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Message: <blockquote data-quote="simmo" data-source="post: 1369091" data-attributes="member: 9744">chapter 2 What Memories May ComeLittleby went upstairs and found himself an empty  bedroom where he could advance himself in the Arts. After pouring over his books for some time he began to chant softly and draw forth magical energy slowly but surely so that it would bond to his flesh permanently. For a moment his eyes felt as if they were on fire and that the world was filled with a searing light.When his eyesight returned he tested his new powers by looking around the room carefully for the items that he had prepared earlier. Sure enough he was able to see the scrolls with magical writing right away, as well as the invisible stones that he'd placed around the bedroom.Serena also went upstairs to look for an empty bedroom and drew the memory stone that she'd bought at the Friendly Fiend from her bag. After making herself comfortable Serena began to run her slender fingers over the ugly black pendant to explore its contours. The statue was formed to look like a frog- or newt-like creature trying to escape from becoming petrified in a lump of black rock.Serena closed her eyes and in the mental mindscape reached in to the stone to draw forth the memories held within. The images that rushed out of the stone almost made her cry out as she suddenly found herself partially submerged in a swamp in a barren and ugly landscape. At the edge of the swamp stood two men in city guard uniforms who were leaning on their pole arms and passing a bottle of wine between them. The face of one of the men was clearly visible, but the other had his back turned to the swamp.For a moment Serena wanted to call out, but then she realised that these men were responsible for her current predicament. One of the guards laughed and threw the bottle in to the fetid water of the swamp grumbling about the quality of the cheap alcohol. The other guard slapped him on the back and turned to enjoy the spectacle of their former companion slowly sinking in to the dark and slimy water within the swamp.The smell of rotting vegetation and stench of a dead fhorge nearby made Serena want to reach up to a nearby dead tree. However, her torso quickly slipped lower down and she took a gulp of air as her shoulders and neck sank beneath the water line. The speed with which she was sinking deeper in to the swamp made Serena think that perhaps there was something tugging at her legs, but she did not have longer to ponder on it as the water soon reached her chin and then her nose.The last thing that she saw as the fetid water rushed up her nose and over eyes was the two guards laughing and the turning their backs before walking back towards the city. The thought of many scented flowers bloomed in her mind, before the world finally became a cold and dark memory.Serena's subconscious pulled her back from the memory within the stone before it managed to drag her in any further. When she finally opened her eyes she found that she was taking in breaths in great big gulps. She slowly climbed off the bed and made her way downstairs to join the others for a meal. As she walked down the stairs she was forced to hold on to the banister as her legs were still shaking from the experience.</blockquote>

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