City of IF

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Looking from the sleeping dragoness to the lifeless two-dimensional shadow form Din held in her hands and then back, Din sighed. It wasn't much to work with, but she knew sunrise wouldn't be far away. The Sun would bring council members to Jester Park and the resulting Council Meeting. There was simply not enough to be fussy....besides the Council Members would probably be curious if they saw a RPG character and not Dinranwen, HEM Cleaning MOd at Large.

Folding the shadow form neatly, Din grabbed a drain pipe to scrabble up the nearest roof. A few falls, bumps, and scratchs later Din sat trimpuphantly on the roof of a nearby building that gave her a very nice view of Jester Park.

Settling down, she pulled out a needle and thread and began her work. Stiching here, pulling there, twist that, and tugging this, Din widdled the little that remained of the night working on the shadow. Holding up the finished article Din look at the shadow, it was still flat as a piece of paper but at least it looked more lifelike than before. Still she could have done much better work if she had her loom.....ah well.

Stealing a link of chain mail from Brithil's regaila and a couple of gems from a braclet, Din hurriedly stiched a quick cloak tie. Swirling the shadow around her shoulders, Din sighed contendly as the shadow swirled and conformed to Brithil's smaller frame. It was a long shot from being returned to her body, but at least now she partially looked like her oldself even if Brithil's form was under the cloak.

When she had finished, Dinranwen quickly returned to rejoin Rai.

Sitting down next to Kalanna, Dinranwen peered through the fog, and waited, as finally some shapes came into view. The first she could see was Smudger.

"Hey, Smudge!!" she yelled, relieved that he was still around in the city. Kalanna narrowed her eyes, and snorted.

"That's Smudger?" she asked incredulously, looking at the tall uniformed man striding towards them. He looked nothing like the little hunchback she knew of old. "What happened to him?"

"He fell down the bottomless pit to the Realm of Dead IFians, after me." replied Dinranwen darkly. "Like me, he is borrowing a body to appear in IF."

Waving at Smudger, Dinranwen asked of the whereabouts of Muaddib and the others.

"They are all waiting on the edge of the park." replied Smudger, as he approached the meet point, and touched what was left of his Mod ring on the glyph, to confirm his attendance.
"When I told them I would be attending a Council Meeting, they decided to hold off any action until afterwards. They felt that they needed to learn more. Besides, they no longer want to be here. They want to be back in their Realm."

"Well I intend to reveal everything I have learned at this meeting." replied Dinranwen. "This is going to be interesting."

"Indeed, " added Kalanna. "It will be very interesting, looking at what I'm seeing over there..."

She pointed a talon at a figure running full pelt, sort of towards their general direction, although still some distance away, calling out for Lordy at the top of his voice.

~ ~ ~

Having realised that the council meeting was about to commence, Lebrenth now expected Lordy to be back at the place he had just left. He'd turned heel and was running for all he was worth, dodging the piles of melted wax and scorched clown bits, back towards the meeting point.

"LORDY!!!" he bellowed.

The panic and adrenalin levels within him were rising. He had to tell Lordofthenight NOW about the iminent danger of the Soul Well imploding, and its likely repercussions.

Unfortunately for Lebby, he ran straight into a tree. The collision took the wind right out of him. He was showered with apples, and then unexpectedly flattened by one very confused Ideamaster, who lost his grip of the branches.

"Ideamaster! What were you doing in that tree?"

"I was hungry." replied IM. "Care for an apple? Who are you anyway? And who's Ideamaster?"

Before he could answer to these unexpected remarks, Lebby thought he saw a figure looking very much like D, ducking behind a tree.

"D-Lotus! Is that you?" he hissed. But there was no reply.

Hearing Lebrenth, D-Lotus hid behind the large oak, gnarled and hollow. He leaned against its rough surface carefully, without making much sound.
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. Why was Lebrenth here in Jester Park, when he'd promised D he'd assist at the Soul Well? Hmmm...

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, if seemingly Lebrenth could not be trusted? At least 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.

He felt fully comfortable with his abilities now. It all seemed funny, that he'd been wandering around IF like an unwitting fool, when in reality he'd possesed such stealth. But there hadn't been the painful memory of his actions then. When he'd killed it, D-Lotus had felt as though he had murdered a part of his own self as well.

Through the swaying leaves he caught view of Smudger and Rai, and others converging under the glyph...

...and watched as Lebrenth dragged IM to his feet. Again, Lebby cast an eye towards where D was hiding, but was more concerned at the moment with the state of IdeaMaster.

"Come on, let's get you to the meet, " groaned Lebrenth, and he guided IM towards the glowing glyph.

"Meat?" asked IM hopefully. His stomach was growling.

D was worried about IdeaMaster too. Having been unaware of what happened on Mage Mountain, D did not know whether Key had been successfully reconstituted.

Stealthily, he crept closer to the meeting point, stopping to hide behind a huge rock on the ground, that had once been a part of the mountain. Now he could see them a little more clearly.
He counted the council members. Strange, he did not recognise them. Who were the others with Rai? Her shape was obvious... the two next to her he couldn't make out. There was a shadowy one... could it be Din? He hadn't seen her since he'd left Key's palace many hours previously.

Two other figures emerged from the fog, coming from the opposite direction. One of them was obviously Jez, he could tell by the tall, slim shape, but he couldn't make out who had arrived with him. He wondered what tale Jez had to tell.

With Lebby and IM approaching the meeting place, that made seven. That was more than enough council members to constitute a meeting. He knew that when at least five had confirmed their attendance on the glyph, the chairperson would arrive.

He had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to be Lordy.

~ ~ ~

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Meanwhile, Polokin sat quietly on a bench in Jester Park, surveying the chaos around him. Oddly, it was the same bench he'd sat on just 24 hours ago. He smirked at the irony. He'd gone on a journey around IF hunting down D, and really if he'd sat on that same bench all the time, D would have eventually come to him.
Still, there was much in store to see for this spectator, and he waited hopefully to see the Council members converge at the meeting point, for the Council Meeting. Although judging by what he was seeing, he wondered if they were even capable of doing that...

~ ~ ~

Rai yawned and stretched, eyeing the glowing glyph to make sure it was still sending out it's signal. Sitting up she put on her poker face and flexed her wings. It was interesting seeing her fellow mods acting like novice spammers...but it also troubled her.

"Has everyone lost their minds?"

"Humm?" Din looked up at her.

"Nothing...nothing at all." Narrowing her eyes the dragon wondered if this sudden outbreak of erratic behavior was the cause of her earlier power-grabbing behaviour. That was unlike her, she preferred to be an intimidating, figure lurking just off screen. "Now who could benefit if we all went crazy?"

Rai could think of only one person...

She watched as Jez and Solus arrived at the glyph, followed by Lebrenth and IM. Each touched their mod ring on the glyph to confirm their attendance, except IM, who had left all his mod regalia in his other robes. IM instead took his seat around the huge glowy thing inscribed in the ground. He wondered now, whether he was going to get something to eat. He stared at the huge red dragon, next to it a tall man in uniform, and a woman in a shadowy cloak. Next to them was a tall elf in a cream suit, under a dark cloak, and what appeared to be a barefoot female enshrouded in a black cloak, that looked far too big for her. He looked at Lebrenth, who looked dishevelled, his own cloak stained with some sickly smelling substances.

And who was this Idea Master they were talking about? Why did that name sound so familiar?

There was a flash of flame, and suddenly a red, green, and blue jester hat appeared in the middle of the glowing thing. There was a piece of paper attached to it, but it was the hat that started the triggering.

A sudden chink of light broke the oblivion in his mind. For a fleeting moment, all his memories were there, in all their glory.

A memory of a conversation, one that was recent, one that he fancied had taken place during his spell of unconsciousness, wandered through his mind.

"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.....

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..."

The feeling of enlightened realisation, however, was shortlived, as the curse snapped back over his mind, and the conversation, along with the rest of his memory, was taken from him again, and he was plunged into an unfamiliar world of unknown people and surroundings once more.

IM reached out for the hat, but before he could pick it up, Rai swiftly swiped it away from him.

Rai raised an eyebrow when Lordy's bloodstained Jester hat popped into existance on the glyph. Snagging it she cleared her throat and read the note aloud. "Sorry all, will be slightly delayed. Don't start without me." There were a few groans from the assembled mods who, without a doubt, had better things to be doing. Like getting the city back in order.

Still it was the tiny scrawl underneath that message that caught Rai's eye. She didn't understand it, nor did she repeat it out loud. Had she been capable, she would have paled.

"I'll do all my talking at the meeting." she muttered. "He can just wait..."

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

The Hangover

Chapter 20 - The Council Meeting

Lordy was going to be delayed at the meeting?
This was enough for Lebrenth. Too much time had been wasted already. The Soul Well was about to implode, and he needed to find Lordy and let him know about his recent contact with D-Lotus, before it was too late. Perhaps it already was too late, in which case, Lordy might be in deep doo-doo, even too deep for himself to overcome without help from the rest of the Council. Perhaps this was the very reason why he was delayed.

This, was serious.

"I have to go!" Lebrenth cried urgently. "I have to find Lordy. We can't stand around and wait for him to arrive, not after what I have learned."

He turned to leave, but Kalanna's tail thumped down in front of him, blocking his path.

"And what exactly is it that you have learned, Lebby?" smiled Kalanna sweetly, playfully dangling the jester hat above his head, slightly out of his reach. He could see Lordy's note, and he could see there was some other scrawl underneath the note, but the hat was swinging about too much for him to be able to read it.

Jezsharp's eyes narrowed. This was not the Kalanna he knew. Or rather it was in a sense... in as much as she usually had her own motives for whatever she did, but... the Kalanna who had breached his TI and imprisoned him in his own quarters the previous night, the Kalanna who was menacing Lebby now, this was not right. She normally had more respect and loyalty towards her friends. But looking around at the rest of his fellow Councillors, he had to admit that none of them really seemed to be 'themselves'. Din and Smudger had taken on different guises, for reasons he was not aware, Solus looked strangely different, Lebby was uncharactaristically panicky, and Idea Master appeared to have lost his mind.

Jez stepped forward.

"Kalanna, we'll all do our talking at the meeting. At least until Lordy arrives.
Because one thing we can be sure of, is that chaos rules the city right now. We dont know why Lordy is delayed, or even if he will turn up at all."

All the moderators nodded in agreement.

"And for now," continued Jez, "I will chair the meeting, if everyone is happy with that. We will start by each of us sharing our observations with the rest, so we can all understand the whole picture. From there, we can decide our plan of action. Okay?"

"Okay, but make it quick!" said Lebrenth. "All those in favour?"
Solus, Lebby, Din and Smudger immediately put their hands up. Idea Master watched them, and thought it would be fun to put his hand up too. Reluctantly, Kalanna raised the tip of her tail.

"Okay." said Jez. "Who wants to step up and speak first?"

A momentary silence enveloped the mods, like a sudden lack of oxygen that made them all hold their breath. Then someone stepped out from behind one of the blown off rocks from Mage mountain.

"I'll speak first." he said, as he stopped in front of all the surprised mods, except for Lebrenth, who quietly assented to himself. If Lordy wasn't here, then things would have to be done without Lordy. After all, there wasn't much time left.

As D-Lotus stood there, his face conveyed a sense of absolute seriousness. His hand was composed, close to a large holdster that bulged with a protruding gun. Kalanna suddenly reared herself, but the others shot curious glances at her and she returned to her reclined position somewhat tensely.

"D, what are you doing here? You're not a mod." asked Jez.

IM giggled. Some memory of something was causing ticklish sensations in his mind.

D-Lotus furrowed his brows significantly.

"I need to tell you all something very important. But before we begin, does anybody have any objections?" He spoke in a grave tone and glanced directly at Kalanna, his hand close to his gun.

Rai's eyes narrowed at D. "If you're threatening me D you're making a very big mistake. I guaruntee you that if you turn that gun on me it will be the last mistake you make." She growled very softly. "Plus think very hard what will happen if you fire Stupidium at me."

Everyone blinked once. It was well known that, next to Chinaren, Rai had more real SG's going than anyone. Firing Stupidium at such an Idearium laiden target might well vaporize a good sized portion of the city...and while it was certain Rai would be wounded there was no real assurance she would die.

After all, Dinranwen had been dead, Rai was rather certain of that fact, yet here she sat as plain as day. D's hand slowly moved away from his gun.

"Good. Now speak your piece D. Mod or not I'm curious to hear exactly what you've got to say that you fear you'd have to kill me to express. But then I wouldn't be the first...would I?" Watching D-Lotus's shocked expression Rai grinned. "Go ahead. I've got less to lose."

Polokin hid in the bushes and began to watch the council meeting.

What could Rai be talking about, she wouldn't be the first? What did D do...?

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

How could she know? wondered D-Lotus. This only confirms my suspisions that she has been working with Lordy all along. Up to now he had no real proof, but now it was definite. Recovering from her comment, D faced the council and their unusual meeting place.

"I feel it is my duty to inform you," D said, speaking with caution, "That Lordy is attempting to take over this city, and that Kalanna Rai is in association with this dastardly plot."

Various gasps escaped from the council members, and the wind began to pick up, whistling madly.

Sweat dripped down IM's forehead and immediately dried as he attempted to regain his perturbed knowledge.

Rai didn't twitch, she simply smiled smugly and continued in her non-challant stance. I know she is affected, she just isn't showing it, thought D as he examined the eternally cold-hearted dragon. Her manipulation will have to end.

"Continue." she said, almost laughing.

"It is true, I was investigating the case. BS had somehow gained knowledge of a network of tunnels, and he also had somehow found out about some ceremony involving the wells." D-Lotus paused, then continued genuinely, "I tortured the information out of him, that's why he's looking for revenge."

Everyone in the council eyed D, with newly appraising eyes. How much of what he was saying was true?

"I learned from him that one of his employers was planning a ritual in Smee's basement, that same night, the night of New Year festivities. I rushed to my office to grab suitable weaponry, and departed towards Smee's. When I got there, it was almost too late."

Everyone was listening now, fully immersed in his story.

"Upon arriving, I found the house in a mess, as if some explosion had racked it. I descended to the basement, because it was there that the epicenter seemed to lead, due to the increasing levels of disarray."

D-Lotus paused again, as if to give himself courage to proceed.

"With its back turned to me, there was a shadow, an evil presence greater than any encountered before. The darkness of its laughter consumed the air and immersed everything in a monstrous sulphuric smell.

