| Introductions and small background stories are made as the small group
of adventurers. It is quickly decided, in order to aviod confusion when
talking about themselves and their analogs….that nicknames will be used Princess
Alicia and Fred learn, to their dismay, how each of their mirror selves
acted with the other. It proves interesting all the way around.
"I…my analog in your world was a VAMPIRE?!" Dragon Fred gags, shivering at the thought. "And not only was he undead…..he had plans on turning YOU into his….er…..his vampiric wife?" "To put it mildly," Alicia 2 whispers, touching the bandage on her neck. "So you can see why I was more than a little shocked when I saw YOU come through the doorway….and more than a little relieved that you had a REFLECTION….." Both nod sagely. Then Alicia 2 continues. "And my analog and you had a….thing…..when the moon shone upon both of you," she continued. "And you two were on your way to perhaps a relationship….but when Malachi came into the scene….." "Eye met Eye, and my love and I got a full measure of each other's character….not to mention falling instantly in love," Malachi D'Honaire inputs from the side. "For reasons we don't know for sure……but perhaps because of the fact that I was a dragon and that something had happened in her past that made her EXTREMELY hateful…..more so than normal….." "So she went off and betrayed you and her to Carradene….the Carradene of that world" Alicia amended as Carradene 2 coughed. "How ever justified she might have felt…..once you do something like that and get a mob out after you for trying to do the RIGHT thing…..even if it appeared crazy….." Dragon Fred shakes his head sadly. "Whatever she and I might have had together was totally ruined." Both look at each other for a few seconds. Alicia is the first to speak. "Since each of us has more than a few bad memories of people who looked like the us…..there's no danger of anything …..beyond something like friendship happening." Alicia began. "But each of us is smart enough to know that we needn't be enemies….and perhaps SHOULD BE friends….if we are to survive in this world." Fred offers. He holds his hand out, and Alicia shakes on the friendship. "And maybe we should swear he into the Circle…and the Golem?" Rosepaw asks from the side. "I casted the best falsehood detection spell in my inventory…and I nary got a peep." "I get no bad senses off her as if she wants to end us," Carradene 2 murmurs, trying to somehow snap the inert golem back to consciousness. "She could prove to be very useful…." The old wolf had grown to trust his instinct in these matters….for ever since becoming a manimal (as his analog had named it), he had found that those instinct were almost always right…..when they deemed to put in their two cents worth. The others had grown to trust his hunches….and had informed the staring Aliica about his nature…..ending any objections she'd raise about this being……off the cuff? "Perhaps….or perhaps not," Malachi murmurs. "If she wants to contact this Alliance…which I have some grave reservations about….then we just send her back and let it be…..and HOPE that they don't come looking for us!" "I don't think I'll be doing that," Inquirer whispers, slowly sitting up from the examination table she'd been placed upon. "Considering the fact that the Phantoms seem to be out to get me…..and somebody in my Family supplied those codes……" "There is ONE Family member that I trust totally in this matter and that is Probe," she continues. "He's just too…..fanatical to be bought….to dedicated to the cause. But if I was to try to approach him, I'd be putting HIS life at risk." "Does this have soemthing to do with what is in the 'shuttle?'" Alicia ask, taking a wild guess. "I'd not be surprised," Inquirer mutters, rubbing her head (and her gem). "I called about the dead body of an Astra analog….mentioned that perhaps an analysis of the dead's DNA and a living Asta's DNA could yield something….and then suddenly I'm locked up in a painful bout of cybernetic torture!" "And I'll bet that any samples we send them….the lab results will turn up negative even when they're positive….because of tampering," the Golem/AI muses to herself. "If I can….may I enlist your help….join this Circle of yours?" the AI suddenly asks Malachi. "I need allies….and….I'd be proud and honored to help those who aided me by freeing me from that Seizure program. "I need the magical resources you have and the scientific resources I have in my shuttle to find a cure for this Phage, Somebody thinks that what I found was worth enough to try to neutralize me so they could seize it…..and later probably scrap me to hide the evidence….I now that if I get a sample of one of those living Astras….." "You'll have a means to a cure, perhaps?" the dragoness nods to herself. "Very tempting…and I see by my spells that you're sincere." Inquirer nodded in approval of Malachi's checking her convictions….for the AI did it all the time whenever she met somebody by scanning for stress….that indicated falsehood….when they spoke. "You're welcome to join," Malachi smiles…and so does everyone else. Inquirer takes the Oath of the Circle, and blinks as the magical nature of the Oath caused her to feel a sense of comradery with her fellow Memebers.
|
