Llydia

Jade's transformation overshadowed what happened to Trisys to all save those possessing the greatest mastery of magic.

Time ran out. The magic crested, and then began to flow through her to the Wish Maker. Trisys screamed her denial, sensing that Master had been about to modify the wish. Yet she was only the conduit, what could she do?

Wasn't there always supposed to be a choice? Another way? Wasn't that why she had been created in the first place? To be an alternative when all other options had run out?

And Master. He was good. He was considerate. Through every action he showed a caring for others above himself. Such did not deserve a dead end. Master should deserve more. No, that was not what he called himself. Jade. Jade deserved more.

The magic was flowing through. No. It would not be allowed unchecked. She would not allow it. She was more than a mindless tool. She was Prosopopoeiasys. And she would rather do anything than live with the burden of Jade's death by her hands.

After all, there was always another option. It had a price. But it was there.

That other option was taken.

Rather than allow the magic to reform a body that could survive temporarily, Trisys would exchange her flesh fate instead. Jade could still have his body as it was born to be - flesh and whole, to live out the remainder of a full mortality lifespan. While she, Trisys, would take his body's fate of metal immortality.

Of course Trisys didn't really understand what she was getting into. Had she suspected, fear may have stalled her until it was too late. Ignorance fueled with carelessness. The stuff of grand disaster. Or great discovery.

Jade unfolded into his glorious form, while below Trisys's image began to waver.

Then he fell.

Trisys was underneath.

Enough had already transformed that she was not crushed by his mammoth form. Yet all was confusion for Trisys. She could not sense things properly. Only her horns knew they were pressed between scale and wet earth. And they were changing, two spiraling into one, the third extending, too malleable to give reference.

Everything was red. Buried beneath Jade's body it should be black. Why was it red? A strange series of messages, error messages like she had seen in Striga base she realized, were flashing over and over. The computer program was a mess as it tried to compensate for the new equine form.

Everything else was... not. Where were her hooves? Her wings? Her limbs? She knew she had them, but she could not feel them. The Voices chorused, "Now you know, now you know, the loss of self, the ache of needing touch, the longing, the longing, now you know how we are." It was worse than being numb, more so because the sensations from her horns were a cruel comparison of how the rest of her no longer was. They had retained sensation by being condensed spirit rather than body's flesh.

His weight was not moving. Why was Jade so still? Even if her exchange had not been enough, Jade was due to have fifteen minutes of life before his form dissolved away. Her token further confused the matter. It reported it was again the dull gray material as first discovered upon arriving at Patches. Was it, and her, now loose for another to claim as Master? Was Jade... dead?

Oh, oh, no. Please, EarthMother, do not say that Jade had paid a price for her interference. Please, let it not all be in vain.

Soul essence pooled. Tears that had been impossible for Jade when a machine spilled out of Trisys's eyes to wet the scales they were pressed again. Tears of a unicorn, said to possess powerful healing. Even revive the dead.

Please, Jade. Live.

How could there be confusion on the matter when karma had granted him a boon? A bit of despair crept into Trisys's voice as the elfin guards rushed in, "You wished to be normal again. It will happen. I cannot stop it. But the cost, Master, oh, the cost! To change you so completely will have an equal price. Life will be lost to live."

Again the alternative was clearly presented via the computerized Token: Make a modified wish, "I wish to be normal again... at my time of choosing." And soon! The accompanying countdown timer was down into single second digits.

Jade's delayed decision on his wish's fulfillment was being cut finely. The added magic from the land and attracted fey was adding momentum beyond Trisys's experience. If left to the last moment before vetoed, there could be a nasty backlash.

Not that there was ever true peace for the satyr. The more Trisys felt the sensations of the flesh, especially pleasure, the more the Voices clamored their jealous desire to experience the same. And yet it was with a genuine smile Trisys propped herself up on her forearms as she greeted the Khelari.

Spotting the gnome as hesitant about the water as Kethara caused a blink of surprise. Melisanda had been adamant about the gender separation. Maybe the males and females both had beards, like tales about dwarves? She couldn't think of a way to ask without being rude and so offered a small nod and smile towards the gnome as well.

"It is my weakness, not yours," she apologized in turn. A thought occurred. "Are you well in the water? It is not harmful to you, as lava would be to us?"

