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I quickly followed BG through the barrier and pulled Drag with me just i case he didnt understood it or something. Sow the orcs revieved?! What kind of evil is behind this? "What are we going to do next?" i asked the group.

I quickly took my crossbow and shot a bolt trough the barrier in the chest of one of the orcs charging at us, but nothing happened, the orc only got knocked back a lil bit. This was no good, I hoped they could not get trough the magic wall.

Aeons passed... time played no role at all...

[color:"#a0a0ff"]This is the dance of hope... a quiet tune, a melody silenced easily, a song overcried quickly... a fragile ballad at first... then growing stronger if others join...[/color]

I woke up out of my trance and saw the hall was nearly filled with the same amount of crystals as at the beginning. And they were still sparking, giving birth to new crystals... the tingling grew louder, the harmony grew stronger.... It was enough... I stopped and noticed my shoes were gone, they had been torn and cut by the sharp shards. My feet were bleeding, but I felt no pain - save one: Wolfy still sat motionless, shrouded in his sorrow, embedded in his loss - the last of his kin.

Tears were rolling down my face, I felt his pain and my helplessness. I couldn't give him back his companions. My love for him was there, but was this enough to make up for his loss? I went up to him and stroked his one head slowly and carefully, I fondled his ear and whispered in to it:

"I will be your companion, I will take care of you until you die - even if I have to stay in your world forever... can you hear me? Wolfy? I'm here, you're not alone... I'm here."

Still no response... I sat down next to him and held him closely.

[color:"#a0a0ff"]The tune of hope needs an open heart, sorrow is very strong and paralysing... hope needs time... a lot of time and patience[/color]

"There is evil involved in this! I can sense it!" I growled. "Look!"
Before my very eyes the shattered corspes from the remians of the orc scouting party arose. One by one they shambled to their feet, moaning unnatural sounds.

"What if there is a shaman behind this? A single necromancer sent to hunt us with his twisted minions.... Are we fully protected behind this barrier?" I asked hoping someone had more than the simple 'feeling' I had.
A zombie walked into the barrier and vapourised with an anguished scream.
"Well I guess that answers that." I said, relieved. I beleive the rest of the living orcs will be more of a challenge though.
I took out a device I'd found on one of the orc corpses, he'd obviously been a scout ort something. It was a simple looking-glass device, with 2 lenses at either end of a tube. I seemed fairly well made and dwarven in construction. Had it been bought from a trader or taken from his corpse? I shuddered, and scanned the skies. Large bird-like beasts caught my eye, flapping in the distance.

"I think we may have company soon, Wyvern riders by the look of things....."

I knew the thought was inappropriately timed, but I couldn't help thinking that "Wyvern Riders" sounded like a Country-Western singer's name. Someone who wrote songs like "My horse knows the way", or "Don't leave me hangin'", or "Didja ever love me?". I chased the thought away.

I chased after it too, with a stick. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

That's the second person today who saw what I was imagining. As Womble chased my fleeting thought, I wondered if he thought it was an attacker, or if he just thought it was as inappropriate as I had assessed.

"No matter" I concluded, "it's gone now. Maybe we should find some cover, in case the barrier doesn't protect us from above."

NOTE TO SELF: Keep your thoughts to yourself. Especially the fantacies. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/badsmile2.gif" alt="" />

I couldn't help to luagh at the sight of womble chasing Beegee's projected fantacies.
Doing! I heard and saw one of the orcs get knocked back just like nero did, funny as ever, what I'm luaghing about in such a situation.

Wolfy stirred and looked at me, his eyes were tired - then his ears perked up.

"Yes, I know, our group, right? They're singing the dance of death. Let's stay here for a while, battle will come soon enough... Let's listen to the tune of hope together..."

The crystal floated back to us and rested on my palms again.

