City of IF

[JezSharp]

A couple of hours later and Jez was interrupted from his nap by the grunting sounds of a troll speaking over the intercom.

"Hit soft soil, should be very soon...whump, sounds of earth falling to the floor and groans. Ah actually about now in fact." Jez smiled and stood up slowly, there was still time before the Council meeting, assuming he went. Quickly he strode off into the TI maze.

[Idea master]

IM's body was asleep, but his mind and soul were mostly free to wander, as long as he left enough behind to keep his physical body operating. It was a classic mage ability, one that he had practised multiple times, and it didn't require any magic at all, only mental discipline. It was even usable by those that weren't mages.

IM had, fortunately, brought Key along by mistake. "Hey now, what's all this then?"

IM turned around, seeing Key in all his rotund glory behind him. Whatever had transformed his body hadn't yet got to his mind or soul. IM looked at his own hands and were relieved to see that they were indeed hands. "Key, just stick close to me. We're going to see if an old friend of ours is even alive."

Thus saying, IM began to float towards Smee's mansion...

[Lebrenth]

From high on Mage Mountain Rai could still see Lebrenth laid out on the ground. She didn't bother to explain why a large spider had its fangs buried in his neck.

The poison of the rare Crypt Spider, with red and blue echelons on its back, has a strange effect that makes it truly unique. It possesses anti-venom that can dissolve many types of poison, and to some extent even nurture the recipient. The purpose of this quality is likely a measure to help keep a victim alive and juicy for extended feasting. A Crypt Spider can keep its victim alive for a month without food or water. Even dead, it can feed upon for several more months.

But of course it wouldn't be 'poison' if all of the effects were favourable. After the victim is purged of foreign poisons, the anti-venom's effect immediately reverses and paralyses the victim. That's when the feeding begins. Of course by that stage the council members should arrive for the meeting and be able to assist him.

That is, unless they don't come.

[dinranwen]

It turned out Muadib's instructions weren't as clear as Din had thought.

"Your status in If is active...but because your former 'form' (avatar) is dead, you’re going to have to take on a new one." Muadib had said.

"How?"

"Go up onto the roof of the Tavern. The Tavern's roof is roughly located on the bottom left of the Soul Well. If you go straight and slightly to the right, you should see a faint light coming from above." Muadib said pausing for a moment, "There are two ways you can get back alive, one is to climb through the cracks near the well, but you won't return to your form and will only be in spirit under the control of 'someone else'. If you don't want that, you have to find some way to get under the dream chamber...somewhere near there, I don't know exactly where there is a computer room. Enter your name, city key, and go to profile. Once there, choose what/who you will be it's called an 'avatar'. I warn you though, don't take your original form...if you do you'll only end up back here."

Din had tried to follow those instructions but apparently finding your way through absolute darkness was now easy task, not even for a former half-shadow.

Somehow, someway Din had gone a little too far to the right and was now facing one of the many doors in the realm of Dead Ifians.

The door in front of her and Smudge was labelled, "Channel If broadcasting, Enter if you dare."

Muadib, Rave and Wing, and many other dezins of the Tavern had warned her about this room, if she dared to enter and made it past the gang of If characters that ran it, she would be able to see what was going on in If.

Deciding to take the chance, Din entered the Broadcasting moved and then ducked, dodged and made her way to a large area where several former citizens of If were watching the events in If unfold with large barrels of popcorn. Four screens were displayed...one showed the City proper, focusing mainly on Crunchyfrog and Gang. Another showed the confrontation between D and Leb. The third was showing IM and Key in their dream state briefly before flipping to the channel where Rai was featured eating sheep with her denizens. The final one showed an empty screen of a computer room...positioned just below the dream chamber.

Swinging around before she saw any more, Din drug Smudger out of the Broadcasting room and went in the exact opposite direction of the computer room where she and Smudge could return to the City. "Uh, Din" Smudger puffed in-between bounces, "Aren't we going the wrong way."

"Yes, we are."

"I thought we were going to go back to the City of If."

"We are, and we're going to bring a few residents of this Realm with us too...."

[Idea master]

"Smee?" IM hesitantly asked.

There was a moment of silence. Then, "IM? What are you doing here?"

"Smee! Thank goodness you're okay!"

Smee's form flickered, then solidified in front of IM and Key. "Actually, I'm not okay at all. My body got blasted ahead into the future until tomorrow."

"That's still better than me at this moment in time. Do you remember anything that happened at your party?"

"Yes," Smee said grimly, and began to tell his tale.

"I was making my routine checks around the manor when I entered the basement. I saw somebody casting a spell, and only caught the end of it, something about cracking open an entrance to the Soul Well. Needless to say, I tried to stop him by throwing a fear spell at him. It only got entangled with his spell, though, and now everyone fears the entrance to the Soul Well that is directly where my house used to be. In a fit of revenge, this character cast a spell that would disintegrate me, but I outfoxed him by time travelling. These spells also mixed to kill me now but revive me later. He let off a magic flare afterwards, to signal his work was done, probably, and then ran as the effects of our earlier mixed spell began to take hold. Fortunately everybody in my manor ran before they fell into the abyssal hole."

"Listen," IM said, "We really need you to reconstitute where the fear isn't so strong. You've got a lot of catching up to do."

"I'll try," Smee said.

IM then briefly checked on the tunnel in his manor to the Dead IFians. Hopefully there would be help coming from that direction, otherwise the stairwell he'd spent so long installing would be wasted. Whoever did come couldn't be shot by his security, seeing as they would be dead and all.

[Kalanna Rai]

Watching the city from high on the mountain Rai lounged with a huge grin on her muzzle. Good food, good company, good entertainment...it didn't get any better than this. Glancing around she chortled at the way the Games characters were bringing total ruin onto some parts of the city, watching with interest to see if any mods attempted anything. Naturally none of them did.

