3. The accounts of Jade M'he El'hruen: Adventure and romance...

The accounts of Jade M'he El'hruen: Adventure and romance...


  • - Alone

    What is it to walk alone? To lose the feeling of the wind against your face or the sun on your skin. That unexplainable aching…the hatred of those who are happy or joyous. That flash of anger when you hear the sound of laughter or even the merry sounds of a chirping bird among the branches.

    Walking amidst the lands of Toril like an aimless wraith, this ghost of an elf traveled hundreds of miles always looking but never finding. Strangely, ironically...she knew deep in her mind where she would find what she was looking for. She knew what would satiate the hunger in her soul...suture the gaping wound in her heart.

    Even though she knew it was a fruitless to search, she continued to wander. Her only companion was her sword, found in the ruins of an old elven keep, given to her by ancestorial ghosts in the depths of her despair...fighting against the demons of her past. The black, elvish runes in the blade were burned into her mind, so many times she had laid her hands across them and pondered the maker's thoughts as they engraved them into the hot metal. Strange that she find so much comfort in a blade. Not in it's security of protecting her against the evils of the world...but the likeness it portrays about her own life. A self-portrait of steel. Emblazoned upon her soul was his mark...and even as the maker had long cast her upon the world to survive a lonely existance, those fiery runes still ran deep...though she covered herself with a sheath of self-denial, those runes still glowed like crimson embers.

    Her elven ways coming to the forefront, she no longer spoke the common tongue. She despised it. No longer did she drink from a flask, but of the river itself like a fawn. She cast aside the gleaming aquamarine armor and took up simple leathers. Strange that her outward appearance would change so, but her mind still reflected on the past. On him. It was difficult to separate her thoughts of him. She simply existed, but with his face always in her mind. When she closed her eyes, she saw only him. When she looked into the waters, she saw his reflection standing behind her, always reaching out and touching the soft locks of her black hair. She heard his songs and poems in her ear, whispering like the leaves of the autumn falling in the bitter winds of the west.

    She wanted to end it. She wanted the pain to stop. Was it lack of courage? Was it fear of death? Or was it hope?

    In the night she would cry out. Whether of anguish or bitter sorrow, it was always the same. Blade in hand and emerald eyes staring into the darkness that embraced her like the cruel arms of a brutal rapist, she would whisper the words of her lonely song. Where was her Wilhelm? Where was her love? She knew where he was and yet, like the butterfly beyond the grasp of one's hand, she knew it was futile to reach out to him. Thus, she sings her song. Thus, she continues wandering. Alone.

    Please, please forgive me
    But I won't be home again
    Maybe someday you'll look up
    And barely conscious you'll say to no one
    Isn't something missing?

    You won't cry for my absence, I know
    You forgot me long ago
    Am I that unimportant?
    Am I so insignificant?
    Isn't something missing?
    Isn't someone missing me?

    Even though I'm the sacrifice
    You won't try for me, not now
    Though I'd die to know you loved me
    I'm all alone
    Isn't someone missing me?

    Please, please forgive me
    But I won't be home again
    I know what you do to yourself
    I breathe deep and cry out
    Isn't something missing

    Even though I'm the sacrifice
    You won't try for me, not now
    Though I'd die to know you loved me
    I'm all alone
    Isn't someone missing me?

    {Lyrics: Evanescence - Missing}


  • - A'maelamin…melamin

    A group of four travelers set camp atop the mountain shrouded in cool mist and tall, ancient pines that towered over their small clearing like watchful guardians. Three looked at the fourth, watching her intently as she moved with the deliberate grace that all elfkind display. She was slight, wearing forest colors of green and brown. The elegant armor of layered leather and chain was both simple and functional, yet was designed to enhance and reveal her shapely form. As she set her pack against a giant, moss-covered trunk and began eating of a small crust of bread, the three gathered to prepare their own meal and began talking in whispers.

    One mentioned how her beauty stunned his breathing. Her hair seemed that of smooth, glistening obsidian and yet soft as silk. The locks were pulled together with three silver rings and so long they nearly brushed her ankles. Her sculpted features were smooth and perfect, like an ivory statue of great worth…but it was the eyes that caused such pain for another man. They were deep pools of emerald fire that pierced the very soul, but betrayed a tragic, shadowed sadness in their depths. They spoke words that no bard dare portray in lyric. He spoke how they caused the heart to ache and moved his emotions so that he desired greatly to take her in his arms gently and press her cheek to his and let her weep her troubles upon his shoulder.

    The third man watched as she sat upon a stone and, in great care and delicate precision, took up a massive greatsword, unsheathing it and working dark oil into the exquisite blade inlaid with runic etchings of elven origin. He marveled at the dauntless strength of the woman...the purity, yet perplexing contrast of beauty and steel; softness and obdurate impermeability. He was awed by visions of fighting back-to-back with her against hopeless odds. Just to watch the fluidity and skill combined with the ferocious might and terrible, wicked power of such a blade in the hands of the alluring, lithe elf maiden caused adreneline to course through his veins.

    And yet, it was not until nightfall did their souls tremble most with the conflicting surges of aching desire and sorrow. Upon their bedrolls tucked among the thick bed of pine needles, the men watched; their breaths held. The wispy mists curled among the silent trees and the thin smoke of their dying fire's embers rose to meet the cloudless night as the lone angel strode to a stone outcropping, peering into the darkness. Her sillouette infused with the silver light of the quarter moon...she sang a song that haunted the valley and silenced the creatures that scurried and chattered among the branches. A poem put to song...it was filled with such sorrow and longing, the men thanked the gods they did not know elvish, for fear it would be too much to bear. It ended in a broken note...one that told the men a deep sorrow mercilessly clenched her heart, causing tears to fall unheededly from her flawless face upon the stone like blood from a fresh wound.

    One man tried to rise, gathering enough bravery to have thoughts of approaching her, but the remaining two held him at bay with only a look. He returned to his bedroll, sighing heavily as they watched her standing like a weeping, lonely statue...the chill darkness of the night enclosed around her like a cruel blanket that saturated her essence and left the men in ruin.

    Two words were spoken after the sad song...two words still lingered in the minds of the men, even though they knew not the meaning in the common tongue.
    "A'maelamin...melamin."

    "My beloved...my love."


  • - Talaenar

    Jade sat at the edge of the stream atop the hill where they had spent so many hours together. She had been weeping continually since she left him standing there in the narrow streets in Peltarch and the emotions did not cease their flooding, just as a shoreline is beat upon relentlessly by the surf.

