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The cast of characters:
Belexus Backavar - ranger
Cedric Pellinore - paladin of Diancecht
Caitlin Dragonmark - Wizard
Tzar Trelane - young warrior
'Walker' - quiet warrior
Novalindro Calipatria - ranger
Cumel MacGusk - rogue
Torm the Wander - priest of Diancecht

      The scene:
      Following a vision from his god, Cedric has led the party to London, where someone has been killing children. They eventually trace the killer to a nearby castle, and discover that Nova's long-lost brother has been working there as a guardsman in the service of the castle's owner, Duke Fraktin. With his cooperation, they find the killer to be the castle alchemist, Hobart, who has been using an ingredient in the brains of infants and children to make youth elixir. Hobart is captured, and the party returns to the town to find their friend Cumel, who has been missing for a couple of days. Stopping by the temple of Diancecht, they get a message from Cumel that he has left with an old friend of his. Also, they are given an augury that 'Claws and teeth wait in the hills of Hitchin.'

      "Well, it looks like we found what happened to Cumel," says Belexus.
      A melancholy smile crosses Cedric's face. "Ah, Cumel. I would have wished that you had said good-bye in person. I should have known that you could take care of yourself. Take care, my friend."
      "Hmmph, like he needed to remind me to eat," says Tzar.
      "I hope things work out well for him," adds the ranger.
      Sighing, Cedric bows to the woman that greeted them. "I am sorry, but we have not been introduced. I am Cedric Pellinore, and you are...."
      "I am Becka, and it is good to meet you all." Cedric introduces everyone, and she greets them pleasantly.
      Cedric leans over and whispers to Caitlin while the priestess is greeting everyone. "Was the high priest's name Maxwell, or was that in the last town that we were in?"
      "That's his name," she whispers back.
      "Ah, thanks. Becka, may we speak with Maxwell?"
      "Of course," she replies, "I am here to take you to him." She begins to lead the party further into the temple.
      "Hills of Hitchin'?" asks Tzar. "Where are they?"
      Becka turns partway to speak. "Hitchin is a small town about twenty miles north of London."
      "Claws and teeth," murmurs Walker, "claws and teeth." He shrugs. "The gods are cryptic, as usual. Once we finish the situation here, I think we should head to Hitchin. But I would like to finish with the alchemist first."
      "Hmm," says Tzar, "claws and teeth. Sounds like fun - I wonder if it's our old friends the bug people."
      "Hmm," echoes Walker. "Could be." The two warriors share a grim smile.
      Finally, the group reaches a room where the graying blond priest is speaking to a group of acolytes. He claps his hands, and they file out, talking quietly amongst their number. Becka also says goodbye, claiming other duties.
      "Again, Maxwell," begins Cedric, "we interrupt the studies of your students."
      "Ah, it gives them time to ponder the deeper meanings," says the priest, gently smiling. "Now, tell me, what have you learned?"
      "It appears that we found the kidnapper at the castle of Duke ... er ...."
      "Fraktin?" prompts the priest.
      "Yes, he's the one. It was the Duke's alchemist, and his strange little familiar, a creature that could vanish and apparently travel through shadows. The familiar was unfortunately destroyed, but Hobart was captured."
      "Excellent! Tell me more, please."
      "The Duke, to save face, would like to let as little news as possible about this incident spread. So I trust your discretion."
      The older priests nods. "Understandable. Well, our temple is not a place for gossip, anyway. Go on."
      "Hobart also had taken a few women captive, to serve as breeding stock." Maxwell makes a disgusted face. "He was harvesting a compound from the brains of children to use in some sort of twisted longevity potion. He has tampered with the children being carried by these women, so that they are born with misshapen brains, and little more than the intelligence of logs." Maxwell looks terribly sad at this. "The women are currently drugged, and down in Hobart's chamber at the castle. Perhaps you could send several trusted priests to tend to them."
      "Yes, certainly, we shall do whatever we can for these poor victims."
      "Hobart also had some sort of slime that he was using to animate bodies. It was very corrosive to any metal it touched, but we managed to destroy all of it that was present. We hope." Maxwell merely nods. "I'd like to add that myself and some of my companions feel that we have missed something along the way. From what we know, it looks like Hobart had some help. Nothing points to the Duke, and he seemed genuinely concerned about this, but it would not surprise me to find out someone there was helping Hobart."
      "Well, hopefully this Hobart will confess any such helpers during his trial, and our magics will reveal more, now that we have a more specific focus. Thank you, all of you, for stopping these dread events from continuing. You have done the people of this city a great service."
      "Now, if you'll excuse me," says Cedric, "I have to go sign some papers with the local guard. Then, it appears, we're off for Hitchin." Cedric extends his hand. "Thank you for your hospitality."
      The priest takes it. "Thank you again for all your help. It is good that the Life Lord has again chosen a champion, and that he has been granted the wisdom and fortune to find friends willing to give such valuable aid."
      Torm speaks up. "Caitlin and I found some sort of diary of Hobart's. We are hoping that once we decode it, we will find a way to reverse what has been done to the women and to the unborn child. We would like to stay here to work on that, if we may."
      "Of course!" says the director of students. "You all are welcome here, especially for such work. You must need some rest and food after such a horrible day."
      "Great," says Tzar, "let's eat."
      "Thank you," says Caitlin. "Ah, I may need some minor ingredients to aid my magic."
      "If we have it, we will share it," replies the priest.
      "Well," Cedric says, "I shall first go meet with the city guard and get this paperwork taken care of, then return." He turns to leave, then stops. "Oh, one other thing. Should a short pudgy man by the name of Cumel stop by looking for us, tell him we've gone to Hitchin, and that he's more than welcome to join us. And please, let me know if he comes in here looking for help. I'll come as soon as I can." Maxwell nods, a slight grin on his face.

      After washing, the party reunites. Torm attends to the remaining injuries and soreness from the day's battles. Gathering around a light dinner (except for Tzar, who has a _heavy_ dinner), the topic of conversation is What To Do Now.
      Tzar asks around mouthfuls of beef, "What's Cedric gotta see the town guards for?"
      "He's going to sign a statement of what he has seen, regarding Hobart," explains Caitlin.
      "Yes, isn't the trial tomorrow? They need that fast," chips in Walker.
      "Actually, it probably won't be for a while," says Caitlin. "Too much paperwork."
      "Hmm, too bad," says Walker. "I would have liked to go to that."
      "Do we have to leave for the Hitchin Hills straight away," asks Tzar, "or can we spend some time in here before we go? I really feel the need to visit a trainin' hall, my Dad and I used to workout at least five times a week. There are probably some great trainers here in London. And, if we stay around for a little, somethin' might come up with Hobart."
      "Well," says Torm, "I think we deserve a little rest, and it might help us get the events of the past few weeks in perspective. If anything, it _would_ give Caitlin and I more time to work on Hobart's diary."
      "I'd like to hear what you find out," says Walker. "Not the magic recipes and such, but if he mentions any conspirators, and those Greymen."
      "No fear, we'll let you know whatever we find," says Caitlin. "I have no problem with waiting, if Hitchin is not critical. Tonight, however, I want to rest." She smiles at Belexus, who smiles back. "Want to go for a walk in the gardens?"
      "I'd love to," replies the ranger.
      "Well, I will ask my fellow priests if they can determine a time frame for whatever is going on in Hitchin. Hopefully we'll know more tomorrow."
      "In that case," says Walker, rising, "I think I'm going to wander the city. Good night." He stretches and walks out.
      After a while, the rest of the party breaks up and heads out.
      The next morning, Torm relays to everyone (including Cedric, who returned late that evening) that the priests have not been able to get an exact time frame, but whatever is not likely to happen for at least a week.

      The next few days pass very quickly, with everyone pretty much doing their own thing. Cedric happily informs everyone that Hitchin is only two days away by horse or wagon, giving everyone extra breathing room for what they have planned. He then spends his time practicing with Tzar and shopping for musical instruments.
      Walker also spars a bit with Tzar, then volunteers to help examine the tunnels in Duke Fraktin's castle for more forgotten secret passageways. Remarkably enough, they find one - in the back of one of the dungeon cells, leading to the shaft of a capped well within the castle grounds. The duke orders it sealed, and formally thanks Novalindro, Walker, and Balilindro for their excellent service in this regard.
      Torm and Caitlin work on deciphering Hobart's diary. With much patience, magical aid, and Torm's talent, they finally crack his personal code, and find out what he was using to drug the women. With this knowledge, the three women are soon brought out of their stupor and onto the way to full recovery from their order. The pregnant woman decides to take the child to term, for the priests, armed with Hobart's diary, are confident that they can negate or reverse most of, if not all of, any changes the child has undergone, and promise to care for him or her should they prove not completely successful - the temple is a place where the child would be able to live, unpersecuted, and lead a functional life.
      Happy at the rapidity of the diary's translation, Belexus and Caitlin have a picnic party, which brings the smiles back to her face. The two of them are not seen much for the next few days....
      Tzar and Torm spend a lot of time training, each in their own particular way; Tzar by exercising, running, practicing with a mace, and combat in general; Torm by meditating, performing ritualistic exercise, and studying the day and evening sky.
      After ten days, the group is beginning to get restless again, anxious to find what awaits in Hitchin. During breakfast on Thursday the 29th of August, Torm tells everyone of the dream he had this morning - another great insect-like face, which is then swept away but the wings of some great flying creature.
      "I think this is a sign that we must go," says Torm, "and may mean the Brakkar, too. While I have not ever met one, ‘ saw a similar face the night before I joined you, and we have not encountered such a thing since I have been with you. Though it is hard to tell, I believe this is a repetition of part of my previous dream."

      Cedric grins sheepishly at Torm's tale. "It seems that Diancecht is spreading his wishes amongst us, Torm. I, for one, am thankful that this dream was not visited upon myself, for it seems that Diancecht likes to have things chase me in my dreams. I can imagine being awakened after a dream of being chased by the insect face you mentioned...."
      "Well," replies the priest, "it seems that Diancecht visits you in dreams about things that he considers a priority, and is pretty straightforward. I, however, tend to dream of my future, and the results are often cryptic."
      "Hmm, interesting. But, on to other things. If, as it would appear, this is to be another confrontation with the Brakkar, then we should use what we've learned from our last encounter. I'm wondering if we could work out some sort of combination of that slippery spell of Caitlin's with some burning oil. If they are unable to remove themselves from the flames due to the slick spot...." His voice trails off. "Of course, that would require everyone to remain alert and out of the spell's area."
      Caitlin steps in. "Ah, just so you know, we'd have to use real oil for that - the substance the spell makes does not burn. Throwing oil into that area should work, though."
      "Well I hope it _is_ the bugmen," says Tzar. "I'm itchin' to get another crack at 'em. I know I'm ready to go, my trainin's done for now."
      "Well, Torm," says Belexus, "I think that if this is connected to your first dream, then we definitely should be on our way. Besides, I myself am ready to be back on the road and in the wilderness again."
      Cedric scratches his head as the party prepares to leave. "I am wondering if this winged creature is the machine of the pirate. What was his name?" Cedric snaps his fingers several times trying to recall the name. "Ah, well, that is unimportant."
      "I was thinking," says Walker in a quiet voice, "that perhaps this flying creature is going to help us to battle the Brakkar? That is, if the augury refers to the Brakkar."
      Cedric nods his head, considering the possibility. "Well, if it involves wings, perhaps we should invest in some arrows or other distance weapons, just in case. Anyone else have any ideas?"
      "Fine with me," says Tzar. "My bow's ready."
      "As is mine," says Nova. "I believe we are quite prepared in that respect," he says, gesturing at his bow, as well as everyone else's ranged weapons.
      "So let's move," says Walker, uncharacteristically anxious. "I'm getting tired of sitting around."
      After bidding farewell to the priests, the party heads outside the temple grounds.
      "Oh dear," says Torm. "We only _rented_ that wagon from the hostler's brother. I suppose Cumel must have taken it to where it needed to be transported to here in the town. We'll have to get a new one."

      "That's just bloody great!" exclaims Tzar. "And he even needs to walk off some pounds!" The big warrior grumbles to himself quietly.
      Cedric smiles. "Have no fear, friends. We shall get to Hitchin one way or another. Perhaps the temple has a wagon and mule team that they would be willing to loan us for a short period of time."
      Unfortunately, checking with the temple finds that they have no wagons available to lend - apparently the two the do have are being used to bring in sick people and medicines.
      "Well, " says Torm, "let's pool our leftover funds and purchase a wagon and another team of oxen. Do you think a team of horses move faster, or is it better to stay with the calmer oxen?"
      "I don't think it will make much difference," says Belexus. "When tied to a cart, they're about the same speed."
      "And cows are a lot cheaper," add Tzar.
      "Fine, then. We probably should all buy some provisions, too."
      "The day wanes," Nova says as he stretches. "I will see about a wagon."
      "No need to separate," says Caitlin. "We might as well go together."
      "All right then, let's go," says Walker. "Let's get the wagon and supplies and get on the move."
      Belexus, Tzar, and Walker mount up, while the others walk. Finding a cart with team is a simple task, and the cost is split among those using it, at Torm's suggestion. A quick stop by a provisioner's gets the party supplied with traveling food, and the group is on the northern road before noon. This close to a major urban area, activity is high, but unexciting - a band of merchants, city guards on patrol, pilgrims, and farmers. Talk is light and eager, anticipating what may lie ahead.
      Tzar moves Strider over to Walker's horse. "What do you think we will find in these hills? I'll tell you, I'm sick of fightin' the unliving things."
      Walker chuckles. "Me, too, Tzar. Too strange."
      The party makes camp outside of Welwyn City that night, deciding to enjoy the weather, rather than paying for an inn. The next day is more of the same, although there are fewer people passing either way. The land becomes more hilly, especially after passing the town of Stevenage. A small town can be seen in the distance that afternoon, and the party arrives in Hitchin shortly before dark. Hitchin is another herding town, relying on goats and sheep as a primary income source, with a little farming in the flatter terrain. The town itself is about a dozen buildings, with a small one that looks to be either an inn or a boarding house.
      "Well, where do we go from here?" asks Tzar, dismounting to work the kinks out of his legs.
      "I was thinking," says Caitlin, "that if we come across more tunnels in the hills, we may want someone with stealth skills and the like to help us out. Belexus and Nova are expert outdoors, true, but as much as I like you guys, you have to admit that you wouldn't know a trap until it hit you, and your idea of picking a lock is about the same as Tzar's." She smiles warmly, meaning no offense to any of the three.

      Tzar chuckles. "And now that I have a mace, it should be no problem," he says as he pulls the mace from his belt.
      "In any case," adds Belexus, "I agree. I know as much about locks and traps as I do flying. You think we can find someone like that here?"
      Cedric raises an eyebrow at Caitlin's remark. "Yes, and where would you have us find a person with such skills?" A smile slowly plays across his face, "Should we just stand in the village square and call out, `Excuse me, but does anyone know how to pick locks?'"
      Nova gives Caitlin a wry smile. "I do not know how to find such a, ah, professional. Cumel was the first that I know of."
      Cedric's smile fades. "Seriously, though, if we decide that we need someone like that in our little group here, we must be _very_ careful about where they acquired those skills and what they do with them. I loathe the thought of having a petty criminal as a traveling companion."
      "Yes, serious criminals are much better," says Belexus. When Cedric's mouth drops in surprise, the ranger can't hold in his laughter any longer. The laughter is contagious.
      "Well," says Torm, wiping a tear from his eye, "I, too, think that London may have been a better place to look for a 'burgler.' Let's check into the local inn and see if we can't dig up some rumors and maybe some help?"
      "I'm sure I'll be able to find someone," says Caitlin. "I was raised in an inn after all - I can spot the type."
      Walker turns his horse in a tight circle. "So, are we expected to just wait for these bugs to come along? Or should we go and investigate the hills? I suppose it would be a good idea to inquire at the village as well."
      "Yes," says the paladin, "let's split up. I suggest that Torm, myself, and whoever else wishes to accompany us search out the closest temple, preferably one to Diancecht, and see what information they can give us on the surrounding area and what beasties live there. The others should inquire at the inn - for rumors and, ah, possible help." He still looks a little uncomfortable with the idea.
      "I doubt there's going to be very many actual _thieves_ here," says Walker reassuringly. "Perhaps there's a village locksmith, though?"
      Cedric's look brightens. "Yes, that would be excellent!"
      The quiet warrior grins. "We ought to go and stable the horses for the night, and take rooms in that inn."
      "All right," says Tzar, "let's see what the town has to offer."
      Torm hands off the reins of the oxen to Caitlin, and he and Cedric walk into the village looking for a temple. The rest head over to the small inn.

      Caitlin brings the cart to the front of the inn, where a young boy pops his head out the door. From inside can be heard small conversation.
      "You wanna stay?" asks the boy. "Keep yer 'mules here?" At Caitlin's affirmation, he steps out and leads them to a small building in the back of the inn, which is large enough to hold eight or so animals. After the horses and oxen are taken care of, and the wagon is pushed out of the way, the boy leads everyone back to the front of the inn. Inside the sprawling one-story building is a small room with three tables (two of which are being occupied by a few locals), a small bar with five stools (three of which are taken), a hallway, and a potbellied man with a pockmarked face, who approaches as you walk in.
      "How kin I help ye?" asks the man, leering at Caitlin.

