Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 09:51:39 -0500 (EST)
From: Rune Therain <mist_dark@yahoo.ca>
Subject: Powers of the mind: 9

Since I was almost threatened by a friend, I thought I'd put myself into
gear and put out the next installment of the story.  The next one won't be
out for a while for a few reasons.  One is that I haven't written it yet,
and keep getting distracted by the new milk commercials (you know the ones
that play `I've got you under my skin').  Also my reading week starts this
weekend and I'm going home for it.  I'll write mentally, but nothing
physically.

As usual I have a number of people to thank.  Kenitra, Shade, Aeoros,
Gavalin, Apples, Mirage, Dax, Casey, JP and David.  There are always more
people to thank, but there are too many to put in, and I usually can't
remember all of the names.  Fault of mine, I don't do dates or names
(you'll probably have noticed that none of my characters have last names).
If you want to send me an e-mail you can send them to either
Mist_dark@hotmail.com or Mist_dark@yahoo.ca I check both of them and will
try to respond to all e-mails as quickly as possible.

As usual the disclaimer hasn't changed that much.  In now way is this
supposed to suggest anything about the members of Nsync.  If you are too
young, or it's illegal in your area to be reading this, I'd leave.  If
homosexual themes offend you, I'd leave as well.  Parts of this story are
based off the RPG Rifts.  All trademarks belong to Kevin Siembieda and
Palladium books.

Gotta run.  Hope you enjoy the story.
Until next time,
Rune


CHAPTER NINE


	Nathaniel slashed Sandy's shoulder with one of his claw-like nails.
The lethal poison that usually covered them in combat wasn't present at the
moment.  He tasted the blood on the tip of his tongue.  After a few seconds
of smacking his lips the priest spat out the blood and his face contorted
in revulsion.

	"What is it?"  Joey asked.  He'd used what medical abilities he
had, but couldn't find anything wrong.

	"Poison," Nathaniel said.  "And a fairly rare one at that.  It only
effects shapeshifters."

	"Do you know how to cure it?"  Joey asked worriedly.  He stroked
some of the hair off the boy's brow.  A slight fever had developed.

	"Yes, but I need the original dosage."

	"What?"  Makyla asked.  "How are we going to find that?"

	"I would guess that the Summoner would have it," Nathaniel said.
"The poison only works when a shapeshifter changes form.  Once they've done
that the poison activates itself.  It runs its course in a matter of hours.
The victim lapses into a coma and then dies within a few hours.  If the
shifter's aware of the poison they won't change shape."

	"Then why did Sandy change shape?"  Joey asked.

	"Two possibilities," the priest offered.  "The first is he didn't
know he was a shapeshifter and the Summoner gave him the poison as a
safeguard.  The second is that he knew and changed to save your life."

	Joey closed his eyes and sighed deeply.  "How long does he have for
us to find a cure?"

	"Not long enough," Nathaniel said sadly.  "Maybe an hour, probably
less."

	"Then we'll have to make more time," Makyla said forcefully.  "Move
back."

	The warlock waited for Joey, Nathaniel and Phixt to move to a safe
distance.  She began chanting in a low voice while slowly waving her staff
over Sandy.  Her chanting grew more quickly as her staff movements came
more swiftly.  She stopped chanting when she was at the boy's head.  Her
staff began to spin of its own accord.  Letting it go Makyla raised her
hands upward, causing the spinning staff to move upward.  It rested,
twirling, above her head.  She snapped her hands downward.  The staff
stopped spinning and shot downward to stab itself into the ground.  Makyla
reversed the movement of her arms to bring them above her head.  The earth
responded to her movements and rose up to wrap itself around the still form
of Sandy.  She grabbed the staff from the ground and spun it over her head
before driving it into the ground again.  This time four golems rose from
the earth to stand at four corners of the stone cocoon.

	"Guard him," the warlock told the statues.  "Let none but us near."

	"How long will that give us?"  Joey asked.

