The warpwood grove keens and moans as the dusty wind blows through the dry, seemingly dead branches of the alien trees. The ground is cracked, with only a few scraggly growths of stubborn vegetation and patches of brown grass to give any testament to life here. That and the occasional piles of bones, some of which are still pink from the flesh that once covered them.

A cheetah in wrappings and a cloak of mottled tan takes the lead of the small party, his adornment serving as a camoflage that lets him almost blend in with his surroundings when he stops and stands still.

The cheetah pauses, inspecting some of the pink bones, then tosses them aside, and motions back to the black Khatta and a second cheetah behind him.

The black cat, Jynx, makes his way up to the cheetah tracker, crouching beside him. "What did you find, Far-Strider?"

Far-Strider signs, "Beast-men." He points to the bones. "One of them, eaten by them. Fresh kill. Many tracks." He makes a sweeping gesture to the ground, though no such tracks are readily visible. "We are close."

A robed cheetah comes up behind the Khatta. He signs, "I sense greater disturbances here. We are getting deeper into the Forbidden Zone … but it is impossible to tell for sure if that means we draw closer to the Artifact as well."

Jynx wrinkles his nose it disgust, "They're cannibals? Just when I thought I had heard it all… " He then looks back at the mage Calm-Sky. "What kind of disturbances do you mean?"

Calm-Sky signs slowly, holding a dimly glowing ball of crackling energy in one hand. "Magic is wild here. Wilder as we go in."

The black Khatta's fur stands on end, "Oh yeah, those guys, now I remember." He shudders, and gives another look around. "I remember this place now; I was here once. Those… beasts kill each other. They're completely wild. I remember these little fish things; we better be on the lookout for them." He blinks at the ball of magic Calm-Sky holds. "Will you still be able to control your own magic?"

Calm-Sky signs, "If it gets out of control, I will snuff it."

Far-Strider waves from further ahead, having found something more. He gestures for Jynx and Calm-Sky to catch up, pointing at gouges in the earth, and gesturing to a wide path formed by gaps in the warpwood trees. A quick look identifies it as the "airship road" from Jynx's dream. It was real after all!

Jynx runs over to the tracker cheetah, "This was in my dream," he signs, "the landship!" He looks over to Calm-Sky, "The Landship in my dream I was telling you about – These are the tracks it left. Maybe if we follow, we can find the cave too." He stands back up, "We had better keep our eyes peeled; they travel fast."

The two cheetahs nod, and for now Far-Strider shares the lead with Jynx. It takes a long journey further inward, and Calm-Sky's lightning-ball flickers more frequently than before, but the ground becomes more rocky and broken, and at last a gaping cave mouth can be seen ahead. It is dark within.

The ebon feline quickly dodges for cover, motioning for his companions to do likewise. He peers at the cave, trying to discern if this is the cave of his dream.

The cheetahs find rocks to hide behind, and Far-Strider might as well have vanished into thin air. The mage does his best to hide his mage-light under his cloak. The cavern ahead is unmistakeable. It is the one from the dream, only this time it's for real.

Trying his best to be quiet and unseen, Jynx slowly starts to slink towards the cave entrance, motioning for the mage to be careful. He looks around for Far-Strider, but is unable to locate him. As he gets closer to the cave mouth, he searches for the tell tale signs of the Landship, and the beasts and babies as well.

As Jynx approaches, a dim light can be seen within … the light from the braziers of the idol, mostly blotted out by the large form of the "landship". The cries of cubs, pups, kittens and colts can be heard, sobbing quietly in the misty gloom.

Tail thrashing, Jynx looks back to Calm-Sky and signs for him to come closer. "This is the place!" Jynx's temper begins to rise, and he draws his daggers.

Slowly, Jynx makes his way closer to the cave, tensing just in case he should run into trouble.

A few voices can be heard echoing in the tunnel. Yes, the pirates are here. By the slurred voices, those he can hear are drunk. Chances are that the same can't be said for ALL of them, though, once he finds them.

The black cat sneaks up to the side of the cave mouth, cocking an ear inside to try and make out the words of the intoxicated bunch.

"Heh. Ya know … some day I'm gonna STRANGLE it out of that fop. I want that Artifact … I want it NOW! Heh … " slurs a big horse.

