The Halls of the Ancients

[The Big Pointy One]

Stick stood up from his spot of meditation, the entrance to the underground cave. He had obtained his desired state of concentration and found himself feeling a bit weak from hunger. He sprinted over to the treehouse and rummaged through the kitchen. The only one who was around was Sliver, who was sipping on a glass of water, looking out the window.

 

"Everyone still gone?"

 

The shorter warrior nodded. "Yep, haven't received word yet... I'm sure they're fine though. What's up?"

 

"I wish I could tell you, but I'm not quite sure. All I know is that it's going to be big, and I'm not going to miss it."

 

"What *can* you tell me?"

 

"Hmm... well, William found a sword similar to yours, I think. Time will tell me for sure, but I'm *guessing* it may have similar properties."

 

Sliver glanced back to his room, paused a second then nodded, "Well, then, let's pray he'll know how to use it."

 

"Indeed." Stick grabbed a few foodstuffs and put them in a small burlap sack. He yanked an apple from a dish on the counter biting and holding on to it in his mouth. He walked into his room, grabbing a few extra pieces of clothing and a belt full of throwing knives. He paused for a moment and grabbed a length of rope and some climbing hooks. He shoved these into a medium-sized pack followed by the food. Satisfied he had enough he returned to the kitchen idly chomping on his apple. "So anyways, did you want to come along?"

 

Sliver shook his head. "No thanks... I think I'll hold the fort. *Someone has to do it* " Stick nodded. "...if you need to, you know how to contact me."

 

Stick nodded again as he fingered a silver ring topped with a small sapphire crescent moon on his right hand. "Alright, cool. Keep the place clean, eh?"

 

Sliver chuckled "Heh, no worries there Sticky. Come back alive, alright?"

 

Grinning, Stick finished his apple and tossed it in a wastebasket. "I'll put on my to-do list. See you later." Sliver gave Stick a two-fingered salute as the tall man climbed down from the balcony. Within a few minutes Stick met up with William, Gyrfalcon and Seth who had just entered a courtyard from a side door on the keep.

 

William began to speak but Stick cut him off, "If you're going underground, I'm your best guide unless a dwarf shows up, and since the air still smells fresh..."

[Falcon2001]

William stood in the library, reading from a book in his hands.

 

"Let's see here...ah ha! Here it is, the Tassan Ivori, or Sword of Roses. It is a very ancient blade with apparently Mystical powers that range from demon banishing to healing, but most appear to be rumors. The most substantiated rumors appear to be it's ability to add to a holy swordsman's skill twofold, turning him into a blademaster almost instantly. Also, it has been recording healing many differing people, so that rumor may also be substantiated. Another easily noted ability was powers of the holy kind, including enhanced damage to demons and undead. Also, it was lost over a century ago, when a renegade bard named Edward took the sword from it's resting place at Daerton Keep and ran away with it. It's current whereabouts are unknown."

 

William looked down at the white sheath. "Well, WE know where it is at least...anyway, it's easily recognizable by the roses engraved on it's hilt. The blade material is white with a tinge of blue in it, which is quite distinctive."

 

He shrugged. "That's all it says."

[The Big Pointy One]

William rolled his eyes, knowing that wherever Stick went, trouble usually followed. "All right, fine, let's go."

 

Stick grinned his famous grin and the party headed off towards the entrance to the tunnels within the Keep. Stick grabbed a torch off the wall and started walking ahead of everyone else, one hand on the earthen wall. The path began to twist and turn a bit, and the party began to get the feeling they were descending farther into the ground. After about half an hour there was a faint sound from up ahead. Stick motioned for the party to stop. He closed his eyes momentarily, seemingly in concentration. Thirty seconds later he opened them again and spoke up. "It's alright, we're approaching the first landmark, it won't be long now." Everyone nodded and continued on. Within another half an hour the sound had increased. First to dripping, accompanied by tiny rivlets of water running along the walls; to a more concentrated 'pouring' sound. The group rounded a final bend and there it was. A giant underground lake roughly the same size as the one above ground. Glowing moss and lichen dimly illuminated the area. Another lightsource came from the roof of the cavern where apparently the lake drained down into the room and casted a light blue hue over everything. Water poured down from this 'drain' creating an almost column of water that splashed into the center of the lake, creating a most wonderful feat of natural beauty.

 

 

OOC: I hope that's good enough for ya, Falcon ^.^

[Guest Lord Seth Exodus]

Seth plodded along side his companions for what seemed ages; continuosly he would glance at his pocket-watch and reassure himself that only mere hours had passed. Ever onward, ever downward they went. Seth stripped his waistcoat off, and loosened his collar on one of their much longed for breaks.

"My goodness! How far do you we have to go?"

Stick turned back from the lead to face the Noble as he dabbed at the beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Seth, it's a quest."

"Oh, right, of course. Onward then."

 

Still onward they marched; deeper into the gloom and pitch of the blackness; only Stick's torch to light the way. Now, mixing with the echo of their boots on the stone floor, the sound of trickling water resounded in thier ears. Rounding a bend they came unto a great, spirilling cylinder of water spouting down from the lake above and splashing into the clear, crystaline waters before them.

The company stood in awe before the sight. Seth reached down and picked up a smooth, round stone. With an arch of his arm he skipped the stone clear off out of sight, where a splash announced it's disappearence beneath the surface. Seth let out a long, low whistle.

"Oh my! That's quite impressive, is it not?" He set down his carpet bag and let out a sigh. "Well, now where to, gentlemen?" He took out his pipe and chewed on the stem, sat and thought.

[Falcon2001]

William spread his sleeping roll out on a nice flat surface and sat down, stretching sore legs.

 

"Well, this is the part where we sleep, guys. I'll keep second watch, someone want first?"

 

Seth raised his hand. "I'll do it, Will. I'm not going to bed for a while anyway."

 

Will sighed and laid back, his head aching. His magical awareness detected minute figures darting around, and when he looked up he saw them, tiny little fairies about as big as his thumbnail, comprised of pure magical energy. From time to time they'd dart close to the fire then zoom away.

 

William smiled and laid his head back, a feeling of peace overcoming him.

[The Big Pointy One]

Stick felt a strange yearning inside him as he made his way over to the edge of the underground lake. He shrugged it off as the re-kindling of and old wanderlust, or something similar. Regardless, his mind was all but empty as he stared off into the dimly lit water's surface. This time, physically shrugging, the tall warrior picked up a smooth stone and skipped it across the lake a few times. Nodding in satisfaction he picked up another one and skipped it across. He repeated this several times, a feeling growing inside that the rippling in the water seemed to represent this starting adventure...

