, curious about the nature of Jagon's upcoming lecture and eager to hear one so reputedly knowledged in the subject of religion speak. There were also representatives from neighboring churches amongst the audience, as well as curious commoners from Erindale who were interested in learning a bit about religion from the charismatic scholar's lecture. By the time the adventurers have arrived at the chamber, it is already quite packed and bustling with noise.

 

Due to the crowded nature of the room, there are unfortunatly no four empty seats available directly next to each other... thus each of the adventurers must find their own spots to sit in the enormous chamber.

 

"I'm going to join my fellow monks over at the east end of the room..." says Jakob, pointing to a figure that is joyfully waving to him from around that area. "Let's meet at the east exit of the chamber after the speech has ended. I still must tell you about how to dispell the vale of illusion of the island, and the use of the crystal..."

 

The adventurers nod and then quickly shake Jakob's hand before he rushes off to meet his friends on the far right hand side of the room. The heros then split up, each finding their own seats at seperate parts of the chamber while at the same time being carefull to stay within each others views... Gyrfalcon finds a seat near the center of the chamber, the Dreamer finds one near the west end, and Timothy is seated somewhere around the east end...

 

Meanwhile, Myth and Reyn coincidentaly manage to meet each other at the entrance of the chamber. Upon seeing Myth, Reyn quickly signals to her and she decides to join him near the east end of the chamber. They both find seperate seats around this end, noticing that the monks of the church have gathered around that area and thus hoping to intercept Jakob after the speech has ended...

 

Finally, Kaylera enters the crowded chamber and manages to find a seat around the center of the room, completely unaware that she is sitting only a few seats in front of Gyrfalcon...

 

Eventually, the flooding of the chamber recedes and everyone attending the speech has been seated. A nun from a neighboring church then begins passing through the rows, humbly asking people if they'd be willing to give a donation to support the building of orphanages. As she does so, Saint Andrew walks onto the speech platform high above the audience and raises his hands in the air in order to imply silence. Gradually, the rowdy murmer of the chamber is reduced to a few hushed whispers... Seeing that silence has been achieved, Saint Andrew smiles, clears his throat, and speaks up. His voice powerfully echos over the audience due to his positioning on the speech platform:

 

"Ladies and gentlemen... thank you for attending the atypical speech ceremony about to take place this evening. It is truely a pleasure for me to see so many familiar faces in the audience, and I am equally happy to find many unfamiliar faces... those of people curious yet uncertain of religion. I sincerely hope that this speech will forever change your attitudes towards the church, and will convert you to our common cause."

 

Saint Andrew smiles.

 

"As you all know, it is not I who am speaking tonight, but rather a renowned religious scholar by the name of Jagon. Without further ado, I'll let him take the stand... please give him your warmest welcome..."

 

The audience applauds as Saint Andrew moves to the side and Jagon steps out onto the high podium. He smiles calmly, brushing his black hair back and waiting for the applause to subside. When it finally has, he begins his speech... Jagon's charismatic voice booms majesticly over the audience:

 

"It was once said by the Lord in the bible that all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:35) Yet look at ourselves... We claim to be disciples of the Lord, but do we truly love one another? I think not... It was also stated that Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. (Proverbs 17:28) But is a fool that holds his peace truly considered wise by society? The answer, my fellow scholars, is 'no'... I agree with the bible for the most part, yet there have always been certain lines that I've found questionable..."

 

Jagon suddenly stops speaking and there is a long silence... A curious murmer breaks out in the audience, and from behind Jagon, Saint Andrew frowns miserably... This was certainly not been the kind of speech he had been expecting...

 

As the audience whispers curiously to one another, the nun that is collecting donations passes by Kaylera's seat and gently asks her if she'd be willing to contribute to the orphanage fund. Always happy to donate to a noble cause, Kaylera reaches for a geld to hand to the nun and in the process accidentaly connects with the nun's gaze... This automaticaly triggers her psychic powers, and the geld she had retrieved from her pouch loosly falls out of her hand to the ground. Her eyes widen as an icey dagger of fear pierces her heart...

