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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Droid101" data-source="post: 1777931" data-attributes="member: 942">“Xyxtactil,” Jezda says.“Za-who, what?” Eltharion asks.“Xyxtactil.  That was the leader of the Grendle, up north.  The one who controlled my mind to make me join.  He had a squid for a head…” Jezda says, looking around cautiously.“Don’t worry, he’s not here, you have nothing to worry about,” Eltharion reassures him.  They were eating breakfast.“I’m scared he might come after me.  I can’t forget that smell, the burning metal, the smell of someone prying into my head,” Jezda says, a look of fear in his big, goofy orcish eyes.“We’ll protect you.  That’s what being friends means,” Eltharion says.  A look of relief washes over Jezda.“Thanks.”……….They Heroes are gathered together in the teleportation chamber.  Drez and Zenziez, the deep gnomes who control the machine are standing at the ready.“All right, we’re going to teleport you in two groups of four, and one final group of two.  That way, we can control the flow of the machine better.  No more mishaps!  I promise!” Drez states, stepping up to the machine.“Better not be…” The Necromancer mumbles.The two gnomes begin to manipulate the teleportation machine, the blue crystal mounted in the center begins to glow, and a similar blue glow surrounds The Necromancer, Grog, Jezda and Trek-Donal.  They vanish from view.“Okay, next team, you’re up,” Drez states, looking to Ogrim, Eltharion, Bink and Damaré.  The gnomes begin to manipulate the machine again……but don’t have the chance to finish.  Two daggers come flying in from different angles.  One looks mundane, and it pierces the neck of Drez, the tip can be seen on the other side.  The other dagger is pure glowing blue energy.  It stabs deep into the back of Zenziez.  Both of their legs’ buckle, and they collapse to the ground.“NO!” Eltharion yells, running around one of the cabinets where a dagger came from.  A figure, cloaked all in black, with a black goatee, and wide-brimmed hat.  “Dendybar…”In a flash blades are dancing.  Dendybar draws a longsword and a dagger, and spins toward Eltharion.  Eltharion likewise draws his flaming and sylvan scimitars (which isn’t flaming, due to the anti-magic from the teleportation device), and closes for melee.  Blades meet blades, as they strike and parry at each other.  Ogrim runs around the other side to get behind Dendybar, putting him in a tight spot.Damaré and Misani run around the other shelf unit and see a dark skinned elf.  His hair is spiked out in every different direction, and he holds a blade in his hand made of pure blue energy.  He throws it at Damaré as he rounds the corner, who takes the sharp thing to his shoulder.  He winces at the pain and reaches to pull the blade out.  But it has already vanished.  The dark elf is holding another one, and is charging toward Misani.Misani draws her punching dagger and concentrates.  The weapon fuses to her arm, becoming a part of her body, allowing her greater fluidity and control over it.  The dark elf stabs at her, slicing her arm as she tries to dodge.Bink readies his falchion, and stays at the ready.  Dendybar takes a grazing axe hit from Ogrim at the same time.  Several cuts from Eltharion sneak through, as well.  Senman turns the corner and throws three throwing knives at Dendybar, who takes all three in the forearm.”Argh… Kev’Zen, retreat!” Dendybar rolls and tumbles past Ogrim and out of the door leading away from the teleportation device.“I’ll finish you later,” the dark elf says as he concentrates.  Psionic energy surrounds him, and he vanishes from view.  Misani stabs at where he used to be, but feels nothing.  She ends her power and her dagger comes free from her arm.Bink, Eltharion and Ogrim charge out of the room after Dendybar.  They see him reach the end of the corridor and turn.  An arcane utterance is heard from around the corner, and when they get there, he is gone.“Dimension door…” Bink grumbles.  “How did he know that the teleportation device made an area of anti-magic around it after it is used?  Why didn’t he just try to teleport away while in the room?  How could he have known?”“But that dark elf teleported away fine.  And he even had those magical daggers.  And wait, Misani fused that dagger to her arm fine too.  What gives?” Damaré asks, as his dagger-wound is healed by Eltharion.“That’s psionics… slightly different from magic.  I guess anti-magic doesn’t affect psionics the same way it affects magic,” Bink responds.  “What worries me, is that not only is Dendybar here in Brunswick, but he’s gotten in the castle, and he has an ally.”They check the bodies of Drez and Zenziez.  Both are fully dead.“I think I’m going to be sick…” Senman says, not really in reaction to the grisly scene, but more at the fact that they are separated from their friends again.“You think they got to the giants okay?  I wonder if they’ll wait for us before going in,” Eltharion asks.