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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 3190895" data-attributes="member: 5203">Osborn looked around at the devastation, his mind reeling.&nbsp; “Dear Ladta,” he whispered.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; He stood in the ruins of the tenement building he’d been to last night.&nbsp; He had been on his way back to Kyle and Autumn’s residence after a successful mission at the front lines, when he saw Autumn leaving with a strange elven woman dressed as a servant.&nbsp; But there had been a strange look in Autumn’s eyes, and the woman with her didn’t move or act much like a servant, but more like she was in charge.&nbsp; Curious and wary, but not sure what was going on, he followed them to the abandoned tenement in the slums, and saw them disappear through the portal.&nbsp; He tried to follow, but couldn’t get the gateway to work, and he noticed that three people were hidden in the tenement, obviously waiting for something.&nbsp; Realizing he would need help, he left and started to round up a few of the men secretly under his command.&nbsp; He also made contact with some of Aran’s people, as he assumed that psionics were involved.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Once of those psions now spoke to him.&nbsp; “They’re Kristyan’s people, all right, sir,” he said.&nbsp; He and his companion had been examining the two bodies they’d found in the courtyard when they’d arrived.&nbsp; One looked as though the falling debris had paralyzed him, and then his skull had been brutally smashed in.&nbsp; The telltale signs of Tolly’s maul marked the manner of death of the second.&nbsp; Osborn recognized them as two of the people left behind.&nbsp; The third was nowhere to be seen.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The other psion was examining the doorway that Autumn had vanished through with the elf.&nbsp; “A psionic portal, as you suspected, General,” she said.&nbsp; “And recently used.&nbsp; Only someone trained in our disciplines could activate it.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Arrie,” he concluded.&nbsp; He turned to address the soldiers and smugglers milling about the courtyard.&nbsp; “Listen up, men!&nbsp; You can see around you what kind of people we’re dealing with here.&nbsp; They were willing to destroy an entire neighborhood of innocent people just to cover their tracks.&nbsp; Do you think they will show you mercy if you yield?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “No sir!” came the simultaneous reply.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I want three squads to stay in the area and try to help these people out.&nbsp; Another two squads will remain here to secure the area.&nbsp; The rest of you are going in with me.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The men moved into position, and Osborn went up to the front as the psions activated the portal.&nbsp; Hold on guys, he thought, I’m coming.*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The dagger rose into the air, the blade glittering in the dim light of the cavern.&nbsp; Meeranda smiled wickedly.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Suddenly, Autumn’s bound form vanished, reappearing on the ground next to Arrie.&nbsp; Kyle was standing above the psion atop the stone dais, his face a rictus of anger.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Surprise, bitch,” he said, reaching out with a hand enveloped in writhing black necromantic energy.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Nearby, the hordes of Tauric soldiers began to charge in, as the chanting of their war bards began to fill the tunnels.&nbsp; With a few words and a gesture, Tolly raised a blade barrier that nearly bisected the cavern, cutting off half of their opposition.&nbsp; Lanara rose into the air and flew toward the dais at the far end of the chamber, trying to cast a spell on Meeranda as she flew.&nbsp; The spell was easily resisted by the psion, even as she backed away from Kyle’s deadly touch.&nbsp; Kyle was forced to jump back to the other side of the dais, putting the stone table between himself and his three opponents.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Arrie and Tolly moved to engage the first waves of Taurics. Several of the troops farther back drew bows and fired on Lanara, though only one or two were able to get past the protective spells she had cast earlier. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle felt the familiar pressure of a psionic power being manifested nearby, and he steeled himself.&nbsp; He felt a sudden hard pressure in his chest, and felt his heart skip a beat, but managed to shake off the effect.&nbsp; At the same time he saw one of Meeranda’s companions erect a globe of invulnerability, even as the other one suddenly ran off at an unbelievable rate of speed to engage Tolly, unleashing a flying kick at the priest.&nbsp; Meeranda herself gave Kyle a contemptuous look, and then vanished, reappearing just behind the blade barrier.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Psionic teleportation,” he grumbled, “damn.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Several yards back, Tolly traded blows with Meeranda’s monk companion, while Arrie slashed at Taurics.