 

Within the cold, heartless gaze of the nun she could find no virtue or peace... only ruthless murder and death.

 

Ignoring Kaylera's abnormal reaction and taking it as if it were a simple refusal to donate, the nun continues to the next seat... Kaylera lingers stiffly, her eyes still wide and glassy, uncertain of how to react to this discovery. She doubted anyone would believe her, even if she interrupted the speech... yet this could be urgent...

 

Before she has time to react, Jagon speaks up once again:

 

"For example, when the Lord states He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding (Proverbs 15:32) it is absolute nonsense. None of us have any control over the hands that fate has dealt us. We are all destined to perform the actions we take..."

 

Jagon pauses for a moment, then goes on...

 

"You all foolishly came this evening for enlightment... yet I bring you SALVATION!"

 

With that, much to the horror and astonishment of the audience, Jagon grabs Saint Andrew by the collar and shoves him off the railing of the speech podium. Confused and terrified, Saint Andrew let's out a hideous shriek as he plummets towards the statue of archangels located below the podium. His cry is cut short, however, as he is impaled by a stone sword held high in the air by one of the majestic statues. Saint Andrew is killed instantly, and his blood trickles down the granite blade and over the eyes of the archangel holding it. If one were to observe the statue closely, it almost appeared as if it were crying blood...

 

Chaos breaks out in the audience.

 

Gyrfalcon instinctively goes for his katana, only to realize he doesn't have it.

 

Timothy tries to piece together exactly what had occured, but is interrupted as he is knocked back by a terrified and disorderly crowd.

 

Reyn's eyes widen in fear and his mouth drops open. He then procedes to wet himself...

 

The Dreamer frowns.

 

Things begin happening very rapidly. The nun collecting donations suddenly drops her collection box and tosses off her nun robes to reveal those of a priestess. She raises her hands in the air and both Kaylera and Gyrfalcon shout out a warning to the audience. But it's too late...

 

An enormous explosion of fire erupts at the eastern end of the chamber, annihilating easily a third of the audience. Myth, with lightening swift reactions, manages to evade the explosion. Reyn and Timothy are luckily only caught in it's aftermath, and suffer a minor shock and jolt...

 

Jakob, along with all the other monks, are utterly incinerated.

 

As two more explosions occur in other parts of the chamber and the exits are all simultaneously shut through the power of magic, a paladin who had been hiding in a far corner of the room unseathes his blade and begins killing innocents. The slaughter of Saint Andrew's Cathedral begins...

 

Jagon watches this carnage from the heights of his podium and slowly begins to smile...

[Zadown]

Magic. This will mask some of the things I will do.

 

As the explosions rocked the church, the Dreamer let his battle rage loose. He grasped his katana via Astral from the weapon storage with pure instincts and simultaneously did a full scan of the area with his now magic-enchanted senses, noticing Kaylera for the first time but not pausing to wonder it. Straining to concentrate even in the rage, he managed to cast a quick spell of protection which covered Gyrfalcon, Timothy and Kaylera in slightly shimmering forcefields. After that, he lost his rationality and just surged towards the nearest threat.

 

The paladin had barely time to turn around to face him. The last thing the armored warrior saw was a scarred man, eyes ruby-red, clad in tattered old robes but holding a beautiful green katana expertly before that man, the Dreamer, skewered him with one preternaturally quick thrust and continued with a decapitating blow that made the paladin's helmeted head soar high above the chaos of the carnage.

 

The Dreamer flicked blood away from his blade and looked for next target to kill.

[Gwaihir]

Myth quickly backed to a wall, and then did her semi magical blending thing (Few beside an observant person with good vision indeed would notice her now)

She watched the procedings with interest

"Rather dramatic, but WHY?? What would he gain by killing these people? Is he motivated by some sort of pure motive (though I can't guess what) or would it be later safe to approach him. I'd have to find out that before I could wisely approach though. Does he know about this place we're looking for? Does THat have something to do with it?"