If she hadn't been casting such a critical eye on everything she wouldn't have noticed the slight tremor that ran through a section of the shields around the Archives. Angel snorted. "Somebody's messing around down there." Rai shrugged.

"As long as they stay off the Mountain...not my problem." Rai glanced toward Jester Park but, as of yet, none of the Councillors had shown up. "At this rate I don't know why I bothered to put down that glyph. If no body else comes I doubt my remote presence will be required..."

[D-Lotus]

D, Sasuke, and Crunchy ran breathlessly, the fox limply swaying in pace by the tail. Thoughts blazed through D's mind, causing him to tighten his jaw as he tried to justify himself.

Murder, Murderer!

No, no, anybody would have done as I.

Murder, Murderer!

But I saved so many...

BS will exact his revenge, and you cannot refuse it to him.

Finally the fog began to thin, then clear completely. Just as D removed his mask, Crunchy suddenly stopped, dropping fox and key with a dull thump. D looked in the same direction as he. There was some kind of monster standing there, perhaps escaped from the Games forum and wandering aimlessly, although it had the appearance of one of Rai's henchmen.

D met the stare of its yellow, rotting eyes. It was humanoid but it looked like an angel- a travesty angel. It spread its huge wings and bounded forward towards Crunchy. Sasuke, paralysed with fear of the demonic angel, stood back, paralysed. Wordlessly, D shot out his arm and caught hold of one of the wings. The creature snarled and swiped at D-Lotus, who fell back against the wall, clutching a handful of feathers in his grip. He could feel the viscous blood dripping down his face from the cut on his forehead. He got up just as the creature sprang at him, its arms outstretched, and its dirty, jagged nails reaching for D's heart. D-Lotus dodged, and the pulsing fist sunk into the wall. Moving quickly, D held his hands together, in a fist above the creature's monstrous head, and brought it down with strength. The thing arched back in pain, like a cat, and just as swiftly pushed its massive leg into D's stomach. He crumpled onto the floor. The creature cackled victoriously and prepared for the kill. D turned to face the monster for the last time. Unexpectedly, the creature's eyes rolled back and turned white. It dropped onto the floor with a rumble that shook the whole room. The falling monster revealed Cruchyfrog's figure, holding a bloodied rock, and shaking badly in the knees.

"C'mon, let's get out of here,” said D, as he got up. He was too tired as to comfort Crunchy. CF nodded, still stunned at his own behaviour. He picked up the fox and key and followed Sasuke and D, who were already leading further down.

[dinranwen]

Din was grinning from ear to ear...and everyone knew it. Behind her and Smudger, who was trudging along too, was a denizen of dead ifian's, most of them famous. Muadib, Rave and Wing, the barkeeper, and many other well know Ifian's were trudging behind her. All joyful at the prospect of kicking whoever’s *clears throat* back end that was forcing them from their nice comfortable lives in the Realm of Dead Ifian's. After all who didn't enjoy free live television, endless beverages, and pleasures for eternity? They were marched out into the City of If, where they were forced to mindlessly chant "Bring down Chinaren, Kill Chinaren, Must overthrow Chinaren...."

They found it annoying...so needless to say when Din proposed taking them to the surface through the actual Soul Well which the fiend controlling them all hadn't yet managed to control, they had agree...a little to quickly perhaps but they had agreed. Sending the angry denizens in search of their controller under the guise of Tourist and Guest...Din drug Smudger towards the dream chamber only pausing briefly to smile.

Thanks to her, thousands of Dead Ifians were arriving angry and all to eager to help the City...Din wished she could be there when whoever this mystery controller was found out his/her creation was turning on them.

Once near the Dream Chamber, she quickly found the Computer Room she sought. Explaining the situation to Smudge, Din watched as the humble hunchback turned into a rather striking young man dressed in a uniform that would of done Communist China proud.

"Ah your a communist" Din said sagely.

"Actually I'm a socialist...there's a difference you know."

"Communist, Socialist, Tomato, Tomata, Whatever."

Din waited until Smudge was safely back in the City and she was alone to step up to the counsel. Din liked being a shadow, and liked her cloaks. But there was no way to go back to being a half-shadow as her form was broken...and the only way she could harvest her shadow half was to be someone else. At least until she could weave what remained of her former self with new shadows.

Pausing a moment, Din decided. The City of If was over run by Rpg characters...why not be one of her own that wasn't currently in use...

~ ~ ~

Bridgette Saliva freed from the world of Realm...was very different. Flashing red hair that seemed to flame and spark, green eyes that seemed to burn, a clingy red garment that would have been a dress if the skirt was buckled to form a split skirt, and constantly swirling tattoos that glowed red met the City of If's light.

Spinning a dagger made of flames in the palm of her hands, Bridgette set off towards Mage Mountain which a necklace, a necklace that held a gem that looked exactly like a mod jewel, told her Rai was.

It was strange how similar her cold smile seemed like Din when she was about to clean something.

[Idea master]

IM finally came to. He sputtered as well as he could to get the taste of the potion out of his mouth. Then he closed his eyes. His magic was blocked, but not his nature of moderator. He reached out throughout the city...and found Kalanna's characters curiously absent from anything that he could touch. Hmm. IM used his new-found powers over City Central to aid him, and suddenly the majority of the characters that were freed from the Games district that hadn't yet escaped to other parts of the city found themselves sucked back behind newly-appearing walls. A few characters wandered over to IM. D raised his gun instantly.

"Relax, D, these are mine." D looked, to say the least, shocked by a fox speaking in IM's voice.

"These two are my own assassin and warrior. You two are to find whatever characters that escaped and toss them behind the walls. If you find Kalanna or any of her characters, kill them, but only if you're together and they're alone. Never underestimate them."