&nbsp; The warrior managed to sneak in a quick backslash at the ropes binding Autumn, who was beginning to rouse herself and stand.&nbsp; The sentinel tore out of the ropes, and stood up shakily as blood began to flow back into her legs.&nbsp; Arrie drew Anyweapon and tossed it into her sister’s hands so she could defend herself.&nbsp; As Lanara’s own bardic song began to fill the cavern from above and drowned out the Tauric bards, Autumn shifted the weapon into the form of a greataxe and began to hack into a nearby wemic.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Arrie looked over at Tolly through a sea of Tauric troops.&nbsp; He had already used divine power to increase his size and strength, and with another spell his flesh took on the appearance of hard iron.&nbsp; “Isn’t it time for one of your room-clearing spells of indiscriminate destruction?” she shouted.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You’re too close!” He shouted back.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Since when has that stopped you?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Good point!”&nbsp; Tolly tried to step back to utter a spell, but had to abandon his plan when the monk pressed his attack.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Meeranda suddenly appeared near Kyle again, and unleashed a barrage of powers at him.&nbsp; Kyle found himself covered in sticky ectoplasm even as he felt Meeranda trying to take over his mind.&nbsp; Kyle fought off the control easily, but before he was able to respond Meeranda vanished again.&nbsp; Kyle’s scowl turned into a malicious grin when he noticed that Meeranda’s wizard companion had moved out of his globe of invulnerability to target Tolly with an anti-magic ray.&nbsp; Kyle stepped up behind him and unleashed his own spell, draining away the wizard’s life force and channeling it into himself.&nbsp; The sudden distraction allowed Tolly to resist the wizard’s ray, but the priest’s respite was brief, as another wave of Taurics came at them.&nbsp; He exchanged worried glances with Autumn and Arrie.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Suddenly, there was a large commotion from the tunnel behind them.&nbsp; “Not more,” groaned Arrie, as she wiped blood out of her eyes.&nbsp; But apprehension soon turned to elation when she saw Osborn run into the room at the head of several dozen men.&nbsp; A spray of daggers from Osborn took down four Taurics, and his troops rushed forward to support the Legacy, pushing Meeranda’s forces back.&nbsp; Now able to focus on more dangerous opposition, Tolly and Arrie turned and landed a series of heavy blows on the monk, incapacitating him, and then began to pick out Tauric commanders and some of the larger creatures to take on.Meeranda appeared close to Kyle again, and unleashed a blast of acid from her mouth, enveloping him.&nbsp; Kyle felt the acidic liquid seep through his robes, burning his flesh, but he was far more concerned about the rapid assault on his mind.&nbsp; Meeranda was manifesting powers faster than any other psion he’d faced, and the psychic battery was wearing his resistance down.&nbsp; Suddenly, he felt a violent, crushing pressure on his psyche, which he could no longer resist…Perched in relative safety near the ceiling, using various broken stalactites as cover, Lanara was able to survey the entire battle scene.&nbsp; She had tried to use a variety of spells and abilities against Meeranda, but was unable to effectively target the psion as she jumped from one side of the blade barrier to the other, playing cat and mouse with Kyle.&nbsp; Lanara saw Meeranda teleport close, blast him with acid, and then continue to glare at him hatefully.&nbsp; She saw Kyle crumple to the ground, and a moment later the impenetrable barrier of a resilient sphere sprang into being around Kyle’s unmoving form.&nbsp; Meeranda cackled and moved back to the far side of the whirling blades, among the hordes of Tauric troops still walled off behind them.&nbsp; Lanara tried to use the power of her anarchic bloodline to inflict the psion with blindness, but again she resisted the power.Tolly swept his maul around, killing a pair of hobgoblins and wounding a centaur, and then resisted a dispelling by the enemy wizard.&nbsp; As he turned to start making his way toward the spellcaster, he saw another figure emerge from one of the side tunnels.&nbsp; She was unarmored, but carried a shield and a bloodied longsword.&nbsp; More blood had sprayed across her arms and into her golden hair.“Autumn?”Tolly turned again and looked.&nbsp; No, there was Autumn, greataxe in hand, fighting next to Arrie.&nbsp;&nbsp; Clearly, one was an imposter.&nbsp; Well, the Inquisition had ways of ferreting out an imposter.The Ardaran never had a chance to utilize his skills, however, as the two Autumns spotted each other, and with a simultaneous cry of anger they rushed at each other, their blades ringing as they smashed together.&nbsp; The Autumn with the greataxe tried to disarm the other one, and received a deep slash on the forearm for her trouble.Osborn’s men had managed to push the Taurics back a little, allowing the hin to move in close to Tolly while giving Arrie the room she needed to break free and start making her way across the room to where Kyle lay inside the resilient sphere.“You see what kind of trouble you guys get into when I’m not around?” Osborn shouted at Tolly.