Quill Quest......

[Guest Cheye69]

Sitting upon the edge of my bed, I read once again the letter from the Pen. It stated I must find at once the Great and Mighty Guild Master, the former owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze, Brute. I didn’t know that he was missing and so was surprised by such a request but decided, as I was a diligent and faithful servant to the Pen that I must obey my summoning. Getting up and going to the wardrobe I started to don my armor. Since I hadn’t previously known of a problem at Brutes castle I had better go prepared. Usually I would not take my sword either being much better at magical attacks but what the hell I mused maybe I would find a need for it.

 

“Wyv, get your overgrown behind out of bed, if I am going to do this I may need backup.”

 

Turning over with a snort that could have only implied ‘You’re on your own Sweetheart’ he attempted to pull the covers over his head.

 

“Damnit, fine then. See you in a couple hours. Remember not to burn the chickens when you cool breakfast…you cook the eggs, leave the chickens alone!”

 

Stomping out of the room, I start going over the cryptic letter I had received again. It seemed so strange that Brute would be missing. Maybe his wife finally got pissed off about him tracking blood onto her gorgeous wood floors after battle and kicked him out. Or maybe it was due to him losing the Decanter in a fool’s game of chance. That really pissed her off. Remembering the spectacle she had made over that brought a grin to my face anyhow. Whistling a sprightly tune I start to the Caste de Brute…..

 

 

**Two hours later**

 

“Damn my feet hurt!” shouting this out loud didn’t make my feet quit hurting but I was lonely I hated going places alone. “Maybe I should have worn my mocs.”

 

**Three hours later**

 

Climbing the final steps to the front door I notice that it isn’t quite what I was used to. No torches glowed in the darkness; no one seemed to be about either. Rapping smartly at the front door showed no signs of life either.

 

“What the Hell???!!! Brute, hey buddy, are you in there?”

 

Still no sign of life permeated the area. Pushing at the front door made the hinges squeak and give way, for some reason the latch wasn’t engaged. Walking with a little more caution now I approach the banquet room. No one, no servants, no light.

 

“Brute! Matilda! Where is everyone?” I shout into the darkness.

 

Hearing a faint scrapping noise coming from the Throne Room I start in that direction. A bright light glows in the corner. It’s Brute’s faithful servant and loyal friend, Dom. Not an incredibly ingenious name for a dominion but that’s Brute for you.

 

“Hey Dom! What is going on here? No one is here the castle is dark! Where is Brute and Matilda?”

 

Dom shook himself wearily and started toward me, “He has disappeared Mistress. He was throwing a wild party, you know Brute…Well, it turned out badly. I was teaching some of the youngun’s about the traps of the female race and didn’t realize Brute was trying his hand at magic while drunk again and well…He opened a portal to a parallel universe that sucked up all the inhabitants of the castle and surrounding area. I was unable to save them or Brute. But I swear Mistress I tried, I have failed Brute after all he has done for me!” Breaking down and sobbing, huge tears started to pour down Dom’s face quickly forming a puddle on the floor.

 

“Dom! Get a hold of yourself; you will flood the area again! Recall the last time? It was just lucky for you that we were in a drought that year. But even so two cows drowned. Let me think for a minute. Maybe we can come up with a plan.”

 

Walking over to a blackened spot on the floor I realize this must have been where the portal was opened.

 

“Didn’t you try to reopen the portal?”

 

“Of course, Mistress. I could not. I do not know what magic my Master stumbled upon in his drunken daze. It was not just a flame blue portal, or red or orange but a majestic purple, bright and glowing. From outside the castle it looked like an orb of dark purple descended over the entire castle and the lands it was upon. There were lightening strikes wherever human or animal life was to be found and as soon as the object of the lightening strike was hit they would just disappear. I was holding one lad, it came down hit him, and then he was gone. I didn’t even feel it.” Sinking lower into a depression the dominion’s wings seemed to be wilting.

 

“Alright then. Let’s get a safer purple orb to come around again. I am unsure of what is up with the lightening and all but maybe we can find some answers.”

 

Drawing upon the energies of Dom I concentrate on the magic powers of the earth and heavens. Slowly a small purple orb began to appear over the blackened spot on the floor. Pushing into my mind further for more power didn’t seem to be helping so I delved into the heart, whishing for it to grow big enough to walk thru.

 

Pushing me aside, Dom stated, “You’re doing it wrong!”

 

Bringing his arms over his head, Dom starts to chant in an unknown and beautiful language. The orb was glowing brightly and growing by the second. Looking up at Dom I could see he was peeking thru one eye as if he as unsure this was going to work either.

Smiling, I added my own powers. Drawing upon my mind for the right path to take.

 

“There! Big enough to walk thru! Let’s go.”

 

Grabbing my arm Dom pulled me thru the portal before I could even decide if this was a wise choice. Going into the portal was strange; it felt as though worms were crawling over me. Temporarily blinded by the brightness of the purple light it is hard to asertain just where we have landed. But land we did with a sickening **THUMP**.

 

“OW! That hurt Dom! Be careful please.” Standing up and rubbing my sore bottom, I look around and see…nothing. It looks like Brute’s castle still but nothing has changed. No one is around. Trembling with despair, Dom starts to cry again. Slow silent tears drip off his chin.

 

“We shall never find him.” Whispered the mighty angel. “He is lost to me forever.” Shoulders slumping he starts to lose feathers from his wings. First one dropped then another till there was a small pile of them upon the floor.

 

“Dom, don’t you worry. You keep looking. I will go to the council and see what they can do for us. We will find Brute, fear not!”

 

Looking up with a childish hopefulness that could break a soul, “You really think so?”

 

“Of course, I do!” Bending low I pick up a feather from the floor. “For luck!” I murmur with a smile.

 

Casting a teleport spell on myself I transport back to my own castle.

 

“Wyv! Where are you? Wyv!”

 

“In here, Cheye.” Wyv called from the parlor.

 

Walking into the parlor stops me cold. The entire council is gathered.

 

“What is going on here, Wyv?”

 

“Council meeting. Did you get the feather?”

 

“What feather? I went looking for Brute. He is gone. The castle is deserted. We need to help him!” Being near hysterics as things are defiantly not right here, my voice is raising with each new sentence. “I got the council’s letter about finding him, now what is this all about?”

 

“Cheye honey, where is the feather? I need it.”

 

“Yes, Cheye, hand over the feather!” Minta nearly growls (sorry Tzim, needed another council member. I hope you don’t mind?)

 

Slowly extracting the feather my pouch I hand it to Wyv. His eyes seemed to light up with glee as he yanked it from my fingers.

 

“What about Brute though? I ask softly.

 

 

 

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

 

OOC:

 

1) All resemblance to former AM players is coincidental

 

2) Anyone who wants to write about the Dominion's search for the right server can do so

 

3) gimme my Quill!!!!

[Guest Brute3]

The drunken revelry had been a smashing success. Well, Brute was smashed, and that, by his standards, was a success. Odd, it seemed to him, that Wyvern would miss an occasion to celebrate with an old friend. Especially since Brute had requested that he show up.

