Gaien's Journey

[Gaien]

[shadow=Green,center,300][glow=Blue,post,2,300]( Please read the 'A Dark Homecoming' thread for background. This thread continues Gaien's adventure after he parts ways with Phelan...)[/glow][/shadow]

[Gaien]

Phelan’s last words still rang in his ears as he headed west, back to Telethin. “…you are so full of anger and hatred, I hope this leaves you someday, it doesn't suit one who was raised by Elves.”<br>
This was true, Gaien knew it and didn’t like it. Phelan and Gaien had parted ways, shortly after an encounter with yet another delf. Kitten, or so Phelan had called her.

So much had happened in the span of a few short days. He had finally found the dark elf that had slain his brother and captured him. Then visited by the shade of his brother, Aramis, who informed him that Aramis had given his life to Phelan. Gaien’s emotions still ran amuck and he wasn’t sure how to deal with them.

He wasn’t truly angry with Phelan, but he could not stand the sight of the dark elf. Each time he looked upon Phelan he was reminded of his brother’s death. Gaien needed to sort through the myriad of emotions that ran through him before facing him again.

Gaien again lifted the sleeve to his leaf green jerkin and stared at the odd rune inscribed there. Aramis, or at least Aramis’ shade, had left that on his skin during Gaiens vision. The rune had glowed a bright teal when it inscribed itself onto his skin, now it no longer glowed and had the color of a deep metallic black. The shade had said it would help Gaien, but he knew not how. He did know that he missed his parents, whom he had not seen for many years, and his friends…<br>

[Gaien]

As Gaien made his long journey back to his home his thoughts wandered back to the rune on his shoulder. Never in his life had he ever seen the likes of it before. It was half his hand in size and where the rune lay on his flesh it was smooth to the touch.

An old friend of Gaien’s, an odd elf named Dedrick, knew quite a bit about runes. Perhaps if Dedrick wasn’t too busy talking to some plant, or trying to teach fish to fly, he could tell Gaien what it meant.

Gaien made a point of avoiding Klick Anon. He had no desire to visit the odd little gnome, Dimpledot, who had come to his rescue the day before. He felt that he would be bad company to the strange magician and that would be no way to repay him. Gaien would visit him later, with a heart full of thanks and a gift of some sort. He’d have to ask around and figure out what Gnomes liked. Probably sprockets, gizmo’s or gears.

As the sun began its slow decent over the mountain peaks Gaien saw that not far off in the distance lay the village of Kara. As Gaien approached one of the guards stepped forward to great him.

“Ah, it is the round-eared elf come back to us at last” The guard joked. Gaien looked closer and recognized the face of Kiryian Starbreeze. “I hope you found what you were looking for… ?”<br>
The question hung in the air like a spiders web and Gaien was unsure of how to answer. “Yes.” He replied, “I found the dark elf that slew my brother.”<br>
“Then there is one less dark elf for us to kill.” Kiryian stated simply. Her words pierced his heart like an arrow, but Gaien said no more. Seeing that no response was forthcoming Kiryian snapped to attention and said, “Gaien Mayree, you are welcome to the village of Kara. No trouble will be found here except what you bring with you.”<br>
Gaien nodded somberly and entered through the village gates. Though small, Kara had plenty of places for a traveler to get their needs met. Spying the town’s tavern Gaien entered for a drink and a good nights rest. In the morning he would resume his journey…<br>

[Gaien]

Gaien left the village of Kara sometime after the sun made its way into the sky above the peaks of the Lavastorm mountains. It felt good to sleep in for once and he needed the rest, not just for his injuries but for his head as well. The barkeep made a fine ale that went down as sweet as wine and hit almost as hard as that troll named Gork.

It was unfortunate that there hadn’t been a cleric in the village while Gaien was there. He could have used the attention to his wounds, but such were the twists that life gave him. Besides, Gaien could now save his tunare for some fletching supplies when he finally got home.

The thought of home quickened Gaien’s step. He would be back amongst the trees, swimming in the lakes, playing games with all the animals of the woods…<br>
*Thwak*

…Suddenly Gaien felt a terrible throb in the back of his skull and his world faded into darkness.