(As the Dreamer started to do his thing)

"That's quite a fighter. Is he a bezerker? I don't think so, but WHAt is he? Nice work with the Paladin, he was getting a bit close for comfort, but a knife could have attract attention (and who knows about his magic) so I was waiting. Think I'll stay clear of that guy. He glanced back towards that maudlin elf thing, the screwed up bird, and the dolt for a second. I wouldn't have been able to tell, but somehow I think he did something, because it feels like I couldn't get to the if I threw a knife. Either way not safe to test, no way I could fight that magic bezerker guy, he might still be paying attention to them on some level.

How fascinating. VEry nice touch with the pseudonun."

Myth watched

[Gyrfalcon]

Gyrfalcon struggled through the milling crowds towards the doorway. Behind him, fiery prayers of destruction rained down on the screaming, panicked mob that had been a peaceful audience. He heard a few voices rise against the screams of pain, the thin chanting of the few priests who had come to this gathering with spells memorized.

 

So far, they weren't doing a lot of good.

 

Gyrfalcon felt and saw the air haze around him, a dome covering him, and he felt a moments pulse of fear before he recognized it as a defensive spell, though of a weaving the like of which he had never seen before.

 

The dreamer? he wondered, and darted a look in the Dreamer's direction, in time to watch the berserk scarred man decapitate one of the paladins who had been a ceremonial guard for the speech.

 

What the Hells is he doing, and where in the Nine Hells did he get his katana?! Gyrfalcon asked himself. The Dreamer turned, and Gyrfalcon shivered despite himself as the blood-red eyes touched his for a second… in those eyes, Gyrfalcon saw total madness.

 

Gyrfalcon turned back towards the nearest doors, his face grim. People were smashing against them now, the ones closest being crushed against the walls and the door by the mob pressing forward, killing them slowly.

 

I have to open those doors! Gyrfalcon thought, and as he thought he drew on his mana. A simple spell should do it… they don't seem to be magically warded… or at least not against spells. He made a few quick motions and thrust a hand towards the door, and a small ball of light darted towards it, veered towards the locks, and entered through the keyhole. Silently, in the surging noise of the combat behind him and the screaming mob ahead of him, the doors swung outward, and the mob poured through, not bothering to ask how it had happened. Gyrfalcon blinked and his eyes widened as he saw one of the first figures through.

 

That couldn't have been Reyn… there is no way he'd be here. Gyrfalcon told himself, and wheeled around. The Dreamer had killed several more paladins, perhaps believing each was the anti-paladin, perhaps in self defense after he killed the first one. He was closer to the anti-paladin, though, and the armored fiend was cutting a swath towards the Dreamer.

 

On the right side of the chamber, few people moved, mostly trying to find better hiding spots or in their pain from the wounds of magic inflicted upon them.

 

Gyrfalcon remembered the priestess at the same time she unleashed her spell. The forcefield held, for a wonder, but Gyrfalcon was blown clear across the chamber, smashing into the wall rather heavily, despite the forcefield extending in that direction. With a groan, he dropped to his hands and knees, and noted for a brief moment out of his peripheral vision, a young woman hiding in the shadows.

 

Good luck, lady, you'll need it to survive this bunch… Gyrfalcon whispered in his mind as he climbed to his feet and pulled a pair of throwing knives from under his cloak. The forcefield had collapsed under the assault, and Gyrfalcon closed his eyes and chanted as quickly as he could to reestablish his defenses.

 

He managed to shield himself just in time, as a pillar of flames stabbed down at him, to be deflected by his wards. Ha! You might be ready to war, priestess, but a mage can outfight a cleric anytime!

 

Gyrfalcon whispered another spell, and felt layers of magical energy solidify around him. The priestess readied another chant, and Gyrfalcon fell into a spell.

 

They cast at the same time: the priestess raising a pair of skeletons right in front of Gyrfalcon, and Gyrfalcon summoning an ogre and setting it to attack his opponent.