[Falcon2001]

William woke up abruptly, his side stinging a little. Looking down, he noticed that he had rolled over onto the Sword of Roses, and it was digging into his ribs painfully. Rolling the other way, he found that he was suddenly wide awake. Shrugging, he got up and walked over to where Seth sat, facing the lake.

 

"Seth, I'll take over...Seth?" His elegant friend stared straight ahead at nothing. William looked around a little, then suddenly leapt back to his sleeping roll and did a somersault, coming up with the sheathed Sword of Roses in his hand. Serpent-quick he had the blade out of the scabbard and held at the ready in his hands, looking around for trouble.

 

"Come on out, whatever you are!"

 

Something in him twinged, like a muscle pulled tight in his mind, and he spun, sword cutting through the air like wind. Less than a foot from his face, a spear-wielding man dressed all in black hurtled at him silently. Reaction time was instantaneous as William brought the already-moving sword flashing upward. The white blade lodged in the man's abdomen, and he slumped against Will, knocking him down.

 

"Attack, attack! Wake up, we're under attack!" Will yelled, then pushed the dead man off of him and stood, the blood-stained Sword of Roses held in his grasp. Before him, ten more of the black-garbed men rushed forward with spears clutched in their hands.

[The Big Pointy One]

Stick stirred from the large rock where he must have drifted into a light sleep as he heard Will's call for help. He looked around and noticed ten figures draped in black wielding spears. Without a second thought he leapt to his feet, grabbing the BPS from his side. Within a few long strides he was lunging at one of the spearmen. He was deflected by a two-handed cross and quickly found a speartip flying towards his throat. Without any delay he turned ninety degrees to the right and brought up a counter-clockwise spin that sent the second assailant's spear flying into the first one. Stick did a 180 in the opposite direction and jabbed straight forward, stabbing a third spearman in the side. He dropped his left shoulder as a spearblade sung right by his ear before the third man grunted in pain. The first figure went for another jab that Stick hopped over as he brought the backend of the BPS in a slashing manuever. He brought up his right leg as he continued to jump striaght up, kicking the third man in the bottom of the chin. He brought the bps back down on the first man's skull with a sickening crunch, turning in mid-air to deflect a jab from the second opponent with his left foot. As he landed he blindly stabbed behind him and then reversed his momentum, sending a mighty jab forewards. He could see the blood dripping from the ends of the BPS in the dim cave light as he faced off with the two still-standing spearmen, all taking a momentarily break from combat. Stick suddenly found himself between two enemies, who were beginning to circle him. They sent a few idle jabs, testing Stick's reaction, which was nothing. Without warning they lunged in, on going high, the other going low. Within the blink of an eye he dropped the BPS, rolled foreward and suddenly both spearmen found knives sticking out of their throats. Stick knelt on his right leg, arms outstretched and panting heavily. He looked up to take a toll on the battlescene...

[Guest Lord Seth Exodus]

Seth looked off over the cool, dark waters as he sat on flat rock at the waters edge. He looked at his pocket watch and counted the hours until his watch was over.

"Oh dear," was he could mutter. He leaned on his cane and lit his pipe. He gazed up to the cave ceiling, lost in the dark, and blew smoke rings up to be lost out of sight. Slowly he started to drift off into thought.

 

The next thing Seth knew, Falcon was shouting of attack and grappling with a cloaked figure and Stick was surrounded by men brandishing spears.

"Seth jumped to his feet, drew his sword and lunged at one of the nearest attackers. He ran him through the heart, and bounded over the fallen man before he hit the ground.

He dove at a second man, but as he closed in the BPS flew past him and struck the man down. By the time Seth had reached the fallen man he was dead, so he turned back and stopped dead. His friends stood breathing hard, and the ground was littered with the bodies of the dead assailents.

"What on God's green earth was that?!" Seth exclaimed, sheathing his sword, and leaning hard on his cane. He took off his spectacles and looked on the blood splattered lenses with disgust.

"You're guess is as good as mine, Seth," Stick said, looking over the carnage.

"And what happened to you, Seth; fine time to take a nap." Falcon chastised Seth as he wiped blood from the Sword of Roses.

"Yes, forgive me for that, fellows. I don't know what came over me. I feel the perfect fool. It shan't happen again, I assure you. The oddest thing, though..." Seth wandered over on his own to think.

[Falcon2001]

Suddenly William turned and heaved a mighty blow, cleaving the air inches from Seth's head. Seth opened his mouth to say something, but then he felt a warm trickle on his shoulder. Looking behind him, he saw the bloody stump of an arm held over his head, the hand holding a sword a few feet away. Turning, he quickly kicked the body away and drew his sabre again as the second wave closed in and the defenders were all seperated.

 

William swung the bloody sword again savagely, his vision tinted red. No more was he the master swordsman, but a techniqueless savage, raining blows upon anyone unlucky enough to get close to him. A man fell to the ground, split messily in half by the sword, as Will tasted blood on his face. Soon he was ringed with bodies and no man dared to step near him.

 

"Come on then, you bloody fools! You brought this down!" His breathing was ragged, and his clothing was ripped in a few places. The angel on his forhead was flecked with red, giving it a wholly demonic appearance. The black-garbed warriors all stood silently, weapons held tightly in gloved fists. Will spun around, looking for anything to explain the sudden change in their behavior.

 

"I believe that you won't live long enough to exact any more revenge, warrior." A voice said from beyond the black-garbed attackers. William spun around to face it, the Sword of Roses held in both hands.

 

A figure clad in skin-tight violet walked forward through the crowd of silent adversaries. Quite obviously a woman, she held herself with the calm grace and proud stance of a fighter, and in each of her hands was a short metal rod. Her face was concealed except for her eyes, which shimmered like twin emeralds, a deep green quite uncommon. William didn't lower his sword an inch as she approached.

 

"Who are you, and who do you fight for?" William asked, his breathing slow and heavy. The woman laughed and raised one of the short steel rods. "I've come for your life, Hayden!" She called and lunged for him, the heavy rods moving faster than one would think possible. William barely had time to bring the white sword to defend against her furious onslaught.