      Belexus steps up next to Caitlin and leers back at the man, saying "An ale at the far table _if_ you please." The innkeeper, not used to being leered _at_, stutters a reply and ducks away. "Let's relax a bit," says Belexus, as he heads over to the table.
      Catching Tzar looking at her too, Caitlin smiles. Tzar shrugs. "Well, _he_ did it," he says, jerking a thumb at the innkeeper.
      She smiles again. "It's all right Tzar, I understand how you big warriors think about things. Besides, you're my friend, not some fat creep." She then joins Belexus at the table, and the others follow. A minute later, the innkeeper brings a round of ales to the table and waddles off, glaring at Belexus and Caitlin as he does so.
      Tzar takes a swig of the ale. "Hmm, homebrew, not bad." He sets the tankard down. "So, what do we do now, put a few coins on the table and wait for someone to try and take them?"
      "I don't think that will be necessary," says the wizard. "I think I'll be able to find someone."
      "Fine with me, I think I'll have some dinner," replies the warrior. At those words, the fat innkeeper returns, and takes orders for food. However, he ignores Belexus and Caitlin completely. Just before he turns away, she snakes out her hand and catches his wrist. With this motion, the dragon-shaped mark on her forearm is fully visible, just past where he sleeve ends.
      "Excuse me," she says in a low voice. "I think you _missed_ our orders." When the innkeeper finally meets her eyes, they glow bright green for a moment, then fade to their normal hazel color. The innkeeper looks horrified, asks for their order, and practically runs to the kitchen. Caitlin chuckles. Even Walker looks impressed.
      "Never get a wizard on her bad side, if you can help it, guys," she says, and drinks here ale, peering about the room. Shortly thereafter, an old woman brings everyone's food.
      "Fan says it's on the house," she croaks. "He must be sick." Before anyone can answer, she hads off to the kitchen again.
      After eating for a while, Caitlin pushes her plate away. "Well, gentlemen, I think I may have found us our burglar. I'll be back in a few minutes." She stands, then walks casually over to one of the empty barstools and begins talking with one of the locals, a skinny dark-haired young man, about Tzar's age.

      Tzar watches Caitlin go up to the thin man, and then whispers to Belexus. "You watch his hands, I'll watch for weapons. My dad tells me you cannot completely trust a thief."
      Belexus nods, and takes out a partially carved piece of wood and works it lightly, keeping his eyes mostly on the stranger. She continued to talk with him, and even buys him a drink. Normal activity continues in the room.

      Caitlin continues to talk with the man at the bar, who does not seem particularly threatening. He even laughs once or twice while they talk. For a minute or two they look in the direction of the table, then go back to facing each other. Finally, Cedric and Torm walk in. Seeing the four at the table, they smile, then look for Caitlin. Smiling when they see her, they pause when they see that she's not alone, then give the stranger an acknowledging nod. Caitlin points at the table with her thumb, then goes back to talking with the thin man. Cedric and Torm sit down at the table.

      "Well met, Cedric and Torm," Nova says, waiting for them to settle in. "What news do you bring?"
      "Yeah," adds Tzar, "Did you two find out anything?"
      "The local temple is not one of Diancecht's," says the paladin, shifting his chair, "but Robin, the priestess, was nice enough to us. Although she had not heard of any sort of trouble, she did suggest that we try the wilds just to the west of town. There are hills and caverns there, and the Brakkar, if they have returned, might find such a location amenable."
      "And that was about all she knew," finishes Torm. "Have you found out anything new?" He looks about those at the table. "I guess not; we didn't give you much time, eh? So, who is Caitlin talking with?"
      "She thinks she found us a thief," says Tzar, finishing the last of his dinner.
      "Interesting," says Cedric, watching them talk. A moment later, they stop and start walking toward the table.
      "My friends," she says, "this is Fencik, and I think he'll be able to help us. Fencik, these are my friends and traveling companions, whose names I have already told you."
      Tzar stands and offers him his hand, which Fencik takes cautiously, and shakes it firmly, then sits down. Belexus pulls out the chair next to him, and Fencik grabs an empty chair from the next table and pulls it close to your table, but not too close.

      "I'm Belexus," says the tall ranger, extending his hand. Fencik shakes it once.
      "And what do you have to offer our little band of friends that we currently cannot do ourselves?" asks Cedric, with a passive face.
      "Well," begins Fencik, "the lady here says that she thinks I might be able to find a trap or two in your way, keeping you from completing your mission. I haven't said I can, but I haven't denied it, either." He folds his hands and places them on the table, looking at Cedric seriously.
      Cedric looks a bit startled, almost as if he were expecting Fencik to go on about picking locks and backstabbing. "Well, just so you are aware," he finally says, after running his hands through his hair, "since the start of our travels together, we have come to rely upon each other. We have faced battle together and have nursed our wounds together. This has led to trust between us. But if you start acting in an untrustworthy manner, then we will not be able to take confidence in your actions. If we cannot trust you, then we shall not travel with you. Is that clear?"
      Fencik gives a half-smile. "Yes."
      Cedric looks about at his friends and says, "Well then, if there are no other objections, then I welcome you as a friend and a traveling companion." He then smiles broadly and extends his hand for Fencik to shake.
      Fencik accepts. "Thanks for the warm welcome," he says, smile still in place, and a twinkle in his hazel eyes.
      "Well met, Fencik. I am Torm of Diancecht. Where do you hail from?"
      "Most recently of Nottingham," he replies, "I have been traveling southward."
      "Well, welcome to our company," says the priest. "Your skills will come in handy along the way, I am sure."
      "I hope so. Well met, all. Now that we seem to be all here, what is the plan for hunting after your little monsters? Do we have any idea where to find them?"
      "Torm and I visited the local temple," begins Cedric, "and the priestess there says that there are some hills to the west that might be suitable for the Brakkar. The land there is rougher, with no farms or herds, giving them enough isolation to do their secret work."
      "Sounds like a reasonable start to me," says Fencik. "Are we walking or riding?"
      "Well, three of us have horses, and the rest have been moving in a wagon, but that might be awkward in the hills."
      "Well, walking is fine with me," the lithe man replies, drawing circles on the table over the marks from tankards.
      "Well, shall we rest here tonight, and head out in the morning?" asks Torm. Everyone agrees to that, and the innkeeper gives especially low rates when Caitlin eyes him and frowns.
      The next morning, the group, now eight, readies its travel gear. Torm suggests that they try to leave the wagon and team at the temple, and the priestess there, Robin, a strong-looking but friendly woman, agrees.
      The party heads to the west end of town.

      "You know," says Tzar, "now that I've seen these hills, I was thinkin' that while the horses can probably traverse them, it may be best to leave the horses to make travel even for the group, except maybe bring Ugly to carry some supplies. Plus we don't know if the Brakkar eat horses, or something like that."
      "Good point, Tzar," says Caitlin, "especially as we won't be able to bring them into any caves with us."
      "Well," begins Torm, "lets try and leave all the mounts here where they will be safe. We can come back and get them if we need to lug out a lot of loot." He grins. "Ugly is tough, so he ought to be fine. His kind live in hills larger than these."
      Seeing the reason of their words, the party goes back to the temple, and those people with horses ask Robin if they can leave them with her, as well as the wagon. She agrees, promising not to sell them for at least a couple of days....
      "Well, lets see what the hills have for us," remarks Tzar, looking out over the rolling terrain.
      "I'll take the rear," volunteers Nova. "If no one has any objections."
      With a bit of shuffling, the rough order ends up as Belexus (somewhat ahead, scouting), Tzar, Walker, Caitlin, Fencik (who actually moves back and forth talking with everyone), Cedric, Torm, and finally Novalindro, hanging back a dozen yards or so.
      Belexus suggests heading due west at first, lacking any other specific direction, and moves quickly, maintaining a steady pace. Surprisingly enough, about two hours into the trek, Belexus spots some strange yet awfully familiar tracks heading slightly northwest, crossing his path from the southeast. The trail shows several creatures with odd three-toed tracks, with some long lines interspersed among them, possibly of a person being dragged.
      Fencik looks back along where the tracks come from. "I don't think there's anything but farmland there." Brushing some dust from his clothes, he looks at Belexus. "Do you think maybe they took someone from a farm, and we left before the news got to town?"
      Belexus frowns. "Given how smart the Brakkar have proven to be, I wouldn't be surprised." He looks at the tracks. "I'm almost certain that these are Brakkar tracks. Nova?" The bony-faced man glances down at the footprints, then back at Belexus, and nods.

      Nova crouches to examine the tracks more closely. Cedric frowns. "We should warn the townfolk that the Brakkar are about. That may mean that we will lose the trail again, but the people should take precautions against abductions. To stumble after the trail without warning them may mean that more abductions could happen. But, if we return to the village to warn everyone, then what is the fate of the person already kidnapped? Given that the Brakkar seemed more intent on collecting, for lack of a better term, than actually harming their previous captives, I don't think that we have much to worry about with regards to this."
      "Well, did you tell Robin about the Brakkar's previous behavior?" asks the wizard.
      "Yes, we did."
      "Then she can explain to the townsfolk, and we can get on with what we're doing now. These Brakkar might be renegade, or maybe their 'master' has changed his mind about what to do with the captives."
      "Hmmm, good point." Cedric looks to the two newest members of the party. "Just so you know, the Brakkar are pretty effective fighters. They're amazingly nimble, and their chitin makes a tough armor. Plus, they seem to like traps. Adam, a previous companion of ours, got caught in one of them. So when we get closer, be on your guard."
      Fencik nods. "How about we have Belexus and the warriors in the middle, with myself and Nova fanning out to the sides, to avoid any ambushes?"
      "Fine with me," says Belexus. "Alright, folks, it looks like we are finally catching up to these damn bugs. Let's show 'em what we do with unwated vermin!"
      Tzar pulls Slicer out and gives it a sharp look. "Slicer and me are ready. I've been waitin' to have another shot at those bugmen." He then slides Slicer back into the scabbard.
      "Nova," asks Cedric, "can you tell how old these tracks are? How far behind the creature are we?"
      "Creatures," says the ranger, standing. "There were at least three in this group. I think that we are about half a day behind them, and it does look like they were pulling someone, although the drag-marks aren't very deep."
      "Lets see where these tracks lead then," says Tzar.
      "Aye," says Torm, "let's find these bugs."
      Belexus takes the lead, with Walker and Tzar close by, Fencik out to the left and Nova out to the right, with the others following the center group. The party moves at a careful pace for about half an hour, when a shape appears on one of the nearby northern hills. Archers draw their bows, expecting trickery, scanning the entire horizon. The shape comes closer, seemingly unafraid, moving along at a fast walk.
      "The shape is all wrong for a Brakkar," remarks Nova, who is closest to it. "It looks like it's ... yes, it's a dog." Still cautious, the party waits as the dog comes nearer, unafraid of the humans. It makes a detour around Nova, then comes in toward the central group of people. It is a medium-sized dog, about eighty pounds, deep brown in color. Although appearing of mixed breed, it show its Labrador heritage in the shape of its face. Sensing everyone's tension, it stops, then walks slowly, head low, making a couple of whines in its throat. The dog looks healthy, and not mean. It appears to be heading directly toward Belexus.

      Cedric chuckles. "Now that's one intelligent dog. It knew to avoid Nova on sight." Nova merely frowns, then shakes his head and gives a wry grin. He and Fencik keep their side positions, wary of an ambush.
      Belexus lays down his bow, and drops to one knee. Holding his arms out, he starts making a purring noise deep in his throat.
      "I wonder if he knows that's a _cat_ noise," murmurs Caitlin to Torm, with a smile.
      Cedric starts to walk a little closer, but Belexus turns his head slightly and shakes a 'no.' The dog comes closer, and finally lays down in front of Belexus, head on its front paws. Belexus carefully lets it sniff his hand, then pets it on its head, which it accepts with a tail wag. It then stands up, walks in a circle, then sits.
      "What is a dog doing out here in the hills?" asks Tzar, looking around.
      "Well, Belexus," says Cedric, "any signs of this pup belonging to someone? I'd really like to get it back to whoever owns it prior to tracking the Brakkar, although the dog's nose may came in handy for that."
      "No collar or leash, or even a brand," replies the ranger.
      "Does he look injured?" asks Torm, concerned for the animal's welfare. "Should I look him over?"
      "He looks fine," replies Belexus, "but feel free to look yourself." The dog begins to pant, its tongue hanging out the side of its mouth. Torm approaches, and the dog stands again and moves to keep Belexus between himself and the priest.
      "Well, he's all right," says Torm with surety, not willing to upset the animal. Once he backs off, the animal returns to its happy state.
      "Perhaps this dog was kept by someone who was captured by the Brakkar?" suggests Walker. "If so, maybe it could even lead us to them?"
      "True," says Cedric, "even if it couldn't track the Brakkar, it should know its master. However, it may not be owned by a prisoner of the Brakkar. Although it's company would ordinarily be welcome, I'd hate to try sneaking up on the Brakkar with a barking dog. But, if there's no sign of ownership, we can't just turn it loose." Cedric sighs. Looking at the rangers, he says, "You two are the ones most knowledgeable about animals. Any ideas?" The dog seems remarkably happy, as long as nobody other than Belexus tries to touch it.

      Nova puts on a relaxed pose and walks slowly towards the dog, bent over to minimize his size. The dog cowers briefly as he approaches, but stops and sniffs him when Nova gets close enough, then finally licks his hand.
      "I believe this animal will not cause us any problems, Cedric," says the ranger as he scratches the dog's ears. "He might even be helpful." The dog accepts the scratching, even thumping his tail twice, and then goes to sit next to Belexus again.
      "I say we let it come with us," says Belexus. "He seems very intelligent, and I think I can keep him quiet. Besides, I think his skills may come in handy."
      "Well, I don't think anyone could separate the dog from Belexus easily," says Torm, grinning, "so let's continue on."
      "Yeah," adds Tzar, "lets bring the dog, we're wastin' time."
      The group continues following the trail in its former positioning, with the dog walking happily next to Belexus. The tall ranger has no trouble following the Brakkar's trails as they veer more northward. After another two hours, the sounds of a river can be heard about a mile to the north. Soon after that, the trail passes through a large flat area with long scrape marks on it. There are two dark spots on the hill on the north end of the flat space, which are probably caves.
      The flat area is over a hundred feet long, and about half as wide as that. The scrape marks are each about ten to fifteen feet in length, about a foot wide at their thickest point (tapering off to nothing), and there are eight such marks total; they are quite easy to see, exposing rich bare earth in contrast to the green grass. They seem to be organized in pairs of marks thirty feet apart. There are several sets of Brakkar tracks moving around this area, with many coming to and from the hill with the cave-shapes.

      "This looks to be what we came for," says Fencik.
      "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't like the looks of that clearing," says Cedric.
      Tzar frowns. "Seems like a lot of open space before the caves. Could give plenty of warning from anyone comin' close." He scratches his beard and looks at the surrounding hills, then puts both hands back on his bow. "Maybe we should look for away around to the caves."
      "Hey," says Fencik, "why don't we see if we can find a cave that doesn't seem to be as used as the others. Perhaps we can find a side cave that loops into the main cave. That way, we can find out what we're up against before we stumble into the main host of these bugs."
      "Why don't Nova and I scout around to see if there are any other openings like that," says Belexus. Nova nods, and begins to examine the tracks. The two rangers begin to look for any side trails that may lead to other caves, with the dog following.
      "Does anyone have any ideas about those furrows in the ground?" asks Cedric. "Since I rather doubt that the Brakkar have decided to take up farming, I think that it's safe to rule out that. Perhaps it has something to do with that pirate's weapon." He looks at Fencik. "Fencik, here's what that last bit was about. On our last encounter with the Brakkar, we lost them, but we found a map in an amulet taken from one of those we defeated. It led to a hidden cave that belonged to the pirate...." He frowns, then looks about. "Anyone care to help me out here?"
      "Nardok Gilantheer," says Torm, smiling.
      "Nardok ... oh," says Caitlin, grinning at Torm. "You beat me to it."
      "I had some help," replies the priest, tapping his temple.
      Cedric continues. "There we noted that some stuff has been disturbed, but none of the treasure was taken. We later found some old notes and poems, hinting that the pirate-wizard was working on some sort of weapon, but that's about all that we learned. It was there that we lost the trail."
      "You know, Cedric, I was thinking that these marks may be the claw marks of some huge creature - perhaps the flying creature I saw in my dream? If so, I hope it's on our side!"
      Cedric grimaces. "I had forgotten about that. Just in case, we might want to move out of this open area, for we would be easily spotted."
      "Yes," adds Torm, "perhaps we should hide and observe this area until dark, then head for the caves?"
      "I don't know," says Cedric. "If we wait until nightfall, the Brakkar may be more active, since they seem to like abducting people during the night. If we wait for that to happen, then we allow more people to be abducted, plus, if we have as hard a time against them as we did before, when the others return, we might not be in any shape to handle them. I'm for going in now."
      "It doesn't look like there are any other entrances," says Nova. "So, day or night, it looks like those two caves are the only choices."
      "We didn't want to get too close," says Belexus, "in case we'd be spotted, but all the tracks lead that way. They both are caves, though."
      The dog sits and pants. He doesn't seem to have any inclination to go in any particular direction, content to stay near Belexus.