 

Things were in full swing, many of the guests were quite intoxicated, typical for any of Brute's parties, and zombies mindlessly staggered about, bearing trays of food for the guests. Amid the festivities Brute's steward, Dom (Brute was quite proud of such a thoughtful name), worried constantly over the zombie servants, tended the guests, and generally fussed about the whole affair. While trying to dissuade a rather inebriated and determined guest to stay out of the master bedroom with his young female friend, a youth adorned in the livery of the Council of the Pen, tugged at his pearl white robes. "Sirruh, Sirruh," the boy cried impatiently. Dom turned to see who was behind him, and in doing so allowed the two he had been trying to stop slipped into the bedroom and locked the door with a loud click.

 

With a sigh, Dom turned his full attention to the lad. His golden eyes sparked as he saw that the lad was on official business from the Council. "Yes, young master. What can I do for you?" he asked of the impatient boy. "Sirruh," the young began. "this needs to be delivered to Lord Brute." The boy waved a bound scroll up before Dom. As the dominion reached for it, the boy jerked it back. "No sirruh. Cash on delivery. Wyvern said so." Dom rolled his golden eyes and sighed once more. a sound like rain lightly falling on treetops. "Very well," he intoned. "come with me and I shall pay you." As the two trailed off toward the study, the boy's voice echoed through the halls. "Wyvern told me to try for an extra geld."

 

A short time later....

 

Dom approached Brute, who was in the middle of a wild tale about some obscure war in which he, Wyvern and several other mages he referred to as 'Seekers', convinced their enemies to host a wild party instead of waging war on them. Dom adroitly avoided the mug of ale that Brute was using to punctuate his every other word. "My lord, a messenger from the Council has arrived, bearing this for you." A question framed Brute's pale face as he took the scroll from DOm. BReaking the seal, he scanned the contents of the scroll. A grin emerged from his chalky face. With a shout, he called the attention of the party-goers. "Hey everyone! Come see! Wyvern couldn't be here, but he sent this really neat spell. It'll summon some really groovy performers."

 

Gathering around amid murmurs of excitement, everyone watched as Brute spoke the words from the scroll, eager to see what would appear. Brute vaguely recalled just moments before the last utterence of the spell that purple lights and bubbles were filling the room. "Odd," he thought. " Maybe it's A Jimmi Hendrix song or perhaps Deep Purple is gonna do a few tunes for us." With a smile, he unwittingly finished the spell.

[Guest Belizean1]

*He shouted with glee as he watched the ball soar into the top left corner of the net. As his team mates rushed towards him Beli braced himself. They all thumped him on the back and bear hugged him and nearly knocked him to the ground! He bore it all calmly knowing their intentions were good. So many voices were intermingled it was difficult to make out what they were shouting......

 

"Good job!"

 

"Way to go, that won the game!"

 

"That shot was beautiful!!!!"

 

" Stop."

 

"I have one word for you! Playoffs!!!"

 

" Listen to me."

 

"Woohoooo!! This is so awesome!!!"

 

" I need your help."

 

"Who da man! You da man! Ya!!"

 

At this point everyone is crowded around him and he can barely move. He pushes them away, hating to be confined in any way but they don't budge. In fact, he feels like they are pressing on him more and more. He feels like he is being crushed..... he reaches for his magic realizes that it is gone! Terrified, he claws at the people who are slowly crushing him.......

 

Belizean wakes up gasping and in a cold sweat. "I really hate that nightmare......" He mutters as he gets out of bed. Bel walks outside toward the nearby river letting the cool evening breeze be his only form of clothing. As he is walking along he feels something... amiss. He stops to listen and hears nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not a single animal to be heard...... which is a strange thing considering that he is standing in the middle of a forest. He runs and dives into the river barely splashing any water(a trick his mermaid friend taught him).

 

He feels safer in the water. He relaxes. As Beli swims around letting the cool water clean his sweaty body he hears a crunch behind him. "Hello Dom, are you as loud in the air as you are on the ground? I heard you walking about 5 minutes ago." Bel turns to see his old friends faithful servant and is greeted with an unusually morose face.

 

"Hello Sir. Brute was quite disapointed that you were unable to attend his last party. He planned on pulling out some of that Caribean rum you gave him a while back just for the two of you....."

 

"Really? That makes me regret even more having missed it. I had things I had to take care of...... and I hope he didn't send you out here just to tell me that!" Bel grins and splashes Dom with some water.

 

"No Sir, he didn't send me at all. I think I should be blunt. Brute is missing and Chey is going to find him or at least try to and she is really worried and there was this big purple portal with lightning everywhere and people disappeared and I don't know what to do and we really really need your help!!!!"

 

Beli gets out of the river and motions Dom back to his home. "Let's sit down and talk this over ok? I didn't understand at all what you said....." He begins walking back towards his house and looks over his shoulder to make sure Dom is following. Dom isn't moving. "What's wrong?"

 

"I have no time! Meet Chey at the council as soon as you can! Hurry!" At this he jumps in the air and flies off into the darkness.

 

Bel quickly gets some clothes on and packs a traveling bag.......*

[Wyvern]

Back at the Pen's Great Council...

 

"Aren't the Elders going to valiently send out a search party to rescue Brute, as any caring council certainly would...?" continues Cheye calmly, tapping a foot on the ground and raising an eyebrow innocently.

 

"Oh..." starts Wyvern, looking towards the other Elders nervously and suddenly recalling that he had sent Brute one of those trick "illusionary high" cantrips that sold for fairly little geld and supposedly lasting for several million eons... "Well... errrr... that is to say... Of course! Just after formal business is taken care of..."

 

At the mentioning of 'formal business', a beautifull mural double door located at the far end of the room is opened and a tall, muscular man in shades and a dark suite steps out. The menacing figure clears his throat in order to get the attention of the room, discards a burnt out cigarette that is loosely dangling from the corner of his mouth, and mumbles hoarsely:

 

"Don Jechumlioni will see you now... Gwaihir, the don has requested that you be the one that delivers the merchandise this time. He wants to make sure that you are loyal to the family, being the newest Elder and such. Don't forget to show him your respect..."

 

Gwaihir nods, adjusting his suite and tie and combing his hair back. He then turns to Wyvern.

 

"Wyvern, the feather please."

 

Wyv quickly nods and hands Gwaihir the supposed 'precious feather'. The overgrown lizard then turns to leave the room, exclaiming:

 

"Sorry guys! I wish I could stay to see how the meeting goes, but I have an urgent matter that I need to attend to..."

 

Passing Cheye on his way out of the room, Wyvern pauses for a moment and whispers in her ear:

 

"Cheye, sweetheart, I would suggest getting out of the room as fast as you can... before people start busting each others heads open..."

 

Wyv's eyes flash a silent gleam of triumph, and he grins broadly as he rushes out of the chamber, slamming the exit door behind him... None of the other Elders seem to take notice of the overgrown lizard's maniacal laughter as it echos down the stairwell adjacent to the room.

 

Paying no attention to Wyvern's hasty exit, Gwaihir adjusts his collar one final time before being escorted into the beautifull double mural door entrance to the don's chamber. After he has entered, the doors are quietly shut behind him, and the room is engulfed in darkness save the flickering glow of a few solitary candles. Gwaihir takes a deep breath of the musty air of the mini-chamber, which reeks of aged wine and permachetta linguini. He then clutches onto the feather tightly, gathers all his courage, and heads over to the Don's desk...

 

No sooner has Gwai taken three steps forward then Don Jechumlioni turns in his swively chair to face him. The dramatic strings from the film 'The Godfather' suddenly come up in the background, and Jechumlioni stomps one of his feet on the ground and growls:

 

"Damn it you guys! I told you never to play that tune again! It's great the first time, but it quickly wears off!"