 

Hayden? Is she from the Guild? No, she can't be...then who? Thoughts flashed through his mind as he mechanically defended against the ferocity of the woman's blows, slowly giving ground. Her eyes flashed victoriously, and he was suddenly thrust back into the present as she swung the right rod directly at his head. Without thinking, he reached up with his left hand and grabbed the rod.

 

FLOODINGBREATHINGINOUTINOUTNONONONO!

 

Her eyes widened as he grabbed the solid iron rod out of midair in his bare fist. "How do you know my name?" He asked, still holding the metal rod mere millimeters from his eye. "How do you know my name? Answer me!" He pushed back, his voice full of anger now. Her brilliant green eyes registered shock and dismay in the dim cavern.

 

NEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERCAN'TGOFURTHER!

 

He advanced, and she took a step back, their hands still clasped on the solid rod. "How do you know my past? How do you know me?"

 

KNOWINGLEADSTOFEARKNOWINGISNEVERENOUGH

 

"How do you know Hayden? Did the Guild send you?" His eyes bored holes into her.

 

LUSTLOVEBREATHINGAGAINLUSTGREENEYESHATRED

 

"Tell me!"

 

SWORDOFROSESNEVERAGAINSOLIDSTEELLIGHTINHEAVEN

 

"TELL ME!"

 

OBLIVIONABOVEINTHESKIESOFDARKENESSLEADINGTONOTHINGNOOOOTHHHIIIINNNGGG!

 

Then suddenly the Sword of Roses seemed to explode, and William fell into the deepening halo of light.

[Falcon2001]

William floated in a sea of light, his thoughts appearing in front of him like hovering flames. As he floated, he gazed downward and saw a mirror floating along, it's shining surface turning from opaque to a vision as he watched. He saw a young man in an embroidered coat standing in a crowd of other people dressed the same. They stood in a large stone hall with a raised platform at one end. William floated downwards, toward the mirror, closer and closer...

 

Will felt the tension in the air all around him like a living thing, breathing fear and apprehension. All around him, identically dressed people stood chatting nervously, making small talk. Will smirked. Fear was not something to dismiss, it was something to be harnessed, to be used for whoever was strong enough to take it. Suddenly he felt the mood change around, and he turned to the platform in time to see a man in a deep crimson cloak appear on the platform. His face was hidden by long hair the same color as the cloak, and it covered his eyes completely, giving him a mysterious look. The cloak was pinned at the shoulder with a Phoenix pin. The ruby eye of the Phoenix seemed to glare malevolently around.

 

"Today, all of you gathered here are being considered for entrance into the Guild. All of you here are risking your lives for this chance. The chance of you making it in here is very slim, and all of you are already dead to the world. Your families have recieved word of your deaths, and more than three-quarters of you will soon be lying in unmarked graves." Murmurs passed among the people at the words. Will smirked again.

 

"Now fight, all of you. The survivors will be chosen."

 

There was a momentary pause as everyone reeled at the news, but Will wasn't surprised. Immediately he drew his sword and sunk it deep into the chest of the man next to him, twisting it and pulling it out a second later. The man coughed up blood and then fell to the floor dead. Quickly turning, Will cursed the close-quarters conditions of this and drew the sword across another man's throat, sending him to the floor too. By this time, everyone else was fighting too. Will quickly tossed his sword down and grabbed two daggers from his belt, using them to fend off another man with a club. Quickly sidestepping a little, Will stabbed the knife into the man's throat and pulled it out again. Somehow he managed to avoid getting any blood on him at all as he fought.

 

William turned and drew the knife across a woman's jugular again, but something warned him as he finished. Quickly he moved to the right, faster than lightning and reached up. Catching the poisoned blade by the hilt, he finished spinning and hurled it back at the thrower, who doubled over and lay twitching. The cloaked man raised a hand.

 

"Stop."

 

Looking around, Will noted only two other survivors. One was a woman with long black hair and green eyes, and the other, a man with hair the color of snow and eyes like steel. They eyed each other warily for a while, all of them breathing a little heavily.

 

"You three are all accepted into the Guild. Pick your names now."

 

The woman sighed and stretched. "My name is Violet."

 

The man with the steely eyes didn't move, but simply said "My name is...My name will be Darkness."

 

The man in the cloak looked at William. "And your name?"

 

"Hayden."

 

The mirror blurred and grew opaque, and William found himself floating alone in the sea of light again.

[Falcon2001]

Floating...floating...William idly looked over at another mirror, which flashed and grew transparent as he looked upon it's shining surface, revealing another picture, this time of a young man kneeling on the bank of a river tossing stones into the water.

 

Plunk.

 

Hayden tossed in a stone, watched it sink to the bottom. Contemplating the ripples, he didn't even hear the steely-haired man come up behind him until he spoke.

 

"William." It wasn't a question, but a demand. Darken was that way.

 

"What is it, Darken?" William asked, throwing another rock.

 

Plunk.

 

The other man sat down next to William, his clothes immaculately tailored as usual.

 

"It's about Scorpion."

 

Plunk.

 

"What about him?" Will asked.

 

Plunk.

 

"Last night his body washed up on the riverbed near the cemetary."

 

Plunk.

 

"And what's this supposed to mean to me?" William grabbed another rock.

 

"A certain cross-shaped knife was found sticking out of his back."

 

William stared at the rock. "What are you implying, Darken?" The other man got up and turned to leave.

 

"I'm not implying anything, Hayden. But I'll say this. Phoenix knows that you carry a cross-hilted knife exactly like the one found on Scorpion...or should I say, in Scorpion." The tall assassin walked away, leaving Hayden alone again.

 

The ripples spread out from the pond, touching other ripples, and changing them irreversably. William gazed into the shining waters for hours that day.

 

A flashing sensation, and suddenly William was once more in the sea of light. Another mirror floated by, this one more ornate than the rest. The scene blurred into reality...

 

Silence reigned the huge room. A single skylight let in a patch of sunlight. Standing in that patch was Hayden, his best clothing on and his sword buckled to his side. The powerful sunbeam reflected off his shining buttons and seemed to be drawn to the sparkling hilt of his sword.

 

All around him fellow Guildmembers stood on risers, silently staring at him. He stood at the lowest point in the auditorium, having to look upwards. In front of him were three large pedestals, each reaching halfway to the vaulted ceiling. On each stood a different person, all of them wearing a different color.

