The ebony dragon turns as the field crackles and sees the man he had
summoned (and admittedly damaged) totter through the eldritch barrier.
Despite himself, the dragon still had an appreciation for the little unit's
versatility and endurance. It was what his "friends" called and enviro-unit.
It was designed to keep an area…..say a large house (or even a huge cavern)
a comfortable temperature….and at times of need, it functioned as a shield
against certain types of toxins and particulates (such as what is termed
"fallout"). It had kept the wyrm's lair habitable while the poisons from
the nuclear device quickly diminished outside. Actually, the level of the
fallout outside his den was relatively safe, but……the wyrm had been too
busy to read the dosimeter meter built into the unit. He had been too absorbed
in a futile search to repair his destroyed magical toy. Now, finally…..the
key to obtaining a new toy was at hand!
"About time you got here!" snaps the dragon angrily. "What in Tiamat's
name took you so long? Why didn't you come before I had to use such strong
measures?!"
"Dred playing with Bambi," Drederigo explains. "Then heard expl….explos…..big
bangs. Got horse and rode fast here…. Then…."
"Never mind," Minestus snaps, not wanting to hear any more of the drooling
idiots prattling. "At least you're here. Good thing I just need your warm
body…..and not that excuse of a brain that you have! I could fix that latter
but……I won't need to!"
"Yes Master!" the duke giggles.
"Well," chuckles the dragon. "If nothing else, your eager to serve!
If circumstances were different, I'd change you into something more befitting
for a pet, but….I need you for getting another Crystallic to replace the
one that my 'friends' made me break. Grab that bag of components, pet,
and let's be on our way!"
From around the corner, hidden from sight by limestone and spell,
listens the puzzled group. Suddenly, Synizn looks stricken.
"Of course!" he whispers hoarsely, berating himself. "The bastard
was always an admirer of the magic and history of the Atlantians…..and
had bragged about traveling to that one intact city! I thought my sources
had been kidding about that…..and if that legendary artifact…..
The manbear turns and looks frantic as he turns towards the questioning
adventurers.
"We've got to stop him!" Synizn whispers harshly. "If he actually
gets that Crystallic thing, the world could be in danger again!" The bear
magi looks nearly scared s**tless.
Unaware that he has an audience, the dragon hums happily as he shoves
a barrel containing what will be his last gift to what remains of humanity,
the dragon makes sure his dull witted servant's reflection is present in
the ornate golden mirror etched with griffons, centaurs, and more alien
creatures that the world hasn't seen in thousands of years. This was the
only entrance into the city that Minestus had found after hundreds of years
of searching…..and had the added grace of bypassing whatever problems the
dragon had observed while gathering his resources from his remote vaults.
He then says the childishly simple poem that had been incorporated into
a child's tale….of all things! He makes the nercessary changes, and speaks:
……Mirror, mirror of my Hall………………………......
…….Take us to were Atlantis did fall…………………..
…….Be not slow, but let us be very fair……………………….
……..This would-be god deserves to be there!………….
-
 The mirror had begun to
glow at the beginning of the dragon's doggerel verses. At the end of the
final verse the mirror flashes a blinding light and draws in those reflected
in it's surface just before the adventurers come bounding around the corne
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