 

The strings immediatly stop and several mumbles are heard in the background. Gwaihir raises an eyebrow as an entire string quintet moves out from the darkness behind Jechumlioni and head towards the exit of the chamber, cursing something about not being paid enough...

 

"Greetings Gwaihir, please, sit..." mutters Jechumlioni, leaning back in his chair and stroking a hand thoughtfully over his chin. "I'll have one of the most trusted members of the family, my lawyer and advisor Peredhil, explain you the situation."

 

Having said this, a half elf dressed in a formal business outfit clears his throat politely and says:

 

"It seems that in our various disputes with the opposing 'Legion' mob family, a precious feather was lost that acted as a symbol of respect. The feather, which belonged to young guildmaster, needs to be secured back in our possesion. Otherwise, the Legion mob would surely find it, and it would represent the downfall of our family..."

 

"The feather please..." mutters Jechumlioni grinning and motioning with a hand. Gwaihir passes Jec the feather, and his mouth drops open when he finds that it is not actually a dominion feather he holds, but a simple pigeon feather!

 

Rather then acting shocked, Jechumlioni frowns and sighs as if having expected this... It definatly did NOT help his migranes. He quickly makes a call on his cellular phone, already knowing Wyvern is responsible (who else would think of stealing it, after all?) and ordering the overgrown lizard's immediate capture...

 

Wyvern runs down to the ground floor, grinning and knawing on one of the chicken bones leftover from breakfast, unaware of the white limo now parked outside the keep and the two people waiting at the front smoking white roses...

[Guest Cheye69]

I watched with stunned amazement as Wyvern literally pushed me aside to run out of the room. What in the name of heaven had gotten into him now and what was going on?!

 

“Alright I want some answers, now!”

 

Screaming at the top of my lungs didn’t appear to have gotten anyone’s attention. They all seemed to be quietly amused at something going on outside the main door. Walking over to the massive windows overlooking the front lawn I could see why. Some very big gorillas had Wyv in a headlock that he seemed powerless to escape from! Twisting and turning with all his might was not enough to even throw these guys off balance. I could hear him yelling, very faintly, “It’s mine, mine I tell you!!”

 

Jechumlioni regally stepped out through the massive doors still talking on a cell phone, “You have him now? Good, good. Hold him there for me. I will be done in just one minute.” Smartly snapping his cell lid closed he turned his beady eyes on me….

 

“What?” stepping back from the glare I was receiving “I didn’t do anything. What is this all about?”

 

“I ask you to do one small favor in honor of The Pen and this is what you do? Why did you ever hand that feather over to Wyvern? Now I must have him thrown into the Abyss of Seclusion! Do you know what that mean? There is no coming back from there! See what you have done!” This last was said shrilly as if Jechumlioni may actually be in pain.

 

“But I…”

 

“Silence!”, Jechumlioni roared. “I have heard quite enough from you, and you have done quite enough. Your services are no longer required and your membership within our distinguished ranks will definably be on review. Good day madam!” Jechumlioni stormed from the room with all of the council members trailing looking daggers of anger at me.

 

I shuddered to think of what the Abyss of Seclusion would mean though. It was a place to be feared above all other places. It lay in the middle of the Siberias Desert, which in itself is no picnic. Sand storms were the major reason why no one could ever live there. Ninety to one hundred miles an hour wind would tear down anything that even attempted to be a structure. Only one thing survived out there. A magical Tower built thousands of years ago by Jechumlioni’s actual ancestors. This was the only thing that had with stood the climate of Siberias. It was built of pristine white marble except for the magnificent roof. A rock I am unfamiliar with but that glows an iridescent blue adorns the top. A beautiful structure from all that I am told, however there is no escape. When one goes there they go to be forgotten for all of time.

 

Looking back out the windows I see that Wyv is indeed caught. There is no escape for him now. Jechumlioni has already plucked the feather from his grasp and started the incantation that will send him away. In a blink of my eye he is gone. Turning disparately I walk back toward my rooms, knowing my Love is gone and still not understanding why.

[Guest Belizean1]

Wyvern00 posted,

 

Deep within the recesses of the barren wastelands that comprise the Siberias Desert... past uncountable "warning, turn back!" signs, horribly fierce winds of sand, and rather hungry looking gargantuan sand scorpions... located at the very center of the desolate terrain, the heart of all that signifies solitude, there lies a seemingly out of place tall marble tower that juts out of the ground like an enormous etherial middle finger... as if it had been fabricated for the sole purpose of saying "screw the world!". This is actually not as ridiculous a description as it may seem, as it just so happens that the tower had been fabricated several thousand years ago for that very reason. Joshua Jechumlioni the Third, a powerfull tyrant warlord and king, had fabricated the tower there as he needed some way to vent his anger and frustration, and felt like building a monument to symbolize his attitude. He decided to build it in the middle of the Siberious Desert as noone would ever dare visit there, and thus none would become offended by the sculpture. The monument was labeled the "Finger of Joshua Jechumlioni the Third" until it was discovered several thousand years later by descendents of the Jechumlioni lineage, at which point it's title was changed to the "Abyss of Seclusion" and it was made a impenetrable prison of desolation (it's pretty hard to escape from a prison that has no exits, after all...)

 

Needless to say, it wasn't the best spot for a vacation.

 

Within the marble walls of the Abyss of Seclusion, Wyvern finally gives up his searches for a secret exit of some sort and slumps back against a single pillar that dominates the center of the interior of the Abyss, extending all the way up to it's carved stone roof. He lets out an agitated sigh, frowns, and looks longingly towards the ceiling in the hopes of perhaps noticing even the faintest glimmer of daylight... Four hours of searching and not the faintest hint of a way out... perhaps he had truly gotten himself into an unescapeable predicament this time.

 

His hopes fading rapidly, Wyv looks back at the mistakes he had made previously and how he may have been able to correct his errors. He thinks of how his scheme might have worked better if he had used an ostrich feather rather then a pigeon feather... He thinks of how ugly Melba is, but then realizes he had no power over changing that... The most predominant thought in Wyv's mind, however, is that of his beloved Cheye. He had given her no forewarning of his plans of selling the dominion feather to "Mattress' R Us" for a hefty sum of geld, and had noticed the shocked expression on her face when he had made his abrupt exit. Even with no more then a days seperation, he already severely missed her and prayed she hadn't taken his casual scheming the wrong way... Sighing, the overgrown lizard lays his head back on the central pillar and stares once again at the ceiling, vowing to himself that when he meets up with Cheye again he will aid her in her quest for the retrieval of Brute to the fullest... although being trapped in this seemingly unescapeable prison, the chances of seeing his loved one again seemed to be getting slimmer by the minute...

 

Frustration and anger consuming him, Wyvern raises to his feet from his seated position and turns towards the pillar he had been leaning against, his teeth clenched in rage. He cries out "Damn it all!!!" in frustration and slams his fist into the pillar in order to relieve a bit of his stress... A few seconds of silence pass... Then the very marble floor on which Wyvern stands begins vibrating and rumbeling. Shocked, Wyvern takes two steps back only to notice that the ceiling is caving in on him! Wyvern screams "I'm not paying for any of the damages! Arrrrrgggggghhhh!!!" before the entire building comes collapsing down on him... Amazing what a simple punch can do to a tower several thousands of years old...

 

Nearby...