It was chanting and pouring its blood onto a horn, into which it dipped its thin and callous finger. It purred as it wrote cryptic symbols on the wall from its own blood. I knew that this thing had killed Smee, or worse. Instintively, I knew that it was trying to release the dead souls that Chinaren had enclosed. Perhaps it was too late, but I felt I had to stop this inherently sinister being. I unsheathed my knife and stalked behind it. As I crept up behind it, it gave no sign that it had noticed me. Precisely as I brought my knife down onto its back, though, it cackled most evily and horrendously than before, as if my actions were its personal victory.

My knife reached into its heart, and cold, dark blood issued forth, staining my clothes and body. I reeled back from the yet laughing being, and felt myself faint as it suddenly burst into pieces and dissappeared. I felt as though part of myself had died, as if the natural evil inside me had been ripped out and accompanied the evil presence to its death. I felt that all I had left was tainted goodness, worthless without its counterpart."

Up to now, D-Lotus had been deeply enthralled in his own tale. He looked up from his clutched fists.

"When I woke up, Lordy was there. I had had strong suspicions that Chinaren's dissapearance was related to him, but then I realized he was also trying to gain advantage from the strange occurence that had just happened. I was tied up in a chair. He told me that he planned to continue the ritual, when he collected the necessary items. He had obvious admiration for the being that I had slayed, and told me that I had destroyed a great source of power. He scorned me for my actions. He even told me his plans to fully open the well and take over the city before he wiped my memory."

All the council members were still listening attentively.

"But none of that matters now. Lordy doesn't realize that it won't make a difference whether he opens the well completely or not. Lebby and I have journeyed in our dreams to an astral plane, where we have learned of the city's imminent destruction. All I did was buy us time, the process is not on a stand-still, the souls are gaining more and more power.

I've sent Crunchy to try and delay them until we can figure something out. He is not affected by the souls as much as we are, because he is a newcomer to the city. However, now is the time to unite. We need all the help we can get before the souls explode in the well, before everything goes out of control- beyond Lordy's control, even. And we need to stop Lordy from fulfilling the ritual, or then all will be lost without hope of return. We all need to unite now, or face utter destruction."

Even Kalanna seemed somewhat shaken. Perhaps she hadn't known all of this. But what would happen now? Would the councillors overcome their differences and work together to stop this 'greater evil' that menaced the City of IF?

During D-Lotus' revelations, IM fought inwardly. The story was tugging away at the effects of the curse, until, suddenly, momentarily, again something snapped in IM's brain, then almost unsnapped. The memory curse was beginning to become undone. IM discovered that he could, for example, remember that Lordy had wiped his memory. He could also remember that he had attempted to restore Key with Smee and Kalanna's help, and the small mental conversation Lordy had imparted just before IM's mind was lost. IM could also remember his own name. But that was about it.

Getting to his feet, IM wavered, his hands clasping his head, his face twisted in complete concentration as he clung to what little memory he had found.

"He's telling the truth," IM stated. "But for the life of me, that's all I can remember right now. Rai may have started on the opposite side, but she has helped me earlier."

More gasps as heads turned to him.

"I had conversed with Smee, who, it turned out, was not quite dead. He had merely been blasted forward in time. He told me some strange figure was in his basement attempting to crack open the Soul Well. Smee did his best to stop this person, but all he accomplished was making everyone fear the entrance that is now where his house used to be."

There were whispers as the validity of D's story was confirmed by another council member.

"I accelerated his reconstitution and brought him with me to Mage Mountain, my old Archived storygame, where we met Rai. She lent us power so that we could attempt to break the curse on Key. He had literally become a key."

IM gestured towards a piece of rubble.

"All I know is that the curse was broken, but it seems to have had quite an adverse effect upon IF."

Rai growled. "I couldn't find Smee or Key, you were the only one that managed to stay in the present time." She clutched the jester hat closer to her as she said this.

IM nodded. "After I landed, the person who cast the curse invaded my mind and wiped my memory." IM paused for dramatic effect. "I think it was Lordy."

People all around the circle nodded. IM held his hand up to his temple, a bolt of pain had lanced through his head, as Smudger helped him sit down again.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Rai recovered from her shock quickly. Some of those details she hadn't known. Blast the demon for keeping her in the dark. But Lordy wasn't the one she was actually mad at. A very evil grin split her muzzle.

"It's true I worked with Lordy for some time on several projects the first of which was this." The gem on her left forpaw shimmered and a 3-D image of the Master Map was projected into the air.

"When I first became a mod Lordy approached me with an offer. It didn't seem like much at the time, just a quick copy job of some old documents one of which turned out to be the Master Map of IF."

"So you stole the map!" cried Polokin as he emerged from the bushes.

"No I didn't. I copied what Lordy brought me and recognized this for what it was so I made an advanced copy for myself with my mod tools. When I'd finished Lordy put them back again. The real map theif was none other than Jez Sharp."

Everyone turned to look at a fidgity Jez.

Solus looked at her brother, aghast. So Jez had stolen the mastermap?

To be quite frank, she hadn't even realised it had gone.

She had not known anything of what had happened during the New Years party, let alone whether Lordy had anything to do with anything

The fact that there was a Greater Evil she had become aware of a while ago for her now, but the description was not unwanted. The ones she had recieved had been shady and contradicted each other.
..."But you knew something was wrong..."
..."It was hardly something I could ignore..."
..."Yet you didn't go to help..."

No, she hadn't. Afterall, being able to hear the lost souls didn't seem to help anything, did it?

Brushing her long white hair behind her ear, Solus turned deep black eyes to look at Jez as most people were, waiting for him to give an explantation...

... however, Rai thumped her tail on the ground to get everyone's attention again.

"But now's not the time to dwell upon the past! Now we need to pull ourselves together! We're not acting like ourselves which means we're acting according to this things wishes. I, for one, am fighting this change in myself as hard as I can. Maybe when the rest of you decide to as well we'll actually get something done!"

IM nodded quickly, he could feel the curse beginning to reform. He screamed out, "MY mansion! I must be brought to MY mansion!" Then IM collapsed.

"We need to stop Lordy and convince him to join us against the greater evil." D-Lotus said to the council. "It doesn't matter what anyone did in the past. We must forget our differences."

"So what will it be? Are we in agreement? If you are, proudly raise your hand and say, Aye."

D-Lotus raised his own hand and said "Aye." He waited for the council's response.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Polokin was about to raise his hand and be the second to say Aye, but held back due to the fact that D had been lying to him all this time.
"He could've told me..." He thought, "I could've helped him before it came to this."
Polokin sighed, "Oh well, we all have to work together anyway."

It seemed as though nobody wanted to be the second, so Polokin raised his hand and said, "I'm with you, D."

Before anyone else had a chance to vote for D's proposal, a rumble, followed by a high pitched whistle and a deafening thunderclap resounded through the city. What windows hadn't been broken so far, shattered.
A giant flash split the sky momentarily, as a plume of dark green smoke started rising from the direction of the gorge and the cliff edge, where D and Crunchy had found themselves stranded at sunrise of the previous morning.

The fog sizzled with energy momentarily, then stopped swirling and whispering. It hung silently and heavily around them.

"Solus!" cried Jez, as she cried out, and crumpled to the ground.

Solus's eyes opened, glazed. She whispered unintelligably. The councillors turned their attention from the explosion towards her. As D crouched down beside her, she gazed at him.

"...D... I sent Sasuke to find you after twelve hours," she whispered. "Where is he? Was I too late?"

"What is she talking about?" asked Lebrenth.
D-Lotus went pale. No, it couldn't be. Could it?

"Is that you talking, Crunchy?" he asked hesitantly, looking closely at Solus.

"...I jumped into the pool, and left Sasuke to wait for my return...I fell...then I found myself in a world, of rolling hills and fields, small villages, a tavern, but everyone had gone... Except one, a wraith, who spoke of the impending disintegration, and the exodus, lead by one named Dinranwen... I have learned a great deal..." Crunchyfrog's words came weakly through Solus.

"She's describing the Realm of Dead IFians! " cried Din excitedly, nudging Smudger, who had been very quiet. Din turned to the others.
"Smudger and I have been there, we met many individuals, named Muaddib, Rave and Wing, Reiso, Shady.... I brought everyone out of..." continued Dinranwen.

"That can't be right!" cut in Lebrenth. "I saw them all in a deep sleep in the Dream Chamber..."

"Shhhhh!" hissed D. Turning back to Solus, he whispered - "Crunchy, are you still there?"

"...I was told how I had fallen out through the biggest of three vortices in the sky - and how Dinranwen and the rest were sucked up through it earlier. They must come back here, D... They must journey from this Realm via the Dream Chamber to unite with their bodies if they wish to return to IF properly as Live Citizens..."

"But did you find the fissure from where the Souls are escaping?" asked D.

"The Soul Well is cracked open. Supernatural power from the souls is seeping out slowly, weakening its walls and fueling the hauntings in the fog. The fog itself comes from somewhere underneath the City, but not from the Well. The fog is just a conduit, a medium for the Souls to inhabit...

I stood underneath the vortex, holding the crystal shard you gave me, above my head, its sharp end pointing towards the centre. Lightning from the centre of the vortex connected with the shard, and I buried it in the ground. The hole in the sky has become smaller... the sparks continue to connect the vortex with the shard in the ground."

"Well done, Crunchyfrog!" applauded D-Lotus.

"....Wait! " Solus's eyes quivered again, as more words came from her mouth. "It won't hold for long. The soul power has only been diverted downwards, instead of out into the fog. The ground is here breaking up due to the opening of the Well - soon this Realm will be no more... I fear then the Soul Well above me will explode..."

This further confirmed Lebrenth's fears, and Lotus's story.

Solus's eyes then flickered, and refocussed.
D watched Jez take care of her as she sat up and came to her senses. Crunchyfrog had left her, and was still in the Realm of Dead IFians.

D looked around at the councillors, as more hands rose, to indicate their acceptance of his proposal.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Din rose her hand immediately. It wouldn't be easy, she thought, trying to convince Lordy to help them when he could just as easily help or be the greater evil. She puzzled over Crunchy's words for a moment. It was true that since she had returned to If she hadn't been completly herself, with only half her mod powers, and a quarter of the half of her shadow skills, Din had not even been able to use the Near Shadowed If transportation system.

But as long as she was using Brithil as her body, she could access all of Brithil's skills, as well as what little remains of her own since death.

Swinging off the rough shadow-cloaked she made earlier, Din heard a loud gasp followed by whispers behind her. Watching the shadow fall and fly away to the places from where it had been taken, she smiled.

"Dinranwen," D said his voice adoubly shaking and his eyes the size of sauce pans, "You don't have a cloak on."

"Chill, D" Rai said, "It's just Brithil. Din's borrowing one of her rpg forms to appear in If until she can get back to her body. Sheezz. You think they never saw a girl before."

Reaching back to the expandable staff Brithil perfered, Din twirled it experimentally. "I'm in complete disguise, and I have the skills of my RPG character in place of my own. So, what do you want me to do? Point and I'm there," Din finished her smile expanding wickedly.

Looking around the group, D counted the hands raised. Dinranwen, Smudger, Kalanna, Lebrenth, Ideamaster.... he noted that even Polokin had indicated his agreement. He turned to Solus and Jez.

Neither had put their hands up, and neither had yet spoken their piece at the meeting.

Jez, however, was more concerned with the welfare of his sister, who still seemed to be murmuring incoherently to herself, or perhaps to someone...something else... she seemed agitated, defensive almost.

"...What happened to me?.....but you do....tell me now!....What? I thought, How?...Permission?.....I'm still your superior...."

Jez could make out some other occasional words, but none of it made sense.

Suddenly, Solus shivered, then stiffened abruptly, looking up at Jez.

"Hey Jez - I'm fine," she muttered, shaking his hand off her shoulder. "What - what did..." She stopped, and started murmuring to herself again.

..."No!!...He's my brother...I dont....I....Just go away, leave me alone for a bit...I need to rest...."

"Solus...?" Obviously Jez was having doubts about whether she really was fine.
"Yeah. Don't worry about me." The question about what had happened during her being used as a medium between the Realm of Dead IFians and her friends came to mind again, but she pushed it back. She would ask herself later, but she really wasn't in the mood right now.

"Well?" asked D Lotus, still waiting for Jez and Solus' decisions.

Jez snapped back to the Council Meeting agenda.

"Wait - Solus may not have been aware of the conversation you had with Crunchyfrog just now..." he said defensively, clutching his book "The Treasures of IF" even closer to his chest.

"Um..." Solus hesitated and glanced at everyone around her.

Right now, she just wanted to be alone, in the archives. Right now, she wanted to sleep.
But then again, she had just sleep recently. Lately, she had been becoming more and more insomniatic, hardly sleeping. So this much in such a short time?
She shook herself.
/Stay awake, Dammit!/
Concentrating to stop herself from shaking, Solus stood up and leaned against a nearby tree. Somehow, she felt more comfortable here, and not so nauseous.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Kalanna pushed her huge head through the group and got right into Jez's personal space.

"It's a majority vote." she said. "Either you both say your piece now, if you think it is going to change things, or we close the meeting now, and act based on D-Lotus's revelations. Which is it to be?"

Rai glared down at Jez, about ready to rip his head off, when she noticed her own irrational behavior and throttled the urge to kill back into her psyche. Shaking her head she snorted, what was happening to her to them? It dawned on her.

"The fog is charged with the power of the souls and, to an extent, manifests their will. Supposedly this power is being siphoned off but...we're all beings sensitive to magic here. What if we're all being affected by the wills of the dead?"

Realizing just how dangerous the situation was about to become Rai decided to lay everything she had on the table.

She took the massive gem from around her neck and gazed at it with a sigh. Was she really going to do this? Looking back at Jez and the book he was hugging like a baby, and back at the rest of the council she extended her right forepaw. "I'd like to shake all your hands goodbye."

"What?" D looked like he was about to explode and the color drained from several faces.

"I'm afraid I cannot join you in convincing Lordy, nor can I aid you in restoring Idea Master."

"Why?" asked D again.

Rai again gazed into the depths of the gem.

"Because now I know there are suddenly two gateways that have been momentairly opened, gateways I need to go through before they shut. If, by some miracle of cosmic humor I survive, I will join you in the assault on the well itself."

She looked around the circle of mods, realizing that even should she succeed they would probably kill her later. "Good bye, and good luck."