&nbsp; The former circus performer grinned, but the grin suddenly froze on his face, and his eyes glazed over.&nbsp; Tolly noticed a similar glazed look on Arrie’s face, although the warrior was able to shake it off quickly and proceed on her mission to get to Kyle.&nbsp; Osborn, however, was not so fortunate, and Tolly soon found himself on the receiving end of one of Osborn’s storms of thrown daggers.&nbsp; Fortunately, Tolly was heavily layered in protective magic, and the daggers did little damage.&nbsp; A moment later, Osborn was able to assert his own will over Meeranda’s domination again.“You see what kind of trouble we get into when you are around?” Tolly said to him, pulling one of the daggers out from between two plates of armor and tossing it back to the hin.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pushing her way through the enemy, Arrie emerged on the far side of the room near the stone table, and saw that Kyle’s sphere had been dispelled by the enemy wizard, and that same wizard was now bent over Kyle’s form.&nbsp; Arrie rushed around the dais to get a clear shot at the wizard, but hesitated for a half-second when she realized that the wizard was binding Kyle’s wounds.&nbsp; She wondered for a moment if the wizard was betraying Meeranda, but she dismissed that idea.&nbsp; Arrie suspected that Meeranda was a thrallherd, a telepath that specialized in dominating and controlling large numbers of victims.&nbsp; The wizard was likely under her control, and not acting of his own free will.&nbsp; The real answer came to her quickly – Meeranda wants us all alive.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; By this time the wizard, seeing the danger he was in, had moved away from Kyle.&nbsp; Arrie could see that Kyle’s familiar Violet had pulled a healing potion out of his belt, but her efforts to save him were being hampered as the raven was now locked in a vicious struggle with the enemy wizard’s own familiar, a large mole.&nbsp; The mole scampered off as Arrie ran up and popped open the vial, carefully pouring the liquid down Kyle’s throat.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Further back, the Taurics had regrouped and were now pressing Osborn’s people backward, and soon the Legacy was back in the midst of chaos.&nbsp; But this time, Tolly saw, Arrie was further away, well out of range.&nbsp; Moments later, a holy word rang out, echoing against the cavern walls.&nbsp; Dozens of Tauric troops fell over dead, went rigid in mid-stride, or began staggering around, clutching their now useless eyes.&nbsp; Unfortunately, many of Osborn’s men experienced the same fate.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Grabâkh’s left testicle!” Osborn swore.&nbsp; “Those were my men!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I thought they would be of higher moral standing than that,” the Ardaran replied.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “They’re thieves!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Despite the miscalculation, the field of battle was now relatively clear, and Tolly now had a clear line to charge the wizard, an opportunity he did not pass up.&nbsp; He was caught on the way in by another acidic blast from Meeranda, who had just popped back into view, and for a moment the priest had cause to miss the resistance to caustic substances he once had before his recent reforging.&nbsp; But the psion’s appearance finally gave Lanara the opportunity she was waiting for, and the cansin swooped down and blasted both Meeranda and the wizard with a shout.&nbsp; Meeranda was only slightly perturbed, but the wizard shrieked and clasped his hands to his ears.&nbsp; Moments later, as Tolly came within maul range, the wizard uttered the words of a dimension door spell and teleported to safety.&nbsp; Deprived of a target, Tolly instead took a moment to heal some of the wounds he’d received in battle.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The two Autumns continued to battle fiercely, exchanging blows at a furious rate.&nbsp; But finally the longsword-wielding sentinel found an opening and plunged her blade deep into the heart of her twin.&nbsp; As the second Autumn fell, she shifted and changed into a gray-skinned humanoid with long, spindly limbs.&nbsp; The other Autumn, apparently the real one, dropped the sword and picked up Anyweapon, already in the form of a greataxe, and then turned to engage Meeranda.&nbsp; Tolly and Arrie were also closing in on the psion, who blasted all of them with another wave of acid breath, and then used another power on Tolly, transferring all of her own wounds to the priest’s body.&nbsp; With a final condescending smirk, Meeranda vanished.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Damn,” said Arrie, looking around, “what a mess.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Meeranda got away,” growled Autumn.&nbsp; “She wanted to take us all to Kristyan.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We know,” Tolly said.&nbsp; “But I don’t think she’ll be getting the reward she was hoping for now.”&nbsp; Tolly regarded the nearby blade barrier.&nbsp; “Are the Taurics still over there, Lanara?” he called up to the bard, who was just landing.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “A few, but they seem pretty passive,” the bard said.