Sophia's Choice...

[wolfie2kX 528]

OK folks. Today we've got another installment ready to go. And there will be a few more bombshells... Today we delve into the history of Ancaria. And yes, there will be some bombshells dropped..!

 

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Millennium Weed

Just as they got past the crossing hallway, a Seraphim came running from the other end of the hallway. “SOPHIA!” the voice called.

“Over here!” Sophia replied.

“Thank the creator!” the shape resolved itself as Manda who appeared to be out of breath as if she had been running all the way from Seraphim Island.

“Manda! What’s the matter?” Sophia asked.

“I figured out what they gave Lurinda and the guard. And it’s NOT good!” Manda said as she caught her breath.

“What was it?”

“That’s just it. I don’t remember! I know I’ve seen the symptoms before. I know I’ve dealt with it in the past as well. But for the life of me, I can’t remember what this substance is!”

“You’re right, it’s not good,” Sophia replied. “Maybe TARA might know. Let’s go back and see if it can find a solution.”

With that, Sophia and everyone else went back to the small room at the end.

“TARA, we need some more information.” Sophia said.

The light column once again coalesced into the image of a Seraphim.

“Hello again, Queen Sophia. TARA is online. How may I assist?”

“My chief surgeon, Manda is trying to treat a pair of Seraphim.”

“TARA recognizes Physician Manda. Please describe the symptoms your patients are suffering from.”

“They both have had a small puncture wound on their necks. At the injection site, there is a small lump that is relatively hard. I was able to extract a small sample of the substance from the wounds in both necks. Analysis of the substance seems familiar to me but I can’t for the life of me tell you what it is. Both patients are sound asleep. They can’t seem to wake up. I’ve tried the usual course of stimulants without any success.”

“Accessing... Does either of your patients exhibit any signs of fever or other illness?”

“No. They just appear to be in a very deep sleep.” Manda added.

“Accessing... Describe the substance you’ve removed from the patients.”

“It appears to be a yellow, oily substance that defies conventional analysis. I’ve run comparisons against all known Ancarian herbs without success. It seems hauntingly familiar, but I just do not recall what it is.”

“Accessing... There is a 94% probability that the substance in question is Millennium Weed.” TARA concluded.

“What is Millennium Weed?” Manda asked.

“Millennium Weed is a plant that grows in the desert region of Ancaria. It can remain dormant for one thousand years, hence the name. The effects of Millennium Weed are: In small doses, the herb’s sap can block long term memories. The person ingesting the sap will fall asleep for a period of a day and wake up with his mind cleansed. In large doses, the effects can be a complete wipe of the ingester’s mind, long term sleep and eventual death by starvation.”

“Is there an antidote?” Manda asked.

“Accessing... This may take some time... Please be patient and wait.”

“Can you give me an estimate on how long it can take?” Sophia asked.

“Unknown, There are fifty-two billion, three-hundred eighty four million, nine hundred thirty two thousand, two hundred and forty seven records to sift through that may have relevance to being an antidote to Millennium Weed toxicity. There are a further twenty two million related records of a non-medical origin.”

“I suppose we will need to sit and wait,” Sophia said.

“I can’t,” Manda countered. “I need to be with my patients. Can you wait here for the information?”

“Of course. Go and take care of Lurinda and the guard. It will give me a chance to sit down and read the documents I found earlier.”

“Did you say Lurinda?” TARA asked.

“Yes, I did.”

“Seraphim Lurinda?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, override procedure is in effect. All primary and sub processors are now engaged in this task. This hologram will now terminate in order to devote all resources to the task of finding an antidote.”

The hologram vanished as before.

Shortly after, the librarian arrived in TARA’s room.

“What did you do?” she said.

“We asked TARA to find a cure for something called Millennium Weed poisoning. Everything was going fine until Sophia mentioned that Lurinda was the one affected.” Manda said, “and then TARA said something about an ‘override procedure’ and it would put all of its efforts to the task.”

“Lurinda was given Millennium Weed? This is very, very bad.” The color drained from the librarian’s face.

“Yes, it is! Lurinda is an invaluable resource to me.” Sophia said.

“No. You fail to understand the implications. Lurinda is far more special than you realize. There are only three beings on the whole of Ancaria that have not been exposed to Millennium Weed’s effects – Maria, Lurinda and myself.”

“What do you mean by ‘been exposed’,” Sophia asked.

“It has to do with the heritage of the Seraphim. Our legacy, if you will.”

“You mean our blood and the effect it has on evil?” Sophia asked.

“Precisely! Every once in a while, our secret stops being a secret. To preserve our race, a plan was put into place. Whenever our secret becomes too broadly known, Millennium Weed has been used to make people forget that piece of information. Unfortunately, Millennium Weed isn’t quite so discriminating to only remove just that one fact from someone’s mind. If it wipes out one memory, it wipes all memories.”