[Gaien]

Snow…<br>
That was the first thing he was aware of…<br>
Snow falling against his skin like tiny knives that stung his flesh. Gaien opened his eyes, or tried to open them. As soon as his eye fluttered opened an intense burning pain roared throughout his skull. He quickly shut his eye again but it took many minutes for the pain to finally subside.

Painstakingly Gaien slowly opened his eyes again, but found that only one would work. The other had been caked with blood and frozen shut due to the harsh environment.

The second thing he became aware of was the extreme cold and his lack of clothing for protection against it. He was being drug along on a makeshift litter, and though he could not see his captors he could tell who had captured him by the sound of their voices… Goblins.

“Big feets iz too heavies!” the first goblin complained “We kills it here an eats its later.”<br>
“No, no, no!” a second goblin chimed in “Toos risky. Remember whats Ugnuk says. We must be sneakies. Too risky, too risky”<br>
“But Ugnuk not knows we has big feets. We eat it and get back to cave faster. Not have to drag smelly elf around!”<br>
“It nots elf!” the second goblin shouted “Just smells bad like one. It has no pointy ears”<br>
“Maybe ‘nother goblin eats his pointy ears. We should eats his legs. Smelly elf no run then.” The first goblin glanced back and Gaien and licked its black tongue across its lips.

“Not elf! Ugnuk be mad if we eats its legs. We not want Ugnuk mads at us!”<br>
“Me tired of dragging big feets!” The first goblin stopped and threw down its rope. “Mes hungry and tired!”<br>
“No! We trades its shiny things for its body. We give to Ugnuk and make Ugnuk happy wit us. Pick up rope and drag big feets before blue men comes!”<br>
A horn sounded in the distance…<br>
“Too lates, too lates!” The second goblin bellowed “You makes blue men come! Runs!”<br>
The first goblin hesitated. “If we leaves big feets, Ugnuk be mads at us. Remember Chochob when Ugnuk gots mad at hims?”<br>
The second goblin wailed in terror. “Then we nots go home. We go to ‘nother cave! Better than ending likes Chochob!”<br>
The horn sounded again and both goblins fled in terror, leaving Gaien to the mercy of his environment.

A few moments later Gaien saw the face of a large human, painted with blue markings. Then Gaien fell into darkness once more…

[Gaien]

Voices stirred in his consciousness

“… aye, an ‘es not e’en the size ov a boy.”<br>
“Still a cub by ‘are means. Not much fur on ‘em to boot.”<br>
“Oh, look, ‘es wakin’ up some.”<br>
Gaien slowly opened an eye. Instead of the biting pain that accompanied the same movement before, He found that he was staring into the faces of several women. Big, burly and very large women, barbarians!

The largest of the women, in every meaning of the word large, gave him a big toothy grin. “Hullo there deary. You’ve ‘ad a bit o’ knock on yer noggin, but yer a wee bit better now.”

Gaien nodded his head and winced with the pain the followed the simple gesture. “I thank you kindly my fair ladies, but might I inquire as to where I am?”<br>
The big toothy grin was suddenly replaced by a look of confusion. “Yer in Halas, in the tent of the midwife McKeef.” Quipped a voice. Gaien searched for the source and found a beautiful blonde haired girl, hair pulled back in pigtails, blushing at him. She was dtunning and about the same age as Gaien, though her size might hint diferently. She noticed his stare and blushed a little.

It was then that he realized he wore no clothes but the fur blankets that sparsely covered the required parts. With a bit of a yelp he tried to hide further under the furs.

“Hey there now, you’ve gone an’ scarred the wee one. Be off with ya now Elaisa, an don’t be comin’ back anytime soon. Not until ‘es properly dressed at least.” The woman flashed Gaien a grin.

“Um… where are my clothes?” Gaien asked sheepishly.

“Oh look at dis one. You came in wearin’ nothing but a bit ‘round yer middle, ifin’ ya catch my meaning” Gaien understood completely. “An we ‘ad ta throw it away as it was covered in goblin blood. No worries there dear, we undressed ya, Elaisa just tended to yer noggin was all.” He wished it had been the other way around. Suddenly it all came clear.