    First, of terrible sorrow…of none she had felt before. She had been wounded horrifically...both by his words and the dagger she had slit her wrist with. The wound was nothing but a pink scar now, after Wilhelm had healed her, but the wound on her soul was still spurting her life upon the ground in great torrents. So she cried…not knowing what else to do…not knowing what salve could heal the ragged gash.

    Then anger. Anger of the coldest degree; anger that made her appendages numb and her heart skip beats. She was angry at his words...the chill wind that bit her when he spoke them with unemotional purity and agonizingly obvious indifference. She knew that he thought she wanted to kill him...she felt it when she looked upon him in those final moments together. This, however, was the furthest from the truth. She wanted to kill herself...and she knew not the reason why.

    Then hatred. Hatred for ever sharing herself with another man after the death of her husband, Caleb. Hatred for ever pouring her love into such a hopeless relationship. Hatred for caring. Hatred for loving. Pure, unadulterated hatred...pointed not at him, but at herself for the immense failings of her iron will and statuesque determination.

    She looked down at her armored feet. She watched the water rush over them as the stream carried itself further...toward the waterfall. She looked to her lap and saw the tears glistening in the cold, uncaring light of the silver moon. Then, she looked to her hands. In one, she held the letter written to her. In the other, the dagger...already bloodied from the wound she had given herself as she stood before Wilhelm in the street. She read over the words once again...again determining that she would not cry as she read the words on the roughened parchment...

    _My dearest Jade,

    In the seasons of your absence, I have wandered alone. I have seen much to move the heart of a man, but little to match the fierceness of your beauty. Nonetheless, the heart of a man must know change if it is to survive the absence of beauty, and I have reluctantly moved on, with ever an eye to the past.

    However, I am now reconciled that our paths have irrevocably diverged.

    Know that you taught me much of love, and much that I had yet to discover. You opened new chambers within my labyrinth soul, and some of these will remain forever a secret to any but you and I.

    If I see you again, I shall not be the same. I will remember you with love. I hope that you think on me fondly.

    W._

    Tears streaked her beautiful, unblemished face, her elven features twisting in the agony of the emotion that coursed through her body in terrible, intense waves. Memories flooded into her mind…memories that tore at the wound in her soul.

    She recalled the first day she met Wilhelm in the Rawlinswood, nearly ten years ago. She remembered blushing at his words of how beautiful she looked in the moonlight...

    She remembered how terrible she felt when he fell to Atol. She remembered helping rescue his body and resurrecting him...

    She looked back at the time at the waterfall, their first kiss...

    The visions of their adventures together flashed in front of her eyes in rapid succession. She tried to shut them out, but they continued to bombard her. She cried out as if they were fists pounding into her face and stomach...

    Suddenly, there was nothing. She opened her eyes and watched the letter get borne away by the rapid water, passing over the waterfall's edge unceremoniously. She looked down and opened her hand. Through the blood, she saw the silver ring, its etchings faded from wear, but still visible even in the dim moonlight. She tossed the ring over the waterfall, speaking in low, bitterly cold words that were nothing more than a whisper in her shaking, cracked voice: "No one is worthy of it..."

    She turned her gaze then to the dagger, still held tightly in her small, elven hand. She turned the blade so that the moonlight reflected off the glistening blade still stained with her own blood and smiled bitterly. "Sh'mai, Wilhelm...Sh'ai, ave talaenar..."

    Far down the stream, a young elf was walking along the shoreline. He stopped a moment to wash his face in the cool water, squatting in the smooth stones that tumbled in the swift current as his boots sunk to the ankle. He ceased his cleansing as he watched a piece of soaked parchment pass him by. He tried to make a grab for it, but it fell apart in his lithe hands. He shrugged and finished his washing, took his gear, and headed back on the path toward the elven encampment. He noticed not the crimson streak that followed behind the dissolving parchment.

    Somewhere in the night, a beautiful voice was heard echoing among the ancient trees of the Rawlinswood. Somewhere, a few elves bowed their heads as they felt the despair in the achingly sorrowful melody...

    _My dearest love,
    How my heart cries out for thee,
    My dearest love,
    I desire you next to me.

    My Ehiela,
    I call your name in haste,
    My Ehiela,
    Oh, let not my soul waste.

    This I sing for you,
    This I pray for us._


  • - Returned, but still unanswered

    Jade reached the waterfall south of Norwick and tossed her pack to the damp shoreline uncaringly. She plopped down on the soft grass and sighed, stretching her legs in the unseasonable warmth of the afternoon sun. Her new, gleaming armor caught some light and temporarily blinded her, for which she whispered a quick elven curse.

    Reaching into her pack, she took out a crust of bread and began eating it to compliment the sour berries she picked in the Rawlinswood. Throwing a few small bluish berries in her mouth, she began humming an elven tune. She gazed up the cliff, watching the perpetual motion of the water rushing over the glistening, jagged stones that cut through the river’s surface at the top of the cliff, as if straining for breath from beneath the punishing flow.

    That was me once, she thought, a bitter smile playing on her lips.

    She reminisced about her time here, namely the countless hours spent sitting with Wilhelm beneath the tree that peeked over the cliff edge. Shaking her head, she wrapped the remaining crust of bread in a piece of cloth, gathered her things and began her journey through town, toward home.

    She kneeled on the worn mat in the darkened corner of the room and stared at the wall with her emerald eyes, trying hard not to cry out from the pain. She had been kneeling on the mat for several hours, hands clutched together…waiting. Her eyes closed once again and she began chanting the elven words over and over again, hoping that the Nameless god would heed her call.

    The answer never came.

    Frustrated, she stood and picked up the mat, whipping it across the room where it landed in a misshapen heap. She lay down on the bed, rubbing the sore spots on her knees where the mat had left deep gouges in her tanned skin.

    She began to cry softly, thrusting her head into the feather pillow in frustration. It had been months since the encounter, and still the god had not answered her plea for direction. She had done all that the god had asked, but she has heard nothing but silence.

    Patience. Patience is what I want…

    She held her breath as she heard the voice, gentle as a soft breeze upon the grass. She sat for long moments waiting for more words, and then began to breathe again, wiping the tears from her face. It was all she needed.

    She rolled over and stared across the empty bed to the darkened corner of her bedroom, absently running her hands over the place where Wilhelm would have been. Quietly, she began to whisper a song in a sorrowful elven melody, wishing for Wilhelm to be by her side…

    _My dearest love,
    How my heart cries out for thee,
    My dearest love,
    I desire you next to me.