	"I'm not sure," Makyla admitted.  "It will give us a few more hours
at least.  I've never cast this spell before.  But I do know that we are
going to get that poison from the Summoner."

	Joey walked over to the stone cocoon.  He stroked the stone gently.
"We'll be back soon," he whispered.  "I promise."










	The Shaman entered the clearing where the flowering plant was
growing.  The blossoms were dying as they will just before fruit forms.  No
other plants grew around it and even the dirt looked dead.

	"Tell me," she whispered to the plant.  "Guardian of the spirit
world.  What knowledge do you posses?  What wisdom can you offer me?"

	....danger.....

	"What type of danger?"

	....the earth weakens.....

	"What?"

	...........

	The Shaman knew better then to press.  If a plant or animal
wouldn't answer it didn't know any more.  It knew as much as it told,
nothing more.  Sighing she dropped to her knees and winced slightly at the
pain in her ankle.  She hadn't been resting since the injury had happened
so it wasn't healing very quickly.  Knowing that she wouldn't be able to
rest didn't help matters much.  It would be some time until she finally had
any rest at all.

	With great effort she pulled herself to her feet and stepped away
from the plant to the other end of the clearing.  Halfway between the plant
and the tree line the ground gave way underneath her.  She hit some sort of
tunnel and started sliding downward.

	The initial panic passed her fairly quickly, but she slid along the
tunnel for several minutes before being ejected into the darkness.  She
free fell for a few seconds before hitting the ground.  Her left leg mad a
sickening snap as she slammed into hard stone.  She gritted her teeth
against the pain and pulled herself into a sitting position.  A wave of
pain swept over her.  Slowly she opened her eyes and glanced around to see
where she was.  Like all elves she could see in near total darkness.  It
was an ability that gave elves an incredible advantage.

	She'd landed in a large room that was empty except for a large pile
in the corner.  There was only one traditional exit, a wooden door
prevented her from seeing what was on the other side.  The other exit was
the way she'd come in.  A quick glance told her that it was a good fifteen
feet up, and she couldn't possibly get back up there.  If she was perfectly
healthy she'd be able to do it, but with a broken leg and a sprained ankle
she wouldn't be climbing that wall anytime soon.  A foul smell wafted over
from the pile in the corner.

	The Shaman needed time to figure out what to do, and she wouldn't
be able to think straight until she knew what was making the smell.  Once
she knew that she could block out the smell and continue planning.  With a
great deal of effort she dragged herself across the room.

	When she got close enough she screamed.  Tears of anger and denial
rolled down her face.  She screamed again and the last remains of her
sanity snapped.  Not feeling the pain in her legs she stood.  With a calm
determination she walked to the wooden door and opened it.  Her gait was
awkward because of the injuries to her legs, but she continued to move.
Unsheathing her sickles she stepped into the tunnel.  Behind her she left
her sanity and the remains of her people.









	All that remained of the arches that had once marked the entrance
to the city were two pillars.  Vines had wrapped themselves around the
pillars and if you didn't know what you were looking for you would have
assumed that the pillars were old trees.  Other then the pillars there was
nothing in the clearing.

	"So where is it?"  Joey asked.  It had only taken them ten minutes
to get here, but he felt like it was an hour.  They didn't have much time
to work with, and he didn't want to waste any of it.

	"Under us," Makyla said.  "There's a tunnel directly under us.  We
just have to get to it."  The warlock started walking in a slow circle
around the pillars with her eyes closed.  She finished her circle where
she'd begun it.  "Right here."  She raised her staff and struck the ground
in front of her.  The ground under them shifted violently and fell away.
With a startled cry the three of them fell into the hole.

	Nathaniel arched his body and managed to plant both hands on the
side of the hole.  He dug his fingers into the dirt and slowed his descent
enough to get his feet on the wall as well.  Once he had both hands and
feet on the wall he stopped sliding downward.  He then clung to the wall
like a spider and made his way to the tunnel floor.