 

Through the gusting winds of sand, the silhouette of a solitary figure riding a camel can be seen. As the figure approaches closer and his details get increasingly distinguishable, one will notice that he is dressed in a fashionable desert turban and carries a wicked looking long sword on his back. Hearing the sounds of the Abyss of Seclusion collapsing, the solitary figure turns his head towards the source of noise and the features of his face are fully revealed. A majestic and handsome visage, full of hope and determination... the face of the mighty warrior Belizean! The heroic figure quickly takes out the map he had been following (which was labeled on the back 'Map of Swahili') and comes to a conclusion about his current location...

 

"Camel..." mutters Beli, patting his faithfull steed on the head "... it looks like we aren't in Kansas anymore..."

 

At the mentioning of this somewhat redundant statement, the camel snorts and swats a few mosquitos with it's tail.

 

"Hmmmmm... that's interesting... there seems to be sounds of a collapsing building coming from the a direction to the East... could this be a clue of some sort to the whereabouts of Brute? Come on camel, lets go check it out..."

 

The camel grunts, spits, and begins heading in an eastern direction towards the crumbled remains of the Abyss of Seclusion...

Belizean1 posted,

 

*Bel lets his camel lead him over towards the ruckus he had overheard. It is headed in the general direction, what harm can come if he lets it have a little extra freedom in choosing where it wants to go? Slowly Bel dozes off, known for taking frequent naps at frequent intervals frequently during the day.

 

"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? I know someone is up there because I can hear the occasional snorting of a camel! Who is that!?" Slowly Bel stretches his arms and legs feeling the pleasurable burn as his cramped muscles stretch themselves. He momentarily forgets that he is on a camel and his heart jumps when he realizes he is 8 ft off the groud! His momentary panic subsides and he jumps down to the sand. He rummages around his pack looking for the "almighty blocker of the sun god" lotion that the sheik at the last town sold him. It was supposed to protect him from the sun as well as cure sandwater tick bites, heal the legs of camels when they caught too much sand on them, and also create an oasis at any place one desired! Anyways, back to the story at hand.

Bel looked around and noticed that all the boulders surrounding him were all very much alike, and they looked more like blocks of stone rather than boulders... He thinks nothing of it and sits on a rock to drink the lotion since that is all it is good for in his opinion. Suddenly the boulder moves under him and he hears a muffled voice, "Now I know phat sumone ith up they! Anfwer me at unce! Who szz that up they?"

 

"Wyvern....?"

 

"Get off me you ass! Whoever you are, you are gonna get it unless you get off me at once!" Bel sniggers and levitates the boulder off Wyvern who is laying sprawled out on the floor legs sticking out in strange unnatural directions. Wyvern looks up about to spit out some nasty comment when his eyes widen in astonishment. "Bel? It can't possibly be you....?"

 

"How many other people possess a majestic and handsome visage, full of hope and determination? Answer me that."

 

"Well.... it must be you then Beli. How have you been!?"

 

"I am actually going to help out an old friend, wanna join me?"

 

"I have some things I need to take care of as well....."

 

"Great! Let's head out now!" Bel grabs an astonished Wyvern and lifts him(with a loud groan) onto the camel and starts leading the camel back west.

 

"But I said....." Wyvern tries to argue but Bel isn't even listening anymore......

[Guest Cheye69]

Deciding I could not stay here any longer wallowing in my own selfish pride, I get up from the uncomfortable chairs that Wyv picked out years ago. One would think a greedy thing like Wyv would have some taste in furniture but for some reason he mismatches it or makes it out of metal. No sense of style at all it seemed. Rummaging thru my closet I encounter an old map, my grandmother had given it to me years ago after learning of how the family was going to use it to bring down the Jechumlioni Clan. She didn’t agree with all the going ons of the gang like punks worming their way into the hearts and minds of the Scholwolski Family. It was the usual conflict between the Polish family and the Italian family in the neighborhood. They both wanted to be the ones to run the streets, have the power. In the end the Scholwolski family had been done in from within. Without the map to show the way to the Abyss of Seclusion it would make it impossible to control the Tower and in return be able to banish the most powerful of the opposing family. Thus the Jechumlioni family had been the one to rule as even though they did not know the way to the Tower they were the only ones to be able to access the magical chambers within the heart of the building, it’s life-force so the speak. It was only attuned to them and in order to realign the magical powers one must actually be touching the rock. It was the only way to banish someone and not have to worry about them ever coming back. Once the Head of the Scholwolski Family was banished the fight was over. We just rolled over and let them walk in and take what ever they wanted. Fortunately the White Rose brood had reared it ugly head and that saved what was left of the family. One must be thankful for that at least.

 

Spreading the map out over the table, I peer closely at the marking, trying to figure out what if any kind of landmarks I could look for in order to save myself from needing a rescuing squad as well. It appears that the only way to stay on course was to follow the moon. I didn’t really want to follow the sun, as it would just be way to hot to handle. I would need to start on the farthest eastern side of the desert then just follow it. Eventually I should wind up in the middle thus finding the Tower. Shaky plan it sounded like to me but what the hey. It wasn’t everyday the your life fell apart, you boyfriend was thrown in prison, one of your greatest friends was missing, and you just lost your job to top it off!

 

Gathering up my clothing that I would need and a couple flasks of water, I start off. It was going to be a grueling journey but thankfully I still had my magical carpet, given to me by Wyv no less. From what I understood he had won it in a bowling tournament down south last summer. He was going to use it himself but once he caught a glimpse of himself sitting upon the thing, he changed his mind. I don’t think that my laughter helped the situation any. Smiling slightly at the thought of it all was enough to strengthen my resolve. I had to get Wyv back!

 

Jumping lightly up onto the carpet I settle in for the ride. My only concern now is perhaps the possibility of a sand storm, I wonder if I can fly above it?

 

 

(Will write more later…getting kids ready for church)

[Jechum]

Mean while Jechumlioni thinks about current events…

 

“Hey, nobody kissed my ring!”

 

Jechumlioni always makes people kiss his ring.

 

Jechumlioni sits down and starts ordering a herd of horses.

 

“Heads are going to roll! Just wait and see!”

[Wyvern]

Meanwhile, within the barren, sand storm-cursed depths of the Siberius desert...

 

A lone camel with two passengers seated on it's back makes it's way across the desolate landscape, pausing for a brief moment and spitting into the sand before continuing on it's journey... On the camel's back, a rather worried looking Belizean sighs and brings his steed to a halt, swiftly unfolding a map in order to check his current location once again.

 

Directly behind Belizean is slumped Wyvern, who is currently lying back lazily and daydreaming about meeting up with his beloved and the rest of his friends at the Pen once again... Wyvern is so spaced out in the aridness of the desert that it takes Belizean three deliberate coughs and several shoulder nudges before he can finally get the overgrown lizard's attention.

 

"Hrrrmmmmm?" grumbles Wyvern yawning "How goes it, Belizean? Are we there yet?"

 

Belizean clenches his teeth and patiently rubs a hand against his forehead, determined not to lose his temper with his former guild mate. This had been the 24th time Wyvern had asked "Are we there yet?", and it was seriously beginning to get on his nerves...

 

"No, we aren't there yet Wyv..." growls Belizean as calmly as possible. "I wanted to see if you could help me navigate around here... I don't seem to recognise this area on the map."

 

Wyvern grumbles and scratches the back of his neck. "You've been taking track of all the landmarks we've been passing, like we had planned, right? It's really important to do that, you know..."