    My Ehiela,
    I call your name in haste,
    My Ehiela,
    Oh, let not my soul waste.

    This I sing for you,
    This I pray for us._


  • –edited by Phaedrus --


  • - Wanderer, part 2

    Oren sat across from Jade patiently as the elf caught her breath from the battle, watching as she cooled herself with the water from the waterskin by pouring it on her face. She threw him the waterskin and he drank from it, nodding in appreciation.

    He eyed her closely. This, being his first, close-up experience with an elf, he was amazed at the fluidity of even the most simply movements, as she reached into her pack, or stroked back her hair. He was awed by her grace, but his eyes shifted constantly to the massive greatsword that lay next to her, always within an arms reach.

    Jade didn't know what to make of Oren. So many times she had witnessed the curiosity of strangers back in Norwick, Jiydd, and even the Gypsy Camp. But Oren was different. He was innocent – not filled with the preconceived notions and ignorant racism or misunderstandings. She enjoyed watching him eye her hand movements, and more than once she caught herself smiling as his jaw went slack when she turned a certain way or moved her body in her trademarked coy fashion.

    After satisfying her hunger on a bit of bread from the tavern, she began to speak.

    "I've been traveling for some time now. I've heard rumors of an elf in these parts, in the mountains to the south. Have you heard such rumors?" She asked with interest.

    Oren seemed to ponder a moment, then spoke. "The elders speak of an elf witch that lives in the foothills, if that's what you mean. They say that there are monsters too...big rock-like creatures called golems."

    Jade's eyes widened. "Aye! That's the one...do you know where this place is?"

    Oren smiled and then chuckled. "No, no, no," he said, waving his hands, "that's an old story that's been told to the children in these parts to make sure they stay near their homes. There's no elf south of here. Trust me," he said, thumping his chest with a smile.

    Jade frowned. Oren, his interest now piqued, leaned in and dared to ask. "So...what is really going on? What's the reason you're looking for an old elf in the hills?"

    "I'm haunted," she said plainly, with no emotion. Oren nodded, quickly calling to mind the image of the man with the scythe.

    He waited for her to continue. When she didn't, he bobbed his head and urged her to finish. She seemed reluctant, but after a few moments, continued.

    "I have memories, you see. Something happened to a few friends and I many months ago..." she looked distant as she continued, as if remembering some great tragedy. She paused, shook her head. "Its too much to explain...lets just say something happened that caused my friends and I to remember things...horrible things that happened to other people.

    "Recently, these...memories...have begun manifesting themselves in horrible ways. The battle you witnessed was one of the worse ones...one of the more challenging ones," she said, absently fondling the grip of her greatsword that lay at her side.

    Oren was having a hard time understanding. Such things she was speaking about are written in books and read in the darkness of a cold winters' night to scare the children. But he had witnessed it! It must have some truth to it. He listened closer.

    "After this started, I set out to find answers...a balm for the disease, I suppose. After much traveling, I find myself chasing after this elf of which you say has no existence," she said, looking defeated.

    Oren began thinking. He had heard the stories of the elf in the hills. He knew the place. He had gone there as a child, just as all children did in defiance of their parents' wishes. He had stood on the outcropping near the lake and peered into the cave the lay across the waves. He remembered the fear of that day, constantly looking out for the golems of the elf witch.

    Oren suddenly stood up. "Let's go, then," she said, offering her his hand.

    Jade smiled, grasped his hand, and let him pull her to her feet. She gathered her things and followed Oren to the road that led south, toward the foothills of the mountains that stretched their peaks upward in the distance.

    As they began their journey together, Jade asked Oren about his sudden decision, wondering what his motives were. Oren replied, "There are times for fear from old men's stories and a time to stand up and help someone who needs it."

    Jade simply smiled as they strode down the dusty road.

    A full day came and went with no incident. Jade was not used to walking such a distance with no encounters of bandits, goblins, or orcs that she seemed a little bored. Oren tried to keep her spirits high by recounting the stories the elders used to scare the children from the elf witch.

    It worked for a while, but soon she found herself humming an old elven tune she had learned long ago. Oren tried joining in more than once during what he presumed was the chorus, but his vocal cords were not meant for such music as the elves' voices were.

    It was nearing nightfall of the second day before they reached the small cliff overlooking the calm waters of an oval lake of dark water. He pointed out the cave to Jade, who quickly scanned the terrain as the sun set and darkness fell upon the foothills.

    They sat together, sitting by a small fire Oren had made from the dried birch bark from a grove of trees to the west. Oren kept his eye on Jade, noticing that she had become edgy and restless. He could only assume this was due to the closeness of the answer she was seeking.

    Soon, Jade was on her back, staring up at the half-moon from her bedroll. Oren, his back to a large boulder near the fire, continued to watch her with interest. He soon noticed that she was mouthing words, so he asked what she was doing.

    "Oh..." she said, surprised that he noticed, "...just thinking of someone."

    Oren smiled. "Who would this someone be?" he asked quizzically.

    "You are a nosey one..." Jade giggled. "My love..." she said after a few moments of silence.

    Oren was indeed surprised. She said nothing of this during their entire trip. "Where is this one? Where is your love?"

    "I've left him back where I met him...away from all of this...this nightmare," she replied nearly in a whisper.

    "Do you worry about him?" He said, knowing the answer.

    "Every moment of the day. He must think horrible things...not to see me after all these months," she replied, her voice cracking slightly.

    Oren thought carefully, choosing his words wisely. "You'll see him again soon. You'll be all better and he'll be so happy. Trust me," he said with a wink as he thumped his chest.

    Jade turned her head to look into Oren's eyes and smiled.

    Oren awoke as the ground around him shuttered momentarily, but fiercely. He leapt from his bedroll and scrambled to gather his weapon and shield. Spinning around, he saw nothing but the rising sun on the horizon.

    He then realized that Jade was gone. He looked around, peering over the cliff and toward the cave, but she was nowhere to be seen. He even dared to call to her, but no reply was heard.

    As he walked back to camp, he noticed something out of place. The boulder he has been resting on last evening was now sitting across the camp near a pile of other oddly shaped boulders. He strode slowly toward the smoldering campfire, looking to his left and right, sensing something was very, very wrong.