 

The next round of spells created more creatures, a mighty skeleton warrior to fight his ogre, and a trio of gnolls to stop the skeletons who's strikes were slowly wearing away Gyrfalcon's warding spell.

Gyrfalcon noticed the priestess was looking bored, and with a growl, launched a flurry of fiery bolts at her, only to watch a warding of her own dissipate them. With a contemptuous laugh, a bolt of lightning blasted from just above Gyrfalcon and nearly pierced his wards, and also slew the gnolls and skeletons. The skeleton warrior and the ogre had killed each other, leaving Gyrfalcon and the priestess facing each other.

 

Was I wrong? I though she had used a lot of her most powerful spells early on, but I've done not a thing to her and she doesn't seem to be having any trouble countering each of my attacks… Even as he thought, the priestess flicked her hands, and a Symbol appeared in front of Gyrfalcon. He had but a moment to admire its jagged edges and strange flow before it exploded in a bright flash…

 

Gyrfalcon smashed into the wall and slumped down, stunned from the symbol. As the last flickers of consciousness escaped from his mind, he noticed dimly that the shadows where the woman was were empty…

 

Hope she got away… safely…

[Wyvern]

The Dreamer quickly directs his viscious gaze to next most obvious target near his proximity, the spell caster attacking Gyrfalcon... His attention is suddenly diverted, however, as the decapitated head of a paladin he had just killed falls next to his feet. Briefly glancing towards the visage of the head, he suddenly notices that it is the same face of the paladin that had collected their weapons earlier... how had he gotten entangled into this chaos...? The Dreamer's eyes narrow and he frowns slightly...

 

Feeling the presence of the true murderer behind him several moments before he strikes, the Dreamer swiftly turns and parries the sinfull paladin's blow, catching him off guard. The Dreamer then performs a devastating uppercut blow in his rage, slashing the paladin directly across the face and gouging out one of his eyes. The paladin takes two steps backwards, and the Dreamer moves in for the finishing blow... He is foiled, however, as a scholar alight on fire runs directly in front of him and blocks his path. He quickly does away with the flaming obstacle, but then suddenly stops for the first time in his rage and looks over his opponent. The anti-paladin seemed to be covered in a radiant aura of some sort... While the Dreamer had dealt away with the paladin's right eye, he seemed to not be even the slightest bit fazed...

 

Elsewhere, as Gyrfalcon slowly slips into a state of unconsciousness, the priestess gazes upon the immobile figure of the half-elf with a face of mingled shock and concern...

 

"You haven't died yet?!! Impossible!"

 

Somewhat weak from the casting of a number of her major spells, she never the less raises one of her hands to the air and taps into her final reserves, crying out "Begone!!!" At the same time, the glowing anti-paladin and the Dreamer charge at one another, both determined to slit each others throat...

 

Then suddenly, before any action takes place, the voice of Jagon booms powerfully from the height of his podium:

 

" ENOUGH!!!"

 

The echoing charisma of Jagon's voice is so great that even the Dreamer's battle rage suddenly subsides into nothingness. The voice has a highly unnatural ring to it, and all of those in conflict in the room immediatly cease and come to a standstill. Apart from the voice of Jagon and the sound of timber wood burning, the room is suddenly enveloped in an eery silence...

 

"Kraisis, Celestia, our job is done here. Let us depart."

 

Upon hearing this, the priestess suddenly turns to Jagon and, pointing towards Gyrfalcon, exclaims:

 

"Lord Jagon, that is impossible! There are survivors escaping, thanks to the meddlings of this miserable half elf. There are witnesses to the events of this evening still alive!"

 

Jagon shrugs, and then says:

 

"Perhaps it's time we were known of... It matters not, for the Pool is already within our reach... I can sense it."

 

"But my Lord..."

 

Before the priestess can continue, Jagon casts her a heartless gaze from his platform and she is immediatly silenced.

 

"Nobody asked for your opinion in the matter, Celestia. Now, let us depart from this place... I leave the honors to you."