“I don’t know… they may expect an error with the machine again, and just go in by themselves,” Bink replies.  “We should check the castle and make sure those guys are gone…”They split up and take a look around, telling any guard they see of what just happened.  Bink, Eltharion and Ogrim happen upon Adlai.“Adlai, something terrible just happened…” Bink starts.“Yeah… I know.  Don’t go into the king’s chamber…” Adlai says, dejected, he walks away, down toward the main hall.“Huh?” Eltharion peers into the room, turning his head away as soon as he does so.“What is it?” Bink asks.  Bink and Ogrim look, and likewise look away.“Dendybar is going to die for this…” Eltharion states, drawing a nod from the others.The king’s magnificent bed is covered in blood.  On the wall, spelled out in blood, it says “You will SUFFER.”  On the bed lays the corpse of the beautiful queen; her wrists and neck cut savagely.Everyone gathers in the main hall.  Adlai sits upon the throne.“These are difficult times that we live in…” Adlai starts, the Heroes nod.“…and we must pull together if we hope to…” he is interrupted.The magnificent double doors that lead to the outside courtyard burst open.  King Wallace Brunswick enters.  Much cheering can be heard from outside, from the populace.“Well met, everyone.  How have you all been?” the king asks, his raven hair blowing and his armor glistening.“Been better,” almost in unison.“Where are the others?  Did the other knights fall?” Adlai asks.“Oh, no, they are staying down there, dealing with the problem.  I felt I needed to return home to take care of my people,” Wallace says.“You couldn’t have come at a worse time…” Adlai says, and he explains everything that just happened to the Wallace.  The king stands very still, and very quiet for a minute.“I’ll be going to my study.  Please get my bedroom cleaned,” a stern faced Wallace heads upstairs to his private study at the top of the castle’s tower.“I guess we shouldn’t worry about the giants now.  I don’t think we should leave until everything here has settled down,” Eltharion says.“I would appreciate it if you all stayed until we figured out what Dendybar and his lackey are up to,” Adlai responds.  A messenger comes down the stairs, and hands a note to Adlai.  He reads it, then looks at the party.“By Wallace’s word, you all have to leave…” Adlai reads.“What?  But we’re…” Eltharion starts.“Don’t worry, he’s decreed that everyone who isn’t a guard or a servant should leave the castle, for their own safety.  I’ll set you all up at a nearby inn.  I’ll make sure to send a messenger to you if we need anything here,” Adlai explains.“All right,” Bink says, as he, Ogrim, Eltharion, Senman, Damaré and Misani walk out of the castle.“Something’s fishy,” Eltharion says.“Yeah, something doesn’t seem right.  Hopefully we’ll get more clues later…” Bink says.  They reach the inn and rest for the night.………Dendybar is crouched behind a case full of vials, beakers, and other such alchemical items.  Their plan was to allow as many of those idiots to get teleported away as possible, leaving that damned elf, dwarf, and sorcerer behind, so that they can be dealt with accordingly.They insulted me, Dendybar thought, they’ll die, more painfully than the king’s wife did.  The first group was teleported.  The second included Eltharion, Ogrim, and Bink.  Looks like they’d have to act now.Dendybar trusted Kev’Zen to react quickly, so he lined up his shot and took it.  With a precise throw at the gnome the game was on.  He severed his spinal cord through his neck.  Kev’Zen did the same, but in the back of the other gnome.“NO!” a the voice of the elf, that damned elf!  A smile crossed his lips as the elf came around the case, and they drew their weapons simultaneously.  Steel met steel and they fought.  The dwarf came in behind him, however.Damn, he thought, I can’t handle them both at the same time.  Time for a tactical retreat.“Argh… Kev’Zen, retreat!” he yelled, rolling and tumbling past the dwarf and out of the room.  Gotta get far enough away from that machine before I can teleport, that’s what Xyxtactil said.  So he ran around the corner, and cast dimension door.  He was back at his inn room.  Kev’Zen showed up moments later.“Okay, I’ve got to get ready.  Is my horse waiting?” Dendybar asked.“Yes, everything is set.  Just get outside.  Xyxtactil and I are ready when you give us the call,” the dark elf replies.“Good,” Dendybar applied his disguise.  After a combination of makeup, rubber masking, and the alter self spell, Dendybar was the splitting image of king Wallace Brunswick.“Very convincing, though, I’ve never seen this king,” Kev’Zen said.“Just teleport me out of the city, so that I can come riding in, all heroic like,” Dendybar said, “They won’t know what hit them…”Are the Heroes in serious trouble?  Do they know who is their enemy and who is their friend?  Isn’t Xyxtactil the name of the leader of the Grendle?  What the heck is going on here!?  This and more, next time.</blockquote>

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