    He felt it again, but this time, the rumbling was deeper and less violent. He stopped his forward movement and tried to keep his balance. There was a thundering crash behind him and he whirled just in time to dodge a potentially fatal swing of a massive stone fist. The golem lumbered toward Oren, who was on his back, scooting backward across the rough grass of the outcropping, his feet pushing as hard as he could to stay out of the reach of the creature.

    The golem stopped moving forward and tilted his head at Oren, almost in amusement of the pitiful human that was obviously terrified. This gave Oren enough time to get back on his feet and get in a shaky, yet defiant fighting stance.

    The golem strode forward suddenly and slammed its fists downward, toward Oren's head. Oren parried the attack by jumping out of the way and then struck at the arm of the golem, which shattered Oren's shortsword into thousands of glittering shards of steel.

    Shocked and disappointed by the performance of his blade, Oren ran behind the golem, toward the cliff. Realizing his error, Oren spun around and screamed in horror as the fist of the golem struck Oren in the ribcage, crushing bones and sending him tumbling end-over-end down the cliff face to the rocky beach below, where he instantly became unconscious from the massive wounds he had received.

    Oren came in and out of consciousness several times. At one point, he thought he saw Jade. But it couldn't have been her, because the armor she wore was not the same he remembered during their travels. Could it have been?

    Oren woke to the sound of water being sloshed within a bowl. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but pure, white light. Blinking a few times, some dark shapes came into focus. Then a voice.

    "He's coming to."

    It was male, older. He recognized it as one of the elders. Blinking rapidly, he saw the old man's pale, wrinkled face peering at him from above.

    "By the gods, Oren! What happened to you?" the old man asked, his voice rising to an unnaturally high pitch.

    Oren winced at the elder's voice, but was soothed as a woman came into view and laid a damp cloth across his forehead.

    "Shh, Elder Mortan. He's got to have such a headache, after what that woman said," the woman said quietly but harshly to the elder.

    Oren licked his cracked lips and tried to speak. "W...what woman? W...was it her? Was it...was it Jade?"

    "Shhh..." she said, "...you took quite a fall. What were you doing playing around in the eastern quarry? You should know better, Oren. You broke your sword, you know."

    "Quarry...? Wha..." he was cut off as the woman pressed her fingers to his lips.

    "Rest, child," she said quietly. She pulled the elder back from standing above Oren and left the room, closing the door as quietly as possible.

    Oren turned his head and stared out the window of the room, his gaze going over the sharp edges of the southern mountains that slashed a white-capped edge against the blue sky.

    "...good bye, Jade...and good luck..." he said before closing his eyes in slumber.


    • Wanderer

    The quaint town sat comfortably between two mountain ridges, where lazy clouds encircled their snow covered peaks and where the waters from their highlands flowed into the valley making for fertile soil and bountiful hunting lands.

    Oren left his tiny house on the hill above the village, sword in sheath and shield slung over his back. He was young, perhaps 25 years of age, with clean cut brown hair and boyish good looks and dark eyes.

    He was a member of the local guard, a small volunteer group of men and women that patrolled the quiet town and fended off the occasional straggler goblin that wandered in to look through the village's garbage pile for anything useful.

    Unfortunately for Oren, a goblin coming into town was exceedingly rare, so most of his days were spent chasing around the local vandal teenagers and the town drunk that made a ruckus in the tavern from time to time. The most adventure he had seen was just two months ago when a few traveling halflings came through town, who he was ordered to follow around by the local elders. They ended up being a group of sleight-handed thieves that stole three apples from old man Nader's fruit stand, two copper coins from the tavern's barmaid, and a twine-bound package of stout weed from the general store. To this day it is still the talk of the town in the local gossip circles.

    Most people that lived in the small village had never seen any other race of Faerun…elves, dwarves, and half-orcs were rarer than goblins. While considered outsiders and foreigners by the villagers, most of the races that breezed through the mountain pass that the village sat in was given no trouble save if they steal from poor old man Nader, of course.

    This is why Oren's curiosity was piqued when he spotted a figure coming his way as he toured the northern road that came directly through the center of town. The figure sat on a nice looking, healthy and well trained horse, but was hardly able to be seen because of the thick fur cloak that shrouded the figure's seemingly small frame and helm that covered the head. The figure approached in no rush and Oren kindly stepped aside to let the horse pass, nodding to the helmeted figure who did nothing but trod on as if they had seen no one.

    Oren was a bit put off by this, but he knew that most travelers simply wanted to pass through, perhaps get a bite to eat at the tavern or a good night's rest at the inn, so he shrugged and continued his route.

    Night fell and Oren clomped into the tavern, weary from his endlessly boring patrol. He waved to a few patrons who instantly recognized Oren's characteristic and over-exaggerated act of exhaustion as he stumbled to the bar and sat roughly on one of the well worn stools, dropping his sword, shield, and pack in a heap next to his feet.

    "An ale, Taren," he said in a cracked voice.

    Taren turned with a smile and fetched a pint of ale from one of the barrels that sat on a warped table behind the bar. "So," Taren said, "how was the patrol today? See any halflings?"

    A few patrons chuckled, Oren smiled widely. "'Fraid not, gramps," he replied jokingly, "although there was a rider that passed me up north of Dadurn creek."

    "Aye!" Said a half-drunk older gentleman at the end of the bar, "Did see 'em too. Strange one, that rider was. Yessir."

    Oren turned to the man, "What was strange about him?" Oren asked, taking a deep swig from his ale.

    "Well, first off..." the man paused to take another shot of some acrid whiskey, "he's a she."

    Oren raised an eyebrow as the man continued in a harsh whisper after a dramatic pause, "And an elfess at that!"

    One of the patrons sitting at a table in the corner of the tavern spat a few curses. "Bah! Whatcha know old man! There's been no elves in these parts."

    "Say whatcha will, Doyle, I knowa elfess when I sees me one," the drunk man shot back.

    The man named Doyle seemed about to speak when someone entered. Everyone turned in their creaky chairs and stools and stared at the elf that stood before them. She walked without hesitation to one of the empty stools at the other end of the bar, swung a massive greatsword over her shoulder and leaned it against the wall of the tavern and plopped down with a sigh.

    Oren's eyes never left her. He had never seen such a beautiful creature in his whole life. Her hair was let down and fell to the middle of her back, raven black and shimmering in the light of the oil lamps of the tavern. Her features delicate and curved, her eyes brilliantly emerald, he felt himself holding his breath as he looked upon her.