With that the dragoness faded out of existance....

D-Lotus stamped his foot in frustration, pulling at his hair as he watched powerlessly the dragoness dissapear. The waving leaves seemed to mock him.

"Always! Always the same! She always leaves with absolutely no explanation, off on her own thing..." He exclaimed, exasperated. He turned towards the somewhat preoccupied mods.

"I guess we'll have to trust her. We have no option."

Jez raised his hand to speak

"What if its all part of Lordy's plan?"

"I don't think so." said Leb, "The truth is too troublesome for plots of that kind."

"Well, we'll have to divide the mission." said D-Lotus, calming down visibly. "Half the group should deter Lordy, and the other half should journey to the Realm of Dead IFians, to see what can be done. Any volunteers?"

Grabbing Smudger forcefully, Din raised her other hand. In her Brithil disguise, dressed in a green dress overlaid with silver chain armor, Brithil didn't like anyone to mess with. If, of course, you ignored the fact that not only was she bare footed, 4 foot 7 in, and ridocolously slender. In fact Brithil looked like someone who could easily become someone's lunch.

"Smudge and I," Din said looking pointedly at Smudger, "Will take the Dream Chamber. It's close to one of the major openings of the soul well so if anything goes wrong in that district, we will be close by. Besides, the Dream Chamber will place us closer to our bodies."

Beginning to walk off as she dragged Smudger behind her, Din paused after only a few steps and turned.

"Would someone please remind what I'm suppose to do again?"

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

D looked around at Din, and indicated for her to wait.

"You need to journey to the Dream Chamber from the Realm of Dead IFians, if you're to get reunited with your bodies. " he replied. "That is what Crunchy's words were. Besides, you are most needed in that Realm, right now - there you will have access to the Soul Well, maybe get those displaced Dead IFians back where they belong, and you will be in the right place to journey back to the Dream Chamber to reunite your soul with your body."

"D is right." added Lebrenth. "If you go directly to the Dream Chamber from here, the body you are borrowing will succumb to the mists, and fall into a deep sleep. I know, I've tried it."

"Indeed." continued Jez. "I had to revive him using my special tonics at the TI. And it was not pleasant..."

"What about getting me to my mansion?" asked IM.
"IM, you turned your mansion into a fortress, and unless your memory curse is broken, there's no way you'll remember how to pass that security." replied D. "There is only one route in that is unguarded, and that is the tunnel I took to get here... Only it goes via the Dream Chamber."

Everyone groaned.

"However..." continued D, "to get out, I used a gas mask. There are three gas masks at the tunnel entrance. Sasuke, Crunchyfrog and I used them when we exited IM's house, some hours ago. So three people can go safely to IM's house through that tunnel that takes you via the Dream Chamber. From IM's house there is a hole going directly to the Realm of Dead IFians. I vote that Smudge, Din and IM should travel that way. IM can then do whatever he needs, and after that Din and Smudge can travel to the Realm of Dead IFians through the hole in IM's drawing room floor."

At that moment, there was a sudden scuffle, and the sound of a glass bottle being kicked, and a winged figure could be seen running away.

"What was that?" asked Smudger.

They were unaware that the figure was, in fact, Christalnightshade, a relative newbie, who was very much struggling with her own problems related to the Greater Evil.

The bottle rolled to Jez's feet. It had a stopper in it, and a label. Scrawled across it in hurried handwriting, it said 'Greater Evil Gas. Beware, split personalities.'

He read the label out loud. Everyone looked stunned.

"Looks like this needs analysing..." he announced. "I...er...have the equipment back at the TI..."

D nodded his agreement for Jez to return to the TI. He turned to the rest.

"Lebby, Solus, you're with me. We're off to find Lordy." As he said this, D picked up the jester hat, that had been forgotten by Kalanna. He looked at the two scrawled messages attached to it, and scratched his head. "I only hope that we can find him in time"

"Can I come with you too?" asked Polokin.

"Of course." replied D. "Okay, let's go!"

"Wait a minute!" shouted Lebrenth. "Everyone - synchronise your Mod rings. We need to be in constant contact with each other throughout this..."

Lebrenth, Jez and Solus synchronised. Smudger and Din were without theirs, but where they were ultimately headed, they would not be able to use them anyway.

And with that, the group split up.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

The Hangover

Chapter 21 - Journey to IdeaMaster's House

Nodding to D, Din or rather Brithil gently took IM's hand. She wasn't sure exactly how much of his memory he had regained, but the last thing she needed was to lose the holder of the games district and subsequently the Idearium Mines in the city with half-a-memory.

"Don't worry IdeaMaster, we will get you back to yourself no time," she said, as reassuringly as she could.

Using the other hand to corral Smudge, Dinranwen led the group through Jester Park, on the start of their journey towards IdeaMaster's house.

Keeping a firm hold on both Smudge and IM was no small task, but with Smudge more often absent in mind though present in body of late, she couldn't afford to lose him either. Besides, Din had a feeling she was going to need all of the help she could get.

However, the itch on the back of neck that had been bothering her ever since before she'd been 'killed' by Rai, was getting worse and the short cut Din planned on using through Jester Park was turning disastrous. Apparently something had gone terribly wrong in aHem with both her and Rai missing from action.

Mysterous creatures in odd shapes, colors, and worse horrifing clowns beyond imaginings were bombarding the tourist groups attracted to the heat-warped rides in Jester Park.

"Oh, Din," Smudge said from behind her, "Aren't you going to do anything about this?"

"No, why?" Din said, pushing past an orange fuzzy thing with purple spots that had only one eye and a giant horn on it's face.

"I mean aren't you curious about what's going on?"

"Strangely, no." Din said pausing as she waited for a mob of two legged pink elphants to pass. The creatures were heading for the breaking-up council meeting, but Din didn't bother with that. "We are going to IM's house. We have more important things to do than to explore or clean right now. Besides, isn't this chaos just a wee bit fun?!?" Din said laughing loudly.

"Yeah, but oh Din?" IM said looking in front of them as Din turned to idly watch a group of men dressed as women explode a sweet tart.

"Yes, IM dear?" Din said idly looking towards the Idea Master.

"We may have a problem." IM said pointing in front of them.

In front of them a large hole had been blasted in the old Laboratory, and even as they watched monstrosities with horrible senses of humor were pouring out of the hole. Smiles split across the monsters faces as they saw the group of mods trying to make their way through Jester Park.

"Ah drats," Din said as realized to late that she was going in the wrong way after all, "There goes my short cut."

They were suddeny taken by surprise, as a feisty IFian suddenly landed from nowhere, on the ground in between Din's party and the oncoming attackers.

"Well, isnt utter chaos a bitch?" she smiled. "Could I be of some assistance, mistress of shadows?" Lilith smiled, turning to face the party of monsters. She then erected an energy barrier, which appeared to be impenatrable to the likes of these foes.

"What are you doing?" Din asked, a little perplexed.

"Holding them off so you can get away! Now go, and hurry! This is very taxing!" Lilith replied, sweating a little as the monsters attacked the barrier.

Without hesitating, Din took off with Smudger and Idea Master. Once they were off to safety, Lilith released the barrier and conjured a quarterstaff.

She smiled menacingly. "Let's dance, beasties!"

Meanwhile, Din, Smudger, and, IM reached the entrance to the tunnel where the masks had been left.

"Okay, guys. Here goes," said Dinranwen, and with that, she applied a mask to each of them and they travelled off together towards the Dream Chamber.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Through her mask, Din looked back and waved at Lilith, who continued to singlehandedly fight back the monsters and abominations that attempted to follow them. Grabbing Smudger's hand with her left, and IM's hand with her right, and making sure that their masks were both secure, she stepped into the grotto at the edge of the park, and found the hole in the ground that led down to the tunnel that led towards the Dream Chamber.

The gentle white whisps of mist swirled around their calves as they walked carefully along the dimly lit tunnel. It was quite wide, and serenely peaceful. The mists became thicker, until they could see it billowing out from an opening on the right, and some greenish light glowing.

"This must be it..." came IM's muffled voice from inside his mask.
Smudger nodded, his footsteps hesitating.
The diminutive figure of Brithil led the way, pausing at the entrance. Dare they look? With the masks on, they would be safe.

From the entrance, she could just about make out the white furry figure of Shady Stoat, curled up in the corner. And Muaddib...Reiso... RavenWing... familiar figures of people she had seen down in the Realm of Dead IFians. And then she gasped.

A small, hunchbacked figure could clearly be seen in the shallow mists lying on his side... and beside him, in an area not as well lit by the green light, her own familiar cloaked shape...

"Smudger, its....its us!"

IdeaMaster pointed to two other bodies, just behind those of Dinranwen and Smudger. One, a young half human, half dragon, sleeping peacefully, and another, of a small, round bellied greenish figure with long thin limbs, dressed in loose green clothing.

"Crunch... and .... Sasuke?" said Dinranwen. "I thought only Crunch went to the Realm.... Maybe Sasuke got caught in that explosion with the green smoke... hmmm."

"And the only way we can get back into those bodies is to go back to the Realm of Dead IFians and go direct to the Dream Chamber from there?" asked Smudger.

"Somehow, as Souls, yes...I guess...." shrugged Din. "I guess it will all become clear one we're there."

"We must keep going." said IM, turning away from the entrance to the Dream Chamber, and continuing down the tunnel. "D said that the entrance to my mansion was this way, and that there was an entrance from there, directly to the Realm of Dead IFians."

They continued along the tunnel, until it began to rise. It gradually got steeper and steeper, until it became too steep to climb. The ropes that had been left by D, Crunchy and Sasuke on their exit from IM's mansion many hours ago, happily, were still hanging from the opening in IM's floor at the top. They each grabbed hold of one, and began to climb.

As they emerged from the hole in the floor, IM looked around the room. It all seemed so familiar, and yet, so alien at the same time. He saw what could be a computer, so he went up to it. "Computer," he said, not really expecting a response.

He got one, though. The liquid crystal screen lit up. Voice analysis confirmed. Iris match confirmed. Please place right hand on screen.

IM carefully put his hand on the screen, which flashed quickly. Processing...Fingerprint match confirmed. Thy bidding, master?

IM was vaguely shocked, but plowed on nonetheless. "I have lost my memory. Help in regaining it would be appreciated."

There was a whooshing noise to IM's left. A section of the wall rotated to reveal a small cylindrical chamber. The screen lit up again. Memory restoration pod now active. Please enter.

"Also," IM said, "I have two friends here that must get to the Realm of Dead IFians."

Two sets of over-the-face glasses were ejected. Place these over your eyes and you should be able to see the installed stairwell.

IM handed the glasses to Dinranwen and Smudger, who obediently put them on, and then faced the memory restoring chamber. "Here goes nothing," he muttered, and entered the chamber.

Just as he was about to close and activate the memory chamber, there was a buzzing sound, coming from inside a cupboard on another wall. IM stopped, and curiously went over to find out what it was. On opening it, he found that it was a robe closet, with another set of robes hanging inside. The buzzing was coming from within the robes. Quickly, he located the source of the sound, and pulled out from the robes, a ring... his Mod ring. On it was an image of Jez's face.

IM froze, "What is it....er....um, whatsyourname.... Jez?"

Jez voice was sounding urgent. He had found an interesting thing within the bottle. "IM I found that the bottle does contain gas as written on the paper, the half of the bottle is scorched by fire and I found Chinarenn's fingerprints on it"

"But Chinaren is not about. So how did the bottle find its way to the Council meeting?"

"That you'll have to find out some other way IM"....

IM looked up, and he noticed a gas bottle stuck into a pipe. It looked almost exactly the same as the one found at the meeting...

"Jez we have a problem, there seems to be a bottle of that gas planted in here... One wonders where else these bottles might be lying"...

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

"Holding Jez, stepping on Pad to regain memory." IM stepped on the pad and there was a bright flash but when IM immerged he looked just the same except for a evil sparkle and the smile of revenge planted on his face. "When I get to Lordy..."

"What's that?" Jez's voice crackled again.

"Never mind." Im said quickly, "We have to deactivate and remove these bottles before they go off. I may not know what they do but I don't want to find out."

"And how exactly are we going to do that pray tell?" Jez said sacrasm rining in his voice.

"Don't know but I'll come up with something," IM said before shutting down the line of communcation between him and Jez. Turning toward where Din and Smudge stood, IM jumped in surprise, "Din, Smudge, what are you doing here? Why didn't you go down to the Realm of Dead Ifians?"

"I had an odd feeling you may need our help, and blast it if I wasn't right." Din said pushing up her sleeves. "It seems to me what you need is some assistance."

"Yes, No." IM stuttered uncertainly.

Taking that for a yes, Din frowned, "Stand back, I'm not sure if this is going to work. I haven't exactly done it before."

Striding over to the nearest shadowy corner, Din reached in and twisted and twisted again, then pulled. Nothing.

Reaching further into the shadow, Din stuck out her tongue in concertration and repeated what she did before this time muttering something under her breath.

There was a pop and a bumb as Din landed on her backside, and two figures sailed across the room barely catching themselves before crashing into the far wall.

"It worked. It really worked." Din said clapping her hands exicedtly in between rubbing her sore bum. Her enegy soon vanished however as she turned an unbecoming sickly pale color. "Man I'm tired. But it worked."

Across the room rubbing their bruises, Lilith and ChristalNightShade were looking really confused.

"Well, we're off." Leaving IM to figure out to do with his new 'help'. Din and Smudger began to descend the long stair to the Realm of Dead Ifians.

As they watched Dinranwen and Smudger descend down the stairwell, IM opened a panel on the wall, and pressed a discreet button. The two holes in the floor, the one curving away to the Dream Chamber, and the one leading directly to the Realm of Dead IFians closed without a trace of ever being there. He looked around at his new companions.

Lilith looked to be friendly, but Christalnightshade appeared to be insane. One minute looking quite demure in her demeanour, the next looking completely deranged. He vaguely remembered seeing her at the New Years party, and she didn't seem to have her head completely screwed on then.

"So what's your story?" he asked, warily.

"Umm, well..." Crady's eyes rolled a little, in different directions, "My name is Crady. Or Nightshade. Or ChristalNightshade. Whatever you prefer. I remembered the New Year party, and the amazing light show...the drinks...mmmm...."

"Yes, yes, get on with it..."