“I was attacked by goblins!” He cried, remembering bits of the goblins conversation. His belongings were now making some filthy goblin quite comfortable. He would get them back, after he got out of here.

“Catches on quick this one.” One of the women remarked.

“Aye lad,” said the toothy grinned one, “me ‘usband ‘appened upon ya whilst ya was still bein’ drug along like a babe by some o’ them freezebloods. He scared them off but foun’ ya quite out ov it an brought ya ‘ere.” Gaien nodded, remembering the blue painted face of the man that had saved him.

“Yer welcome to stay wit us as much as ye like, but from the look on yer face I’d guess you’ll be wantin’ to be after them gobbies that did this to ya, so I’ll not try to stop ya ifin ya wants to leave again.” She paused for a moment and dug around in the tent for a moment before holding up a skirt and tunic, complete with a fur cloak.

“Me boy wore dese when he was jus’ a young lad.“ Gaien stared, boy? “Dese will fit ya’ right nice I’ll bet. Wish I could offer ya more, but it’s the best I can do. You can take dese too.” She added, tossing a pair of fur lined boots to him. “Cid won’t be missin’ dem anytime soon.” She flashed him another toothy grin. “Go on now, try ‘um on.”<br>
Seeing no other choice outside of being rude to the very people who had, in all probability, saved his life. Gaien pulled off the fur blanket and began to dress in the ‘boys’ clothes, a deep shade of red betraying his calm façade. Feeling like a girl wearing a boys shirt, Gaien looked up to the toothy woman, midwife McKeef, only to see the wisp of a blonde pigtail vanish around the corner of the doorframe.

“M’lady McKeef. The kindness you and your compatriots have bestowed upon me is more than I could have ever hoped for and I am forever indebted to you and yours. I will return someday to repay you.” Gaien felt his speech was eloquent enough, but wish he had more to offer the kind woman than words. Gaien noticed the confused expression again on midwife McKeef’s face. He tried simpler words. “Thank you.” The toothy grin quickly came back.

“Well dats all ya needed to be sayin’ now. An dun you worry, we’ll get ya home right quick about it too. We gots ourselves a real wizard ‘ere wit us. Strange one tho’.” She shook her head slowly and a mass of reddish-gray curls bobbed with the movement. “I’m not trustin’ much to those magiks, but I ‘eres he can put people far aways in a direction they needs to be goin’. He owes me a favor or two in any case, jus’ meet me outside when yer ready. Come on ladies, lets be finding that ol’ wizard.”<br>
Still in a bit of a daze from the recent events, Gaien ducked outside to find a young human, no more than twenty and five, in red robes trimmed with gold staring at him. Midwife McKeef stood next to him, beaming a smile that split her face from ear to ear.

“He’s the one Aust, jus’ take ‘em to w’ere he wants ta go now.” The young man, Aust, simply shook his head and gave a small laugh before holding out his hand to Gaien.

“I am Aust,“ he said as Gaien shook his hand, “And it’s come to my attention that you would probably be needing a quick way to wherever you are going, as my over zealous friend here pointed out. Simply tell me where you need to go and I’ll whisk you away in the blink of an eye.” He gave a little wink as he finished.

Gaien opened his mouth to say Telethin when the cry of a young woman interrupted him. “Wait!” Elaisa cried as she ran up to him. Panting she approached Gaien and held out a simple short sword to him. “We’ll not be sendin’ ya off unarmed.” She said with a grin, but Gaien could see tears behind her beautiful ice-blue eyes. Gaien, at a loss for words at the generosity of Elasia and her people, could only mumble “Thank you” before she turned around an ran back the way she came.

“That one’s got an eye for ya lad.” Midwife McKeef said.

“Right, now where are you off to?” Aust interjected.

“Telethin good sir, and I wish the best of luck to you and all the people of Halas.” Gaien offered a weak salute as the wizard began casting his spell…<br>

…Aust cast the spell as he had a hundred times before and Gaien vanished in the blink of an eye, but at the last instant Aust thought he saw a faint teal light emitting from Gaien as he was whisked away by magical forces…<br>

[Gaien]

Gaien blinked as the light from Aust's spell disapated. He was home.He stood up and brushed the dirt off his knees. He glanced up to find Phelan lying dead on the floor.