    She waved Taren over and whispered a few words to the bartender, who went to work on a large loaf of bread on a cutting block behind the bar. The elf maiden stared down at her hands, absently picking at one of the calluses that Oren guessed she acquired by wielding the blade that's highly polished surface gleamed as it sat inches away from her.

    Oren suddenly became the most daring person in the entire village. He stood slowly after taking down the rest of his ale, pausing once to brush off the worried hand of the drunken man and strode over to the elf.

    "May I sit here?" he asked awkwardly, putting his hand on the stool that sat next to the elf.

    The elf looked up at Oren, nearly causing him to pass out as her wide, emerald eyes stared directly into his. She started to speak no less than three times before she simply nodded, turned, and continued picking at her hand. Oren sat down carefully and waved a finger at Taren, indicating he wanted to order another ale.

    "So..." Oren started slowly, leaning heavily on the lacquered bar, "...what brings you to these parts?"

    Nothing.

    Oren tried again, this time leaning in a bit in case she didn't hear him. "My name's Oren. Pleased to meet you. Uhm...you, uh...heading somewhere south of here?"

    Again, nothing.

    Oren tapped his fingers on the bar, again put off by her obviously stuck up attitude. He looked back to Taren as he brought the ale for Oren and a hunk of bread for the elf. Taren shrugged and widened his eyes, telling Oren to back down. Oren was persistent, however.

    "You know, it's the polite thing to do when someone introduces themselves that you reply in kind." More than one patron shifted in their chair as they were shocked by Oren's brash comment, including Oren himself.

    The elf turned her eyes toward Oren once again. She pursed her lips thoughtfully a moment, then spoke.

    "My name is Jade M'he El'hruen. Know this: Where I head is of my choosing and certainly none of your business. Furthermore, if any part of my silence, an indication of not wanting to be disturbed, was not understood by you, I humbly apologize and kindly ask you to continue to drink your ale back at the other end of the bar."

    The silence in the tavern was deafening. Jade threw three gold coins onto the bar, wrapped her bread in a cloth sack, gathered her sword and strode out of the tavern, leaving everyone slack jawed and staring as she disappeared into the darkness of the night.

    Oren woke as the morning sun cast a sliver of light across his face from the shuttered window of his room. He groaned and rolled out of bed, once again starting his boring routine.

    He walked out onto his porch and headed toward the village, trying desperately to forget the previous night's events. He stopped a moment to sit on a large boulder that marked a turn in the sloping road that led into town to fix a lace in his padded leather armor that he had forgot to tie. He sat a few moments after that, shaking his head and laughing to himself.

    "What a fool I was," he said through his angry laughter. He leaned back against the boulder and stretched – but stopped suddenly as he heard the clanging of metal on metal.

    He sat up, turning his head left and then right, trying to determine the location of the noise. Hearing it coming from the south, he ran into the forest that bordered the road, stopping occasionally to listen for more of the noise and head in its direction.

    He came upon a clearing. Ducking behind a bush, he peered in awe at the two figures that stood in the midst of the clearing, watching as they fought with fierce determination.

    The first figure was the elf maiden named Jade, wielding the massive greatsword that was taller than she with mind-bending ease and amazing fluidity. The second figure was a frightening sight to behold: It looked like a man, but a man who was entirely transparent. Dressed in black robes, he fought with a ghostly weapon that was a massive, terrible scythe. His cowl had fallen back, revealing a handsome human male with pitch black hair and cobalt blue eyes that glowed with an intense fury.

    Oren watched as Jade continued to attack again and again, but was repelled with inhuman skill and agility. She jumped back a few feet, far out of reach of the scythe.

    "Why do you torment me so?!" Jade screamed, brandishing her greatsword threateningly.

    The man in black stood silent, staring ahead but not seeing. Jade suddenly yelled and lunged forward again, slashing and stabbing with tremendous force, each time being repelled by the perfect parries of the man.

    At one point she swung and missed, lodging the blade deep into an oak at the edge of the clearing. She turned and ran as she left the blade hopelessly lodged in the tree, ducked a near-fatal swing from the scythe, and retrieved a katana from the pile of her things she left on a stump in the middle of the clearing. She continued her attacks, not missing a beat. Finally, after several amazing moments, the katana finally came in contact with the man and he vanished with not a sound or mark that showed he had been there.

    Jade collapsed where she stood, crying and weeping like a child. She was shouting brokenly several words in another language that Oren could only assume was elven and beating her fists into the soft turf of the clearing.

    Oren stood and strode slowly, yet deliberately and with determination into the clearing, hand on the hilt of his shortsword. As he came near to her, she stopped crying immediately, hearing the padding of his feet upon the grass. She turned her head and stared up at him, her eyes red rimmed and her cheeks tear streaked.

    They stared at each other for long moments. Finally, Oren spoke. "Are you...okay?" He said, not knowing what else to say.

    Jade stood up, pulling a few clumps of sod from her shin plates and retrieved her katana. "I'm fine," she said, walking to the oak with her greatsword still protruding from its rough bark.

    She yanked with a grunt and pulled the blade free, flicking the bits of wood from its edge with her delicate and gloved fingers. She turned and walked past Oren to her things, sheathing the katana and gathering several bags and a large shield.

    She began walking toward the road that led to the village, when Oren shouted with a commanding voice, "Stop! Now!"

    Jade stopped and turned toward Oren, staring at him without care or emotion.

    "What in the name of the fourth hell just happened here?!" he shouted in frustration. "What was that thing?"

    "My husband," she said plainly.

    Oren stood shaking his head in confusion.

    "It cannot be explained," she said with little patience. "You witnessed something that should never have been seen, so just go about your business and forget I was ever here. I'm getting to my horse and leaving right now."

    "Like hell you are," he threatened, stepping forward and drawing his shortsword. "These are calm parts. Nothing like this ever happens around here, and since I am the authority in these parts, you best start explaining what just happened or I'll take you to the elders and have you explain yourself to them."

    Jade shook her head. "You're serious? You think you can take me on?" She sighed loudly and continued, "I don't have time for this."

    "Why? Where are you headed in such a rush? Why are you so mean to me? What have I ever done to you?" he said, shaking his shortsword.

    She stood for long moments, thinking. Finally, she dropped her pack, placed her blade on the ground, and sat upon the grass.

    "Fine. I suppose I don't need to go right now...maybe it would be good to talk to someone," she said as she took a drink from a waterskin.

