"Whatever it does specifically, its general purpose appears to be to give life. It may be something that's designed to revive a person who has just died - if that's the case, then it makes sense that it wouldn't work on me."
"It's...possible that it could be keyed to a specific race, maybe even a person. I can try to find that out," he says with a bit of hesitation.
Ryo's eyes immediately fall, locking on the amulet.
"Give.. life? How?"
"I don't know yet. It has aspects of several spells in it, which by itself is a bit unusual. Spells that enhance speed, stimulate and accelerate natural healing, allow for cloning...and the suspension or stopping of time (in a very localized area)."
"I don't know yet. It has aspects of several spells in it, which by itself is a bit unusual. Spells that enhance speed, stimulate and accelerate natural healing, allow for cloning...and the suspension or stopping of time (in a very localized area)."
Ephebe looked startled. "But that sounds like...us..."
"Er, like Jimmy and I, I mean....oh, crap. One of these trips round I'm going to find Grandma and tell her just exactly what I think of the wording of that wish," she grumbled.
"On the bright side, all the times I've been through this time loop, I've never seen that before. That's good. Any new variables at least gives some chance of finally getting out of this."
Aananda looks confused. Her eyes went back to normal when she let go of the amulet, but she was still fascinated by it.
"I just...wish I understood what it was. What happened. I think it's important. Really, really important. But I don't know why."
"I don't know yet. It has aspects of several spells in it, which by itself is a bit unusual. Spells that enhance speed, stimulate and accelerate natural healing, allow for cloning...and the suspension or stopping of time (in a very localized area)."
Ephebe looked startled. "But that sounds like...us..."
"Er, like Jimmy and I, I mean....oh, crap. One of these trips round I'm going to find Grandma and tell her just exactly what I think of the wording of that wish," she grumbled.
"On the bright side, all the times I've been through this time loop, I've never seen that before. That's good. Any new variables at least gives some chance of finally getting out of this."
"Do you need to hold onto it then, in case things go badly and you 'reboot'? Or do you think we should hold onto it? Maybe it can be the Ace up our sleeve, so to speak."
"Maybe it can be the Ace up our sleeve, so to speak."
Ryo blinks, and looks up from the amulet to glance at Tamrin. After a moment, he starts to laugh.
"Maybe it can be the Ace up our sleeve, so to speak."Ryo blinks, and looks up from the amulet to glance at Tamrin. After a moment, he starts to laugh.
"Whoops - pun not intended." :P
"Do you need to hold onto it then, in case things go badly and you 'reboot'? Or do you think we should hold onto it? Maybe it can be the Ace up our sleeve, so to speak.""I don't know yet. It has aspects of several spells in it, which by itself is a bit unusual. Spells that enhance speed, stimulate and accelerate natural healing, allow for cloning...and the suspension or stopping of time (in a very localized area)."
Ephebe looked startled. "But that sounds like...us..."
"Er, like Jimmy and I, I mean....oh, crap. One of these trips round I'm going to find Grandma and tell her just exactly what I think of the wording of that wish," she grumbled.
"On the bright side, all the times I've been through this time loop, I've never seen that before. That's good. Any new variables at least gives some chance of finally getting out of this."
"I don't know. I don't know which would be better. This is a new variable. And I don't get to take stuff with me when I reboot. I end up in the same place, same time, same equipment I started with no matter how many times I've used it." She sighed. "I've been reliving the same two weeks for about...errr, let's see....about five years now? It's hard to say. It all blends after a while."
"The point being, it's better if one of you hangs onto it."
"Do you need to hold onto it then, in case things go badly and you 'reboot'? Or do you think we should hold onto it? Maybe it can be the Ace up our sleeve, so to speak.""I don't know yet. It has aspects of several spells in it, which by itself is a bit unusual. Spells that enhance speed, stimulate and accelerate natural healing, allow for cloning...and the suspension or stopping of time (in a very localized area)."
Ephebe looked startled. "But that sounds like...us..."
"Er, like Jimmy and I, I mean....oh, crap. One of these trips round I'm going to find Grandma and tell her just exactly what I think of the wording of that wish," she grumbled.