"There was an explosion... I got sent crashing through all the walls of Chinaren's mansion and then through a window... I found myself lying on this mound, and...well, IF is a complete state. What happened? I am not sure what day it is, really." she giggled, slightly too manically for IM's liking.

"Mmmm, but methinks something has come over me, I have been doing things I don't normally do, sampling drinks, cigarettes, I set something on fire in the ruins of Chin's mansion ...Accidentally of course, and I suppose it didn't matter seeing as Chin's place is pretty much toast already...Ah, why did I wake up? Why am I so bored to go in search of missing people? Where is everyone? Why am I speaking to myself? Aieeeeee!!"

Lilith and IM glanced at one another.

"Mmmmm, then I noticed this glass bottle, that said Greater Evil Gas, warning, side effects, Split personalities! Woohoo!"

IM shook his head despairingly.

"Anyway, boredom took over, so I went to look for some people, and discovered your meeting going on in the Park... But I kind of felt a bit out of place there, so I left again. I took the bottle with me, I dunno why... Anyway, I seem to have lost it now."

She pouted.

"Then I went off in search of more people, and all of a sudden, I dont know how...but....well....here I am!"

IM sarcastically thanked Din under his breath for this. What had he just been landed with ?

He opened communication with JezSharp again.

"Jez, how close are you to completing your analyasis of the actual gas itself?"

"Um, well, so far, I've exposed it to two rats, a hamster and a lizard, one of the rats is playing poker with the lizard, the hamster is pole dancing, the other rat is threatening to sue for cruelty to animals. "

"Yeah, but what about the actual gas itself?" inquired IM.

"Something parasitical. Seems to leach something from the brain. Dont know. I have it under a microscope now..."

Jez's face appeared on the mod ring screen in a bright pink full anti-contamination bodysuit.

"Well, be quick about it," said IM. "I'm locked in my mansion with Crady. I do believe she is under the influence of the gas, and it doesn't look good..."

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

The Hangover

Chapter 22 - Rai's Sacrifice

Rai padded down a long hallway, tounge flicking out to test the air, periodically stopping to consult her map. What she was looking for was dead ahead. Noticing a subtle difference in the taste of the air, Rai stopped peering into the noon bright darkness. Another round chamber much like the one that had sent Din into the Realm of Dead IFians.

Rai stopped, nervous for a moment. "If I'm wrong about this even the slightest...I'm so dead." She closed her eyes for a moment of mental preparation. Then, as they snapped open, she lunged forward. There was a slight pop and it felt like every nerve in her body was frying but she made it...just barely. "Thank all ye powers...and thank you Crunchy and Sasuke. Without your sacrifices none of this would have been possible."

Reaching out she took the hunk of silk wrapped flesh from it's space on the plinth and placed it in her gem. "Flesh of the present...that makes two."

Rai forced herself to stay on her feet, her legs wobbling under her like never before. She laughed. "In this condition a half trained stable-boy with a moderately sharp kitchen knife could deal me some serious damage." Luckily no such person was anywhere near her present local...nobody was near her present local.

Looking at her gem she ground her fangs. She'd have to fold IFspace once again to shave enough time off of her journy to make her next destination in time. "What a bitch." Here she was running low on sleep, low on power after restoring Key, low on paitence, and low on time. The only thing she still had plenty of was tricks up her sleeve. Still, thanks to the mod gem's power, she managed to make the necessary fold and get through it in one piece.

Reaching the other side though she was panting like she'd just been fighting off three Terrasques. "Hell...that would almost be easy at this point compared to this shit..." Another circular chamber, much like the one she'd just come from and the one she'd shoved Din into, waited for her.

It seemed to be mocking her own weakness...laughing at seeing the dragoness laid low. That sparked an anger Rai harbored in her darkest heart. "DO NOT MOCK ME!" With a roar that turned heads all across the city and shook the unstable ground, the dragoness lunged forward. There was a flash as the defensive spells tried for their kill. Scales were stripped from Rai's skin, spines cracked, feathers tore free from her wings, and blood spattered the stones under her as she landed in an ackward heap with the crunch of splintering bones.

Just before her lay another thing on a plinth, a shard of ivory bone encased in crystal. With the shaking talons of her right forepaw, her good forepaw at this point, she plucked the thing free and consinged it to join the other two items in the red gem around her neck. "Bone of the end...finally I've got them all."

Summoning what might well be the last of herself, Rai ripped open a hole in time and hurled the gem through. Collapsing in on herself the dragoness could only vainly hope that her future self was around to catch it...if not...well at least it'd be safe. "As long as I'm actually there...please let me be there..."

Blood pooled around her form as the time hole closed. Giving a long sputtering cough Rai stared in horror at the bright blood on her talons. A darkness rose up and her head hit the floor...

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

The Hangover

Chapter 23 - Chinaren Hall

Lebby waited patiently, as D-Lotus closed his eyes and concentrated. Now that the Private Investigator's sleuthing skills had returned, he was giving D as much time and space as possible to reach out with his spider senses, trying to locate Lordy, whilst Lebby kept watch for trouble.

The two of them, along with Polokin and Solus were huddled in a side passage between two tall buildings on the edge of the Nobs district, not far from Jester Park. When they had left Jester they had seen Lilith assist Dinranwen, IM and Smudger escape the rampaging monsters and clowns, and Lebby hoped that they had reached the tunnel to the Dream Chamber safely. He had not heard from IM yet. Pulling his Cloak of Forboding around him, Lebby looked down at Solus, who seemed to be weakening with every moment, whispering, seemingly to herself. He was concerned with her condition.

Looking around him, he noticed that although the swirling fog of souls had become still, coinciding with Crunchyfrog's temporary 'plugging' of the Soul Well, that had stopped more souls seeping out into it, he could still hear shouts of rioters echoing in other streets not far away. There had to be more to the cause behind their behaviour than just the fog, he found himself reasoning.

D-Lotus drew breath, and opened his eyes.

"Well?" asked Lebby.

D shook his head.

"Nothing." he sighed. "I cannot locate Lordy anywhere. Maybe I'm not up to full strength yet..."

Lebby tapped his mod ring.

"Jez?" he muttered. Jez's face shimmered into view.

"What? I'm busy!" came the reply. "I'm in the middle of analyzing the Greater Evil Gas. I heard from IM. They got to his mansion safely, but apparently another bottle of the stuff was discovered there. Who knows how many more of them have been scattered about the city. From my analysis so far I would bet that it has had a LOT to do with Kalanna's very overbearing behaviour recently, and maybe even the rioting..."

"Oh?"

Polokin, Lebby and D listened intently.

"I'm doing some final tests, before working on an antidote." continued Jez.

"Jez, we need your help, with finding Lordy. " said D, into Lebby's ring. "You had the map, right? We need to find the most likely place that Lordy might be... "

Jez appeared to be racking his brain. "I recall a certain point on the map that seemed to significant... now what was it?"

"Well, come on then! We're running low on information at the moment and we need to find Lordy before his plan commences!" Lebby shouted at Jez through the ring's image of him.

"Gimme a minute!" Jez's face shimmered and wavered as he tried to recall the area on the map that had been marked important... it had been originally so insignificant...what was it? Maybe he should tell them about the fake in the repository and then placing the real one in Chinaren's chair...

"Okay, I can't exactly remember at the moment where that spot is on the map but I do know where you can find the REAL one." Jez stated, looking nervous. "I placed it in China's chair back in City Council Hall...."

D-Lotus looked down to his left, and noticed a familiar looking bottle laying on the ground nearby, the glass cracked, and a vapour escaping from it, and noticed a strange look coming over Lebby.

He grabbed Lebby's hand, and spoke into the ring.

"Jez, we've got to get out of here. We'll head for City Council Hall and look for the map, but that's a little way from here. If you can, please give us some ideas on where we really should be headed.

The city is too dangerous to be in for long, and we may not have time to go snooping about City Council Hall looking for a map. This gas is clearly starting to have an effect on Lebby..."

"Okay okay!!" came the reply. "I'll check the copies I made on my computer when I get a moment, and I'll look up some references in this book, too. But right now, sorting out this antidote to the gas takes priority..." replied Jez.

"Understood." replied D.

Facing Lebby, he jerked his head in the direction of the next street.

"Come on." he said.

Polokin helped Solus to her feet, and the foursome moved on.

~ ~ ~

A purple coloured hole opened in the steaming remains of what was once Chinaren's public trophy room.

After a moment a dishevelled orange figure shot through, to land on a charred beam. After a few moments the hole in IFspace-time wobbled and collapsed in on itself.

"Ouch," said Chinaren standing up carefully and looking around. He sighed. "Seems I can't leave anything for five minutes without it all going to heck in handbasket. Good job I'm insured."

He walked around, kicking a few burnt items to once side and staring at the floor. Eventually he bent down and pressed something hidden. A trapdoor slid open, revealing stairs leading down.

Taking one last look around, Chinaren climbed in. The door slid closed behind him, as he hurried down the steps to find out what had been happening in his absence.

It took some time for the last 36 hours or so to play back, but at last the recording Orb fizzled out, and Chinaren sat back and took a deep swig of Gungle Juice special reserve. It seemed that IF really had been going to heck in a handbasket since he had been gone. Ah well, the warehouses and other Chinaren Inc. structures damaged were insured with a top OF insurance house. Might even make a little money out of it.

He stood up and waddled over to a cabinet. He typed in a code, whispered a passwork and put is eye to a tube for a quick retina scan. A drawer slid back, revealing the True map of IF. Poor Jez. Did he really think that he would leave this around to be found by anyone?

Sure, the backup copy Jez had taken had certain sensitive information on, but at least it didn't have the Dark Zone on it, or, well, you know. The Other place.

Chinaren closed the cabinet again, and watched it slide into the floor.

Sighing deeply, Chinaren decided there was no rush. No doubt someone would find out that a good proportion of the councilors were infected by Lost Soul parasites soon enough. The creatures affecting memory, thinking and actions, but were easy enough to get rid of once you knew how.

In the meantime, a shower was in order...

~ ~ ~

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

The progress that was being made was slow and methodical. Slow, because Polokin had to support Solus all the way. D-Lotus cursed under his breath, but reflected that Solus might come in handy in case someone decided to speak through her again. Methodical, because the foursome had to constantly dodge the crazed men and women who rampaged through the main street. As soon as they heard cries, they slipped into some corner or side-alley.

At least Solus seems to be good at hiding, thought Lebrenth.

Eventually, they came upon the once-glamorous Mayoral mansion through the swirling fog and gas. It was a skeleton stripped of its flesh, with its windows smashed in and wooden boards barely held on by loose nails. Pieces of wall lay on the ground, and the gaping holes in the house evidenced of their place of birth. Liquids were spilt across the withered grass, giving it a strange color, and pieces of fiberglass and wallpaper floated in the wind. It was a ruin.

And there were guards, placed there in case Chinaren returned. There were six of them, standing on the front doorsteps and drinking alcohol while laughing racously. Ocassionally, one or two of them would get the urge to do something violent, and they began hitting the doorframe or some window with their shovels. Obviously, they'd been there all day, without bothering to enter the mansion. The group stood concealed behind a shed, watching them.

Lebby started speaking into his ring, "Jez, how's the gas coming?"

Jez's voice came across, "I think I have final proof now. The gas has a similar effect as the souls, it makes people violent, although it isn't as powerful as the souls themselves."

"Do you think this was also planned by the evil creature D slayed?" asked Lebrenth, at which D unconsciouly shuddered.

"Maybe. But it could also be Lordy, in his attempts to create further panic. Who knows." said Jez.

"Incidentally, do you happen to have any other kind of gas, to get rid of the thugs standing in front of the Mayoral Mansion?" spoke Polokin, as he held on to Solus.

D-Lotus faced the other three. "Should we take them by force, or does anyone have any other subtle plan?"

As D's eyes shifted first from Solus, to Lebrenth, and then to Polokin, Polokin shuffled from one foot to the other.

He patted the blue luminous sphere in his pocket, the one that BS had given him when they had parted company several hours ago. All he had to do, he'd been told, was to throw it on the ground, and say 'BStheGreat'. He was not quite sure what might happen when he did it, but he supposed it might summon BS somehow.

Somewhere in the city, he knew that BS was still out hunting for D, and probably armed to the teeth, knowing him. And with this gas about, who knows how violent he had probably become. He'd be a perfect ally in this situation, but he'd probably pulverize D before anybody could get an explanation as to what had been going on.

Deciding that enlisting BS's help might not be a good idea after all, he bit his lip and remained silent, staring at the ground.

It was at that point he stood on a loose stone, and slipped, yelping as he grabbed D to regain his balance.

"Shhhh!!!" hissed Lebrenth.

They stood as quiet and as still as possible. But the guards had stopped their alcohol induced laughter.

"What was that? " they heard a voice say quietly.

"Ah, nothing. Probably just rats..." slurred an inebriated second voice.

"Best be sure." said the first, again. "Hey, you, and you. Go and look... Over there, by that shed..."

D-Lotus looked around desperately. “Come on, over here, behind those bushes.”

They scurried over, crouching down behind the shrubs as one of the guards poked around unenthusiastically. After a while he shrugged and looked back. “Mustav been a rat or sumthin’” he slurred.

Safe behind the shrubs for now, they collectively heaved a sigh of relief. Lebrenth took the opportunity to check up on Jez again.

"Any more progress?" he asked.

Jez's face looked down at something out of view on the tiny screen on his Mod ring. He appeared to be doing something... Had Lebrenth known, that Jez was tipping a few liquids into a grey mixture and releasing it into a tank, for a further experiment, he would have left him alone. Jez tightened his lips and shook his head. The rat playing poker had just cashed in his chips.
"Hmmm, looks like I need more gegin weed and less essence of fungal heervite," muttered Jez, and the display on Lebrenth's Mod ring jiggled about as Jez quickly prepared another mixture. He only had the lizard left. After a while, the expression on Jez's face looked more one of approval and satisfaction.

""Yes I think so, I'm going to start pumping the gas out into the City now, it should counteract the poison...however there may be a slight risk of side effects."

"What do you mean side effects? How many of the test subjects survived?"

"Well one," Jez admitted reluctantly trying to ignore Lebrenths gasp, "but it should be fine, the lizards back to normal now...well almost," Lebrenth's voice was almosta whisper as he repeated the words, "almost?"

"Yeah, he's grown a beard and an extra set of arms...but the side affects probably different for Ifians...anyway there's no more time unless we all want to go mad so I'll take a large batch of the stuff to the ventilation station and feed it across the City."