    To be continued…

  • I

    –-----------XP AWARDED–------------------


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  • ::A letter is delivered to a red dragon on the outskirts of the Rawlinswood. It is delivered to Devon, the Red Wizard of Thay with the following message written in dragonspeak::

    Your bidding is complete. Jubei has fallen, but not by my own mighty blade, I regret to say. He tried to flee but perished due to those fool bandits who were attempting to invade Norwick once again. Regardless, his life has ended and his secret shall remain forever hidden.

    I have included a piece of cloth from his armor in this letter, just as you had requested. I have most of his other personal items, including an undelivered letter written by him to Seven. Inform me if you require any further objects.

    I shall remain here until you beckon me again. This has all come to pass just as you have forseen, Mighty One. Praise be to you, upon the altar of blood.

    • Ar'ha'ris' shak dir'h ma

  • ((OOC - Okay, now we can officially be afraid. ph34r Devon ))


  • - Foresight

    They met in the grove of old growth trees just as the voice had told them. The three travelers stood in the midst of the towering, moss-covered trunks, staring with sightless eyes into the seething darkness beyond the grove's boundaries. They stood for long moments, silent and motionless, until a figure stepped out of the shadows.

    The man was dresses in thick, crimson robes, with a deep cowl that hung over his head that could not be seen within its depths. He walked among the three, eyeing each one as he passed in front of them, as a general would his soldiers.

    "Simply marvelous," he said with a quick, cold laugh, "Everything is as I have foreseen."

    He reached out and brushed the back of his black, doeskin-gloved hand against Seven's pale cheek. She continued staring into the darkness.

    "You, my love, will be commanding my Minotaurs. Yes, indeed. You have battle prowess and a steel, militaristic will," he hissed with great pleasure.

    She turned her cold, sightless eyes to meet his beneath the cowl and nodded slowly.

    "Come now," he said, "give my that lovely smile you have."

    She smiled as brightly as she had done to so many others on her travels. Devon laughed loudly, enjoying the strings he pulled on his newest marionette.

    "You will be most pleased that I have decided to rid this world of your newest pet, the failed assassin Jubei. He knows too much and is worth too little."

    He turned to Jade, looking into her now-gray eyes, nudging her head upward with his index finger beneath her chin to meet his stare.

    "Yes. Jade will extract my revenge. Ironic, is it not?" he said to himself, knowing that they could not respond in their catatonic state. "Indeed, it is far too ironic."

    He laughed again, and then continued speaking to Jade, "You will be my personal guard. No one will survive the pain you will deliver to my enemies."

    He walked on, coming to the last figure. He stared into the eyes of Steele as he stood resolute and motionless before Devon.

    "Your father will be quite displeased when he finds out that the commander of my undead army is led by his son, the soulless puppet Paladin of my design. I wonder what he must be thinking now?" Devon cackled wildly, picturing Steele's father falling dead before his feet…with Steele's greatsword impaled in his gut.

    "Seven and Steele can come with me. You, Jade, have unfinished business to attend to. Go to it." He waved his hand uncaringly toward Jade, who turned and stalked out of the grove, heading back toward Norwick.

    Seven and Steele strode forward, past Devon and out of the grove where they met a massive, red dragon who would take them back to Devon's keep. Devon stood for long moments in the grove, watching as the dragon flew out of the forest and headed south.

    "Yes...it is all as I have forseen."


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  • - All in vain

    The man sat on the edge of the cliff, staring out across the infinitely deep chasm that stretched beyond his vision, obscured by the thick, crimson fog that bathed the landscape like a blanket of blood.

    There were many unseen creatures howling and bellowing in the night air, as well as the ever-present and undecipherable whispering voices of The Many…but this bothered him not. He had heard their cries and whispers for far too long for it to concern him now. No, they were even comforting at times, because it let him know he was home.

    Today, however, he was not comforted. He was angered. The master who held his soul in check and controlled him like a marionette upon the stages of so many others' lives had once again wreaked havoc upon the lives of people he cared about.

    True, he had only known them for a few hours, but they were the only people he really knew outside of the prison he now wandered...the only people he trusted and had hope in. He closed his cobalt-blue eyes, squeezing a tear that slid down his cheek, clung to his chin for a moment, and then dropped to oblivion down the side of the cliff.

    He concentrated, trying to clear his thoughts of hatred and anger that filled his mind. As he calmed himself, the myriad of swirling emotions began solidifying, changing shape and color in his vision, even though his eyes remained closed. As they began morphing and transforming, he heart rate slowed, the throbbing of his temples began to wane, and a peace came over him like a fresh, stark white sheet that caressed his skin and cooled his temper.

    The shapes without form or purpose began coalescing, conforming into the one thing he has clung onto ever since he came to this realm so many years ago. Jade. Her beautiful face was clear in his vision now, the clarity so true and detail so exquisite that he reached out as if he could touch her cheek.

    Her elven ears, her long and flowing raven hair, her stunning emerald eyes, fine cheekbones and well defined, tempting lips hovered before him. He began to weep, knowing that if he opened his eyes, she would once again fade from his vision and he would be left alone in the crimson hell.

    "Jade...my love..." he cried brokenly, his throat rough and dry.

    He wept loudly now; his breath came in uncontrollable rasps of sorrow. He cried out her name over and over, screaming it across the chasm. He heard the echoes call back hollow and emotionless, frustrating him further. He tore at his robes and clawed at his hair, crying violently...he wanted her so badly, to once again hold her in his arms, to caress her, to lavish the love upon her he has been holding all the years they have been parted.

    "All in vain..." he murmured, barely above a strained whisper.

    He finally collapsed from exhaustion, falling back against the cold, uncaring stone that he sat upon. He curled up in the fetal position, whimpering as a small child would, clawing at a tuft of grass that protruded from a crack in the surface of the stone. He repeated the lonely words that have become his anthem, over and over and over again, until he fell asleep from the pitiful, intolerable weeping.

    "...all in vain...all in vain..."

  • ?

    Xp Given


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  • - The letter

    ((A letter is delivered by a fellow gypsy to Jade and Wilhelm's door. Jade breaks the wax seal the neatly folded envelope and begins reading the elegantly scripted penmanship))

    Dearest Jade,

    I fear the workings of the world have not allowed me to visit you in person, so I have decided to send this letter in my stead. I pray that you received it only after Wilhelm has broken word of the terrible news I had been burdened with telling you.

