Xania hears a voice incanting, but before she can do anything about it, suddenly Tag drops to the floor clutching a small dart that has appeared in his stomach. Forte feels the same in his shoulder, Dakath in the chest. Kyo and Amibar, who has been his usual quiet self, fall to the floor as well, though there is no trace of injury on them. All do not get back up. The voice erupts again, in a panicked tone, "As quickly as that, the odds are evened. I only left you two to make my point. Morthaine, kill the witch and be done with it." She speaks some words in a flowery language that neither Xania or Ullar understand, then turns her attention to Ullar.
Time slows as Tags hand caresses the mirror edge, his fingers almost grasp it and then it is gone. He wills Xania and Ullar to destroy it. Tag hears the words of the witch as if through a wrapping of cotton wool. He feels the soft arms of the Madonna enclose him in a dream of sweet slumber and drifts in a sea of bliss. Briefly he wills himself to remain awake, but he can only succumb to the drugged state.
Seeing the others drop, "See Xania, what your endless, sarcastic bickering has done.... You couldn't just take Asif and leave and live you had to stay and now they are down." Rhune cries out as she lunges wildly for Xania.
Xania's jaw drops as the others are downed. She is alone with two (visible at least) who hate her. So, she does the incomprehensible, as is her wont. She charges Ullar, attempting to knock the mirror from his hands and break it against the floor. "If you have to kill me, despite the fact that you were my first friend, Marika, then I take your mirror and all trapped within it with me," she murmurs, ignoring Rhune and the threat she presents.
Rhune tries to head Xania off as she changes her attack to a wild body slam.
Rhune hurls her body toward Xania. However, Xania was expecting just that, and dodges out of the way, rushing toward Ullar. The elf-maid picks herself up but is unable to interfere with the magess.
Ullar's eyes are fixed on the gargoyle, so he doesn't notice what happens to the right of him.
"Now big fellow, return the mirror to me and all shall be as it was." The gargoyle above floats dangerously close. "All promises made shall be kept, even unspoken ones," her voice has softened considerably, "Come now, isn't that why you have never forgotten, as the others have? I have not forgotten you either. Together, we can make all the wrongs right." Her voice is slow and seductive, drowning out the confrontation between the other women. "Put the mirror down and you and your friends can walk out of here. Or you can stay and help me tear down the Bishop and his false faith! The others may come or go as they please. I will not harm them, I swear on Minerva. Come, we can all still have what we want. No violence is necessary!"
Still holding the mirror high, Ullar's eyes widen. Seeing his comrades all fall to sleep, he assumes that it is again the darts of the faeries who brought them down. Trying to figure out what the hell is wrong, Ullar starts talking to Marika once more.
"It's pretty much obvious you want this mirror Marika. With Rhune under your control you are also in control of the blue tube. A tube which, as you say, should have the answer on how to counter the evil of the Bishop and his men."
"So, if I should follow your reasoning, handing over the mirror to you would help us all, since there should be no doubt regarding your noble intentions," says Ullar, rather emotionless.
Tapping one of his fingers on his cheek, Ullar pretends he is thinking about it. The mirror is in his other hand, still lifted so that it is out of Rhune's reach. Next to that, if Ullar would fall asleep as well, the mirror would fall down which might have some impact on the glass. At least, that is the warrior's reasoning.
"Marika, before I can hand over the mirror to you, you'll have to help me on something. According to the elves on shore, you are on this isle for quite some time now. We had no difficulties, besides a trap and the Gargoyles, to reach the mirror. Why on earth didn't you take it yourself?"
"Next to that, if I remember correctly, you didn't have a way to open the tube as well. So it's rather harsh to condemn our actions for Petr his clan, don't you think? We started to help people who were in need of help, which seemed the most logical thing to do at that time. But I'm curious what you have done in the meantime? Sitting on this small isle isn't really helping in the fight against the Bishop and his men either, don't you agree?"
"Do not forget that I was captured by the Bishop together with Silus and Kenishiro. I've seen his rage from way to close and the urge to revenge our fallen comrades and undo the evil sprung from his mind and hands, is the one thing which kept me going, next to..." and then Ullar starts to change color again. His blue eyes look up to where Marika her voice is coming from. It's obvious the ex-gladiator still has strong feelings for Marika. However, the accompanying emotions make him feel rather uncomfortable. Ullar really has no idea how to handle this feeling. Not knowing what to do, Ullar looks in the mirror he is holding above his head and sighs.
The voice's response is halted by the rushing body of Xania. Ullar, looking out for Rhune, does not immediately understand the human woman's actions, and thus does not brace himself for her assault. She hits him like hitting a brick wall, and bounces off, falling on her backside. Rhune approaches her in that position, surely to stab her in the back. However, the impact was enough to throw off Ullar's grip. At his usual strength, such a blow would be insignificant. However, weakened by a long period of combat and hard toil, it is enough to make the ex-gladiator fumble.
A horrible scream erupts from the invisible voice. "IT'S NOT OVER! REVENGE!" Then the mirror hits the ground, shattering on impact. Ullar is unable to see the images within, as it falls end over end. Shards explode over the room, but do not harm those within it. Rather they seem to pass through and over them like pieces of mist.