"Say it, brother!" slurs a laughing Jupani, seated on a wooden crate.

Jupani? Jynx doesn't remember any wolves in his dream. He puts the thought aside for the moment and continues to listen. Appearantly, Palao Alto is elsewhere.

A cub whimpers nearby, and his stomach can be heard growling.

"SHADDUP!" whinnies the horse. He throws a bottle in the direction of the cage.

The black Khatta's ears flatten, and his muzzle wrinkles in anger. Taking a risk, he peers around the edge of the cave to glance inside.

The bottle shatters against the cage, sending shards of glass raining down. The cub squeals hysterically. A colt nearby whinnies in fear as well.

"SHADDUP, I said!" brays the pirate horse, as he gets up on his hooves. He is joined only by the wolf … plus a couple of prone felines who appear to have not held their liquor well. "You blasted little spawn! Suck up that Artifact Energy, and turn into a monster to make yer daddy PROUD!"

Jynx fights back both a snarl and the urge to jump in and attack the group. This is the Rhian's own child? What kind of barbarians are they? He looks back to Calm-Sky, motioning that he is about to go in, since that seems the only thing to do now.

Calm-Sky nods, then signs, "If you need support, just give a signal." He gestures to his faintly glowing cloak meaningfully.

the black Khatta gives a nod in return, then with a final breath, slips quickly inside the cave, diving behind the first cover he can find, and hoping that he wasn't seen.

The dead gaze of the idol stares down at the room, littered with half-filled crates, some pried open, revealing stashes of bottled spirits inside … many of them emptied by those few gathered in the voluminous chamber.

Jynx jumps behind one of the crates, daggers at the ready. Keeping an ear and an eye out for the pirates, he starts to sneak over to the idol. The smell of the spirits fill his nose, and he tries to keep from getting nausious.

The black Khatta makes a very good job of sneaking across the mostly open chamber, darting from crate to crate to rubble to crate … but, alas, one of the emptied bottles tossed aside by the Jupani just happens to roll across his path … as he's stepping down.

With feline agility, he keeps from falling on his tail, but the bottle shoots away from under his foot and shatters against the rock wall nearby. "Whazzat?" barks the Jupani, as he fumbles for his crossbow.

Jynx dives behind another crate, crouching down and keeping his daggers ready. His tail trashes nervously as he mentally curses at himself.

The horse tosses another bottle in the direction of Jynx's hiding place. "A vermite or somepin'. Gish it for me, wouldja, Lockjaw?"

Oh great, Jynx thinks to himself, heart sinking. Tightening into as small a space as he can, the cat tries to stay hidden, hoping the drunken pirate overlooks him.

*CRASH* Splinters of glass dig into the Khatta's fur and clothes, and thick liquor soaks in.

The Jupani lumbers over, staggering as he loads his crossbow. "Heeeeere vermyvermyvermy… "

"Gonna feed you to Captain Swiftkick's boy, heh!" the Jupani barks.

"Dagh loves you, Lockjaw!" yells the horse, as he flings a bottle in the Jupani's direction. It shatters against one foot of the stone idol.

Jynx jolts, fighting every urge to jump up and bolt. Shivering, and now smelling like a bottle of cheap whiskey, he stays put, cringing at the bits of glass digging into his skin.

The Jupani lumbers over, until he's looking down over the crate. "Heyyyy." The Khatta has been spotted.

Just then the Khatta notices something: the bottle that the Rhian threw. It shattered against the foot of the idol! Jynx's heart races, if the idol is solid, then his dream may be wrong. All of this is forgotton quickly, however, as the Khatta is spotted by the wolf. His cover blown, Jynx leaps up and slashes at the drunken lupine, giving a leonine snarl.

Two daggers flash, soon stained crimson. The lupine verbally assaults the Khatta's parentage with one last profanity, as he slumps to the ground.

The horse pirate's nostrils flare as they pick up the scent of shed blood. He stands upright, and the haze of liquor clears from his eyes. He grasps a bone scimitar with a firm hand and draws it from its scabbard. "Son of Shikouju! You're MINE!"

Panting heavily, Jynx leaps against the wall, not even realizing what he has just done. Right now, he doesn't care. He crouches into a defensive position, heart racing wildly as he prepares for the Rhian's onslaught. Giving a fast glance outside the cave, he hopes that his fellow travellers can see what situation he's in.

