Worlds Apart

[silverwolf]

Sorian

After everyone but me and jasmine had gone to sleep i turned to her and whispered."so whats on your mind"I had drawn my sword and had layed it next to me.looking up at her i knew she was about to tell me exactly what i had thought before.

 

[SecretDesires]

Laying down and curling up into a ball away from the others, Kelly thankfully closed her eyes and tried to rest. She fell into a fitful doze with dreams of fleeting images, herbs and concoctions which she seemed to be brewing herself though she had flunked chemestry in college and in fact almost blew up the lab, converging on her the minute her lids shut.

She seemed to see a face among the images. One that was not old but wise in the ways of the world. He was laughing, his long hair pulled back into a ponytail as he walked along with her through a crowd, occasionally brushing against those there and producing a silver coin or two after they had passed. He was playing, for were he serious, those they passed would be missing more than just a few coins.

"Take advantage of your situation," he was telling her,"For no situation is so grave that you cannot find an opportunity amongst it. A second's hesitation from your target, a moment of indecision, a heartbeat of inattention...all of these can be used to the advantage of a well trained theif. But be quick for the window of opportunity is short and, once gone, will not likely return."

She could hear herself answer, could feel herself agree. "Yes, Master," She heard her own voice say to the stranger before she woke with a start and looked around, almost believing she would see him there with her in the cavern.

 

[intriguess]

Mic

I woke and seeing Jasmine speaking to Sorian I knew what they were saying. I slipped over to Kelly and gently nudged her awake seeing her catlike reflexes come into play as she had a weapon in her hands in the blink of an eye. I knelt down and whispered very softly.

"They think it would be better if they left us," I felt I did not have to say whom, it was obvious who I was reffering to, "I want you to follow them when they do." I placed my hand lightly on her arm and felt a warmth pass from me to her and the color from earlier blink on as if to remind me it was still there. "Think about it, I must tend to Jack now. He won't be coherent until after they leave, I sense that SHE knows he would never let Jasmine go alone."

I move towards Jack and ease his sleep before moving back to where I had been, I wondered about what parting gift would be appropriate for Sorian as my mind tried to unwind the tangle of images in my head. One thing was clear, while we were stronger together, the image would be impossible unless we let Jasmine and Sorian go.

 

[Tantrikenetic]

Jack

Jack groaned as he rolled over sleeping. He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and he felt his drift into tranquility become easier. He began to sink into the blue field around him.

Suddenly, he felt something inside him begin to scream. Wait! Something isn't right! He had a horrible feeling in his gut. Something was going wrong and he couldn't stop it.

He struggled to leave his sleepy state, but it was too late. He was already to far gone into sleep. He tried to figure out what was wrong, but he couldn't make anything out. He knew only one thing. Someone was going to die.

 

[cremebrulee]