 

Celestia nods solemnly and taps the last of her powers to envelope herself, Jagon, and Kraisis in what appear to be shining spheres of light. As the spheres begin getting brighter, Jagon calls out from his platform:

 

"Our destinations are similar, warriors. The next time we meet, we will finish that which we have begun..."

 

With that, there is a blinding flash of light and Jagon, Kraisis, and Celestia dissapear before the adventurers' eyes, leaving them alone in the enormous burning central chamber of the church which is slowly reaching it's collapsing state...

[Zadown]

Heroes of some god - I should have used more magic .. but at least the searchers shouldn't notice the little that I did.

 

The Dreamer switched his katana to his left hand and flicked his right almost absently, and the effect of the symbol the priestess had used on Gyrfalcon dissipated. He didn't so much as look at the half-elf, confident in his magic but sighing inwardly at the same time. Knowing that he had to do it, he folded his magical senses away and let the forcefields fade to mask again his presence here. That done he looked around with pure white eyes surveying the destruction and realized that the building would collapse any minute now. It would not really hurt him. Standing there in the middle of chaos he felt being in his own element, almost as home as on the Lost Paths, but he knew his fragile allies would not survive the fall of the roof on them.

 

So he rised his deep voice to shout for the first time since coming to this plane:

 

" Gyrfalcon! Timothy! Kaylera! ... follow me, please."

 

With his katana on his right hand again, slung carelessly on his shoulder, the Dreamer walked away from the church through the door Gyrfalcon had opened, his still dazed companions trailing after him.

[Yui-chan]

Dead. Kaleyra stood in shock, staring at the impaled body of Saint Andrew. His surprise, fear, terrible pain... They were written on his face, in the sightless eyes that stared in shock at nothing. In that moment, she made a mistake. She stopped being vigilant, and her defenses weakened.

 

And then the terrible malice in the 'nun's mind manifested itself in the fiery wave that killed a score of monks. It nearly brought the young Avian to her knees.

 

Ah, by the bright skies. She winced, quickly trying to wall herself off from the feelings around her, but still she staggered under the onslaught of a wave of white-hot pain mingled with fear. A number of the fires in her mind went dead in a second, their 'heat' suddenly being swallowed up by cold, cold oblivion. The rest, burned slowly lower, filling her head with silent screams and agony.

 

The psion shuddered, shaking with shock and fear even as she ran despirately through the exercises she'd been taught, rebuilding defenses in her mind that had been crumbled by the surprise. She'd never felt that last flash of death, before, the flare of whatever made a being unique flying free into oblivion. Or heaven. Or hell. It wasn't clear, even to a telepath, what followed death. To her, it was only tragic, empty, cold silence. It was horrible. She would never forget it.

 

Why...?

 

Kaleyra raised her eyes to the high podium, where the 'scholar' Jagon stood smiling darkly as he watched the carnage. As if he felt her gaze, his pitch-black eyes scanned the crowd until they met hers. For one moment, he merely stared at her, unflinching, as a wave of fire washed between them, and then, very slowly, his smile widened. The young Avian felt as if he had reached out a hand and touched her, and her blood froze in her veins. She tore her eyes away from his with a sense of despiration that puzzled her. She felt dirty, as if she knew the darkness of his thoughts even though she had not touched his mind.

 

No. Think about something else. Help... Still shivering, she pounced on a purpose, putting the disturbing Jagon out of her thoughts. She rushed to one of the many fallen, listening to the soft whisper of his pain through her now-fully-intact mental defenses.

 

A few minutes later, Kaleyra was doing her best to save a young human cleric who had a gaping wound in his chest when she heard the compelling voice of Jagon shout, "Enough!!" Her hands stilled for just a moment as she raised her head, but with a determined effort, she again lowered it and resumed trying to staunch the flow of blood. There were voices, but she didn't listen, instead focusing on the creature dying under her care.

 

So much blood... She glanced at her red-stained hands, then looked back at the man. She watched the light in his frightened eyes dimming, and sighed sadly, resigning herself to doing the only thing she could to help him.