 

On the left pedestal was Phoenix, crimson cloak matching his fiery hair. On the right pedestal stood Serpent, clothed in a shimmering green cloak and being the owner of long black tresses.

 

In between them, slightly higher up, stood Raven, the leader of the Guild. His cloak was jetblack, as was all of his clothing. He wore a high-necked, tight-fitting black shirt with ebon buttons. His pants were straight black pants, and his shoes were black too. His hair was black also, and perpetually hung down over his right eye, giving him a strangely mystical look. His visible eye looked down upon Hayden coldly.

 

"Hayden, member of the Assassin's Guild, you have been charged with the murder of fellow Guildmember Scorpion." The words hung in the air like palpable things, heavy and dark.

 

"How do you plead?"

 

Hayden looked around at the faces of his fellow Guildmates. None of them were smiling...except one man. A man with hair like newly cooled steel and eyes like knives.

 

And a smile that was worth a million words.

 

In that split-second, Hayden realized his fate. No longer could he live his current life the way he had been. No more easy missions and running free through the night like a falcon flying free. In that second, Hayden saw his fate.

 

And chose to accept it.

 

"Not Guilty."

 

Raven smiled a little, but his eyes were still colder than ice. "Executioner, show the accused the evidence."

 

A large man with a gigantic black axe strode forward with Hayden's knife in his hand. He stopped a few steps from Hayden, and held the knife forward.

 

"Hayden, is this your knife?"

 

"Yes it is."

 

Executioner turned and walked back.

 

"It is the opinion of this court that you are indeed lying and that the sentence be carried out. The sentence for killing another Guildmember..." He let those words hang, then his smile widened a little.

 

"...is death. Executioner, do your duty."

 

Hayden stood stock still as the Executioner strode forward. He stared straight ahead until the black-garbed man stood less than a foot away. Then he whispered something.

 

"Huh? I didn't catch that." Executioner asked, leaning forward. Hayden whispered again.

 

"What the hell are you saying?" asked the Executioner, leaning until his ear was right next to Hayden.

 

"Goodbye."

 

The uppercut took the axe-wielding man completely by surprise, sending him about a foot in the air. Twisting serpentinely, Hayden kicked him. The executioner flew through the air for a few feet then hit the ground with an audible thud and skidded.

 

Hayden looked around.

 

"My name is Hayden. Remember that. One day I will return, and when I do, none of you will survive. Until that day, you will hunt me, track me, find me. And you will lose me, miss me, and then you will die. My name is Hayden, which will be the last thing you whisper as you shuffle off of this mortal coil."

 

He looked up at Raven.

 

"Goodbye." With that he turned and strode towards the exits.

 

Serpent made as if to summon guards, but Raven raised a ebon-garbed hand.

 

"Let him go."

 

Serpent's eyes widened. "But sir-"

 

"Let him go."

 

Serpent almost said something else, then nodded her head.

 

William strode past the guards and out into the street. Looking around, he grinned coldly. A new wind was blowing, a wind of chaos and change.

[Falcon2001]

William floated randomly. Time lost all meaning, and the light seemed to fill up everything. He drifted peacefully.

 

Eventually he looked up and saw a faint dark spot, far away. An eternity later, he looked back and it was bigger. A millisecond later, it was much closer.

 

Staring at the black spot, he suddenly felt a little strange, as if he was waking up. As the feeling spread through him, the black spot got bigger and bigger until it was an inky void, threatening to swallow him up.

 

With a start he awoke.

 

The woman struggled against his grip, the iron rods shaking in her grasp.

 

"Violet. Your name is Violet."

 

She stopped struggling a little.

 

"Yes...that's where I know you from...we were in the Guild together, you and I...and Darken." William said, his brow creasing a little. Suddenly he threw her against the nearest wall with a frightening force. He held her to the wall with one arm pressed right below her neck, pinning her there.

 

"Where is Darken?" He asked, his face cold as ice.

 

"I...don't...know..." she said, her breathing a little hoarse. William's eyes grew even more intense. He ripped the Sword of Roses from it's scabbard and held it to her throat.

 

"I'll ask you one more time. Where is Darken?"

 

She choked a little and her breath came easier.

 

"He's down farther...he heard that you were coming...he's expecting you, Hayden! He'll kill you!"

 

William let her go, and she slumped against the wall. He turned away, then stopped.

 

"If you get between me and him one more time, I'll kill you."

 

With that he walked off down the tunnel, his companions in tow.

 

Behind him, the purple-garbed assassin rubbed her injured chest.

 

"Damn fool."

[Gyrfalcon]

The last assassin fell to the ground in front of Gyrfalcon, clutching at his throat and gurgling out his last moments. With a shake of his head, Gyrfalcon flicked his wrist, and his blade shed the blood that covered it. Looking up, Gyrfalcon took stock of his companions- Stick leaned on his namesake weapon, panting for breath, among a ring of fallen assassins.

 

And Seth... was nowhere to be seen.

 

Across the small pool, William held the strangely clad assassin's throat, and was staring at her in shock. The woman struggled futilely against his implacable grasp. A moment later, William gasped for breath and spoke in low tones to her. Across the lake, Gyrfalcon couldn’t hear what he had to say- but he could hear the low rasp of a boot on stone from behind him. Without looking, Gyrfalcon reversed his grip on his katana and stabbed behind him. There was a low strangled grunt, then a thud. Reversing his grip once more, Gyrfalcon sighed as he saw the new blood decorating the tip of his katana.

 

These assassins just don’t know when to stay down and act dead. Gyrfalcon thought to himself as he flicked his wrist again to rid his sword of this newest stain. He looked over, and blinked as William held the Sword of Roses to the woman’s throat. He spoke, his words still lost, but the harder tone of his voice making its way across the cavern.

 

The woman replied, and William turned away. Then he stopped, turned back slightly, and spoke once more, his expression cold. Then, with an imperious gesture, he motioned for Stick and Gyrfalcon to follow him. The two exchanged glances before walking around the perimeter of the now-bloody lake to join William.

 

“William- have you seen Seth?” Gyrfalcon asked quietly as they walked down the tunnel, a spell of light cast on the tip of Stick’s weapon lighting the way. Gyrfalcon ignored the mock-hurt look that Stick cast his way- the wood of Stick’s weapon held the druidic enchantment that Gyrfalcon had cast better then the metal of Gyrfalcon’s own katana would.