Jasamine

It seemed as though eveyone was drifting off to sleep so I quietly walked over to discuss things with Sorian.
As we spoke I had the feeling that Mic was not as asleep as I had assumed, but knew that if Sorian and I didn't move quickly that it would be too late.
"She wanted the two of us alone for a reason, and she'll stop at nothing to get us that way. We have to go now while we can" I said in a whisper.
"We have to make sure that someone is watching over the other's before we go" he replied.
Dammit, I hadn't thought of that. Really good, Jasamine.
I looked over my shoulder and saw Kelly and Mic leaning in close to each other. No sleep there, that's for certain. Damn.
The men, however, were exhausted and sound asleep.
I needed no words to Mic, we had gone beyond that already. Our words to each other were now replaced by more of an understanding than anything else. She knew we were going to leave, and further yet, that we HAD to.
I wasn't sure what Kelly's take on the whole thing was, but she wasn't about to let anything slip by her.
AS quietly as I could I walked over and kissed Jack softly on the cheek. The fever was still lurking, but not as high as it had been earlier. Somehow instictively I knew tat the only remedy for him lie with the Demoness that had brought us here.
I turned to Kelly and nodded, she simply nodded back and moved towrds the doorway we had entered there.
Mic walked over to Sorian and put her hand upon his shoulder.He then seemed to stand taller. In parting she placed a small something in his hand. I didn't ask.
I looked to Mic's and a tear formed at the edge of her eye.
"No worries...we have to do what must be done. One never loses when acting out of love." I tried to see into her this time, but something blocked us. I accepted that it might just be too much emotion and turned to Sorian.
"Ready, friend?"
"Not sure for what, but yeah ~ I'm ready as I'll ever be."
"Be well Mic, Kelly" I whispered.
Without turning back we were gone.
As we walked along the fou smelling caverns I reclled the events hat lead up to us being here. Home seemed so far away. Who was the man that was so insistent on my being here? And I was sure that no "demoness" was physically running the place. Who or what was in charge of the Island's creation. How did it all begin...
We were stopped by the sound of tumbling stones behind us. Sorian drew his sword in such an instant that I scarcely saw movement.
"Back to back" He said ,"There's someone following us."
The pouch around my neck grew heavy once again.

 

[kamalw1]

Loki was sleeping peacefully, happy images of his life flashing through his mind when a loud rumble pulled him out of his slumber. He woke up, his hand on his hammer out of instinct. He glanced around, trying to see what had caused the disturbance. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, until he looked around more carefully. that's when he noticed that Jasamine and Sorian were gone. "What the hell?" he said to himself. He walked over to Dan and woke him up, telling him about what he just noticed.

 

[silverwolf]

Sorian

"Back to back,Someones following us." i said as jasmine got back to back with me.Having my fire spell fresh in my mind i was ready for whatever might jump out at us.

 

[intriguess]

Mic

I moved to Sorian and put one hand on his shoulder. The other placed a small lock of my auburn hair in his palm. I leaned in close and whispered softly against his ear, "Not everything is as it seems." He closed his hand and when he opened it, it was a plain soft braided band of hair. I looked into his eyes and knew something more lay between us and I whispered, "Wear it and be reminded that illusion and lies are HER tools," I softly kiss his cheek and slowly pull away. "May life go with you," the words fell naturally from my lips as if they were a greeting or blessing.

I stood watch over the others and wondered how mad they would be when they realized what had happened. I was reassured that I could track Kelly's life energy and while Jasmine and Sorian were clouded from me I could dimly feel the ring and knew that if he were to wear it, I would be able to sense them regardless of Kelly's tracking abilities.

I sighed heavily as I noticed Loki was rousing. Time to face the fire I thought and I swore I heard cackling in the distance.

 

[Emotionless]

Once again Dan's sleep was full of bizzare dreams of battle and death. This time it was Dan as a younger man. He stood in the front ranks of an army while enemy soldiers closed in. He stood ready, sword out shield up as he looked into the faces of grim men facing thier death.
-------------------------------------------------------
"Dan, they're gone!" Loki was saying. "Wake up."

"What? Who's gone?" Dan asked, alertness snapping back.

He stood up and looked around the cavern. Loki stood beside him, Mic was over near the still sleeping Jack, but the others were missing.

"Christ, where are they?" he asked Loki.

"No idea, I woke up a minute ago and they were gone."

The two walked over to where Mic was kneeling. She turned her head to look at them and her eyes told Dan she knew what was to come.

"Where are they, Mic?" he asked "And don't pretend you don't know."

She simply looked at the ground and replied "Sorian and Jasmine have gone off on thier own. They knew they had to, it was the only way to help Jack."

"What do you mean the only way to help Jack?" demanded Loki. He seemed as angry as Dan.

"She, who ever is doing this to us, is keeping Jack sick as long as those two are with us. She wants them alone for whatever reason."

"Thats ridiculous! How can you know that? And where's Kelly?" demanded Dan.