 

"Rest, now..." A quick glance past the pain in his mind told her his name. "... Gier. Sleep, and when you wake up, you will not be in pain." With a gentle nudge from her mind, he slipped off into a slumber that would ease him into death, and the winged woman rose, seeking another to try to help.

 

She was bent over a true nun, a woman laying unconscious on the floor, when she heard the Dreamer call her name. Surprised at the raw power in his raised voice, she lifted her head in time to watch him head for the opened doors. For the first time, she noted the condition of the building, and her heart beat faster. She looked back down at the pale face of her latest patient and then glanced to where Gyrfalcon and someone else were already starting to follow him. They were leaving.

 

"No! Wait!" Kaleyra didn't rise, staring at them with wide eyes as she waved a hand at the bodies strewn around them. "We cannot leave them! There are many still alive. I can feel them. Please, you cannot leave! I... I need your help..."

[Gyrfalcon]

Gyrfalcon shook his head and felt his mind clear, somewhat. He stopped following the Dreamer out of the door and growled at himself… the fact that he wasn't thinking was no excuse to leave this carnage with so many wounded… the roof above groaned ominously, and Gyrfalcon growled again, at the twin forks of pragmatism and compassion he was trapped in… he could save some of the people, but not all of them…

 

He turned and began to head for the nearest pillar, When the Dreamer caught his arm.

 

"What?" Gyrfalcon asked, but the Dreamer was silent as Gyrfalcon felt the Dreamer's strange magic flow through him and reestablish the forcefield the Dreamer had put around him. Still silently, the Dreamer released Gyrfalcon's arm and disappeared through the main doors, leaving Timothy standing bewildered beside the doors.

 

"Timothy- grab the unconscious ones by the door and get them out of here! When you're done with that, come find me and help me move people out of here." Timothy nodded, and with a grunt, bent down and began to drag a slight nun, overcome by the press of bodies by the door, away from the burning main building.

 

Gyrfalcon, meanwhile, raced to the most necessary pillars he could find in the room, and imbued them with every flame ward he had… too few, unfortuantly, and he reluctantly avoided the eastern wing of the chamber, where there would be few living. As it was, he knew he was only keeping the chamber from collapsing a little longer, and knew that once the crossbeams above burned through, the entire place would probably be coming down.

 

Gyrfalcon knelt next to person after person, methodically checking for a pulse, however faint, breath, however shallow, any sign of life, no matter how dim. However, working in the anti-paladin's wake, he found few such survivors, and all but one breathing their last breathes. He lifted the lone survivor, and old man who had suffered a scalp wound and who had been struck unconscious, and swiftly carried him through the doors, which Timothy had mostly cleared of the unconscious. He noted grimly the embers that drifted down, one nearly smoldering against his bloodied cloak before fizzling out.

 

Gyrfalcon set the old man down outside, and Timothy and he exchanged grim looks as they both hurried in to find more survivors. Both knew it was only a matter of time…

[Ozymandias]

Timothy ran as he never had before, snatching up broken body after broken body and making for the door again and again. Flaming debris rained faster and faster. Incredibly, many mintues passed, but by then the ceiling as well as pillars had begun creaking and groaning like a ship in a mighty storm as they slowly tore themsleves apart. After a dozen or so people were dropped unceremoniously in the street, awareness fully crept in. With it came too the true pain and exhaustion of the battering and smoke inhalation, as well as a feeling of having just run for miles. Shaking his head once to clear it, Timothy looked up at the gouts of flame that were now escaping from the windows of the cathedral.

 

He stood there clutching his knees for support, drawing desperate, ragged breaths, each as if it were his last.

Suddenly, the mental fog parted, and through his oxygen-deprived giddiness, he gazed at the rising cloumn of smoke, then the church itself. Such was the malice in his eyes that one might have easily believed that he had set the fire himself. Then it passed, and the scholar watched with a different resolve. He righted himself quickly, even as he began to topple over. With fists clenched and forcing breath through tightly clenched teeth, Timothy sprinted inside again huffing like a bellows. He searched at top speed but saw no life until he came to the wounded Gyrfalcon was tending. Roughly grabbing the half-elf's shoulder he shouted, " Tell me!"