&nbsp; “They got to see enough of what we did over on this side, and most of them ran off.&nbsp; They’re clustered over at that end of the wall.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Let’s get them to surrender and take some prisoners,” Tolly said.&nbsp; “They may have information.”&nbsp; He raised his hands and dismissed the wall of magical blades, on the other side, a group of about thirty Tauric soldiers stood pressed against a wall.&nbsp; Their weapons were out, but the fire had gone out of their eyes.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “In the name of the Affon Alliance,” Tolly shouted, “I order you to drop your weapons and…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly’s speech was interrupted by screams of agony, and the Legacy watched as the entire group shriveled up into a heap of desiccated corpses.&nbsp; They all turned to see Kyle, eyes flashing, as he completed the horrid wilting spell and then began looking around the cavern wildly.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Where is she?” Kyle snarled.&nbsp; “Where?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Kyle!” Autumn shouted, running up.&nbsp; “I’m right here!&nbsp; I’m safe!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle seemed not to see his wife standing in front of him.&nbsp; “Where is that psionic bitch?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Um, she’s gone,” Autumn said, somewhat taken aback.&nbsp; “She teleported away just a few moments ago.” Autumn pointed toward the spot they had last seen the psion.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle started to walk toward a tunnel near where Autumn had pointed.&nbsp; “She has to have gone this way.&nbsp; She has to have line of sight to teleport down here.&nbsp; We can find her.&nbsp; We can destroy her!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly put out a hand and caught Kyle by the arm.&nbsp; “We, or you?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What difference does it make?&nbsp; We can’t let her just get away!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Kyle,” Tolly said calmly, “you’re barely standing as it is.&nbsp; Meeranda is long gone.&nbsp; We can only hope that one day we find her again.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Arrie came up quietly behind Kyle, and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.&nbsp; “We’ll get another chance, Kyle, I know it.&nbsp; Her and Xerxes and Kristyan and the others.”&nbsp; She reached out and gently pried the Scion’s Staff out of Kyle’s white-knuckled grip.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Finally, Kyle seemed to relax.&nbsp; “Another time,” he said slowly.&nbsp; “Sorry, guys, I thought I could take her.&nbsp; She was more powerful than I thought, more powerful than the other psions I’ve faced in the war.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The party offered Kyle words of reassurance, and then they all went to offer what aid they could to Osborn’s wounded, and to see if there were any Taurics alive to interrogate.&nbsp;&nbsp; Once they had done what they could, the Legacy made their way back to the psionic portal, and once again emerged into the slums of Noxolt, now teeming with activity as people ran about through the ruins of the nearby buildings, looking for survivors.&nbsp; Those of Osborn’s people who could walk under their own power had soon vanished into the throngs, leaving the Legacy standing alone in the ruins.*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn stood atop one of the palace’s highest towers the next night, looking north.&nbsp; She couldn’t see very far, of course, since Noxolt sat inside of a wide, low valley.&nbsp; Which made it all the more disconcerting to see the faintest traces of campfire light reflected in the clouds on the northern horizon.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “They’re getting closer,” Arrie said, walking up to the rail next to her sister.&nbsp; “But the terrain between there and here will make it hard for them to advance very quickly.&nbsp; We’ll hold them off for a while yet.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “But not forever,” Autumn said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “No, not forever.”&nbsp; Arrie put an arm around Autumn’s shoulder.&nbsp; “What brings you up here?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’ve been moved into the Palace proper until the Imperial Guard can complete their investigation of the staff at my apartments, and those of the Emperor’s other vassals, to make sure there aren’t any more doppelganger spies running around.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Or until they load us up on the Armadillo for whatever this new secret mission is,” sighted Arrie.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn answered with a noncommittal sound.&nbsp; In truth, she’d forgotten all about the fact that they were only in Noxolt long enough for the Tlaxan Navy to outfit their ship.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You seen Tolly around?” Arrie asked to change the subject.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “He’s been spending his time down in the slums, helping the people who were injured or killed when those buildings collapsed.