[color:"#a0a0ff"]You have to leave soon, Strange One, but before you leave, take one of those crystal fragments with you - it will have no magical ability but may remind you of what you have learned here. Choose wisely and take your time. May it bring back the melodies you have heard here, everytime you hold or touch it. I will join the dance again, farewell.[/color]

It rose from my hand and floated upwards slowly, I could follow it with my eyes, but after some time I lost track and just watched the eternal crystal dance again, feeling Wolfy's body close to mine.

Then my eyes fell on one of the glittering shards, shaped like a halfmoon.. this one was perfect. I picked it up, tied it unto a leatherband I found in my satchel and put the amulet around my neck. Yes, it had the right length and rested on my chest. I held the fragment tightly in my hand, lent against Wolfy and was lost again in the crystal dance.

"Wow, the zombies die on the barrier. Interesting.." I trie dto find out how this happened but had to stop my search. The other orcs were comming!! fast. Hmmm how are we going to solve this?? "Hey does anyone has a rope here?"

"Gotcha!" I swung my stick at Beegee's thought. I didn't know what country and western was but I knew it was bad. To my embarrasment the thought vanished with a [color:"pink"] poof! [/color] The party was laughing at me. "Bloody imp!" I grinned. Shaking my head I wandered back to the party.
Another glace through my looking glass showed nothing in the sky. It was a threat to someone else now....
The Orcs were still bouncing off the invisible wall or the undead ones were vapourising. They were no threat now. Someone or something was protecting us...

"Should we make camp here for tonight?" I asked.

Up you go, young lady... the group needs you
I got up reluctanctly, gave Wolfy a pat and started to look for a way out of this cave.

"Come on, Wolfy, give me a hint, there's a good boy..." He glanced at me, pressed both noses in the ground and lead me to half-hidden stairs. We ascended them until we reached a trap door. I flung it open and found myself in the cellar of an abandoned house. It smelled empty... at the same time I heard the voices of my companions and decided to join them. There was some rubble in a corner and I noticed thankfully that someone had forgotten his old battered sandals. They were okay for my taste and I slipped into them.

"Oh, hi, back together again? Had a good time? Judging the size of your loot I'd guess, you were amusing yourselves greatly, hm?" I said to no one in particular.
A part of me was still in the cave listening to the music, my heart to be exact.

"Kiya, welcome back. Had a good time yourself?" I asked. She didnt react. I pushed her gently. She snapped out of it "What?" "Had a good time?" i asked again. She smiled and i knew enough. "Ok, your just in time. Theres a group of orcs comming. We hid behind the barrier for now and are trying to figure out what to do. Any ideas?"

Wolfy jumped up to me and started to lick my face. "Yeah, yeah welcome back too Wolfy. Nice to have you back. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />"

"I have one, but you all won't like it... I plan to go out there and sing to them. If something happens to me, will you take care of Wolfy, Jolie? I have to go there alone."

I saw Kiya emerge from an abondoned house. Something seemed different about her. As if she had gone through a religious experience of some kind. She then acknowledged us with a typical sharp-edged remark.
"Actually we were fighting to keep ourselves alive..." They did have a strange amount of useful treasure on their bodies though, most peculiar.
I had myself found a cloak for sneaking about and nice shiny dagger. Almost glowing in fact. I wondered what use this would serve?

I had set up a campfire and was whittling a wooden pipe with a smaller knife I had found (non magical). I wonder if any of these othere abandoned houses contained beer? I seemed to have an unnatural thirst for it. Or maybe one of these 'wizards' could change some water into wine.... Something useful at least.
I'd asked BG if he had anything to drink in his bag of tricks but he simply said "bleeeep" to me and poofed away. Most odd.

I pulled a twig out of the fire and lit my pipe. "Wow!" Good-tasting tobacco grew here! Disturbingly good. I offered some to Jolie. I don't think paladins have to abstain from smoking do they?

"Can I have some of that lovely smelling tobacco-grass Womble? If you want... I've got a flask of good whisky in my bag. A magical flask I think because it doesn't seem to get empty at all.

