FF: Two Worlds (Chapter 26: Gates of Necris)

["cilia" <cilia@xxxxx>]

Hey all,
Sorry, but only one chapter today, Brndn my beta and resident
dwarf-speak expert is in Indianapolis for the F1 Race on Sunday, but fear
not the Battle Of Necris will be brought to and end in next next week's
chapters,
Take care,
Cilia

Note: Explanations of the aura colors in the Two World Universe and the end
of the mail


-Two Worlds-
Cilia

Chapter 26: Gates of Necris

We reached the entrance to the Nether in seven days and stood on the
outskirts of Necris two days later. The main force was only two days behind
us. I did not like Necris from the very first time I saw it. I still don't
like it, but we didn't have much of a choice about entering.
We could hear the howls emanating from the city. They were unholy sounds
that put everyone on edge. Buffy ordered us to plug our ears with wax if we
couldn't bear it. I think she slipped more and more into her command persona
at this point.
Stjar'a seemed to feel a strange sensation of being at home, or at least
that's what she told me. As for me, well, I felt sick to my stomach. Maybe
it was the chaos and darkness the place seemed to radiate, although I didn't
know that at the time.
Buffy and Tark were on their toes, making sure that we were always ready to
fight and in top condition to do so. I think those two would have made a
great couple, if it hadn't been for Willow and Xare, of course.
The time spent waiting for the dwarves and the rest of our army, gave me
some much needed time to think about what the High Elf, Theris, had told me
in the forest. Nobody knew of my blessing, not even Stjar'a. Although I
suspect she knew something was going on by this point.
Words cannot describe the new things I was feeling. The power I felt pulsing
through me. Imagine looking at a person and seeing, instantly, whether or
not they were good or evil. Or pressing your hand to a rock and feeling it
speak to you in a voice older than anything you've ever heard. These were
among the things that I, a girl of no more than twenty years, was feeling.
Most beings undergo years of studies and preparations before being granted
even a fraction of what I was given. And it's all happening to me in a few
short days.

Grimm, my friend for so many years now, also found himself in a
strange position. He had leadership thrust upon him, like so many others
during that turbulent time. When we were in Larken, we had received several
dozen requests from the men of the city about joining our quest. All sorts
showed up, mercenaries, young men seeking fame and fortune and even some
bored city guards. I think some even showed up just to try to impress Buffy.
To keep everything under control, Buffy promoted him, of all people, to
Human liaison officer. This meant he was actually in command of the human
soldiers under her command. He undertook it with his usual charm.

When King Einar of Clan Thunderfoot and Theris arrived with the two
hundred dwarf soldiers, there was a huge gathering of all the royals,
leaders and generals of the Alliance. It was a tense meeting, to say the
least. The Drow were suspicious of the dwarves, the dwarves suspicious of
the drow and the human mercenaries and Drow Royals all grinding their teeth
over Buffy's lack of respect for them. It was only under the iron fist of
Willow and the calm presence of Theris that kept things from boiling over.
The battle was set for the next day.
-From the writings of Ranger Knight Cordelia Moondancer


-

There was the distinct sound of someone throwing up, then the typical follow
up, the coughing, and the hacking. Then it started over again.
Cordelia had gone in seek of Willow. Theris had said she would not be able
to guide her that each guardian had to find her own path. But that didn't
mean she couldn't ask for a little help here and there, right? And if there
was anyone she could talk to about this, it was Willow. She reached the door
and was ready to knock when the sickness took over yet again. The spells had
come about every so often since arriving in the Nether.

It's not everyday, Willow thought, that a door coughs and sputters
at you, but as she was approaching this one, that's what it did. I thought
she would just knock. She opened the door to find Cordelia sitting on the
ground, beside her a small pile of something better left undescribed.
"Cordelia?" Willow asked as she bent to her coughing friend. "Are you
okay? She patted her back softly as Cordelia slowly stood.
"Feel. sick," Cordelia answered as she wiped her mouth.
Willow helped her inside and onto the bed. After she had made sure her
friend wasn't going to fall off, she reached for a water bottle.
"You're not claustrophobic by any chance, are you?" Willow asked as she
handed it to her.
"No. no, just.*cough*. I just feel... sick. Everything... feels
wrong here," she answered vaguely and took a sip from the bottle.
"What's happening to you, Cordy?" Willow asked as she sat down
beside her on the bed. "And I want the whole truth," she added with a soft
look.
"I..." a deep breath, "I'm... well, changing... into what Theris
called a guardian of the natural order. I guess I'm becoming a... a ranger
of sorts." Cordelia answered, hoping that her friend and mage would
understand. After all those years in high school, now Queen C was the weak
one.
"Ah. Well, that would explain the aura shift I've been seeing in
you," Willow nodded.
"And she also... Aura shift? You saw an aura change in me?" Cordelia
asked.
"Well, yeah, I mean, you were shifting all over the place for a while,
but now... you're, like, mostly gold and green, but I can still see some
browns and grays blended in. You have a really organised aura, Cordelia.
It's pretty. But, you were saying something about what Theris told you about
this guardian thing?"
"Oh yeah, she also told me that I must figure it out for myself and, I
gotta tell ya, right now I'm really, really, confused," Cordelia exclaimed
as she rubbed her temples.
"Cordy, if I... understand all this correctly, then you are going
through a change. A radical change that very few humans ever undergo. The
sickness could be, well, related to the change," Willow said calmly, but
with a soft look in her eyes.
"But," Cordelia sighed. "You can't help me, can you?"
"I'm sorry, but... this is not the same thing as I went through.
You're not a mage. You. summon spirits and sense the living world around you
without even concentrating. I can't do that, not without casting a spell
that enables me to do so," Willow explained.
"So... you're saying that..."
"You're constantly connected to the living world," Willow tried to
explained, "And it's energies,"
"But you once told Amy that you are a living storage battery for
magical energies," Cordelia exclaimed.
"That I am. But I don't sense it, it just flows into to me. I can
just, like, tap into it without concentrating," Willow said. "I'm sorry, but
like I said, this is beyond even me."
There was a silence between the two. Cordelia rubbed her hips as she blew
out a breath, shook her head, and began to stand, but Willow spoke up.
"A piece of advice though. Whatever happens... just accept it,"
Willow said with a small smile. "Take it from someone who's been there."
"Thanks Will... I'll try," Cordelia said with a weak smile, turned,
and left.

