| So, to echo Astra the demifox, just what is going on here? Perhaps
it was the heavy use made of five Crystallics simultaneously that triggered
it, or perhaps the slipgate system was now unstable enough that it would
have happened anyway. Whatever the cause, two more groups of confused people
have now been transported into this reality. It was probably more than
coincidence that Tarin should simultaneously have had a vision involving
both groups (as well as featuring some others who, at least for the time
being, have remained in their own realities).
The arrival of one of these groups is not immediately obvious to our
heroes. The whole of Castle D'Honaire from Duke Dredrick's world has been
transported into the middle of what has been until recently the nuked-out
zone of Allaria. With the repair work that has just been carried out to
restore the damaged parts of Terra, the startled occupants of the castlw
- the Duchess, Fredwina, Duke Zular and others - are wondering just where
they are. The view outside their windows is unfamiliar. The topography
is correct, but the familiar signs of civilisation, outbuildings, roads
and so on, are missing. All they can see is forest. The ruined remains
of this world's Castle D'Honaire are in fact only a short distance away,
located over the hill a bit.....hidden by tall trees.
As for the other group [Lots42 might prefer to skip this paragraph]...In
the same building that Duke Dredrick, Probe, Fred the Manfox, and
other adventurers currently occupy are the newly arrived demifoxes and
foxes (the ones that the Vision-entrapped dwarf was screaming at). These
people are from the branching off where Dragoness Moreau trapped and changed
that world's Fred D'Honaire and friends into demifoxes [#2105, second option,
see also #3149]. Their group consists of Demifox Astra, Demifox Fred, Demifox
Synizn 2, one ordinary (rather frightened) dogfox, two ordinary (equally
frightened) vixens, seven demifox cubs of Astra by Fred, four demifox cubs
of Astra by the dogfox, and demifox litters of the two vixens by Fred and
Synizn.
Tarin has been having visions increasingly frequently and of increasing
vividness, perhaps as a side effect of the slow collapse of the slipgate
system. He can rarely make sense of them afterwards, though. They seem
too incoherent, and anyway his memory of them tends to be only partial.
Now, however he has the advantage that Probe can play him back a complete
record of what he said (after all, the original primary role of an AI's
avatar was as a data- recording device), and he can try to match it up
with what he saw. However, even so neither he nor Probe can make much sense
of this part of Tarin's babblings:
"Old enemies...new enemies...combined in alliance," mutters the dwarf.
"Still have the great-aunt, when her great-grandmother was queen, slew
Horkus the Wicked, only to be ensnared by Zerm the Unspeakable,who had
trained him...and may hold her yet! He has all the versions, home and analog,
in statis...statis....status.....stasis!!! Brags about it with...ghost
of Dr. Vincent and...oh by the Forge...Turoc-Kith. Certain necromancer/ghost
VERY pissed off right now...seeing Regent in Afrika..."
Tarin knows of the dread Turoc-Kith, of course, a long dead mage of
great power but whose evil spirit is rumoured to live on. If he and the
ghost of Dr Vincent have got together, that is bad news. But Zerm the Unspeakable
means nothing to him. However, in his investigations Belboz has seen this
alliance from afar, and from past experiences with several of these foul
mages has developed a true hatred of them! The fact that they are actually
working together is worrisome and angering to the ghostly necromancer!
But Belboz knows that he'd better let Malachi Dronocis and the other mages
in on this bit of news, so they will soom be learning all about it.
Now, much earlier in the story, just before an enraged Minestus hurled
Astra and Fred (the 1/2/3/Demifox analogs) into the Calamari desert (which
on Fred the Manfox's world DOESN'T border Allaria!) to die as punishment
for killing "Velus" the hellhound, Astra had mentioned that an ancestor
of hers fell foul of the teacher of the evil mage she had slain. Well,
through the twisted malfunctions and some other details that need not be
mentioned right now, this world's Zerm the Unspeakable just happens
to have this world's Astra's great-aunt in magical stasis (as a trophy)
and
the other Astras' great-aunts!
As for the last thing that Tarin said, Probe is uneasy about the mention
of the Company, but cannot for the moment work out what it all means.
Eventually, the confusion dies down a little, and the demifoxes are
able to explain who they are, and to have explained to them whither they
have come and the main things that they need to know. Of course, through
Vulpine Sigin most of the demifoxes' story is already familiar to some
of the listeners. "I think we should get you to Ethiopia, where most of
our mages and Crystallics are, and see what we can do about turning you
back," says Manfox Fred. "But according to Sigin, Moreau told him that
thirteen Crystallics would be needed for that, and you said that you had
- what was it? - five?" says Demifox Fred. "Well, what Moreau may not have
known is that additional Crystallics seem to give an increased power that
is far greater than their simple sum," replies the Manfox (not being familiar
with the word "exponential"). "So perhaps five will be enough."
[And Lots42 might wish to skip this bit too] "But we still have problems,
even if that works," says Demifox Astra. "What about our new sets of cubs?
I'm not sure about Synizn, who I assume wishes to remain a demifox, but
I don't think Fred wants to keep the litter he fathered, but surely mundane
vixens can't look after demifox cubs long-term? What about their human
needs as they grow up? And it surely wouldn't be right to turn them into
full foxcubs. But if you don't, isn't it cruel on the vixens if you take
their cubs away from them? And I'm in an even worse position. Whilst it
will be hard to give them up, I don't see how I can possibly keep my litter
by the dogfox. It wouldn't be fair on Fred. Nor on the dogfox, who can't
understand why I now keep on rejecting his advances. And anyway, how could
I look after eleven in all, if they and I were human? Even as a demifox,
and with help from that other Pack, it's been very hard to cope." "Well,"
says Manfox Fred, "I think my Pack might be able to help you there.
I'm sure some adoptions could be arranged."
-
 Arrangements are made to
transport the demifoxes to Ethiopia.
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