“Somehow that doesn’t sound like a good thing.”

“No. It isn’t. It’s not just that people forget that one little secret, they wind up forgetting important things – like how to grow crops, how to take care of themselves and worst of all, they forget who and what they are.”

“This sounds like more trouble than it’s worth!” Sophia replied.

“Nor does it sound ethical – from a medical point of view,” Manda added.

“It is quite a lot of trouble, but necessary, if you ask me. On the other hand, it is FAR, far worse if people were actively hunting Seraphim to drain them of their blood just to purify some evildoer. I presume you would rather not spend the rest of your life sitting in some cage in a laboratory somewhere being bled dry, slowly to suit some lord’s whims.”

“I see the point. I suppose there are indeed times when we have to do things that may do harm to someone in order to keep them alive.” Manda replied.

“Indeed. One must balance the greater good for the greater number,” the librarian said. “We Seraphim have ruled this world for a very long time and we’ve had to keep things in balance each and every day. Some times we’ve done better than others.”

“So... Then the year 2494 of the First Elven Empire, I assume that the information TARA dug up was just so much smoke and mirrors.” Sophia asked.

“What do you mean?”

“TARA told us there were no significant events in that year.”

“Hmmm. It’s been a very long time. But if I remember correctly – and I generally do – that particular year was a very ugly one. The details aren’t particularly important; suffice it to say that an evil force arose on Ancaria. Maria herself went after the evil herself. In order to save the life of an Elven prince, she had to use her blood to vanquish the evil.

“Unfortunately, the prince in question was a bit of a blabbermouth. He wound up telling everyone on Ancaria about the secret. There was nothing we could do to stop him from doing so.”

“So the Seraphim used Millennium Weed?”

“Yes. Much to our regret, it was necessary. We could no longer walk among the people of Ancaria comfortably as we once did. People once looked at Seraphim as friends, but after prince blabbermouth told everyone, we were looked on differently. Some looked at Seraphim and thought that we were an easy means for profit. Bounties were being offered by various lords and barons – offering a huge pile gold for every Seraphim captured alive.”

“Dark times, indeed.” Sophia interjected.

“Our second darkest hour, actually,” the librarian corrected.

“Second darkest?” Sophia asked.

“The only hour darker was that when the Creator left us.”

“Who would come up with such a thing as this?” Manda asked.

The librarian looked at Manda with surprise, “Why... You did, of course.”

“I DID:)” Manda said with shock.

“Of course you did. Who else but the Seraphim’s finest doctor ever?” the librarian said. “Don’t be too surprised. There’s no one else Maria would have entrusted with this project.”

“I just don’t see myself ever agreeing to do anything like this.” Manda protested.

“You didn’t – at first. Not until you saw what the one of the barons did to one of our sisters. Your reaction to what they had done to her was almost on the verge of anger. Through your ministrations, that sister managed to recover fully. She was also dosed with the weed – to forget the awful pain and torture she endured for SIX months until Maria herself found out where they were keeping her and rescued her.

“If I couldn’t willingly do this to others, I don’t see how I would willingly do it to myself.” Manda protested.

"Let’s just say that what they had done to her was unspeakable. But your reluctance to do it then and the aftermath of guilt was also why you dosed yourself with Millennium Weed. You did it because the only other option was equally unacceptable.”

“Which was?’ Manda asked.

“Death...” the librarian replied. “Maria, Lurinda and I were worried about you. You were on the brink of killing yourself. We were relieved when we found you dosed with the weed. You were able to recover your skills – and your passion for healing fully.”

“So what happened to the Seraphim that was captured and tortured?”

“Why not ask her yourself? She’s standing right in front of you. Sophia, turn around and take off your chest plate.”

“Me? What do you mean?”

“Please, just do it. Manda needs to see your back.”

“Very well,” Sophia agreed and removed her chest plate and turned around.

“Note the very faint scars?” the librarian said.

“Yes.”

“When we found Sophia in the dungeon, these were huge, infected gashes. The baron in question was a very depraved and sadistic individual. He had her flogged daily with a sharp-whip. There was barely any skin or flesh on her back when she was rescued. But thanks to your determination, she recovered physically with flying colors. Her mental state, on the other hand – not so much, That is, until she was given the Millennium Weed. From that point on, Maria made it a point to keep an eye on her which is likely also why Sophia is now wearing her crown.”

“Can I put my armor back on yet? It’s freezing in here.” Sophia asked.