 

"Don't worry..." exclaims Belizean confidently, smiling broadly and pulling out a sheet of paper with several notes scribbled on it. Belizean's heroic visage gleams with triumph and determination as he hands the paper to Wyvern. "... I definatly remembered the safety plan!"

 

Wyvern's face goes blank as he reads over Belizean's sheet, on which there is written the following:

 

A List of Usefull Desert Landmarks in Case we Get Lost

 

-Broken structure where I found Wyvern.

-Sand dune

-Sand dune

-Another sand dune

-A dune of sand

-A broken structure of some sort

-Sand dune

-Yet another of those damned sand dunes

-A sand dune

-Sand dune

-A broken structure

-Just another sand dune

-A sand dune which kind of reminded me of a wave, in a way

-Sand dune (surprise!)

-Sand dune

-A broken structure... there must be a lot of those around here

-A Sand Dune

...

 

Wyvern's eyes widen and his hands tremble as he skims over the sheet. Noticing the expression suddenly coming over Wyv's face, the gleam of triumph on Belizean's visage quickly fades to one of worry.

 

"Belizean!!!" cries Wyvern, clutching the sheet tightly in his hands and crumpling it in the process "When I said take note of any landmarks, I didn't mean the dunes of sand!!!"

 

"Ah..." mutters Belizean sheepishly "Sorry... But hey! Look, I also passed several broken structures!"

 

At the mention of the broken structures noted, a dreadfull realization comes over Wyvern and his mouth drops wide open. "Belizean, there aren't multiple structures around here! We've just been traveling in circles!!!"

 

This realization suddenly comes over Beli as well, and he slaps his forehead and curses madly to noone in particular. Finally calming himself down, he mutters "Oh well... let's just look on the bright side of things... I mean, technicaly, we could be in a much worse situation..."

 

At that very moment, as if on cue, the camel on which Belizean and Wyvern sit collapses dead to the ground from exhaustion. The two travelers cry out as they are both sent rolling down a sand dune and eventually land in a batch of cactuses at the bottom. No sooner have they managed to get themselves back on their feet then they suddenly find themselves surrounded by strange looking people wearing rags and brandishing spears that have scorpion sygils encrested on them...

 

"So much for that hypothesis..." grumbles Wyvern.

[Guest Belizean1]

*Wyvern glances at Bel and whispers, "Ready, we can take these guys no problem, ok, on three, one, two, thre....." But just as Wyvern is about to say "three" Bel stands up and walks over to a tall willowy woman who seems to have a vicious scar on the left side of her neck. Her hair is bright red and flows down the smooth curve of her back and ends just above her hips. She seems to be the only one not wearing rags, but rather, wears a pair of leather pants and a simple shirt. Her clothing is tight and clings to her body to prevent sand from getting in underneath, but it also helps to outline her beautiful curves and womanly figure. He stands in front of her and places his hands over his eyes. She cooly regards him and then stops on his feet. Bel brings down his hands and smiles at her. She performs the same ritual and Bel stomps n her feet as well. After this strange ritual she squats down and motions Bel closer.

 

"Hello Belizean, it has been a long time since I have seen you. Four winters have passed since you were last my lover. As I foretold you would one day return to me, so you have. Now I shall not make the mistake of letting you escape my caress again." As she says this Wyverns eyebrows shoot up like rockets and he begins wondering what Bel's past is with this savage beauty.

 

"My apologys Yara, I can never stay in one place for too long and it was time for me to leave. I thought I made that clear when I left and told you that I may never see you again. I needed to be free again."

 

Yara stares at Belizean without a trace of what she is feeling on her face. "Very well, but I missed you, and you will not leave me again." She says this with such force that Wyvern takes a step back, yet Bel just stands there and nods. Yara motions to her people and half take off while the other half remain behind. "Let us go back to our camp, you must be thirsty and hungry." She motions Wyvern and Bel forward and walks with them, the rest of the troop falls in behind them.

 

Wyvern tries to fall back a little to speak to Bel in private but the warriors behind them are too close and he is unable to speak to Bel till they arrive at the camp. When they arrive the first thing they see is that the camp is located in and around a large oasis. Surrounding the camp are many fortifications and Bel points out that Oasis's are very rare and this clan is constantly attacked for possesion of this oasis. It is only under Yara's excellent leadership that they are able to hold it.

 

Yara's men go their own ways and she motions to Bel and Wyvern to follow her. She enters a tent and they follow. "I have some things I need to see to but please make yourself at home here, since this is your new home. For you at least Bel, your friend is free to go whenever he wish's. I will even have one of my men escort him to the border of the desert if he so wishes." She nods to Wyvern and walks out.

 

The moment she leaves Wyvern turns toward Bel and starts advancing on him waving his finger in his face. "You have some explaining to do! Who is she? Where are we? Who are these people? How do you know her? Were you really her lover?"(at this Bel nods and Wyvern thumps him on the back)"I am impressed!" Then Wyvern falls silent and takes a seat. He looks up at Bel who remains standing with a thoughtful look on his face and says, "Well, start answering those questions!!!"

 

Bel sighs and decides he might as well tell Wyvern everything. "Have a seat Wyv, this will take a while." As Bel makes himself comfortable on a nearby cushion he begins his tale. "About 5 years ago I was traveling through this desert when I came upon a group of tribals fighting. Needless to say, I wanted to join in and see what was going on. I ended up joining Yara's side because the warriors who were with her consisted of mostly women. Don't get me wrong, these women were skilled fighters and were holding their own against the men they were fighting, but they were outnumbered 3 to 1 and were slowly being taken down. When I noticed some of the men taking advantage of the wounded woman and having their way with them while they lay helpless on the ground it enraged me and I summoned a fireball that incinerated half of the men. I then charged but before I could reach them the women had finished off the remaining men since they were no longer burdended with fighting overdefensively. Suprisingly, the women then turned to me and regarded me with a challenging air. It was at this point that I knew that these were a very proud people. They never thanked me. I am sure that to this day they still think they would have won the fight if I hadn't shown up. Needless to say, after my rage wore off I looked down and noticed an arrow sticking out of my stomach. I still don't know where it came from....... I still had plenty of energy to heal myself so I reached down and was about to pull it out when a hand grasped mine and stopped me. I looked down and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen stood below me at my feet. She shook her head and wouldn't let me remove it. At that time they did not speak english, only a tribal dialect known only to their own tribe. As I tried to convince her that I would easily be able to heal myself I suddenly felt dizzy. I gripped my saddle and cursed thinking the arrow must be poisoned, then I toppled off the camel........

When i came too, I was lying in this same tent on that bed over there." Bel points to a bed in the corner that is on the floor and is surrounded by a thick veil of some sort. "I was completely healed. I tried getting up but my strength seemed to have left me...... so I waited. Finally, the woman who had stopped me from pulling it out walked in. I remained with the tribe for a few months. It seems that the poisonous arrow would have killed most men within seconds and it took me a long time to heal. No one had ever survived after being struck by it. I tried to find out who had shot me with it but all the tribals were silent when I brought it up. I eventually figured out that it was a superstition among them, they believed it was the devil of the desert and they all practically worshipped me since I lived through it. I still have the arrowhead inside me, they did not take it out. I figured it was a renegade wizard who lived in the desert and used magic to create the fear of him. He cast a spell on the arrow that if it was ever removed the injured person would be consumed in fire. Many clan members had been burned to death trying to remove the arrow before the poison set it........ I became a famous figure in the desert, known by the surounding tribes as being a fierce and deadly warrior who controlled the wind. I soon experienced my first attack by another tribe. We were caught off guard and I used the wind to blind our opponents with the sand. A most basic of spells as you know. For a short while, no more tribes attacked. We were at peace and it was a new experience for everyone, one they enjoyed. This is now about 6 months after my arrival. I was getting impatient to leave although I was happy. Yara loved me completeley. I can't explain how I felt...... restless is the best word. I had to leave. I knew how hard it would be for everyone to see me go so one night I slipped off in the darkness and haven't been back since."