 

William broke step for a moment, but then Stick spoke. “I saw him run through a tunnel entrance with an assassin after him... but I’m not sure if it was this one or the one leading back up to the Pen’s Keep.”

 

Gyrfalcon frowned “The tunnels are a bit distinctive, I’d think...”

 

Stick smiled “I was spinning like a top to keep one of those assassins from backstabbing me.”

 

Gyrfalcon grinned, “I know what you mean- you’d think that with numbers they’d all come straight on, but nooo... they kept on going for a backstab.”

 

Elsewhere...

 

Seth muttered a curse to himself that he would never use in polite company.

 

“Where are my glasses? I know they’re around here somewhere...” Seth muttered to himself as he crawled across the rough stone of the tunnel’s floor. Stone... stone... assassin... wonderful, now I have to clean off my hands again. Couldn’t he have the decency to... glasses.

 

“Oh yes, they just have to land in the puddle of blood. I’m never going to get all the blood off of them now.” Seth said in disgust as he stood, took out an already bloodstained handkerchief, and began to wipe his glasses off as best as he could.

 

After several moments, Seth looked around, and muttered to himself again. A moment later, a softly glowing ball of light appeared next to him and illuminated the tunnel. Seth frowned to himself as he looked around, but he couldn’t find anything distinctive to mark whether he had been in this tunnel before or not- or even which way he was turned. Sighing, Seth bent and retrieved his cane, then retrieved his sword with some distaste from the body of the assassin. Looking around for something to use to wipe it off, Seth finally had to resort to the assassin’s clothing before he sheathed his sword.

 

When I started off on this adventure, I thought it would be peaceful, mostly. Instead, only one night out, and we’re ambushed on my watch, and then attacked again only a few minutes later!

 

Frowning, Seth took another glance around, then decided to choose a direction to begin walking. If he was in the Pen’s tunnel, he would no doubt end up back in the cavern or in the Pen’s basement. If he was in the other tunnel, he would end up in the cavern or the others would catch up with him. Either way, he saw no reason to worry for himself.

 

Still, his thoughts turned to his friends, who he had last seen in conflict.

 

“May the Lord God watch over them.” He murmured in half-prayer for his friend’s safety, though he intellectually knew that with their combined skills, they would most likely be safe.

[Falcon2001]

William strode forward through the darkness, his guided by a past that came flooding back.

 

"See, Hayden? You just go through here a ways. Down here, the Guild will find new life!" Darken said, his smile colder than the stone walls all around them. "No more of the city, here, deep in the country, we shall run the operations from here!" They walked down in almost pitch-darkness, their footsteps echoing. Hayden didn't know how long they had walked, though it had probably been the better part of a day since he had seen sunlight.

 

Suddenly the narrow tunnel opened up into a huge chamber, it's ceiling expanding far beyond where Hayden's meager light touched. The path sloped down from here, to where a group of sharp-eared drow worked at shaping huge black marble blocks. Beyond them, human workers strained at moving assorted types of stone.

 

Vicious spread his arms wide. "Welcome to the new home of the Guild!" His laugh sent a chill down Hayden's spine, then he turned to him with intense gray eyes. "Come with me, Hayden! Help me overthrow Raven, and we'll rule the Guild together, as parters! You and I are the strongest, you know that! Together, nobody could stop us, not Raven, not Phoenix, no one!"

 

Hayden opened his mouth to speak, but didn't say anything. Instead, he just shook his head. Darken's gaze grew sere.

 

"Then that's your decision."

 

There was a creaking noise as William took his first step onto the bridge.

 

"You couldn't just leave well enough alone, could you, Hayden?"

 

Hayden's eyes opened wide as he recognized the voice.

 

Hayden walked into his room at the Guild, his feet sore from all the walking. Taking his cross-hilted knife from his belt, he laid it on his nightstand and went into the bathroom to bathe. As he laid in the bathing tub, he sighed and felt the hot water ease his sore muscles and relieve the constant tension. He fell into a light slumber, and didn't hear the door open on soundless hinges...

 

"You could never just leave things alone, could you? You just had to come down here after me, didn't you?" The voice repeated, growing nearer and nearer.

 

Hayden awoke to the sun shining in through his little window and arose. Walking over to his nightstand, he was slightly puzzled. 'I'm sure I left it right here when I got in the bath...hmm...oh well, it'll turn up. I don't have an assignment today, so I won't need it' once again unworried, he dressed in his traditional clothing and went down to grab a bite to eat. As he stepped out, two men walked up to him. "Come with us, Hayden. You're under trial for the murder of Scorpion. Please come with us right now."

 

"Well, you've been a fool one too many times, Hayden, and now you're going to pay for it." A tall man with hair the color of steel and eyes sharper than knives walked forward out of the darkness, which seemed to play around him like hungry spirits. William put a hand on the handle of the Sword of Roses, his eyes narrowing to frozen slits.

 

"Darken."

 

The other man bowed elegantly. "The one and only, Hayden. I see that Violet was unable to stop you. Unfortunate. She'd have killed you quickly, you know." He put a hand to his sword-hilt also, and a hungry look came over his face. "I won't be so nice.

 

Hayden walked through the empty halls of the Guild, his sword out and his senses alert. He had come for revenge, and found the place emptier than a tomb...something smelled like a rat. As he stepped through the door to the main hall, he found a single man standing at the other end. Hayden walked forward until he could make out the pure-black clothing.

 

"Raven."

 

"Hayden."

 

"Raven, what happened here?" Hayden asked. "Where's Darken?"

 

Raven smiled gently. "He came in one day and killed Phoenix and Serpent. He was too strong, he took over the Guild and moved it to somewhere deep underground." He reached inside his cloak and drew out a sabre. "Come on, Hayden. Show me what you're made of!"

 

The two combatants stood frozen, crouched. "I won't forgive you, Darken. Not after all that you've done."

 

Raven slumped against the wall, his black clothes damp with blood. His face bore a smile, though. "You...were much stronger...than I expected...Hayden." He said, coughing up red flecks into his hand. Hayden knelt next to him. "You...would...have...made...a much...better...leader than...Darken..." Raven coughed some more, and Hayden shushed him.

 

Raven shook his head slowly. "Let...me tell you...a story...Hayden." He coughed a bit more, and his strength seemed to come back.

 

"There once was a bird who was caught in a cage. He wanted to get free more than anything else in the entire world. He spent all his time trying to be free, and in doing so, became a cold bitter bird who made all the other birds in the cage do his work. One day the bird finally got free, but the instant he broke free of the cage, he was killed by a cat who was waiting."