      Cedric says, "Well, perhaps the cave on the right is the right cave. Anyone have any better methods of determining which cave we head for?"
      "I suggest we move closer, trying to be as covert as possible," says Nova, looking towards the caves.
      "If Nova and I could get a little closer," says Belexus, "then we should be able to see which cave has more tracks going into it."
      "Should we approach the caves in two groups?" asks Tzar. "The second group could hang back and give missile cover until the first group got there, then follow up."
      "I don't like that idea," says Torm. "The group in front could be seriously injured by the time the second group could run up to help."
      "I guess so," says Tzar, shrugging.
      "Could we head west, then north, to get around this clearing, and then south, to avoid being spotted? Would that allow you rangers a close enough view?" asks the priest.
      "It should," replies the tall ranger.
      Walker suddenly speaks up. "I think we should wait until nightfall. If the Brakkar come out, we can ambush them, and perhaps gain some advantage that way. If we go into the caves, we'll be on their home territory, which will give them a huge advantage, especially if they've trapped it. Also, I'd like to wait and see if anything more happens with these scratches."
      Cedric stops short. "Wait. I just had a _really_ bad thought. Since we do know that the pirate was only a half-rate mage - no offense, Caitlin - is it a fair assumption that this weapon of his was really a weapon? What if he found a means of subverting the will of Torm's flying beast? Caitlin, is that possible? What if his weapon was a great beast under his own control?"
      "It's possible," she replies, smoothing her hair back and tying it in place. "He could have found a control spell, or herb, or something like that."
      "Well," continues the paladin, "it is something to keep in mind. But if Torm and Caitlin could, if, and, or when we encounter Torm's beast, see if you can tell if it has been ensorcelled."
      "I'll do my best," she replies, and Torm nods.
      "The quickest way to end this fight may be to free the beast," continues Cedric. "That would be a just reward for the Brakkar, turning their captive against them."
      Tzar chuckles. "So long as it saves some for me," says the big warrior. "I have a few new tricks to show the Brakkar."
      "Well," says Fencik, straightening his pack on his shoulders, "we can sit here forever, or do what we came to do. Sooner or later, we are going to have to go in there, unless we want to slink back to town with our tails between our legs. I think it would be better to go in during the day if they are more active at night."
      "Right," says Cedric. "Perhaps they're nocturnal and we can put an end to this without too much loss coming to either side. Well, my ranger friends, are you ready to show the way?"
      Both woodsmen nod, suddenly very serious. They lead the party westward into the hills, then circle northward and then head southeast, bringing the party close to the caves. Nova creeps forward on his belly while the others keep their bows and magic ready. A few minutes later he creeps back around the low hill which the party is hiding behind and stands again.
      "The tunnel on the left looks to be a bit narrower, and less used. There are only one or two sets of tracks going into it, and they are all old."
      "How about we check that one first, just to be sure we won't get any surprises coming out?" suggests Belexus.
      "Fine," says Nova.
      "Sounds good," says Tzar, putting away his bow. He takes out a dagger and holds it, ready for throwing.
      Nova again leads the way towards this cave, then waits at the edge of the opening. From here, the second cave can be seen about twenty feet away. Gesturing for silence, Nova and Belexus duck around the corner into the first cave, weapons ready. A second later, Belexus whispers that it's clear, and the rest of the party follows.
      The midafternoon daylight outside filters strongly into this cave. Initially only about five feet wide, it expands to almost ten feet wide within ten feet. Small stalactites and stalagmites protrude from the ceiling and floor, and the floor is very slightly damp. The cave extends further back into the hillside, beyond where the outside light begins to fade a bit. Cedric and Fencik watch the back end of the cave, alert for intrusion.
      Nova and Tzar step forward slowly and move further in. After about ten steps they stop.
      "Looks like supplies," whispers Tzar. Nova crouches to examine a small pile of material.
      "Rope, high quality, and a lot of it," he whispers, moving it about with his sword. Some dried food and some long planks." He stands and squints further in, then slowly walks back to the entrance, with Tzar warily following. "It stops about five feet further in," says Nova in a low voice. "I don't see any other exits." He looks to Fencik. "Do you think you might be able to find any? I doubt there are any there, but you might have a sharper eye for such things."
      In total, the cave is roughly ten feet wide and thirty feet long. It heads directly into the hillside for half its length, the curves slightly to the left for the last half. The ceiling is about seven feet high at its greatest point, sloping downward the farther back you go.

      "They've sure stashed a lot of rope," says Tzar, flexing his hands in anticipation of a coming fight.
      Cedric looks at the supplies through narrowed eyes. "What on earth would they use this stuff for, other than construction?" he whispers.
      "I was thinking that that dried food is sort of odd," whispers Walker. "Is it meat, Nova?" The ranger nods. "Well, that's not so weird, then." He begins to look about on the claylike ground near his feet.
      "Why don't one of you warrior-types come with me," says Fencik, "and watch my back while I look around for signs of trap doors or hidden doors - just in case something decides to pop out while I'm poking around."
      "I'll go in," says Tzar, glaring menacingly into the cave.
      "Just make sure you give me enough room to operate," Fencik says. With that, he starts along the right wall and works his way back to the end of the cave and around to the mouth again. Tzar waits about a pace behind. The skinny man comes all the way back to the front of the cave. "Nothing. No traps or doors that I can find."
      Cedric shrugs. "Perhaps we can use this little cave as a diversion to free their captives before launching an attack of our own. Here's my idea - set these supplies ablaze, then retreat. The Brakkar will hopefully come rushing in to douse the flames. While they're preoccupied, we slip in and free any hostages they have. We then pull back ourselves. Doing this slows down their plans, and prevents them from using any captives against us."
      Nova looks up at the cave's low ceiling. "Cedric, it doesn't look like there are any vents to the other cave, so I don't think any smoke will get their attention."
      "Hmm," says Cedric. "There you go, shooting holes in my plans again." He grins. "So, my friend, what do you suggest?"
      "Let's go in the other cave now, and not wait until nightfall."
      "Yeah," says Tzar, "head down the other one. Lets not keep the bugs waitin.'"
      "It doesn't look like they used this place much anyway," says Walker, standing straight again.
      "Then perhaps we can find out exactly what they're up to." Cedric peers into the back of the tunnel. "I just had another thought. These creatures seem to have a pretty reasonable means of getting around, what with their being in New Galloway, the island, and now here. Either they have an extensive network of tunnels under England, or they've been using magic to travel unseen. I'm thinking magic, as they would have still had to transport any and all captives."
      "Well, we have no proof they were at the island, Cedric," says Caitlin. "We didn't find any Brakkar tracks."
      "Boy, I'm not doing to well today, am I?" muses the paladin. "But what do you think of the rest of it?"
      "Sounds reasonable ... it is a long way, and it's not like they could stay at inns."
      "Ah, shall we go?" asks Belexus, squeezing Caitlin's hand.
      "Right," says Tzar, "you and me in the lead."
      "Don't grab has hand, though," says the wizard, smiling. "Or anything else." Tzar rolls his eyes.
      Tzar and Belexus lead the way along the hillside to the next cave, then duck in. A second later, Belexus' arm snakes out and beckons for everyone to follow.
      Inside, the cave is a little over six feet high, and is barely wide enough for both of the lead people to fight side-by-side if necessary. The front of the cave has some dry grasses, but soon that gives way to bare lumpy earth. Although a bit dim, after a few feet some glowing moss gives enough illumination to maneuver safely by -- illumination to about ten feet. No lights are lit, in hopes of keeping surprise for as long as possible. Winding slowly left and right, after about twenty feet it widens somewhat, more like a blunt alcove than an actual room increase, as it just as quickly narrows back to its tight dimensions.
      About fifteen feet after that, the moss thickens some, giving a little bit brighter light. Under this light, the tunnel can be seen to widen out into some sort of large cave. Far into the room can be seen a small dull glow, possibly that of an old fire. No creatures can be seen within the room, but the light there is so poor it would be simple to hide in the shadows, simply by not moving.

      "Should I light my lantern?" whispers Torm. "If this fire was doused because they heard or saw use coming they may be lying in wait. Remember, try to stay put when we engage them so I can bless the party."
      "We should still keep it dark," whispers Caitlin, "for stealth."
      Cedric whispers, "Let me see if I can detect anything ahead." He concentrates for a moment, then exhales. "There's something in there, but I can't tell exactly where. Let's be careful. They could be using the prisoners as shields. Shall we see what they're up to?"
      Nova points to himself and makes a counterclockwise circle with his hand, and then points to the glow. He then ducks into the darkness and begins to edge his way along the right wall.
      "Let's get dangerous," whispers Tzar with a grin. He motions to Belexus and then toward the left side of the room. The two men begin to move along the left wall, and Walker quickly ducks in after Nova.
      "Well, at least they're spread out a little," whispers Fencik. The party lapses into silence, waiting for a response from those ahead.
      "Well, hello, bugface!" shouts Tzar, as the sound of scraping against metal begins.
      From this position, very little can be seen ... the light from the fire and the glowing moss shows an occasional moving glint of armor, near the walls over on the left side, about thirty feet away.

      Torm immediately grabs his lantern and prepares to light it.
      Cedric draws his sword, saying in a calm voice, "Brakkar, we have come to put a stop to your kidnapping. We shall not let this continue. I would like a parley with your leader. If you attack us, or ignore this warning, we shall be forced to defend our people, which may very well end in your death. Do you understand?"
      There is no response from any of the Brakkar, except for the continued sounds of fighting. Torm gets the door of the lantern open, and brings out his flint, when Caitlin steps in. "Here, let me." She points her finger, and a streak of green flame leaps from it to the lantern wick. She then withdraws. Torm quickly closes the lantern, lowers the wick towards the oil, and stands, illuminating most of the cave with its light.
      In the light of the lantern, the cave is a rough oval about sixty feet long and almost as wide, with a ceiling between ten and twenty feet. At the far end of the room, about the limit of the lantern's light, are two more tunnels leading further inward.
      About thirty feet along the left wall, Tzar and Belexus are each fighting a single Brakkar. About fifty feet along the curve of the right wall is Nova fighting a lone Brakkar. Beyond that skirmish is a prone form, unidentifiable. Walker is just to the left of the fire coals, about to face a Brakkar, with another Brakkar coming to support its fellow. Near the two corridors are three Brakkar, which begin to move rapidly closer to the close side.
      Seeing the number of Bugmen, Torm begins to chant a spell. Cedric moves to the front, sword in hand. "Torm, guard the rear. I shall not remain in the back while my friends are struck down. I want them to witness firsthand the wrath of Diancecht." Torm nods his head in acknowledgement and continues chanting.
      "Wait, Cedric," says Caitlin, "hold out your sword." The paladin complies, unsure of what she wants. The wizard takes a snail shell from a pouch, crushes it over his blade, then wraps one of her wide sleeves around the whole thing and concentrates. Her eyes flash, and she lets the cloth drop showing the blade unmarked, but the shell shards missing, all of this only taking a few seconds. "Hurry, it only lasts a minute or so."
      Torm finishes his chant, then begins waving his oaken staff in a complex pattern, accompanied by the smell of green growing plants.
      Fencik leans out a bit and begins to look around the room, trying to spot any hidden exits, strange traps, or possible ambushes.

      "Cedric, stop your yappin' and get in here!" calls Tzar, blocking a claw with his shield. "Someone may need your help," he adds, knocking away the Brakkar's biting head, but catching a claw-swipe on his well-armored chest.
      Belexus is taking a beating. His next sword-swing bounces off the monster's shell, and it cuts open his studded leather with each of its claws, drawing blood again, and he falls to one knee, raising his shield high to protect himself. The Brakkar pushes it aside, and is about to hit the ranger again when Caitlin calls forth a burst of green fire, which hits it in the torso, knocking it to the ground, where it stays, a steaming hole in the middle of its chest. Belexus gets to his feet again, grits his teeth, and looks to the approaching trio of Brakkar.
      Seeing that Walker is about to be surrounded by enemies, Cedric strides out in that direction to help him. Suddenly, Torm cries out, "Cedric, jump left!"
      Startled, the paladin manages to dodge to the side just before a head-sized piece of rock crashes down where he was standing. He looks up, then steps further into the room. "There are two up above with rocks," he says, "beware." He then moves on towards Walker, who now has three Brakkar facing him menacingly, while the last two from the far wall move to fight Belexus and Tzar, Tzar having driven his sword through his foe's head.
      Nova, meanwhile, has dropped his opponent, and is examining the prone figure.

      "Hang back until I hit 'em," whispers Tzar, and then charges toward the two Brakkar, shield held in front of him. Unfortunately, the big warrior slips on gore from the two dead Brakkar and falls forward, partially managing to break his fall. "Damn, so much for that," he says as he stands and readies himself for the two Brakkar now coming in for melee. Belexus unsteadily stands next to him.
      "Nova," calls Cedric, "check quickly and fall back before we're cut off any more than we are now!"
      The wiry ranger speaks to the Brakkar in front of him, which is now standing again. "I will spare your life if you lead me to any other hostages." It screeches and raises its claws in response, and Nova frowns, then impales it through the chest, after which it falls and lies still again. Nova grabs the prone figure and hoists it over his shoulder, then begins to walk toward the front of the cave. The person is probably female, for it wears what looks like a simple nightdress.
      Walker tries to back around the coals of the fire to buy more space from himself. The two closest Brakkar duck around it and rend him with tooth and claw, leaving his armor links broken in two places and a small cut on his face. He gets one swipe in, but cannot complete the swing without stepping into the fire, so the blow merely glances off of his target's armored form. The third Brakkar turns around when Cedric gets close and tries to claw him, but stumbles against one of its fellows and falls to its knees. Cedric waits the few seconds until it is standing again, then swings at it and misses it by a hair's breadth.
      Torm skitters out of the tunnel's mouth, dodging back and forth. Strangely enough, he jumps to the left _before_ one of the Brakkar drops a rock, without even looking up. He ducks in behind Belexus and Tzar and casts a prayer upon the heavily wounded ranger, who immediately stands straighter. Torm then turns and grabs his sling, looking to take out the two Brakkar on the ledge.
      Belexus takes a swing at his foe, but misses. Tzar's foe catches him once with a claw, snagging a chain loop for a second before the warrior can shake it loose. The warrior is having bad luck with this set of Brakkar - both of Slicer's swings fail to contact the bugman. Belexus' opponent cuts him again with one claw, but catches a shield in the teeth when it tries a too-hasty bite - it falls back a step, holding its sore face.
      Cedric swings his sword at the closest Brakkar, hitting it in the chest. Although the hit was only a moderate one, over half of the Brakkar's chest cavity shatters with a great cracking noise, spilling gross orange fluids over a wide area; the Brakkar's eyes literally pop out of its head as it dies. Cedric is impressed, as is Walker. The quiet warrior uses the toe of his boot to kick some coals at one of his opponents, which, combined with the rather violent death of its comrade, serves to distract it, allowing him to chop heavily into one of its arms. It staggers a bit, but its surviving fellow severely mauls Walker, cutting him deeply in two different places. Incredibly quickly, Cedric passes his sword to his shield-arm and grabs Walker's arm, holding him up. Immediately Walker looks more alert and gains color again, and he gives Cedric a rather surprised look. The Brakkar that Walker wounded runs away towards the two tunnels, licking its wounded arm with a long tongue.
      Fencik suddenly appears out of nowhere in the middle of the room, daggers in hand, which he throws at one of the two Brakkar on the ledge. One hits the left creature, sticking in a little bit before falling out. Squealing its anger, it raises a rock in its arms, but drops it when Torm launches a metal slug from his sling, hitting it in the center of the chest. Its fellow throws its rock at Torm, and hits, but the rock seems to bounce off of Torm's skin, which has taken on a woodlike coloration.
      Nova sets the prisoner down about ten feet from the Brakkar's ledge, not willing to chance having a rock dropped on him or her. He then unslings his bow and lets fly at the Brakkar on the right, coming close but missing, his arrows shattering against the stone wall of the cave.
      Walker and Cedric take swings at their remaining opponent, but it dodges about nimbly, then begins to run off after its fellow towards the two tunnels.
      Belexus again bounces his sword off the thickness of the Brakkar's protection, but Tzar stabs his Brakkar in the gut, all the way to the hilt, then snaps it back out again. Thick orange and green fluids gush weakly from the sword wound, but the Brakkar continues to fight as if it was unharmed, and claws hard against Tzar's shield, pushing him back a foot. Belexus falls as the other Brakkar hits him on the chest with both claws. Seeing its opponent fall, the bugman takes a step towards Torm, whose back is turned ... and erupts in a column of yellow flame. Emitting a high-pitched keening, the burning Brakkar begins to run frantically about, trying to put out the flames, but a few seconds later it collapses and breaks open in a steaming, smelly, liquid mess.
      "You show him, girl," says Belexus weakly from the floor, pressing his hands to his wounds.
      "Thanks, love," replies Caitlin from the front of the cave, her hands smoking.
      The two Brakkar on the ledge hurl rocks again, both bouncing heavily off of the sturdy priest, who looks rather peeved at being a target. The rocks must have altered his sling speed, for he misses with his next sling bullet. Fencik throws another dagger, again mildly wounding the Brakkar on the left. Nova launches two more arrows, the first striking the right-side Brakkar in the chest, the second penetrating its left eye. It falls from the ledge and hits the cave floor with a loud cracking noise.

      "Will you guys stop the mushy stuff," says Tzar. "Someone's gotta get the ones runnin' away!"
      Fencik starts to walk carefully and quietly over to Tzar's fight, his short sword ready. Torm abandons his slinging and turns to pull Belexus away from the immediate area of the fight. Once that is done, he begins to prepare a poultice for the injured ranger.
      "Thanks, Torm," whispers Belexus.
      "Glad to help. Now shut up and lie still."
      Nova launches two arrows at the Brakkar on the ledge, hitting it once in the arm and once in the shoulder. With one arm it tries to throw a rock at Fencik, but falls far short of the blade-man. The other Brakkar tries to take Tzar down, but the warrior's bright armor deflects all of the reptile-insect's attacks.
      "I'm getting tired of you, buggy," quips the warrior, "lets see what Arawn thinks of you." Unfortunately, he can't crack its hide to finish off the terrible wound he made before. Then, two darts of fire streak from the tunnel opening to pierce the Brakkar's shell, and it collapses to the ground, dead. Caitlin waves her staff high in jubilation. Fencik grins and goes to retrieve his daggers.
      Meanwhile, Cedric and Walker have dashed off after the fleeing Brakkar, Walker having a bit of trouble getting up to dashing speed. A little over a second passes before the two monsters run into the tunnel on the right. A few moments later, Cedric stops short when he reaches the tunnel mouth, with Walker right behind him.
      "Come on, bugmen," says the paladin, "why do you flee like such cowards?" There is no answer. "Blast, I was hoping to goad them into coming back out."
      Nova's bow sings twice, and the last living Brakkar in the room falls from the ledge with two more arrows in it. Torm murmurs a prayer over Belexus, who is then able to sit up after such excellent treatment.
      "Whoa, Belexus," says Tzar, "you don't look to good."
      "Thanks a lot," says the ranger, pulling himself to his feet, "I'll remember that before I try to meet the king."
      "We better get those bugmen before they let everyone know we're comin'," growls Tzar, smirking, while Walker and Cedric come trotting back. Torm examines Walker's injuries.
      "If we leave," says Cedric, "the Brakkar will be expecting us to return. They may have time to rig these tunnels to collapse as they did before. But, there are two things to consider - we need to get their captive to safety, and they seemed to know that we were coming. The fire was doused, and they had members positioned above awaiting our entrance into the room. It would seem that we weren't as sly as we thought we were."
      "Well, we did walk around for half an hour in that big field," says Caitlin, putting her arm around Belexus and having him lean on her staff. Cedric nods, then goes to the Brakkar's former prisoner, whom Nova is carrying towns the other party members.
      "It looks like she took one hit to her face, which knocked her out," says Cedric, "but other than that, she's fine."
      "Yes, I know," says Nova.
      "Come on," says Cedric, "let's get her to safety. We'll just have to be a little more careful when we come back."