She didn't get to hear the Khelari's answer. It was then that Jade made his wish. Trisys gave a small, "Oh!" with her eyes wide before abruptly disappearing. Water lapped uncommunicative where she had lounged.

---

And instantly Trisys was recalled to the men's portion of the springs. She stood quickly, though the momentary submersion resulted in a flash of light from her horns cleansing the water and all therein. Likely this included all of Jade, whom had her entire focus. Her entrance had made quite a splash, literally. Standing over Jade, Trisys's strained body language still conveyed the look of a supplicant wallowing at his feet.

Just because a command to format an hard drive is entered carelessly does not make it any less valid. Nor any less devastating. Any normal person would have died many times over going through what Jade had. His true intention of again possessing his own body would also lead to a similar theme.

Because Jade's actions since their bonding had been commendable, of good intention, and even heroic, he had earned an optional modification. Energy growing visibly around her hands, Trisys pleaded, "Oh, Master, my Master! Is this really your wish? Is this truly what you want?"

Left as is, Jade would again have a body as he had known when made of flesh and blood. It would have full sensations and faculties he enjoyed as a young Drokar-Akonos Mountain Dragon in full health. And it would last fifteen minutes before the magic sustaining it dissolved. At which point Jade would be in the state of all whose body had failed: Dead. He might pass on to what afterlife awaited his kind. Most likely he would become a wandering spirit, another Voice in the chorus craving any substitute of the lost body which haunted Trisys.

Though the wish could not be undone, it might be postponed. Jade need only say, clearly think, or genuinely desire the modification, "I wish to be normal again... at my time of choosing." That would nullify the building energy harmlessly. For now.

Even though the satyr was as distraught as a mystical mare being corralled by a red bull into the sea, the full impact of the alternatives were made to Jade as clear as 'Body Then Death' and 'Abort To Stay' buttons on a computer screen. No confusion. No distortion. Jade could allow the wish to be completed and obtain his true flesh form for fifteen minutes, then die. ... Or ... Jade could make the modified wish to remain as he is.

The one pressure was that there was less than a third of a minute for Jade to act.

A few to brighten your day...


Recipes:
Recipe - (45) Freebird: Endurance
Recipe - (47) Call of the Sandman: Acc/End
Recipe - (44) Enfeebled Operation: Immob/Range
Recipe - (42) Rope-a-dope: Acc/Stun
Recipe - Temp Power: St. Louis Slammer (qty 2)
Recipe - (43) Tempered Readiness: Acc/End
Recipe - (47) Touch of Lady Grey: Defense Debuff/Endurance Reduction

As Melisanda directed, Trisys ended up on the woman's side after the others had settled. Eager again to be by her Master's side as soon as possible, she accepted that local courtesy separated them. For now. As ever, Trisys was a wish away no matter where Jade was. In the mean time she relaxed in the hot springs.

Heavenly.

A shallow set of shelves provided a bed. The new bone growth folded down and flat out of the way, tattered wings and daisy chain floating languidly along the surface. Trisys lay on her stomach with eyes closed. In a peculiar pattern she breathed through one side of her mouth, then blew it out in tiny bubbles from the submerged side. Earth - real living earth! - below, water luxuriously wrapped about, and steam humidified the bit exposed to air. A beautiful harmony of elements. So peaceful was she that even the Token stilled its sardonic presence, the link conveyed only Trisys's supreme blissfulness on par with a cat napping in afternoon summer sun. Should Trisys encounter the water spirits she would be sure to offer profound gratitude and compliments for this creation.

Her trio of forehead horns was also in the water, further fortifying the mineral springs. All traces of contaminants were purified. The waters gained an almost-imperceptible sheen, as if subtly lighted from below. Those immersed while Trisys thus rested would have recovering boosts to minor scrapes, bruises, and ailments. Even long-term wounds and scars would have a chance at healing.

A handful to tempt you...


Recipes:
Recipe - (42) Rope-a-dope: Acc/Stun
Recipe - (43) Tempered Readiness: Acc/End
Recipe - (47) Touch of Lady Grey: Defense Debuff/Endurance Reduction
Recipe - (43) Positron's Blast: Dam/End
Recipe - Costume Piece: Bone wings

Lazardarus received reassurances from Trisys. Kethara's offer was met with an immediate, "No! No, no, thank you." Kethara was undoubtedly well meant, but Paxtera was the only one of the 'ported group without blood on them.