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “That’s appropriate, since he’s the one that knocked them over,” Arrie replied.&nbsp; “Is it just me, or does Tolly seem like he’s become less and less concerned with who is in the way when he sets his mind to something?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “None of us are perfect, Arrie,” Autumn said in response.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah, but it seems like some of us are moving away from perfection pretty darned fast.&nbsp; Kyle’s a lot more vicious than he used to be, too.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What can we do, Arrie?” Autumn sighed.&nbsp; “We’re stuck in this war just like everyone else.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah, but not the way we should be.”&nbsp; Arrie moved back from the railing.&nbsp; “I’ve been talking it over with Herion.&nbsp; After this sea mission, I think we should strike out on our own.&nbsp; No more missions for the Alliance.&nbsp; We know what’s really behind this whole invasion, and it’s time we started going after the ones who are responsible.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I agree,” said Autumn, “but you know that doing that is going to bring a lot more people like Meeranda out after us.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Another good reason for the Legacy to be nowhere near any of the Alliance’s cities or her armies,” Arrie said.&nbsp; “Hopefully that way we’re the only ones affected by the consequences.&nbsp; Besides, if it does draw people like Meeranda out of hiding, so much the better.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn thought about it for a minute.&nbsp; Then she embraced her sister.&nbsp; “It sounds perfect,” she said with a smile.---------------------------------So, you're now officially caught up.&nbsp; Our next game is tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have a new entry soon.&nbsp; Happy Thanksgiving!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 3190895, member: 5203"] Osborn looked around at the devastation, his mind reeling. “Dear Ladta,” he whispered. He stood in the ruins of the tenement building he’d been to last night. He had been on his way back to Kyle and Autumn’s residence after a successful mission at the front lines, when he saw Autumn leaving with a strange elven woman dressed as a servant. But there had been a strange look in Autumn’s eyes, and the woman with her didn’t move or act much like a servant, but more like she was in charge. Curious and wary, but not sure what was going on, he followed them to the abandoned tenement in the slums, and saw them disappear through the portal. He tried to follow, but couldn’t get the gateway to work, and he noticed that three people were hidden in the tenement, obviously waiting for something. Realizing he would need help, he left and started to round up a few of the men secretly under his command. He also made contact with some of Aran’s people, as he assumed that psionics were involved. Once of those psions now spoke to him. “They’re Kristyan’s people, all right, sir,” he said. He and his companion had been examining the two bodies they’d found in the courtyard when they’d arrived. One looked as though the falling debris had paralyzed him, and then his skull had been brutally smashed in. The telltale signs of Tolly’s maul marked the manner of death of the second. Osborn recognized them as two of the people left behind. The third was nowhere to be seen. The other psion was examining the doorway that Autumn had vanished through with the elf. “A psionic portal, as you suspected, General,” she said. “And recently used. Only someone trained in our disciplines could activate it.” “Arrie,” he concluded. He turned to address the soldiers and smugglers milling about the courtyard. “Listen up, men! You can see around you what kind of people we’re dealing with here. They were willing to destroy an entire neighborhood of innocent people just to cover their tracks. Do you think they will show you mercy if you yield?” “No sir!” came the simultaneous reply. “I want three squads to stay in the area and try to help these people out. Another two squads will remain here to secure the area. The rest of you are going in with me.” The men moved into position, and Osborn went up to the front as the psions activated the portal. [I]Hold on guys,[/I] he thought, [I]I’m coming.[/I] [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] The dagger rose into the air, the blade glittering in the dim light of the cavern. Meeranda smiled wickedly. Suddenly, Autumn’s bound form vanished, reappearing on the ground next to Arrie. Kyle was standing above the psion atop the stone dais, his face a rictus of anger. “Surprise, bitch,” he said, reaching out with a hand enveloped in writhing black necromantic energy. Nearby, the hordes of Tauric soldiers began to charge in, as the chanting of their war bards began to fill the tunnels. With a few words and a gesture, Tolly raised a [I]blade barrier[/I] that nearly bisected the cavern, cutting off half of their opposition. Lanara rose into the air and flew toward the dais at the far end of the chamber, trying to cast a spell on Meeranda as she flew. The spell was easily resisted by the psion, even as she backed away from Kyle’s deadly touch. Kyle was forced to jump back to the other side of the