      "How is everyone? Do any wounds need tending?" asks the priest.
      "I could use a little aid," says Walker. Torm sets him down and binds up his wounds.
      "I agree with Cedric," says Belexus. "Let's get the girl out and if she can give us any information." Fencik begins to look about the front part of the cave, and even climbs up to the ledge the Brakkar were waiting in ambush.
      Tzar moves to reclaim his dagger, then stops. "Wait a minute," he says. "We're goin' to go back and give these things a chance to lay more traps than mister pirate wizard? We should at least take a quick look at these tunnels to see what's there."
      Torm finishes binding Walker, then stands. "I have to agree with him - we should pursue them now, even if it means exposing the woman to danger. I can help protect her and Caitlin while the warriors destroy this den of evil."
      "Um, excuse me, what did you say? Did I hear you right?" asks Caitlin. "Protect _me_? Ah, as far as I could see, I can take care of myself. Just because I don't have arms as big as trees or a god looking over my shoulder doesn't mean I'm helpless, and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop treating me that way."
      Torm looks extremely embarrassed. "Ah, I'm sorry Caitlin, I just meant --"
      "I know what you meant, and I appreciate it, but don't do it again. I don't need you all tripping over each other getting yourself killed just to keep me from scuffing my shoes. I have my magic to protect me -- if I need help, I'll let you know."
      "I must say, Caitlin," interrupts Cedric, "that that was an amazing spell you cast on my sword! Is it difficult to cast? That would certainly come in handy again."
      "It's not too hard to make it go, but a little tough to make it last for more than a few minutes," she says, pleased at the complement.
      "Yeah, and that little invisible spell you did for me was great, too," says Fencik, stepping back into the tunnel. "There's nothing unusual I could find in the walls of the front half of the room, by the way, but I didn't want to go too far in."
      "Oh," adds Cedric, "I also wanted to ask you, Caitlin, about that fire spell you used that engulfed that Brakkar. Was that a magical flame, or simply a normal fire made to appear by magic?" He cocks his head with a befuddled look. "Did that make sense?" He shakes his head. "What I'm getting at is, given your knowledge of that magic, do you think that normal fire would have the same sort of effect upon the Brakkar as that spell did? If so, then perhaps we should use that to our advantage in our next encounter."
      "I really don't know," says the wizard. "I willed heat, and it happened. Much of my magic manifests in a firelike form, whether or not that is the intended effect - say, if I learned how to heal flesh, it may enshroud the wound in false flames, or make it leak such flames as if it were a vent, or something similar. It must be some side effect of the dragonmark." She pulls up one of her wide sleeves to reveal the dragon-shaped birthmark on her right forearm. "Anyway, I don't know how they'd react to flames. Perhaps we could collect some of their shell, or whatever it is, and test it later."
      "Well," says Torm, "I think that if we wait, it gives the Brakkar time to make further preparations, maybe even escape with other captives."
      "Maybe we could split up," says Tzar, trying to get this settled. "Leave some of us here to keep an eye on the Brakkar, and the others can take the girl back. Maybe Belexus and Walker, since they were hurt pretty bad."
      "Oooh, what?" breathes the townsgirl, stirring. Nova kneels down next to her and helps her sit up. She is about sixteen, and rather plain-faced, but of a figure that many men would find interesting. Seeing the ranger's kind angular face, she looks very puzzled. "What has happened? I was woken in the night by some strange-looking men, and when I tried to pull away, I got hit...." She touches her hand to her bruised jaw. "Who are you?"

      "I am Novalindro Calipatria," says the wiry ranger. "Ah, call me Nova," he says, seeing her apprehension at the long name.
      "I'm Jill, Jill Franken," replies the young woman.
      "Jill, my name is Cedric Pellinore, and we have been searching for the Brakkar for some time - that which kidnapped you were not men, but rather were buglike humanoids, which call themselves Brakkar."
      "Well," says Fencik, "she's alive, she's all right, lets finish what we have to do here. We can go down that tunnel, and I can see if they left any surprises behind."
      "I really would like to get Jill to safety," says Cedric, "but I understand the need for haste."
      "She can stay in the back, with Belexus and Walker to guard her," says Tzar.
      "And we can still use our bows," adds Belexus.
      "I have said my piece," says Torm.
      "I'd like to move on, but we should get Jill something warmer first," says Nova. Caitlin pulls out her traveling cloak and gives it to the farmgirl.
      "Very well, I concede - let us move on," says the paladin. "Say, Jill, do you have a dog?"
      "No, milord, why do you ask?"
      "Ah, not important right now," he says. "Lead the way, Fencik; I hope your skill is as good as Caitlin thinks it is." The sorceress laughs.
      Fencik and Nova lead the way to the rear tunnels. Fencik moves a couple of steps ahead and starts down the tunnel on the right, checking the walls, floor, and ceiling carefully. The tunnel is generally straight, weaving only slightly to the left or right at various points. His efforts are rewarded about ten feet into the tunnel when he spots a cord lying low to the ground, partially concealed by some small rocks. He snorts.
      "This is really primitive. If these guys are the expert trap-layers you say they are, they must have been in a hurry when they did this." He follows the cord along to the wall and then up. "It looks like this is to drop some rocks on the heads of the targets. If I fiddle with it, it will probably drop anyway, so how about we just step over it." He searches the next few feet of tunnel, proclaiming it safe, and then gets the rest of the party past the line without activating the trap. He then continues to move along, Nova ready to protect him in the case of a sudden ambush.
      A short ways after the line trap, there is a tunnel opening on the left wall which leads back towards the main room. "It's probably that other tunnel," says Fencik. "Does anyone want to check it out?"
      "No need," says Torm, "you are correct - it joins up in the room." Fencik gives the priest a funny look, but accepts the older man's certainty and continues on down the tunnel.
      The floor begins to slope downward slightly, and after about fifteen feet of descent, covering about forty feet of tunnel, Fencik stops again. "Look," he says, pointing to the floor ahead. "They have altered the dirt, here." He looks up. "Torm, lend me your staff, will you?" The priest hands the young man his fighting staff, and Fencik probes the floor up ahead with it. In the spot he indicated the staff sinks into the ground. Pushing it side-to-side, he reveals a couple of saplings covered in netting and earth, used to conceal some sort of pit.
      "If we were running after the Brakkar," remarks Cedric, "one of us would have almost certainly fallen into this. You have a very good eye, Fencik; I'm glad we have you here with us."
      "Thanks," he replies, and probes the sides of the tunnel. "Okay, they left the sides solid so they could sneak past. Just hug the wall and you'll be fine ... the pit is only about four feet long."
      After the party navigates past this obstacle, Fencik again resumes his search. The tunnel goes on another twenty feet at its downward slope when he stops again, and everyone can see the problem here. Starting about five feet ahead of Fencik, the tunnel floor becomes wet, then muddy, and then wet _and_ muddy. While the tunnel ceiling becomes more level, it is quite possible that the floor continues downward, turning into a morass of mud of unknown depth.
      "It must be the river," says Nova, "for it is nearby. The Brakkar came this way, you can see their tracks in the mud." True enough, two sets of Brakkar tracks show up leading right into the mud.

      Belexus turns to watch behind the party, bow drawn.
      "Could these beasties be buried in the mud, waiting to ambush us?" asks Torm.
      "I haven't seen a bugman fly yet," says Tzar, "so lets get movin.'"
      "I don't know," says Fencik. "I think the bugs must have a way around this. I can't see them getting through this every time they come back and forth through here."
      "Well," suggests the wizard, "maybe this is just an escape route, and they normally use the front entrance. They could have been brought here by that flying creature that Torm saw in his dream."
      Fencik winces. "Yeah, could be."
      "I don't have the skill to check it out," says Walker, "but is anyone else able to see if these tracks are real or not? Nova? Belexus?"
      "I'll see what I can do," says Nova, "although we have walked over most of the previous ones." The ranger gets close to the floor to examine the few tracks visible.
      "I'm going to see if maybe they have a secret tunnel that they use," says Fencik. "This could just be another big trap." He moves to the side opposite of Nova and starts searching the walls, moving slowly away from the mud as he does so.
      "Do you have any feelings about this place, Torm?" asks Walker.
      "None, no flashes at all."
      "Well, the tracks look authentic," says Nova, standing, "and they do lead into the mud. Any luck, Fencik?"
      "None," he replies. "Unless it's much further back, I don't think there is a secret door here - the earth is too hard to work with to easily make one here."
      "Well," says Walker, "we'd better continue onwards. I don't like it, but there's no choice, since we gotta catch up to them."
      "Maybe we should rope someone and let them test the mud," says Torm. "I volunteer - my armor is light, so it won't make much of a difference if I have to remove it, and I can defend myself with or without a weapon pretty well. Plus, I can swim."
      "Makes sense to me," says Nova. "Here, let me tie the rope on you." Torm removes his outer robe, revealing thin leather armor underneath, which he also removes, standing finally in a loose shirt and light pants. Nova passes a couple of loops around the priest's midsection, then knots it. "We'll pull you back if it gets tight, or if you give it a tug."
      "Right," says Torm, and starts to walk into the mud, staff in hand. He uses it to probe the bottom ahead of him, and after about ten feet the floor under the mud drops off quickly, forcing him to exert himself slightly to move. He gets another twenty feet out when he turns to call out to the party. "The ceiling comes down here, and meets the mud. Should I check to see if it comes up again?"
      Everyone thinks that's a good idea, but Nova is especially cautious. "You only have about ten more feet of rope," he warns. "Don't try to go too far out, or get stuck."
      The muddy priest nods, then takes a few deep breaths and pushes himself beneath the surface of the mud. About a minute passes, with the rope still running slackly into the mud. Torm's head pops up soon after, sputtering and wiping mud from his eyes. He swims closer, then speaks.
      "The roof goes up after only about ten feet, I think. I got my head just above the surface, and it looks like this is the only submerged part for a while - there's more of that glowy moss on the other side." He swims back to the "shore" and sits, tired from pushing against the thick mud.
      "That was pretty brave, Torm," says Fencik. "You're lucky the Brakkar weren't hiding in there."
      "Well, I would have had all of you to help get me back safely, eh?" He smiles, his teeth bright against the dark mud. "So, do we turn back, or follow?"

      "I'm already muddy, so continuing is all right with me." says Torm.
      "I don't know," says Fencik. "I just don't think swimming through a pool of mud is a good idea. I can swim, but I don't know if the rest of you can."
      "I don't feel like swimmin' thru mud," says Tzar, frowning.
      "Maybe we should split up," says Torm. "Have Belexus, Walker, and the girl remain and anyone else who would rather. The rest pursue."
      "We'd have to take our armor off, and everything gets slimy," says Tzar. "Plus, by the time we got over there they could have an ambush set up for us. We'd be like ducks on a pond."
      "It seems that we are at an impasse," says the paladin. "So, shall we follow, and possibly catch the Brakkar, or leave, and hope to find them another day?"
      "Maybe it's time to look for that front entrance Caitlin talked about," says Tzar, pointing back the way the party came.

      Cedric frowns. "I don't like this at all. This _must_ be another trap, or at least a defense mechanism for their lair. To get through that morass without sinking, we'll have to remove our armor, probably tethered to us, but remaining on shore. When we pop up on the other side, the Brakkar could be waiting for us." He turns back toward the party. "Fencik, you said that there weren't any hidden passages. But did you think to check for not hidden, but not obvious? Did they perhaps take a higher road over the mud?" He begins peering upwards, looking for any sort of ledge or passageway that the Brakkar could have taken.
      "I checked the walls, floor, and ceiling," says Fencik. "If there's something else you can put a door in, I'd be glad to go look at it...."
      Cedric shrugs. "All right then, through the mud it is. Jill, we cannot ask you to follow us through this. If you so wish, we shall see you out to safety."
      "I say we go back and try the front entrance," says Fencik, before the girl can speak - although it looked like she wasn't planning on it, anyway.
      "Well, I think we should go on," says Walker. "Hell, despite my injuries, I'll do it myself. But in any case, we should decide what we're going to do fast, because the Brakkar are getting away."
      "I say we go look for another way," says Belexus, leaning on Caitlin's staff.
      "This is a nice place for deterring unwanted guests," says Tzar. It's easily defended, and gives the Brakkar a huge advantage over anything coming out of the mud. If we had magic to make it more accessible ...." Caitlin and Torm both shake their heads. "Well, then, as it stands, it bodes ill. I think we should find another way, but I will go where the group wants."
      "I agree with Tzar," says Nova, "and getting the girl out of danger it paramount over finding the Brakkar, Cedric."
      "Maybe we could try and find where this tunnel might come out," says Torm, squeezing some mud from his clothes. "Lets go to the river -- I need to clean up, and maybe the tunnel exit is close to that."
      "Well," says Caitlin, "it looks like four want to go, two want to go on this way, Torm willing to go either way, and myself. I say get out now -- we have wounded, a farmgirl that we need to keep safe, and Torm and I are both running low on magic. The last time we drove the Brakkar out of their lair, they didn't come back. We've done that now ... we can always come back tomorrow to be sure they are gone. Let's leave now before we all get killed."
      With the informal vote standing five to two, the company slowly makes it way back up the tunnel. Fencik double-checks for other possible exits on the way, just to be sure, and guides everyone past the two traps again into the main room. Deciding to press on, rather than risking an ambush while ransacking the cavern, the party heads outside, where the dog waits, barking happily when it sees Belexus - and paying no attention to Jill.
      The group turns toward the river, the dog trotting merrily along next to Belexus, and within less than half an hour it is reached. While Torm begins rinsing out his clothes and cleaning himself up, Belexus and Nova move up and down the river's near bank, looking for signs of a tunnel or of Brakkar tracks. None are found, even after half an hour of searching by both rangers.
      "Well," says Nova, "either the tunnel goes under the river, which is unlikely...."
      "Or," continues Belexus, "the Brakkar didn't come this way, which is quite possible. So, shall we head back for the day? We are beginning to lose our light, and it's five hours back to town." Truly enough, the sun is beginning to move to the late afternoon position.
      The party begins to push along toward the town, expecting to get back after dark, but hopefully not too late at night. In fact, they make good time, as they do not have to slow to follow any Brakkar trails, and there is still significant noise coming from the town's small inn when the group arrives an hour after full dark.
      After checking in with the town priestess to explain what had happened, she takes the girl and assures everyone that the animals and wagon can stay where they are for now. The dog decides to curl up under the wagon after sniffing at the horses and oxen. The party wearily returns to the inn, where the innkeeper looks in aghast surprise at Caitlin and gives them rooms at another rather low rate. Too tired to talk much, and a bit disappointed with the day's results, the party members quickly fall asleep, and rouse themselves for breakfast.

      At breakfast, all are there except Tzar, who Walker saw head out to exercise and ride his horse. The conversation generally revolves around the plans for the day.
      "Belexus," says Cedric, "if you don't mind, could you maybe have a little chat with your canine companion and see if there's a way that you could convince him to stay behind this trip? Although I am loathe to think that someone out there abandoned this animal, that is a definite possibility. But, for now, we must assume that someone out there is looking for ... him. It is a 'him,' isn't it? I just kinda assumed that the dog was a male."
      "Yes, he's a he," replies the tall ranger, looking much better after some healing and a good night's sleep.
      "Ah, I've digressed again," says the paladin. "What I was saying was that someone out there may be looking for their pet, and what right do we have to lead their friend and pet perhaps to its death? I'd feel better if we could leave it someplace safe. The temple perhaps?"
      "Well, I'll see what I can do. After all, it's not like I can hold a conversation with him." He grins. "Maybe we could get Tzar to try."
      "Oh, that would go over really well," says Caitlin. In a deep voice, she says, "Okay, dog, you stay right there or you'll have Slicer to reckon with." She thumps her chest and shows the muscles in her arms.
      "No, no!" says Belexus, laughing. "I meant they're both kind of fuzzy about the face."
      "Ho, Belexus!" comes a booming voice from the front door of the inn. "I hear you talking about me again! It must be about my great skills as a warrior, right?" The big man chuckles. "Buy me a drink, and I'll teach you what I can." The ranger complies, and Cedric goes on with his talking.
      "I've been thinking, again .... Although that mud keeps us out, isn't it a two way trap? Why would the Brakkar choose to dive headlong through that muck if there were an easier way around, perhaps leading us straight into reinforcements? Assuming that they _have_ to enter their lair that way, and perhaps a little scouting around might confirm this, then wouldn't they have to _leave_ their lair the same way?"
      "Ahem," says Caitlin. "Cedric, lean close, I want to whack you on the head with my staff." She smiles, meaning no harm. "What about the _front_ entrance? Who says they didn't use that? That would be a lot easier to move stuff in an out of, especially if they had this big tame flying thing like Torm dreamed about. You know, those marks? I bet those back tunnels were an escape route, like they had at the other place - remember how there were tracks all over leading to the front entrance, but we couldn't find any sign of the back exit. I bet it's the same thing - there weren't any tracks we could see because they probably only went there once to make sure they could get out."
      "Hmmm, good thinking," says Walker, stretching back and forth. "And good magic, Torm, I feel like new."
      "I wonder if there is any news about abductions," says Tzar, wiping beer foam from his beard.
      "We should probably check before we leave," says Nova. "We are planning to go back, correct? We must assure the safety of these townsfolk, and if possible, capture one of the Brakkar, so we can get more information."
      "I'm willing," says Tzar. "You know, from what I've seen of bugs on the farm, when the nest gets disturbed they swarm to that area. Perhaps the bugmen will do the same. If we go back and they're not there, we might have done enough damage to scare 'em away. If they _are_ there, if we can find another entrance, we might have an advantage."