 

As Bel looks over at Wyvern expecting comments of some type he see's the lizard snoring loudly and sprawled out on the floor. Bel sighs. "Wonder how much of that he heard...... doesn't matter. We have to leave tonight, I'll just let him sleep for a bit but we must make our escape tonight. Brute still needs us." Bel decides a nap sounds like a great idea and he heads over to the bed that he knows so well and lays down on it slowly drifting away.......*

[Wyvern]

Brute3 posted,

 

Brute finished the last words to the spell as the purple colors swirled and filled the room, causing the gathered party-goers to oooh and awww. Brute shrugged and slurped more booze, waiting for something to happen.

 

The purple mist filled the room, clinging to everything and wrapped all in a violet shroud. Brute felt an odd tingling along the base of his skull, but paid it very little mind. He just knew Wyvern's scroll would make one helluva crowd pleaser. It was too bad that Wyvern couldn't make it, but Brute was sure that his friend must've had very important business to attend to. He was probably busy right now doing jus... what moved ?

 

Brute turned quickly as a purple shadow moved swiftly to his left. Suddenly, a sharp pain lanced through his body. Grimacing, Brute looked down at his arms. Before his eyes, they began to grow hair and lengthen. Talons emerged from his fingers, long and wicked. He could feel his boots split as his feet grew and claws emerged from them. His body was transforming before his eyes into a beast-like monster. He felt his face elongate and his mouth sprout fangs.

 

Again, something moved, and it wasn't Brute the Drunkard that whirled in response, but a brute-beast. One taloned hand shot out and caught something soft. He brought it close, drawing in the scent of a terrified guest. Brute's eyes, no longer ebony, but deep red now, glowed in the face of the panicked guest. The man soiled himself and screamed. It was cut short by Brute's vicious bite. With a roar, he sprang into the mists, seeking anything that moved, or had a scent of blood and alcohol.

 

 

Later........

Brute sat alone, his pale, bald head cradled in two blackened and bloodstained hands. Brute was rocking back and forth sitting on the staircase. He had been sitting there for some time now. The purple mists had long ago disipated to the edges of the castle walls. He refused to look up and survey the carnage around him. He couldn't remember what had taken place exactly, but he knew what terrible fate had befallen him.

 

"Gods," he mumbled. "Why me?" Shaking his head, he sobbed as the depth of it sunk in. "Wyvern! Where are you, Lizard???"

Wyvern00 posted,

 

Wyvern slowly awakens from his slumber, groaning and expecting to find himself bobbing on the rear hump of Belizean's camel in the unbearable heat of the Siberius desert. He is pleasantly surprised, however, when he finds that he is actually laying on a wonderfully comfortable large silk mattress, surrounded by beautifull, scantily clad nomadic women who appear to be tending to his every need. The overgrown lizard considers pinching himself to make sure this isn't just a dream, but decides that if it is, he'd rather not awaken from it...

 

Noticing that the lizard has awakened from his sleep, one of the desert women in the room motions to her companions, who's faces suddenly brighten up. Wyvern doesn't even have time to shift his position on the mattress as he is swiftly surrounded by numerous nomadic babes...

 

"Look, he's awakened...!"

 

"Indeed, and a fine looking lizard he is..."

 

"Definatly... *giggle* ... he looks positively delicious."

 

Wyvern's eyes widen and his mouth spreads into a confused grin as the woman who had signalled to the others of his awakening earlier sensuously seats herself on the mattress, a sly and arousing look coming over her face. The overgrown lizard's eyes grow wider when he notices that she's only wearing a skimpy toga, and wider still when she begins stroking one hand gently across his cheek, whispering:

 

"Welcome back, O majestic lizard..."

 

A blush spreads over Wyv's visage and he begins giggling happily to himself as another maiden in a toga seats herself on the opposite side of him and begins pouring him a glass of wine. This maiden whispers:

 

"We were afraid you'd miss the banquet this evening..."

 

A third maiden takes out a large colorfull feather and begins slowly fanning Wyvern with it, winking naughtily while doing so and saying:

 

"Yes... the banquet wouldn't be the same without you..."

 

A fourth maiden lays herself down on the far end of the mattress, the left shoulder of her toga coming partially undone in the process. She strokes one hand through her hair and whispers:

 

"We're here for your every need and desire... so please, don't hesitate to make any... special requests."

 

Upon hearing these words, Wyvern practicaly gets a bloody nose as his perverted imagination begins running away with itself. He is about to speak up when suddenly, two more maidens barge into the room, both of which are grinning maliciously. One holds a long rope which she tightens between her hands. The other carries a pink ribbon in one hand, and tosses an apple up and down in the other. As these two women approach Wyv, the other ladies surrounding him quickly back away and begin rubbing their hands together and licking their lips. Wyvern's eyes widen even further, and he lifts himself from the mattress and slowly backs up into a wall. Laughing nervously, the lizard exclaims:

 

"Ehhhmmmm... don't you think we should have some foreplay before we get into the kinky stuff?"

 

As the ladies with the ropes and ribbons further approach Wyvern, the overgrown lizard finds that he can no longer move due to the effects of the paralyzing poison that had been placed in the wine. A good look into the eyes of the two women approaching him immediatly told him that they were perhaps not going to do what he had expected with the apple...

 

*eep*

 

Elsewhere, in the grand Banquet Hall of the Nomadic Encampment...

 

Seated across from each other at a large, candle lit Banquet table, Yara and Belizean patiently await their main course. Yara turns to Beli once again and grins, exclaiming:

 

"It is SO good to have you back, Belizean dearest! I have missed you so!"

 

Belizean mumbles and nods, patting his grumbling stomach and praying for an edible dish. This was one of the many reasons he had left this encampment so many years back... the meals were comprised entirely of sand. The entrees of this evening, each of which he had tried and turned down, had been sand chowder, sand souflee', and a side order of sand. They all tasted pretty much the same to him, and it wasn't really his favorite thing to eat. Then again, he couldn't blame them, since sand was pretty much the only thing available around these parts... He still didn't quite understand why one of the only things to drink was wine with paralyzing poison in it, but figured that it was a thing they had used against an opposing tribe many years ago...

 

Noticing Belizean patting his stomach hungrily, Yara frowns slightly and brushes a hand through her hair... Her frown quickly turns into a smile, however, as she says:

 

"Belizean my love... Though you try to hide it valiently, as would any charming gentleman, I have come to known your distaste for sand... which is why tonight, I've had the chefs create a special delicacy for us to feast on!"

 

"Oh?!" mutters Belizean, suddenly grinning and brightening up considerably. Perhaps he would get a decent meal this evening after all...

