Wanderer (forum adventure)

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"What are you doing you idiot?!" Sheth yells

 

The elf makes no response. He continues staring at the ant, and the ant stares back. They stare for what seems like hours, and finally Ikholian nods his head. He unsheaths his long-knife and walks toward Sheth, with grim determination in his face.

 

Wordlessly, Sheth stepped back into a combat stance, holding the ruby-tipped rod before him, ready to parry any blows that might fall.

 

Ikholian walks up to Sheth, and stands only a foot away from him.

"Let's go. We have no business here. Are you-"

He lunges at Sheth, trying to grab his arms. Out of the corner of Sheth's eyes, he sees the Ants moving in to flank him.

(Just a note - Sheth also has a sword and bow with arrows with him as well.)

[ January 18, 2003, 03:27: Message edited by: C'Jakob ]

 

Sheth drops the rod and swings his sword hard at the elf's head.

 

Ikholian parries the sword with his long-knife, but is disarmed instead. The sword grazes his head, but he makes no cry of pain or surprise. He moves in and grapples Sheth. Behind him, the Ants begin closing in on him.

 

Sheth attempts to get free and (assuming he gets free) runs as fast as possible in the opposite direction

 

Sheth does manages to break Ikholian's grip, and runs in the opposite direction.

However, the Ants are closing in on him - in both directions.

 

Sheth begins to wonder if Ikholian is truly in his right mind, or if he's being controlled by the Formians.....He stands for a minute and pulls the ruby rod out again, and tries to get the elfs' attention.

 

Ikholian pauses and stares for a second at the rod. Then, as if he has regained his senses, walks in on Sheth. Suddenly, Sheth sees the elf's leather jerkin turn bright red.

A pair of dirty-white claws protrude from Ikholian's stomach, and his face shifts from shock to regret to sorrow to calm in but a single second.

Standing over the elf is the Slaad, H'tleth.

"Damned Ant-slave," says the black-skinned Being.

[ January 18, 2003, 19:50: Message edited by: C'Jakob ]

 

(this is not turning into a happy story!)

"What is it you want of me!" Sheth shouts, again dismayed at the amount of death he's seen in one day.

 

H'tleth walks past him, and kills one Ant with a swipe of his claws, and begins to take on the rest of the Formian horde. Sheth is surprised to see that his wounds heal in seconds and that the Ants fall before him like matchsticks.

"I told you - the lives of a few people are insignificant in what's going to happen soon.

"Get to the Gate - it's the little pond in the meadow."

(Dragon's Jewel - )

[ January 19, 2003, 02:30: Message edited by: C'Jakob ]

 

Sheth mutely complies, unable to resist the more powerful being..
(C'Jakob-- )

 

Sheth sprints to the brink of the pond, ready to dive in.

While running, he can hear H'tleth mutter, "No self-respecting Slaad would just follow a command like that." Off in the distance, the Slaad makes combat with the Formians, with what Sheth can sense is almost childish glee.

Equipment
-Staff (in one hand)
-Sword (in the other)
-Various coins
-Backpack with provisions and some books concerning Planar Beings

(The ruby rod was dropped on the ground)

Choices
-Jump in the pool (supposedly the Gate to Mechanus)
-Don't trust the Slaad and wait to see what happens.

[ January 20, 2003, 03:57: Message edited by: C'Jakob ]

 

Seth runs back to retrieve the rod and then stands on the edge of the pond waiting to see what happens.

 

The amnesiac stands on the edge of the pond, waiting to see what happens.

A swirl of colors appear before him across the pond, and the Slaad H'tleth materializes before Sheth, his jet-black skin covered in Ant ichor. He makes a mock pout.

"Well? Afraid to dive in?"

 

With a mock bow, Sheth stowed the ruby rod in his belt, took a deep breath, and dove gracefully into the center of the pool.

 

Life is a waterfall.
We drink from the river,
Then we turn around and put up our walls.
Swimming through the void, we hear the word,
We lose ourselves, but we find it all. . .
When you lose small mind, you free your life.
When you free your eyes, eternal prize.
~Ariels, System of a Down

In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water.
Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it.
~Lao-Tzu, Chinese Philosopher

---

He dives into the pond. He submerges into the water, and feels a tug at his body.

We flow through life like water. Our motions are graceful and smooth, as if they were one. We overcome our obstacles slowly, as the stream wears down the rocks. But the dams and winds of doubt can overcome us. Sometimes the river flows backwards on itself.

The feeling is as if he is falling. Falling... Falling... towards something.

Then an rush. It is black disguised as white disguised as black. It is burning hot and frigid cold. It is a both a slam and a puncture.

Now he is falling again, mind and body wreathed in pain.

Where am I falling?

---

Sheth opens his eyes to find himself in a hall of hewn stone, up to his knees in cold, flowing water. He is at one end of the hall, and the water that he stands in flows down the hall, the only direction to move towards.

[ January 20, 2003, 16:29: Message edited by: C'Jakob ]

 

Sheth straightens his back and begins to walk down the hall, looking about to see if there were a drier path to the same destination.

 

As Sheth continues down the hall, the water still remains up to his knees. Slogging through it, he sees carvings on the walls. Some are of kobolds, some are of the Formians, and one is of Ikholian. He realizes that the carvings are that of each and every person he has met since he found himself in the forest.

Down the hall, there is an open chamber, with the water still remaining at the same level. A bald man stands there, dressed in white robes.