The fragrance encircling the satyr's neck may look like daisies but was much more potent. They nearly overwhelmed out the smell of blood. Scent wasn't the only part of blood that was so devastating, of course, but it was a primary factor.

Trisys got carefully to her feet, ready to follow the elf, gnome, and/or other local guide. It was easier to be steady now that the fey creating their dizzying spectacle had been chased off by the gnome. She would still be keeping upwind from her companion, as far distant as could be politely managed.

Ah, time travel.

One previous peripheral exposure to it when Paxtera appeared with the group at the super volcano was not enough to qualify her as experienced. Especially as Trisys hadn't realized before that it was the primary source of her upset. Being sifted through time firsthand was dizzying. At the other end Trisys swayed a bit, rather cross-eyed. The sensation for the satyr was rather like stepping off of a boat after a month at sea: The ground felt as if it rocked back and forth.

The welcoming committee further emphasized the disorientation. The granite walls were a grey blur behind the whirl of buzzing spirits darting in to offer dozens of greetings, curious comments, a few sympathetic chitters over the tattered remains of wings, and breeze-light touches. It was enough that Trisys sat down rather heavily.

Among the greeters weaved non-local denizens crying, "Pretty!" and "Pretty pony!" Small humanoids or oversized pixies? It was anyone's guess. They were draped in faded discards, looking remarkably like dancing piles of fall leaves. A pouch integrated into their bodies contained what looked like small spheres. Trisys deduced they were the Marbles that Lazardarus had mentioned.

Before long Trisys would learn the common knowledge that Marbles are a regarded as a race of scavengers. They are usually not seen, what with their danger sense second to none. Their "danger" is when there is no danger, for they love practical jokes. Nothing harmful, yet still a major pest to those trying to live peacefully. Little more is know because when one is captured it turns to dust. If ever one is caught alive, you can be sure it is plotting an elaborate trick.

For now all Trisys knew was that they were one type of the whirlwind around her. Later she would notice they had snatched one of her few feathers, a lock of hair, and shaved a sliver off a hoof. What future mischief they would cast with such would be unknown for some time. Most immediately Trisys was subjected to one of their mild pranks. One tossed down a marble, instantly sprouting a patch of daisies. Two more quickly weaved them into a lei. A fourth plopped it on Trisys - over her eyes and weighing down her wild hair. With a mild snort Trisys tilted her head down and shock it so the floral garlanded fell around her neck. The Marbles cavorted around in laughter at their fun.

Paxtera returned with the second group a short distance away after the ten seconds elapsed to find Trisys thus, listing to one side from the extra exposure to space/time distortion. It was pretty conclusive that Paxtera's method of travel was giving her motion sickness. Trisys would be strongly disinclined to use that method going forward. Even if someone explained that it was time travel, not bad teleportation; nor assured if foreknowledge that each trip would get easier were available.

About the only thing stationary was the 6-inch gnome. She tried and failed to focus her eyes on him, seeing double. "Hi?" Trisys offered intelligently, mimicking the Khelari.

If Trisys could know the token offered Master the double-image unfiltered she would be abashed. Moreso if she could think straight enough to realize Jade could not see the gnome at all. She had been trained that it was better not to have information than misinformation, such as her bemused vision currently perceived.

Most of last batch is still there waiting for you! Here are a few more also awaiting you blueside:


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (47) WetWare Eng Adrenal Gland Booster
Enhancement - (26) Cord
Enhancement - (28) Composite Epidermal Underlay

Recipes:
Recipe - (27) Executioner's Contract: Dam/Int
Recipe - (41) Detonation: Dam/End

Up for grabs!


Recipes:
Recipe - (24) Scirocco's Dervish: Acc/Rech
Recipe - (24) Horror: Acc/End
Recipe - (39) Harmonized Healing: Heal/Rech
Recipe - (40) Invention: Recharge Red.
Recipe - (40) Invention: Resist Damage

If when Trisys looked to Jade she found approval from her Master, Paxtera's hand would be accepted. All the open trust of a child would be afixed on the mother.