IM then sat. "The council meeting is in an hour by my reckoning, and it's in Jester Park. I don't believe we should go, though, seeing as some of the council members are either compromised or corrupt. Wait, Lordy is always corrupt. Hmm...Anyway, Smee will be reconstituting half a mile north of us if he can, and when he does, he can break the curses on Key and me. Personally, I'm tired of being a fox."

[Kalanna Rai]

Rai was watching several miners attempt to fight off several dozen escapees of the Games forum when her gem flickered. Sighing she opened the connection. "What Lordy?"

"Why aren't you tailing the others, hmm? Or have you forgotten we still need other things." Rai sighed.

"You know I think I've done my part. I've got what I need and right now I'm pretty sure there are several plots against my life." The demon laughed.

"So you've cut and run...how unlike you Kalanna. I thought you were an assassin of quality and courage." Rai nodded.

"I'm also an assassin of opportunity and prudence. I've got no quarrel with several people who are now firmly entrenched against me, for their own reasons. I'm pretty sure IM is after my blood." Lordy cocked his head at her.

"How?" Slowly Rai withdrew a dark black book from within one of her gems and Lordy nodded. "A Necromicon...you didn't read it I trust?"

"It might have been a while since I've seen one but, having a copy of my own, I didn't really need to open this one. It reeks of death curse a mile away. Here I planned on returning IM's book at a safe time and," Lordy interrupted.

"Wait. You've got a copy of IM's book?" Rai was wary now. What did Lordy want with IM's book?

"It disintegrated and the ashes were replaced by the Micon. So no." Lordy looked vaguely disappointed.

"Ah, well. Can't have it all. Still I wish you'd come down off that mountain and," It was Rai's turn to interrupt.

"Not a chance." She broke the connection and twitched claws for a moment. Her dragonesses looked at her expectantly. "Alright, alright." Slowly she rang IM, half expecting him not to answer. When he didn't she left him a message. "IM, its Rai. We need to talk, even if you're still a fox. Lordy's after you and if you don't call me back I'll expect the worst has happened..."

[Idea master]

A mental call, how interesting. IM's mansion was paging him. Quickly IM went into his trance again. IM's mind and soul once again freely wandered, this time to enter his mansion and listen in on the message. "IM, its Rai. We need to talk, even if you're still a fox. Lordy's after you and if you don't call me back I'll expect the worst has happened..."

IM was shocked. He quickly ordered his assassin and warrior characters to NOT kill any of Rai's characters or Rai, instead telling them to focus on Lordy's characters and Lordy himself for the time being, though he did tell them to reinstate their old directives if they didn't receive confirmation within a day. Then IM made mental contact with Rai. "You rang me?" he asked, his spiritual presence flickering like a ghost over the familiar terrain over Mage's Mountain.

[Kalanna Rai]

"You may be in deep shit. Here, this is no time for you to be running around as a lower class mammal." With a flick of her talons Rai recalled her earlier curse. "I picked up your book earlier, you dropped it in the tunnels. I was planning on giving it back to you when we had a quiet moment since it's not exactly the type of thing you want lost."

"So why did you send me to IFHI then if you had it?"

"I had reason to believe we were being followed. I'm not entirely sure Din wasn't sent to spy on me...which is why I had to get rid of her for some time. She was making threats after all but never mind about the book...it turned into so much ash." She had the feeling IM knew that.

"We need to meet and we need to do so soon. I'm staying one step ahead of Lordy for now but that won't be for long, knowing him. I do, however, have a bargaining chip for myself, and I know what he's going after."

"Really? And you're so into sharing all of the sudden because...?" Rai grinned at IM sarcasm.

"Because I know he's after you...which means I can assume the kind of measures he's going to take when he encounters you. I can handle those kinds of threats well rather than be blindsided. Plus, the Necromicon that replaced the pile of ashes your book became has your spell signature written all over it. So why don't you join me here on the mountain? It's safer than Jester Park, I assure you."

[Idea master]

"Seeing as it IS my storygame from ages ago, I know the caves and crevices better than you, so I'll feel fine about joining you. However, we still have Key to restore and Smee to find. Tomorrow Smee will reconstitute, and hopefully he'll join with us. It's always better to have multiple magi on your side. Then together he and I will break the curse on Key so that neither one of us will be unduly drained."

IM confirmed his orders with his characters from the Games district, then ordered his more loyal servants to recalibrate the mansion security so that Kalanna would not be at risk, nor any of her characters or any of HIS characters. He then plopped himself back into his own body, grateful to see that he was indeed human once more.

"Parting gift from Rai. She's not really my enemy anymore, Lordy is. We've got to get Smee and get to Mage Mountain. We can hold out there for days if we have to. I'm going to see if I can't accelerate his reconstitution. Let's run, Lordy could be after us even now."

[Kalanna Rai]

Rai turned toward her dragonesses. "Rath, I'd like you to go give the other's a little protection. They may need it. See to it that they make it back here safely." The black and red dragoness dipped her snout to Rai before extending a talon for a small mod tracker that would lead her to IM's location. "I'll send word that I've sent you to help him...and I suppose I'd better tell the others that they shouldn't kill IM or anyone with him. Otherwise they might get overzealous..."

[JezSharp]

Jez stooped under the soft earthen hole, then moved swiftly up through the hole in the stone wall of the underground vault of the Archives. Shelves spanned out in all directions, musty, containing hundreds of unwritten secrets, most fairly useless. But among the ordinary may lay treasures extraordinary, Jez thought happily as he took a glowing lump of lumonosis (phosphorous light green glowing reeds) and slowly stepped forward amongst the dusty corridors - searching for a promising book.

