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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 1893987" data-attributes="member: 10079">A few notes. This is the point where things really slowed to a crawl. Though we continued our GM switching as usual, it just seemed like things couldn't get moving. I'm going to try condensing it down to the important parts. It was just kind of bad to slow down when everything was reaching that 'we have to do something NOW!' mood.And one other thing, you can tell who was GMing pretty easily. Whenever you get angsty Akan and problematic things like that, it was usually me. Though that did eventually fade away into better things. Anytime a Star Trek name pops up, it was Voort. I take no credit for his use of Hansen, etc etc. At least I've changed how they look. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> The rest of the time its Shadow. She really didn't do all that much GMing until later. Those are the adventures I REALLY want to get to, as it introduces one of my favorite characters. But...that's still a bit of a ways off.Chapter 84: Dreams or Visions?“How many did you kill?”    Dark looked across the large domed room to the robed figure. Amazingly, He hadn’t murdered either of them yet. The news of their failure was nothing new to Him it seemed, or perhaps He was just waiting for the right time. Or both. Most likely both. It was not a time for fear, and she hoped her Akan would also push it away. In an emotionless voice, she said, “Four hundred at least.”    There was a silence as He thought on this, then the same voice echoed across the room, “I asked only for two. And I asked for them alive.”    So here it was. The question hung in Dark’s mind over whether there was a correct response. Perhaps there was one. And if she did not deliver it, she did not want to imagine the result. At the same time, hesitation was also a response. No time to think. So, Dark just said the first things that came into her mind, “They proved more difficult than we had expected.”    “You were overconfident,” the voice snapped back suddenly, not even taking the time to echo.    Another silence. He expected a response. Dark had nearly hesitated what would have been too long before nodding her head, “Yes. And I underestimated them.”    “So you kill Topsiders as payment?” the tone of the voice had changed again. Almost amused at the direction of the questions it was asking.    “They are a threat,” she responded without even having to think. The decision to kill Topsiders had been one they had made before returning.    “You are not to set foot here again unless you bring the woman,” His tone against changed, and the sound of his voice was so harsh that it sent slight pains through one’s very being. Dark was intelligent enough not to question why her Light was not mentioned. Obviously, Jen was of more importance to him. Why, she did not know, but not was truly not the time to pry.    She nodded, turned and left. Her Akan followed, and she was almost amazed to hear no comment from his mouth this time. So he knew the danger now. Good. He did speak, however, when they had reached the outside again, “So we’re going back now?”    “No,” Dark said with that lack of emotion again. She looked out over the sands and felt the calm that was gathering off near Haladin, “We will give them time to rest. They will get comfortable. Then we will have an advantage.”    “What about your Light?”    A predictable question. He seemed obsessed with Light. Though not as much with his own. Having been beaten constantly and failing worse each time was driving him into a dangerous single-mindedness. Not that Dark wasn’t immune. Yet she saw Jen as simply a target. Her Light though...a disgusting creature which Dark didn’t even care to think about. So they would wait.    Catching one of his stray thoughts, Dark looked to him, “But we do not simply have to sit around. The lizards provide some interesting sport.”    * * * *    Darkness. No. No there was a small light in the distance. How far away, Akan couldn’t tell. In fact, Akan couldn’t really tell anything. It was all distant...dark...ever extending. He took a few steps forward. The sound of his footsteps on the ground echoed through no where. Though nothing. But they spread into other sounds. Moving. Voices. All indistinct. Slowly growing though...slowly...    Akan turned to the left, hearing a cry. But nothing. That voice was familiar, though...familiar...another cry, behind him. Akan turned again, but this time saw what he assumed to be the source. Standing not far away, Akan saw Voort. He saw Voort standing next to a balcony. Not far from Voort was Jen, looking...well, looking like Jen, of course, but there was something in the eyes that wasn’t right. And then Shadow. Light? No. No. Shadow. She stood back, to Akan’s left, unmoving and looking frozen. There was an expression on her face that he’d never seen before. Fear. True fear. Horror, even.    