Alarmed he drew his only weapon, the short blade that had been given to hom by Elasia, and muttering a quick spell of camoflague, stepped into the shadows to take a better look.

He was in a sandy city, Freeport by the looks of it. Over Phelan's dead body stood several notable individuals, two of them dark elfs.

So they finaly found you and killed you at last, He thought, They'll not have your body to desecrate though!

Gaien knew that his brother would not want the body of one of his friends destroyed by some foul ritual so Gaien uttered another quick spell. Just as the blue haired delf knelt next to Phelan's body, Phelan faded from view.

Still under his makeshift guise of invisability, Gaien grabbed Phelan's body, and hoisting it onto his shoulders as he ran, fled through the massive crowds of Freeport to one of the few places he knew he would be safe...

[Gaien]

Gaien fled.

He ran through the crowded streets of Freeport, zigzagging as much as possible to deter pursuit. He only had one chance at this.

Gaien didn't like stealing, his brother had taught him a harsh lesson about that many years ago and Gaien still bore the scar from it, but desperate times required desperate measures.

He ducked into the coachman's stable and threw Phelan's body on the back of an unused horse. He hoped the multitude of tracks leading in various directions would help his cause. Not bothering to pause for a saddle, Gaien hopped onto the horse after securing Phelan's body, and sped towards the desert of Ro, following one of the more common routes a short while for safety.

Gaien rode hard into the night, the desert heat washed over him like a plague, but at last Gaien found a small oasis.

This will do, he thought. Gaien was sorely chafed from his ride, as the kilt he had been given did little to protect against the continuous movement of the horse, but he drew his short blade and began to dig.

A few short hours later he had finished his grave, and with a heavy heart, placed Phelan's body inside. Gaien removed the jewel encrusted dagger from Phelan's chest and sheathed it in one of his fur lined boots. He regretted not having the dagger Phelan had given him to add to the grave, but he silently vowed to get it back and burry it with his friend someday.

Friend? Had Gaien finally come to realize too late that Phelan had actually been a friend, even if for a short while? He had been a friend to his brother, and Gaien was sure that had Phelan not killed Aramis that they too would have become friends before long.

Gaien shook his head, another lesson learned. He began the painful task of covering Phelan with the sands of Ro. When he was finished he found several nearby stones and made a small mound to mark the spot where the only good dark elf he had ever known would lie. Gaien knelt down next to the grave.

"I'm sorry that we had not the chance to know one another better. Go and be with Aramis now, I have forgiven you for any wrongs you might have caused me and I hope that your spirit will at least find peace."

He took his necklace from around his neck and placed it on top of the stone pile. His brother had given that to him, it only seemed fitting that he now gave it to Phelan.

The cry of a wolf woke Gaien from his moment of mourning and he once again climbed back onto the weary horse, his only companion. Gaien headed south by east to a place where he would exchange horses and ride home. He just hoped the coachman at the Tea Garden still remembered him...

[Gaien]

Gaien had been fortunate, the coachman at the Tea Garden had remembered him and given him a fresh horse to speed him on his way. Gaien was now past Bobble by Water and almost to Darvar Manor. He took little note of the lush scenery around him as he rode, last in his own world for thoughts and emotions.

How his heart ached for home. He longed to be in the woods once again, at peace with his surroundings, taking care of the forest and its inhabitants that infused his village with life and energy.

As Gaien rode on he wondered if he could truly go back to that life, in light of all that had occurred. He still needed answers to the strange mark upon his shoulder and he trusted no one but his friend Dedrick to give him the answers he needed. He wondered what the odd little elf would be doing about now.

Gaien exchanged horses easily at the manor and continued his ride North; he would pass by the city of dwarves and leave his mount with the coachman there. Then he’d journey by foot until he reached the Theoduc tunnel. There he would have to sneak through the tunnel, as it was filled with orcs, and on the other side awaited his home, Telethin.

