the Choices of Master Wincerind
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 21517
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Wincerind had stormed off toward the mine's exit in a fit of disgust and
outrage. He
liked
Irena, he really did, but she had relapsed and gone into another one of
her characteristic personal moral conflicts! Hadn't she learned
anything!?
And to think, after all of the subtle instruction and years of accumulated
knowledge he had shared with her in the art of parting fools from their
money! The girl had so much potential! But her heart was just too big for
her own good! And since when had she taken a fancy to Allarian noblemen!?
They could have kept that dunderhead Lord Fred going for days and days!
But now it was all too certain that Sir Adrian would stiff them on the
rest
of the money he owed them, seeing as they hadn't kept their end of the
bargain. The fool was off on another wild goose chase that they had
arranged. Stupid Tetrilonians, they all thought the same. He had at least
hoped to squeeze a few more gold coins out of the ignorant punk before he
had caught on to their elaborate scheme. Yes, this was certainly going to
set him back financially.
Pulling off these hoaxes was no cheap affair... As he neared the cave mouth, Wincerind noticed something vaguely unfamiliar about his surroundings...but what!? He knew these caves like the back of his hand, every twist and turn and pitfall...but today something was...different? Was it something in the air? Was it something missing from the air? He took a moment to scrutinize his surroundings... ...and then he had it! The lighting near the cave mouth was all wrong! It was...unnatural! After all, he was a master of illusions (at least that was the title he preferred, although he had may others that weren't so flattering), and lighting was an area of his expertise. Intrigued, he hurried towards the cave mouth. "Galloping goblins!" Wincerind's jaw dropped as he took in the scene before him, an endless expanse of desert that stretched out in every direction as far as his eyes could see. "Did I make a wrong turn somewhere!? Maybe my eyes aren't adjusting right...I was down in those mines for an eternity..."He retraced his steps back in the caves mentally, he gave his eyes a moment to adjust, and he even checked his map. But he quickly realized that he hadn't taken a wrong turn, his eyes were just fine, and he was completely lost. This was bad. He considered retreating back into the mines, but before he could come to a decision he heard voices echoing from the cave mouth. It was Irena and Fred! He lept behind a boulder, not wishing to reveal himself just yet. Carefully, he poked his head out from his hiding spot to catch a better glimpse of them. Wincerind had to suppress a chuckle as he noted the perplexed looks on their faces as they paused at the cave mouth, gazing out at the alien landscape. Of course, he imagined he had looked like no less of an idiot as he had stood in that exact spot moments earlier. But wait! They were talking..."Surely this can't be just an illusion?" Fred said. "It's too big for that. But if it's real, how can it be possible? Surely even the Tetrilonians don't have magic that could do this?" "The Tetrilonians?" queried Irena, looking puzzled. "Sir Adrian could not have set up something like this on his own. I thought that Tetrilonia might be behind it, in an attempt to make Allaria look foolish." Irena replied. "Paranoid poppycock! Or does it just make you feel better to believe that only a plot on that scale could have fooled you?"Fred was outraged. "What do you mean it couldn't be a large-scale plot! What about the false information given the King! And the fake map! And..." "Fred," said Irena, "I planted that information..."Oh, great! Here she goes,thought Wincerind. Running her mouth off at the hilt again. Why don't you speak a little bit louder, Irena!? I don't think you're revealing our secret plans to the whole bloody world loud enough! Sheesh! Well, one thing was clear, they were as perplexed as he was. But somehow he couldn't bring himself to come out of his hiding spot. Not yet. He was still angry at Irena, for one thing. He also had a bad feeling...a primal, instinctive sense that he was in danger. It came from the pit of his gut, and he refused to ignore it. He had been a master for too long not too.And his instincts were soon proven right. Turning his gaze to the unearthly horizon, he could make out several hundred man-shaped figures made out of some shiny metal advancing towards them across the desert, marching far faster than a man could walk. They wore no uniform - nor any other clothes - and they carried nothing that looked like a weapon, but the fact that they were approaching in five precisely parallel columns strongly suggested that they were soldiers. No good! Wincerind hastily uttered some arcane phrases, and with a quick gesture of his hands and some finger waggling, his form shimmered and took on a shadowed hue. Usually the spell was more effective, but this place seemed to be lacking any shadows. There was simply no sun, as far as he could tell, though this went against every principle of the universe he thought he knew. Not daring to draw even the slightest breath, he waited......As the last of the columns disappeared over the horizon, Wincerind, his face purple and swollen, released himself from his spell, gasping for air in heavy sobs. Those monsters had taken her! They had taken Irena! He looked longfully in the direction the golems had so forcefully taken his favorite student. This couldn't be happening. But it was. It seemed his choices were limited...
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Ib (exceprts from 20983 (JH))
11/5/2002 12:06:51 AM
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