When Akan opened his mouth to speak, Voort spoke instead. The man sounded defeated in a way Akan had never imagined. There was pain in the voice. True pain. But somehow, Voort sounded controlled, “Please, Jen...please don’t do this...”    But Jen just stared at him with those eyes. Shadow took a step forward, and looked like she was trying to say something. Akan couldn’t feel her mind through the link, which was strange, yet he could tell something was very wrong with her. No words came out, and even if they had, it likely would have been too late. Jen shot a quick look to the two Alraxians, then took a single step back. The step took her over the balcony, and Voort cried out and dove to grab her. He didn’t. Instead, just draped over the balcony, watching down below and not moving at all. Akan turned to see a stunned look on Shadow’s face.    And then Voort stood up. Too quickly. Too calmly. Too...too much unlike Voort. Pivoting easily on one foot, he looked straight to Shadow, ignoring that Akan was even there. The man looked like Akan had never seen him before. The lines across his face seemed darker and longer. His eyes held as much pain as they did a growing anger. It was everything Akan had always worried about in Voort...he’d never truly expected it to happen despite everything. But here it was. Everything. Nothing. Speaking slowly, and in a voice that sounded like that of the dead, Voort said to Shadow, “You killed her.”    Again, Shadow opened her mouth to say something. Anything. But she couldn’t find words. She took a step back. A sign of fear. Panic. For the first time in his life, Akan watched Shadow lose all determination and strength. He watched everything he knew in her fail. And somehow, he just stood there. His body wouldn’t move. Nothing would move! Yes...something would. His eyes turned to see Voort. The man had drawn his lightsaber, and one blade was already ignited. He was charging forward, raising the weapon to strike down at Shadow. And she wasn’t moving. She was standing there staring in horror. Akan wasn’t moving!! He couldn’t! What was going on?! The lightsaber fell, and before it hit anything his vision went white.    A second later, the white flashed away and Akan found himself laying on a bed in the garrison. He cried out suddenly, forcing back the sudden surge of pain that shouldn’t have even been there. A mental pain wracked his body and he found himself unable to stop seeing it. Stop seeing all of it. Over and over it replayed in his mind. And every time he couldn’t move! He just stood there! Again Akan cried out, trying to do anything to move!    Light was the first one to hear him, though it was a mix of the mental pain and his actual voice. She’d been trying to rest when a sudden wave of pain shot across the link. At first she’d thought it was physical, but the moment she heard Akan’s thoughts going crazy and then his cry, she knew otherwise. Quickly, Light got to her feet and ran over to where Akan was supposed to have been sleeping. Light found him on the bed, curled up slightly and clawing at the sheets. His tail was thumping violently against the bed and his body was changing colors slightly. Such a strong effect that his body was changing...that only happened to Alraxians with extremely strong emotions.    She moved over to him, sitting on the bed and putting her hand over his tail to at least stop the violent movement of it. Her other hand came down on his shoulder as his claws tugged at the bed, and Light said as calmly as she could, “Akan-jai...open your eyes. Its alright...its alright...” she saw a sudden image of what must have been his mind and knew that her words weren’t getting through. Light cheated and mentally pushed at him through the link. His eyes opened suddenly, and he looked up at her with fear all over him. She still held his tail down, and tried again, “Its just a dream, Akan-jai...a dream. Calm down...”    “You saw it!” he managed to say, finally calming slightly but still not able to get the image to actually go away.    “It was a dream,” Light repeating, patting his shoulder gently and trying to actually be helpful. Feeling someone else, she turned back to look at the now open entrance. Standing there, looking concerned but cautious, was Jen. Light locked eyes with Jen for a moment, not sure of what to say. The woman nodded at one of her own thoughts, and just stood there. Light sighed and was glad that Akan’s tail had finally stopped moving, “Just a dream.”</blockquote>

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