      "Good idea, Tzar," says Fencik. "But then again, maybe disturbing the 'nest,' for lack of a better term, might bring back all of the damn bugs to protect it. If that's the case, they might be milling all around the surrounding area patrolling, so maybe we could grab one and bring it back to question it. Either that, or maybe we could get back into the caves easier, since they're all outside."
      Cedric is still musing about his overlooking of the flying beast. "Diancecht take me for a fool." He smiles at Caitlin. "And you can keep any smart remarks to yourself, young missy." She folds her hands on the table and whistles, the picture of innocence. "What I was going to say was: if the Brakkar have tamed some big nasty flying beast, and those marks we saw outside the cave were made by it, then perhaps someone in or near town saw it. We've only asked about abductions. We, or at least I, never thought to ask about a big flying beast."
      "Good idea," says the wizard. "I'm sure we could find out before we leave."
      "Nova," continues Cedric, "I'm not really sure that capturing a Brakkar would have any benefit to us. Realize that once captured, I will not let any harm befall him, but, as far as we've seen, they don't think too highly of us. We aren't certain if they can communicate with us, and there's no real reason to believe that one of them would ever help us. And if they act like any social insects such as ants or bees, then they may believe that anything that they do to help the 'hive' is a good thing, regardless of the consequences."
      Nova smiles gently, his bushy eyebrows rising high on his forehead. "While I'll not resort to whacking you with a staff, I have to remind you that of the eight of us here, I alone spent time as a captive of the Brakkar. They can speak English, and seem to understand it as well."
      "That is right!" exclaims the paladin. "You, Marek, Cumel, and Johnny...." He frowns, and a sad look crosses his face. "Anyway, at least by Diancecht's reckoning, their actions evil, and must be stopped...." His voice trails off.
      "Well," says Belexus, finishing his food, "I agree that we should go back and see if there has been any more activity in the lair." He stands. "Until we are ready to leave, I shall be looking after our animals, and seeing if I can convince the dog not to follow us." He then heads out the door after dropping some coins to pay for his breakfast.
      "So are we goin' back to scout around, or what?" asks Tzar.
      "Yes, that sounds like a good plan," says Torm. "Let's see if we can find any news about abductions or spotting the flying creature, and then look for a back entrance to the cave - if none, then investigate the front door again."
      "I'll ask some of the locals here," says Fencik.
      "And the rest of us can go ask the priestess," continues Torm, "as I think you'll do better if we're not in your way."
      "Correct," replies the smooth-talker, and steps up to the bar to buy a drink for one of the barflies. The rest of the party pays their tab, gathers their things, and heads off to the temple, where Belexus joins them again, dog in tow.
      "He seems to want to follow," says the ranger, a bit embarrassed. "Maybe he'll understand when we actually set out." He shrugs.
      The priestess, Robin, tells that Jill has been returned to her family's farm, no worse for wear. When questioned, she says that she has heard nothing of any other abductions, or of any strange flying things in the area. When Fencik returns, he confirms the lack of information ... nobody that he spoke too had heard of any kidnappings or local monsters. The group decides to head off to the Brakkar cave again, and Belexus somehow convinces the dog, which he calls Totem ("It's better than calling it "Dog," for the meantime," he explains), to stay behind this time at the temple.
      The party assumes its previous positioning, with Nova slightly ahead of the group and Fencik and Belexus out to the sides. Everyone is alert, trying to spot any signs of the Brakkar while the group moves along.
      "You know," says Tzar, "none of those Brakkar looked like that leader type when we first found 'em down in New Galloway."
      "Hey, you're right," says Caitlin. "I wonder if that means these ones are rogues. Or maybe that one was just a favorite of whoever was ordering them around, be it the pirate or someone else entirely. Maybe we'll be able to find out, if we ever catch one."
      Nova calls a halt when the group gets near the large clearing. He and Belexus then creep between the hills, trying to stay within view of the party but out of sight of the clearing and caves. About fifteen minutes pass, and they come creeping back again.
      "Did you see what I saw?" asks Nova to Belexus.
      "The marks?" replies the tall ranger.
      "That there were more?"
      "Yes."
      Nova sighs. "I thought so." He turns to the party. "There are more marks on the ground of the clearing. Whether this means the creature collected the surviving Brakkar and left, or it brought more, I don't know. I didn't see any more of them walking around, or any new tracks, did you?"
      "Nope," says Belexus. "Of course, they could be hiding like they did before."
      "Shall we go in again and look?" asks Cedric. "Sneaking around like before, but not going through the clearing at all? They'd be less likely to see us that way, I think, and might not have their indoor ambush in place again."
      "We may have another option," says Caitlin. "You know that vanishing spell I cast on you, Fencik?" He nods. "I think I could make one that would last a little longer - about ten minutes. If I cast it upon one of you guys," she points at Nova and Belexus, "do you think you'd be able to find out any useful information by being able to get a lot closer without being seen? Like if there are a lot more Brakkar tracks near these new marks?"

      "I think Caitlin's plan is sound," says Belexus, "and with a little luck we could get some good info that way. I will be happy to volunteer, so long as the rest of you have no objections."
      "Sounds good," says Torm. "Could you expand it to cover both of them? A partner could come in handy if things go wrong."
      She thinks, then shrugs. "Yes, I could, but they shouldn't move too far away from each other, or they'll fade back in."
      Nova looks a bit uncomfortable, and glances at Belexus. "I would prefer not to use magical means in sneaking about," he says hesitantly, obviously not wanting to offend Caitlin. "If it should take more than ten minutes, the spell may leave the recipient in an awkward position...."
      "Then you had better move fast," says Caitlin, "but if you don't want to, that's fine with me, too."
      "I'd rather not," says Nova.
      "Well," says Tzar, grimly, "don't take big chances, Belexus. I don't want to have to pull your limp body out like I did with Johnny."
      "Yeah," says the ranger, a little glum. "I'll just sneak in and back out again. Could we move closer to the hill, there, and then do the spell? I'll have more time that way."
      "Sure, lead the way," says Caitlin, and the two of them sneak closer to the concealing hills. When they get there, they stop, and Caitlin makes a few swipes with her staff above his head. Belexus becomes dim, then fades from view. Caitlin then walks back along their path, while Tzar carefully examines the way into the clearing, bow in hand.
      A few minutes later, Tzar straightens. "He's coming back."
      "Yes, he is. How did you know?" asks Caitlin.
      "I've been looking carefully, and I think I can see some of the grasses bending. How did you know?"
      "I can see him, it's my spell."
      "Hmph," replies the warrior.
      "Hey folks," calls Belexus' voice from the air up ahead. "Can you see me yet?"
      "Nope," says Fencik.
      "It will stop soon enough," replies the wizard.
      "Ah, okay. Anyway, there are four more of those marks on the ground - I think the creature came back. I saw one set of tracks leading up to the new marks, but no new ones going away from them. No signs of any Brakkar walking around." Belexus appears as a vague blur for a moment, then snaps into focus and is completely visible.
      "Hey, welcome back," says Cedric, grinning. "I didn't see you." Caitlin rolls her eyes.
      "So you think they're gone, eh?" asks Tzar.
      "I think so," replies the ranger.
      "Shall we go in, then?"
      "Maybe we should hide for a while," suggests Torm, "as they could just be sleeping. Maybe spring an ambush on them as they leave the 'hive?' Or we could try and find out how these marks are being made."
      "Well," says Fencik, "we still haven't found any back door to this place. Any possibility on circling around to look for that first?"

      Cedric pauses at Fencik's comment. "We might as well take a look for a back door. Assuming that Torm's mud-blocked tunnel wasn't a dead end, it has to come out somewhere," His voice deepens and his face contorts, "Unless ... it descends into the bowels of the earth! Bwahahahaha!"
      Tzar looks at Caitlin. "Did you bonk him on the head when I wasn't looking?" She grins, and shakes her head. "Yeah, well, I say we look around - we already know what's in these caves and it would be better than takin' a mud bath if we found another way in."
      Grinning, Cedric continues. "Right, if we could find out where the tunnel surfaced, we might be able to pick up the trail again. And, failing that, if the Brakkar are no longer about, we may be able to pick up the trail on the other side of the mud pit."
      "I think that a search is a great idea," says Belexus, "but I'm not sure if we should all go. What do you guys think?"
      "Hmmm," begins Cedric. "I'd rather not split us up. If the Brakkar have reinforcements, a smaller group would be incredibly vulnerable. If they haven't, then all of us together should be able to quickly defeat them with minimal losses."
      "Makes sense to me," replies Belexus.
      "And one other thing," adds the paladin, "you outdoorsy ranger types, any of you recognize the tracks? I mean, how many big flying creatures can there be, unless it's a 'new' creature, like the Brakkar."
      "I am more familiar with the forests," says Nova, "and large flying things do not frequent there. Regardless, I have not heard of anything that would leave marks like those, and so I don't know what it might be."
      "I don't recognize the marks either," admits Belexus.
      "I wonder where they keep it," muses Cedric. "Ah, well, if we are meant to find out, we shall, I should think."
      "Well, I like the idea of waiting _and_ of searching," says Nova, "since they are one and the same ... either way, we get more time to see if the Brakkar are here or not."
      "Well, let's circle around and look for that back exit, shall we?" asks Torm.
      The rangers lead the way through the hills and begin a thorough search for any possible exits. Unfortunately, even after tramping around all morning and into the early afternoon, no other caves or tunnels are found.
      "Well, how about we hide and observe the lair until morning," proposes Torm. "Then we can go in. The longer we make them wait, the less alert they will be. Remember, stirred up ants will eventually settle down. Also, we need to find out what is making these marks. If the Brakkar are gone, then one more day will not matter."
      "We could make a cold camp," suggests Caitlin, "and if someone wakes me during the middle watch, I could make a night-vision spell for that person, to help see when it is darkest."
      "Great," exclaims Torm. "So, is this reasonable to everyone?"
      "Better than takin' a mud bath," says Tzar.
      A cold camp is struck just out of sight of the cave entrance, but at a point where the Brakkar's original trail upon which they carried Jill is visible. Watches are chosen, Tzar and Belexus first, Nova and Torm second, Cedric and Walker third, with Caitlin being woken during second watch and making a darksight spell for Nova.
      No activity is seen in along the Brakkar trail, and none near the cave entrance, either. In the morning, Nova and Belexus creep up nearer the cave, and when they come back they report no new signs of the Brakkar.
      "Well," says Fencik, "I don't have any problem sneaking up with one of the rangers to check for traps at the front entrance."

      "Since nothing happened last night," says Torm, "I would assume they are all gone."
      "I'm willing to go up first, with Fencik," volunteers Belexus.
      Cedric shrugs. "Look, I know little about stealth, but I'd feel much better if either Torm or myself accompanied whoever up to the cave's mouth." His gaze drops to the ground. "It was a careless mistake that allowed Johnny to die, and I would not see it repeated. With Torm or myself along, should whoever miss a trap, then healing would be close at hand."
      "Yet you have to admit, Cedric," says Fencik, "that they'd hear you coming a mile away in all that armor. Belexus and I can just check the very front, and if that is safe then everyone else can come up. Nova and Tzar can cover us with their bows should anything strange happen."
      "All right, I suppose I am being overly cautious," says the paladin. He raises his eyes again. "You know, maybe I am beginning to come apart at the seams, but I can't help but think that Rabies or Grommet or whatever you are calling the dog we found has something to do with all of this." Belexus chuckles. "Assuming that the Brakkar have, if you'll pardon the pun, bugged out again, then perhaps we should see about finding a way to talk to it, perhaps through magic or a druid."
      "Well, that will have to wait until we get back," says Belexus, "since you had me get him to stay in town, in case he was a Brakkar spy or something." The lanky ranger grins.
      "Right, right, they have spies everywhere." Cedric laughs. "Well, other than that, after the initial scouting, I say we return to the cave."
      Belexus and Fencik lead the ay toward the clearing with the party in tow. Once the cave is in sight, the two circle around while Nova, Walker, Tzar, and Cedric ready their bows. The two reach the cave entrance, and Fencik begins to move about in a low crouch, examining the ground and outer edge of the tunnel, while Belexus stands guard with his sword out. After a few minutes, Fencik stands and gives an all-clear sign, and the rest of the party moves up to join them.
      "Well, shall we go in?" asks Caitlin.
      "Yeah, fine, lets get this mud swimmin' trip over with," grumbles Tzar, dagger in hand.
      Belexus leads the way into the cave after Torm lights his lamp. The large room is the same as it was before, with the now burnt-out fire, small mounds of earth (some of which held hiding Brakkar) and the two tunnels on the far end.
      "There's nobody in this room, we can move on," says Torm.
      "Oh, really?" says Fencik, skeptically.
      "Yes, really," replies the priest. "I sometimes sense such things, as I did when the Brakkar was going to drop a rock on Cedric's head. So far, I have never been wrong." Fencik slowly nods and scratches his chin.
      "I wonder if there's anything in the rest of these mounds," says Caitlin. "We should check them when we get back from the mud area."
      "Yeah, the mud is something we're all looking forward to," says Tzar, warily watching the room.
      The tall ranger continues the walk towards the back tunnel, and he and Fencik bypass all the previous hazards again, bringing the party back to the side of the mud pit.
      "Could we combine some spells to try and move at least some of the mud out of the way," asks Torm of Caitlin. "I was thinking that one of us could move the mud briefly and the other could erect some sort of magic wall to hold it back. Any ideas?"
      "That's a good idea, but I don't think I'd be able to help much. Most of my magic doesn't last long, so pushing the mud aside long enough for you to get a barrier up, or me trying to make a barrier that would last long enough to get people back and forth would be really hard to do." She frowns.
      "We should have brought a couple of vats of water to wash off with," grumbles Tzar, setting his bow well clear of the mud. "So I guess we're going in?"
      Caitlin snaps her fingers. "Wait! I just got an idea ... I can project my senses beyond the mud and the stone wall to see where the tunnel comes out or if we'd be ambushed. Why didn't I think of that before? Too tired, I guess."
      "But Caitlin, you were just saying your spells wouldn't last long enough," protests Torm. "Do you think you'd be able to see far?"
      "Sure, since my body would stay here, I can move as fast as a fast walk or so, and pass right through the stone like it wasn't there."
      "You just said your body would stay here," says Nova.
      "Okay, through the stone like _I_ wasn't there. Better?" Nova nods. "Good." Caitlin sticks out her tongue at him, then laughs. "Now give me some room, and I'll see what I can do."
      After getting a small space, Caitlin takes out what looks to be some sort of clear crystal or colorless glass and balances it on the top of her staff. She chants for a minute or so and moves the staff slowly in a circle while keeping her eyes closed. She then stops, shakes the crystal off of the staff and steps on it, causing it to shatter. At that instant, ghostly white flames erupt around her head, surrounding her face in a faint and rather unnerving glow.
      "It works, guys!" she says, happily, her eyes still closed. "What are you looking at? Oh, I do look weird. Oh, well, let me see what I can see." With her eyes shut, she turns to face the mud and becomes quiet. "Ah, I'm past the stone, this must be what you saw, Torm. I'm moving down the tunnel, it's getting a little narrower, now it's turning left." She slowly makes a quarter turn to the left, then steps forward, bumping into Cedric. "Oops! Sorry, forgot I don't have to walk. Hmm, the ceiling is getting lower. It looks like ... yes, I think this was a dead end."
      "What?" exclaims Tzar. "We chased them all the way into a dead end?"
      "I think so," replies the wizard. "Yes, I see many splotches of mud in this little corner, I think they must have waited here. Oof!" This last is almost a grunt as the flames around her head wink out and she opens her eyes. "Strange, it was like I went flying back into my own head." She shakes herself, trying to clear her mind. "So, what now? Do we still want to look past the mud? Or go check out the mounds?"

      Cedric looks confused. "What just happened, Caitlin? Did you try to 'move' beyond the range of your spell? Were you forced to return? Or did your spell simply run out of time?"
      "The time ran out," explains Torm.
      "The time ... oooh, you!" says Caitlin, giving the priest a look, who merely looks apologetic in reply.
      "Well, although the bugs may have waited out our departure back there," continues Cedric, "I'd like to be certain of that. The way I see it, they used one of three things to escape from back there: magic, time, or a secret door." He pauses. "Nova, Belexus, could you take a look at the tracks and see if our buggy friends came out after we chased them into the cul-de-sac?"
      The two rangers come closer to the mud and look about on the floor. "It's hard to tell," says Belexus, finally, "but this looks like one, don't you think, Nova?" He points at a mud-ringed space. Nova nods. "It does resemble a Brakkar track, heading up toward the main room." He touches it. "Still slightly damp. I'd say they came back this way."
      "Sounds like there is nothing past this mud," says Fencik. "They were probably hoping to ambush us. Let's go back and check on the mounds."
      "Great, they got away again!" exclaims Torm.
      "What a waste of time," grumbles Tzar. "I mean, who has two tunnels leading to nothing?"
      "The Brakkar do, obviously," says Caitlin.
      "Oh, that's the funniest thing I've heard all day," replies the big warrior, gritting his teeth.
      Belexus leads the way back into the main room, and the group splits into pairs to dig through the low earthen mounds. Tzar can be heard complaining in low tones the whole time ... "They kidnap a girl and bring here for what, a party?" ... "There's nothin' here just a bunch of rock and a couple of tunnels" ... "What's the bloody point?" While most sympathize with his reaction, all are smart enough to stay out of his way.
      Of the eight mounds left intact, six contain dried meats. One mound has a sack full of coins and a single leather boot. The last has two small bottles and a longsword wrapped in black cloth.
      "Well, shall we get these things out of here?" asks Caitlin. "No need to stay in this damp cave all day."
      "Yes, and let's see if the supplies in the small cave are still here," suggests Torm. The party heads outside and looks in the small cave. The dried food is still there, as are the long planks, but the coils of rope are gone. "Let's head back to town to plan our next move," suggests the priest, "and to see if we can make sense of these things we found."
      Lacking anything else to do at the site, the items are divided up for carrying, and the party walks back toward the town, with only a brief pause as Tzar hacks apart a lone shrub in frustration. The rest of the party looks on in surprise.
      "Next time," says Nova, quietly, "try to find one that's already dead, hmm?"
      "Yeah, well, I feel a little better now."
      After walking about an hour, Fencik addresses the group in general. "It sounds like this is a sensitive topic, but I'd like to hear what happened to Johnny - the more I know about your party, the better I'm going to feel about being here. I am the new guy, you know."