 

Confronted by such question in such a situation, Gyrfalcon could only answer with an utterly bewildered, "Tell you what?"

 

The young scholar nearly had to scream to be heard above the carnage.

"This pool- you look for it for the greater good? To help all?"

[Zadown]

Fools, mortal fools all of them .. what does one flickering flame mean against the darkness of the death that will swallow them all, leaving nothing behind? These have a chance to see infinite wisdom before their time comes, and still they are ready to let their fragile lifes go, to risk that to just help a few others, most broken beyond repair in any case...

 

The Dreamer watched sullenly from the deep darkness beyond the area that the flames of the burning church illuminated, letting his thoughts race, face set on disapproving grimace that looked monstrous on his scarred head. Another part of his mind kept the forcefields that protected his mortal agents up, weaving the spells with the equivalent of mana whispers, trying to keep his unique signature out of the magic.

 

CRACK!

 

Something big and heavy gave up in the roof of the church, but the building still held, perhaps blessed somehow by whatever god the priests had served there. The planewalker shifted his stance slightly, got ready to receive the impact of stone and wood upon his enchantment. He spared a glance to the wounded, knowing that he could save most but that it would be useless and potentially endangering to the mission, then turned back to watch the church with the tiniest of shrugs.

 

The church collapsed, Gyrfalcon, Timothy and Kaleyra still inside it.

[Gyrfalcon]

Gyrfalcon stared at Timothy quickly, the old man fighting for his life forgotten for a brief instant beneath Gyrfalcon's blood-covered fingers. Kaylera was a few bodies away, tears running down her face as she touched a dying man's face. Gyrfalcon distractedly saw the man… fall asleep? And then expire quietly, face free of pain.

 

"Well?!" Timothy all but shouted, and Gyrfalcon's eyes narrowed. "I hope it is, Timothy, I hope that it can be used for the greatest good, to help as many as-"

 

CRACK!

 

Gyrfalcon screamed a curse as the main brace gave out, and the entire roof came down on them in a hail of wooden splinters and shards and beams, falling slate tiles, and a rain of deadly glass. Timothy gaped upwards, eyes filled with horror as he saw his death approaching. Kaylera flung herself across her patient, and Gyrfalcon bounced to his feet and straddled his patient's chest, hands upraised, face filled with anger and fear. Magic glowed and poured from his hands upward, trying frantically to stop the deadly rain of burning materials.

 

He failed, of course, no magic short of a Power's able to stop such a thing, or an entire guild of wizards. Fireballs blasted some debris, bolts of force tried to deflect or stop other pieces, but almost all of it came onward and smashed downward. Gyrfalcon's last thoughts were of the green fields of his home, New Muriska, in the spring…

 

Gyrfalcon groaned softly as he came to. Beside him, the rubble shifted slightly. He looked around in confusion at the debris covering him up to his shoulders, though he was surrounded by a bubble, roughly six feet across, in which no debris had fallen. He was alive, somehow… gloriously alive! The debris shifted again, and Timothy pushed himself up groggily "What… what happened?" he said.

 

"The Dreamer must have protected us." Gyrfalcon said, looking around to see how long he had been out. Not long, it seemed, just a few minutes. A few fires smoldered here and there, but most had been snuffed out by the roof's collapse. Gyrfalcon rememebered the old man he had been working on, suddenly, and looked down.

 

With a sad look, Gyrfalcon shifted his position, the rubble grating together as the forcefield moved with him, and closed the old man's sightless eyes.

 

Timothy coughed "Wasn't… wasn't a winged women here? She asked for our help saving these…" he coughed again. "These fools."