"On the bright side, all the times I've been through this time loop, I've never seen that before. That's good. Any new variables at least gives some chance of finally getting out of this."
"I don't know. I don't know which would be better. This is a new variable. And I don't get to take stuff with me when I reboot. I end up in the same place, same time, same equipment I started with no matter how many times I've used it." She sighed. "I've been reliving the same two weeks for about...errr, let's see....about five years now? It's hard to say. It all blends after a while."
"The point being, it's better if one of you hangs onto it."
"Right." He hands the box to Aananda. "We'll try to figure out the abilities as we have time, then."
Aananda put the amulet in her pouch. It still pulled at her, but she could set it aside for now.
"So now what? If we leave this house then the demon can potentially do awful things to Tam. Is there any way to take the wards with us? I mean, after we even figure out where we're going."
Even in this timeless space, exhaustion takes its toll. The demon sighs thru lips that are not its own. After a moment, it smiles. Closing the lid on the box, it moves over to a section of wall. Touching its hand against it the wall shimmers, dancing to a tune no one can hear. The demon pushes the box thru.
Ryo leans back in his chair, remembering the past week with mixed feelings. He had hunted down his vampiric brother with the help of complete strangers, and come out of it with new friends. His right arm had shattered and been replaced with a metallic one. He had revealed himself as a Cardcaster in order to distract a city's guards, and added a new name to his list of charges. He had become an uncle to a pair of time-traveling siblings, and was about to go after a temporal manipulation demon. For some reason though, he couldn't be happier. His life was exciting now, and not every detail of what was to come was clear to him. He hadn't been this 'blind' in years, and he liked it.
But one thing weighs heavily on his heart and mind. He hated having to lie...
But one thing weighs heavily on his heart and mind. He hated living a lie...
But one thing weighs heavily on his heart and mind. He hated living a lie...
Aananda put the amulet in her pouch. It still pulled at her, but she could set it aside for now.
"So now what? If we leave this house then the demon can potentially do awful things to Tam. Is there any way to take the wards with us? I mean, after we even figure out where we're going."
"I can make one for each of us, but it would entend about 10ft from you, and only give a warning. It's not much, but a warning is better than nothing."
Aananda nodded distractedly. Something was bothering her. Like a buzzing in the back of her mind. But she couldn't quite place it. She shook her head. Probably just tired.
"I don't know about you guys, but I could use some sleep." She yawned and stretched.
"Getting some rest while we can is probably a good idea," Tam says as he pulls out his spellpad. "And I need to do a little spell replenishing anyway. Why don't we catch some shut-eye and then we'll figure out where we're going next?"
"Sounds good to me," Ephebe said. "I'll just show myself to my room....oh, yeah, okay, so ummm...get one of you to show me to my room since there's some slight infinitessimal chance it isn't the same one I've had every other time I've been here. Sorry, I guess I'm feeling a bit cranky. My last trip on this merry-go-round was particularly unpleasant. And I think I haven't slept in about four days. So I guess rest is definitely a good thing."
"Yeah - we should ask our host how many guest rooms he has here." :)
Adsila speaks up, startling everyone. No one had noticed her enter the room.
"Well, Ormarr has a roommate already, so I guess Aananda and Ephebe can stay in my room while I sleep in the Green Room." She glances at Ryo, uncertain of her next words. "There is an empty room now..."
"It's okay Addy.. everything of his has already been moved into the attic. The only thing left is a bed and table."
"Righty-o...good thing I'll be awake for awhile," he says as he powers up his spellpad and gets comfy in the nearest chair.
Ryo pushes away from the table and stands.
"Well, since that's settled, I need to go and sleep for the rest of that month I mentioned eearlier. As subjective as time is, I'll see everyone in the 'morning'. Tamrin, the empty room has a blue rune on the door, and is upstairs."
With that, he walks out of the room, taking the hallyway he used earlier. He stops at the place in the wall he had found the box, but is not rested enough to look into it's past. He heads to his room, closes the door silently, and falls to sleep before he hits the pillows on his bed.