Mic looked up into his eyes. "I asked her to follow them....to watch out for them and keep them out of trouble."

"You WHAT! Keep them out of trouble? Whoever the fuck wants Jas and Sorian alone isn't going to appreciate someone tagging along. Who's going to keep her out of trouble?" Dan was furious.

"She can look after herself very well, Dan. Please calm down. Besides, I can track her and make sure she's ok."

Dan made an exasperated sound and began paceing back and forth.

"If you can track her, we can go after them." remarked Loki. "How far away are they?"

"Not far," said Mic "But they're moving fast."

"Well, we can't go anywhere while Jack is still out of it. There's no way im dragging him into who knows what while he's in that condition." said a still angry Dan, though the fact that Mic could make sure Kelly was alright calmed him down a little. "So we sit tight untill he wakes up and is able to travel. And won't he be impressed when that happens?"

The soldier walked over to the spring, knelt, and ducked his head into the cool water in an attempt to calm down.

 

[intriguess]

Mic

I kept my cool steely exterior, hell I was worried about them as much as he was. I could tell he was drawn to Kelly, I could see it as easily as I saw that Jack and Jasmine were entwined. I was worried deeply about both Jasmine and Sorian. I cleared my mind and moved towards Jack and let the healing touch of my fingers ease his troubled sleep.

"You know he will feel like strangling me for letting them go," I whisper as I stand and wipe the sweat off my brow. "He should wake up in a few hours, and with any luck Kelly will have triggered any traps, and left us a safe trail. I can sense where she is now, it will be up to you to figure out which way she got there."

 

[SecretDesires]

Kelly had given the sleeping Dan a last look before melting into the shadows to follow Jasmine and Sorien. She had wanted to wake him to tell him she was going but she had a feeling he wouldn't like it at all.

Moving behind the two, she was quiet as a cat. She heard the sound of rocks falling and froze. It was not her this time but something else.

Letting her eyes adjust to the darkness she detected a trap ahead. It was a simple one, but if it had been there moments before than the two mages would have tripped it. No, the trap had been set after they had passed and that was what had made the rocks fall.

Bending down, she ran her finger over the almost invisible wire that stretched over the cavern. Her eyes moved along it to where it joined the other cave wall. She could see the outline of a nitche in the wall and, moving over to it, the shiny steel of a blade. When the trap was sprung, the blade would come down and slice whoever had been unlucky enough to trip it. Kelly shivered with the thought.

Reaching into her pack, she got out a thin piece of wire. She didn't even want to know what she might have done with it in the past in this persona. Usually something like this was made for stretching around necks and Kelly just couldn't handle the thought of doing that.

Deftly tying the wire to the handle of the blade without tripping it, and amazed at her own dexterity in doing it, she then found an outcropping of sharp rocks and tied it off around one of the studiest. After finishing her work, she bent down and used a knife to cut the thread on the ground. The blade immediately swung out....and then caught on her own wire, suspended in the air and without a sound to alarm the two ahead of her. Nodding she moved to the shadows again and began to follow them once more. Dan would know enough to realize that the tripped trap ment she had been there. It was a better trail than she could have left herself by any other means.

 

[silverwolf]

Sorian

"Deciding that it was better to keep moving."lets keep going,I dont think the thing thats wants us would let us be hurt.Come lets hurry.we have to put distance between us and the others."leaving my blade unsheathed we walked quite abit fastre then we were.I followed jasmine.Fingering the band of hair i put it on a chain around my neck that also contained a pentacle from home.Putting it underneath my shirt and chainmail.We kept onward.