[solus.serpen]

The slight golden glow of a candle flame illuminates a thin pale hand, which is lying on what looks to be an old piece of parchment.
The stillness of it, and the silence of the area suggests that whoever it belongs to either isn't there or is
creak
...Solus...
...wake up - someone is here...
The hand twitches slightly, then withdraws from the light.
A pause.
...Who?...
A longer pause, then the hand reappears and hovers over the small flame. Closing around the fire, the light goes out immediately, leaving the corner in true darkness.
The swish of a cloak is heard, and then the soft sound of bare feet on the wooden floor.
The room smells musty, which seems to suggest that the parchment that was seen before isn't the only paper there.
A little way away, a luminous green light can be seen. Eyes which adjusted quickly to the dark, a figure wearing a black cloak that looks slightly too big for her slips in-between two bookshelves.
Peering through a crack in the woodwork, she allows herself a slight smile.
...Jez!...

Rounding the bookshelf, Solus stopped, still shrouded in the shadows.
"Brother..." A pause. "...Long time no see!"
Stepping into the light just long enough to give him a quick hug, Solus retreated again. Fully cloaked with the hood up anyhow, it didn't really make much difference.
"Solus! I didn't know you were here..."
"No, I've...been... ...working..." She replied quickly, although sounding slightly unsure.
"Solus..."
"I'm fine - I just...feel a bit out of it at the moment..."A slightly awkward silence ensued. "- I...it's hard work." She consented with a sigh.
"You look different..."
...He is suspicious of you, Solus. He's not sure you're you anymore...
...stay out of this. He. is. not. your. Brother...
"Just a bit paler...not much different..."
"Solus! Why won't you tell me what's..."
"Sh! You wanted to find a book? I know this library almost off by heart by now...I've been here quite a while."
...it pains you, doesn't it? - Not being able to tell him... - I feel for you...
...SHUT UP!...
Unable to control them, Solus's hands trembled slightly. Except for her feet, they were the only part that could be seen.
Slightly paler had been an understatement. They were white.
Glaring at them from under her hood, she sent the intense thought at them, a frown on her normally impassive lips. ...calm...
They stopped shaking immediately, and Solus waited for her brother's reply.

[dinranwen]

Deftly ducking and avoiding the guards IM had sent out presumably to herd back into the games section, Din had finally managed to find her way to Mage Mountain on the edge of the Achieves.

Bridgette, Din in disguise, looked up on the mountain and sighed. The mountain was beyond her skill to try. There was no way that even if she managed to climb it she could find Rai...although why she had the insane urge to find the Dragoness was beyond her.

All she knew was ever since she got back to the city, there was this burning desire to find Rai...a throbbing passion that kept pushing her even though something of her conscience told her something was quite right with that the desire. It was like there was something wrong, but every time she tried to figure out why her fingers slipped off the problem like oil on water.

As she stood contemplating the Mountain...the back of her was on fire, screaming at her to climb the mountain, to find Rai....

Din paused. Something was definitely wrong with this picture.

Find Rai...threaten Rai...follow Rai...

Why? She asked herself, I am suicidal or something? After all Rai did kill me in the first place?

Doesn't matter...you need to find Rai...you need to talk to Rai...make her understand...apologise...and follow Rai.

No. Din told her mind. But whatever it was wouldn't stop, and Din weakened from Death as she was...couldn't resist.

But she could talk to Rai...which is exactly what the back of her mind wanted to do.

Maybe, Rai could help. Or IM, Din said looking at her mod necklace, he's somewhere around her.

Sending a P.M. Rai's way, Din sat down at the bottom of the mountain and waited for the answer.

The message said, "Rai, I think we need to talk...X and Sprite will know who I am.

Signed Bridgette."

[D-Lotus]

D stopped as the tunnel began to give signs of widening into an open field.

"Crunchy, we need to get to the soul well. You need to get to the soul well."

Sasuke stood nearby. He held the fox now, but he was surprised when it suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Key disappeared as well.

"IM must have returned to his form." D said, as they all turned to see the smoke dissipate. "Sasuke, you know the way to the soul well through the tunnels, right? In that case, you and Crunchy don't need any map."

Crunchy waited for D to explain his plan.

"Crunchy, you have to dive inside the original well and find where the souls are being released from. There must be a fault of some kind. When you find it, use this on it." He withdrew a strange object from a secret pocket nobody had noticed before. D grinned. "I didn't know I had it either." He gave the object to Crunchy.

"Sasuke will help you. I'm sure you can do it. Meanwhile, I need to settle something personal. I'm sorry."

D began to walk towards the end of the tunnel as Crunchy and Sasuke watched him go.

"D," shouted Crunchy. D-Lotus turned towards him. "May the soul be with you." Crunchy waved goodbye. D nodded as his figure diffused into the distance. Crunchy and Sasuke began to follow, taking the strange object with them.

[Idea master]

"Come on, Smee...Just come together now..."

IM was weaving his hands about in a complex fashion, hoping to break the spells Smee was under. If he could break the mixed spell itself, then all would be well.

There was a sudden SNAP in the fabric of reality. A flash of lightning struck at IM's feet, and Smee was deposited safe and sound.

"Smee! Thank goodness you're okay!"

Smee looked around for a few seconds. "I'm back early. Thanks, I guess. Now what?"

IM yanked Smee in one direction. "Now we get to Mage Mountain before Lordy or anything that reports to him finds us."

Smee waved his hands around in just as complex a fashion as IM had done, and suddenly the two were at the base of the mountain itself.

IM and Smee quickly climbed the slope of Mage Mountain, pausing only to shoot a spammer that lurked in a hidden cave. They finally reached the cavern where Rai was hiding sometime in the middle of the night.

Looking back, IM reflected that it probably wasn't wise that he'd left all of his moderator adornments in his other robes.

