Skunked! It was bound to happen, eventually . . .

Aaron

"Yes," Ti'mma the elfin woman (by just BEING an elf has unknowingly casts her group into says deep suspicion by the Manimals). "We are here to talk trade with Lord Fred and Lady Alicia?"

I am not liking this situation here. The hackles of this manwolf in front here is beginning to rise up, like an angered dog (or wolf).

And I believe I know why. Put it all together and it means that this guard (more in the shadows) isn't just for show. Security is high and because if the same thing that happened Terra Prime has happened here, then this humanoid wolf before me is no longer a mere human infected with some form of lycanthropy, but a veritable manimal! That wasn't necessarily a given. Just because the native Fred and Alicia had been transformed into manimals (or something akin to manimals . . . something with a Matrix that gifts them with the forms of humanoid animals) did not mean that it would filter down to the others. But apparently it has and we now are facing a manimal in our midst, barring our way.

That means that he now has a very acute form of empathy which is telling him that we're not being totally aboveboard with him. We're not telling him everything and apparently some of my group here is so conflicted about it that it shows, emotionally.

. . .

Well, it's not me. It is almost an unwritten rule that one doesn't tell everything in the beginnings of negotiations (both the political and business arena). Well, at least I would think that's the . . . way it works in business.

. . .

I . . . had servants do the shopping . . .

Anyway, I share this thought with the others and it seems that they seem to have come to similar conclusions here.

And . . . now that all said and done it's time for our spokesperson to do her thing.

Later . . .

Dragoness Andrea

"Well, it was only a matter of time," our team leader sighs, tugging at her chains. "At least this place is warmer than the cavern walls. Nice to leave us our clothing on, if nothing else!"

Almost all Astras of the Astra clan had been chained up, you know. Now it appears that "our" Astra has joined those ranks (even IF it hadn't been done by a lecherous dragon).

. . . .

"Yes, much more light and airy," gigs her new brother, who's weighed down with so many chains it's a WONDER that he can stand, much less make jokes! "The decor is nicer as well. What in the world did you say to them?! I'm still fuzzy from whatever spells they sucker punched us all with."

I didn't get a chance to say anything, Ti'mma protests mentally. And as for what they threw on us did you always expect that the mage schools of Terra Prime would be superior to every other parallel world schools of magery?

We got skunked, is basically the translation if you didn't already figured it out, despite being on guard.

Heaven only knows how long we've been out. That and I would say that it is a fair bet my Validation Quest isn't going as well as I'd hoped! Just to understate things.

Very thorough job our captors have done here. Can't really do a real job of checking but I don't feel the reassuring presence of the holdout equipment that I'd hidden on various part of my body.

Being that I don't want to strangle myself I can't change into dragon form, so it appears that we're stuck.

Soon enough, one of our captors pays us a visit.

1. "It appears that we've got rather odd company," the old manwolf says, holding one of our special items in his hand. "Who are you people?"

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