A quick glance outside the cave reveals … more moving shadows. More pirates! Apparently they've come to see what the commotion is about!

A quick glance doesn't reveal how MANY, though. Maybe five … maybe fifty? Time to count LATER!

Jynx gulps, that's NOT what he wanted to see. Deciding that being against the wall may not be the best place, Jynx bolts for one of the larger crates, putting something between him and the Rhian, plus any arrows that may decide to fly his way.

The Rhian charges up to the crate, cleaving through the wood with a mighty sweep of his thick bone blade. A whinny that almost sounds like a roar echoes through the cavern. "DIE!" is all he manages to say by way of challenge as he pursues the Khatta, cleaving through all obstacles.

Jynx's jaw drops, but he quickly bolts away for more cover. "Sorry, but I don't feel like it today, maybe tomorrow!" The words may be cocky, but inside the Khatta is anything but. How can he fight something like this? He continues to dodge the sword as best he can, waiting for an opening.

The Rhian is full of fury, an immortal strength filling him. How can he possibly maintain such power, under the influence of so many bottles of spirits? One hit with that blade, and Jynx's adventures will surely be over.

Horrifyingly aware of this fact, the black Khatta forgets hsi defensive stance and goes into an all out sprint. Spying the giant Landship, he makes a break for it, hoping to find a way aboard, and maybe a way to get closer to the idol. He flashes a few handsigns of help over his head, hoping that they may be seen.

Sprinting up the gangplank, the Khatta soon finds himself on the deck of the airship. The envelope is collapsed in a recess on the deck, neatly folded up. There are several hoses that run to the envelope, with receptacles where glass orbs can be fitted – the sort of thing Jynx has seen on many airships before, where compressed gases are stored in small containers, for use in filling up a leaking or deflated envelope. Otherwise, the deck is mostly empty, save for a few empty crates, some scattered bones (?!), and a lute that rests on a stand near the prow.

Jynx runs accross the deck, making his way over the envelope. As he runs he tries to snatch up the lute, stopping near one of the glass orbs, breathing heavily.

The heavy pounding of the hooves of the Rhian can be heard, as he charges up the gangplank, shaking the wood violently with each step.

There is a loud crash of thunder at the entrance to the cave, and a flash of light. Several shrieks, yelps and curses can be heard.

Breath halting for a few seconds, the Khatta looks to the opening of the cave. He grins slightly, looks like they saw his calls for help. He quickly looks back to the Rhian, putting the envelope between them, and making his way towards one of the hoses. He picks it up, and nervously looks to see how to turn it on.

There's a wooden turn-handle that would do the job. Fairly simple arrangement, and minus the usual safety measures that would be required on a law-abiding vessel of this type.

Jynx sheaths his daggers, and waits for the Rhian to make his way over. He puts his hands on the wooden handle, and utters a silent prayer to the Star that his idea works.

The horse storms up the rest of the gangplank, his eyes full of fire. Again, all he can manage to bellow is "DIE!"

Jynx gritting his teeth and squinting his eyes, Jynx opens the valve on the hose to full blast! He fight the hose as best he can to control it, and aims it squarely at the Rhian!

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Gas, under high pressure as it is released from the hose, jets out toward the Rhian. He shields his face from the blast of highly-flammable gases.

Jynx, far lighter, flies backward, still hanging onto the wildly-flopping hose.

"Yaaiiiieeee!" The Khatta grabs ahold of the hose, digging his claws into it! He hangs on tight as the hose wildly flips back and forth, around and around. By the way, what's that smell? "Uh oh… "

The Khatta's hold on the hose is lost as he goes flying off the side, over toward the caged cubs and colts, behind the parked airship. The Rhian recovers from the blast of gases long enough to see the flopping hose, as it shoots toward the idol. The idol holding burning braziers.

"DAGH!" shrieks the Rhian. The Khatta can't see what happens next, though a *BOOM* fills his ears … and he tumbles down a pile of crates and cages, landing in a bruised heap at the bottom. Ouch.