dais, putting the stone table between himself and his three opponents. Arrie and Tolly moved to engage the first waves of Taurics. Several of the troops farther back drew bows and fired on Lanara, though only one or two were able to get past the protective spells she had cast earlier. Kyle felt the familiar pressure of a psionic power being manifested nearby, and he steeled himself. He felt a sudden hard pressure in his chest, and felt his heart skip a beat, but managed to shake off the effect. At the same time he saw one of Meeranda’s companions erect a [I]globe of invulnerability[/I], even as the other one suddenly ran off at an unbelievable rate of speed to engage Tolly, unleashing a flying kick at the priest. Meeranda herself gave Kyle a contemptuous look, and then vanished, reappearing just behind the blade barrier. “Psionic teleportation,” he grumbled, “damn.” Several yards back, Tolly traded blows with Meeranda’s monk companion, while Arrie slashed at Taurics. The warrior managed to sneak in a quick backslash at the ropes binding Autumn, who was beginning to rouse herself and stand. The sentinel tore out of the ropes, and stood up shakily as blood began to flow back into her legs. Arrie drew Anyweapon and tossed it into her sister’s hands so she could defend herself. As Lanara’s own bardic song began to fill the cavern from above and drowned out the Tauric bards, Autumn shifted the weapon into the form of a greataxe and began to hack into a nearby wemic. Arrie looked over at Tolly through a sea of Tauric troops. He had already used divine power to increase his size and strength, and with another spell his flesh took on the appearance of hard iron. “Isn’t it time for one of your room-clearing spells of indiscriminate destruction?” she shouted. “You’re too close!” He shouted back. “Since when has that stopped you?” “Good point!” Tolly tried to step back to utter a spell, but had to abandon his plan when the monk pressed his attack. Meeranda suddenly appeared near Kyle again, and unleashed a barrage of powers at him. Kyle found himself covered in sticky ectoplasm even as he felt Meeranda trying to take over his mind. Kyle fought off the control easily, but before he was able to respond Meeranda vanished again. Kyle’s scowl turned into a malicious grin when he noticed that Meeranda’s wizard companion had moved out of his [I]globe of invulnerability[/I] to target Tolly with an [I]anti-magic ray[/I]. Kyle stepped up behind him and unleashed his own spell, draining away the wizard’s life force and channeling it into himself. The sudden distraction allowed Tolly to resist the wizard’s ray, but the priest’s respite was brief, as another wave of Taurics came at them. He exchanged worried glances with Autumn and Arrie. Suddenly, there was a large commotion from the tunnel behind them. “Not more,” groaned Arrie, as she wiped blood out of her eyes. But apprehension soon turned to elation when she saw Osborn run into the room at the head of several dozen men. A spray of daggers from Osborn took down four Taurics, and his troops rushed forward to support the Legacy, pushing Meeranda’s forces back. Now able to focus on more dangerous opposition, Tolly and Arrie turned and landed a series of heavy blows on the monk, incapacitating him, and then began to pick out Tauric commanders and some of the larger creatures to take on. Meeranda appeared close to Kyle again, and unleashed a blast of acid from her mouth, enveloping him. Kyle felt the acidic liquid seep through his robes, burning his flesh, but he was far more concerned about the rapid assault on his mind. Meeranda was manifesting powers faster than any other psion he’d faced, and the psychic battery was wearing his resistance down. Suddenly, he felt a violent, crushing pressure on his psyche, which he could no longer resist… Perched in relative safety near the ceiling, using various broken stalactites as cover, Lanara was able to survey the entire battle scene. She had tried to use a variety of spells and abilities against Meeranda, but was unable to effectively target the psion as she jumped from one side of the [I]blade barrier[/I] to the other, playing cat and mouse with Kyle. Lanara saw Meeranda teleport close, blast him with acid, and then continue to glare at him hatefully. She saw Kyle crumple to the ground, and a moment later the impenetrable barrier of a [I]resilient sphere[/I] sprang into being around Kyle’s unmoving form. Meeranda cackled and moved back to the far side of the whirling blades, among the hordes of Tauric troops still walled off behind them. Lanara tried to use the power of her anarchic bloodline to inflict the psion with blindness, but again she resisted the power. Tolly swept his maul around, killing a pair of hobgoblins and wounding a centaur, and then resisted a dispelling by the enemy wizard. As he turned to start making his way toward the spellcaster, he saw another figure emerge from one of the side tunnels. She was unarmored, but carried a shield and a bloodied longsword. More blood had sprayed across her arms and into her golden hair. “Autumn?” Tolly turned again and looked. No, there was Autumn, greataxe in hand, fighting next to Arrie. Clearly, one was an imposter. Well, the Inquisition had ways of ferreting out an imposter. The Ardaran never had a chance to utilize his skills, however, as the two Autumns spotted each other, and