[Kalanna Rai]

Rai, seated between Cami and Angel, paused with what she was doing. "Never mind Rath, it seems they've already arrived." Slowly IM and Smee walked in, both looking as wary as well...mages in a cave full of dragons. Rath settled back down before Rai's feet, looking at them calmly. "Gentlemen, good of you to arrive."

"Well, you did send for us. You said Lordy was after me...why?" Rai shrugged.

"All I know is that Lordy became very excited when I mentioned I had a copy of your book. He shrugged it off when I said I no longer had it but...well when Lordy expresses interest in something it's generally not good for the current owner." IM nodded, he could understand that.

"You were working for him, weren't you. Why the sudden change of heart?" Rai snorted.

"Working with him, not for him. As for the change of heart...when the death threats started in I realised that if I wanted my heart to remain where it was I had better start choosing my steps wisely. Lordy isn't likely to threaten me. Send hordes of Raver Demons after me sure, but not threaten."

"But why suddenly start working with us?" Rai raised an eyebrow.

"Was I ever working against you?"

[Idea master]

Legalese, double-talk, politician, IM understood it all. He'd make a great mayor one day, if he ever got off his fat arse. But Rai's story had a ring of truth to it. She was, after all, an assassin, and they were known to be loyal to themselves. IM must have factored in somewhere in her plan; otherwise he'd be dead meat in a few different bellies at this point in time. IM nodded slowly. "You do realise, of course, that once their services are no longer required, your characters will have to go back to their places in the Games district, yes?"

"Ye- wait, their services are required?" Rai was puzzled.

"Of course. With your and their permission, of course, I'd like to see if Smee and I can break the curse on Key right now. We're drained, but you lot aren't."

Mages and dragons had a history together, and in many tales it was written in shed blood. IM could only hope that this animosity would be put aside temporarily in light of the crisis upon IF.

[Kalanna Rai]

Rai looked at her ladies. "Well you lot, willing to pitch in and turn a Key into a King?" The dragonesses rolled their eyes. "Very well and good then." Rai pulled the gem off her left hind leg and each of her dragonesses let a single drop of blood fall upon it. Slowly the gem began to glow with power, purple from Angel, red from Rath, and golden from Cami.

When the flow of power had depleted itself enough Rai deftly plucked the gem up. With the tip of a talon she laid open both Smee and IM's left palm, placing both upon the gem's surface. "If you're ready to proceed gentlemen, I'll anchor your attempt." After all, nothing could ground magic like a highly resistant dragoness.

It was about this time that Rai received a PM from...no it couldn't be. But it was...dinranwen...

[Idea master]

IM and Smee flung themselves into the spell weaving like nothing before. They didn't immediately move their hands about moulding energy, though. This was precision work. If they only hit a few aspects of the curse, then Key could be stuck like he was forever. IM unconsciously pulled out his tome and opened it so that if he needed information, his body could look it up for him.

Power. Raw power and hatred. Smee's thoughts flickered across the ether.

Hmm. Emotional spells are always harder to break, they're infinitely more convoluted. IM was busy tracing the spell itself; it seemed like one thread fed back into itself constantly, like one of those darn Mobius strips.

But find the key thread and tug it, and it all falls apart. What is the source of the anger?

...It seems similar to the fog of souls hovering over the city...but it's coming from outside the wall...

Spammers, flamers, and trolls, then. Makes sense. But what mage in their right mind would aid them?

...It wasn't a mage...it was a daemon.

Oh dear. This will be interesting. Wait, I've found something, it looks to be the core of the curse.

Hang on, let me look...Yeah, that's defiantly it. All the loops pass by that point. Ready?

Yup. Let's do this then!

IM and Smee focused their thoughts and wove power through the intricate weaves of the curse to build up in the core of the curse. More, more...then there was a deafening, mountain-shattering BOOM.

The force that was used to break the curse caused Mage Mountain to explode in a brilliant flash of light. Key was restored, that much IM knew. Then he hit the ground, and knew no more.

[Kalanna Rai]

"Whoa!" Rai flapped as hard as she could, reattaching the gem to her hind foot. Luckily it hadn't vaporised in the flash that blew Mage Mountain and half the Archives out of the city. Hovering in position she scanned around her, watching as Angel, Cami, and Rath all shook their heads and stood on wobbly legs.

Sniffing about Rai managed to locate IM but not Smee...it seemed he'd been knocked into sometime next week. Checking the mage for injuries she could treat, Rai muttered to herself about the fragility of mortals and thanked every power she was willing to admit existed that she was a dragoness of some toughness.

"Although I could do with some sleep soon...I've been stretching myself way too thin." She snorted. That had to be the understatement of all understatements...but she'd be fine...for now.

[Idea master]

IM was unconscious, but was not granted the mercy of being completely disconnected from the world. When one breaks a powerful curse, the caster is usually notified...

"Ah, IM, I see you restored Key. This sets my plans back, but not irreparably so. I have already dispatched some interesting characters to 'take care' of that problem, but seeing as you're still around, I figured I'd teach you a lesson."

IM quaked in his non-existent boots. Lordy was going to do something to him, and he could do nothing to stop it!

"Ah, yes...I'll just...wipe your memory, shall I? Don't be worried, you might gain it back, D-Lotus did the same, after all. Farewell..."

On the spirit plane, nobody can hear you scream.

[Kalanna Rai]

Okay Rai was finally willing to admit it to herself that she needed some sleep as she and her ladies winged their way to Jester Park. Landing next to her glyph and Lebby, Rai set IM down next to the skiffy mod. "Rath, I understand you'll be returning to Games soon...you'd better grab the others to go back with you. Cami, stay here and guard me, you belong in the Park anyway. Angel...since the mountain has been destroyed you may take over guarding my Council Hall Lair."

The dragonesses bobbed their heads. Slowly Rai walked over to the aHEM guildhall. Opening the door she made it all the way down to her Lair in there, curling up on her mounds of gold. Setting the formidable guildhouse defences on high alert, and locking down the Lair just for safety sake, Rai finally dozed off...