Gaien rode hard until nightfall, just outside Mordrin. He made a small camp and cooked some of the poultry he had bought over the fire. Soon enough he heard the familiar sounds of grease hissing as it dropped into the fire and he somberly ate his meal.

Eating his meal in silence, Gaien’s thoughts drifted once again. He thought of the delf he had buried just a few days past and of their encounters together. He decided that after he found some answers to the rune on his shoulder, he would attempt to track down the goblins that had stolen his belongings and retrieve the knife that Phelan had given Him. Then he would return it to the burial mound of his friend…<br>

[Gaien]

The early morning sun stretched over the peaks of the distant Mount Hatespite as Gaien trod into the bustling city of the dwarves. He would leave his horse with the coachman here and continue his journey to Telethin by foot, through the Theoduc tunnel.

Shouts rang out from various venders as Gaien gave over his mount to the coachman but one in particular caught his attention.

“… and you can blast a hole in the toughest stone! Guaranteed to scare your friends and family as well! Step right up to ol’ Underfoot’s Alchemical Goods and get your very own supply of the mysterious Gnome black powder…”

Gaien searched for the source of the little voice and found a small red haired halfling peddling away his wares to those that would take the time to listen to his charade. Despite his natural distrust of the small furry race, Gaien wondered if this ‘black powder’ could really do what the halfling claimed it could.

“You there, Mr. Underfoot,” Gaien stated as he approached, “Can that powder really do what you claim?”<br>
“Why yes my good man, you are guaranteed to scare just about anyone with this stuff! I also sell a magical bolt of undead turning if you are interested? Let it never be said that Havel Underfoot didn’t offer the best to his clients.”<br>
Gaien wasn’t sure about the odd looking screw that the halfling held out to him, but he wanted to know more about this odd powder. “No, I mean can it really blast a hole in stone like you said?”<br>
Havel’s face contorted in a look of contemplation, as if trying to remember exactly what he had said, then it brightened with a grin a mile wide. “Why yes, yes indeed. I’ll give you a small example, just to prove the quality of my goods.” With that the halfling poured a pinch of black powder onto a nearby stone and leaped back.

“Ladies and gentlemen of all persuasions…” the halfling shouted, bowing low “This young man has challenged the quality of my secret black powder!” Havel thrust his arm in an overly dramatic gesture and pointed at Gaien. “Never has my honor been so insulted, but to prove myself I now demostrate the power of this fine substance! Behold!” The halfling seemed to look skyward in a mock prayer and thrust his arms upward, drawing the attention of the crowd that had gathered around the dramatic halfling.

So deft was Havels’s movements that Gaien himself barely caught the quick flick of Havel’s wrist that sent a small piece of flint towards the black powder on the nearby rock. Havel finished his mock prayer with a loud shout of “Shazam!” and brought his arms down in a violent gesture.

The rock ceased to exist. One moment it was there and the next a violent explosion, worse that any wizards fireball erupted and the rock exploded, sending small bits of stone into the mesmerized audience.

“Behold the power of the secret gnome black powder. Come one come all, I only have a limited supply!” Havel motioned the crowd forward and a massive surge of people moved towards the little halfling, but Gaien was there first.

“Ah, the unbeliever approaches! How much for you my good man?”<br>
“All of it.” Gaien replied with a smile…

[Gaien]

Morning had come and gone by the time Gaien edged near the entrance to the massive tunnel. The high carved archways stood higher than three large men and wide enough for a dozen orcs to fit abreast. Gaien silently cursed himself for not having bought some new clothes or a better weapon than his short blade while at Mordrin, but the weight of the two large packs he carried comforted him some. There was enough powder in those two sacks to make quite a distraction if necessary, and enough for Dedrick to ponder over. Gaien scratched at the rough wool kilt and wondered if he had enough tunare left to buy some britches.

Gaien quickly murmured the words to his spell and blended in with his surroundings. He was about to step into the tunnel when a small orc ran into the tunnel with parchment clutched tightly in its hands. Despite his better sense of judgment, Gaien followed behind quickly, matching strides with the courier as to not make any extra footfalls that might alert the brutes to the presence of an unwanted visitor.

