Deeper...

Artizza

"Very well, then. Go ahead." Checkers, the winged girl, says to Jenny.

So glad she's decided to trust Jenny instead of that Belboz mage. I find I do NOT trust him. Cannot explain the exact "whys" to you (besides what you've already heard). Just my elfin sixth sense says to NOT trust him.

So I must admit taking pleasure at seeing Belboz's jaw yet again drop as Jenny swiftly and professionally completes her healing spell.

Yes, done much swifter and may I say much BETTER than what this....necromancer managed with Fred, who's also staring.

"You studied under a dragon!" he shouts, shocked in the extreme!

....

Let us just say our friendly necromancer now has some explaining to do, because besides the fact almost all of us magic using folks (except for us proto-Dark Elves, who've decided to just stick with instinctively learned spells, being more physical action oriente).... Well, truth is that they (including Jenny) DID learn from Terra Prime dragons...

"Belboz," I say softly, reaching for a daggger slowly (ready to draw and throw swiftly if need), "are YOU a servant of the dragon, by any chance? WE learned magic from mages who...'acquired' techniques from....various draconian sources, so to better to fight our opponent. However, dragon servants who are favored ARE also sometimes....taught in the dragon mage's style of magery...."

Fred and his friends, meanwhile, are looking back and forth between my group and Belboz, now not sure just WHAT to make of this suddenly (increased) tense situation

"No," protests Belboz. "You misunderstand. I...I saw from the shadows the dragon mage as he cast magic! I..."

Not bloodly likely, that! You'd have to be standing right next to the beast to manage THAT stunt and... "Of course she misunderstands," said Astra 9 sarcastically, interrutpting my train of thought. "She's not a cretin and I, like she, must admit I find your explanation--"

"No, no, no... please stop... make it stop... oh my...my....MY!!!!!" Fertal says, suddenly interrupting!

What in God's name?!

(Copied in part from episode 28017 by Y)

A jean jacket wearing man shakes his head sadly, sorry to see his discipline having ruined what had been such a promising game of cat and mouse. Just a wonderful possibility of betrayal and misdirection, and with one slip of the tongue!... Ruined....

That is, unless HE stepped in and did something to distract and salvage some fun potential here!

He'd come, having sniffed out some rather odd...scents with this latest Ploy to further damage the Dark Tower's Path of the Beam and found Minestus busy. He'd amused himself, watching, but now was a time for a helping hand! The Army of Light's footsoldiers (who else could it be by that scent....though....).

Nevermind.

In his mind eye, he smiles as he turns away from the magical images playing before him and plays out in that darkest of places (his mind) what is happening right now!

Fertal screamed and pressed his hands to his head. Both groups stared at the elf with fear and trembling. He began to babble even as his screaming increased in pitch: "unexpected... dragon-slayers all... death magic smells... your tone, your tone is far from... my brothers the dragons... a sign from on High... oh my, the light... we must kill... hew-maahn... you say you've lived in the shadow of this dragon... make our job easier... anything less would not only be dishonorable... the light... oh my, its full of stars..." He screamed again and again and again and then his whole frame burst into a blaze of light! His cells seemed to erupt into waves and clusters of green and violet, his bones irradiated, his organs illuminated.

There began a noticeable sound, not a sound really but a reverberation on the physical level of sound. The elves felt it first and then the humans... it was growing and its epicenter was Fertal, or what was left of his screaming form. The humming turned to pounding, the pounding to a pelting like some oncoming train and the men and women within that cave knew that a blast was surely on its way. They ran, away from the burning Fertal, away from the light, away from that heaving, pulsating beat that could only mean death.

Fred, Astra and Checkers flew one way, one portion of the Champions another, and still another group went a third way. They did not mean to separate, but the incredible madness of Fertal's demise took them by surprise, they were unprepared, and in that instant of time they were... afraid.

Even as the groups ran they heard, no, they felt an explosion of force and might, a great expulsion of space and energy and then its equal reverse, a full and mighty inward pulling of space, time and breath - whatever had been in that space would surely not be there any longer. But even as the Champions thought upon their physics and philosophies and used their minds to try and frame a picture of what had just happened, they continued to run for they knew not if this event would occur again, to yet another of them. As for Fred, Checkers and Astra they just ran, scared out of their wits and hoping not to die.

And Belboz? He had run too... in a fourth direction, all by his lonesome, all by himself. He needed time to think, to muster a plan for his own self-preservation. He was glad for that distraction, he was even gladder if it spelt the end of a fey elf, but truth be told he had no clue as to what the hell happened to that fey elf... again, not that he minded if it was dead, but Belboz was very worried that things within his domain were quickly slipping out of his control.

Separated and surely lost, three groups of do-gooders, a realm of malicious monsters, and one evil dragon... At least that's what he's expecting when he turns back as two things form before him. One is Belboz (literally snatched out of that fourth dimensional travel via Flagg's Crystallic (his gift for the dragon mage). As for the other object?

This powerful illusion (coupled with the transport via a "gift" he had for Belboz to "play with") should be making things happen as he envisioned...

But Flagg mutters something only found within the lower bowels of Hell (and thus doesn't even come close to being translatable) as he actually gets a better look at the spell frozen Fertal's eyes!!

It would explain at least why his elfin squeeze isn't catatonic right now as Astra 9 puts her down... Dark Elves were immune to such illusions he'd used....more the pity!!

"But that's impossible!" he shouts, looking at the inky black eyes, and then laughs at himself.

This was a BIG multiverse! Whilst most colonies of Dark Elves were within the hip pocket of his Army, exceptions weren't unknown (had met a few evil "Light Elves" in his days, himself). First time for everything.

Was almost a shame that he planned (eventually) in his march to a New Order (with him as the Boss in the forthcoming Army of Darkness) with the Norns, that all the mortal realms would be destroyed. Destroyed as the Dark Tower fell by his hands and manipulations (behind his own Boss' backs, what irony).....

Dismissing the odd "immortality" smell coming from Fertal, he then turns back to the gawking Belboz/Minestus, who'd not expected (or wanted) his Master's company right then and there. The pop Randall Flagg (demonic villian from various realities reflected in King's novels) gives him in the back of his head.

"Almost had a good ploy there, chuck!" Flagg giggles. "Well, have fun playing with this!"

Belboz looks at the Crystallic blankly, and then up at Flagg. The demon sighs, remembering that even in the long lived races memory like the Dragons the legends of Atlantis had faded to nothing (so long ago it had been).

1. With a wave of a hand, a book callled "Crystallics for Dummies" pops into being and is given to the still sputtering Belboz. Then Flagg leaves, off to do his fun elsewhere.

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