"A... beard? An extra set of arms!? Are you insane already, Jez?" Lebrenth queried.

"Hey, it's all we've got at the moment! Do you want to stop this madness or not?" Jez retorted, already busily working away.

Lebrenth bit his lower lip. This could be catastrophic! On the other hand, it is our only weapon at the moment!

" I know I am going to regret this later, but proceed, Jez and then meet up with us later. " Lebrenth took a deep breath.

"No problem," grinned Jez. "There are some vents across the city that are used to take flood water from the streets. Since it's not raining I'll get my trolls to release them into the network from underground. Seems a a good way to let the gas out into open spaces where it is most needed. As for the side effects, well, they should be minor, and I can deal with finding an antidote to the...er...antidote later. Meanwhile..." he waved a rolled up piece of paper in front of the ring so that Lebby could see it ..."I'll bring you a map. And maybe some gas masks too. You're near China's mansion, right?"

"Yes, Hurry!"

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

"What's up?" D-Lotus asked, who was more concerned about the guards around the remains of Chinaren's mansion, and had not paid any attention to the conversation between Lebrenth and JezSharp.

"Well, he has a gas to counteract the effects of the Greater Evil Gas, but.... it may have side-effects. And, I don't think they're going to be pleasant. I could be wrong, you never know.." Lebrenth trailed off and focused on Polokin contemplating a blueish orb once again.

D sighed and leaned back. His hand knocked on the ground with a thump. “Hello,” he said. “What’s this?”

He scrabbled about, pushing back the earth, to uncover a trap door hidden under the soil.

“A secret entrance!” Exclaimed Polokin. “Of course, Chinaren would have a bolt hole.”

“Keep an eye out for the guards,” said D as he fiddled about with the lock. “Help me here Lebby.”

D and Lebrenth tugged and twisted with the hidden door, and eventually succeeded in forcing the lock. The hatch pulled open with a hiss of air to reveal a narrow staircase hidden in the earth.

“Come on!” Said Lebrenth.

One by one, carefully and slowly they descended. Polokin closed the door gently behind them.

The stairs wound down for several minutes, a blue light illuminating the way, making it seem they were under water.

Eventually it leveled off into a passageway with a single door at the end. They approached it and looked at each other.

“May as well,” said Lebby, and pushed.

The door swung open onto a sumptuously furnished room. At the far end, next to a large leather chair and near another door, Chinaren stood with a large orange bath towel wrapped around him. He looked up startled and then dived through the door with a squeak, slamming it behind him.

D-Lotus looked at Polokin, who shrugged.

Various curses and clattering noises emanated from beyond the door. Finally it went quiet and Chinaren’s voice issued forth.

“Ah, excuse me. You are early. I don’t suppose you would mind going out and coming back in again would you?”

D looked around. Polokin sighed, Lebrenth pointed at his temple and moved his finger round in circles. Solus stood and looked at the wall blankly. They shuffled out and closed the door in silence.

After a moment of standing in the hallway, Lebrenth opened the door again, and they filed back into the room.

All appeared to be the same, except the leather chair was now facing away from them. Smoke curled into the air above it.

“Ah, gentlemen, and lady of course. This is a pleasure. Come in do, I have been expecting you.”

The chair swiveled round, to reveal Chinaren enclosed in the folds. He was wearing a bright orange silk robe with the Chinaren Inc. logo embossed on it. In one hand a cigar was revealed to be the source of the smoke. The other hand stroked a white animal of some kind curled up in his lap.

“Chinaren!” Said D. “Where have you been? Key is missing, Smee is time traveling and IF has been going to hell!”

“Indeed my dear D, indeed. It seems that things are a little further on than I anticipated.”

“You anticipated?” Lebrenth repeated. “Do you mean this is all your plan?”

Chinaren lifted a finger. “No, no of course not. It seems that during my unexpected excursion to places strange and bewildering* things have become a little… disorganized. Never mind, I am sure everything will work itself out somehow.”

“You mean you knew this was going to happen? For the love of IF man! Why?”

Chinaren stroked his animal and puffed on his cigar once before answering. “Elementary my dear Lotus. Fables.”

“Fables?” Polokin stepped forward. “You mean this was all about money?”

Chinaren held his finger up. “For the good of the economy. Admittedly, some people would be slightly inconvenienced, but think! What comes after chaos? Rebuilding. And rebuilding means jobs, work. Fables re-entering the city. People would profit. Things would be built, IF would be revitalized.”

“You let the souls out on purpose?”

Chinaren made a tutting sound. “I didn’t let them out my dear Lebby. I merely set a chain of events in motion.”

“Look at the anarchy it has caused!” Shouted D. “This was your plan?”

Chinaren waved a hand. “Oh, I know. The plan wasn’t for all this to happen. Once some of the Souls were loose I planned to step in and seal the gap. However, I was sucked into another place, and everything went too far.”

“Great,” said Lebrenth. “So, what is your plan now then?”

“Well, I was rather thinking of a light lunch, followed by a nap. You seem to have everything under control. There is no need for me to go running about like a loony now, is there?”

They all stared.

“Hey, is that a stuffed cat?” asked Polokin.

Chinaren blushed, though this couldn’t be seen under his hair. “Ah.. Well. It’s just easier you know? Cat’s need feeding and everything, not to mention the mess.” He changed the subject. “So, is there anything you need from me? If you would hurry, my soup is getting cold.”

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Lebrenth regarded Chinaren with distaste.

"When will you overcome your greediness, Chinaren?" he asked.

Chinaren laughed, as his orange fur shook in rythm. He took another puff of his cigar.

"Well, what are you going to ask of me?" he said in a condescending tone, instead of answering Leb.

"Look here, China, I think there's something very important we need to know." Said D, grimacing as the mayor continued slowly petting the immobile cat.

"Yes?"

"Where is Lordy, and how can we reverse the effects of the souls?" finished D.

"Hmmm..." meditated Chinaren, as his hand finally relented from his grotesque pet.

"I have no idea where Lordy is," replied Chinaren. "I told you, I was whisked away and things seem to have got out of hand. It's really a bit careless of you, losing all these people."

He took another drag of the cigar and blew some smoke rings. "As for the Soul Well. You need some Soul Salve. Idea Master was keeping it for me, just ask him where to find it. Surely that can't be a problem, can it?"

Lebrenth was not one to give up so easily, they must find Lordy. He opened his mouth to say something profound but stopped suddenly. He drew his Cloak of Foreboding open to reveal an abysmal hole that seems as limitless as oblivion. Of course, it’s just an illusion. He put his hand in the large pocket and pulled out a small manual entitled, “So you want to be a moderator?” He thumbed through it. Chinaren coughed and tapped his claws on the arm of his chair.

“Ah ha! Right here,” Lebrenth said, holding the book open for him. A trail of cigar smoke curls out of Chinaren's right nostril as his brow contracts and looks down. It’s open to the “Moderator Ring” section. He was able to read the large chapter heading anyway. Chinaren’s vision was still a little intoxicated, so the rest of the page was rather blurry.

“Understood?” Lebrenth said smugly.

“Er… of course, but what does that have to do with me?”

Lebrenth looked to make sure he was pointing to the right section… which he was….

“Um… well, every moderator was given a ring or similar item when they took their duties, but with the understanding that as long as they possess the mod power, their location would show on the Master Map of IF.”

“What of it?” Chinaren acknowledged in an aura of smoke.

“We need to find Lordy now! You hardly need to lift a finger, just show us the map!”

Chinaren chuckled malevolently.

“You think it’s that easy, do you?”

“What do you want? Money?”

“Sure, I can be bought, but some things are beyond price. Even I couldn’t afford what it’s worth.”

“We don’t want to buy it!” D-Lotus insisted, “Just borrow it.”

Chinaren shook his head.

“Ah come on, just a peek?” Polokin asked, though hardly worried about Lordy… there must be a lot of interesting things on that map. Chinaren stirred only to light a new cigar. “Don’t make us get unpleasant!”

“Unpleasant!” Chinaren repeated menacingly. “I don’t believe you really know the meaning of unpleasant! Perhaps you would like Security to give you a lesson?” he threatened, his finger an inch away from a disguised button. The air burned with intensity as the standoff began. Chinaren’s fierce breath flared his cigar like a demon’s eye. They could feel its heat where they stood as it burned down to a third its size, when suddenly Chinaren lost grip on it, and like a pigeon into a jet turbine the cigar shot into his throat.

For a moment he just stared straight ahead with his mouth open like he was hit on the back of the head. They could see the burning end of the cigar in the back of his mouth. Then the scorching and suffocating really kicked in.

Chinaren ran around like a madman, banging his head against the wall, punching his stomach and throwing himself onto a chair trying, unsuccessfully, to give himself the Heimlich.

The others looked at each other as he raced around frantically.

“What?” said D-Lotus. “Even if we save him he probably won’t give us the map.”

"There's something kind of familiar about this," replied Lebrenth.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Lebrenth's Mod ring crackled to life again. This time it was Idea Master's voice, sounding quite distressed.

"I got some shocking news. We've been following traces of magic from the Mage Mountain explosion, trying to find where key went. Well we didn't find Key, but we found Kallana. There's no way to get close enough to be sure, but it looks like she's dead..."

"that's bad!" exclaimed Polokin.

Before anyone else can react, Jez's voice come across the mod channel.

"The antidote has been released, and it looks like it's working. I've reached the streets near Chinaren's mansion, and the rioters are dispersing."

"That's good!" Polokin yells.

Suddenly Solus snaps back into a trance-like state and emits a strange croak.

"If anyone can hear me, listen up." she says in CrunchyFrog's voice "Dinranwen and Smudger have brought the dead IFians back, and they say the lost souls are draining out of the fog. But Muaddib says the realm of the dead can't take much more of the soul well's energy. If this isn't fixed soon, even the dead will have no place to live."

"That's bad."

"Um, guys?" D-Lotus speaks up, "Chinaren's not breathing."

"that's... um," Polokin starts uncertainly.

"That's bad!" Lebrenth yells, snapping into action. He and D-Lotus run to the prone form of Chinaren, leaving Polokin to prop up the still entranced Solus. Together they lift the furry orange mayor and give him what is perhaps the most powerful Heimlich maneuver ever performed.

The still burning cigar flies across the room as Chinaren coughs his way back to life. One small crisis averted, and several large ones looming, Lebrenth, D, and Polokin look at each other in a moment of indecision. The moment is broken by JezSharp bursting through the door, waving a piece of paper over his head.

"I just remembered the map copies I sent out earlier. I pulled this one out of Chinaren's mailbox, it's got the 'important' place marked on it."

"See," Chinaren stands up, pretending for all the world that he had merely chosen to lie down for a while and had never once choked on anything in his life, "You gentlemen have things well in hand, no need to bother me with the details. Besides I doubt using the map to locate Lordy's mod ring would do any good. I have reason to believe it's been separated from him."

"does anyone even know what's important about this place?" Lebrenth asks, "How is this going to help us?"

"I don't know." says D, "But right now it's our only lead."

Lebrenth spoke into his mod ring again. " By the way, Idea Master? Can you get us some Soul Salve for the Soul Well? Chinaren said you were holding some for him AND that it would help with our Soul Well issue."

IM frowned for a moment and began to rummage around for a bit, muttering. After several minutes, Idea Master held up an orange jar that said "Soul Salve". "Yes! I have some! Why didn't I think of that before...Soul Well needs Soul Salve..." IM rabbled off.

"Never mind that! Half of us need to get that to the Soul Well and the other half needs to track down Lordy!" D-Lotus interrupted IM's half-concious comments. "Now who's going where?"

Polokin ventured his opinion, "How about Solus and Lebrenth go to the Soul Well." He put his hand on the blue orb in his pocket at this point... Me and D can track Lordy down."

Lebrenth and D nodded in unison. Polokin let Lebrenth carry the still entranced solus down the tunnel. He stopped near the end and tried to get solus up the ladder. He stumbled and cursed a few times but finally succeeded. He looked back at chinaren, D and Polokin.

"Good luck!" D said, the words resounding off the walls.

"You too!" Lebrenth shouted back.

Lebrenth climbed out of the tunnel and he was out of sight.

"Well, I'll be going now, I have to finish some... Business..." chinaren suddenly said with a smirk on his face. He turned and left, closing the door behind him.

D turned to Polokin. "Polokin, is there anything you want to talk to me about? You've been acting very strangely since the Council meeting.

Polokin flinched. Had it been that obvious?

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Polokin sighed. He guessed at some point he would have to tell his story.

"...The morning of New Years Day, BStheGreat approached me with an offer I couldn't refuse, to assist him in tracking you down and killing you," he began.

D raised an eyebrow, but motioned for Polokin to continue.

"Ever since, I have been following you through the city, until hearing your revelations at the council meeting, I decided to reveal myself, and offer my assistance to you, understanding the reasons behind your torturing BS."

The expression on Polokin's face then darkened as he went on... "However, the more time I have had to think, the more fantastical and ridiculous I think your story is. And now, upon hearing Chinaren's version, that it was in fact HE that started releasing the souls, and for a totally different purpose..."

At this point he raised the hand that was clutching the blue orb...

"...I have decided to summon BS now to finish the job. Lotus, it was good knowing you... "

He threw the orb at the floor, ready to call BS's name.

Before it had a chance to hit the floor, Jezsharp, who had just entered the room with a map under his arm, assessed the situation, and, in a manoever of immense swiftness and grace that only elves are capable of, lunged from behind Polokin, and saved it in one hand, sweeping Polokin backwards in the process.

D-Lotus quickly overpowered Polokin, whilst Jezsharp contacted Lebrenth and Solus, urgently asking them to return to help out.

"But I dont understand!" D protested to the struggling Polokin. "You heard my story backed up by IdeaMaster... I saw the evil manifestation attempt to crack open the well with my own eyes, smelt it, even watched it disintegrate as I attempted to slay it... How can you believe Chinaren's story?"

"Because both are true." replied a pathetic little voice from the corner of the room. All three whirled around.

There stood a small, orange furry creature, a minature version, almost, of Chinaren, save for a strange bald spot on his head. He was one of the many servants that worked very hard for a pittance in the mayoral mansion and around the Council Hall.

"Who are you?" they all asked in unison.

"My name is... Oddlybalding." the creature muttered. "But I think I can explain a little..."

D nodded for him to carry on.