Trisys followed the tug up. "Oh." Lava was part of her experience. A short-duration Master in Striga Island whom had thought the volcano too dormant. Karma had caught up with him before his wish could turn the entire region into an exploded crater. "That... would hurt."

The satyr quickly moved away as Scar approached the Khelari with his offering. Lazardarus thankfully offered a point of distraction. She still kept distance from everyone, but his suggestions were very appealing. Plus if there was other magical creatures in his paradise-like place then there were a chance there were others like her. Maybe not kin. Yet maybe another who could teach her to talk to land other than EarthMother, so she need not be so flat-footed.

Lightly Trisys worried her lower lip, considering. It was rude to make any more nuisance, and yet... Trisys directed her eyes to Paxtera, the only one not covered in at least a track of blood. Well, her plus the Khelari except the latter was planning to stay with the Gre'shil.

Trisys's amber gaze contained a 'Please' for Paxtera to transport her separately to the elf's realm.

Good to see redside has more 1 inf treats to share, too!

Here are a few more blueside...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (34) Vambrace
Enhancement - (33) Xenon Exposure
Enhancement - (33) Nectanebo's Gloves
Enhancement - (37) Extension of Joule
Enhancement - (38) Extension of Joule (qty 2)
Enhancement - (39) Extension of Joule
Enhancement - (33) Crowley's Incense

Recipes:
Recipe - (39) Dark Watcher's Despair: To Hit DeBuff
Recipe - (30) Commanding Presence: Acc/End
Recipe - (39) Kinetic Crash: Knockback/Rech
Recipe - (39) Essence of Curare: Acc/End

The Khelari may claim to be clean, but she had been more drenched than Master. Such left a lingering scent even after the surface was cleaned. Her mouth alone would hold some while yet the smell of lifeblood its teeth had ripped from the beast's neck.

Trisys took a deep breath, fretting how to explain this. Then she paused, and gave an extra sniff. The behemoth was stinking the air, yet the Khelari was right. She was clean. Whatever she had done in the brief time away had completely purged her of the beast's blood. How extraordinary.

The offered hand was tentatively touched, Trisys unsure despite the clear scent and aura the Khelari gave off, then enclosed more completely. Not really a handshake, since her thumb did not interlock and the fingers curled around the far side. Bemused, Trisys tried to rotate the offered hand this way and that, examining.

"How..." Trisys looked up at the Khelari, a possibility forming. "Where did you get clean? May anyone go there?" Master had arrived with Paxtera in a tight group. Likely close proximity was required for her teleport. A proximity that would disable, even damage, the satyr.

If they could use whatever facilities the Khelari had nearby, the blood issue with Trisys could be quickly resolved and she would cease to detract from Master's purpose. Then Master could do... whatever he had wished to do that brought him here with the Gre'shil.

Trisys had backed up as far as she could while still being in ear shot. In vain she tried to swallow the dryness away, still too close to all the carnage to escape its influence on her.

The relief at not having the returning green Khelari be blood-covered was as short-lived as the stone encrusting the necklace, for her words indicated she, too, would soon carry traces of blood.

It would take a direct vocal command or wish from Jade as Master to get Trisys near. Nothing short would get her to run the risk of recontamination from the residue on her saviors.

Trisys whinnied. There really wasn't a closer term for it, except perhaps brayed. Jade's outstretched hand would have been less threatening as a hissing viper or a Rikti energy weapon discharging point blank.

Once more scrambling, Trisys used the opening left where Lazardarus moved from to backpedal. It was nearly an identical reaction to when Paxtera arrived in a time teleport with the group; save this time Trisys stole glances over her shoulder to see where she was going. She did not want a repeat blood bath. Nor to stumble into the Gre'shil or the grumbling Khelari.

"Please," Trisys begged of Jade, "Please, Master. It hurts... you're hurting me." She'd said it. Against better judgment, training, and experience. Trisys dreaded complaining, but the threat of experiencing blood touching her again was worse. Even Jade's shadow would be no refuge for Trisys until the blood of hunt/battle was as completely cleared from him as her.

