| Nowhere had the mages seen or heard of such a place....... But it
would cut the time of conversion from a week to half that time!
However, that is not to say that none of the Champions of the
Rules and Agents know of such a place. Some of them know of the place if
only through role playing games. Some Champions (back before they were
Champions) have met the Rule assigned to the reality that this world belongs
to (re: 4288). Heck, even a young man of Asian descent told of the basics
of it to one Jenny Elf on how it's odd condition came about (re: 13129,
13130). The Earth that was without magic(known to the Xanthians as Mundania),
but a nuclear war on Earth has caused a rebirth of magic there, and this
has had the effect of severing its link with Xanth. The place is known
as Rifts Earth, a world transformed where the major ley line nexuses can
be seen easily from space!
The Astra who had found herself between fields of corn has headed away
from the cultivated area, for she feels that she does not want to encounter
anyone like this. She only has a few tufts of red hair left on her head
now, but ironically much of the rest of her body is now covered by a fine
fur which is continuing to grow.
However, her ears perk up (they've grown a bit pointed and mobile) when
she overhears something coming over the next hill...... She absently notes
that her hearing has improved......
"Where is that Gunslinger and Queen Astra?" a young seeming, melodic
woman's voice asks, annoyed. "Rugen, wasn't that......"
The rest is lost as the wind shifts to a different direction......
Recongizing a possibility here......Astra softly creeps forward to see
what this is all about.
She creeps forward softly on her stomach to look over the hill, hiding
behind a rock to what she believes will be safe from being spotted.....only
to see a hooded woman (something elvish about her) and what appears to
be a young elven boy.....looking right at her! Both are in armor of some
type.......
And they have what appears to be weapons pointed.....right.....at.....her......!
Behind them appears to be an odd wooden door.....just standing a few
feet in the air.....floating......
"Don't.....move!" a male voice says behind her.
Astra slowly (despite the order) and sees that, somehow, several other
people have managed to sneak up behind her (!) and have her covered also
with those strange seeming weapons. They are also dressed in a similar
manner as that of those below....and they are also elves!
"Who do we have here?" the hooded woman asks, removing her hood and
shaking out her hair in annoyance.
"That was what we were trying to find out, Mother." the young male elf
leader of the group that has Astra covered says, reverently.
Astra looks back again (slowly) and gasps in shock!
As she had already figured this woman was also an elf.....but who had
the face of.....was the personification of beauty!
But, however.....
.....let us return back to Terra Prime, where the would be rescuers
are discussing the need of a dragon to cover the area of search. One thing
has occurred to them. By the time Dr Vincent has translated those co-ordinates,
they are going to be some hours - or even days - old. Unless the Champions
can manage to get a real-time update on the co-ordinates from someone back
at the Pyramid (unlikely....since the spells that kept track of the Freds
and Astras seemed....to be fading right before they were leaving), then
their "targets" could have strayed some miles away from where they were
originally. So an airborne search capability might be useful. (I.e. they
might want to enlist the aid of a dragon.)
"Dragon Synizn would love to lend aid.....and I believe that we shall
take him up on this offer," Jarlath says, nodding.
"Eureka!" Dr. Vincent shouts from the next room, interrupting.
-
 In almost
no time, he finds himself surrounded by the others, anxious to see the
translation.....
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