"His Masterfulness Chinaren indeed wished to cause a little havoc with a few of the Souls that he excorcised to allow some rebuilding and refurbishment to take place, particularly around the Newbs quarters. For they are, lets face it, slums, and it was a good chance to try out his new Chinaren Inc. Prefab housing." began Oddlybalding.

"He went up to the Soul Well himself early in the evening of New Years Eve, to the pools where he originally cast the Souls. He took one of Key's blitzing tools, and with it, made one of the pools just a little unstable. Not much, but just enough for a few souls to leak out.

He always intended to make sure he reversed it again, but just in case he was unable to, he wanted to make sure somebody else would have the tools to do it. So he told me to find someone called D-Lotus, and give him the Master Map of IF and a crystal shard. He also told me D-Lotus would know what to do."

The others stared at the orange creature, who continued.

"It was just as well, because, after his Masterfulness Chinaren returned from the Soul Well pools, he went to the Party, during which there was an accident at the Mayoral Mansion, and he disappeared. There was also a massive explosion at Smee's house, and Smee and D-Lotus went missing.

So I had to find D-Lotus. I eventually found him, or at least I think I did - I found two people on the cliff ledge outside the labyrinth containing the Wells - I didn't know which one was D-Lotus, so I put the crystal shard in the pocket of one, and stuffed the map down the pants of the other... he was clinging to a tree, you see..."

"Well I'm D-Lotus..." said D. "And the other guy was Crunchyfrog. We lost the map, but I gave the shard to Crunchy and he used it to made a temporary fix on the Soul Well for now."

Oddlybalding visibly relaxed.

"So His Masterfulness Chinaren won't beat me then?" he said hopefully.

"You tell him our story, and he should be pleased you did what he told you." D replied.

At that moment, Lebrenth and Solus re-joined them.

"Problems?" asked Lebby.

"Not any more." replied D, letting go of Polokin, who had also relaxed.

He looked at the map Jez had given him. Sure enough, as Lebrenth's 'So you want to be a Moderator?' handbook indicated, the location of Jez, Solus, Chinaren and Lebrenth's mod rings, could all be clearly seen together in the Nobs district. IdeaMaster was in the vicinity of Mage Mountain, still. Smudger and Dinranwen could not be seen at all, and nor, worryingly, could Kalanna. But Lordy's was clearly visible, and it was right out of town, a mile or so north of the city, and not so far from the place marked 'important'.

"Do we go there?" asked Jez doubtfully. "Chinaren suggested Lordy was separated from his ring."

"It is our only lead." replied D-Lotus. "We may find a clue there. I think we should stick together for now. I have a bad feeling we're going to be up against something very powerful, and we need the power of 3 moderators among us. Come on."

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

"To the IFmobile!" cried D-Lotus subsequently, and upon his invocation, the magical energies of IF began converging. First came the sudden, fast-paced music, which was followed by some noises outside. Everyone climbed out in time to watch a car begin to materialize out of nowhere.

"Woah! How'd you do that?" asked Polokin, his mouth hanging open.

"One of the tools of the trade." D hurriedly explained. Lebrenth and Jezsharp furrowed their brow somewhat suspiciously, especially when they began to climb onto the back and spotted an empty license plate. Polokin helped Solus as she struggled inside and sunk into her seat next to him. D inserted the key and the motor revved up.

"Let's go!" shouted everyone except Solus.

The tires screeched and the streets began to move past in a blur as Jez and Lebby calculated Lordy's position.

"To the right, to the right!" yelled Jez. The car made a sharp turn and lurched everyone together.

"Down two streets..." Lebrenth whispered tiredly into D's ear. D stepped onto the gas pedal and the car began to hum with power.

They quickly left the Nobs district, and zoomed out past Jester Park, and through one of the low rent Newb district on the outskirts. As they did so, the fog began to thin, it seemed to be confined to the city itself.

It was at this point, Solus chose that moment to 'wake up' as it were, pulling away from Polokin with a hiss before seeing where she was and blinking suddenly in confusion.
"Solus?" Polokin asked, wondering why she had hissed at him.
"Oh, errrr." She blinked again and looked about her, confusion still showing on her face. "...How did I get here?"
Before anyone could answer though, she shook her head with a sigh.
"I don't suppose it matters. But..." Here she turned to Polokin, "...I think I can manage by myself."
Glancing around Solus pulled herself up in her seat, and slumped back again, rather disproving her point. For a moment her eyes glazed again, but then she blinked and they returned to their normal piercing black.

"Ok, we're getting closer!" shouted Jez excitedly from the passenger seat, as he unfurled the map.

"Get that out of my way!!" yelled D. "I can't see where I'm driving!"

"Head North!" instructed Jez, as they left the city boundary, and went off road now, and bumping across hardened terrain for a mile or two. Ahead of them, and to the east, they could see a forest. "Well, according to this, we are very close to Lordy's ring now..." A few moments later, the car stopped, smoke trailing after it.

"Wow, what is this place?" asked Polokin.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

The Hangover

Chapter 24 - Curses Curses!!!

Meanwhile, right underneath the spot marked 'Important' on the master map of IF...

Lordy paced back and forth in his inner sanctum. Damn, damn, and double-damn. Everything was falling around his ears. As the old daemon saying went: The best laid plans are often undone by mortals. He'd just never believed it until now.

IM had not only recovered his memory, but also went out to find what remained of Rai. Fortunately, she was dead, killed off by some old spell or other, but she'd sent her necklace to her future self. She'd somehow gotten herself entangled with Smee's time-travel spell from earlier. All was not lost, however, as her gems would take time to retune themselves to her after her apparent 'death.' If he could nab them soon enough, there was an off chance they'd retune to him instead.

D had found Chinaren, and learned the truth and also recovered his memory. Polokin had almost finished him off nicely, but then more truth had come out. Bah. And now they were on his doorstep, albeit a hidden one. He couldn't just sit and wait for them to find him. He'd have to eliminate them as well.

And then there was the matter of the Soul Well. It was being haphazardly patched up, but if the citizens of IF continued in this fashion, then their metaphysical duct tape would do the job that the fancy magics were supposed to. There had to be something he could use to retake control of that situation.

Control. He had to regain control. That was key here. He took a few deep breaths, and realized what he had to do.

"Servile minion!" Lordy bellowed. Quite quickly, an impish figure appeared in a small flash of flames. It bowed to him, awaiting his orders.

"Set loose the Devourer upon Kalanna Rai. Tell him that any jewelry he finds is to be brought to me outside his stomach. Release Smauna in the outer antechamber-"

"Sir, IM, D, Crunchyfrog, and Sasuke already destroyed the Fauna Slug." The imp quivered as he contradicted his master.

"Then supplement her with the Destroyer." The Greater One had given him many cool minions with names like that which had abilites to match. "I do not wish to be found until I have completed the essential spell-weaving. Let loose the ghasts and shades into the Realm of Dead IFians, seeing as they are the only ones that can safely enter that realm. That is all."

The imp bowed. "I obey your will, master." It vanished in another puff of flames.

Lordy considered. He needed to get away, and he needed to harness the power of the Soul Well. There might be a way to do both, and he carefully flipped through an old spellbook that moaned softly as he turned the pages, looking for an anwser. Yes...by tying the Unsummoning ritual with the one that would give him total dominion over the power of the Soul Well, he might be able to drain the power directly home.

IM would be tricky. Lordy pondered awhile, and then realized that IM would have been cursed several times over by now. He quickly did a scan of IM and reactivated the most potent curse he could find, carefully recalibrating the area of effect to also nab whoever was near IM at the time in a similar curse, and set it to go off when he was surrounded by people. That ought to be interesting.

Stopping D would be easy, he would just unleash his secret weapon once D reached him. There would be no escape...Lordy allowed a small evil laugh to escape his throat. As he finished, dust billowed down from above, and he realized it might not have been so small after all.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Back in the tunnels of the city, somewhere underneath the remains of Mage Mountain, the air was charged with a sinister magic that was not familiar to IdeaMaster.

He, along with Lilith and Crady had traced the remnants of the spells from the explosion at Mage Mountain, and were now standing in a pile of rubble in a tunnel, still aghast at the sight ahead of them, Kalanna Rai, dead.

She lay at the rim of what seemed to be a huge hole, that stretched down into the ground forever, in a circular chamber, behind the remains of an archway. There seemed to be the remnants of some kind of plinth in the chamber, whatever that was for.

Having given Lebrenth the sad news earlier, IM began to reflect on the events that had passed since the party, the utter chaos, the loss of a significant councillor, and wondered whether IF would ever be the same again.

Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't notice Lilith starting to pick her way through the rubble towards Kalanna's body.

"No, Stop!!" IM called suddenly. It occurred to him that whatever had happened to Kalanna, could still have an effect on someone else. "It's too dangerous!" he explained.

"I was only looking..." Lilith murmured, her voice echoing strangely in the enclosed surroundings.

"Hey, IM..." Crady said suddenly. "Is it just me, or did Kalanna have a large amulet with a gem in it she used to carry with her?"

"Huh? Yes, I suppose..." said IM.

"Well it's gone, now."

Not realising the significance of this statement, IM nodded, still in a haze. He looked down at the jar of Soul Salve he had found in his robes, and wondered how in IF he was going to get to the Soul Well now, and what he should do with it when he got there. His thoughts were broken by the buzzing of his mod ring again.

"Lebby?" he responded.

"We've got to where Lordy's supposed to be."

"Uh, well done, um, but exactly where is that?" asked IM.

"Remember your Mod training, IdeaMaster, " reminded Lebby, waving his book So you want to be a Moderator? in front of his own face, so that IM could see it on the screen of his ring. "The Master Map shows the location of Mod Rings."

"Well, describe where you are, then!"

"There's not much to describe, IM. We're out of the city, to the north, near the edge of a forest. Probably not far from the place marked 'Important'. There's a few trees, flat land, that's it. No sign of Lordy... but there seems to have been a scuffle of some kind. There's blood on the ground... uh, wait!"

IM saw Lebby's face jiggling about, and a faint shout could be heard. Crady and Lilith crowded in to look at IM's ring, to see what was going on.

"Lotus has found Lordy's ring!" Lebby announced excitedly. "Lordy's been here... we can start tracking him!
But that's not why we contacted you. Take a look at this..."

Lebby waved the jester hat in front of his own Mod Ring screen. "Can you see the handwriting?"

"Lordy's. " replied IM. "That is the note Kalanna read out at the meeting."

"No, no, this smaller writing underneath..."

"Hold it still so I can get a good look at it..." said IM. "That's Kalanna's!"

'Kalanna, you must destroy yourself, within 5 hours. Something happened during the spell weaving on Mage Mountain which ripped a part of you away. You absolutely must not survive long enough to meet yourself. Take courage now. Your future self, Kalanna.'

"We cannot make any sense of it." said Lebby. "Can you?"

IM looked over at Kalanna's body.

"You mean, she sacrificed herself?" he said incredulously. "For what?"

"At the meeting she said there was something she had to do." remembered Crady, suddenly. "She said that if she survived she'd join us in the assault on the Well. She kept looking at the amulet gem when she was saying it..." she continued. "The amulet has gone now..."

"I hope she knew what she was doing..." came Lebby's voice sadly, shaking his head.

IM looked resolute, and gazed back at Kalanna.

"I'll try a little forensic magic here, and see what I can find out what happened to her." he said.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

"You do that while D and I track Lordy with his mod ring. Stay in touch." And with that, Lebrenth broke the connection.

Idea Master took one step closer to Kalanna's body and held his hands out, feeling for any unusual energy traces. As he stood there, Crady and Lilith picked their way around and through the rubble and debris, saddened by the loss of a friend and a great warrior-assassin.

Suddenly IM opened his eyes and said clearly, "If you value your own lives, you won't get any closer to Kalanna's body than you already are!"

Crady and Lilith both stopped moving. "Why, what's wrong?" Lilith asked, giving Idea Master a calculating look.

"What do you think killed Rai?" IM repilied, backing up away from the center of the pit.

"Well, whatever it was it had to be really powerful and dangerous, right?" Crady suggested.

Lilith nodded in agreement. "Kalanna is-.... was a fighter. And a good one at that." She added to Crady's comment.

"I concurr. There had to be some powerful spells here and I think they could still be active." IM stated, still backing away.

Christalnightshade went pale and she and Lilith followed IM's example.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

The girls sat down in the rubble, whilst IM searched in the folds of his cloak for his spell book. They watched, as he leafed through the book, and studied one of the pages. Then, inching forward towards Rai's body, as far as he dare, he extended one hand, waggling his fingers about in the air in a strange way, as he mumbled some words under his breath. He withdrew them sharply, as if he had been burnt, and sniffed them.

Crady and Lilith exchanged glances, but said nothing.

IM repeated the forensic spell, each time, daring to take a few steps nearer. Then he stopped, and studied his book again.

"Well, it's safe enough to approach," he said. "The spell that killed Rai is spent. It was designed to guard something - something that is evidently not there now. Anyone getting close to whatever object it was, would have their innards crushed to dust from the inside. But it was only designed to kill one person, and then become inactive. Looks like Rai was unlucky enough to be that person..."

"But what was she trying to get?" asked Crady. "And whatever it is, who has got it now?"

IM shook his head, as he inched nearer, repeating his probing spell over and over.

"There is something else here.... it smells like.... Odd, it smells like the time curse that was cast upon Smee by whomever it was that tried to crack open the well in his basement! But I thought I'd managed to speed up that spell and break it...unless it was stronger than I thought, and reactivated itself again, so that he would reconstitute somewhere later again today. Hmmm, that would explain his disappearance again during our breaking of the Key curse on Mage Mountain... and possibly Key's disappearance too... It was a big explosion - but why am I finding traces of it on Rai? Unless... somehow, a version of her got ripped forward in time with him too!"

His face brightened for a moment.

"I think that's a little far-fetched." replied Lilith gently. "It would be nice to think she's still alive, somehow but... well, you shouldn't get your hopes up..."

Before IM could reply, his Mod ring crackled to life again. Jezsharp's face shimmered into view on the tiny screen.

"Go North!!!" he said urgently.

"Jez! You found Lordy?"

"No, but we've got a good guess," replied Jez, waving his book The Treasures of IF in front of his face, so that IM could see it through the Mod ring. "I wish I'd had time to read it earlier, instead of messing around with that gas... There are magical lines criss-crossing this land. They are Ley lines, IM, and where they intersect one another, there are places of intense power. The book instructed me me how to make the Leys show up on the map... Anyway, there are intersections at Smee's house, the Soul Well, but most significantly, at that place marked on the map as 'Important' - 3 Leys converge there, and we are betting that this is where Lordy is."