 

Gyrfalcon nodded "Kaylera is her name. Like us, she is… hopefully not was… searching for the Pool." Then exchanged looks, and Timothy looked at the ruined walls, squinting in the darkness as night fell. "Where was she?" He looked at Gyrfalcon and tried to step back as the half-elf's glowing red orbs looked at him for a moment before scanning the room. "The fires are making this difficult, as are the debris… but I think she was… *there*." He clambered over the pile of rubble and moved purposefully across the shifting stones, balancing easily. Behind him, Timothy was having a harder time of it, but quickly caught up anyway.

 

Gyrfalcon looked around again, this time with his normal vision, and nodded "As good a place as any…" He motioned to Timothy "Give me a hand, will you?" They began to remove debris from what looked to be a mound, and Timothy gasped as his hand flashed through into clear air after only a few stones. He waggled his hand around in the pocket, but it was too large to be natural. "If it isn't… Kaylera? I don't know who…" Gyrfalcon nodded, too winded to say anything, and they shifted the last of the stones off. Beneath was Kaylera, her wings folded inward, huddling over someone. Gyrfalcon dropped into the pocket and shook her shoulder "Kaylera?" He saw who she had protected… a small boy, unharmed except for a scrape on his forehead, and breathing peacefully.

 

"Kaylera?" Gyrfalcon said again, but she didn't stir. He checked quickly and saw that she was deep asleep, an exhausted look on her face. "She must have passed out…" Gyrfalcon said, as he gently pried the little boy out from under her and handed him up to Timothy. Both the boy and Kaylera stirred, but neither cried out. "Here, Timothy… hold onto him, will you?" Gyrfalcon carefully draped one of Kaylera's arms over his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her waist. This allowed him to lift her and keep her wings unobstructed as he lifted her and clambered out of her hollow.

 

When they slowly walked out of the main doors, nearly choked with debris, the would-be rescuers, paladins and those who had awakened and those who had come, fell back and cried out to God for His miracle, saving these four lives.

 

The Dreamer looked on sardonically, knowing it had been his work.

 

Gyrfalcon merely shook his head slowly and let Kaylera down slowly before he fell to his knees, tears running down his face, feeling his sorrow for all those slaughtered.

[Guest Myth]

OOCI'm kinda away from the comp for about ten more days, and I have to go soon , but here's something Mythian, excuse it's brevity.

Before the collapse:

Myth laughs

"What disaster.

I still kinda wish I understood more of the whys though.

Myth, having looked around, locates each of the 'heros' ".

"Bleckh! A couple of them up to magic (I wish I could summon weapons as well as the mooncalf.) Good thing I keep mine on me though."

Myth looks around, and sees a relatively well dressed couple huddled right next to her. It appears that they haven't noticed her due to her blending abilities.

"Her feet look about the right size"

Myth reaches her hands in her cloak, spins, blam two corpses.

She searches their pockets

"NICE. I needed that money."

removes the lady's cloak (dark brown, and quite new looking and boots (matches the cloak), and puts them on.

"I was right about the fit too. I'm getting good at that."

grins

"Well, now that I've killed a couple people it's time to be out of here."

slides along the wall to the locked doors

Suddenly the doors swing open.

Myth wasn't looking around so, she doesn't know who arranged that, but hey, it's pretty convenient.

Myth slides out, still blending with the walls. Once out, she goes to a tree to watch who comes out.

"I can find Reyn when he comes out. I'll see if he found out anything. If not, I may tell him some of what I found. I wonder if there's any other trouble I can cause before I report back to the others. "

[/i]

[Ozymandias]

Timothy stood there, looking more uncomfortable about the child in his arms than the death and destruction around him. Wheezing hard, he lowered the child, then himself to the floor gingerly. Focusing his mismatched eyes on the boy carefully, Timothy looked at him for several seconds before pushing himself to his feet and making his way over to the corner. Strangling oversized cat noises proceeded soon after as he hawked up wad of soot after wad of soot. Many minutes later, he was done, and slumped wearily against the wall, sliding slowly down to the floor. Calmly staring at an ember across the room, Tim produced, packed, and lit his pipe. Inbetween unhurried puffs he commented, "Hell of a day..." before passing out.