 

At that moment, a chef enters the Banquet Room with a large silver platter closed by a lid and sets it on the table. He then clears his throat, brushes sand off his chef coat, and proudly exclaims:

 

"Madamemoiselle Yara and Monsieur Belizean... I present to you, on behalf of the chefs of the encampment, a most divine and succulent treat! 'Cassoulet du wyvern au sable et vin!'"

 

The chef then swiftly opens the lid and Belizean's eyes practicaly pop out of their sockets as he see's none other then his buddy Wyvern on the platter, tied down by ropes and with an apple binded by a pink ribbon stuffed in his mouth. The poor lizard is covered in wine (probably poisonous) and various types of sand (all of which basicaly taste the same). Wyvern directs his eyes longingly towards Belizean, hoping his buddy will be able to free him from this entrapment...

[Guest Belizean1]

*Bel's stomach grumbles just as the dish is revealed and Wyvern hears a loud grumbling from the pit of Bel's stomach.

 

"Yara! How could you!"

 

Yara sheepishly stares into her plate and doesn't say a word. She wasn't sure if he would approve and it seems that he hasn't......

 

"Why didn't you give me a little warning! We could have started on him before the entree's!" After these words come out of Bel's mouth two things happen simoltaneously(I massacred that word). Yara looks up and a big grin spreads out on her face AND Wyverns eyes practically POP out of his head as he strains in his bonds and moans at Belizean. Bel chuckles and grabs a hold of his knife and fork. He stands up and leans over Wyvern looking for the most tender spots..... Wyvern thrash's around on the table but to no avail, he is thoroughly tied down. Bel's knife lowers..... Wyverns eyes close as he realizes this is his worst nightmare(other than someone taking all his gold), a close friend turning upon him.

 

"Wake up. Hey man wake up." Slowly Wyvern's eyes open and he looks around groggily. "What, what happened?" He see's Bel looking down at him and slowly sits up. He is sitting in the middle of the camp on the desert floor covered in some type of sheet and holding a bunch of figs in his left hand. "How do I taste Beli?" He mutters as he falls back down unconcious.

 

Two days later

 

Wyvern wakes up on a beautiful silk mattress, surroundd by beautiful, scantily clad nomadic women. He sighs in content, knowing that he must have had a bad dream...... Suddenly Bel walks in and smiles as he sees his friend awake. He kicks the chicks out and sits on the bed.

 

"How are you feeling man? That was quite a scare I gave you at the dinner a few days ago..... hope you don't mind. I was merely playing with ya." Bel chuckles and Wyvern frowns realizing that it WASNT a dream. Bel explains everything that happened, Wyvern being taken to the cooks and tied up, Beli pretending to be about to cut him into Wyvern bite sizes, Wyvern going mad and running off with the tablecloth wrapped around his head preventing him from seeing, Wyvern tripping over a bag of figs and knocking himself out......

 

"You are one strange mofo d00000d. That's all I have to say yo!"

 

Bel frowns at this strange language that Wyv address's him in but takes it all in stride as he replies, "I got us some horses to get outta here. We leave tonight at midnight. So if you plan on having any lady friends over boot them out before then. I'll come by and pick you up."

 

"What about that psycho Yara? Will she let you leave? I bet she is watching you like a hound......"

 

"Yes she kinda is..... but its ok. She is really into that bondage stuff." Bel shrugs. "I'll just tie her down and tell her I am going out for a walk."

 

Wyvern stares at Beli's back as he walks away and wonders how he ever found himself in this crazy situation......*

[Wyvern]

Glancing briefly at the ladies surrounding him, Wyvern quickly prances over to Belizean before the heroic warrior has time to exit the chamber. Tugging at his companions shirt, Wyv hisses:

 

"Beli... For some reason, I really don't think these dames are here to keep me entertained..."

 

Belizean considers this, then notices that all of the ladies in the room are wearing "I Raw Red Meat" bibs around their necks, and nods solemnly.

 

"Do we really have to stay till midnight...?!" whispers Wyvern nervously "I noticed that one of these ladies is reading a recipe on how to make 'wyvern-pot-pie'...!"

 

Belizean sighs and pats his overgrown lizard of an ally on the back. "Come on Wyv... you're clever, you should be able to manage for couple of hours..."

 

"But..." starts Wyv

 

Belizean's attention suddenly goes to the hands of a clock that rests in the far corner of the room, and the handsome warrior gasps. "Oh geeze! Sorry Wyv, but I'm late for my appointment with Yara! See you at midnight... you'll be fine!" exclaims Belizean before exiting the grand chamber and slamming it's majestic double doors behind him. Wyvern droops his head and sighs, fearfully turning towards the women which are sensuosly laying on the silk bed and beckoning to him with purrs and whispers. As the women begin giggling and tightening their bibs, Wyvern breaks out into a nervous jitter... When they begin advancing towards him and wipping out various kitchen utensils, the overgrown lizard decides that it would be best to flee from the chamber...

 

Quickly slamming through the beautifull double doors and franticaly exiting into the main hallway, Wyvern runs as fast as his scaly legs can carry him. The maidens in the chamber are left in shock for a moment, unable to believe that any almost dragonic beast could have possibly been able to resist their charm, and then quickly rush after the lizard down the hall...

 

Wyvern runs through several hallways and doors, gasping and looking to his rear ever so often only to find that the beautifull/hungry maidens are still in hot pursuit. Then, the lizard reaches an enormous doorway and suddenly begins to feel the ground tremor and quake underneath his feet. As a stomping sound grows closer and closer from the other side of the doorway, Wyvern is relieved to find that the group of maidens chasing him have decided to flee, unaware that they are doing so out of fear...

 

The enormous double doors are suddenly thrust open, and a woman the size of an gargantuan whale wearing a chef outfit walks out of the camp's kitchen. Wyvern gulps and takes three steps back when he notices the words "My Other Job is a Trash Disposal Bin" embroidered on her apron...

 

"FEE, FIE, FOE, FUM!" booms the huge chef "Butch Betty the Short Order Queen smells a tasty one!"

 

Wyvern lets out a bloodcurdeling scream...

[Guest Belizean1]

*Bel is rushing along the hallway when he suddenly hears his buddy let out a piercing scream that shakes him to the very marrow in his bones. He shivers and rubs his hand on his arms that are covered in goose pimples. "What a crazy night....." He mutters and takes of at a spring in the direction of Wyverns shrieking.

 

With his long legs and powerful stride it takes him a mere minute and a half to arrive upon the scene, and what a scene it was..... Bel's jaw drops down as far as physically possible and his eyes bug out as far as they can go. What he see's..... is shocking to say the least. The largest woman he has ever seen is frantically trying to get none other than Wyvern himself off of her back while all the Chamber Maids mill around in confusion creating even more chaos! Poor Wyvern is clinging to the back of her neck and flailing around madly as she tries to get her hands on him and rip him off. Her hands keep slipping on his scales though and he basically just gets flung around every which way as she twists violently(and somewhat amazingly for a woman of her girth) trying to remove him. The whole time she is roaring like an angered bear, no wait, like an angered ELEPHANT(with a bears roar) and he is shrieking like a tribeswoman who just got her first double seated camel on her Wedding day.(camels were scarce in those days and those triple humped ones were certainly hard to find.....)

 

Bel quickly shakes himself out of his trance and roars "blah, blahblahblah, zoink!!!!"(cant tell you guys my spells now can I?!) Instantly everyone stops yelling and freezes where they stand excluding Wyvern who slides down her rather lengthy back. When he finally lands on the floor he has had time to gather his thoughts and calm down.