      Cedric inhales sharply at Fencik's request and slowly comes to a halt. His eyes sweep the rest of the group, which also stops moving. Torm waves for Cedric to speak, and Nova nods sadly.
      "Johnny was among those originally captured by the Brakkar. He was a bard, a teller of grand tales, always ready with a song or a bit of entertainment, should the opportunity present itself." Cedric shakes his head. "It's a pity, but I only got to hear his _music_ once prior to his death. It wasn't music, in the sense that you or I could manage to sing, Fencik. It was ... magical. Listening to him play was like stepping outside of your body and traveling to another point in time. It's hard to explain, but it really was beyond words. But I digress." He grins sheepishly.
      "We were still hot on the trail of the Brakkar from our previous encounter with them. We had found a map that led us to an old pirate's hideout. We're not sure if the Brakkar actually knew of the map, but it was our only lead. Inside the lair, there was a face carved into the wall, with a mouth that could open, provided a proper tune was played. That was when we got to hear Johnny _play_. He played an old sea shanty, and surprisingly, the mouth opened. Seeing as how he had been the one to open the mouth, he begged me to be the one to check the other side. The mouth's opening was narrow, and to pass would require crawling down the 'throat.' Reluctantly, I agreed to let Johnny go first."
      Cedric pauses for a moment, searching for the proper words. "We never considered that the mouth might open for the wrong song, or that the mouth would have teeth. Johnny crawled into the mouth only to have a block with spikes impale him. We immediately began freeing him, but we were too late. We laid him to rest on that isle, in a spot that we think he would have liked." Cedric smiles weakly. "I learned a painful lesson that day. I will never ask any of my friends to do something that I myself am unwilling to do, and if an action on my part will prevent anyone from danger, such as being the one to investigate a tunnel, then I shall do so. As much as I enjoy my friendship with all of you, I cannot ask you to blindly follow me. I do what I do for Diancecht. As for the rest of you, there is no reason for you to ride with me, although I am grateful for the company."
      "For most of us, Cedric," says Caitlin, "the reason we ride with you is because we are your friends, and wish to see the world, and your quests are one way to do it."
      Shrugging, Cedric finishes. "Well, Fencik, that is how Johnny died. And I'm positive that if he were listening to this story right now, he'd be groaning about how 'sorry' my tale telling is, and that I should have had him die holding off a host of dragons. And he most certainly would not have wanted us to stand around feeling sorry for him." He dusts off his pants. Nova wipes a tear from his eye. "Well," continues the paladin, "shall we continue back to town and see what we can find out about these trinkets that the Brakkar have left behind? Since we couldn't find the Brakkar's trail out of the cave, I'd say we've reached another dead end, unless they either return or left us a clue in these items."
      "Wait!" starts Torm. "Why would they leave supplies and treasure behind, unless they planned to return? Maybe we should remain nearby for a few days and see if they do. Maybe they left to get reinforcements."
      "Or maybe they chickened out," suggests Tzar. "We've beaten 'em twice now ... maybe they don't like getting chopped up. Hey, we left only two, and one was hurt bad by Walker." Walker grunts in acknowledgement of the complement.
      "So, shall we make it obvious that we've disturbed the mounds, hoping that they'll start up with the raiding again?" asks Cedric. "Or should we make it look like they haven't been touched?"
      "I'd say leave 'em as is," says Tzar. "If they never come back, well, that's the end of it, I guess. If they do come back, we'll come after them again." He scratches his beard. "Hmmm, the bugmen don't use weapons, but it seems they thought the longsword was worth enough to wrap it up. Probably ambushed a group to get it ... stinkin' bugmen. I'm willing to pay to get the magic on it identified, if there is any."
      "And the other items, too," says Fencik.
      "Identifying spells on items still is hard for me to do," says Caitlin, fingering the longsword tied to her belt, still in its wrapping, "but if I stayed in town all day and only worked on that, I think I could do it. You guys could do whatever you want - come watch the cave, whatever."
      "Hey, why are you carrying the sword, anyway?" asks Tzar. "You can't use it."
      "Exactly," replies the sorceress. "If we get ambushed, I'm hardly going to draw the thing and risk activating any curses or charms on it."
      "Hmph, good point. You know, if we're gonna come back," begins the young warrior, "I think I'd like some healing - those bugmen scratches are really startin' to bug me. Torm, can you do something about it?"
      "Of course," says the priest. Placing one hand on his torc and waving the other on Tzar's chest, Torm speaks a brief prayer and the hazel-enameled insignia flashes briefly. "There," he says, dropping his hands. "How is that?"
      Tzar flexes briefly. "Hey, much better, thanks."
      "Maybe the priestess of the temple in town could talk to Belexus' dog, like you wanted to, Cedric," says Fencik.
      "Ah, good idea, I'm certain she'd be able to help."
      The party continues on its way, and in another two hours reaches the town again. Caitlin claims the boot and the two flasks, and leaves with them and the sword to sequester herself in an inn room. The rest of the group goes to the temple, with Belexus, Tzar, and Walker checking on their animals. It is about four in the afternoon, and the sky is just starting to deepen into orange.

      "I don't know about the rest of you," says Fencik, "but once we check to see if the druid can talk to the dog, I'm heading for the local tavern to have a pint or four. Maybe I can even con - ahem - convince the locals to exchange a few good ales for the tale of our journey and fights with the Brakkar."
      "Hmm, good plan," says Tzar. "It's dinner time, and I'm ready to eat. Hey, how much coin did we get back there?"
      "Let's ask Robin if she can talk to Totem," murmurs Belexus, "and we can check the money inside -- I don't think it's a good idea to dump out a bag of coins in the middle of town and start counting." At this, he knocks on the front door of the temple. The acolyte answers, and takes the party in to see the priestess.
      "Well, have you learned anything new?" she asks, sitting down upon one of the benches in the main room.
      "Two got away from us when we left yesterday," begins the paladin, "and when we returned today our rangers found evidence that those two had come back into the cave from their escape tunnel and back outside. It looks like they may have gotten a ride from the flying creature we had mentioned, although we still haven't seen it."
      "I see. So, is there anything in particular you wanted to see me about?"
      "Actually, when we first went to their cave, on the way we met a dog, which seems to like to follow Belexus around."
      "He obviously has good taste in humans," says Belexus.
      "Anyway," continues Cedric with a grin, "I can't help but feel that the dog is linked to the Brakkar somehow, for he was comfortable around people, only slightly hungry, and did not know Jill, the young woman we rescued. I was wondering if you would be willing to use your magic to talk to the dog, in hopes of finding more information about the Brakkar."
      The stocky priestess purses her lips. "Since you have done my town such a service with little trouble, I shall try to communicate with this animal. Unfortunately, it shall have to wait until tomorrow, for I have been casting weather auguries all day, and have little magic to spare on this favor. Come back tomorrow before noon and I will see what I can do."
      Tzar, meanwhile, has opened the sack of coins. "Hmph, looks like it's mostly silver, with a little gold. I guess there's about fifty gold worth of coin here, but that's it."
      Robin chuckles. "Go spend your money somewhere, I have work to do." The party files out and heads off to the inn, ordering some food before heading upstairs to chat with Caitlin briefly.
      She has pushed the bed and all the other meager furnishings out of the center of the room, where she has drawn a circle on the floor. She sits inside of it, with a single green wax candle burning in front of her. To her left is one of the flasks, on her right is the second flask, the boot and the sword, still in its wrapping. She looks up when the door opens. "Ah, hello? Any news from the dog?"
      "We'll find out tomorrow," says Belexus. "Any luck with the items?"
      "Well," she says, ushering everyone into the room, but asking them to not disturb the circle. "I'm taking it slow, but all four of these are magic. This potion, when drunk, allows you to send your hearing away from your body to a limited extent, much like how I crafted that sight-spell I looked at the tunnel with. That's all I've done so far. If someone wouldn't mind bringing me some wine, bread, and cheese, I think I'm going to stay up here and get the other potion and boot divined. I'll save the sword for tomorrow when I'm at full strength. Something about it gives me the creeps."
      The rest of the party heads downstairs to await their dinner, which comes quickly enough.
      "You know," says Tzar in one of the rare moments when he isn't chewing, these bugmen fight well, but they sure seem to run away even better." He laughs, and the laugh is contagious.
      A short while later, after Belexus has taken some food up to Caitlin, Cedric stops eating, and puts a pondering look on his face. "Perhaps the Brakkar were going to come back. Perhaps they simply went out on another raiding mission, or they went to get reinforcements. In any case, after Caitlin works her magic, perhaps we should set up a cold camp out there and watch the entrance to the cave overnight. Hopefully, the Brakkar have moved elsewhere, but should they return, I'd like to know about it. If they should return, without captives, then I'd just propose watching them, seeing what they're up to and how they respond to our disturbing the mounds. But, should they menace anyone...." His voice trails off.
      "Well," says Tzar, "I wouldn't mind watching the Brakkar cave for a day or two, if nothing else comes up."
      "Great," replies the paladin. "After our friendly sorceress talks to the sword and Robin talks to the dog, we can go see if we need to talk to the Brakkar."
      "Have some more ale, Cedric," says Walker.
      "Speaking of ale," says Fencik, "I think I've found someone who might like to hear a story of swordplay and monsters. If you'll excuse me...." He stands and heads over to the bar, sitting next to a young man of medium build that is drinking a beer, and probably not the first one of the evening, either.
      "Well, I think I'm going to go for a short walk," says Walker.
      "I think I will, too," says Belexus, "and bring Totem with me." The two men get up and head out the door.
      The group finishes dinner and waits a bit for it to settle, watching Fencik get several drinks paid for by some of the locals. The adventurers then head upstairs after Tzar uses some of the undivided sack-money to pay for dinner. Caitlin has determined the other potion to allow a person or persons to breathe water as if it were air, and the boot makes long travels less tiresome easier for the wearer, although she doubts it will work without the other boot in the pair. The group then finds their own rooms and each goes to sleep.

      The group goes downstairs for breakfast, which is light but tasty. Afterwards, Caitlin heads back upstairs to work on the magic sword.
      Tzar stands up and stretches a bit. "Well, now what?"
      "We might as well go see Robin now," says Cedric, seeming a little preoccupied.
      The party walks over to the temple, and Robin comes outside to speak to the dog. Strangely enough, the dog does not avoid the priestess as he has done to most everyone except Belexus. Robin takes some leaves from a waistpouch and rubs them on the dog's head, which he tolerates, although he does sneeze once. She then chants a bit and mumbles for a while, then stands up straight.
      "So," she says, turning to the party, "what do you want me to ask him?"
      "Perhaps we could first find out where he came from," suggest Torm, "then ask if he knows anything about the Brakkar, and whether he wishes to stay with us or be returned somewhere."
      She nods. "So, canine, where are you from?"
      "Rowf ruff baroof!" barks Totem, wagging his tail furiously.
      "What?" says the priestess. "From where?"
      "Raruff roooo!" barks the dog, looking very excited, even going so far as to turn completely around in a circle.
      "What's going on?" asks Belexus, concerned.
      "He says his name is Jake, and he was a warrior from Plymouth, but was transformed into a dog by an evil wizard. About three months ago."

      Nova does a poor job of hiding his smile. "Your personality is very magnetic, Belexus," the wiry ranger says, somewhat straight-faced.
      Cedric arches an eyebrow at the dog's startling statement. "Now that is an unusual tale, especially coming from a dog. He wouldn't be a dog with a sense of humor, would he?"
      "If it was a real dog," replies the priestess, "it would not speak in the way it does. Animals communicate in much more concise terms, and would not be able to think of such things even if they were so verbose."
      Cedric slaps himself on the forehead. "Ah, _that's_ what Diancecht was going to tell me! It must be true then!"
      "What are you talking about, Cedric?" asks Torm, concerned.
      Looking at the others, Cedric mutters, "It is nothing, just another nocturnal visit from Diancecht. I awoke before he could tell me anything of import about our friend, Tot... er, Jake here."
      Tzar shakes his head as if to clear it. "By all the twelve images of Dagda ... he was a warrior? A wizard can do such a thing? I thought that pirate guy was bad, this ... wizard," he spits, "must be a demon worshiper."
      Cedric scratches his head and says, "Quickly, before the magic wears off, if you would, Robin, tell him that we will need more information from him if we are to help him regain his human form."
      "What ... what is the wizard's name?" asks Belexus, understandably surprised.
      "Yes," says Torm, "this is truly amazing - how can we help him?"
      "Yes, ah, Jake," says Robin, "who was the wizard that transformed you?"
      "Grrrr, grrr, roof rowf!" replies the dog, looking rather angry.
      "He says he does not know the wizard's name, only that he was known as the 'red wizard of Galashiels.'"
      "Where is that?" asks the paladin. "Or is that some sort of family name? I suppose Caitlin would know."
      "It's a small city," says Fencik, "south of Edinburgh. I know where it is." He pauses a moment. "Maybe this wizard could be the one you were talking about before - the pirate? Anyway, ask him about the Brakkar."
      "These bug-people that kidnapped Jill?" asks Robin.
      "That's them," replies the northerner.
      "Dog, have you seen or heard of a race of buglike men that call themselves the Brakkar?"
      "Arruf," says Jake.
      "No, he doesn't remember anything like that."
      "Well," says Walker, "ask what he was doing in the hills, and if he knows anything about the flying creature."
      "Jake, what were you doing in the hills before these people found you, and have you seen any large flying creatures, big enough to carry away a man?"
      "Rarrrr-uf, bwuf bwuf." He looks rather confused. "Rofe rofe!"
      "He does not remember," says the priestess, sadly. "It seems that the human part of him is getting weaker as time goes by. He came to you, ranger," she says, looking at Belexus, "because his dog-self told him that you could be trusted. He has not seen any such fliers."
      Belexus kneels down to pet the dog in sympathy. "I wonder why he came to me instead of you, Nova."
      "Perhaps we shall find out one day," replies Novalindro.
      "Well," says Walker, a bit angry, "can anyone turn him back to human form? Caitlin? Priestess? Oops, Caitlin's back at the inn."
      "I, alas, cannot change him," says Robin. "The gods do not focus my powers in that way."
      "Well, then I suppose we should take him along with us and try and find a wizard who can."
      "Unfortunately," says Cedric, "we might have to convince the wizard to change him back, and he may be unwilling to do so."
      "So in your vision, Diancecht told you about Jake's nature?" asks Torm. "He must be important in our future, then. Anything more specific?"
      "There isn't much to tell. We sat on a beach. He didn't charge me with doing anything, just seemed to enjoy my company. We basked in the sun for a bit, and he mentioned the dog, and that ... I then awoke before he could finish. He did mention one other thing, which I will disclose when the time is appropriate."

      "Huh-uh," says Tzar to Cedric. "Well what if your unconscious when the time is appropriate? It ain't gonna do much good."
      "It's not critical information like that, Tzar, it's like ... confirming something that we'll soon find out, so we won't have to debate about it."
      "Well, our next move seems obvious," says Walker, his voice even but his face angry. "Wait another day here, perhaps, to see if the Brakkar return, and then hasten to Galashiels to see if we can't find that mage."
      "Right," says Tzar, "I guess it's back to the Inn. I hope Caitlin has figured out that sword."
      Belexus pats Jake on the head once more. "I will do what I can for you, my friend, I just hope I can do it in time."
      Cedric squats to that he is more on Jake's level. "Robin, tell him that he can trust any of us, and that we will try to return him to his human form."
      "Jake, they say that you can trust them, and they will help you." At this, the dog looks happy, and licks Belexus' and Cedric's hands.
      "So what did you do that incurred the wrath of a mage that you don't really know?" wonders Cedric. "Why did he change you into a dog?" Looking up at Robin, he asks, "Do you know anything about this sort of magic? If he is becoming more dog-like, then what does that mean for our chances of getting him restored to human form? If we did restore him to human form, would he then think as a dog would?"
      "I really do not know, all of this is alien to my simple experience here."
      "It sounds like he is going to keep losing control of the human part of himself," says Fencik, putting his sharp mind to this task, "and eventually turn into a dog for real. We've got to try to get him back to normal as soon as we can. Any ideas on where we can find this mage? Maybe we can 'convince' him that it is in his best interests to restore Jake to his rightful form. It's amazing what people will offer you if you know how to ask correctly...." He grins a rather wicked grin, speaking nothing well for the wizard who would work such an enchantment.
      Cedric frowns. "Yes, well, we do need to see this wizard, and to speak to Caitlin, too. I do not wish to disturb her yet, though. Although this is a pressing matter, I do not think that several more hours as a dog will hurt Jake, seeing as how he's been a dog for over a month now. We can kill the time getting him a real meal, now that we know he's human. Diancecht only knows what he's been eating for the past month."
      "Since it is still early," suggests Torm, "we might go to check on the Brakkar cave just one more time after we feed Jake. If I could stay here, I could attempt an augury on what would be the best course of action to help him."
      "I, for one," says Belexus, pulling himself up to his full height, "intend to do everything within my power to help him out. His animal instincts guided him to me, and I will not let him down!"
      "None of us will, Belexus," says Walker. "This wizard must reverse this evil spell."
      "Do not take this the wrong way, gentlemen," begins the paladin, "as I dislike this use of magic as much as you do, but ... it could be worse. At least in this form, Jake was able to attract our attention enough to help him. I doubt that that would have been possible had he been turned into a garden slug or a praying mantis. Now that we know, we have a good chance of setting things right."
      After thanking the priestess for her help and the use of her temple grounds, the party, along with Jake, heads back to the small in, where some healthy food is purchased for the dog-warrior, which he attacks eagerly.
      "So," says Tzar, "do we wait a while, and then head off to check up on the bugmen, or go ask Caitlin about that sword, eh?"
      "Well, I shall go upstairs and begin my augury about Jake's plight," says Torm, and leaves.