IM could then see Lotus's face pushing across Jez's.

"IM!" said Lotus. "Are you listening? We believe that Lordy is going to make a powerful spell to fully open the well. Just as he told me back at Smee's basement the night of the party. We think he has already collected the necessary ingredients, called the Blood of the Beginning, Flesh of the Present, and Bone of the Last... They are mentioned in Jez's book. We think Lordy has them all at this place marked Important, on the map. We have to stop him, IM, and tell him that the Well is about to implode!

"Lotus, how do we get there?" asked IM. We don't have a map."

"No matter! Get Transport! Go out of town, and go NORTH!! Stay in touch and we'll guide you..."

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

"Alright, we're on our way." Said IM into his ring, as he climbed out of the secret tunnels and back onto the surface streets of IF. "It's going to take a while to navigate the city, with all the destruction and this new blue mist."

"that would be the antidote to the Greater Evil gas, sorry." Replied Jez.

The streets were eerily quiet without rioters, as the three companions got their bearings and started north.

"something's coming!" Crady called out, pointing to a wildly flailing figure in the mist.

"Looks like he's got four arms and a beard." Said Lillith.

"Oh no!" Cried Jez's voice from the mod ring, "I thought the side effect wouldn't take to IFians."

Before the Three of them could fully grasp the meaning of 'side effects' The figure came stumbling to a halt in front of them. His extra arms revealed to be nothing more than the sleeves of a long coat hanging from his shoulders, and the beard to be nothing more than mutton chops. He cleared his throat and straightened his bow tie as a blue bird alighted on the brim of his hat.

"Not the best entrance by far." he halfway mumbled to himself, "You say your not going to do these things but sometime you just have to..."

"What on US are you mumbling about Argonaut!?" IM snapped.

"Right, right on to the point." Argonaut addressed the puzzled adventurers, "I'm here to lend a hand, you need some transportation out of the city, and I have just the thing. Follow me!"

Still slightly baffled, the group broke into a run, following the still babbling Argonaut through the streets.

"It sure was hard to find you," He continued, "What with all the accounts of forged and or copied maps. Not to mentions the near infinite amount of secret tunnels. You know I think there's not actually any ground left underground, it's all tunnels."

"Wait, how do you know all this?" Lillith interrupted.

"What? oh... um.. I've been reading. Aha! We're here."

Argonaut stopped abruptly to lift a wide rolling door on a strange hanger-like building. The door slid on tracks into the ceiling, and revealed a complex wood and cloth mechanism that looked like a schizophrenic's dream of a Davinci flying machine.

"One of my older projects," he said with obvious pride, "you'll need some magic to keep the winds in your favor, but it should get out out of the city in a hurry."

"I can certainly handle that." said IM, cracking his knuckles.

The four IFians quickly pushed the contraption out of the workshop. IM took the controls as Argonaut offered a hand to help the ladies aboard, then pulled the pin from a huge spring in the back, setting the gears in motion.

"Bon voyage!" Argonaut yelled as the flying machine began to lift off.

"You're not coming with us?" Asked Crady.

"Oh no, can't be needlessly weighing down the story at this point. I'll be rooting for you though."

"What is he talking about?" said Lillith.

"Oh I almost forgot..." Argonaut's words were lost to the wind as the machine finally gained the momentum to jump skyward.

"What did he say?" Yelled IM over the wind.

"I dunno, something about Lordy." Crady yelled back.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

"Oh, shit! WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" IM yelled back down at the top of his lungs down to Argonaut. Argonaut yelled something in return but his voice was lost as the three in the flying machine rose steadily higher.

"Damn!" cursed Lilith. "Now what? That could have been crucial information!"

"Oh well," replied Crady. "I guess we'll just have to wing it! Haha! We are winging it! Literally!"

IM's mod ring made an inconspicious noise and Jez's face appeared on the screen, again. "IM! Where are you? Are you moving towards the point we told you about?" Jez urgently said.

IM looked around quickly for a way to steer the machine north of IF. Finding none, he came up with an idea. IM quickly adjusted his control over the wind and had it be his tool to steer the aircraft.

"Now we are! Can you give me some exact coordinates Jez?" IM asked.

"Hmm... give me a few minutes to pinpoint the exact location." Jez broke the connection and the screen went blank.

"Uh-oh," IM said, a frown marring his brow. "I think we have a problem."

"Why what's wrong?" Crady and Lilith replied in unison, looking around for signs of trouble.

"I feel kinda funny. Kinda like that one time when...."

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

"...back at Mage college we tried out a Curse on ourselves... being irresponsible students we thought it was quite funny at the time... But not now, really, I could do with out it happening to me again right now... You can both hear and understand me okay, can't you?"

Lilith and Crady looked at one another, shrugged at such an odd question, and nodded at IM, and then peered over the side of the airbourne gondola, down at the vista below them, as Argonauts amazing machine majestically travelled northwards through the sky.
Its sails billowed above them, as IM continued to let loose a stream of magic to harness the winds to fill them. Underneath the contraption, paddles and propellors slowly turned, and gears creaked with a gentle rhythmic sound. It was a welcome respite after a fraught time. They too, felt a bit odd, but put it down to the after effects of the Greater Evil Gas.

At last, after what seemed nearly an hour, IM's mod ring crackled back into life. IM smiled. That would be Jez with the co-ordinates.

"Yako, uoy deen ot eb 3 selim throm fo eth ytic, dna a tib tsew, no eth egde fo a tserof." said Jez.

IM went white.

"Oh no... I was right..." he thought quietly to himself. "The Mirror Curse..."

"What was that? What did Jez say?" asked Crady.

"He's talking a different language!" exclaimed Lilith.

"No.." said Crady after a moment. "Sounded like he was talking.... backwards!"

"He's not talking backwards, Crady." said IM, scrabbling for his spell book for confirmation of his terrible realisation. "WE are. We've been hit by a Mirror curse - a very potent one, that I played with in my youth. If you are cursed by it, you speak backwards, and write backwards. Everything else to you will look, and sound backwards. Look..."

He picked up his spell book, and thrust it at the girls, who stared at it. The text, to them, looked backwards. It was unreadable.

"Somehow the curse has been reactivated... by whom, I dont know. And it has affected all three of us..."

"So how will we understand Jez's co-ordinates?" gasped Crady.

But IM had no time to answer. Argo's magnificent airship began to list alarmingly. IM's sudden realisation of the Curse that had afflicted them all, had meant he had broken his concentration on controlling the magic that filled the sails.

Crady ran to take the helm - and struggled with the wheels and levers in vain.

"Lilith!" cried Idea Master. "Go to the lookout post! Keep watch on the ground for Jez, Lebby, Lotus and Solus... They could be anywhere!"

"Dont worry Jez," he said into his mod ring, to a very confused looking JezSharp, "We'll find you!"

He fell across the swaying decks and slammed into one of the seats.

By this time the machine was lurching dangerously to port. The wind had gone out of the sails, and the gears were grinding and squealing. They were losing height fast.

"We need more height!!!" screamed Lilith, as they plummeted towards the ground a little too quickly for everyone's liking, as IM tried to gather his wits and control the winds once again.

The flying machine lurched upwards again, listed the otherway, and then took a nosedive.

"Where's the life raft on this thing????" shrieked Crady.

~ ~ ~

Shading his eyes, Lebrenth looked out towards the city, a few miles out to the south. He saw a strange object coming into view, flying low and losing height rapidly.

"What is that?????!!" he yelped.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

"What did it say?" D asked Leb looking very very confused.

"Don't know." Leb shrugged, "Hey isn't that IM?"

"Yea," D said gazing at the crazy machine IM was driving, "I think that vechile is from Argo's hold, been down there once or twice, nice stuff but not cheap."

"Ow...I guess he took it literally when I told him to get transportation, any transportation," Jez said crossing his arms and watching the flying vehicle coming rapidly towards them at alarming speeds.

"Um guys...." D said backing away as turned pale.

"What?" Jez and Leb responded simultaneously.

"Run!" D cried, scrambling rapidly out of the way as IM and crew grew larger by the minute in their flying vehicle.

"!evoM" Crady shouted waving her hands at the group.

"!nuR" Lilth cried despertatly as IM lost complete control over the group.

Confused and puzzled D, Leb, Jez, and Co didn't even pause to figure out why IM was spouting nonsense as they hustled to get out of the way of the lurching contraption in the air.

Aboard the flying machine, Crady pouted. "Think they understand us IM?" she asked.

"No, but somehow I think they got our point. Now everyone hang on I think we're going to......."

CRASH!!!!!

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

With the sound of screeching metal and splintering wood, the flying machine hit the ground with force, and bounced back up into the air again, the sparkles of IM's magic still in its sails. It descended once more, and scraped along the ground at high speed, the aft propellor breaking free, and spinning wildly through the air towards Solus, who gazed calmly at it.

Polokin dragged her away just in time as it slammed into the ground inches from where she had been standing.

Giant sparks flew up from the bottom of the machine, which ignited one of the sails. Mixed with the magic, the fire quickly consumed the cloth, sending multicoloured fireballs in all directions.

"RUN!!!!" screamed Lebrenth, as he continued to pound as fast as he could away from the scene.

As he fled, D accidentally dropped Lordy's Jester hat, and started back and retrieve it. But before he could get near, a huge orange fireball landed on the hat, vaporizing it.

The flying machine continued to slide for some distance, taking trees with it, until eventually, it came to a rest, the sails burnt to nothing.

Lebby, D, Polokin, Solus and Jez caught their breath, and converged on the crumpled mess.

"Ooops!" said Jez. "Argo's not going to be pleased!"

"Look! They survived!" pointed Lebby, as three dishevelled heads appeared over the rim of the broken gondola, and a ladder began to descend. He waved at IM. "IM!! Are you okay?"

"You know, I'm not sure they are," muttered D, as they watched IM help Crady onto the ladder. "They appear to be talking to one another in gibberish..."

The first to get on to solid ground, Crady rushed over to D, and started to explain what they had discovered about Rai.

"Retsamaedi sknith Iar saw gnikool rof gnithemos, dna sawdellik yb a naidraug lleps." she began. "Tub eh osla sknith esh yam eveh neeb tghuac ni s'eemS emit esruc, dna yam eb evila tey..."

She was met with blank stares from D, Lebby, Polokin, Solus and Jez.

"Are you okay?" ventured Lebrenth, as IM and Lilith alighted on the ground behind Crady.

This time it was IM, Crady and Lilith's turn to stare blankly. Lebby turned to D.

"What do we do with them?" he asked. "They can't understand us, and we can't understand them! What happened to them?"

"No idea," replied D, who was already looking back at the map. "But we'll have to take them with us to find Lordy. We can't leave them here to fend for themselves without being able to communicate with anyone. And this wreck of a flying machine is a dead giveaway of their whereabouts."

"How do we communicate with them?" asked Polokin.

"Allow me..." replied JezSharp, stepping forward.

Looking IM straight in the eye, Jez pointed in the direction that they were all headed, and then beckoned.

Lilith, Crady and IM understood, that they were to follow D and the others, and nodded. Then, all eight of them, began their long walk to the place marked 'Important'.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

The Hangover

Chapter 25 - Invasion!

The party was in full swing. Snatches of music could be heard coming from Ye Olde IFian Tavern Club, entwined with peels of laughter and singing. Inside, the drinks flowed freely.

The Dead IFians had returned home, thanks to the efforts of Dinranwen and Smudger, and they were celebrating.

Din and Muaddib, their differences forgotten, sat together swaying to the music, as their tankards magically refilled themselves each time they were emptied. Crunchyfrog sat woozily in a corner, listening to tales of the Good Ole Days recounted by some of the revellers.

Smudger, back in his hunchback form, delighted anyone who cared to watch, with his unique style of dancing. This principally involved shuffling around in circles, yelling 'The Bells! The Bells!!' at carefully planned intervals.

In one corner, a ricketty set of steps extended from a table top up to an open trap door in the ceiling. Beyond the trap door was a cluster of rooms, one of which was the 'Channel IF' room. There, a very bored Sasuke sat in front of a bank of monitors, keeping an eye on events in the City.

"This sucks," he thought, listening to the merriment below. "It's not my fault I'm under age..."

He gazed at one of the screens that showed the world through Solus' eyes, and saw that she, D-Lotus, Lebrenth, Polokin and Jez had recently been joined by IdeaMaster, Lilith and Crady. There was a wreck of some kind of flying machine in the background...

Tapping the microphone that was set up in front of the screen, he toyed with the idea of scaring the pants off them all, by talking through Solus, but thought better of it.

An hourglass attached to the wall turned itself over. Time to make the regular check on the Soul Well.

Sasuke left the room and clambered up another set of steps, and out through a skylight onto the roof of the Tavern. The sky above him boiled. There were 3 spinning vortices directly above. Two were quite small, one being the exit to IM's mansion, the other the exit to the Dream Chamber, which he, Dinranwen, Crunchy and Smudger should have gone through by now, if it wasn't for this blasted party. He was beginning to think that the other three didn't want to leave this Realm...

The third vortex, by far the largest, writhed about in the sky, sucking up anything that it's lowermost tip came near. This vortex had appeared as a result of the crack in the Soul Well. Even though the energy from it had been diverted downwards by Crunchyfrogs crystal shard in the ground, it was still growing. The Realm of Dead IFians was becoming unstable, cracks were appearing in the ground.

"Hmm, perhaps that shard needs relocating..." he thought, as he climbed back in through the skylight. Sasuke headed for the party downstairs, to alert his friends.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Sasuke trotted downstairs and went over to the barkeep Bronu. After explaining the situation to him, Bronu nodded and called the tavern to order in a loud booming voice.

"EVERYONE! STOP!" The decibels of his voice shook the entire tavern to silence. Dead IFians stopped their merriment and almost immediately sobered up.

Bronu stepped to the side and allowed Sasuke to get up on the bar and speak.

"Fellow Dead IFians! We seem to be having a problem with the crystal shard that is keeping the Soul Well under control at the moment. It seems the ground is breaking and cracking around it! I propose that we relocate it!" Sasuke paused after his long speech, looking a little unnerved at the almost hostile glances from the merry makers. He did stop their partying, after all.

