| "I see that the others have left, already," Verity says after looking
around. "I was kind of hoping to check on something after we found something…..gone
from your rooms."
The others look at the womanwolf in askance, and Johanna steps forward to explain. "We heard some noise coming from the mayor's residencia," Johanna explains. "After watching that contraption Carradene and Manbear Synizn had thrown together with their magic to replace the need for us, we had helped carry the monstrosity down from the lab to be transported along with the group heading for Wallants, we were heading back to do some relaxing on the beach…..you know…..where the other wolves are…..when we heard somebody say 'Now' inside." The young wolfwoman's ears twitch, as if to remind her audience how sensitive they were to sound. "We found the place a shambles," Verity put in. "As far as we can tell, the intruder didn't take anything of value….except that the brushes that the Pack gave the Astras to use…..and a few other unmentionables…..were missing." "We've already told Carradene and Loam….who are going about trying to see if any of the children snuck in and are playing pranks," Johanna says. "We would have told you first, Pack Leader, but…..we ran into them first and….." "Don't worry," Fred says, waving a furry hand. "You did the right thing. Go on." "We hoped that we'd be able to check and see if anything was missing from the other Astras luggage," the wolfwoman finishes up. "But the magic users had thrown everything back together when they teleported Astra 2's luggage here….and then away before we managed to get back here! Probe looks puzzled for a second, thinking about something that he remembered from an old novel he'd read. "Somebody didn't try stealing them for hexing the Astras, I hope?" the AI asks the magi, who snort at the idea after the Golem explains the old story of witches casting cursing on people who had lost a locket of hair to the old hags. "Even if something like that was possible," Demifox Synizn chuckles. "They'd need more than a few strands of hair caught in the bristles of a hairbrush!" "Hmmm, then the only other thing I can think of…..from my personal experience with DNA samples….is the live hair cells in the root of the hair that lives on for a bit after being separated from the human body," the Golem mutters. "Even a single hair is enough for DNA analysis….but……something isn't right….and……" The Golem looks like he's deciding on something, and then nods to himself. "One of my fam….my comrades in my unit is on radio silence….beyond reach," the Golem reveals. "It's a major breach of protocol…..not to mention courtesy……that the Phantoms….. a type of secret police……ordered this without my input beforehand." There's more than a little annoyance in Probe's voice. "This….has Inquirer's signature on it….sorta speak," Probe says. "She's rather….adept at that business of…..collection. We all are, but she's VERY good at it." The adventurers go to the Residencia….and find no clues. Sighing, Probe helps the others quickly pack. Somethings rotten in Demark! Probe thinks to himself. Time to keep the optics peeled..... "Thanks." Fred 3 says, surprised at the quickness that Probe had moved. "That would have…..taken too long….." Probe nods and smiles. Before leaving yet AGAIN to leave, Astra feeds her fussing children (with the help of the wolfwoman). Probe climbs into his rocket sled (the same one that he'd met the manimals in), and follows the dragons as they take off. The AI nods, slightly impressed at the grace and power that the reptilian mages have in flight. "Doesn't compare to the view I get to see every day," Probe chuckles to himself. "The view from space can't compare to the view from a few thousand feet……" ***************************************************************** "This is WONDERFUL!!" Astra 3yells over the sound of the wind. "I feel like I can touch the clouds….and the forest below looks like…..something a child would play with!" <And if we were near Panaras at this altitude you'd see that the manimals look like ants.> chuckles Sigin, clearly enjoying the joy his passengers were feeling. Indeed, the little babies are chortling and waving chubby arms in sheer delight. "This ALMOST makes ME want to be a dragon….so I could fly around like this!" Fred 3 chuckles, laughing. Considering the trouble he and his family gone to becoming human again…he was (mostly) kidding about that. "Wow," Demifox Synizn says again, having shifted to hybrid form. A look of shear bliss is on the vulpine face of the little fox. He'd flown and enjoyed the freedom allowed by dragon flight, but NEVER had he felt…..the feeling of the wind whipping through the senses afford a canine. The little demi-foxes heart soared and he reveled in the experience….and feel….of it all. Happiest of all, by far, is DRAGON Synizn. The feel of the wind flowing over his scales and his wings beating again and again to drive him forward through the air was shear bliss to the dragon mage….who'd been away entirely too long. A slightly daffy smile plastered itself on his face for a bit, and then the dragon remembers his brothers….who by either choice or fate…..couldn't experience something like this….ever again. He looks over in pity at Demifox Synizn, and then does a double take at the daffy smile the little fox has on HIS face. I'll be! thinks Dragon Synizn lamely. Perhaps they do actually like what they've become….or at least can enjoy it. The proud dragon hadn't believed it, truly, until now. <It's about time, folks,> Sigin says, mentally. <We can at least start to address the damage done to the…..'ozone layer' while we wing our way towards the Calamari desert…..which we'll reach later on tonight at this speed.> "Will this cause any problems to our guest?" Fred shouts, gesturing to the following Alliance vehicle. "I can warn him by that 'radio' thing he gave us before we took off!" <Ack,> mentally snorts Dragon Synizn. <Even though we're going to use three blinking Chrystallics….the effects won't be great….nor felt immediately. Let Bolt face find out AFTER we land that we're fixing the bloomin' ozone layer!> So with that three Crystallics find themselves working in concert, bring about immense power that should slowly undo the damage caused by the burning of millions and millions of burnable (and not so burnable) items ignited by nuclear devices. But….on another continent entirely in a section of a large hole in the ground near a newly established dragon's lair…..two Crystallics are already addressing the issue. The three other Crystallics just pause for a second, and figure "Why not? It'll make this go quicker….." 2 Crystallics and 3 Chrystallics = BBBBBBBBAAAAAAZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPP!!!! Startled dragons and passengers blink….hearts skip a few beats….and the sky turns a shearing….stunning shade of turquoise before returning to normal. The infants, instead of crying in surprise, start to shout and wave their hands in delight! Now THAT was fun! The grownups are considerably less….sage about this. Fact was, they had been knocked silly! Above Terra…..halfway around the world in what would have been called the Grande Canyon…..in the air above Afrika…..and from monitoring stations in various Alliance spaceships…..the same things shouted at the same….exact time (those still not knocked daffy by the experience, that is…..). It was: WHAT THE F$$K WAS THAT?! Nobody know….nor can really guess….for nobody has ever seen that before (though suppositions are forming…..to be fair…..though no solid evidence is forthcoming since this doesn't match the "symptoms.") Frankly, until the gravity started to go strange….nobody was going anywhere near Atlantis…..there was still much to do……. Nobody….that is….except five Cyrstallics….who mentally "high fived" each other for the funny looks they'd detected on their masters' faces. They had rules against harming or disobeying…..but they allowed themselves a tad of 'fun' now and then. They were alien in mentality…..but even the Crystallics had a sense of humor. Sick, yes….but a sense of humor! The dragons plummeted towards the ground…..dazed and confused.
Only the tractor beams from a rapidly cussing (and VERY ticked) Probe threw
out halted the dragons and passangers from plummeting to their deaths.
Latter, still somewhat dazed adventurers are informed by Probe that: something
had happened. The ozone layer showed NO signs of damage from the gases
that had been present….up until whatever happened….had happened…..in fact….the
Ozone layer was pristine!
|