    Your mother was found among the dead in Loreander, your hometown. She was found among those seeking shelter in the Tower of Loreander. My brethren feel that she, like so many others, were killed instantly as the mighty Tower of Loreander crumbled – destroyed by powerful magic. I buried your mother near your old home on the hill overlooking the lake you so loved.

    The surrounding forest lands have been burned, the houses tore apart. The scorched earth will not grow crops for years to come. I fear writing this will make you feel empty and hollow inside as it did me as I look upon the devastation, but it must be told, Jade M'he.

    I am now traveling with some two hundred Paladins and like-minded knights toward my father's kingdom, Wrest Haven to battle against Devon, the Red Wizard you know all too well.

    Shortly after we heard news of the invasion into our peaceful lands, my father instinctively evacuated the city, sending them east to the neighboring villages. Wrest Haven itself was soon ravaged by the scourge of undead and other creatures, as well as the evil might and power of Devon himself. The defenses fell in just a few days' time.

    We now travel in hopes of a surprise attack upon this dreadful army. We will attack at daylight, when they are at their weakest. I know you are not a religious woman, Jade, but I must ask for your prayers that our assault is successful.

    Now, for the reason for this letter. You know I love you, Jade. You know that my love for you is pure, as siblings love. You are my sister, and I am so proud of what you have accomplished, becoming more skillful than I at the mighty greatsword you wield, becoming an excellent combatant, and now a noble knight for a cause even greater than I could ever ask Torm to give me. You have been blessed, and for this, I give praise to you for your accomplishments.

    This letter is for my concern of your lover and comfort, Wilhelm. It seems, ever since my return to Norwick so many months ago, he has not trusted me. There is nothing that I can do or say that will ever rebuild such trust, so I have conceded to his wariness. I would ask that you ask forgiveness on my behalf to him for the terrible and ungodly things I said to him before I left Narfell. You know, above all others, that I am not one to be scornful, and for this, I must apologize.

    I know you will have a beautiful and blessed life with Wilhelm and I place all of my faith and respect on whom you have chosen for a suitor. He is truly the most honored man to have received the love of such a talented and pure hearted woman that you always were and, I pray, always will be.

    This letter is to tell you that I feel I can no longer call myself your sworn protector as I had done so many years ago. You have grown powerful enough to be your own woman and have mighty friend surrounding you that will always protect and guard you. I am but a lowly servant of the Loyal Fury -- there is nothing more I can give you, so I fear I must watch you spread your angelic wings and fly above the reaches. I pray, upon the mighty sword of Torm that you find your place and peace among the clouds.

    With all my love, hope, honor, and respect,
    Sir Steele Raleigh Zweiander

    Eh'he Selot'h Medo'h seekon'he E'Jade
    ((elvish for: Forever with my Honor, for you, forever Jade))


  • - Stealing Jade

    He laid her down gently upon the pile of soft pine needles and leaves. He knelt down beside her, stroking the hair from her eyes, tracing his finger along her jaw line.

    "So beautiful…" he said, watching her chest rise and fall with every slow, measured breath.

    She stirred. He rapidly retracted his hand from her cheek as her emerald eyes blinked to gain their focus. She peered up from her resting spot, confused at first, then recognizing the face before her.

    "...Caleb..." she breathed in a fragile whisper.

    He was human. His hair jet black, his eyes piercingly blue, his face well defined and chiseled. He was very handsome, clean shaven and very much in shape as she noticed his thick biceps stretching the material of his plain black tunic.

    "You...look so young..." she said finally, her voice cracking.

    His voice was deep, just as she'd remembered, but at the same time extremely sad and melancholy. "I thought it would be best that you see me as you once loved, in the form I once had."

    "...what...what has happened? How is this possible...? Wha"”" she was interrupted by his finger placed on her soft, elvish lips.

    "Shh...no questions...no time," he said, smiling sadly.

    She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "Why do you torture my friends and I?"

    He sighed deeply, looking down and taking her hand in his. "It is not by my will that any of you suffer. I-I..." he bit his lip, unable to continue.

    Jade looked around from her vantage point on the ground. She heard shouts of her name. She recognized one of them. She looked back to Caleb, blinking back a tear as she stared into his cobalt blue eyes.

    "You must go to them..." He said simply, letting go of her hand.

    There was a sudden bright flash, and she found herself returned to her bedroom.


  • - Visitor

    Falling…falling ever downward. The cold...the intense chill...it stings me like legions of hollow needles, piercing flesh and bone and mind and soul. There is a tugging of my limbs. I cannot move but I feel the tugging...as if strings are attached...like a marionette. I dance as I tumble ever downward...pulled by the strings of deception and deceit...weaving an aerial tapestry of lies and pain as I plummet in the darkness...

    Jade opened her eyes slowly, her heart beating rapidly from the terrible nightmare she had just experienced. Her elvish sight was blurred slightly from the crusting of tears on her eyelids. She reached from beneath the thick blankets and wiped her eyes slowly, her teeth chattering slightly in the chill of the small room she has been imprisoned in for the past few days. As she opened her eyes she saw two cobalt blue slits in the pitch darkness…just inches from her face. She shuttered and drew shut her eyes shut tightly...reopening them moments later to see nothing but blackness. She sighed reflexively.

    She rolled over in the bed; curling up in the fashion she always chose when she slept alone. Oh, how she missed Wilhelm. Oh, how she wanted so desperately to lie upon his chest...to feel his warmth...to hear his heartbeat in her ear.

    She squinted her eyes as her vision blurred from the sudden rush of tears. As she reopened them, she noticed, once again, two cobalt blue slits peering at her from the corner of the room. She held her breath, freezing the motion of her body as much as she could. She cursed herself as her teeth chattered in the coolness of the night and she gritted them to stop their incessant clattering that sounded like a stampede of deer in the stillness of the room.

    Not able to hold her breath any longer, she dared to speak.

    "Am I dreaming...?" She whispered aloud.

    "...You are not..." A voice came from the direction of the blue slits. The voice was different from what she remembered in her nightmares. Instead of the noise of a great wind and rustling leaves...it was softer, gentler. It had a crystal quality...frigid, but harmonious, as if someone had struck an ice sickle against a fluted wine glass.

    "You...you are the killer...t-the dark Paladin of my nightmares..." Jade could only croak above a whisper, so constricted was her windpipe by the fear those memories instilled.

    The voice hesitated a moment, then answered, "...It is I."