 

Raven coughed again, and blood oozed out from between his lips.

 

"Don't be that...bird...Hayden. Don't...make...the...same...mistake that...I...d..i...d..." And with that, Raven died.

[The Big Pointy One]

Stick was irked. He didn't have a clue what was going on. He didn't know who this 'Darken' character was, although he did realise he was an obvious enemy. Unforunately, he also realised that he probably wouldn't be able to offer much assistance to Will; not without hurting him at least. Regardless, he took up a defensive stance, readying a pair of throwing knives in his right hand. He just hoped Darken didn't bring along any friends.

[Falcon2001]

Suddenly William ran forward across the rickety rope and wood bridge, the white blade of the Sword of Roses nothing more than a blur as it whizzed toward Darken. The steel-haired adversary flicked his blade out and countered, pressing William back.

 

"Just die, Hayden!" Darken hissed and swung again, his sword aiming for a vital organ. William spun his sword, blocking Darken's attack and bringing the sword up to parry an overhead blow.

 

"There's no way I can let you live, Darken. No way in hell, which is where I'll be sending you!" He thrust forward, narrowly avoiding a smiliar move from the dark-garbed adversary. They flung past one another and instantly reversed to send their blades cutting through the air at the other.

 

William's compatriots looked for an opening, but were hard pressed to find one. Both William and Darken were fairly matched, and the Sword of Roses wasn't giving Will any advantage either. Stick wasn't going to give up, though, and ran forward, hoping to get a nice shot with his kunais.

 

The bridge they were fighting on, however, had been there since the Drow had first moved in, and was held together by god-knows-what. As Stick crept towards the fighters, he stepped on a board that had seen more days than many rocks had. The board creaked for a second, then gave, sending Stick diving. His arms flung out and he managed to catch hold of the ropes, but he accidentally threw one of his razor-sharp knives at the same time.

 

The knife whizzed through the air and cut one of the main support beams inches from where Gyrfalcon stood. The rope snapped like a whip and the entire bridge tilted. Darken clutched wildly at the edge of it and held on, while William also held on for dear life to the bridge. Nearby, Stick's leg was entwined in a bit of rope and he was dangling.

 

Slowly, Darken eased himself away from William, who also made his way to the edge. Agonizing seconds later, Gyr's hand was almost within reach. William reached out his hand, and was abruptly shaken. Darken was shaking the bridge wildly, trying to dislodge his ex-partner. William held on for his life, and managed to weather the storm.

 

"Even if you managed to stay on, you're still going to fall! Die, Hayden!" Darken screamed and slashed the other main rope with a large knife. The bridge buckled under it's own weight, and Gyrfalcon's hand was suddenly very far away, and growing farther...

 

William Azunost and Stick both plummeted into the Abyss, while Darken ran off into the caverns from where he had pulled himself up.

 

"WILL! STICK!" Gyrfalcon yelled, but they were already gone.

[Falcon2001]

William plummeted downward, the sword of roses held tightly in his fist. Funny how he still worried about losing it, even though he was sure he was about to die. For an eternity he fell, and all around him suddenly was filled with the scent of rose petals.

 

Eternity fell into nothingness

and it stopped.

[Gyrfalcon]

Gyrfalcon pressed his back against the tunnel wall and counted the number of arrows left in his quiver by touch- seventeen. Of course, that meant thirteen assassins dead, but it didn’t seem to lessen their numbers any.

 

“All right, lets see if you’ve finally gone away.” Gyrfalcon whispered soundlessly before spinning away from the wall, pulling his bow taut as he stood in the entrance to the bridge chamber once more. His half-elven eyes cut through the gloom to pick out one black-clad shape, and without pause, Gyrfalcon aimed and loosed his arrow. At such a short range, no more then 60 feet, the figure was slammed against the opposite wall by the force of the arrow. In return, a pair of crossbows clicked before the assassins dove for cover. Both bolts flew wide, but they forced Gyrfalcon back none the less, as was their purpose. The assassins had learned at the cost of fourteen of their number not to underestimate either Gyrfalcon’s skill or the might of his composite longbow.

 

With a soft sigh, Gyrfalcon slipped back into the tunnel. For whatever reason, the assassins meant to hold that chamber, and alone, Gyrfalcon had no chance and no way to force his way across.

 

Silently, he unstrung his longbow and replaced it on his back, then drew his katana and ghosted down the hallway, footsteps silent in the darkness.

 

Elsewhere...

 

Seth muttered to himself as he entered the chamber and gazed at the waterfall once more. A beautiful chamber, if you ignored the corpses scattered across it... and a pair of carrion crawlers messily feeding on one of the bodies. Seth averted his eyes to avoid losing the contents of his stomach. Scavengers, whether above ground or below, were messy feeders. Suddenly, Seth stopped. If he came down one tunnel, and his companions had gone down the other... they would have encountered and probably have killed these creatures, unless they came from a third tunnel!

 

Ten minutes of searching proved nearly fruitless, until Seth noticed the trails of water across the stones, and searched near the pool. Finally, he noticed a deeper darkness behind the waterfall, and carefully slid behind the waterfall to discover that it indeed was a tunnel, slopping downwards. With a deep breath, Seth started down into the deeper darkness. Behind him, the carrion crawlers fed.

[The Big Pointy One]

Darkness surrounded Stick as he fell down the cavern. He had lost sight of William, but was sure he was somewhere near him. Regardless, he knew he had mere seconds to think of something before the hard earth claimed his life. Stick closed his eyes, reaching out emphatically for a branch, a root... even a pool of water. Nothing. However, the energy of Terra surrounded him, and he felt like he could mould it, as if it were clay. That's when it hit him. Falling wouldn't hurt so bad if the ground were softer. He searched out again for some water, and found another smaller underground lake far below him. Reaching out with his will alone, he commanded the water upwards. Meanwhile, he gathered a small amount of energy in his hands and blasted straight down in an attempt to superheat the floor, or at least break it appart a bit. From the light generated he could see that William was still falling about ten fight below him, and he had at one point lost his consciousness. All that was left now was hope. Stick closed his eyes again, offered a prayer to Nature and spread his arms as if to embrace to coming earth.

 

After a scant minute Will and Stick slammed into the ground which was now some rather deep mud. For Stick, everything went black as he slipped away from consciousness.