-

"This is a bit too easy," Stjar'a thought aloud as she looked around
the camp. She was sitting atop a small outcropping just outside the city;
the lights of Necris shimmered before her like the glowflys in a whey field.
It might be relaxing, if not for the howls and screeches that were a
constant. It was an evil din that never seemed to cease for very long, so it
had become a constant background.
"Too easy?" a familiar voice asked. "Given the fight you had getting
here?"
"Goblins aren't that hard to eliminate," Stjar'a stated, not turning
around to face her grandmother.
"The goblins, yes. They are but the first line. The fighting is only
going to get worse," Piratess said from where she stood behind her.
"So, uh... this is your city," Stjar'a exclaimed and gestured across
the mass of lights that could be seen from deep inside the Nether.
"Our city," Piratess corrected.
"What's your interest in Grimm?" Stjar'a asked hoping to divert the
conversation away from it's usual direction, the one ending with her
storming off.
"I find him. interesting," Piratess answered with a mysterious grin.
"Interesting?" Stjar'a asked with a raised eyebrow and turned her
head.
"He is a thief, granted. But he's also... many other things... But
no matter what, he seems to be happy with his life," Piratess explained, "or
so he says. Of course, that was after his third bottle," she added. Stjar'a
couldn't help but giggle.
"Say, shouldn't you be with your ast'one?" Piratess asked as she sat
down next to her granddaughter.
"Cordy is out finding herself. With the High Elf," Stjar'a snorted.
"Jealous?" Piratess asked.
"No, not really, just... worried. She's changing, I can see that...
I just... don't understand it," Stjar'a said, surprised she was telling
Piratess this.
"She has accepted your heritage and in return you must accept
whatever path she chooses," Piratess said.
"I can do that, for her, but... something tells me you know more
then you're letting on," Stjar'a stated.
"I only know that your lover is becoming something rather powerful
and you must accept that change," Piratess explained.
"Would you accept her as my consort?" Stjar'a asked out of the blue.
Piratess looked at her granddaughter and thought for a moment... If she has
found true love.
"Yes, I would accept her, as your royal consort," she had to
concede.
"Thanks. That... that means a lot to me," Stjar'a said from under
heavy brows.
"And on that note," Piratess said as she pulled a small circlet from
underneath her cloak. "This is for you," she said and handed it to Stjar'a.
"What is this?" Stjar'a asked as she turned the silver tiara over in
her hands. It had a single red stone set in the center with beautiful silver
strands entwining it and intricate runes were interwoven throughout it.
"It is a battle crown. It will mark you as The Princess of Necris,"
Piratess answered.
"But I can't..." Stjar'a said as she tried to hand the crown back.
"Please, take it," The queen pleaded, "If something should... happen
to me in the coming battle, or if you find need to rally the Drow. This will
give you the authority you will need to do so," Piratess explained. "And...
it would make this old drow feel a little better when marching into battle,"
she added with a small smile.
Stjar'a frowned for a moment, the one she most did not want to be friends
with was getting to her.
"Then I will keep it close," Stjar'a finally nodded and placed it in a
pouch on her belt. "Tell me about Necris?" she asked as she looked
over the city again.
Piratess smiled as she started describing her home, the palace where her son
was born, the grand square, and various other places of importance to her...
their house and family history.

