The girl seeing both boys are at their limits manages to call a last illusion that attracts the man into the line of Kyrykki's dagger. The dagger hits him in the centre of the forehead. He falls dead without a sound. The girl approaches Kyrykki. She is very beautiful and seems to glow with inner light.

She helps Sammi to his feet and over to the exhausted Kyrykki.

"Thank you, thank you so much. I have no healing power but when you take me on the next leg of my journey I will take you to a healer."

You note that she is telling you rather than asking.

"I'm sorry?" Says Sammi with bewilderment, as he looks from Kyrykki, back to the girl.

"We're taking you on a journey? We don't even know your name?"

Kyrykki and Sammi

The girl laughs and smiles angelically at Sammi. "I'm sure you won't refuse those in genuine distress, Windrunner. My name is Rezi, although everyone here seems to prefer to call me the Child of Light. I was saved from the disaster in El Rhun by Wizardmaster Vilten. He used all his power to teleport us here. But he has no skill to live in the desert. He is very old. Cut off from the healers he will surely die soon. There is a group of wizards travelling together a little way north of here. One of them is a healer. Please take us there and then you can be on your way."

She inclines her head towards Kyrykki. "I don't recognise you and yet I feel I should. You wouldn't be the Child of Fire by any chance, would you?"

Kyrykki still sits on hands and knees, gasping for breath. He looks up and knods.

<Well, if you put it that way...>

Then he realises the words the girl said, Journey... travel, he turns his eyes and lets himself drop on the ground.

<I should do this more often...>

He sais in an ironic way

Sammi pushes himself up from kneeling, and stumbles to the old man.

"We're injured as it is. Now you want us to take him and you to a group of wizards north from here?....We could not walk 100 metres!... and if you want me to try and project us upon a body of air... my mind, at the moment, is wary, to say the least! But if it is needed to be done, I will try."

Jeri waits anxiously to see whether the wizard will fall for his trick.

"What's wrong with the others?" he thinks. "Why aren't they doing anything to help?"

He decides to exaggerate his role a bit more.

"Ow, ouch" he sobs pitifully. "Please sir, I'm hurt... I can't get up! Ow!"

Zekic looks around nervously, looking for something to do. Finally desides to act. Zecik cast an illusion spell on the hole, making it look like an ordinary piece of wall.

Then he will dash for the exit, and if he doesn't make it, he will make himself look like a rock.

OOC: Let me know if I can't do that or if I go the wrong idea of the situation.

Zekic

Realising using alien magic might be more dangerous than not, you dispel the illusion and dash in the opposite direction from those approaching. You get confused however as there are several side tunnels and though they are blind you are totally disoriented. Finally you reach stairs, though you no longer know which tower it is.

You climb a little way to be out of the tunnel.

As you stand there panting you hear a voice so faint you almost believe it to be a trick. "Is there no one there? Help me, please. I can't hold out much longer. Help me."

After a moment of puzzlement you realise that the sound is coming from the other side of the wall by which you are standing.

Sammi and Kyrykki

The old man is completely immersed in watching magical light the girl has given him. He is like a baby with them.

The girl says "The healers will be able to help you, too. It is not so far I think. Please help me. Wizardmaster Vilten will surely die otherwise."

As she looks at you, pleadingly the bodies of her attackers suddenly evaporate leaving nothing behind.

Apprentices

The healer wizard looks at Jeri uncomprehendingly. "What are you doing out here, child? Of course I'll heal you but you should be in your classes."

He bends down to see what is wrong.

Malchik is wondering what has happened to Raggle. Where was the wizard they he was supposed to be fetching? The spell only made him look very ill. He didn't want to suffer hypothermia for real.

In a whisper he says "Traxis, Windham. What's happened to Raggle? Had you better go and look?"

Kyrykki looks up surprised.

<What the... How... How did you do that?>

He clearly seems not understanding a bit of what just happend. Then he thinks the girls request over.

<If Sammi is up to it...>

He turns himself towards Sammi.

<What do you think?>

Sammi thinks it over, and tries to focus his mind.

"Well... I might as well give it a try"

With all his willpower, he wishes the old man, the girl, Kyrykki and himself into the air, and ties to move them forward.

Sammi and Kyrykki

As the group shoots away into the ether the girl says. "Erm, do you know where you are going? I only know they are around here somewhere not exactly where. I was hoping you might have a way of finding out. The leader of the group is called Arakan and the healer, Kalen if that helps."