 

[cremebrulee]

Jasamine

It must have been something simple we had heard behind us. If there were any threat at all, it was a small one.
"Let's keep going. I don't think the thing that wants us would let us be hurt. Come, let's hurry. We have to put distance between us and the others."
Sorian was right. If the others followed us they could be in great danger adn we needed to hurry.
Reaching my palms upward and centering myself I found the place inside me where the strength had been coming from ever since we came to this God-forsaken place. I followed instinct instead of logic, for logic was non-existent here.
I moved rapidly forward with Sorian staying right behind me, sword drawn and ready.
Then, the rancid odor of death began to fill the cavern and I saw a downward path.
"Sorian..." I said, still moving forward,"I think..."
"Yeah, I know. Shit. *deep breath* OK, here we go"
We began our decent, the smell of rotting flesh and singed skin and hair filling our stomachs.
I came once again to center and could feel someone not far behind us.

Damn it!

"Sorian, can you tell-"
He cut me off.
"There's someone following us."

Damn it!

I reached deep inside once again and felt my soul travelling back, following the trail we had used to get this far. I saw my body behnd me standing with Sorian. My sould glowing white, I moved through a tunnel-like irridescent wind towards the path we had left.
Kelly. It was Kelly. It made sense that she follow us, but I didn't want her alone.

"It's Kelly" I said.
"Alone?!?!?" Sorian replied.
"Yes, but I think she's safe. I am not sure how, but I know"
"Hell. Nobody should be alone here, I don't care WHO they are"
"Yes, I agree, but we need to keep moving. It's not Kelly she wants anyway. You know that"
He took a deep breath and mouthed something I didn't quite catch, then said," Ok. I don't like it, but you're probably right. We do have to keep going."

We took a few more steps forward down the decline then heard a voice in a sing-song rhyme saying,
"To ussssss we did know you'd come. Now the real gamess have begun. Taking chancessssssss foolish girl, you shall never leav thiss worlllld!"
Gorleb.
"You heard it too, right?"
Ok, Jasamine it was a dumb question.
I turned to Sorian and knew I had forgotten to do something.
"Look in my eyes, Sorian"
As he looked deep into my eyes I could see his dreams, his father behind him, his past and the reign of magic through his family.
I reached deep into my soul again and from the very center of my being sent forth as much power as I could to him and lifted us both up in prayer. We looked deeper yet into each other til a bond so strong was formed that it was difficult when we ended to tell where one stopped and the other began.
"Now we can move forward"
Then came the voice...............
"Yaaaaaaa-sahhhhhhh-meeeeeeeeeen! "
My name had never sounded so terrible.

 

[Tantrikenetic]

Jack

Jack groaned again. He was coming too slowly. The world around him slowly faded in. He sat up, moaning and gripping his head.

"Jack?" Mic asked. "How are you feeling?"

"Besides the fact that my insides feel like they've been mangled to shit?" Jack glanced over. "Not too bad."

"Good to hear." Loki smiled.

"Hey...where's Jasamine? Or Sorian? Or Kelly?" Jack glanced around the room. "What happened?" His response was met with awkward silence. "What are you hiding from me?"

"Listen...Jack...." Mic started, but Jack interupted.

"No, no 'listen Jack'. What happened?"

"She and Sorian went off together." Dan explained. "They decided it was best that they leave us. Jasamine realized she was endangering us when it was only them SHE wanted."

"Why didn't you hunt them down?" Jack asked, enraged.

"Kelly's following them now, to see what happens." Mic put in.

"Wait wait wait. You mean you let her go?!" Jack asked in dibelief.

"It was for the best Jack." Dan said. Jack jumped up to his feet, stumbling a bit.

"No way!" Jack growled, drawing his sword. "We have to go after them!"

"Jack!" Mic said. "Calm down!"

"Don't you get it?" Jack yelled at them. "SHE has control over this whole fucking cave! The only reason we aren't dead yet is the fact that we were too close to Sorian and Jasamine for her to do anything without endangering their lives. Now that they aren't with us..."

"SHE can do what she wants to us." Loki finished. Jack nodded grimly. As if on cue, the ground began to shake violently.

"Oh shit!" Dan said. "Now what?" Jack looked behind them and they saw two small passageways leading off in two seperate directions.