Covering his head with his arms, Ullar goes down, quite terrified by the sound of the explosions.
The look of hate and madness leaves Rhune's eyes immediately, and she falls in a heap. However, the gargoyle still lurks above, and he does not appear to have changed his malevolent intent. He comes screaming down toward Ullar and Xania, who vainly prepare to defend themselves, knowing they cannot survive such an attack. Then the great stone beast falls to the ground next to them. You can see several tiny darts protruding from it's rocky hide.
While he sees the gargoyle coming, Ullar rolls out of the way, trying to take Xania with him, in an attempt to save both of them. However, as the creature collapses only a few seconds later, his attempt was unnecessary and he quickly let's go of Xania, remembering her rage against him.
Xania simply slumps to the ground, glad that somehow her ploy worked. She moves toward Dakath.
Rhune just lies where she is blinking and breathing hard... feeling utterly exhausted and confused, frightened and ashamed of her actions she remains quiet for the moment.
Five of the little sprites appear hovering close to the ground. They appear similarly exhausted to Rhune. Speaking briefly to her, they withdraw something from their tiny pouches and move up toward the stricken members of the party. All rise up within a few seconds, including those that were not attacked by the darts.
Xania sighs in relief as both Dakath and Forte recover, sparing each a relieved smiled.
Forte, sitting on the ground, looks around for Asif and Augustus, to see if they escaped the mirror when it broke.
Neither is anywhere in the vicinity. However, Asif was never seen inside the mirror.
Ullar just lays panting on the ground, staring at the ceiling. His body is exhausted from the intense experiences. After seeing his comrades come back to life, he sits up, still heavily breathing.
Seeing their questioning faces, he starts to explain what has happened and how Xania, with all of her courage, forced a solution.
Feeling a bit steadier now, Ullar walks over to Rhune. Looking at Asif, he seems to asks to be permitted to give her a hug.
Rhune who had been stealing glances at Forte and Xania with a worried look on her face sees Ullar walking toward her, having said nothing till now and purposely not looking at some of her friends, she simply waits to see what he is going to do.
He lifts up the elven lady and holds her close. "Don't get me wrong Asif," he hastily says, while putting Rhune gently down again, "but I'm really, really glad that I was right and that it wasn't the real Rhune acting back then."
Shocked by Ullar's action, Rhune can only respond by putting her arms around his neck.
Ullar just looks Rhune in the eyes and smiles, expressing quite a lot in this manner. At least, for an ex-gladiator that is.
"Thank you Ullar. I.... ah... am grateful," Rhune utters as tears brim in her purple eyes.
While putting her on the ground again, Ullar strokes Rhune's hair and smiles at her.
She smiles back as he puts her down. Though the smile is a wan one.
Translating the words of the pixies, Rhune tells you their story, obviously summarizing, as the faeries go on at some length to her. "Some months ago, we came to this island. The lake was a benevolent spirit, and the elves surrounding it were friendly, though they told us not to come to the island. They warned us of the danger. We did not listen, though. Coming upon this white building, we were curious. We flew down to the bottom to see what was there, being interested of course. That proved our downfall. Apparently, the mirror contained some sort of evil spirit. The opposing force to the lake. Long ago there was a great battle between good spirits and evil. The good spirits won out. This conflict was the same which sent those who would become the dark elves away from the light. The mirror contained one of their ilk."
The pixies continue on, and Rhune is hard-put to keep up with the translation. "As you know, there is no destroying such spirits finally, and thus they were bound, in flasks, rings, weapons, and mirrors. It was thought that their energies could be used for good purposes. The mirror has powers to see the future, to see other places. These powers were granted to it by the spirit's presence. However, as with all such objects, in time they turned to evil. The good spirits, who had gone to their resting places, were called upon to restore balance, but the fight had been too much for them. They were unable to rise from their homes. And thus a solution was found. The mirror was imprisoned upon the island in whose power the lake rested. And this was the case for many centuries. The elves on the shore warned away all comers. Those few who managed to make it here were consumed by the mirror's power, and became the skeletons you fought upstairs."
While the pixies are telling their story, Ullar pays close attention, nodding now and then to show he understands.
The lead sprite pauses for a moment, "Mortal spirits were unable to understand the mirror's aspect, and thus made poor servants. The guardians, who had been placed here long ago, gradually were turned to it's servants, but were barred from leaving the island either. This left only immortal spirits to it's service that could be turned, but not destroyed by it's aspect. We were those spirits." It shakes it's head sadly, "By using us, the mirror gained strength. It amplified our magicks and turned them upon the lake. As time went by, the lake weakened, and the mirror grew stronger.
Then came the woman. Assuming she was a human, we let her pass into the place, to allow her to be destroyed as the others were. But she was not. She emerged strong and wise, with much knowledge and power gained from the mirror. She warned us against any more humans coming. She told us that some would come on a raft, and you appeared. She told us that one would be an elf-maid, and that one would save the mirror from it's dark prison, freeing it from the lake forever. You see this woman was not fully immortal, nor fully mortal. She had the power to understand the mirror's aspect, and gain from it, but she did not have the (untranslatable word from elvish) to allow it's escape. No, only an elven maid pure of spirit could do that, fooling the lake into letting it happen. And the woman assured us that this would be."