The ever-informative acorn token noted that Lazardarus and Paxtera's daughters had the most of it, their observations deducing the bulk of what was going on with Trisys. Though it still refrained from pushing this or other status information about Trisys on Jade more than having the information available, as ever. Being magnanimous to Master or Bond was not its inclination.

The last trace of blood was wiped from her body. There was a pause as the final patch of color returned. Trisys blinked groggily, her vision not quite focusing on how the barren land greedily absorbed the excess water Jade squeezed from his cloth.

It wasn't just unto Jade the acorn-shaped connection offered torment. Sometime before being reset for use by Prosopopoeiasys it had gotten twisted out of true. It equally shared with the conduit exactly how her failings had resulted in the current predicament.

Thus Trisys knew of how Jade, Lazardarus, Ildela, and Kethara had had to go out of their way to rescue then recover her. The point of her existence was to be a support to Master, not the other way around. If she was capable of dying from embarrassment, the satyr would have fainted dead away at their feet.

For a fraction of a second it might have looked like she did just that, the way she collapsed down and tried to make herself as small as possible. Except a kneeling position bowed over to touch forehead to hands flat on the ground is more for extreme gratitude than grave. "Thank you," Trisys choked out. Possibly muffled by her submissive position but loud enough to reach her saviors.

Still Trisys felt unwell. Her vision remained blurry, unable to fully focus on the ground inches away. A dryness that had nothing to do with the volcanic air was causing her to pant and swallow convulsively.

She looked up. The four surrounding Trisys, Jade especially, shimmered as heat mirages. Further away the downed beast gave off waves like a roaring furnace, nearly drowning out the presence of Paxtera, Scar, and the other Gre'shil. The Khelari could not be seen.

It was the spilt blood. While Trisys was now clean, the liberated gore still swamped the satyr's senses, disabling her. The corpse was overwhelming. Yet it was the crowd encircling her, and the blood that remained on them, that confined Trisys. There was no room to flee.

Trisys shifted her weight nervously, the most movement she was capable of. Her amber eyes darting about were those of a frightened trapped animal.

It was the nature of Prosopopoeiasys to magnify karma. Carelessness to disaster, kindness to calming, mercy to healing. The greater the act, the greater the effect. A nudging that influenced things farther than otherwise possible. As happened here.

Trisys's ability to purify water was boosted.

Where Lazardarus's wet cloth passed, the water mixed with the blood and Trisys's power. The blood was then considered a contaminant of the water, and purified by transmutation into pure water. The same would be true for Jade, Ildela, and Kethara if their cloths were wetted with water. In addition to becoming much easier to remove, the blood was being turned to water, the cloths were wetted more, and the effect compounded. Not as dramatic as if Trisys had been immersed in a lake, yet still a small miracle.

The sticky remnants of feathers, hide, hair would quickly regain better coloring in the areas relieved of blood. A single drop of blood would worsen Trisys's overall condition, though for now further damage had curtailed to an almost-imperceptible crawl.

The more blood cleared, the more the remaining blood contrasted as if becoming neon. This was not actually so in the visible spectrum. Yet whatever the cause ensured that even moderate care would not accidentally overlook a harming spot.

There were two probabilities at this point.

First, the phenomenon was noticed and adjusted for. As the cloth was dampened beyond capacity, it could be used to wet others. It also would likely drip on blood not touching Trisys, showing the transformation effect lasted a short bit after touching her. The enhanced water could be used to cleanse not only the satyr but also all who encircled her. The end result would be blood remaining on neither Trisys nor those who administered this selfless act of mercy.

Alternatively, the cleaning continued as started. If persisted until all trace of blood was removed from Trisys, she could be cleaned. The cloths of those ministering relief would still have blood - though not as much as was removed. Furthermore, any blood brushed off without water would remain; most notably on Jade who had been in full contact with the Trisys to rescue her.

For a change of pace, here are a couple redside:

Recipes:
Recipe - (15) Seredipity: End/Rech
Recipe - (15) Invention: Endurance Red.

Trisys's condition was, as the Khelari noted, not good. Her normal earth brown tone was paled to a milk chocolate. Soon it would color to khaki, then chalk.

If Trisys had been fully aware of her surroundings, she would have offered humble thanks for the reassurances, beautiful music, and energies expended for her benefit.