	Joey and Makyla reacted instantly.  Joey formed a telekinetic field
around the warlock and himself.  The fall had been too sudden to form a
field that would stop their descent, but it would slow their fall
considerably.  Makyla's addition to their safety was slightly slower to
show itself.  A pillar of earth shot out of the tunnel floor to meet their
fall.  Once their feet touched the pillar Joey let the field go and the
earth slowly sunk back into the ground, lowering them both safely to the
ground.

	"You could have mentioned the fall," Joey said.  "It would have
been nice to know about."

	"Sorry," Makyla apologized.  "Part of the door was made out of
wood.  I didn't know it was going to drop like that."

	"Never mind," Nathaniel said.  "We don't have time to worry about
this.  We have to find the Summoner.  Now which way do we go?"

	Makyla looked up and down the tunnel.  "That way," she pointed.
"About a hundred yards that way the dirt becomes stone.  Most likely the
city.  After that I don't know if I'll be able to guide us too much."

	"That's where I come in," Joey said.  "The man may be a monster,
but he has a mind."










	The Archfiend looked at the other two minions with disdain.  The
Drow willingly served the man that had dared summon it.  Would sell his
soul to gain favour in the mage's eyes.  The dark elf was truly a pathetic
creature, one to be feared if for no other reason then the blind devotion.

	The avian elf was no better.  She had been under the Summoner's
control so long that her will was destroyed.  She had no other desire then
to do whatever the mage wished.  She would never stand against him and
would most likely sell herself, body and soul, to protect the very man that
enslaved her.

	The Archfiend alone was the only creature in the room that didn't
wish to serve the Summoner, but would do whatever he asked, because of the
magics that had been woven around it.  Despite this magical binding, the
Archfiend had discovered a way to exercise its will.  It had to do whatever
the Summoner told it to do, but an order was only as good as the creature's
ability to understand it.  After all, if the orders weren't perfectly clear
then they could be misinterpreted.  A smile crossed the creature's lips.
No one saw it because of the deep shadows that made up its face.  In their
minds it spoke through telepathy, not the spoken word.  But Fiends could in
fact speak, they just rarely did so.

	"Where are they?"  The Summoner asked lowly.

	"They are in the tunnels Master," the avian elf whispered quietly.
"They will be in the city soon."

The Archfiend wondered how long it had taken to break her will.  A horrible
thought crossed its mind.  Given enough time the Summoner could break its
will as well.  It was only a matter of time.  It would have to find a way
to interpret instructions in a way to kill his `master' soon.

	"They couldn't have chosen a worse time to enter the city," he
mused.  "But it's of no matter.  By the time they get anywhere near me the
Ambrosia will have flowered and I'll have eaten it."  He sighed for a few
moments.  "You," he pointed to the Drow, "Will come with me.  I'll need
your help during the ritual.  You will rally the guard and lead an attack
against these infidels."  The two subspecies of elves nodded their
acknowledgement of his demands.

	"And what will I be doing?"  The Archfiend asked.  "You didn't call
me here to let me listen to what they will be doing."

	"You will come with me to greet our guests.  And then you will deal
with them until the guard arrives," the Summoner answered simply.  "I'm
sure a creature of your power should be able to do something that simple.
As you apparently can't control Fiends enough to kill spiders.  Of course,
none of us thought that Fiends are vulnerable to the venom of a common
jungle spider.  Rather amazing isn't it?"

	"Yes," the Archfiend snapped.  "A wonderful discovery that a being
comprised of shadows is in fact vulnerable to a mortal creature."

	"I'll have to remember this little tidbit after all this is over.
I imagine a great many people will pay a small fortune to know that piece
of information."  A smile crossed his lips.  "Of course that is of no
matter at the moment.  When our guests arrive we will go greet them.  Until
then, we wait."










	Large stone buildings rose on either side of them as Joey,
Nathaniel and Makyla walked down the street.  It was an odd sensation to be
walking in a deserted city.  Knowing that these streets used to be flooded
with life, but now lay empty.  The buildings lay shrouded in shadows, but
nothing moved in them.  Joey repeatedly scanned the area for any life, but
hadn't found anything.  They walked through the empty streets waiting for
the attack that they knew would come.  It was only a matter of time before
the attack came.