with a simultaneous cry of anger they rushed at each other, their blades ringing as they smashed together. The Autumn with the greataxe tried to disarm the other one, and received a deep slash on the forearm for her trouble. Osborn’s men had managed to push the Taurics back a little, allowing the hin to move in close to Tolly while giving Arrie the room she needed to break free and start making her way across the room to where Kyle lay inside the [I]resilient sphere[/I]. “You see what kind of trouble you guys get into when I’m not around?” Osborn shouted at Tolly. The former circus performer grinned, but the grin suddenly froze on his face, and his eyes glazed over. Tolly noticed a similar glazed look on Arrie’s face, although the warrior was able to shake it off quickly and proceed on her mission to get to Kyle. Osborn, however, was not so fortunate, and Tolly soon found himself on the receiving end of one of Osborn’s storms of thrown daggers. Fortunately, Tolly was heavily layered in protective magic, and the daggers did little damage. A moment later, Osborn was able to assert his own will over Meeranda’s domination again. “You see what kind of trouble we get into when you [I]are [/I]around?” Tolly said to him, pulling one of the daggers out from between two plates of armor and tossing it back to the hin. Pushing her way through the enemy, Arrie emerged on the far side of the room near the stone table, and saw that Kyle’s sphere had been dispelled by the enemy wizard, and that same wizard was now bent over Kyle’s form. Arrie rushed around the dais to get a clear shot at the wizard, but hesitated for a half-second when she realized that the wizard was binding Kyle’s wounds. She wondered for a moment if the wizard was betraying Meeranda, but she dismissed that idea. Arrie suspected that Meeranda was a thrallherd, a telepath that specialized in dominating and controlling large numbers of victims. The wizard was likely under her control, and not acting of his own free will. The real answer came to her quickly – [I]Meeranda wants us all alive[/I]. By this time the wizard, seeing the danger he was in, had moved away from Kyle. Arrie could see that Kyle’s familiar Violet had pulled a healing potion out of his belt, but her efforts to save him were being hampered as the raven was now locked in a vicious struggle with the enemy wizard’s own familiar, a large mole. The mole scampered off as Arrie ran up and popped open the vial, carefully pouring the liquid down Kyle’s throat. Further back, the Taurics had regrouped and were now pressing Osborn’s people backward, and soon the Legacy was back in the midst of chaos. But this time, Tolly saw, Arrie was further away, well out of range. Moments later, a [I]holy word[/I] rang out, echoing against the cavern walls. Dozens of Tauric troops fell over dead, went rigid in mid-stride, or began staggering around, clutching their now useless eyes. Unfortunately, many of Osborn’s men experienced the same fate. “Grabâkh’s left testicle!” Osborn swore. “Those were my men!” “I thought they would be of higher moral standing than that,” the Ardaran replied. “They’re thieves!” Despite the miscalculation, the field of battle was now relatively clear, and Tolly now had a clear line to charge the wizard, an opportunity he did not pass up. He was caught on the way in by another acidic blast from Meeranda, who had just popped back into view, and for a moment the priest had cause to miss the resistance to caustic substances he once had before his recent reforging. But the psion’s appearance finally gave Lanara the opportunity she was waiting for, and the cansin swooped down and blasted both Meeranda and the wizard with a [I]shout[/I]. Meeranda was only slightly perturbed, but the wizard shrieked and clasped his hands to his ears. Moments later, as Tolly came within maul range, the wizard uttered the words of a [I]dimension door[/I] spell and teleported to safety. Deprived of a target, Tolly instead took a moment to heal some of the wounds he’d received in battle. The two Autumns continued to battle fiercely, exchanging blows at a furious rate. But finally the longsword-wielding sentinel found an opening and plunged her blade deep into the heart of her twin. As the second Autumn fell, she shifted and changed into a gray-skinned humanoid with long, spindly limbs. The other Autumn, apparently the real one, dropped the sword and picked up Anyweapon, already in the form of a greataxe, and then turned to engage Meeranda. Tolly and Arrie were also closing in on the psion, who blasted all of them with another wave of acid breath, and then used another power on Tolly, transferring all of her own wounds to the priest’s body. With a final condescending smirk, Meeranda vanished. “Damn,” said Arrie, looking around, “what a mess.” “Meeranda got away,” growled Autumn. “She wanted to take us all to Kristyan.” “We know,” Tolly said. “But I don’t think she’ll be getting the reward she was hoping for now.” Tolly regarded the nearby [I]blade barrier[/I]. “Are the Taurics still over there, Lanara?” he called up to the bard, who was just landing. “A few, but they seem pretty passive,” the bard said. “They got to see enough of what we did over on this side, and most of them ran off. They’re clustered over at that end of the wall.” “Let’s get them to surrender and take some prisoners,” Tolly said. “They