      Cedric shrugs. "I fear none of us has any real feel for the spells that Caitlin is weaving right now to answer that. I, for one, fear that for us to tromp upstairs and rap on her door would cause her to lose her spell, ruining her work thus far, and cause her to start anew. Plus, she'd be madder than a wet hen." He winks at Belexus.
      "And I certainly don't need that, thanks," replies the ranger.
      "Hey, Belexus, did Caitlin _say_ how long she might be with that sword?" asks Tzar.
      "Nope, not one word."
      "Hmph."
      "To keep ourselves busy," says Cedric, appreciating Tzar's frustration, "and to stay out of her hair, I say we head back to the cave to see if the Brakkar have been back. Although with Caitlin and Torm here in town, both our healing and magic will be severely limited. With that in mind, I think that a simple scouting mission would be appropriate."
      "I'd be happy to get moving," says Walker.
      "Yeah, let's check out the lair again," says Tzar.
      "I agree," says Fencik, "and I'd rather not engage unless absolutely necessary."
      "Given what we know of the Brakkar so far," begins Cedric, "I would be surprised if they had returned...." His voice trails off as he stops and thinks momentarily. "Fencik, given what you know about spotting traps, do you think that you could rig something that wouldn't hurt the Brakkar, and that they wouldn't spot, but that would let us know if they'd been in the cave? That way, we can inspect the cave after we return from restoring Jake and know if there had been any activity in our absence. What do you think? Is it possible?"
      "I have to say that I'm ashamed to admit I didn't think of it myself. I'm sure there are lots of things that could be done, from simply arranging leaves or tree branches across the opening to see if anybody steps on them, to stringing very thin wires across the entranceway that were strong enough to withstand the wind, but would be light enough to break without any, or at least little, notice from the bugmen. If we could delay a bit, let us find some shop where we could get some line, such as a weaver's."
      "Well, while you do that," says Belexus, "I'm going to see if Caitlin is ready. Don't worry, I won't go busting down the door...." With this, he heads off to the rooms.
      The rest of the party heads out the door to find some sort of clothing or weavershop. They get hardly more than twenty feet from the inn when Belexus comes up behind them.
      "Is everything all right?" asks Cedric.
      "I don't think she's done," he replies. "I was going to listen at the door a moment before trying the handle, but when I leaned close I felt ... well, nervous and disgusted is the best way to describe it. The feeling vanished when I moved away from the door again. She must have a protection up on the door to keep people from bothering her."
      Fencik directs the group to a general-items store, at which he asks everyone to wait outside, as it is a small shop. A few minutes later, he emerges with several loops of brown yarn on his arm.
      "I can separate the strands of this so it is not so thick, tie them together, and string it across the entrance, or something like it."
      After checking up on the party's animals, and Jake, they begin the long walk out to the Brakkar cave again. At last, about an hour after noon, the group is within sight of the clearing in front of the caves.

      "Well lets check it out," says Tzar, readying his bow, "it's not gettin' any earlier."
      "Should we go to the opening as a group," asks Belexus, "or should Fencik go, with just a couple of others for protection?"
      "Well," says Fencik, "before we go walking into a trap ourselves, how about we do some quick reconnaissance to make sure they aren't waiting for us. Then we can check for traps, after which I'll set some of our own up and we can settle in and see what happens."
      Nova claps Belexus on the shoulder. "You and I, as before?"
      "Perfect." The two rangers sneak along the hills and place themselves in positions to watch the clearing. After almost half an hour they return.
      "Still no sign of Brakkar," says Nova.
      "Or any more marks from the flying beast," adds Belexus.
      "Well, then how about the three of us head down so I can get to work?" asks Fencik.
      "Let me try to detect evil first," says Cedric, and begins to concentrate. After a minute, he stops. "I sense no evil nearby. Oh, and when you go, see if you can spot any more of those mounds inside."
      Walker, Cedric, and Tzar watch the clearing with bows out while the other three move toward the cave opening, and then duck just inside, but remaining within view. After about half an hour, they come back out, and Fencik busies himself about the entrance for about an equal amount of time. The three then come back.
      "I arranged some rocks and branches at the opening," says Fencik. "Nothing too large or obvious, but I'll be able to tell if it was moved."
      "He did a good job," says Nova. "I had a hard time telling that the items were placed there ... they looked windblown."
      "Hmm, thanks, Nova. Anyway, I also put up a small thread inside, looped about two stones. If anything steps through that, it should snap. Hopefully the Brakkar's feet are insensitive enough not to feel it when they break it."
      "Did you see any new earthen mounds?" asks the paladin.
      "We didn't go too far in," says Belexus, "but it didn't look like anyone had been back there at all. No new tracks."
      "Hmmm, that is a good sign." Cedric clears his throat. "I'd like to say a few things about Jake, while he's not around." Belexus frowns, but Cedric holds up his hand to quiet him for a moment. "Please, hear me out on this matter before you interrupt. While I agree that the conversion of a man into a dog is an extremely distasteful thing to do, we do not know everything that transpired between Jake and the wizard. For all we know, the wizard could have found Jake slaughtering his dogs, and decided that life as a dog would teach Jake a lesson. Then again, Jake may have had romantic interests in the mage's daughter, and the wizard sought a way to get rid of Jake, without killing him. I guess what I'm getting at here is that we don't know the whole story. I am all for changing Jake back to his human form. If he is guilty of some crime, then we shall try to rectify that matter after he is restored to human form. But I don't think that we should automatically assume that Jake was or is a poor unfortunate warrior that was caught in the evil wizard's spell. Let us find out some more on what the motive behind the wizard's transformation was before we condemn him."
      "Fair enough," says Tzar. "But if the wizard is pullin' a dirty trick, we'll smash him!"
      "In any case," continues Cedric, grinning, "we will see that Jake is returned to his human form, if possible. Once that is accomplished, then we shall see about setting whatever else is wrong there aright."

      "I say we stick around for about an hour," says Fencik, "just to see if anything happens, and then head back to town. Hey, we're here already, might as well stay a bit."
      "Right," adds Tzar, "and then lets get back to town for dinner and find out what Caitlin has found out about the sword." He looks toward the town eagerly.
      "All right then," says Cedric. "Perhaps Caitlin and Torm have finished their mystical retreats and have some news for us." He sits down in a comfortable spot. "One more thing, since I seem to be in a lecturing sort of mood. Once we divide up what we obtained from the Brakkar's strange mounds, I would like to suggest that each of you donate, even if it is a token amount, to Robin's temple. She has done us some large favors, and has helped us unravel the mystery involving Jake. Although she did not ask for it, any money she receives to help her temple thrive would be more than welcome, I am sure."
      "That sounds reasonable," says Belexus, "and I think she does worship a nature god, so...."
      Cedric smiles again. "I am not ordering any of you to do so, nor will I be upset with any who doesn't donate. But, I will try to make whoever doesn't donate feel guilty ... but I am sure that all of us assembled here are ethical enough to understand my point."
      "And if not," adds Tzar, "I bet you're really good at making us guilty, eh?"
      Cedric chuckles. "Maybe so."
      The six men wait for an hour and see no Brakkar, so they decide to head back to town.

      Reaching the town's little inn, the party finds a few locals in place, eating and drinking. Caitlin and Torm share a large table, looking as if they have already eaten dinner, judging by their empty plates. Torm looks fine, but Caitlin looks very tired, with dark circles starting to form under her eyes.
      "Ah, I told you they'd be here in a moment," says Torm as the others approach.
      "Well, you cheated, and you know it," replies the sorceress.
      "It's not cheating if I can't help it, my friend."
      "Have some more ale, Torm," says Caitlin, smiling. "Hello, guys."
      "Welcome, my friends and comrades," says Torm. "Please, sit and eat, and tell us what you have learned in your trip today."
      "Actually, we were wondering what _you_ had learned," says Tzar, taking a seat and looking at Caitlin.
      "I have learned news of import," says Torm, "but it is not something we should discuss in public. Eat for a bit, regain your strength, and then we shall go upstairs and talk about this later."
      "Yes, later, and not here," says Caitlin, in hardly more than a whisper. The group eats a fast meal, and then heads upstairs to Torm's room.
      "So, brother Torm," begins Cedric, "what have you found that needs to be kept from the locals? What of Jake's plight?"
      Torm looks to Caitlin.
      "You go first," she says, and Torm nods.
      The life-priest begins to speak slowly, then gains speed as he goes on. "I asked about the wizard ... he's called the Red Wizard of Galashiels because that's where he lives. He is there now. His intentions toward us are neither good nor evil, perhaps because he is ignorant of us."
      "Would he be willing to help us?" asks Belexus. "Help Jake, I mean, make him human again."
      "If we ask him, he will listen to us," replies the priest. "Although, I was told there was another way to get Jake restored, but not what this way was."
      "Probably by asking another wizard," says Caitlin, rubbing her eyes.
      "Are the Brakkar involved in this at all?" asks Fencik.
      "I asked that ... no, they're not." He lets out a breath. "I have one more thing that I learned, but first I have to say one thing - this sort of spell, coming from my patron deity, is never wrong. It may be vague, or easily misinterpreted, but never wrong." He looks Cedric right in the eye. "Cedric, next time we see him, I want you to see if you can detect evil on Jake. I asked if Jake were good or evil, and I was told he was evil. Exactly that: evil."
      Belexus' jaw drops. Cedric pales. "Then perhaps my dream ... was not to advise me, but to warn me? If only I had not woken early.... No matter now, it cannot be changed." He turns to the tired wizard, before anyone else can speak. "Caitlin, the other part of my vision was about you and the sword - Diancecht told me that what you have to say is important, and we should listen to you carefully. We might as well get all these surprises out at once. Can you tell us what you have found?"
      "Right," she says, and clasps her hands before her. "The sword has two names, one being a shortened form of the other. 'Magical-Wand-For-Creating- Death-In-The-Form-Of-A-Black-Sword' is the long one, 'Blackwand' is the short one." She sighs. "Learning from it was very draining, but I found enough, I think, for now. The sword is very powerful ... it is semi- sentient, and learns to recognize it's bearer, and to protect him or her. It has a maze of spells on it ... at least three separate force enhancements, as well as the usual enchantments of ever-sharpness and rust-resistance. It has several powers involving energy, but I couldn't determine exactly what because it was all so overlapping. I think it enhances certain spells, as well."
      She looks up, and it is then that you see the disgust on her face. "The sword isn't evil, as far as I could tell. But - it destroys the soul of anyone ever cut with it, even the slightest scratch. Forever. It is a very dangerous weapon, a very powerful weapon, and there is something very ... _wrong_ ... about it that I can't put my finger on. I think we should take it to Stylus, so he can give his opinion on it - I am unfamiliar with magical swords, having only seen one before, but he has enchanted a few in his lifetime."
      "Stylus?" asks Fencik.
      "My wizard-mentor," replies Caitlin.

      Cedric lets out a long, low whistle. "Diancecht was right. I _am_ very interested in what you had to say about that sword. It was a good thing that Caitlin had the foresight not to let any of us use it in battle." He places a hand upon Caitlin's shoulder. "I thank you for divining this information about the sword ... Blackwand, you said?" She nods. "But before we allow you to retire and regain you strength, could we ask a few more questions of you?" She shrugs. "You said that the sword was semi-sentient. Does this mean that it could compel its wielder to do things in the sword's interest?"
      "I really don't know."
      "Hmmm. You also said that it comes to recognize its wielder. Do you think that it would then refuse to destroy that person's soul if they were to scratch themselves on the blade accidentally?"
      "I think if it recognized its bearer as one destined to hold it, yes. Otherwise, who knows?"
      The paladin shakes his head slowly. "Now what would the Brakkar want with a sword like that, and why would they bury it? Do you think that this was what they were after in the pirate's hide-away? Perhaps he made this sword, and it accidentally nicked the person that he spoke of in the poem...."
      "Yeah, I was wonderin'," says Tzar, "how could the bugmen get their hands ... or whatever, on such a sword? The one who has it sounds sort of unbeatable. Bug stuff must have been all over the place that day."
      "Caitlin, this may be one of my more ... inspired," a large grin crosses his face, "ideas, but could such strong enchantments on the sword be transferred somehow?"
      "Um, I suppose it is possible, but it would not be easy, especially considering this sword ... it may not _want_ to have the enchantment moved. What are you suggesting?"
      "Well, this is the thought that has come into my mind: They had buried a number of magical items, all of which carried fairly strong enchantments. Could these be used to attract the large monster of Torm's visions? Or, worse yet, could these be part of a 'recipe' to create such a beast?"
      "Hmmm, that's a neat idea," says the wizard. "I don't know about creating such a beast, but maybe it is attracted to such enchantments, through some sort of ritual, or maybe it eats them."
      Cedric's jaw sets as a serious look settles on his face. "In any event, for the time being, I believe that it would be safest for everyone if that sword were to remain sheathed and that the belt not be buckled around anyone's waist."
      "Wait a minute!" says Tzar. "The sword is not evil, so what is the problem? Sounds like a great item to have."
      "I, too, am curious," says Fencik. "It sounds like this sword could be a very powerful weapon. If, as you say, it isn't an evil weapon, why not use it? Maybe I'm a little naive, since I've never seen a magic sword before, but I always thought you should take advantage of whatever comes your way, especially if it can do as much as you seem to think this sword can."
      "Let me try to explain," says Cedric. "While the item may not be inherently evil, destroying someone's soul is not a good act. If the sword gives you no choice, you risk corrupting your own soul with such evil deeds."
      "Beyond that," says Caitlin, "I don't know everything the sword can do, or even how to activate the things I do know. What if you're fighting with it in a group, and you accidentally envelop yourself or the rest of us in a ball of flame?" She suddenly stops. "I know, I'll be right back. Keep talking." She dashes out of the room.
      "Hmmm," says Walker. "Well, how far out of our way is Caitlin's mentor? I assume we still want to go to Galashiels and sort out this thing with Jake."
      "Stylus lives in Edinburgh," says Belexus.
      "He wouldn't happen to be on the way to the Galashiels?" asks Torm.
      "Actually," says Fencik, "Galashiels is on the way to Edinburgh."
      "Well, going to see Stylus is a very good idea," says Nova, "and we should move that way as soon as we can."
      "Let's hide the sword in the wagon," suggests Torm, "and make sure Jake does not see it, or vice versa - he may have been the original owner, who knows? I know Caitlin is exhausted, but perhaps she could put some sort of warding spell on the sword's container."
      "As far as Jake goes, Torm," says Cedric, "I was afraid of something like this. We had a little discussion about him at the Brakkar's cave. I shall check if he is evil, now that I have a reason to, but I'm not sure that I will be able to detect anything. Robin has already said that he is becoming more and more dog-like. If he has already reached a certain point in that transformation, then I doubt that he would be what Diancecht would classify as evil. Does that make sense? Let me try explaining it a different way. A wolf can kill livestock, or even chase people out of hunger. By our definition, these are 'bad' actions. But, to the wolf, and even Nature, these are not evil, but rather how things should be. I would not be able to detect any evil coming from this wolf, as he is not, in the grand scheme of the universe, evil. If Jake has crossed a point from being a man trapped in the form of a dog to that of a dog that thinks from time to time as a human does, then I doubt that I will detect anything."
      He stops, then clears his throat. "I also do think that we should not disclose any of this to Jake. I have pledged my help in returning him to human form, and I intend to do so. Although it is beginning to look like this was some form of punishment, I do not think that this sort of punishment is fair. In any event, if he is evil, he may think that he has the upper hand here and may try to escape once he is returned to normal. We should plan for that event. I also do not want him to know that I have looked into his soul, because that may tip him off as well. And, assuming Torm is right, let us not discuss the sword in front of him. To use such a weapon without any regard, should he be able to steal it..." his voice trails off ominously.
      "All right," says Caitlin, coming back into the room and shutting the door. She carries the sword, still in its sheath. "I think this might convince you." She props the swordhilt on the floor and pulls the sword out of its sheath. Immediately, all in the room feel a faint nausea in the pit of their stomach, as well as a faint pressure in the back of their mind as the sword makes its presence known ... and its hunger for the life in the room.
      The wizard holds the longsword awkwardly at an angle toward the ground, and lets the point drop to pierce the wood floor of the room. "Tzar, put your hand on the hilt, here," she says, grimacing. The big warrior reaches out hesitantly, feeling that the sword wants him to come a _little_ closer, just a _little_ closer....
      He puts his hand on an exposed part of the hilt. Tzar frowns, then pulls his hand away. "Damn thing doesn't like me," he says with narrowed eyes.
      "Me either," says Caitlin. "I think it's a racial thing ... I don't think it likes humans." She slides the sword back into the scabbard with a look of distaste. "The hardest part of identifying the magic was that it didn't want me touching it."
      "Thank you for putting it away," says Torm, pressing his fingers to his temples. "That almost hurt."
      "I guess we'll be making the trip to Stylus now?" asks Belexus.

      "Yeah," says Tzar, "do we see this Stylus person or that red wizard guy first? I'd like to be rid of that sword, it seems only fit for Arawn."
      "Galashiels is on the way to Edinburgh," says Fencik. "It will be a trip of at least a week to Galshiels, so we might as well go there first to get Jake off our hands. Oh, and also - before we leave, I say we go back to check the cave to see if there has been any activity. We could do that first thing, then head out to see what the deal is with the sword and Jake. With your horses, travel there and back should go much faster, delaying us only a little bit."
      "I wouldn't mind checking before we leave," says Cedric. Suddenly, his eyes widen and a small grin plays across his face before can realize it. After composing himself, he says, "Seeing as how Blackwand here is a longsword, I'm thinking that we may be able to guess what race it was intended for, if not created it. I have heard that the Dwarven race can craft fine weapons, but seeing as they are far from here, and much shorter than us humans, I doubt that they would be able to wield such a sword effectively."
      "True," says Walker. "I traveled with Dwarves for a while, and while they normally don't use swords, the rare ones that do go for shorter blades."
      "Good, I'm right so far. The stature problem would also cause a problem for Hobbits as well. Assuming that it was made by a demi-human race, it would appear that it was made for an Elf. Although I am sure that any of you will want to smack me in the head for this, I hope that this is the case - I want to learn more about Elves. They are such a mysterious race, although I cannot think what they would want with a sword like this.... Perhaps our next encounter with them will go better than my last attempt."
      "You mean they might actually talk to you?" says Caitlin, a tired smile on her face.
      "Yes, that is my hope, thank you." Seeing her condition, he frowns. "Just so you know, I, for one, shall have nothing more to do with that sword. Powerful it may be, but I am in the business of saving souls, not destroying them. I doubt that Blackwand would want anything to do with me, either." He straightens. "Now, to bed, everyone. We begin a long journey to the Red Wizard tomorrow, and could use the rest."
      "Yes, we certainly could," says Torm. "Caitlin, would you like me to aid you with a spell or herb to regain your strength?"
      "Actually, if you have something that will help me sleep, that would be very helpful."
      Torm fiddles with one of his pouches, and finally pulls out a sprig of something that looks like parsley. "Chew on this right before you sleep - that should do the trick."
      "Thanks," she replies.
      "Oh!" exclaims the paladin. "Before I turn in, I want to head back downstairs and see what I can determine about Jake. I would like some company while I do it, for it may be too obvious if I say, 'Okay, Jake. Hold still for a minute while I verify that you are an evil, nasty sod.' I'd appreciate a diversion. Any volunteers?"
      "How about we do that in the morning?" suggests Torm.
      "We'll all be much more alert then, and with all of us there, he won't be likely to notice what you're doing."
      "Ah, fine idea. I want to stop by the temple anyway, to make a donation. I suppose we'll need to divide up that money."
      "After paying for meals and stuff," says Tzar, digging out the bag, "there's six gold for each person," he says, counting it out.
      "Don't worry, Cedric," says Fencik. "I've taken from the collection plate often enough when times were bad, I suppose I can give some back, eh?"
      "I don't consider that particularly funny," says Cedric, frowning.
      "I, too, plan to give the temple some money," says Walker, quickly.
      "Me, too," says Caitlin, adding to the distraction by picking up the sword again. "See you tomorrow, folks." She leaves.
      "You know," says Cedric, having another thought, "if you think back to how Jake acted while we were fighting the Brakkar, Torm's comments make a little more sense. Were I turned into a dog, and I imagine that this goes for any of us here, and I came across a battle, I would try to ascertain which side should be helped and launch an attack of my own. Jake hung back, almost as if he didn't want to expend the energy to fight. In my opinion, looking back it would appear that Torm's augury is correct."
      "Of course," says Torm. "Did you ever doubt?" He smiles. "On that note, I will see you all in the morning. Now get out so I can sleep." The others all exit one by one and head off to their rooms, except for Belexus who decides to go for a brief walk.