The orc runner slowed down once it reached the first corner and Gaien used the orc mass to block the line of sight to one of the many orc guards that littered the tunnel. Gaien had heard rumors that some of the orcs that guarded these tunnels had the ability to see the unseen and Gaien didn’t want to take too many chances, not when he was this close to home.

Out of impulse Gaien followed the courier. He could have wandered the rest of the way through the tunnel and been on the other side in a matter of moments, just a few leagues from home, but instead he carefully padded along behind his unknowing companion and went deeper into Theoduc, very deep.

Before long Gaien felt as if he had traveled for hours, though it was probably less than a half an hour, and he found himself very deep in the confines of the tunnel. His courier companion suddenly took a sharp right and Gaien almost walked right into him.

The courier entered into a small, carved room, littered with maps, diagrams and papers. Instantly Gaien knew he was in over his head, this was a war room.

Gaien didn’t speak much orc, but he didn’t have to in order to understand what these orc were planning. As Gaien crept closer he could see battle charts and diagrams all indicating an attack on a major settlement. Gaien sucked in his breath sharply. They were planning to attack Halas.

Looking around Gaien realized that it was not just the orcs from the Theoduc tunnel that were going to make this assault. All around the room were commanders and war chiefs from the freezeblood goblins, snowfist orcs and several other tribes. Looking at the plans on the table there was not enough time for Gaien or a runner to get to Halas before they attacked, Halas would be forever destroyed.

A plan began to hatch in Gaien’s mind, one that might work, except that his camouflage spell was wearing off, and the orcs were beginning to notice.

Gaien quickly tossed his two sacks filled with powder into the center of the room. They slid against a table with a satisfying thump, drawing the attention of an orc wearing a blue cap, who looked perplexed at the sight of two bags, seemingly from nowhere.

Gaien darted past the war room doorway and into the hall. Carefully he pulled out a small bit of cloth and flint. His spell faded just as he began trying to light the cloth, the loud clacks of the flint against the stone floor drawing the attention of all around him.

An orc leveled a massive crossbow at Gaien and took aim, just as Gaien let a piece of flaming cloth fly into the two sacks filled with powder. The utterly confused expression was the last one the blue-capped orc ever wore…

[Gaien]

“Gaien… Gaien… get up Gaien…”

Gaien struggled to consciousness and found himself in a world of mists. He was surrounded in a black void filled with purple and gray fog that seemed to move as if it was alive. Voices seemed to call at him from the mists, calm soothing voices.

“Arise our son…” a distantly familiar voice

“On your feet Green Tongue!” Aramis! It had to be Aramis, no one else knew the nickname his brother had given him!

“You must wake up little one…” Another voice cried, his elven parents?

Gaien blinked as the mists about him began to take shape, slowly at first, then taking definite forms. As the mists swirled he saw the shade of his dead brother step forth.

“Seems you’ve managed to almost kill yourself again, little brother.” The shade said, its hollow words ringing in the vastness of the chaotic mists around him. “This is something you need to try to avoid, your task is not yet complete.”<br>
“What task? Aramis, what’s going on?” Gaien’s blood seemed to pound against his skull, as if trying desperately to escape. He could feel heat flushing into his face and the warmth of it in this desolate place almost made him sick.

“When the time comes, you will know, but now you must get up for you are still in great danger. Even as your spirit wanders on this plane, your life is threatened by a collapse in the tunnel that you have caused…”

Aramis disapeared into the chaotic swirls of the mists and everything around Gaien began to fade away. He felt a tear fall from his cheek as he once again left his brother…

[Gaien]

The acrid smell of dust and burnt flesh filled his nostrils as he struggled to open his eyes. At first he could barely make out any shapes at all for the haze of dust and smoke was so thick that everything seemed to be warped by a gray veil of obscurity.

As his eyesight sharpened he became aware of sounds. Alarm bells were ringing throughout the tunnel, little wonder as to why, Gaien was sure that explosion could be felt all the way to Telethin. The sounds of the bells were so loud that Gaien felt as if he was sitting right underneath them.