Although trying his best to maveuver his body into a not-as-painful-as-it-could-be landing, the effort is useless, and he slams down hard. On pointy cages no less. Ouch indeed. "Oooogh… " He gives his head a shake, tries to stand, and looks up to the airship. Not the effect he had hoped for, but it'll work in a pinch.

The cubs and colts are bawling their heads off. But at least it means they're still alive.

The lute that Jynx grabbed a moment ago is lying on a crate nearby. Amazingly, it's still in one piece.

Making sure the cubs and colts are alright for the time being, Jynx sprints over towards the idol, snatching up the lute on his way. He's got to see if his dream was right, but the whines of the young creatures tears his heart in two.

The idol has been broken asunder by the force of the blast, and the "landship" doesn't look terribly mobile right now. The statue is most certainly no illusion, but it is not as solid as it seemed. It has broken away, revealing a chamber beyond. The braziers are gone – the cavern partially lit by scattered flames amidst the crates – but a light filters through the smoke from within the chamber. An object that seems fashioned of molten crystal rests there, casting light from itself.

The fire makes Jynx's eyes twinkle, or is it the Artifact? No matter which, he has found it! He climbs over the rubble left from the hollow idol, first motioning to the outside of the cave, "I've found it!!" Not waiting for the others, he springs inside the cavern, headed straight for the artifact.

Inside the chamber, Jynx finds it filled with an odd collection of treasure. Chests stuffed with yellowed scrolls, shelves lined with books, a rack with several instruments – with metal fittings – resting against the wall. But in the center is the Artifact, glowing with a power all its own, beckoning to the black Khatta. "You have come," whispers a voice in Jynx's mind – a voice that is not really heard, but felt, as if in the deepest, most primal part of the Khatta's being. Not heard … but understood.

The black Khatta stares at the Artifact, then shakes his head. Did he really just hear that? He continues forward cautiously, although the urge to snap up the Artifact and take off with it is a strong one. "Wh-who are you? How did you know I was c-coming?"

"I am the servant of the one who wields me. It was for such purpose that I was created," a whisper echoes within Jynx's mind, in a voice that sounds like it might be his own, or from some distant memory. "I know because you know. My will is yours. It is my purpose to serve. You are my new owner. What is your bidding?"

Jynx shudders nervously, he knows that the artifact is dangers, and he knows that he was told to avoid it… but it sounds so sincere… so familiar… so powerful. Eyes wide, he slowly comes to stand next to the Artifact. He begins to open his mouth, but then something intervenes: he's a merchant's brat, and he knows to be skeptical of all deals. "Wh-what's the catch?"

There is a pause, and then Jynx feels deep within his inner being, "I was created by ancient ones of this world to tend to it. I was granted great powers concerning the development of life here. Whatever your wishes, they can be granted, so long as they pertain to this world, and no other. Your wishes will be fulfilled. You will be satisfied."

Swallowing hard, and taking a deep breath, Jynx shuts his eyes. Finally giving in to his impulses, although his mind screams for him not to, he grabs ahold of the Artifact. "Th-then get me, my friends, and the captive children out of here… p-please?"

There's a warm feeling in the pit of Jynx's being. A feeling of power. Whatever he desires, it will be granted. The power is his. His to command.

Nothing can stop his will.

The midnight furred cat open his eyes, his body no longer shivering, no fear at all for that matter. "Get us away from this place!" His stutter gone, he speaks in a clear and commanding tone.

"Where do you wish to go, Jynx?"

"The City of Hands," comes the Khatta's reply. His mind wanders over first punishing the pirates, but some part of him represses the urge… for now.

The surroundings melt away … and Jynx is in the City of Hands, along with all the rescued children and his friends. He's safe … and the Artifact is in his hands … and nothing is impossible for him.

Thought run through the feline's head, thoughts of wealth… of revenge… of vast lands and lordings… of power. He grasps the Artifact like a starving man to a piece of steak, his mind rolling over all the possibilities, ignoring his surrounding. Nothing is impossible! Finally, raising the Artifact above his head, his eyes sober, determined, and full of power… he drops the Artifact to the ground! Blinking a few times at his new surroundings, the cat gives one last tired look around, eyes rimmed, then collopses to the ground, passing out as all the world goes dark…

(Log stopped Mon Feb 1 1999 08:58 PM by "Greywolf" at "Old Mission Street"