      ***

      The next morning, the party gathers for an early breakfast, and then goes over to the temple where the animals are, the sword wrapped in cloth and somewhat hidden in Caitlin's bag. Tzar is already at the temple, inspecting the animals. Everybody gives Robin's collection urn a few coins, and thanks the priestess. Belexus, Walker, and Tzar ride out toward the Brakkar cave for a quick check, as the others in the wagon or on foot couldn't keep up in the hilly terrain. They return a little over an hour later and report no new signs of Brakkar. When the three get back, they all look expectantly at Cedric, who shrugs and shakes his head.

      Lacking any pressing demands, the party begins the long northward journey to Galashiels. When the group stops for the first evening, and Jake is out doing dog things, Cedric clarifies that he was unable to detect any evil from Jake. The next eight days pass fairly quickly.
      Caitlin looks much better on the second day, and Belexus keeps close to her, wary of any negative effects of carrying the sword. She seems unharmed, and keeps it wrapped and in its sheath. Tzar looks over the animals every day, as well as doing his stretching exercises and sword-practice.
      Toward the afternoon of the eighth day, as the group comes into view of the medium-small town of Galashiels, Tzar pulls Strider to a halt. "Anybody know what we're gonna say to this wizard once we see him?"

      Nova scratches straightens his thin moustache. "I say we be straightforward with him and ask him why he did it."
      "Yes," adds Torm, "we should be honest with him. We really don't know what his intentions were." He climbs out of the wagon. "Anyway, I think a small entourage should head into town to meet with him and discuss matters. This would leave most of us out here to keep an eye on Jake and can act as a rescue party if things turn sour. I suggest that Cedric, Caitlin and myself go and meet with him and determine his intentions. If we do not return by nightfall then it will be up to the others to come and help us or to carry ... ah, to carry on."
      Cedric stretches, and jumps out of the wagon. "One of these days I'll have to get myself a horse. They can't be any more uncomfortable than riding in a wagon." Stretching his legs, he wanders around a bit. "I, too, was thinking that we should split up prior to meeting the wizard. This way, it hopefully wouldn't be a large intrusion. You know how mages can be." He shoots a wink at Caitlin, who sticks her tongue out at him. "But seriously, I feel that Caitlin and Torm should not meet with the mage."
      "Oh, and why is that?" asks Caitlin. "Professional jealousy"
      "Actually, no. You see, we know that this mage has the power to transform humans to animals. Should our meeting go awry, and whoever meets with him get ... changed, you and Torm know the most about magic and would probably be best able to go about reversing the spell."
      "We can only hope so," she replies.
      "As far as any conversation goes," continues the paladin, "we need to find out why Jake was turned into a dog. Hopefully, if we're nice about it, we can get to the bottom of this problem, get things rectified and get back on the road to...." He pauses, concentrating deeply. "_Stylus'_ abode. I think I can remember his name now," he says, grinning broadly.
      "At this rate, Cedric," says Caitlin, "You won't be needing that magic thinking cap I was planning on making for you. I'll surely miss whacking you on the head with my staff, though."
      "So," he says, ignoring her wisecrack, "anyone else have a better plan, or should we continue on our way? Standing around here is not going to accomplish anything."
      "I think we should try to find out a little bit about him, before we go and talk to him ourselves," says Belexus, turning his horse in a tight circle.
      "Yeah, let's check out the town and what it has to offer before going to see this wizard. It would be nice to have a good drink and meal before being turned into a dog. No offense, Jake - it's just that bein' a dog isn't my kind of thing."
      "Woof!" barks Jake.
      "Information -- good idea!" chuckles Fencik, nimbly climbing to the ground.
      "Yes," says Cedric, "it certainly wouldn't hurt."
      "I hope there's some good ale here," mumbles Tzar, as the group rides and walks the rest of the way to the town.
      Reaching the moderate-sized place (large, but not near as large as Dumfries), the group goes to the first decent-looking inn they find. After tying their horses, Jake, and the oxen up outside, the cautious adventurers grab some food and ale, and attempt to talk with people in the bar. Fortunately, most are pretty friendly, and are willing to answer questions. Piecing together the volume of information gained, they find that the Red Wizard is some sort of protector of the town - he casts beneficial magics, such as permanent street lights, hardens the roads to prevent washouts in the rainy season, and things like that. While not the friendliest person, he is always fair, and accepts audiences from visitors who are in need or have special tasks that he might be able to complete. He lives in a sprawling white mansion in the southwest part of town.

      Cedric chuckles. "Perhaps, if this wizard is the self-proclaimed protector of this town, he'll already know of our presence here and know why we've come. Maybe he'll even send one of his minions to escort us into his humble abode." He clears his throat and looks around briefly. "Failing that happening in, oh, the next two seconds, shall we see about getting an audience with the wizard?"
      "Fine with me," says Walker.
      "As far as an entourage to meet him, I offer up the group of Nova, Fencik, Tzar, and myself. I would think that that group would offer a nice balance of intelligence and brawn." At this, Nova frowns and pulls Cedric aside to whisper something to him, at which the paladin nods. "Well, Nova feels that he might do us all more good elsewhere than talking with this wizard."
      "I'll go instead," says Walker. "He seems a decent enough guy, to hear the locals talk."
      "I'm okay with going, too," says Tzar. "Meanwhile ...," he motions to a passing barmaid. "More ale!"
      "All right, that will be four in each group, then," says Cedric.
      "Hey, he can count, too," says Fencik.
      "I know how to count, Fencik," admonishes the paladin, "I just seem to lose track of names."
      "Well, I'll try to remember then for you," replies the rogue.
      "Perhaps the rest of us could ask about the town," says Torm, interceding, "and see if we can uncover any rumors, especially concerning the Red Wizard or any unusual happenings."
      "I would be pleased to do whatever I can in this manner," says Novalindro.
      "Excellent," says Cedric. "Now, if we did get to meet this mysterious wizard, besides asking about Jake, I'd like to see if he knows anything about the Brakkar." He shrugs. "They seemed to have a rather odd collection of items buried at their lair, and I'm curious if the Red One can give us a clue about what, if anything, they were trying to accomplish."
      "Speaking of Jake," says Walker, "I suggest we not bring him in to see the wizard. Maybe he could stay with Belexus?"
      "He still follows me," says the tall woodsman. "That should be easy."
      "Mmph," say Walker, loquacious as ever. "In any case, if we get to talk to the wizard, since he seems a decent enough guy, let's just ask the guy bluntly. If he doesn't appear to be a friendly person, I suppose it would be wiser to bring the subject up less directly."
      "Good suggestions, both," says Cedric. "Until we can note his disposition, we will have to play it by ear. So, shall we go find his mansion?"
      The party pays for the meals and heads out the door.

      Splitting off from the rangers and spellcasters, the four head off to the southwest part of town, and, with the help of some locals, soon find a rather large single-story wood-and-stone mansion. Its front lawn is deep green grass, and the front porch of the building is fairly large, with decorative pillars supporting its roof. As expected, the building is painted entirely white. There is a path of flat white stones leading from the city street across the thirty feet of lawn to the front door.
      Cedric straightens his shoulders, takes a deep breath, and walks up the path, with Walker, Fencik, and Tzar right behind him. Reaching the white oaken door, Cedric seizes the brass clapper and snaps it twice against the door. Almost instantly a tired-looking older man opens the door halfway and peers through. He is dressed in red and black livery.
      "Yes," he asks, in a tired, old voice.
      "We would like to speak with the Red Wizard," says Cedric.
      "For what reason?" asks the man, presumably a butler of some sort.
      "Well, sir, I am Cedric Pellinore, and these -"
      "You're late," replies the butler. "Please come inside, the Master is expecting you."
      Not entirely surprised at this, the four men step inside the mansion. The butler closes the door. Inside is a pleasant small waiting room, with white wood along the walls and deep red velvet-padded furniture. "Follow me, please," says the butler, and walks, somewhat stooped, toward a small hallway. He stops at a large door which he opens, revealing a large room with ten large overstuffed chairs. "Please have a seat; the Master will be with you as soon as he is able." After the party walks into the room, the butler closes the door behind them.
      This room is somewhat dimply lit by three opaque globes affixed to the ten-foot ceiling. The walls are dark wood, and there is another door on the far side of the room, similar to the one you just came through. The chairs are clustered about the near side of the room, in no particular pattern, save that all face roughly toward the far door. Tzar looks hesitantly at the chairs, and decides to stand. Fencik, however, knows luxury when he sees it, and sinks into one of the chairs with an audible sigh.
      "Much better than some old wagon, let me tell you." Seeing that no harm has befallen Fencik, Walker and Cedric hesitantly try out the chairs, and wait, literally on the edge of their seats.
      After waiting a few minutes, the far door opens and a man of medium height in a rich red cowled robe walks through it. His cowl completely conceals his face, and the robe is loose enough that it is hard to judge is build through it, although he does not appear to be especially slender. Following him through the door is a small comfortable-looking chair, which walks along on its wooden legs like some sort of strange animal. The wizard stops, the door shuts, and the chair moves until it is behind him, at which point he sits. He faces the four men in the room.
      "You wished to see me?" he asks, his voice neutral, neither threatening nor friendly. However, within the cowl, two dim points of red light can be seen where his eyes ought to be. He turns his head toward Tzar, who is still standing. The wizard shrugs, and waits.
      "Pardon the intrusion," says Cedric, somewhat hesitantly, "but it seems that we have stumbled across a bit of your magic in our travels."
      "And that would be...?" asks the wizard, not seemingly especially curious.
      "We have recently met up with a dog, that claims to have been a human. He also claims that you were the one to have done this to him."
      "Yes, I believe I know of whom you speak."
      "We would like to hear why this was done to him, and petition you to undo the spell. If he was guilty of some crime, then shouldn't he be penalized as a human?"
      "If a man attacked you in your home, you would have the right to defend yourself, yes?"
      "Well, yes -" begins the paladin.
      "And if he was trying to kill you, and you ended up killing him, that would be considered ... justified, yes?"
      "Well, under normal circumstances, yes."
      "The man professed needing my help, and when I met him, he tried to kill me. The man is an assassin."
      "Then was this done to him to 'convert' him, for lack of a better word, to the side of goodness, or to at least, remove his evilness?"
      "Good and evil do not concern me, here," replies the wizard, the lights of his eyes twinkling. "I try to avoid killing whenever I can, and sought to remove his threat. Thus, I transformed him. In time, his memories would fade, and he would simply think himself a dog, and not know otherwise."
      "How ...," begins Cedric, "how is this different from slavery? A noble duke could enslave a tribe of Goblins to fight a war against Lizard Men. By our definition, the Goblins would be on the 'good' side, but that would not change how they acted, or more importantly, how they _wished_ to act. True change must come from within. To truly be 'good,' the Goblins must want to be good. If this spell was cast to prevent him from doing any more foul deeds, then how is that different from enslaving the Goblins? True, you have prevented him from doing anything against the law, but you have also robbed him of his humanity. Perhaps traveling with us, he saw what it was like to have friends, to not have to constantly watch your back for that dagger, and to know that you can count on someone to stand by you. I'd like to believe that that has happened. But, more importantly, I'd like to see him returned to his human form. Again, if he is guilty of trying to kill you, then let him serve his punishment as a human."
      "No," says the wizard, simply. "I will not reverse the transformation. Was there anything else you wanted to speak to me about?"

      Cedric shrugs. "With all respect, sir, I do not understand your logic here. I can understand protecting yourself in your own home, and you were certainly within your rights to do that. But you have the power, and had the opportunity to subdue your assailant without causing him any harm. And you could have subdued him, by simply choosing another form for him, be it a fly, snail, or whatever. Then you could have simply turned him over to the local authorities, and reversed your spell."
      "Cedric!" hisses Tzar through clenched teeth, bumping the paladin with his elbow. Cedric holds up his hand, and then continues to speak.
      "I would certainly not condone the death of anyone unless absolutely necessary. Even if an intruder tried to kill me. I think I understand you point of view on this problem, and I would like to make mine clear to you. As long as there is any chance of that man regaining his humanity, I shall strive to do so. This is in accord with how I live my life, as what you did is in accord with how you live yours." Cedric leans back slightly in his chair. "But, if I have not offended you too much already, could you answer a few more questions for us? Was this man acting alone, or had he been sent by someone? Why would anyone want to see you dead? It would appear from what we have seen of this town that you do a great deal of beneficial magic for it. What did whoever hope to gain with your death?"
      "That is not your concern," replies the Red Wizard flatly.
      "Cedric, what about the bugmen," says Tzar, prodding with his elbow again. The big warrior looks hesitant to anger the wizard.
      "Yes, right," says Cedric. "Just a few more questions, then we'll be on our way, and allow you to return to whatever it was you were doing before you graciously accepted to grant us an audience. We have been playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a race of intelligent insect-like humanoids known as Brakkar. In our most recent encounter with them, they had buried several magical items, in a series of patterned mounds. A friend with limited precognitive abilities saw a vision of a great winged beast. Does any of this sound familiar to you? Would the burying of magical items be some sort of summoning spell for the beast seen in the vision? Do you have any ideas about why the Brakkar would want to bury magical items?"
      "I have little to do with strange creatures, so their motives are opaque to me. I have no heard of these creatures, and know of no use for burying magical items. Perhaps some sort of Conjurer would know, but I know little of that sort of magic." He rises momentarily to adjust his positioning, and his chair shifts slightly under its own power when he does so. "Now, was there anything else you wanted to ask me about?" His attitude seems little different from when he first walked into the room.

      Cedric frowns. "Oh, well, we were hoping that you could provide answers to our questions. But, since you are either unable to answer them, or you refuse to answer them, then unless anyone else here has anything they'd like to add, then I guess we'll be on our way." He looks at Walker, then Fencik, then Tzar. All three are close-mouthed. Cedric rises from his chair and bows slightly. "Thank you for your hospitality and generosity in seeing us. Now, if you'll excuse us, we shall be leaving your town now."
      The wizard nods, stands, and opens up the door he came through. He exits the room, with the chair following him, just as the butler opens the door on the near side of the room.
      "This way, sirs, and I will lead you out."
      Following the stooped man, the party reaches the front door of the mansion, which the butler opens. "Good night," he says when all four have exited, then closes the door.
      "Back to the inn, then, eh?" says Cedric.
      Walker moves to the front and guides the group through the magically-lit streets back to the inn. Inside, the two rangers and the two spellcasters sit patiently at one of the tables.

      After the last four seats are taken, Caitlin asks how the visit went. Cedric shakes his head. "I know that the Red Wizard is supposed to be really helpful, but he was unwilling or unable to answer any of our questions."
      "Strange," says Torm, "the priest I spoke with said that he and the rest of the townsfolk really appreciated his work here - what he does allows for the town itself allows the priests to focus more on the needs of the people."
      "Well, maybe it is because we are from out of town that he's a little testy," suggests Caitlin. "What was he like?"
      "He was polite, and we never saw his face," says Walker.
      "Yeah, he had some kind of cowl up," says Tzar, "and all you could see were these little red points of light where his eyes should be. I though he was a demon at first, but he didn't try to eat our soul or enslave us or anything like that, so I wasn't sure."
      "I have something to tell," says Belexus. "I tried to communicate with Jake earlier, having him bark for yes and wag his tail for no. He admitted that the wizard did not attack him in surprise, but wouldn't or couldn't answer when I asked him if it was because he was trying to hurt or steal from the wizard. I don't know if he simply refused to answer, or if his dog-self took control and he didn't understand me anymore."
      "The Red Wizard told us that Jake had set up an appointment with him," says the paladin, "and had then tried to kill him. The Wizard apparently has an aversion to killing, so he decided to punish Jake by turning him into a dog, instead." Shaking his head, Cedric continues. "We probably should be heading onward to Stylus' place as soon as we can. I doubt that we'll get much more help, if any, here."
      "Well," says Caitlin, "I _know_ Stylus will be interested in helping."
      Laughing slightly, Cedric mutters, "To have that much power at one's disposal, and to use it without any trace of a conscience should be a crime." Raising his head, he looks at Caitlin. "Is this the fate of every wizard, Caitlin? To become so self-important that they lose all sense of what is right? That they slowly trade in their humanity for their mystical talent?" Grinning weakly, he says softly, "I do not wish to see that happen to you, my friend. I shall pray that it does not."
      "Not a chance, Cedric of it happening," she says. "I'll be too busy making love potions for Belexus, so he stays completely in my power," she winks, "and for Walker, too, if he ever decides to get a girlfriend and needs some wizardly help." She grins, and Walker smirks, a distant look on his face.
      "Well, let's get on the road," says Cedric. "Needless to say, the Wizard refused to help Jake. But perhaps we shall have better luck at our next stop."
      "Since it's dark outside, it being night and all," says Fencik, "how about moving on in the morning?"
      "I am sorry," says Cedric, "this meeting has affected me more than I had thought. Yes, in the morning, of course."

To be continued....