[Crunchyfrog]

The explosion on Mage Mountain shook the city. Although most did not know what had caused it, let alone what had happened to Key or Smee, many were affected by it.

In the rooms of the archives that had not been blown to bits, the books had toppled from their shelves, burying Jez and Solus.

Somewhere in the streets, Masterweaver took cover as falling masonry crashed to the ground.

In the dungeons of the palace, Xansta gripped the wall as the very fabric of the building shook.

D stumbled as the ground beneath him swayed.

Polokin dodged flying rock as he fled through Jester Park, unwittingly running past the motionless Lebrenth....

* * *

Sasuke and Crunchyfrog had already made good progress out through the city and into the burnt trees near Jester Park when the explosion happened. The ground rumbled and a crack opened up with wisps of fog rising from it. They found the hole that they'd emerged from when they'd escaped the labyrinth that morning, and crawled back inside.

Keeping his hand tightly closed over the object D had given him; Crunchy followed Sasuke, as they pressed onwards through the tunnels. After an hour or so they noticed the tunnels rising slightly - they must be inside the cliff now. Crunchyfrog remembered the damp cool air, and the strange mushrooms.

Finally they arrived in the cave where the tunnels converged. The pools were still there.

"It's over to you now, I guess." said Sasuke, settling back on his hind legs.

"Yeah, I guess..." replied Crunchyfrog.

Approaching the pools, Crunchyfrog stared at the one that Masterweaver had fallen into, almost 24 hours ago. He looked over his shoulder at Sasuke.

"If I'm not back in 12 hours, go and find D." He said.
Sasuke nodded bravely.

Crunchyfrog turned back towards the pools, one of which now swirled like a whirlpool, glowing softly, as if it was expecting him.

Sasuke watched as Crunchyfrog took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and walked towards the pool like a man condemned...

In one second he was grabbed, stretched, warped, twisted and sucked down into a glowing vortex... In the next, the pool darkened and was quiet - and Sasuke was alone.

[JezSharp]

A pale hand and arm shot out of the pile of books, followed by a second. Then Jez's head, looking slightly dazed. Panting he pulled himself out and shouted 'Solus'. There was a muffled reply nearby and the sound of sliding books as she emerged. "Ok," Jez said relieved, "what on Earth was that..." Solus didn't respond, and she too looked rather confused. "Never mind," Jez said as he stared disconnectedly at the jumbled heap of books, reading the titles with some despair, 'The Adventures of Goth...How to clean a sewer - Wayne Pipe...Treasured Secrets of IF by Keavney...What to do if you're accosted by the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Troll by... Wait a minute, that sounds promising, he thought as he scooped down and picked up the Treasured Secrets of IF. Turning to Solus he said,

"Perhaps you should head back to the TI, I'm not quite sure how safe it is here." Dust was still falling from the ceiling...besides it's not exactly healthy spending so much time in here anyway, he thought as he awaited her response.

[Crunchyfrog]

The sky began to lighten over the City of IF. It had been nearly 24 hours since D had found himself on the cliff ledge, along with Crunchyfrog, Masterweaver, and a fake map, as well as suffering from amnesia, and having a vengeful BStheGreat after his hide.

During that time, his amnesia had lessened, and he had begun to regain his strengths as one of the forces of the city, reacquainting himself with his sleuthing skills, his sixth sense and spider senses. He had only been half aware of the conversation between Crunchy and IM back at the mansion about the impending Council meeting, since he had been elsewhere on the Astral plane with Lebrenth, but now his senses crystal clear and all working together, it struck him now... The Council Meeting was to be in half an hour in Jester Park.

That would be at around sunrise. He remembered that the sunrise was what triggered the entrance of the labyrinth to suddenly open 24 hours ago... He hoped that Crunchyfrog had got a good head start towards the Soul Well, as there could easily be an opportunity for anyone with a map to find it, at this time of day, via the front entrance.

He also hoped that Lebrenth would have kept his promise in his Astral meeting with D, and assist with the Soul Well - which would mean to be there for Crunchyfrog when it counted. However, D was not aware of Lebby's current mortal reliance on the Crypt Spider in Jester Park. And that even if Ideamaster woke up beside him, his memory had been wiped so cleanly he'd not even know what a Crypt Spider was, let alone safely remove its jaws from Lebby's neck...

* * *

Crunchyfrog's stomach churned as he fell through void after void. He tried opening his eyes to avert the nausea, but the swirling clouds, light and movement that flashed in front of them made him feel even worse....

[solus.serpen]

...Well, that rather spoilt the opening...
...like it wasn't already...
Solus quickly reached up to pull the hood back over her uncovered face, then stopped. What was the point? Jez was her brother after all...
"Why should I go back to TI?" Deep black eyes peered at him curiously from beneath long white hair. This appearance on a teenager of age roughly 14 - 17 looked unnatural - but what didn't in this place? It was obvious that Jez was surprised at this new look.
...So he has noticed you've changed...
...It would be hard not to - but that doesn't matter...
"What's going on?" Solus finished.
She had heard the unspoken words in his tone of voice.
...Yes, it is unhealthy - but that's my problem - I've lived with it this long...
...He is just trying to help...
...The books...
Solus looked around in horror at the jumble of books lying on the floor as if she had just realised.
"I should sort out the books..." She muttered softly, almost to herself as she bent down and picked up a book. Placing it back on the shelf, she bent down to pick up another but a restraining hand on her arm stopped her.
"It doesn't matter - it would take ages to sort out these books. How about you just go to TI and wait there?"
"Wait for what? Where are you going?"
Jez hesitated, then shrugged.
"I have a council meeting."
...I don't want to leave here...
...I know what you mean - but maybe it is better if you go to TI...
...I don't like TI. It's too light...why can't I just stay here?...
"Can I come to the council meeting too? I'll hide so they don't see me if you want - I've done that before!"
An annoyed frown crossed Jez's face for a fleeting moment.
...I thought you didn't want to leave here...
...I don't know why I said that!...
...well, I suppose it can't do any harm...
"Well..." Jez started.