-

Buffy sat on a small rock surrounded by several of her soldiers. They were
preparing their weapons for the coming battle, sharpening swords, replacing
bowstrings, shinning their armor and so forth. She ran the whetstone over
the blade of her battle sword. With her sat Xare and Grimm, the newly
appointed Human Liaison Officer.
"Number One, how are the troops holding up?" she asked.
"Pretty well, the younger ones are excited to face battle, while the
veterans see it as just another battle before being able to return home,"
Xare answered.
"Grimm, the mercenaries?" she asked the thief, who was sharpening
his knives.
"They've been paid half and will fight for the other half," the
thief answered and inspected the edge of his knife.
"You're not planning to lead them with those, are you?" a drow asked
from behind him. The thief turned around to face a battle-scarred drow, with
long white hair and numerous earrings.
"Why? You don't think they'll respect me?" he asked.
"General's 'n leaders bare swords, laddy" a gruff dwarf's voice
stated.
"He's right Grimm," Buffy said with a nod, then pulled out her
crystal sword and passed it to Grimm. "Here, use this."
"I'm not really much of swordsman," Grimm said as he accepted the
sword.
"Bah! Dont 'ave ta be, just raise it o'er yer 'ead when ya're a
telling'em ta charge," the dwarf said as he stepped into view and everybody
snapped into line.
"King Einar," Buffy saluted.
"Carry on, carry on." the King huffed and sat down and started
sharpening his axe. "Just awanted ta be amon' some'o th' soldiers," he
explained. "Please dont be lettin me in'errupt."
"Wish I was leading," a young drow said after the soldiers had
adjusted to the king's presence.
"Trust me, it's not fun," Grimm exclaimed.
"But there is honor in it! It's the general that gets knighted, not
the foot soldier," the drow said.
"Hey, I'm no general, I got the job of leading these mercenaries
because my general thought I was on their level," Grimm exclaimed as he
stood to test the sword in his hands.
"Buffy, the points been broken," he said as he inspected the blade.
"And later repaired."
"There is a history behind that sword Grimm. One, maybe, you should
know," Buffy said. The soldiers stopped sharpening and all was quiet as the
activity around her stopped; the Generals stories were always a treat.
"This sword was originally bestowed upon Al'x Sun by King Vitor.
Then Al'x passed it to another. A good, brave man that died while saving my
friends and I. He used it to slay a powerful demon and the point broke off
when we pulled it from the demon's body," Buffy explained.
"Did this hero have a name?" the old drow asked.
"He was called Angel. Though, I later found out that he may have
been called Liam, once," Buffy said. "He was a vampire that died a mortals'
death."
"Where is the original point?" Grimm asked, having been inspecting
the blade closely through the story. "I can tell this isn't it."
"A friend has it," Buffy answered. "For safe keeping."

-

I guess we all said goodbye, or promised to survive, that night. Buffy spent
the night with her wife, just the two of them. Grimm sought out Piratess,
although I don't know what passed between them. I am pretty sure Amy found
Vitor, or maybe Vitor found Amy. Xare and Tark sat and talked, neither able
to sleep or maybe they just wanted to get to know each other better. As for
me, well, I spent it with my ast'one, my Stjar'a. I think that was the last
night I went to sleep as Cordelia Chase.
- From the writings of Ranger Knight Cordelia Moondancer

-

Al'x sat alone in the darkness of his tent. The messenger had arrived with
the battle plan for tomorrow, but something else was bothering him. Maybe it
was the story of the Black Dragon, that the Council had dismissed, or maybe
he was just getting paranoid in his old age.
"Al'x?" came a whisper, "you still awake?" Joyce asked quietly. She
had finally been able to persuade Gymli to rest from his vigilance over his
praying daughter. Ziel was praying for victory, of course, offering gifts to
the God of War.
"Yeah, come in. I can't sleep. You know, I haven't slept before a
battle in a long time," Al'x explained.
"Is it because of... the dreams?" Joyce asked as she sat on the edge
of the table.
"How did you-"
"I guessed. You once told me that you lost a woman you loved in
battle. I think I would dream about that, too," Joyce explained.
"These are nightmares, horrible ones. Ones that make me wake up
screaming. I... I don't want the soldiers to think that I'm scared," Al'x
explained as he rubbed his eyes.
"What if I watch over you?" Joyce asked. "I'll wake you up if I see
you having a nightmare," she offered.
"No, I couldn't. Plus, you need-"
"You and I both know that I don't need sleep. But you, my friend,
are only human and therefore you need it," Joyce said in a firm tone. "So
lie down on the bunk, mister, and get some sleep," she said and pointed to
the bunk.
"Yes ma'am," Al'x said with smile as he pushed himself away from the
desk.
Joyce watched as he blew out the candle and crawled under the blankets.
Perhaps this was the side of her that, no matter how much she changed, would
always remain. The need to look out for her extended family.
"You know, Al'x." she started, but heard soft snoring and smiled.
The Great Al'x Sun was out as soon as his head hit the pillow. "Sleep well,"
she whispered as she placed a soft kiss on his forehead. She sat down to
watch him, but after a moment her eyes fell on the black armor, neatly
folded on a chair and idea was born.

TBC...
More... as soon as Brndn gets back...

Explanations of the aura colors in the Two World Universe

Gold = High Beings/priests or priestesses: Theris, Joyce, Ziel and maybe
Buffy have this color.
Green = Warrior: Buffy, Tark and Al'x are good exampled.
Brown = Healer: Willow has displayed some talent for this.
Gray = Intellectual: think Giles.
Blue = Mage: Amy and Willow, although Willow projects a green or red color
when she spell casts.
Orange = Oracle: once mentioned that Al'x has this coloring along with his
natural Green.