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Message: <blockquote data-quote="akira1" data-source="post: 4524873" data-attributes="member: 64437">Dr Zhindzhe versus Opal"His mind is very strong Opal and he will not yield the information we seek without a struggle." The High Priestess Ysilia spoke telepathically to her Superior in the Cadre, Opal Mardochan. Quite calmly Ysilia, stood and adjusted her silk dress, red with a floral pattern in golden thread, as she faced her superior, her deep blue eyes unblinking and slightly challenging.  Biting off the oath she was about to utter at this womans defiance Opal stared back at her subordinate with equal fervor. She said quite plainly not using the telepathic means of communication, "Mind probes are not the only way to acquire the information we need Ysilia. I would have thought your years of priestess training would have impressed upon you the illogical thought processes that comes with relying totally on a single ability...." Opal stopped and studied Ysilia a minute before she continued, " Perhaps you need to be reeducated?"  For a split second the calm challenging stance that Ysilia had adopted towards her direct superior shattered like so much glass and Ysilia nervously licked her lips at Opal's pronouncement. Seizing on her opponents moment of weakness, Opal pressed on relentlessly, "Do not ever dare to challenge me Ysilia. While you are a potent Priestess and telepath, I run the Cadre and am second only to the Scion himself for power in this city. I can hurt you in ways you did not even know existed."  Ysilia's lovely blue eyes widened at the cold calm in her superiors voice and quickly reassessed her position within the Cadre. She prudently stepped back, a sign of submission as Opal stared quite calmly at her. Clinically Opal began, "Now, what have we been able to salvage from the memories of the great Dr Adiago Yurobo Zhindzhe?"  Ysilia quickly began to inform Opal of what she had learned, "He has memories of meeting the adventurers known as the Tainted. He also possesses a great number of mental defenses and subterfuges. The information that I did get from him, I had to wrest from his mind and even then I am not 100% certain that what I got was not a carefully crafted lie on his part. His training reminds me of the Shezurite Sisterhoods mental training. He doesn't directly confront any assault. He subtly diverts it and then gains control of it somehow...."      Sensing her unspoken words at this point Opal pressed, "What else Ysilia!"      With a resigned sigh Ysilia stated, " I think he found out more about me than I found out at all about him Opal."        "Then you have failed?"  Came the flat reply from Opal.    Shaken, Ysilia meekly bowed her head at this statement. Spots danced before her eyes as the full armed slap of Opal Mardochan set her sprawling to the cold stone floor of the observation room in the torture chambers of the Scion. Opal moved with a measured calm as she stepped over to peer down into the face of Ysilia. She stated matter of factly, "I am truly disappointed in you Ysilia. First you attempt to press your superiority over me and then you report to me that you have failed in the mission that gave you this so called confidence....." Opals eyes narrowed as her mind began to process this illogical behavior in a valued compatriot and then it hit her.  Lashing out with incredible speed Ysilia's own mental attack slammed into Opals mind like a barrage neatly shredding Opals unprepared defenses and momentarily staggering the leader of the Cadre. Grim determination and a unceasing will to live though shored up Opals flagging defenses and the second assault met stiffer resistance.  The second assault consisted of millions of psionic insects meant to devour Opal's mental strength and leave her incapacitated and dieing. Opal pulled deeply on her own psionic strength and the assault of the bugs was consumed in Opals own defense, the void. Briefly the torrent of psionic energy increased and the bugs seemed on the verge of filling the unfillable void of Opals defense when they suddenly stopped leaving Opal drawing deeply on her own psionic might as her psyche drifted alone in the coldness of the void. Momentarily confused Opal maintained her defenses and sent out probing thoughts for Ysilia. What she found shocked her to her core. Dr Adiago Yurobo Zhindzhe had easily dominated Ysilia, a High Priestess of the Scion and Opals number 2, and had also subtly been influencing their interactions provoking them towards violence against each other. Briefly she marveled at the mans subtlety and strength to have accomplished so much after several days of torture. As these thoughts drifted on the ends of her probes Opal found herself experiencing a growing sense of fascination at the Doctor.  Suddenly Opal shut down her void defense and retracted her mind probes as she chillingly realized that again the Doctor was gaining control of her, by turning her defense and her probes against her...Damn that man she thought. Opal instead wrapped herself in a field of pure psionic energy which would prove proof to psionic attacks. The field on the Astral plane appeared to be a suit of armor encasing Opal from head to toe. There on the Astral plane she finally came face to face with Dr Zhindzhe. he was wearing the form of his own avatar, the River.      "I have to hand it to you Doctor, your good."  Opal spat.    The doctors mental response, "Thank you Opal. Your better than your subordinate, but the information you are seeking will not be given up easily. In fact, I predict that several priestess will perish in the taking, if you even succeed then."  Lashing out, Opal's avatar blasted the River, Dr Zhindzhe, with a consuming blast of white hot fire. Instead of retreating, Dr Zhindzhe allowed his river avatar to dissipate into a cloud of steam which began to rust the armor that Opal had encased her psyche in. The Doctor altered his attack so that instead of directly assaulting Opal it instead whittled away at her armor. Panic stronger than anything Opal had felt in a long time began to grip her as she realized that the Doctor easily outstripped her own meager mental defenses. The training of the Scions schools though could not be ignored. Opal reached down deeply within herself to her other abilities. Besides be a competent Psionocist, Opal also was considered to be one of the most powerful Svirfneblin Illusionists on the continent. Using her magical abilities, Opal began to confuse and distort all attacks and feints by Dr Zhindzhe with her arcane magic and to a lesser extent her psionic abilities when applicable. Finally the assualts stopped and Dr Zhindzhe, who had been suspended in the middle of a 40 foot tube shaped room in the dark hung his head in submission.  Squaring her shoulders, Opal wiped the sweat that had beaded up on her forehead and walked into the silent chamber to look at the floating form of Dr Zhindzhe. The man himself was well toned and tall. He had the look of the Shezurite about him and Opal through her training noticed several peculiarities of the way he held himself that screamed out Shezurite training. Calmly she spoke, "You are a dangerous man Dr Zhindzhe. Normally you would be exterminated and that would be the end of it but now the information you are willing to fight so hard to hide has me intrigued and now that your psyche has been exhausted, as well as your body, you will begin to yield your secrets."  Gesturing ever so slightly the floating form of Dr Zhindzhe descended down the tube to stand before Opal. She looked into his bemused eyes and she knew the illusion world she had created for his mind to interact in had taken a solid hold on him. Smiling grimly, Opal walked out of the room with the doctor behind her to a table and 2 chairs in the adjoining room. Ysilia sat there drooling wordlessly as Opal passed by her and briefly Opal thought what a mess this was going to be to clean up. She seated herself at the table and the good doctor seated himself across from her.  With crisp business like gestures Opal stated, "Alright now Doctor, I want you to tell me everything you know about the adventuring group known as the Tainted." Opal subtly altered the spell she had cast on the doctor to incorporate her wishes into his mind. Opal sat back and waited. Dr Zhindzhe's eyes widened slightly and then he began to speak.</blockquote>

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