"Let's split up!" Jack yelled. "It will be harder to get us that way! Dan and Mic, take the path on the left. Loki and I will take the right!" Pieces of the ceiling began to crash down around them. "Hurry! Let's go!" The two groups broke off and ran down their chosen paths. The room crumbled behind them.

 

[SecretDesires]

Kelly had followed the pair keeping in the background and stopping every few feet to disarm the traps that appeared after they had passed.

As they came to the pit, Kelly found herself gagging at the stench and she reached into one of her pockets and produced a black kerchief. She could fully well imagine what that was doing in a thief's possession. Wrapping it around her mouth and nose, she found she could move again without wanting to vomit and she continued down the path.

Needles of ice rose up her spine at the sound of Gorleb's voice rose in an echo around them. She found herself suddenly wishing that Dan were by her side at that moment but knew she could not fail Jasmine or Sorien by freezing up and so she continued.

When they stopped, she hid in a crevice, watching what was happening. Suddenly she heard a noise and the whole cavern shook. Her heart plummeted to her stomach and she only just resisted running back the way she had come. She had a bad feeling that the others were in trouble.

But even if she managed to get back to the cave it would be too late. She would just have to have faith that they would be able to pull out of whatever had happened. She fought the despair starting to fill her and clamped her mouth down in a tight line.

"No, you won't win that way, you bitch!" She muttered into the air. "We are strong enough to beat you. If you didn't think so you wouldn't try so hard to get rid of us. You know that together we can take you down."

Only they weren't together. Not anymore. But Kelly refused to believe that they wouldn't be together again. For the sake of everything, she had to think positively and go on with the plan to defeat whatever demon was at work here.

"We will stop you, mother of hell," She growled wondering where that name came from, and so easily, feeling like it fit. Somehow she had the feeling this was not the first time they had fought this evil and the knowledge that she was still alive was not a comforting thought. It meant they had not done the job right the first time.

 

[kamalw1]

Loki was relieved to see Jack coming to. As soon as Jack was up, he asked about Jasamine, Sorian and Kelly, and that's when it all started to go downhill. As the three of them were explaining to Jack what happened, the ground started shaking. Jack suggested that they split up, and Loki ran with Jack down their designated tunnel. As they reached the entrance to the tunnel, rocks started falling from the ceiling of the cavern they were in.

Knowing that they couldn't go back now, Loki and Jack started forward. The tunnel was somehow very dimly lit. They had trouble seeing ahead of them, so they made sure that they stayed close to one another. The only sound they could hear was that of their footsteps echoing off the stone passage. Loki hoped that they would make it through and hopefully meet up with the others.

 

[cremebrulee]

Jasamine

After hearing my name like that my every instinct told me to get the hell out, but I knew we had to move on. My concerns were more for the others we left behid. I had a sneaking suspicion that something was going on.
Remember the soul travel... watch them. Go to them that way and talk to them. I heard the voice inside me, gentle and ancient.
The soul travel, huh? So that's what it was called. It was as if my body dreamt my soul to another place, like astral projection. Yeah, that's what I had heard it called, but this seemed a bit different.
" I need to find a place to stop for a couple minutes" I told Sorian.
" We can't stop now. Jasamine"
"If we want the others to be OK we had better. It's the only way."
Sorian gave in somewhat reluctantly and we quickly found a crevice along the side of our path to stop in.
"Don't waste any time" he said.
With Sorian in front of me nearly smashing me into the small space, I began to open up.
It was amazing how fast it went. It was easier this time than the last and I came up on Mic before I knew it. They were running.
"Mic..."
She turned to me in disbelief, but I knew that going to her first was best as she would believe it was me and not a trick.
"Tell me what's happening, I can keep us all together this way ~ by telling everyone what's going on with all of us."
Just as she opened her mouth to reply, I felt Sorian shaking me back.
The demoness was speaking......