	The ancient City Square was as impressive as the rest of the city
was.  It stretched out in a large circle.  Buildings that would have once
been shops, surrounded the square.  At the centre of the square was a
fountain with the remains of a broken statue in the middle.  In front of
the ruined fountain was a circle.  The runes flared with a reddish light
moments before the Summoner and the Archfiend appeared.

	"Ah yes," the Summoner smiled.  "The psychic that I met a few days
ago.  How is the little boy?  Oh that's right..he'd be reacting to the
poison I gave him as a failsafe.  That is assuming that he's still alive.
I imagine that he's not doing so well."

	Pure hatred flashed through Joey's eyes.  "Give us the poison and
I'll let you live a little while longer."  He barely spoke above a whisper.

	The Summoner laughed.  "You are gutsy aren't you?  Threatening a
summoner in his own domain.  But I really must repay you for the kindness
of stealing the boy in the first place.  I'll give you the poison, but
you'll be unable to leave the way you came."  He gestured to the
Archfiend..  "This lovely gentleman will see that you don't leave the way
you came in."  He pulled a small bottle with grayish crystals out of his
pocket and tossed it toward Joey.  The psychic snatched it out of the air.
"Now I really must be going, but since I am a good host I've made sure that
you won't want for entertainment."  He bowed once and then the circle
flared to life.  The Summoner left, but the Archfiend remained.

	"Do you try to kill us now?"  Makyla sneered.

	The Archfiend laughed quietly.  "No human.  I have no intentions of
killing you.  Not all the Summoner's creatures are grateful servants.  He
didn't ask me to kill you and so I'm not going to.  All I have to do is
make sure you don't leave the way you came in.  Unfortunately he did leave
me with one other order."  The creature sighed.  "So I do have to follow
that order, there's no getting around it.  But I wasn't told not to tell
you some things."  The creature's eyes flared brightly for a moment.  "The
Drow and avian elf are both willing servants.  Kill them or they will kill
you.  The avian seems weak, but she is merciless when told to be.  She'll
be leading the attack against you.  The Drow you'll find with the Summoner,
and they'll be on the lower levels.  You'll want to get to them before the
Summoner eats the Ambrosia."

	"Why are you telling us this?"  Joey asked.  "You're working for
him."

	"I have no love for that man, and I take every chance I have to
free myself of his control.  His death will kill me, but I would rather die
then serve him when he is a god.  You can kill him, I cannot."  The
Archfiend raised its arms above its head.  "I'm afraid I must fulfill his
last order to me.  I'll help you otherwise if I can, but I will not promise
anything."

	"But.."  Makyla's words were cut off as a wall of shadow shot from
the Archfiend's body.  It slid between her and Joey.  Another slid between
Nathaniel and her.  Another wave of shadow slammed into her and pushed her
down a street away from the square.  She struggled against it, but the
force was too strong.  It stopped when she was several hundred yards away
from the square.

	"Damn," she swore to herself.  She threw herself against the wall
of shadow, but it held solid.



	The wall stopped pushing Joey.  The psychic picked himself off the
ground and looked at the wall of shadows.  He tested the strength of the
wall and was satisfied that it wasn't going to move.  He closed his eyes
and reached out with his mind.  He was grateful that whatever the creature
did didn't affect his powers.

	.....Nathaniel.....

	......Joey?....

	....we'll have to meet up later.  Be careful.  I'm guessing that
we're going to meet an attack now that we're separated.......


	....Be careful Joey.  We have to get out of this as quickly as
possible.....

	Joey pulled his mind back and quickly contacted Makyla.  Once he
was satisfied she was alright he looked around.  He felt the small vial in
his pocket.  He pulled it out and looked at the grayish crystals inside.

	"I'll be there Sandy.  I Promise."


TBC


Hope you guys enjoyed it.  Let me know what you think.

Rune