Unfortunately her awareness was shrinking in direct proportion to her pain. Lazardarus's song did slow the injuries but even his tremendous gift could not reverse the effect. She could not even feel Jade's arms positioning her nearly weightless form. It was a paradox to the satyr that Master could be to blame for her failure, yet she as the servant could not contradict him. The point was moot as Trisys no longer possessed the strength to reply.

The problem was the weakness Trisys had in the presence of spilt blood. There were verying degrees due to how fresh the blood was shed from its host plus its proximity. A nearby kill could immobilize her. A ring of blood would trap her inside more effectively than a cage of steel. The direct touch of a few drops of blood subdued completely.

And the backside of Trisys was slimed with the behemoth’s blood. Possibly more of her, depending on how much was smeared around by Jade's ministrations.

Thanks to Lazardarus her hide did not boil or take physical damage. But the non-physical damage still progressed. Wherever blood was present was to Trisys as if caltrops dug in.

Most dangerous of all to her: Trisys could not help herself.

Another notch of awareness was lost, and the phantoms lost cohesion. The chorus of voices swelled inside Trisys's mind, further drowning out perceptions of reality. Trisys twitched, slowly tensing into a fetal position.

The moment of clarity passed. Blood quickly soaked into her mane, tattered feathers, and backside from the leaking gore. To Trisys everything hazed over in a matching red. Similar to Jade's crimson vision, save Trisys did not have the benefit of a computer to compensate. She fell instantly as though abruptly boneless or a puppet whose strings were cut.

Jade had assuredly rescued the satyr from being crushed by the behemoth. Trisys could not save herself. Could not even recognize that she was once again in Jade's embrace. To her everything was distant. Like being underwater or muffled in wool. Only in the extreme peripheral was Trisys aware of the flash of green on the fallen monster's back, the Gre'shil praising it, Lazardarus's caution of it, and Paxtera asking if it was a Khelari.

"Hey," Jade looked 'down' toward his chest at Trisys, "You okay?" Only because Master asked directly did the question get through.

"Nnooooo..." Trisys moaned in answer, her head lolling.

Her world had gone mad.

Trisys had been wrenched from her previous Master in the Rogue Isles. She had no idea if her token had come too. She had to hope it was findable, however much the evidence contradicted. The borrowed token could not sustain her indefinitely.

Commands had been given Trisys outside her range of abilities. Even when she was able to complete an assigned task with the pizzas, it went unused instead of appreciated. The result was Trisys felt unused and burdensome. That same task had not even afforded her the chance to touch her MotherEarth. The closest Trisys got was the concrete that clothed MotherEarth in the parts of Paragon accessed; as unable to communicate as trying to whisper through a dead phone line.

The voices, however, never ceased bewailing in Trisys's mind. A few at a time could be embodied in phantoms. Gladly they traded speaking to their conduit, Trisys, for the sensations of sight, smell, and touch. They were greedy, though, and milled in discontent for having once again nothing more to do while Trisys and Master lay inactive nearby.

Malice or hate, the second most debilitating thing for Trisys, had repeatedly bombarded her from battles or hunts or misconceptions. And now freshly spilled blood covered her hide. The former emotions were like shackles. Blood touching her was suffocating. It only took a few drops to subdue Trisys completely. This torture, well, it was enough to cause a normal human to faint into unconsciousness. Except that relief was denied to the EarthChild. That escape in these circumstances was overridden to be aware of further commands from Master that Trisys might need to fulfill.

All this and more before first nightfall had occurred for the newly-bonded. Not the worst day she had lived, though close.

It was normal for Trisys. Under no definition was it 'Okay'.

Was this low point avoidable? Likely. If Trisys had been more cautious, anticipating trouble any second perhaps surprise would not have disarmed her. The flight and free-reign of her purpose had given Trisys unwarranted confidence. If Jade had made a short command like 'I wish Trisys to know plans have changed to us joining her presently' there would also have been minimal surprise. Though that was not to be expected since no prior Master had been that courteous. If she had even retreated upward instead of backwards, Trisys could have avoided the present disaster.

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Oh wait. Trisys was an equine enabler of wishes, and beggars had become kings riding on her powers.