    "So what...you've come to take my life...while I lay naked in a foreign bed in a foreign land...under the enslavement of Devon, the bastard Red Wizard?!" Jade said angrily. Suddenly she didn't care about the creature. She wanted the charade to end.

    "Shhh...shhh...quite child," the voice said gently, calmly.

    Jade obeyed, if only out of curiosity. The times she had encountered the black creature ended in terrible pain and intense fear...why is it trying to speak with her in this manner?

    The creature continued, its voice becoming sad and deep, the blue slits wavered as if being viewed from across a desert's dust blown dunes. "I am not here to kill...just to observe. I am sorry I disturbed you so...I will go now..."

    Jade sat for long moments but then began to speak as the blue slits began to fade. "Wait! No...I am sorry...come back!"

    The blue slits shimmered and then vanished, leaving Jade to ponder what had just occurred.


  • - Awakening

    Jade awoke with a start. After a few incoherent moments, she realized that she had no idea where she was. The room she was in was small, rectangular, stonewalled room, with no decoration save an intricately carved shutter that covered the archer slit window. A small, hand-woven carpet stretched from wall to wall, with lovely designs of griffons, centaur, and other exotic creatures. An ordinary oil lamp hung from the wall, casting warm light across the cold room.

    The bed she lay on was incredibly comfortable, most likely down feathered, with thick blankets and massive, soft pillows. She rolled over in it and curled up within the folds of the blankets, letting their warmth seep into her bones. Quite suddenly, she noticed the shadows from beneath the heavy wooden door as some figure approached from the other side. She pulled the blankets closer around her lithe form and waited…

    A string of muffled, singsong words were heard and the door unlatched, the doorknob turning slowly. The door swung open on silent, well-oiled hinges, revealing the figure standing in the hallway.

    He was tall, perhaps six and a half feet, covered in voluminous red robes. Threads of gold and silver were woven in ornate patterns along the seams and folds, including the deep hood that nothing could be seen other than shadow and the end of a long, stark white beard.

    The figure stepped forward into the room, pushing back the hood as it strode forward. Jade suddenly gasped as she instantly recognized the face.

    "Devon..." she whispered, followed by a curse in elvish.

    A cold smile played across his face. He was a very handsome human, even by elven standards, with smooth features and icy, piercing blue eyes. His beard, although white as snow, was well trimmed and neatly groomed. She knew he was well over 120 years old, but his face did not show it. To her, he had not aged a day since the last she saw him.

    "So, you awake I see? I trust your rest was comfortable and that you dreamt well," he added mockingly.

    She sat up in the bed, holding the blankets over her naked flesh. She cast her dagger like stare then replied as coldly as she could, "So...you finally capture your prize. What now? Oh, I forgot...you can't do your own dirty work...I suppose a hired assassin will finish the job."

    "Bravo. Bravo," he replied in a condescending tone, "Your brash wit is exceedingly entertaining. But no, this play is not over quite yet."

    "Play?" she returned, bitterly.

    "Ah, yes. You see, dear child, things have been set in motion that even surpasses my trivial, passing hobby. No, this is far from over. I have need for you yet," he continued, "inasmuch as I would like to see your life thrown from this mortal coil, my hand is stayed."

    "Lucky me," she spat back.

    Devon shrugged, "My dear, my dear. You have grown bitter and caustic in your travels," he smiled. His lip curled as he continued, "Consider you blessed for my mercy. Two of my ignorant, incompetent assassins had failed, which has brought me to rethink my strategy."

    Jade's left eyebrow raised in surprise, "Two?" She giggled mockingly, "and I thought that Jubei was the only failure...do share."

    Devon frowned, "Yes, well, the second one decided to take matters into his own hands just like that fool Jubei and kill you himself. Fortunately for you, I repaired the damage and resurrected you."

    Jade laughed heartily, "Oh, that's rich! You saved my life?"

    "Laugh all you will, Jade," he spat her name in contempt, "by the time I am finished, you will curse the day you were born. I have already put more pieces into play...your lover Wilhelm and his associates will feel my wrath for their tinkering. Oh, and I have plans for the rest of them. Yes, Kara, Braeth, Kanen, Seven, Reginald...even the blissfully ignorant Hugh will taste pain."

    Jade looks fearful for a moment, then asked, "How do you know all of them...?"

    Devon smiled fiendishly, "I have more power than you could possibly imagine...even my fellow Red Wizards bend to my will."

    Jade rolled her eyes, "You have not changed one bit since the old days. You always craved power...to be bigger than the bully. But now...that's all you are. A bully with a magic wand and a couple paid assassins."

    "It would be wise for you to reconsider your words, sister-in-law. YOU were the one who took matters into her own hands. YOU were the one that murdered my only brother in COLD BLOOD!" he yelled, his eyes blazing with anger.

    Jade cast a sad look, "Devon...if only you were there...if only you saw him..." she shook her head. "No. I will not let you bring more guilt upon me for what was done out of love so long ago. You, with all your power...I begged you to help him...but you just went off to your damned academy...forsaking your family. YOU were the one who walked away...YOU were the one who left Caleb and I to fend for ourselves...don't preach to me like some Holy cleric."

    For once, Devon was speechless. He simply stared at her, his fists clenched and shaking in anger. She was right...

    Jade's eyes welled with tears. "Devon...for gods sakes...look at yourself. What has become of you?"

    "I...I...Jade..." he stuttered, his face softening slightly. For a moment...a mere second, he returned to his youth, when he had spoke with Jade as a friend. Then, suddenly, he replaced it with the rigid, cruel gaze that he had before, "Damn you elf!" he reached out his hands and flicked his fingers toward her, sending her violently into the stone wall, as if some great invisible hand slammed into her. She stayed suspended against the wall for a moment, and then her body slumped to the floor and she let out a gasp as she desperately tried to regain her breath.

    "Your silvery words work on your friends, but they DO NOT and WILL NOT work on me!" he screamed at her, his fist shaking in the air.

    Jade sat up, covering her nakedness with her hands. After regaining her composure and coughing a bit, she looked up at Devon whose eyes were seething and wild with anger, "So what will you do? What part do my friends play in all this...?"

    Devon calmed himself, straightening his robes. He seemed to ponder something a moment, then replied, "First...I have some insects to take care of. Then, we will discuss my plans."

    With that, he turned on his heel and stalked out. The door slammed shut behind him and latched.

    Jade rose gingerly, still in pain from her encounter with the wall. She climbed back into the bed and laid her head upon the pillows, crying softly.

    "Gods...Wilhelm..."