 

He goes and stands next to Bel and whispers, "Please don't let the big one go till we are 5 days gone. Please Bel....." For emphasis Wyv tugs on Bel's shirt with a pleading look in his eyes. "She..." *sob* "She wants to EAT MEEEEEEEE!!!!!" At this Wyv begins wailing in a very unlizardlike manner and Bel slaps him.

 

"Snap out of it man! She won't hurt you anymore. They are all safely asleep." Wyv looks over at the group of women and realizes they are all curled up on the floor dozing peacefully.

 

"But..."

 

"Let's get out of here." Bel cuts him off. "I think it's high time we made our 'getaway', don't you agree?" Bel grins and Wyv realizes his friend may have gotten a little older, but he is still the same old Bel and always will be. Bel's smile is known to be contagious and Wyv can't help grinning goofily right back!

 

Bel and Wyv head back to Wyv's room and plan out their escape. It kind of complicates things that they are leaving earlier than expected but it isn't anything they can't handle. Bel needs to go to pick up his stuff at Yara's room and tells Wyv to wait for him. "I'll be less than 5 minutes, and if I am not back in 10 you know where to go to get to horses. Good luck friend! I can handle Yara but I have to do it quietly becase she has guards all around her tent...... I'll do my best!"

Wyv sits on the bed to wait not expecting to wait long. He dangles his feet and stares at the surounding tapestries. After a while he checks if his gold is still in his pack, it is, and hey, since he got it out he may as well count it again..... when he finally finishes counting it up(after throwing it up playfully and rolling around in it of course) he mutters to himself, "How long has it been? Hmm...." He thinks it has been at least 20 minutes when the door bursts open and Bel appears with a bloody nose and his shirt is ripped.

 

"Change of plans Wyv. We leave NOW. Forget about sneaking out, we ride out of here in the next 2 minutes or we DON'T leave!" Wyv begins gathering up his stuff quickly and Bel snaps, "And the cook is out to get you too!" At this Wyv's speed quadriples and he is soon standing at the door waiting impatiently for Bel to get his stuff!!!!

 

"Let's go you slowpoke! We need to get out of here NOW!!!!!!" Bel snickers at the sound of urgency in Wyv's voice and bursts out the door and is quickly followed by his bud.

 

They bolt into the night not seeing anything. Wyv trusts Bel's knowledge of the camp and follows his shadow closely. Bel makes no sound while running and his steps tread lightly on the ground but no matter how hard Wyv tries to keep quiet his heavy frame makes the ground shake slightly under his weight as he runs. They burst into the opening where the oasis is located and see all the camels tethered to a rope near the water. Wyv points out where the few select horses are that Bel knew would be there and they run over and saddle them up.

 

As they gallop out of the camp they pass suprised tribesmen who were on guard. It's not that the tribesmen were slack in their duty, it is just that they expected danger from in front of them and out in the desert, not from their own camp and behind them.......

 

Bel and Wyv keep a steady gallop the rest of the night, stopping every once in a while to give water to the horses and give them a boost of energy using their magic. In the morning they continue on at a walk and don't stop till a little before noon when they find shade beneath some enormous boulders that they came upon unexpectedly.

 

"Wyv, I don't know if it is a good idea to take shelter in these boulders....."

 

"That's nonsense!" Wyv exclaims and begins unsaddling his horse and wiping it down.

 

"Well I would agree normally. Except I know more of this area than you do. The tribesmen never come here, they call it 'The Death Trap'. Many have come to explore it for water only to never return....." Suddenly a scattering of pebbles falls down on the pair and they look up and see hundreds of figures lined up on the boulder above them..... they look around and see them on all the surrounding boulders as well. From the looks of them, they are some sort of goblin like creatures, small, yet armed with spears.......

 

Wyv looks around with a tired look in his eyes and mutters, "When am I gonna get a decent nights rest around here without people trying to eat or kill me?"

 

(time for a fight Wyv!)

[Wyvern]

The short and filthy looking creatures surrounding Belizean and Wyvern all giggle gleefully as they eye the handsome warrior and the overgrown lizard from their positions high atop the boulders... They quietly whisper amongst themselves and grasp their spears tightly, winking to one another and occasionally chuckling to themselves sinisterly. Wyvern and Belizean nervously back up into the center of the aclove, and find themselves facing the surrounding beasties back-to-back, right smack in the center of the clearing between the various boulders...

 

"Heheheh..." murmers Wyvern nervously, the joy once present in his voice having completely faded at this point. Clenching his fists tightly, the overgrown lizard grins slightly and mumbles "Just like our old times as guildmates, eh Beli?"

 

"..."

 

Belizean has a brief flashback of the time when he and Wyvern collaborating to fight off the Tyranz guild in some far off Terrian land... In the flashback, the two are standing back-to-back against a swarm of bloodthirsty tyrant foes... Rather then confidently covering Belizean's rear, however, Wyvern appears to be cowering behind his ally in fear, silently praying for it all to end. Belizean recalls cursing as he is tackled from his rear, and how the coward of an overgrown lizard whined like a loony when the Tyranz dragged the two of them off as prisoners...

 

"Well..." responds Belizean firmly "It's not quite like it was in the past, Wyv, because this time you're really defend-"

 

*Belizean feels a tugging at his leg and notices that Wyvern IS actually crouching and hiding behind him in fear, just like old times... ;p*

 

"WYVERN!" cries Belizean furiously "Get off your scaly ass and take the rear! I need you to cover my back and help defend against these freaks!"

 

Wyvern considers this for a moment in silence, then solemnly shakes his head and begins sucking on a scaly thumb.

 

"Wyvern!!!" growls Belizean, panicing and seriously beginning to lose his temper with the lizard... The groups of goblin creatures surrounding them suddenly begin raising their spears to the air and chanting "Moose! Moose! Moose! Moose!" Belizean franticaly looks back and forth as the crowds begin taking out strange looking horns and blowing on them, creating even stranger echoing sounds. Belizean shuts his eyes and clenches his teeth, praying to be able to make it out of this situation alive... He suddenly feels the ground tremor beneath his feet, and Wyvern faintly whimpers when what sounds like an enormous animal's mating call booms through the air...

 

When Belizean opens his eyes again several minutes later, he finds himself high in the air above the chanting crowds, on top of what appears to be an enormous antler! Wyv is seated on an adjacent antler, and they both scream simultaneously as they notice that attached to the antlers is a gigantic head and body...

 

The two unfortunate comrades were seated atop the head of a giant sand moose... a deadly creature spoken of in myth that supposedly had very poor vision due to it's constantly hiding underground, and often mistook foreign travelers as yummy-looking jumbo squirrels. Wyvern and Belizean shriek as the sand moose let's out a deafening snort and begins shaking it's head from side to side in order to throw the two adventurers off... Not putting any second thoughts into his actions, Wyvern quickly grabs Belizean's hand and jumps onto the moose's neck, dragging Beli along with him. The two of them scream once again as they slide down the moose's back and are rapidly projected off of it's tail... They are sent flying into the crowd of goblin-like spectators, and both ram directly into one of the viewers. This creature topples over, causing another to topple over, and eventually resulting in a domino effect in which each and every goblin spectator is left laying flat on his face... ;p

 

Wyvern franticaly begins rushing through the toppled crowds of spectators, still pulling Belizean along with him, as the gargantuan sand moose turns angrily towards his two fleeing snacks...