[Falcon2001]

William awoke.

 

His head hurt like an orchestra was playing inside, and all over he had cuts and scratches. His clothes were caked in mud, but that all fell off the magically imbued fabric as he drew himself painfully to his feet. A strange glowing lichen grew on all of the walls, giving off a sickly green glow.

 

He cracked his neck and looked around at the surrounding area. Stick lay a few feet away, prone on the muddy ground. William walked over carefully and nudged him with his foot.

 

"Go'way...I'm sleepy..."

 

"Wake up, Stick."

 

Stick blinked a little.

 

"Why's it so dark?"

 

William sighed. "We're underground, Stick. We just fell an unknown distance."

 

Stick groaned. "Great. I'm going back to sleep. Wake me when it gets worse." He closed his eyes.

 

William shrugged and looked around for something more solid than the wet clay all around them. He nudged Stick again.

 

"What?" Stick asked.

 

"You know how you said that I should wake you when it gets worse?"

 

"Yeah."

 

William shrugged. "Well, it just did."

 

Stick opened his eyes to a crossbow inches from his face. William stood stock still between three people with strange carved masks and crossbows.

 

Stick sighed again.

[Gyrfalcon]

Seth crouched down a little closer to the rock and listened closely to the two figures at the far end of the cavern. He had extinguished his light when he had heard the sounds of their approach down one of the many tunnels that opened into this chamber and was relieved that there was enough fungus that glowed in this cavern that he could see, if only barely.

 

One of the figures, a patch of blackness against a general dark green turned to the other and spoke.

 

“ Yar na bladk?” It said in a questioning tone, and Seth grimaced. He couldn’t speak the language, but he’d heard it enough times before that he could identify the speaker, a goblin. The other figure, somewhat larger, only grunted, red eyes gleaming in the darkness. As it slowly scanned the cave, Seth crouched down lower against the stalagmite and waited, hoping to avoid notice.

 

A novice in the Underdark, Seth didn’t know that the larger figure, an orc, was using infravision, looking for the patterns of heat that distinguished a living creature, and that Seth’s cool stone concealment, which normally would have hid him perfectly, only made his body heat standout more.

 

“ Yar! Yar bladk na sa cax!” The larger figure said in harsh tones, pointing his arm unerringly at Seth. He had to restrain a curse as he stood and unsheathed his rapier, somehow he had been found.

 

With hooting yips, more figures spilled from the tunnel the orc and goblin had come from, and Seth slipped around the stalagmite and set his back to it to prevent the creatures from encircling him. Grimly, Seth clenched his teeth and muttered a prayer to God as the goblin swarm attacked.

 

The first goblin’s shrill war cry ended in a gurgle as Seth smoothly lunged and ran the point of his rapier through its throat. The next goblin suffered a pierced heart and the third was sorely wounded as it scrambled away. After that, the goblins formed a semi-circle around Seth and feinted but refused to close, afraid of his skill. In the back, the orc snarled and whipped the backmost with a cat of nine tails, urging them on. An impetuous pair of goblins lunged for Seth and with two almost negligent moves, he sent both to whatever deity they held dear.

 

Seth panted slightly as he waited for the next goblin to attack him. The tension grew greater as the goblins began to slowly shuffle closer, feinting with their short spears and rusty swords, growing bolder as they saw that Seth, despite his speed, couldn’t be anywhere at once. Slowly, the goblins convinced themselves that while the ones on the other side would die, they personally, would not.

 

The orc roared an order and snapped his multi-tailed whip over the heads of the goblins, and the goblins on Seth’s left attacked. Seth began to whisper a prayer commending his soul to the Lord God as he waited for the goblins on the right to attack his undefended side.

 

Instead, the goblins on the right and in the center began to push and shove, screaming. Above it all was the whistle of a blade parting air, ending in the sounds of meat being chopped. Seth finished with the last goblin attacking him for the moment and threw himself to the right, his rapier’s tip bringing death with it as it lashed and probed among the goblins. Putting aside honor for the moment against the numerically superior but cowardly foes, Seth killed several goblins with their backs turned to them before the others realized that they were now being attacked on two sides. Never brave, the goblins panicked utterly and began to push and fight each other to get away from their slayers. Those on the edges of the swarm bolted down the nearest tunnels and Seth came face to face with Gyrfalcon.

 

“What are you doing here?” Seth gasped, struggling for breath. Gyrfalcon responded with his customary grin, made ominous by the blood splashed across his face.

 

“I heard the party and felt slighted for not being invited to attend, so I invited myself. Want som- Urk!” The half-elf clawed at his throat as he was pulled to the floor and towards the orc leader, who was still alive and had several tails of his whip wrapped around Gyrfalcon’s throat. To insure the half-elf’s death, the orc held a heavy-bladed knife in his other hand. He dragged the half-elf into range and bent to cut Gyrfalcon’s throat, but instead stiffened and died as Seth ran him through.

 

The chamber grew quiet as the last goblins fled with the death of their leader, and Gyrfalcon ripped the thongs from around his throat. He breathed in a deep breath of the cool air gratefully. “I hate whips. Thanks Seth, if not for you, I’d be in serious pain right now.” He commented to the air above him as he lay on his back.

 

“You are more then welcome. Are you alright, Gyrfalcon?” Seth said, leaning on his cane, which he had picked up again.

 

“Oh, sure... nothing like a good fight to get the blood moving in the morning, one or another of my friends always said.” Gyrfalcon said as he rolled over and pushed himself up. Quickly, he started to check that all the goblins were dead and not faking the condition to put a knife in his or Seth’s backs.

 

Seth paused, then asked cautiously “I’ve lost all track of time... is it morning already?”

 

Gyrfalcon looked up from one of the goblins? “Huh? Oh, no, mid-afternoon, I think. Don’t quote me on that though, these caves make it hard for me to keep track of time myself.”

 

Seth nodded and carefully cleaned his rapier with a scrap of cloth before sheathing it inside his cane once more. “How did you find me? I’ve quite lost my way, and I was just heading in a downward direction hoping to come out at the bottom of the pit that Falcon fell down.”

 

Gyrfalcon shook his head “Actually, I was just heading downward to see if I could find a path to Falcon or Stick. It’s likely that there isn’t such a path, at least not directly. It would have been more intelligent of you to head back to the Pen, like I thought you did.”

 

Seth flushed, but then narrowed his eyes. “And what are you doing following this path, then?”