[dinranwen]

Din felt herself being zapped somewhere in the back of her mind, but reconstructing she became another of Rpg characters. One thing about being a shadow so long, surviving through death, a laser gun shot, and having a mountain crumble on your head, you got used to reconstructing. In fact, Dinranwen had just discovered a new skill. If she let herself to take over a shadow near herself, she could become as flat and as invulnerable as that shadow.

Another good thing - whoever/whatever was driving her thoughts before the Mountain Crumbling on her, only to be saved just in time by her very lucky discovery, apparently thought she was dead. So she was left alone with only a slight headache and a few bumps the worse for the wear. Shifting into the ever punk-ish Brithil Cirya's form, Din paused a moment to look at her mod necklace...according to it she had not quite twenty minutes to make from ruins of the former mage mountain to her natural environment of Jester Park.

Starting to run as Brithil's brown skirt slapped against her bare legs, Din winced...she bet that Jester Park was a mess after that explosion. Increasing her pace to avoid the possessed miners, the fog, and the denizens of the Realm of Dead Ifian's Din had let into the city; Din finally stood before the gate of Jester Park.

Fifteen minutes...her necklace beeped....

Din shook her head as she looked at her reflection in a broken mirror. There was no way she was going to go to a Council Meeting without one of her cloaks, but there was simply not enough time to retrieve them. Even if she took the quick way...but then something caught her eye that was far more interesting than the disaster of not having her cloak.

There on the ground with a huge spider on his neck was Lebby. Din screamed. She hated spiders. Pulling out a spare dagger left over from her Bridgette disguise. Din went about removing the spider from Lebby's neck.

Then using a two-by-four she squished the thing until it was flatter than the street it laid on.

Turning back to Lebby, Din blinked...was it her imagination or did he just blink?

[JezSharp]

Really, why is she acting so strangely? The elf thought, puzzled. Sighing he replaced the frown with a smile,

"Ok, sure," he said as he dived into the tunnel. Once Solus had slipped in after him he ordered the trolls to try and sort the books into alphabetical order, something that a few of them could just about muster.

Quickly he strode along, his eyes scanning the first few pages of the book. Flicking over a couple more he found an original sketched map of some of the key places in IF. Nowhere near as exact or precise as the original, but each with a ream of information hidden within the book.

As they reached a door, Jez adjusted the lights so that they were far dimmer, and behind he heard Solus relax slightly. She really does spend way too much time underground at the minute, I thought I was bad...

It wasn't long before they once again reached the heart of the TI, "ok we can travel there by tunnel or by car", Jez pondered out loud, "which do you think, Solus?"

[D-Lotus]

It can wait, thought D-Lotus. He turned his head towards the ominous Ferris Wheel in Jester Park. Searching his body, he discovered to still be in possession of the Stupidium gun. If he hurried, he could make it in time for the council meeting. Indeed, what better time to expose everything? Yet, how much good would that do? In any case, D-Lotus trusted in Crunchy's ability to close the breach in the soul well. After all, the sacrifice was made so that the soul well would not go beyond control.

[Idea master]

IM came to. He looked around carefully, to ensure that he was safe, and then began to wander off in search of food and the other basics of life. He didn't remember where he had been or where he was going. All he was interested in was his own survival.

Deep in IM's brain, a war raged. The part of his memories that his magic had been able to salvage were pitifully small, and the memories that had been supposedly wiped clean raged to get out. Lordy's curse separated the two via an overwhelmingly thick mental block, which both sets of memories were struggling against, trying to not succumb completely. Unless he helped his own brain, IM might stay like he was forever.

[Kalanna Rai]

A single sleepy chime from a waterclock was rewarded by the said waterclock exploding into a spray of mist and fine particles by a jet of flame. Rai cracked an eye open and muttered about the foolish calling of a Council meeting. Still, sleep or no, she had to be there. "I'm not going unprepared though. Shit will hit the fan.." Standing she walked to the back of her Hoard and, without doing anything noticeable, vanished.

She popped back into existence a few moments later standing over Lebby and an RPG character that could only be Din in disguise. Din whirled around, spider-gut covered 2X4 in hand. "You..." Her voice trailed off as she got a good look at Rai. Camwyre wasn't the only dragon to wear armour after all...Rai's was just a sleeker set. It crackled over her glowing red scales like hazy black fire just daring a fool to try it.

"Good to see you again Din...I knew you'd find your way back."

"You mean you...Oh dragoness I could be very angry with you." Rai smiled.

"You could...or you could look at it this way. Now you can cross that roomful of mousetraps without being snapped..."

[Crunchyfrog]

The twosome stood together in Jester park, waiting for somebody else to turn up. Ideamaster had wandered out of sight, unnoticed by either of them. Lebrenth was laying on the ground, breathing fast, and looking feverish, as the venom from the Crypt spider had been withdrawn, and his bodies own defences were left to deal with what was left of the poisons he had imbibed earlier.

The sun could barely be seen through the hazy fog as it peeped between the lower rise buildings of the city, starting its climb into the sky. The fog itself, thick and greyish, still coiled itself tightly around the spires of the city centre, sliding like a serpent through the streets, full of whispering, angry souls.

Jester Park was a mess, as was much of the rest of the city, littered with rock, craters, scorch marks...

D steeled himself as he picked his way through the debris. His mind was going through what he was going to say at the meeting, and what Crunchyfrog might be going through right now.