may have information.” He raised his hands and dismissed the wall of magical blades, on the other side, a group of about thirty Tauric soldiers stood pressed against a wall. Their weapons were out, but the fire had gone out of their eyes. “In the name of the Affon Alliance,” Tolly shouted, “I order you to drop your weapons and…” Tolly’s speech was interrupted by screams of agony, and the Legacy watched as the entire group shriveled up into a heap of desiccated corpses. They all turned to see Kyle, eyes flashing, as he completed the [I]horrid wilting[/I] spell and then began looking around the cavern wildly. “Where is she?” Kyle snarled. “Where?” “Kyle!” Autumn shouted, running up. “I’m right here! I’m safe!” Kyle seemed not to see his wife standing in front of him. “Where is that psionic bitch?” “Um, she’s gone,” Autumn said, somewhat taken aback. “She teleported away just a few moments ago.” Autumn pointed toward the spot they had last seen the psion. Kyle started to walk toward a tunnel near where Autumn had pointed. “She has to have gone this way. She has to have line of sight to teleport down here. We can find her. We can destroy her!” Tolly put out a hand and caught Kyle by the arm. “We, or you?” “What difference does it make? We can’t let her just get away!” “Kyle,” Tolly said calmly, “you’re barely standing as it is. Meeranda is long gone. We can only hope that one day we find her again.” Arrie came up quietly behind Kyle, and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “We’ll get another chance, Kyle, I know it. Her and Xerxes and Kristyan and the others.” She reached out and gently pried the Scion’s Staff out of Kyle’s white-knuckled grip. Finally, Kyle seemed to relax. “Another time,” he said slowly. “Sorry, guys, I thought I could take her. She was more powerful than I thought, more powerful than the other psions I’ve faced in the war.” The party offered Kyle words of reassurance, and then they all went to offer what aid they could to Osborn’s wounded, and to see if there were any Taurics alive to interrogate. Once they had done what they could, the Legacy made their way back to the psionic portal, and once again emerged into the slums of Noxolt, now teeming with activity as people ran about through the ruins of the nearby buildings, looking for survivors. Those of Osborn’s people who could walk under their own power had soon vanished into the throngs, leaving the Legacy standing alone in the ruins. [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] Autumn stood atop one of the palace’s highest towers the next night, looking north. She couldn’t see very far, of course, since Noxolt sat inside of a wide, low valley. Which made it all the more disconcerting to see the faintest traces of campfire light reflected in the clouds on the northern horizon. “They’re getting closer,” Arrie said, walking up to the rail next to her sister. “But the terrain between there and here will make it hard for them to advance very quickly. We’ll hold them off for a while yet.” “But not forever,” Autumn said. “No, not forever.” Arrie put an arm around Autumn’s shoulder. “What brings you up here?” “I’ve been moved into the Palace proper until the Imperial Guard can complete their investigation of the staff at my apartments, and those of the Emperor’s other vassals, to make sure there aren’t any more doppelganger spies running around.” “Or until they load us up on the [I]Armadillo [/I]for whatever this new secret mission is,” sighted Arrie. Autumn answered with a noncommittal sound. In truth, she’d forgotten all about the fact that they were only in Noxolt long enough for the Tlaxan Navy to outfit their ship. “You seen Tolly around?” Arrie asked to change the subject. “He’s been spending his time down in the slums, helping the people who were injured or killed when those buildings collapsed.” “That’s appropriate, since he’s the one that knocked them over,” Arrie replied. “Is it just me, or does Tolly seem like he’s become less and less concerned with who is in the way when he sets his mind to something?” “None of us are perfect, Arrie,” Autumn said in response. “Yeah, but it seems like some of us are moving away from perfection pretty darned fast. Kyle’s a lot more vicious than he used to be, too.” “What can we do, Arrie?” Autumn sighed. “We’re stuck in this war just like everyone else.” “Yeah, but not the way we should be.” Arrie moved back from the railing. “I’ve been talking it over with Herion. After this sea mission, I think we should strike out on our own. No more missions for the Alliance. We know what’s really behind this whole invasion, and it’s time we started going after the ones who are responsible.” “I agree,” said Autumn, “but you know that doing that is going to bring a lot more people like Meeranda out after us.” “Another good reason for the Legacy to be nowhere near any of the Alliance’s cities or her armies,” Arrie said. “Hopefully that way we’re the only ones affected by the consequences. Besides, if it does draw people like Meeranda out of hiding, so much the better.” Autumn thought about it for a minute. Then she embraced her sister. “It sounds perfect,” she said with a smile. --------------------------------- So, you're now officially caught up. Our next game is tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have a new entry soon. Happy Thanksgiving! [/QUOTE]

Verification