Rhune looks at the little sprite as he relates this part. She pauses in her translation and looks thoughtful for a moment, apparently wondering about something.
When the woman is mentioned, Ullar gets a little restless. He wonders what has happened to Marika, but is afraid to interrupt the pixie-leader.
"All was as she said, but you humans were stronger than she told us you were. You defeated us, and so we returned to her in shame. But she told us that this was as it should be as well. More opportunities would exist to divide you, disable you, and destroy you. Under the mirror's clouded perspective, we understood this to be desirable." The little man shrugs his shoulders guiltily. "And so it happened as you know. Your bearded friend is outside the building. He still sleeps, as we feared what he would do when we woke him." The pixie floats up into the sky, "We shall accompany you back to the shore, and there we shall speak more."
He and his companions vanish.
After regaining all your bearings, you see that there is little left to do on the island. Dakath sees that the fabulously jeweled frame of the mirror rests undamaged on the chamber floor.
Ullar nods at Dakath, as he sees the frame as well. "Might as well bring it with us, my friend. Seems to me we deserved 'some' compensation for this eerie experience here".
Rhune walks slowly back to the raft following Asif. Every so often she steals looks at Xania, wondering how she can make amend to the young woman for all the hateful things she had said to her.
Once outside, the urge to leave the island is almost uncontrollable, and the group finds Asif resting comfortably near the entrance to the ground floor. There is no sign of either the metal plate blocking the second floor ladder, or the great boulder blocking the entryway.
Finding your way back to the raft, you make a peaceful journey back to the shore. The raft moves along at a slow pace, and the trip is very restful. Moving close, you see several dozen elves, and realize that the raft has not returned you to the place from which you embarked, but rather toward a preternaturally dense clump of trees near the eastern shore. The elves stand hard by that clump.
While sailing on the lake, Ullar puts his hand in the water and tries to refresh himself. As the water hits his face, it is as if he remembers something. He falls silent, and stares at the isle they are leaving, thinking about something, shaking his head in sadness.
"I wonder what has happened to Marika," he mutters, to no one in particular.
The lead elf seems wary until you get close. He then smiles happily, "We thought you would not return, or return... differently than you left. We are pleased. Did you find the woman?" Suddenly he looks up into the air, "And what have we here? Ilya! We thought you long perished." He reverts to a dialectical elven speech that even Rhune does not understand. This goes on for some moments, responded to by the same high-pitched voice that Rhune translated on the island.
At last he returns his attentions to you all. "We have been told all that has taken place. We owe you great debt. Though surely the dark spirit will awaken elsewhere and want revenge, for now it's foul aspect has been banished." He gestures toward the clump of trees, which opens of it's own accord. "We know that time is of importance to you, as it always is among the mortals, so we will prepare an isolation. This shall enable you to bring yourselves to full purity of spirit, mind, and body before returning to your quest. Time is malleable, and as long as you do not engage in any violent or impure activities, one week of your time will be granted to you in what the outside world considers one day. Will this be helpful to you?"
Ullar nods. "Thank you dear Sir."
"Yes thank you. But may I ask what you consider impure activities?" Rhune asks in all innocence..
Something which has Ullar's attention as well. The warrior looks at the elven leader, as if he is waiting for an answer.
The man looks dubiously at Rhune, "What is impure in your own hearts is all that is important. I suspect you know right from wrong. In any case, impurity is within all of us. You must trust yourself." His tone leads you to believe he isn't sure that she is able to do that.
He waits a moment, "You may not depart from the isolation during that time or the spell will be broken. Food and drink will be provided to you. Do you have any other requests?" He turns toward the others, "Now rest for a few moments while the magic is prepared. We shall spend the time rejoicing with our friends." He seems quite pleased.
"I can't speak for the others, but at least I can use some repairs on my armor and weapons," Ullar answers.
"I can do that, or at least help with it," Forte says to both Ullar and the shore elf, "if we can get the right tools." The massive fighter then turns to Kyo and asks, "Kyo, could you start showing me how you make armor? I am most interested in learning your ways."
"We thought you might have such a request. A human-style forge will be provided for you. It is very old, centuries old, but we have preserved it as something of a curio. Use it as you will." The elfin man responds with a smile.
Sighing, Ullar realizes that his 'magickal' blade has broken in half and a little shy he looks up to the elven leader. "Ehm, Sir. It seems that my blade didn't survive our encounter at the isle. So if you can spare any two-handed sword, I'd be very pleased."
The leader laughs, "And when, my large friend, have you ever seen one of my kind use such a weapon? No, I am afraid nothing of that type exists among our people. Sorry."
"I take it you can take care of our horses while we're in this 'isolation'?" Ullar asks, feeling rather uncomfortable with yet another demand.
The elf nods, "Of course, as we have during your absence. I dare say they are being better taken care of than they have ever been."
Xania nods. "I could use the rest. And the time for study."