 

[intriguess]

Mic

I grabbed for the ephermal image of Jasmine and nearly broke down when it dissolved it had been so real and as I was running down the quickly collapsing tunnel I wondered why Jack had put Dan and I together, sure we were the ones who could track Kelly and the others down but it left him and Loki in a very precarious position. When I had touched him I had felt that SHE wanted him dead more than anything else, and her reason was mean and spiteful, to hurt Jasmine and the others. Whatever happened he needed to live and I could no longer protect him. I hoped that Loki was up to the task as I simply pointed Dan in the direction that I currently felt Kelly. He asked about the others and I said, "They aren't dead." Sometimes I felt as if I was expected to do the impossible, and right now maintaining a sense of self while keeping my mind and heart open to the status of their life forces, tracking Kelly, and feeling the tingle of where my ring lay against Sorian's chest. It was going to age me really fast and I knew that if I looked my auburn locks were already starting to turn white.

 

[silverwolf]

Sorian

shaking jasmine"shes speaking" i said as i heard the awful voice.I no longer felt irritated when i heard it but as if i knew where she was.then a voice came in my head"Sorian, my son,you come from a long line of wizards,each has saved this world, but none could defeat her.With you you carry your mothers crystal, she was as your friend is.And the scrolls are yours you just dont remember.On your staff there is a notch for the crystal.put it in there and it will help you greatly.You will be able to heal your friends with the staff.It will only be minor less you drain you majick. and there is a pocket inside the leather boots. they contain a usefl spell but dont get it now.Wait until you get to her."his voice had slowly started to drift away and after his last word i could hear him no more.Grasping the crystal my mother had givin me i felt a suddenly stronger.like the red crystal had except more pure.It was like the bluish white rays of the moon surounded me.Putting the crystal into my staff i felt it expand to ecompase jasmine and the others.i felt little things tho i had no idea what they were.I had closed my eyes and when i opend them my staff had been brought to where the crystal set in top was against my forhead and i had set the crystal in just a little lower.I also noticed that the same bluish white light that i felt was illuminating the crevise we were in.Hoping this didnt frighten i felt suddenly happy,like all my worries had been lifted.And i was rdy for hellspawn themselves.

 

[Tantrikenetic]

Jack

Jack stumbled along the rocky pathway, trying to keep a good running pace. Loki stayed by his side, hand on his warhammer.

"Jack?" He asked.

"What?"

"Why are we together?"

"I trust you most, Loki."

"That's reassuring, but Dan and Mic know the most about where Jasamine might be going. We won't be able to find her!"

"That's because we aren't going to look for her." Jack said, his eyes fierce with determination. "We're going for the sorceress."

"WHAT?!" Loki asked incredulously, but Jack didn't respond. He focused forward. You want me, sorceress bitch? Fine, you're gonna get me.

 

[Emotionless]

Dan hurried down the tunnel sword out and ready. He was pushing as fast as he dared, lets some unseen trap end his worries for good.

He caught a glint of metal a few strides ahead and had to pull up short, Mic being rather distracted almost ran right in the back of him. "Wha.." she began. "Trap," Dan cut her off and pointed.

It was a pendulum blade, but the trip had be severed and it wasn't swinging. "What the..." then Dan noticed the thin wire holding the blade in place. "It's ok, Kelly's been through here."

He picked up his pace, confident in Kelly's ability. Every trap they passed had been neutralized, so thier passing was swift.

It wasn't long untill they reached a downward tunnel, Dan entered without a second thought. "We must be getting close." he thought.

Mic however, had stopped and was chokeing and gageing. "That stench!" she managed to reply to Dan's questioning look.

Dan took a sniff of the air, it was true the air reeked of rotting flesh. Why hadn't he noticed before? And why wasn't it bothering him now?

A two day old battle field smells worse than this the voice in his head told him. His new memories agreed with this assessment.

Mic had tied a kerchif arond her face and was moving to join him. "Okay?" he asked. Dan scaresly waited for a reply before turning and jogging down the tunnel.