Yet it was not Trisys's place to question Master. So she hoarsely asked the same question to the universe, gazing heavenward for some celestial sign as if searching would part the cloud-covered sky: "Why?" Why had Paragon, her homesoil, her homesoul, been stolen away and become part of this strange land? Why was her existence one of pain, fear, and dependence for value from others? Why was she created weak, unparalleled to the requirements of her Master?

Things were worse than that. Master had risked himself, possible hurt, to cover her lapse. To top it all, Trisys had failed Master's wish. Trisys had not been careful, nor returned to him safe. The failure was as serious as a breached legal contract. Trisys could have her bond revoked by Master without him having to worry about consequences of karma.

A set of treats to launch the weekend...


Recipes:
Recipe - (25) Invention: Endurance Red. (2 available)
Recipe - (22) Rope-a-dope: Stun/Range
Recipe - (20) Invention: Accuracy
Recipe - (24) Scirooco's Dervish: Acc/Rech
Recipe - (23) Freebird: Fly
Recipe - (25) Invention: Run
Recipe - (24) Horror: Acc/End

To describe her reaction as surprised would be a slight understatement.

Empowered by the (misperceived) wish of Master, Trisys's speed far outstripping her normal limits. And what a flight it had been! She had purpose. Purpose was everything.

Then that purpose was shattered.

The monstrous beasts had been as easy to spot as the egg-thing and twin cities. A promising spot was picked a short distance away. Just prior to landing forms were begun to be given to the voices. Except instead of three phantoms on the ground there was abruptly a much larger crowd spawned around the satyr.

Trisys let out an alarmed sound somewhere between a bray and a whinny. Never having been exposed to even a peripheral of time travel before, she was confused, disoriented, and even a little hurt. Trisys didn't realize she was lashing out and possibly making connecting blows in her attempts to backpedal out of their midst.

A corner of her mind did recognize who they were. Paxtera, Kethara, Ildela, Lazardarus, or the Gre'shil could have been doppelgangers. But Jade was unmistakably her Master. His presence invalidated her purpose. In all her listening, Trisys had not put together enough clues to expect their arrival. Not knowing of Paxtera's ability to time teleport only compounded the confusion.

Trisys continued her retreat. Eyes filled with jumbled questions flickered from one to another, doubly so to Master. Another step and she bumped into something. Something large and breathing. In a moment of clarity, Trisys realized she had backed up against one of the beasts.

To complicate matters, the phantoms were following only seconds away in their need to remain in close proximity to Trisys or prematurely lose cohesion. If the beast was the slightest bit aggressive in response to the invasion of its personal space, the invincible phantoms would gleefully use the excuse to begin unleashing elemental-based attacks.

It is too bad that thoughts subconscious to Jade would be doubly unavailable to Trisys. Having the form of the resplendent Dragon would have been empowering, even glorious.

Still the clear wish for her to be careful and come back safely was beneficial. First the desire for her return was an assurance to Trisys that she was a benefit. Being unwanted and discarded was an ever-present dread. Second the instructions to be safe and careful would mean her actions would be curbed by cautiousness rather than recklessness. A good thing in regions as dangerous as Lazardarus had cautioned.

Thus Trisys galloped hard, reveling in the unbridled motion. Her invisibility was nearly complete save a faint shimmering as her presence briefly purified the air. High where there was less likelihood of random encounters Trisys practically flew. The landscape below became its namesake "Patches", with few details discernable.

Even from that altitude, though, the Twin Cities were hard to miss. Nor the mile-long furrow ending in an egg-shape looking... something. It might be the egg of one of the beasts she was seeking. However an egg would not be what Master needed for hunting. Finding that information took priority.

Once that primary objective was complete, Trisys would have the freedom (under her interpretation of Jade's wishes) to investigate anything else interesting, including the egg and the cities. Trisys would do so until Master had finished meeting the High Mother, Master wished her return, or she ran out of things to explore. Whichever came first.

True, Trisys could not know directly when Master would be away from the Gre'shil and their natural aggression that was debilitating to her. On the other hand she could know his position relative to herself. Jade would be elsewhere from where she had departed for a period of time. That new destination was expected to be with the High Mother. It was easy to presume when Jade next moved significantly that his meeting was concluded.

Trisys corrected her angle towards the supervolcano region coming into view.