Windham looks around, almost as if he hadn't noticed that Raggle wasn't there already. "I believe that I shall find Raggle." He says imperiously, as if he were in the halls above. "Unless, of course, that is, you need my assistance here Master Healer. I witnessed the fall, but was not in a position to use my meager abilities to help. I know much of the way of my school, but I am unfortunately not truly learned of the intricacies of the others. If you would excuse me, then?" He looks at the healing wizard, and gives a quick wink down at Jeri. "I see you are in the proper hands. Perhaps the Master Healer can calm your spirit as well with some of the history of this place as well."

(OOC - sorry not posting recently - physical problems. Should be back to my normal posting self within a few days....)

As the girl said this, Sammi thought of the magic anchor.

Producing it from his backpack, he asked her if this would do.

"Will this help?"

Jeri groans a bit more for effect, then looks at the wizard, putting all the innocence he can muster into his glance.

"I was looking for someone," he explains. "We study together, but he hasn't been in class for the last couple of days. I tried to find out if he was ill, but nobody had seen him. Then I remembered how he always used to talk about challenges and trials, and I got worried. I know that I should have told a master wizard, but I didn't want to get him into trouble. He's probably just hiding somewhere - because nobody knows anything about those challenges now, do they?"

Again he accords the wizard a look of purest innocence and naivete.

Sammi and Kyrykki

You use the archor. It doesn't completely identify a location, more an area. Presumably the sentries are using some kind of protection spell. Nevertheless the area is small enough to make the journey feasible. You are about half way there when you notice a man sitting alone on a rocky outcrop. He wears the clothes of a member of El Rhun of the school of Earth.

Rezi says "Do you think he is looking for th sentries, too? Should we ask?"


Apprentices

The Healer hardly notices any of you. His mind seems half to be missing. "There's not much wrong with you, apprentice. Go back to your class. And your friend will not be doing any challenge here. We used the site to extend our laboratories when the challenges were no longer used. If he is seriously messing about in another school's challenges we would be very cross. It'll be less unpleasant for him to stay missing."

His attitude softens slightly. "And if the foolish child has done anything so stupid it is probably in one of the Elemental schools. The others are much too dangerous."

The wizard does not even notice Malchik as he goes on his way.

Malchik jumps up. "Well that was a waste of effort! But where is Raggle? Let's find him and get over to another tower before that wizard starts talking!"

"Waste of effort? Hmph." Jeri sticks out his tongue at Malchik and rubs his elbow - during his tumble down the stairs he did acquire a few bruises. "At least we know now that we won't find the challenge of healing, and that we should try one of the elemental schools instead. How about Earth? Or we could always try Light instead - I don't see how Light could be any more dangerous than Fire."


He looks at the others. "So what are we going to do about Raggle? I think we should stay together so we don't all get lost one by one!"

Kyrykki knods.

I see no harm, who knows what we might learn...

Apprentices

OOC> Emry will be posting shortly so I'll wait.

Sammi and Kyrykki

Sammi and Kyrykki approach the mage, having landed out of his sight. Rezi remains with the old wizard who is still behaving as if a baby.

The man is startled. "Hello, are you looking for us - er - me? How did you know where we - er - I was? I don't think I'll be able to help you."

He is obviously very uneasy and not telling the truth about something. He does not look harmful. In fact he seems a bit lost and confused.

OOC - sorry for being gone so long... some of this is via pm with Malchik.


Raggle comes loping down the hall back to the group. You can tell that he's frustrated by his scowling face.

"I've been all over the tower looking for someone who could help us out, but had no luck." he reports bitterly. "Then, when I do find someone, he started ranting at me for not being at my studies. I only just slipped away from them. I hope you had more luck than I did or we are never going to find out anything about what's going on."

Sammi looks to Kyrykki.

"Uhh..Hello..You look a bit lost...can we help you?" says Sammi, trying to spring some conversation.

Apprentices

Malchik says something rude under his breath, then laughs. "Well, we've heard we'll get nothing here. 'Elemental' was suggested. Take your pick!"

Sammi and Kyrykki

The man stares. "We're - er - I'm fine, thank you. Nothing to see here. Move along, move along."

He waves his hands vaguely.

Suddenly it dawns to Sammi. His skin is tingling.... he can sense it. Magic.

Sammi looks to Kyrykki out of the corner of his eye, and nods his head slightly...Magic is being used very closely.

Sammi tightens his face and looks to the old man, "What are you hiding old man?"

OOC> He is not especially old for a wizard.