Bits of dust filled his eyes and they began to water, blurring his vision slightly. Gaien groped about for something to help wipe away the dust from his eyes and found a bit of cloth. Quickly wiping away the clout, Gaien noticed that the two bags of powder had done far more damage than he ever could have imagined.

The war room was gone, a massive crater filled with rubble stood where the war room had been. So massive was the destruction of the powder that it had even collapsed the entrance to this level of the tunnel, sealing Gaien inside with the remains of those that had fallen victim to Havel’s secret powder.

Gaien felt something wet hit his arm in tiny drops. Blood was pouring from his nose and mouth, but oddly he felt little pain. Rain. Rain was landing on his arm as well. Gaien glanced up and discovered that the blast had created a small crack in the structure of the tunnel, a crack that ran all the way to the surface. It was large enough for Gaien to squeeze through, assuming he could find a way to reach the slit that stood a good ten feet over his reach.

The ground about him shook and more rubble came crashing down around him, stirring up even more dust into the air, making it even harder to breathe. The tunnel was slowly caving in on itself at this level; if he didn’t hurry he would be buried alive in a grave of his own making. As the rubble came crashing down about him, Gaien noticed that it made a near perfect route to the crack.

Gaien moved towards the rubble as quickly as possible but his movements seemed sluggish and unresponsive. Uncaring and near frantic, Gaien scrambled and squeezed his way through the slit. The falling rain made his climb treacherous but the thought of being buried alive made the slick surfaces a minor concern.

As Gaien reached the end of his climb and pulled himself out of the crevasse, the tunnel gave one last shudder and collapsed behind him, burrying forever the plans to destroy Halas. As he escaped into the afternoon light he couldn't help but wonder why he still heard the bells so loudly.

The thought of Halas brought up the memory of the beautiful Elaisa, and Gaien felt a smilr spread accross his lips.

The last thing Gaien was aware of was the sweet smell of the rain as it splashed across his skin…

[Gaien]

… The ground shook with a violent tremor as the afternoon sun began it’s decent towards the horizon. From her vantage point in the trees, Dargais watched a great plume of smoke and dust thrust towards the heavens from the side of the Theoduc tunnel. She had spent most of her morning gazing out at the not so distant tunnel, hoping that one of the orcs would venture too far from the tunnel for its comrades to notice a few arrows stick out of its chest.

Then a great explosion caused a large pillar of smoke, dust and derbies erupt from the top of the West end of the tunnel and Dargais was no longer watching for stray orcs.

She ran, not knowing what to expect, but knowing that she needed to discover the source of the explosion. If the orcs had developed a new weapon she would need all the information she could gather to help ready the elves against such devastation.

As she approached the tunnel she discovered two things of interest. The first was that the orcs themselves were acting in a confused manor, running about like big chickens with their heads cut off. Some even began attacking one another. The second thing she noticed was a figure crawling out of the same hole that the dust had vented from.

Dargais sprinted towards the figure, knife at the ready, but as she drew nearer she noticed that it was not an orc but a barbarian. A small barbarian, perhaps a young child, his kilt and tunic were in tatters but there was enough remaining to mark him for what he was.

Dargais glanced about as she approached the child pup of Halas. Fortunately none of the orcs had noticed the figure through all the confusion. Dargais noticed that the child was blleding, and bad. His pools of blood were being carried away quickly by the rain, but there was enough blood loss to ensure that unless he got proper care soon, he might die.

Dargais turned the child over onto his back and began to utter some words of healing, but the words caught in her mouth. Before her was not a small barbarian, but her long time friend, Gaien.

What is he wearing? Dargais quickly dismissed the thought and finished the minor spell, stopping the flow of blood from Gaien’s lips. He would explain things soon enough she figured, only he could get himself into situations like this. She chuckled to herself as she remembered a story that Gaien’s brother, Aramis, had told her about Gaien when he was younger.

He had been learning the ways of the woods from Aramis and happened upon a Bungleberry bush, not knowing what it was. Being a hungry young boy Gaien ate several of the berries from the bush, not realizing that the bush was sentient. Soon enough Gaien had been caught in the bushes snares and unable to free himself until Aramis had rescued him. The berries had temporarily dyed Gaien’s tongue a deep green and from then on, whenever Gaien did something silly Aramis would call him Green Tongue.