 

Seth sensed Gyrfalcon’s grin in the darkness, and smiled in response to his cheerful reply. “Because I’m not intelligent sometimes. Well, since we’re both being fools, let’s continue on together, shall we?”

 

Seth gave a courtly bow. “Certainly, my good friend. On one condition though...”

 

“Yes?”

 

“We clean up at the next pool we find, blood does horrible things to silk, and frankly, I’d rather we didn’t smell like dead goblins.”

[Guest ntraveler2]

OOC: Tell me if you don't like my butting in ASAP. If you don't mind and don't say anything, I'll take it as a welcome. I introduce my character, Rat.

 

Seth suddenly whipped around as he sensed a movement a few feet away from him. Gyrfalcon took the hint and readied his weapon.

"What was that?"

They looked around to find a dark shape crumpled against the wall, half concealed by a corpse. A quick look and diagnosis revealed that it was a young human male, dressed in black clothes, deep in mild orc-venom induced sleep. He showed signs of some mild wounds. Obviously he was overwhelmed by the whole gang of creatures here, and succumbed to the venom before he took too much damage. He seemed to be very much alive, however, and Seth and Gyrfalcon looked at each other quizzically as they decided what to do with him...

[Guest Lord Seth Exodus]

Seth once again was cleaning his blood spattered spectacles as Gyrfalcon went about ensuring the fate of the goblins which littered the ground.

"If this is going to become a regular event I'm not sure how well I'm going to like this quest," he said trying to add a little of his own humor. Replacing his spectacles before his eyes, he stooped and retrieved his travel bag, which he had stowed against the wall when first we was detected by the goblins.

"Right, shall we go then?" asked Gyrfalcon.

"I suppose. Onward, and downward then." Seth gave a small sigh of exassperation as they started off; this was becoming more trying than he had expected.

 

A stirring in the shadows behind them made both men turn; Gyr spun with the readiness of a warrior, drawing his weapon, Seth with the slow, yet curious air of a gentleman. A soft moan eminated from one of the goblin corps.

"I thought you made sure they were all dead, Gyr." Seth said, a little concern in his voice.

"I did," Gyr replied. "and I've never heard a wounded goblin make that noise before," he stated matter-of-factly.

Upon closer inspection they found that the noise wasn't coming from the dead monster, but rather, from behind it. They rolled the fallen beast over and found a crumpled and prostrate figure slumped against the wall.

"A gremlin, perhaps?" Seth asked, not wanting to get too close.

"Get real, Seth." Gyr reached down and pulled the hood from the figures face. "It's a human. But how the devil did he get here?"

"Now, let's not bring in any other unwanted partys to the situation, please; the devil, I'm sure, had little to do with this," Seth said without pausing. He opened his carpet bag and started to search through a number of viles, bottles, and the like.

In the meanwhile Gyr felt around the man's, for indeed he was male, body, looking for any serious wounds.

"He's asleep; due to something from the goblins, no doubt. Otherwise he is fine." Gyr turned to what Seth was doing.

"What have you got there, m'lord?"

"Years ago I took up the study of alchemy; fasinating subject, really," Seth replied as he filled a small silver seringe from one of the bottles. "This is a mild anti-toxin, it should help bring him around."

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Seth?" Gyr said with a smile.

"I can only try. There," Seth straightened up from the man with the empty seringe in hand. that should do it. It's just a matter of time now; I'd give it," Seth glanced at his pocket watch, "twenty minutes or so. Might as well have a seat, dear friend." Seth replaced the things into his bag, lit his pipe and took a seat on the floor.

"Now," said Seth, turning to Gyrfalcon. "This puts a slight ruffle into things, what are your thoughts, my good sir?"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I hope that will suffice for now, all. Welcome to the thread, Ntraveler.

 

Yours,

Lord Seth Exodus

[Guest Lord Seth Exodus]

ntraveler2 posted,

 

OOC: 'prostate' figure??? ROFL one of the funniest misspellings ever. And I hope this is enough for now.

 

Rat opened his eyes, and instantly felt for his weapon. It was an automatic response, built into his system like a primal instinct due to the dangerous life he had led. How in the name of the damned Serpents of the Nine Hells he had gotten tangled up in this mess was something he did not want to remember. His brilliant purple eyes took in most of the details in the chamber.

 

He turned to his rescuers and scowled briefly.

'So I am debted to these strangers. Bother.'

He got up, dusted himself off and gave them a little salute.

"You can call me Rat. No surprise why they call me that, you can tell by looking at me."

He brushed away stray tufts of his bushy black hair and tended to his equipment. Yes, they were all there. thanks to his natural skills at hiding stuff, and of course the enchantment hiding them, they had not noticed it. He took off the enchantment and the two other men looked at the reappearing nose ring, pendant, and bracelet with mild surprise. The style of enchantment was somewhat unfamiliar to them. Rat noticed their expressions.

"My methods of magic is a personalized form of Shartan sorcery. A mix of unorthodox magic from all over the world. My journey here also happens to be a quest for more magical knowledge. And what might be your names, my good sirs?"

Lord Seth Exodus posted,

 

As Seth's elixir began to take effect in the little man, and began to come around, Seth got up and stood beside Gyr. He swept his cane up under his arm and both were a picture of authority; Gyrfalcon standing firm, his hand resting on his sword, Seth with naught but his spectacles visible in his dark silhouette, gleaming in the light of the embers in his pipe.

The little fellow grabbed for some weapon hidden upon his person, though, finding no threat simply stood, brushed himself off, and looked on the two men before him.

After Rat’s rather blunt and impolite introduction Seth stepped forward.

"Hum... Rat, was it? Well, I am the lord Sethryn Exidious; a pleasure," Seth said, bowing.

“I am Gyrfalcon,” the ranger stepped abreast with Seth and held a hand out to help the man up. The stranger, however, ignored the aid and got to his feet on his own accord. Turning from the others he began to fiddle with some of his equipment, which had appeared rather suddenly.

Well,” Seth began, slightly taken aback by the man’s behavior, “now that we’re all acquainted some answers are in order, I think.”

“Yes, just how did you get down here, and exactly what king of ‘magical knowledge’ are you after?” Gyrfalcon asked sternly.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

OOC: Oh my, yes, sorry for the grammatical error in my last post; thank you, Ntraveler. Well, this is the best I can do at the moment. Carry on, all.