"Please, there's nothing here. We're not looking for any trouble. Please. I'm just contemplating the scenery!"

Kyrykki looks around from the corners of his eyes. Fires... He can feel them, tho he cannot see them.

Kyrykki looks suspicous towards the man. He is defenitly hiding something.

<Why can I not see the fires?>

OOC: Everyone sorry for not posting. Busy busy at school

Zekic listenes closely trying to determine the direction the voice is coming from. Having ascertained that it is coming from the other end of the wall, he speaks to it.

"Who's there? What is going on?"

At the same time he moves up stairs slowly.

Sammi and Kyrykki

At Kyrykki's words the man blenches. "Fires? You know? Oh dear... I thought we were safe. You'd better see."

He walks into the sand dune. As he does so an entrance appears. When you do not immediately follow he reappears waving at you to join him.

"There's no danger here. Come."

Zekic

The voice comes back to you. It is weak. "I am Toshiu. We were playing. A silly game. We had to hide and the others would come for me. But I hurt my leg and then nobody came. I thought - but I have no water. No drinking water. I can call a little but not enough. In this tower, too. Isn't it stupid? Please help me."

The voice fades away, the effort to speak apparently too much.

At least you know where you are. As you move up the stairs a low rumbling sound meets your ears. As you climb higher the noise gets louder. You cannot immediately recognise the sound.

Apprentices

The five of you have no representatives from the elemental schools. Benmerrion (Earth) remains in the Tower of Time. You must decide whether to go back for his input or go straight to one of the elemental schools and if so which.

"I think Earth might be a good place to try," Jeri says. "But we need Benmerrion for that. Why didn't he come with us? We should stay together!"

Kyrykki has a quick look around and then knods towards Sammi and the girl that they should follow the man

Sammi and Kyrykki

OOC> The girl is not with you, you left her looking after the old wizard.

As Kyrykki and Sammi follow the man you become aware that the dune is not real but an illusion. What you are looking at is a huge camp filled with several hundred boys between the ages of six and eighteen. They are all wearing green sashes. Quite clearly they are apprentices of the school of Earth and unless El Rhun is of huge size you guess it must be all of them.

The wizard shakes his head. "We hoped to be safe. I'm Flyde by the way."

An owlish, earnest-looking boy of eight or nine stares at you through thick spectacles. "Dagamar. Do you like maps?"

The wizard shushes him. "Why have you come for us? These children are no threat to El Rhun!"

"Ah, yes. Let us go and collect our fellow apprentice. I am beginning to see now that we are meant to stay together for this. Perhaps it is in the design that we must be together to balance the scales, as it were."

"We do not come to harm you? I'm sorry if I sounded impatient earlier... I just tend to become suspicious.."

"Why would these children be a threat to El Rhun... if you do not mind me asking?"

Apprentices

You make your way back to the tower of Time where Benmerrion is waiting.

Kyrykki and Sammi

Flyde frowns. "Any concentration of power not under HIS control must be seen as a threat but we need all we have to survive. We have nothing left over."

He glances worriedly at the youths around him. "Arakan, the sentry of Time was hoping to flee El Rhun with his fellows. Perhaps you were looking for him, rather than us. If you are would you take Dagamar. I think those who have escaped El Rhun should stick together. Dagamar never gets lost. He will be able to lead Arakan to us."

The small boy nods solemnly and says: "Can I ask 'em if they like maps now?"

OOC: Again sorry for the delay. From now on things should go smoothly except the first week of June.

Zekic continues his way trying to find an entrance into the room where the voice came. However, the rumbling sound really starts to worry him. He advances as stealthily as he can, ready to act as soon as the source becomes visible.

OOC> Is everybody busy at school?

Zekic

As you climb slowly, the noise becomes almost deafening. Then you twig. You are in the Tower of Water about to enter the entrance hall where each school shows off its magic. It has to be a waterfall or cascade.

When you reach the top of the stairs you are on a narrow passage behind the fall. The water drops into a plunge pool that must decend almost as far as the stairs. You cannot see the sides or the bottom of this pool. If the voice was near the stairs there has to be a chamber between the pool and stairs or rooms at the bottom.

You can see through the waterfall. The rest of the entrance hall is empty. Whoever was behind you has not followed.

Zekic steps onto a platform of air and descends around the waterfall to the floor. He then starts looking for a door that would lead to the room he seeks. If he finds it, he will enter it.

OOC>you need to descend into the pool itself but that is possible in a bubble of air.