* * *

As he continued to fall through the Soul Well, Crunchyfrog began to feel his body being bounced from one rocky wall to the other, collecting bruises to be proud of. He scrabbled with his hands and feet every time he felt something he could hold on to, to break his fall, until finally he lodged himself in what seemed to be a rocky shaft. Feeling the blood rush to his head, he realised he was facing downwards, and, alarmed, he opened his eyes to see what kind of abyss awaited him.

Incredibly, he saw light... a whole world stretched out below him. It looked beautiful, tranquil, a small village, fields, forests... but how could he be in a cave... in a hole up in the sky? He craned his neck to get a good look at the sky from his position - it was angry, with great vortices swirling in it.

He had no idea that below him was, in fact, the Realm of Dead IFians.

Crunchyfrog lost his grip and fell towards it.

[solus.serpen]

"Tunnel." Solus replied without hesitation. As she did so, she frowned slightly.
...Are you annoyed that he hasn't commented on your new appearance?...
...He has hinted at it...
...Hardly worth the effort...
...It wasn't meant for that, anyway - It was so I could prove it to myself...
...To me?...
...To myself...
Solus frowned slightly as she followed Jez through a door, absentmindedly wiping her hands on her robes as she did so. She hoped there wouldn't be anymore trolls in this tunnel. They really did disgust her - and the thought of them touching all those beautiful books...
...she shivered.
She wished she had stopped Jez from asking them - now that she knew that the trolls had fingered them, she would have to think twice before picking them up.
...They're all ruined...
...Not all...
...Oh yes - there is that one...
Hand moving to a concealed pocket in her long black robes, Solus fingered the top of a small book that was hidden there.
...Just this one...

[dinranwen]

Brithil smiled at Rai..."True, but only if I can get my form back...as of right now, I'm stuck my various RPG characters until I can harvest my shadow half...which by the way was only thing that survived after that nasty little fall."

Pausing a moment, Din looked at Lebby, "I would ask...." shaking her head Din decided against it, "But I won't prove the saying of Curiosity Killed the Dinranwen twice in one day thank you." Cocking her head Din decided to take a chance...after all there wasn't much worse things that Rai could do other than kill her again. "I suppose I owe you an apology though...what can I say I'm insanely curious and sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me."

"Curious my tail." Rai growled, "Curiosity I can forgive...but it's not like you to threaten. Beg maybe...but never threaten."

"I know," Din said as she knelt next to Lebrenth with a bag she had conjured from Rain's possession, Din knew she could return it soon enough. Working various herbs into a mixture, Din went about making a potion whilst she talked, "I'm curious about that myself...In the tunnel it was just curiosity that drove me at first but after I came back...." Din shook her head and added a dash of something else in the mix, "It was like my curiosity had doubled itself...quite unlike me. If I am correct enough to guess, I would say someone placed a spell on me to get me to spy on you."

"I wonder who..." Rath muttered. "No time for that now, we have a meeting to get too."

Din poured the green goo into a chalice she pulled from the nearby shadow, and using the same shadow sent Rain's healing bag back to it's owner.

Prying Lebby's Jaw open she forced the substance down his throat, muttering, "Anti-venom venom taken from the spider over there, quite harmless in this form," at the curious look from Rath and watched for change in her temporary patient. But upon being reminded of the meeting, "Oh yes, that. That reminds me...could you help me with..." Din gestured over her current form helplessly, "I would like to appear as myself at the meeting...I can't get to my Council Chambers in time to weave together my new 'form'. Can you help? I am afraid the only thing I can offer is some priceless information about the fog in the city, and maybe a valueless ancient antique from another plan...but would you do it for me, please?"

[Kalanna Rai]

Rai sighed...if she could just...nevermind. With a few quick movements she pulled a few shadows from around the park, stretching and pulling with tendrils of magic twisted throughout. Holding out a shapeless shadow-form she raised an eyebrow.

"Hopefully this will work...I don't do shadow-weaves much anymore." With a massive yawn the dragoness curled up on the ground and closed her eyes partway. Still alert, still keeping an eye out, she settled into a half slumber. "Tap me when everyone gets here."

[Lebrenth]

Paralysis sucks Lebrenth thought to himself in sublime understatement. The last few hours he could barely blink and his breaths became impossibly slow. It was like breathing through a small straw, each second you feel yourself suffocating because you can't get enough air. Through his mod ring he was able to hear about some of the events of the city. The news was scattered and confusing, but most of all frustrating. And each time another IFian ran past Lebrenth knew that if he could only muster a small yell that he would be helped.

Just as he was thinking no one would show for the council meeting, everyone began to converge. Lebrenth wanted to hug Din's shade as she removed the spider... he would be happy to do about any action if it meant he was no longer paralysed. When she noticed him blinking he felt a wave of relief. It was rough but he could communicate. Then again, how the hell do you blink: "Find Lordy now!"

Carefully thinking up his own version of Morse code, Lebrenth began blinking. With a pen and paper they could decode the brief message. Din noticed his blinking and immediately established a meaning. His eyes must be dry.

As another strange substance slithered down Lebrenth's punctured throat, he did not care what the effect would be. Even death seemed rather pleasant comparatively. He certainly didn't expect the surge of energy that sprung him to his feet.

"Lordy!" Lebrenth bellowed loudly. The sound of it was quite unsettling to those who heard it, even Rai, who was used to it. Then Lebrenth's body went into overdrive; as though all the time spent holding still was charging up suddenly exploding.

"Ah! Thank you Din, I owe you one Rai. What's going on and why did you put that nasty spider on me and leave? Do you even know what it feels like to be paralysed? But wait, I have to find Lordy before the Soul Well implodes I have no time to explain goodbye!"

Lebrenth runs away before his words are fully understood.

"What's in that green stuff?" Rai asks Din.