Was it his imagination, or was there a blue light comming from ahead?

 

[kamalw1]

Jack's response startled Loki at first. "Well, it's about time we took the fight to her as opposed to waiting around for something to happen," Loki said to Jack as they continued down the tunnel. The ir in the tunnel started feeling hot and oppressive, making it a litle harder for Loki to breathe. As he was about to comment on it, he hear a commotion coming from behind them. Loki pulled his hammer out, ready for the challenge. As he and Jack looked back, they could see the outline of what as coming at them. As it got closer, they could see that it was a two-headed wolf, it's eyes glowing blood red as it crept towards them. "Shit, it looks like we're in for it now," Loki commented as the animal pounced at them.

 

[intriguess]

Mic

I felt stronger the closer we got and felt a warm circle of a ring between my breasts, a ring I did not wear, I merely hoped he would recall what I said, I sensed that SHE would take anyone's face including mine to trick them for that one precious moment that would lead them to their death. I planned on getting there before then so that she could not use that trick. Dan was focused and I found travelling with almost pleasant.

The scent gagged me and I quickly covered my face and knew we were treading on dangerous ground. "They are still alive," I mutttered as he glanced at me. "We are gaining on Kelly, probably because she has had to detrap all these fun things."

 

[Tantrikenetic]

Jack

The two headed wolf flew through the air at an alarming rate. Jack swivled around, slicing his sword in an arc. It cut along the beast's inner leg, letting a stream of blood flow freely. It growled and hit the ground hard. It scrambled to it's ffet in rage and charged them. Jake lifted his sword, but felt himself go weak with the fever. The wolf nearly was upon him, when Loki swung his hammer out, smashing one of the dog's heads in. The other head howled in pain, backing off.

The bloody head hung limp, but the other head growled and the wolf was at it again. It swiped out it's claws, catching a bit of Loki's arm. He winced in pain, but swung the hammer anyway. The wolf dodged it, then dodged a sword swipe from Jack. It swiped it's paw out again, but Loki cruched the paw with his hammer. The wolf threw it's head back in pain and Jack ran his sword through the beast's neck. There was an explosion of blood, a whimpering cry, then the wolf fell dead. Jack's breath regulated and he sat down.

"You okay?" he asked Loki.

"Just a scratch." Loki smiled. "It'll heal."

"Good, we're going to need our strength."

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"How do we hope to beat her? If the six of us were hardly enough to fight he minions, how does the two of us stand any chance beating her?"

"The plan isn't to beat her." Jack said. "The plan is to distract her."

"Distract her?"

"Jasamine and Sorian obviously know something about how to stop her, right? Well, they can't find it out if the sorceress constantly harrasses them. If we can draw her attention, at least for a while, then that might be all they need to find a way to stop her."

"Man, that's suicide."

"I know. It's an insane idea. Are you not up for it anymore?"

"Are you kidding? I'm just as insane as you are." Loki smiled. "We can do it, Jack."

Jack found himself smiling back. "You've been there for me since the start Loki. It's good to be with you til the end." Jack patted his friend's shoulder. "Alright, enough of this mushy shit. Let's get going and find that sorceress."

 

[kamalw1]

With that little conversation over, Loki felt that he had a new understanding of Jack. The plan, though crazy, was something that he felt he could go for. The scratch on his arm burned a little, and Loki wished to himself that Kelly was there with one of her ointments. Gritting his teeth, he got up and continued walking down the tunnel with Jack.

As they walked along, they came upon a divide in the tunnel. Both of the passages looked ominous, so Loki figured it didn't matter which one they took. After a brief moment of decision, they walked down the tunnel that branched off to the right. The tunnel kept on for a while until they came to a huge cavern. They slowly stepped out of the tunnel and realised that they couldn't see the ceiling, nor the other side of the cavern. Loki looked at Jack and said, "Well, what now?"