Kannic awakens to find himself in the Tunnels. His mining expedition has gone worng. Terribly wrong. Strange starfish-shaped rock eaters have pursued his group for 3 days now. Exhaustion has taken its toll where the creatures have yet to do. The group is on foot now, the lizards being too slow to respond to the strange threat. Daring not to sleep for more than minutes at a time the dwarves push on. Strangely the Tunnels aren't familiar, even to one of Kannic's experience. A shaft appears when their should be a turn, walls of granite block heavily travelled corridors. Nothing seems to stop these strange, deadly creatures. Blades bounce harmlessly off of them, and hammers fare not much better. He dares not lead the few remaining men into the new tunnels.
The sound of gravel sliding underfoot wakes him from his daze. Too late a new tunnel has opened up and claimed another. He is out of sight by the time they reach the opening of the new chute, but his screams travel up it easily enough. As does the thick silence that follows them. They dare not follow. They take to tying themselves together, hoping to avoid a repeat.
Hours more pass by, days maybe. It's hard to tell. They collapse in exhaustion. Kannic tries to rally them yet again, but to no avail, so he takes watch, fighting against his own fatigue. He must have failed, because he is awakened by the pulling of the rope still tied to his waist. There is no sound, no light. His darkvision does little to show him the fate drawing him near, but it shows enough. His companions are being fed upon by the creatures, their bodies engulfed by spines of stone. He can't even hear their screams, but their mouths certainly illustrate it. He is being drawn closer to the feeding pack. Only his separation as point man has saved him so far. It's just a matter of time before that separation is gone.
As death claims his charges he throws his last light pellet, blinding the stone creatures for a short time. Cutting the rope he flees into the darkness.
Aananda falls asleep easily. It was nice to have someone sharing the room. It was closer to the dormitories she was used to.
In the middle of the night, she began to turn restlessly in her sleep. She got out of bed without waking up, pulled the amulet out of her pack and carrying it with her wandered out into the house.
A sudden noise from somewhere woke her. She was disoriented, not sure where she was. She looked down and saw the amulet in her hands and shuddered. Something was terribly wrong. She shivered. It was cold and her nightgown wasn't intended for wandering around the house. She bit her lip. But which room was hers? They all looked alike to her.
A moment after Aananda starts biting her lip, a head peeks around the corner in the dim light. A smallish figure steps around the corner, head down and holding something shiny(looks like glass) in it's arm.
"Um.. I didn't wake you did I?"
The voice is that of a young child, and you haven't heard his voice before.
A moment after Aananda starts biting her lip, a head peeks around the corner in the dim light. A smallish figure steps around the corner, head down and holding something shiny(looks like glass) in it's arm.
"Um.. I didn't wake you did I?"
The voice is that of a young child, and you haven't heard his voice before.
"I think you might have, but it's okay. I think it was probably a good thing. Wandering around asleep holding a mysterious magical amulet is probably not really a good thing."
"Er, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Aananda. I'd go back to my room now, but I can't remember which one it is."
After a few hours of pouring over spell formulae, Tam finally put away the spellpad and sat in the dark, still at a loss on how to deal with these demons and their unhealthy draconic obsessions. And how to even find Kannic and Jiminy, much less effect some kind of rescue...
He promptly fell asleep in the chair.
"I think you might have, but it's okay. I think it was probably a good thing. Wandering around asleep holding a mysterious magical amulet is probably not really a good thing."
"Er, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Aananda. I'd go back to my room now, but I can't remember which one it is."
"I'm Razule. I only just arrived this morning, or yesterday I guess. I heard Lady Adsila say you could have her room. I can take you to it... if you want."
After a few hours of pouring over spell formulae, Tam finally put away the spellpad and sat in the dark, still at a loss on how to deal with these demons and their unhealthy draconic obsessions.
He promptly fell asleep in the chair.
Jiminy basks in a sea of candy. The severing of the connection to his father's bloodline has somehow increased his already ravenous appetite. The solution is at hand. Sugar. Lots of it. He smiles. The pretty lady fawns over him. She's not mean like those 'other people'. Or bossy like that person he used to know. Already the memory of those bad people fades. The pretty lady's songs wipe out the pain a layer at a time. This is what love must feel like. It's warm and soft. Jiminy never wants to leave its embrace.
The severing of the connection to his father's bloodline