The pressure of the water plunging into the pool pushes you down rather faster than you intended. You notice a small cave towards the bottom and float back up towards it. When you enter you pass through an airlock. The cave immediately branches in three directions. There is no indication of which branch goes where nor can you relate it to where you heard the voice. You must choose at random.

Zekic stands in front of the passages, uncerain, which path he should take. After a while, he decides to take the left passage. He uses the power of the air to move fast, in case he has to go back and choose another.

OOC> you may wish to map this. The shape is relatively simple. If you'd like a drawing give me your email address and I'll email it.

The path to the left is a well flagged and brightly lit passage way. It curves very gently to the right. After walking only a few paces Zekic comes to a passage to the right up some stairs. It bears a sign that reads 'to Room 10, Whirlpool'. A few paces further is another passage this time to the left with a sign, 'to Room 9, Shark Tank'. It is clear that he is walking in a large circle. He comes to a crossroads. To the left the sign tells him is 'Room 8, The Sunken City' to the right is 'Room 7 The Grotto of Evil Magic and the Central Atrium'.

The next crossroads he guesses is directly opposite where he began. To his left a path leads to 'Room 5 The Fissure Room' and to the right is 'Room 6 The Treasure Chamber, the Central Atrium and exit'. Continuing his clockwise rotation he finds a third crossroads. To the left is 'Room 3 The wreck' to the right is 'Room 4 The Pirates' Lair' and Central Atrium. Now more than three-quarters of the way round he finds a path to the left to 'Room 2 Daffyd Ap Jonas'. Further on a path to his right leads to 'Room 1 The Coral Reef'. Then he is back where he started.

He can work out that the central path goes to the Central Atrium and Room 6 before crossing the circular path and continuing to Room 5.


There is nothing to help you pinpoint the boy's location. Your anchor is affected by the vast amounts of magic all around you. Where to begin?

Zekic stares around at the familiar three passages before him. Damn, this is a circle. And a lot of rooms to explore too... Alright, better get to it if I'm to do anything about that boy.

Zekic darts off into the central passage towards the Atrium, hoping against hope to come to something useful.

The atrium is a large decagonal room that soars high above you.

A notice reads:- To those taking the challenge; to reach the eleventh chamber you will need the small decagons found in each of the other rooms. Slot each decagon into the centre of the atrium floor in clockwise order. The rooms within the ambulatory do not need keys but contain the five keys needed to open those beyond the ambulatory. The level of difficulty of the challenges will increase with the room number. Be sure you have adequate food and drink as the mages administering the challenge will not permit you to leave until you have completed the task.

There is a desk presumably once used by the administrators - no one is there now.

The device in the centre of the floor is clearly marked showing which decagon goes where.

Logically the voice you heard should have come from one of the outer, locked chambers. But what and where is the eleventh?

Interesting place I've gotten myself into. "Oh well..." Zekic sighs. "Might as well start at the beginning as anywhere." He heads off to the first room.

The first room is entered through an air lock. It is as its name suggests a coral reef. The corals are a myriad colours and fish of an incredible variety of hues and patterns swim in and out apparently unperturbed by your presence.

The room is entirely submerged but you can see its size is not so great. It is circular. You spot a decagonal shape of bright blue almost immediately but as you go to pick it up you see another, red in colour, then a third of vivid green.

A slightly irritated telepathic voice speaks in your head.

"You should have solved this by now! Don't you listen in lessons. What is the first thing you learn? You must be able to see the whole picture before you make a choice. I can only help you one more time. Where should you be?"

OOC: Am I in water? I'll edit this post when you reply.

OOC> you are in the water, the room is entirely submerged.

Sammi looks down the the boy, then to the man, "He never gets lost? Something to do with maps?" He inquires.

Sammi and Kyrykki

The little boy says earnestly. "I don't need maps. I make maps. It's real good fun. I already done several around here. And, acourse I got the maps of El Rhun what I done."

A thought strikes him.

"I'll let you have one if you take me."

Windham looks at Benmarrion then the others. "What do we do now?" he asks.

Apprentices

OOC> if there are any left?

Malchik says "Earth, Air, Fire or Water? Why don't you decide, Windham? Though if you want my input I'd say we should leave Air for when Zekic is back and avoid Fire unless we absolutely have to!"

"Earth sounds fine to me," Jeri interrupts, clearly impatient. "Let's go and do something! Benmerrion, any ideas where to start looking?"

Zekic looks arond thinking. "Somewhere where I can see the whole picture." He swims upwards as far as he can and looks down.