Dargais shouldered Gaien and began to carry him away from the tunnel, back to her home. There she would tell him of all that had happened since he left many years prior, and listen to all that he had done. She hoped he had found peace on his journey, for he would need all the comfort he could get when he awoke…

[Gaien]

The smell of Alathana berries filled his nostrils and urged him to wake from his involuntary slumber. As Gaien regained consciousness, a soft, familiar humming filled his ears. Gently cracking open an eye, Gaien searched for the source.

Gaien was filled with wonder and amazement as he gazed and the lithe, beautiful form of his long-time friend, Dargais. She sat, humming softly to herself, as she stirred berries, nuts and fruits together in a large bowl and tended to a small campfire.

Dargais had never ceased to fill Gaien with wonder. She had been much like a guardian angel and protector to him when he had been younger, and in the latter years she had become much more. Always she had been his friend, but she had also become a close companion. All this he had turned aside when he went after the man who had murdered his brother, now, in light of all that had taken place, Gaien wondered if he should have stayed behind and found out if their close friendship could have blossomed into something more.

Dargais’ keen ears must have heard the slight rustling of the undergrowth as Gaien shifted his weight uncomfortably, for she glanced behind her and regarded Gaien with a look of deep concern that flashed across her elven features so fast, one might have thought it never to have been there at all. A smile split her ruby lips as she carefully strode over to him and sat down.

“In all the many years I’ve known you Gaien, never before have you managed to get yourself in so fine a mess as you did back there. I can only assume it was you as I know no one else brain dead enough to try and drop a thousand stone of tunnel on top of their heads.” Dargais scolded lightly, then hugged him so fiercely that he was sure that his ribs cracked, but he did not care. It felt good to be in her arms. Finally though, she let him go and studied him with renown interest.

Weakly he managed a rough smile to assure her then sat up a little straighter. “It would seem that once again my guardian angel has come to the rescue. Somehow you always manage to do that, Dar.” His voice was hash to his ears and he nearly choked on the dust that had remained caked to his throat, but Dargais did not seem to notice.

“Oh Gaien!” Tears filled her eyes as she entangled her arms about him in anther fierce hug. She quickly let go and tenuously wiped tears from her emerald eyes. “I have so much to tell you, but first tell me all that has happened to you. You have been gone for many years and I feared that you might not ever return.” She blurted in an uncharacteristic rush of emotion.

So as they ate the stew that Dargais had prepared, Gaien related to her all that had happened in the years of his absence, from his tracking of Phelan and his first encounter with the dark elf, of fighting orcs and being captured by goblins, he told her of his time in Halas, the burial of Phelan, his journey through Theoduc and his dreams of Aramis.

He ate rapidly as he spoke, renewed with the excitement he never once thought he would know, and all the while Dargais sat and listened, but a deep sadness lurked behind her eyes, and Gaien longed to hear all that had happened while he had been away. At last, when he had finished his tale, he turned to Dargais. “Thank you for the meal Dar, it was wonderful and just what I needed. Now tell me all that has happened while I was away.” He gave her a boyish grin and leaned back on an elbow as Dargais began to relate all that had occurred.

At length she finished and the sun had nearly set, casting shades of amber and purple across the hills. A slight chill filled the evening air and Gaien longed to be back home, sharing a fire with his family. “Come Dar, your company makes me light on my feet and I’m anxious to be home.” As an after thought he added. “Spend the night with me in my family’s house, I’m sure my parents would be glad to see you and…” He stopped suddenly, seeing the look of deep sadness return to her face. “Dar, what is it, what is wrong?”<br>
Tears filled her eyes and she turned her head as if she could not bear to look at him. “Gaien, “ she sputtered, “I have not told you everything.” Tears fell unbidden into the evening grass. “Your parents were slain last year by some sort of wild animal. We did all we could for them but… “ Her voice nearly broke with strained emotion, “They lost too much blood Gaien, and we could not save them. Oh Gaien, I’m so sorry!”<br>
She flung her arms about him and held him close, but he felt none of it. His world had come crashing down about his ears, he had no family now…