Din, Crunchyfrog, and Smudger, (two of them realising that as mods, they should be setting an example) stood up.

Din spoke. "The boy's right! If the shard doesn't hold long enough for the others to stop the Soul Well permanently, we may never be able to patch it up!"

Sasuke jumped down off the bar and lead the now cheering (and sober, for once) crowd of dead IFians out of the door towards the the biggest of the three vortexes.

Little did they know that the shades and wraiths Lordy had sent were about to strike.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

....For they were already lurking just above the roof of 'Ye Olde IFian Tavern Club, biding their time, waiting for their moment to attack.

It would not be when the young half-dragon was idling about near the Channel IF room.

Nor would it be when he went back inside the pub, which abruptly lost it's noise and good nature as he informed them of their need to relocate the object that was patching up the Soul Well.

When the Dead IFians were far too far from the pub to safely have all of them get back, that was the time.

As the Tavern emptied, its patrons hurrying over the cracked ground towards where the shard was half buried, they gathered themselves. Then as one, the wraiths howled and the shades moaned. They all swooped down upon the Dead IFians, not only scaring the daylights out of them. Anybody the wraiths could pick up would become possessed by the shades, and then delivered to their master, Lordy, for 'entertainment.'

The Dead IFians tried to flee. They even turned about as they screamed in terror and ran to the pub.

Not all of them would make it.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

In the midst of the terror in the crowd, Muaddib shouted to Din. He could barely be heard above the howling of the wraiths as they swooshed above them.

"Half-shadow! Get yourself, Sasuke, Smudger and Crunchy back up to the Dream Chamber, whilst you still have time!" he yelled. Drawing three other Dead IFians beside him, he said bravely - "We'll take care of the shard..."

The wraiths screeched as they swooped above the threesome, as they, along with the rest of the crowd ran for all they were worth, back towards the pub.

"We have to alert D-Lotus! He won't have much time!" puffed Crunchy as he drew alongside Din.

"We can do it on the way up to the Tavern roof - We have to go up there to get up through that whirly thing to the Dream Chamber..." panted Din, indicating one of the smaller vortices in the sky.

The wraiths swooped in front of the crowd.

"Hey, they appear to be herding us..!!" somebody shouted, as everyone swerved to the side of the Tavern.

Smudger, who was not as quick on his feet as some of the others, was starting to lag behind.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Running hastly to the Tavern despite the wraiths, Dinranwen only paused to look back in search of Smudge.

"Where's Smudger?" she shouted above the shreaks.

"Don't know!" Crunchy said looking back too.

"There he is!" Sasuke shouted pointing back the way they come where the hunchback was being picked on by some wraiths as the spirits sang, "The Bells, The bells," in glee with their merriment.

Looking around Din saw the chaos as the wraiths tried to herd the residents away from the tavern. Shoving up her sleeves, Din placed a hand on her hips looking like a shadow version of the poster declaring, "Ow no you didn't!"

"Go on!" Din said shoving Sasuke and Crunch into the Bar, "I'll handle this."

"Dinranwen," Crunchy said frowning, "What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Wraiths and Shadows are made of the same stuff. These things can't hurt me. But I can sure as Phang-fire hurt them," giving the pair another shove into the tavern, "No go, and warn D before it's too late! I'll met in the Dream Chamber with Smudge."

Watching to make sure the pair obeyed her orders, Din turned to survey her work. "I think this is going to take a little bit more than my feather duster," Din muttered as she reached into the black shadows of the Realm she stood in to pull out a sword Rai had recently given her as a present saying it would come in handy.

Slicing through a wraith easily, Din grinned as she rushed to aid of Smudger......

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

It was seriously time for a fight scene.

Chunks of wraith, bits of shades, and the severed limbs of ghasts dropped to the ground in a path behind Din and her shadow sword. Dead IFians cheered as she hacked and slashed her way to Smudger.

Some wraiths, however, knew danger when they saw it coming. Two of them grabbed Smudger by either arm and lifted him into the air. Others followed suit, snatching up those that could not fight and carrying them towards the central vortex.

Dinranwen was mad, she was sick and tired of getting pushed around, dealing with monsters, and just being dead in general. Casting about for a way to get airborn she took the head off a ghast that was to stupid the get away.

Using the still standing body of the ghast she vaulted onto the back of a floating wraith. It rose, shrieking a writhing in panic until she slipped off, catching hold of the leg of another IFian being carried by a wraith.

For this vantage point she could see Smudgers captor prepareing to hurl him into the vortex. In the distance Muaddib lifted the shard, his wrappings glowing like lightning, while others kept a defensive circle around him.

There was no time to lose. Swinging once to gain momentum Dim launched into a spinning backflip. The shadow sword blurred with speed, like a whirling buzz saw with Din in the center. She sailed through the air, straight through wraiths and shades too slow to get out of the way. Her aim was perfect, slicing off the heads of the two wraiths holding Smudger.

Now free, the hunchback plummeted toward the ground along with Din.

"I hope there's more to your plan, those rock don't look soft!" Yelled Smudger.

"Can't talk now... very dizzy..." Din replied weakly.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

The air was cold as they plummeted down. Smudger grabbed Din’s cloak. A couple of Wraiths and Shades twisted like a tornado after the falling bodies of the two Mods.

Taking a deep breath Smudger grabbed a branch of a very large, conveniently placed tree. It felt as if his arms wanted to rip away from his body, “Din, the wraiths!” Smudger shook the body of Din while holding onto the branch in the other hand. "Wake up! Those protruding rocks on the ground don't look good" Din's head lolled to one side and her hands stirred.

Din cried weakly her vision returning “My sword!” Her face grimaced seeing the silver fall away.

The sword struck the ground between two shards of rock and sand. The sword reverberated and sended a sound that was high pitched. The Wraiths and Shades screamed floating a few meters away from the mods, their mouths wide like the plains of If.

Down below the two helpless mods a small figure emerged from the Tavern, and leaping between openings in the ground picked the sword up. He looked at the sword and then up to Din and Smudger.

Smudger watched this small figure. Smudge wasn’t that strong his arms were not going to hold out for long on the branch he was clinging to. Din was too much weight to hold.

Din’s senses came back she screamed seeing the figure, “Help!” She waved her arms madly about trying to pull attention.

The tree bobbed up and down and Smudger said, “Do not move Din. We’re going to fall soon” While strain on his arms heightened din stopped.

Din looked at the distance to the ground. “Let me go!” She swallowed trying to breath.

Smudger gasped, “Your brain must be rattled then. Take the branch” He frowned seeing Din moving her head; blue hair.

Din made a small attempt at trying to take the branch, but it was to far for her reach. The tree bobbed again and it snapped off. This time Smudger and Din fell screaming. “Help!” There was no branch to cling onto now.

Din watched her last seconds of life as the small figure of the boy jump from the ground. A very sharp rock on the ground loomed close, and she shut her eyes.

Smudger saw a glimmer of Din's sword in the boy's belt. He clapped his hands over his eyes seeing the ground approuch rapidly.

The boy flew in mid air and he held his arms out to catch them. The Wraith's attention was pulled by the sudden movement and they flew twisting in a formation none had ever seen ...

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

As the ground lurched away from them once more, Smudger took his hands away from his eyes, and feeling a wave of motion sickness flailed about, his hands instinctively grabbing the first thing they felt, for safety.

"Get your hands off my face!!! I can't see!!!" yelled the boy, his voice instantly recognisable to Din, as being Sasuke's.

"I thought I'd sent you into the bar!" cried Din.

Sasuke did not answer, but tried his best to stay aloft. But the weight of both his rescuees was too much for his small frame to cope with, and they went into a spinning freefall.

"Let go of me, Sasuke!!! Let me fall!!!" cried Dinranwen. "I'll be okay!"

"You're mad, Din!!" screamed Smudger.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY EYES YOU STUPID HUNCHBACK!!!" shrieked Sasuke.

"LET GO OF ME, YOU HALFBREED FOOL!!!" yelled Din

Sasuke lost his grip of Dinranwen, and as she fell, the immediate loss of weight meant Sasuke could regain some semblance of control. He still knew which way was up, even though he couldn't see.

Din thumped to the ground amongst the panicking crowd of Dead IFians, some of whom were taking the opportunity to flee to the Tavern, whilst the wraiths and shades were distracted.

Moments later, Sasuke landed nearby, almost bursting with asphyxiation as Smudger had now moved his white-knuckled grip from Sasuke's eyes, to his neck.

Feeling solid ground again, or at least as solid as it was going to be with more cracks appearing every moment, Smudger let go of Sasuke, who gasped to regain his breath. Smudger stared at the flat shadow on the ground.

"Din?" he murmured.

Behind him Sasuke drew the sword from his belt and whirled it around his head. The wraiths and shades seemed to have developed a wariness of it, and kept their distance.

Smudger stooped and touched the shadow on the ground, and was surprised that there was form to it. Shrugging, he picked up one end of it, and rolled it up.

"I hope this is only temporary..." he thought, as he looked around. He could not see Crunchyfrog anywhere. He hoped that he'd got into the Tavern safely with some of the other Dead IFians.

"That's enough heroics for one day!" he called to Sasuke, and pulled the sword out of the young half dragon's hands. Then, handing the sword on to a rather large looking Dead IFian, he said, "Keep us covered - we're going to contact the outside world!"

The Dead IFian nodded, and began menacing moves at the wraiths and shades, whilst Smudger, with the two-dimensional Din under one arm, grabbed Sasuke with the other, and dragged him into the safety of the Tavern.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

As they plunged through the door of the Tavern, Smudger and Sasuke glanced around the bar. The handful of Dead IFians who had made it back inside so far, were cowering and peering out through the small, dirty windows at the scene outside. Crunchyfrog was not among them.

"What's happening out there?" asked Bronu, from behind the bar. He, sensibly, had been the only Dead IFian not to leave the Tavern, knowing that drinks would be required for anyone returning.

Smudger paused, as he looked down.

"Muaddib is taking care of the shard," replied Smudger. Although with the way the ground is cracking up, he'll be hard pushed to find a safe place to anchor it. Wraiths and shades are everywhere, but one of your number has Din's sword, and is keeping them at bay. I have Dinranwen with me - we've got to go upstairs and warn our friends in the City to hurry about closing the crack in the Well. There'll be no ground left soon." He took one more look around the bar. "Have you seen Crunchyfrog?"

"He just went up there a few moments ago. You'll find him in the Channel IF room." replied Bronu.

At that moment, Rave and Wing almost fell through the door of the Tavern, along with three or four other Dead IFians.

"The ghasts, wraiths and shades are starting to retreat!" Wing shouted. "Muaddib is struggling to ground the shard... the Soul Well vortex is twisting all over the sky!"

Smudger hesitated.

"Go quickly!" cried Rave. "Get yourselves to the Dream Chamber! Your help is needed from the City side now. Hurry!"

Smudger and Sasuke disappeared through the trap door in the ceiling.

In the roof void it was pitch dark. They had to feel their way to find the Channel IF room.

"OW!!" cried Smudger, as he felt a sudden weight on him, knocking him to the ground. "What was that?"

"Me." replied Dinranwen. The shadow nature of her form had drawn strength from the darkeness around them, and had suddenly regained its three-dimensional shape.

"Din! You're okay?"

"Of course I'm okay." replied Dinranwen. "I wouldn't have insisted on Sasuke dropping me if I didn't think I could survive it. Mind you, if we had been any higher up than 100 feet or so, I probably wouldn't have. Geez it's dark in here. Even I can't see anything. Anyone got a torch?"
There was a coughing noise, a sneeze, and a splutter, as if someone was blowing his nose. Suddenly a small flame ignited and burned steadily from Sasuke's left nostril.

"Great trick!" commented Smudger.

It was enough for them to see the door to the Channel IF room, in the gloom ahead.
"Come on. Let's go and join Crunchy. We need to warn D-Lotus and the others before we leave for the Dream Chamber" she said.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

The shades and wraiths, or what remained of them, suddenly retreated from the Realm of Dead IFians, to the cheers of the crowds on the disintegrating ground below. Returning to Lord of the Night they howled - "Master, master! We failed, we failed..."

Lordy casually disintegrated one into so much ash, sending them into renewed bouts of howling.

"Very well. Your next task is to find the half-dragon that is called Sasuke and bring him to me as soon as the opportune moment presents itself. I have waited far too long to use my weapon, and I will not be denied. Fail again, and you will cease to exist, and I shall entrust the matter unto my brethren..."

The shades howled and fled, the wraiths quickly following them. They would watch and wait for the half-dragon to be alone, they would wait until Sasuke wandered a bit too far...and then, they would strike, they would kidnap the half-dragon and take him to their master.

Until that point in time, they would lurk and hide in the shadows.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

"Come on!" Sasuke urged, opening the door to the Channel IF room, snuffing out his nasal flame as he did so.

They greeted Crunchyfrog who was a little perturbed as Din brushed past everyone else, sat down in the office-like chair and leaned down towards the microphone, in front of the Solus screen.

"D-Lotus! Anyone! This is Din in the Realm of Dead IFians! Listen up! Crunchyfrog, Sasuke, Smudger, and myself will soon be returning to IF through the Dream Chamber in our original bodies... but it may be too late! The shard has become displaced and shades and wraiths have been attacking here! You must hurry!"

There was no response - the screen was black, although they could hear some background noise and familiar voices. Damn, Solus must have her eyes shut.

Crunchyfrog stood up.

"Come on, we have to go." he said. "We haven't time to wait about for a response."

Dinranwen bit her lip after her long speech and hoped that the message got through, as Crunchyfrog led the way to the top of the roof, directly under the vortex that would take them to the Dream Chamber. As they felt the power of the vortex tug at them, the wraiths and shades made their next move.

"Giiivee usss Sasukeee...... the masterrrr waaantsss himmm!" The wraiths and shades' voices haunted the IFians ears. Dinranwen and Crunchy lifted Sasuke and Smudger, who were sucked quickly into the vortex.

"Oops! Sorry! Did you want him?" Din gave the shades a smartass grin and she and Crunchyfrog leapt upwards, and were swallowed by the vortex that flung their souls into the Dream Chamber, and simultaneously, into their own bodies.

Each IFian stretched and twisted, enjoying the feel of their own skins and, holding their breath, they quickly left the Dream Chamber and climbed out of the tunnel into the city, before the mist had the chance to affect them again.

"So, where is it we need to be again?" Din asked Crunchyfrog.