Pass it around will ya, I think we all can use a good drink. I'll stay sober to take the first watch after we go to sleep, this place still gives me the creeps and I have a 'wrong' feeling about that shadow I saw. Who was the one that could sense evil again? Was it you Jolie, do you sense anything??"

I passed Viper my pipe. He seemed to enjoy it immensely. I took a sip of his whiskey. Dry, full bodied, rich, in fact everything a good whiskey should be. Where he found it I have no idea but I didn't bother to ask. I offered it to Kiya, she simply glanced at me and turned back to her discussion with Jolie. They seemed so serious all the time. As far as I could see the orcs were no immediate threat. Although what lay behind this barrier was still a mystery. Viper was feeling uneasy about it. I passed the flask to JVB who guzzled it greedily. Apparently he'd had a hard day.

Night was falling..

"WHAT! Are you nuts?! I wont let you go in there alone. Espetially not to SING for them. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" />" i almost yelled at her. I was chocked by my own reaction. why did i react so heavily on this? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

The look in her eyes and face said enough. She was detemened to go and notting could stop her. It was with pain in the heart i said "Ok, Kiya. I'll do as you ask. Now go and please be carefull. I dont want to lose a good friend sutch as you." I almost cried <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sad.gif" alt="" />. Then she went on towards the upcomming hord of orcs.This isnt the Kiya i knew before. Something has changed her. But what and how i didnt knew. I knew one thing: i wasnt evil!

My symbol glowed again ..... "You're right Viper. There is something evil around here. But i cant get a lock on it. Its like its everywhere."

I watched Kiya walk towards the orcs. I felt a strange feeling in me but i couldnt say what it was. It felt like sorrow and pain, but somehow i knew everything would be ok. "Stay right here Wolfy." Amasingly he listened to me and sat down. I hope she will be ok...

my head still hurt... so it wasn't very unlogical that i gratefully accepted the whisky from womble... at least, thats what i thought.. some others stared at me as if they couldn't believe it : a mere 17 year old drinking whisky like it was lemonade.

I didn't care though, i loved the stuff.
I decided to cheer the group up by starting to tell stories in my semi- drunk state (it had been a while since I last ate, and i was very tired, so it kinda hit me really hard after drinking half a bottle at once... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> )

I walked slowly towards the spot I suspected some orcs. I was not committing suicide to take the large group at once, but I was determined to practise my tune. I took off my crystal amulet and held it loosely in my hands, the memory of a tune came slowly into my mind: The Sound of War - and I recognised it, it's origin came from the Red Orc over there behind the tree.

I started to hum my tune under my breath: [color:"#a0a0ff"]for every high tune I heard, I took the low one, creating a sort of counter melody - for every drumming tune, I took the flowing note - the song of a flying arrow changed into the gentle whistle of a summer breeze - the thud of a battleaxe gave way to the murmur of a small brook. I listened and changed, not more, not less.[/color]

Suddenly a large silhouette rose before me: The Red Orc. We looked at each other silently... after some while I opened my hands and held up the amulet, let it dangle and tipped my fingernail against it.

"Orc, do you know what that is? Have you heard about it from your ancestors? Do you know about an old bond between your race and others, embedded in old sagas?"

Stars came out one by one and the halfmoon crystal twinkled. I let it dangle and dance, tipped against it once in a while and hummed my tune.

"You Shaman?" His voice was gruff, guttural and coarse.

"No, but can you take me to your Shaman? I am alone, I have no weapons. Will you take me to him?"

His eyes narrowed, I kept on humming my tune, searching for the counter melody, dangling my crystal fragment.

"You spy!"

"No."

"You make black magic, you witch". His battleaxe pointed into my direction.

"No. Bring me to your Shaman, that is all I request from you."

He wavered, I had apparently unsettled him.

"Well? Where is your Shaman? Let him decide."

He beckoned me gruffly to follow him - and all the time I listened to his inner music and took the counter tune, tipping the crystal with my fingernail.