“Go right ahead. And by the by, TARA made these documents for you. You really must be very, very careful with these. They must not fall into the wrong hands. Certain information contained in these documents could and would upset the balance of power if they fell into the wrong hands.”

“I’ll be extra careful with them.” Sophia promised. “By the way, who is Urisa’N TachYon?”

“Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in eons... However did you come across that bit of information?”

“I am researching our little secret.” Sophia replied.

“Whatever for? Little good can come of it, you know,” the librarian said.

“I’m beginning to see the implications, but on the other hand, it means the life of an entire race.”

“An entire race?” The librarian asked skeptically. “To my knowledge, there are no races on Ancaria that are in imminent danger.”

“Yes. An entire race.”

“Which one?”

“The Dragons! Loromir and Orphas – come in here for a moment.”

“Coming!” Loromir said.

“Dragons? You mean those huge flying lizards that have been terrorizing Ancaria for the past decade?”

“The very ones!

“Sophia, I know I sound like I’m talking out of turn, but have you lost your senses?” the librarian asked.

“Hardly. You see, the Loromir is the Dragon who killed Maria. And before you say or do anything rash, he did it by biting her. Some of her blood got into his mouth. Think of the implications. Her blood removed the evil from his being. He is now on our side – as is Orphas. Loromir spotted him arriving with another Human. He subdued Orphas and I dripped some of my blood into his mouth – he too is free of evil.”

“In that case, I can see the reason behind the sudden interest in this subject. I take it then; you are trying to come up with a way to liberate their entire race.”

“Yes, that’s pretty much the plan.” Sophia nodded.

“I suppose that’s admirable. But be aware, the path you are on is quite dangerous for everyone concerned. I don’t know much about the current situation in the world given I’m still three centuries behind the times, but I do know that should this secret get out, the consequences may be much harsher than you might think.

“Back in the days of the First Elven Empire, there were far fewer people alive than there are today – of course; I’m assuming the population is equal to or higher than it was as of the last census of 4150. It took all of us nearly fifty years to recover from the last time Millennium Weed was used. There were many casualties. We lost about twenty percent of the population due to starvation, disease and other related issues.”

Manda’s face blanched. “TWENTY PERCENT?” She was nearly in tears.

“Yes. Twenty percent – this is why I am cautioning you to be extremely careful. I don’t think I have to tell you that a repeat of the Millennium Weed incident would be far worse this time around.“

“Why would it be far worse this time?” Sophia asked.

“Because our numbers have thinned over the years, that’s why. We were stretched pretty thin back then. We don’t have the numbers now to cover half of what we were able to do then.”

“In that case, we will have to be extra careful.” Sophia replied. “By the way – who was Urisa’N TachYon?”

“Oh yes... You could say she was our mother.”

“Then she is the creator?” Sophia said, with a look of wide-eyed wonder.

“Not exactly, but certainly one of the Creator’s most holy minions. She was from what I’ve heard, somewhat like Manda. She worked on various projects for the Creator. It’s all there in those writings you requested. Why not take some time to read them for yourself?”

“I think I will.” Sophia said, "Thanks..."

[Ysne58 236]

Yep. Quite amazing!

[wolfie2kX 528]

I do believe I've found something interesting, with regards to our lead characters - the Seraphim. I was poking around on dictionary.com and found the following entry on the word's origins all the way at the bottom of the entry...

 

 

seraph

1667, first used by Milton (probably on analogy of cherub/cherubim), singular back-formation from O.E. seraphim (pl.), from L.L. seraphim, from Gk. seraphim, from Heb. seraphim (only in Isa. vi), pl. of *saraph (which does not occur in the Bible), probably lit. "the burning one," from saraph "it burned."

 

Seraphs were traditionally regarded as burning or flaming angels, though the word seems to have some etymological sense of "flying," perhaps from confusion with the root of Ar. sharafa "be lofty." Some scholars identify it with a word found in other passages interpreted as "fiery flying serpent."

 

Note the final line in the text - "fiery flying serpent"...

 

There was another entry from the Bible Dictionary:

 

 

Seraphim definition

mentioned in Isa. 6:2, 3, 6, 7. This word means fiery ones, in allusion, as is supposed, to their burning love. They are represented as "standing" above the King as he sat upon his throne, ready at once to minister unto him. Their form appears to have been human, with the addition of wings. (See ANGELS.) This word, in the original, is used elsewhere only of the "fiery serpents" (Num. 21:6, 8; Deut. 8:15; comp. Isa. 14:29; 30:6) sent by God as his instruments to inflict on the people the righteous penalty of sin.

 

This also mentions Seraphim being "fiery serpents" and mentions they were went to kick arse on bad people.

[Omnicide 26]

 

I do believe I've found something interesting, with regards to our lead characters - the Seraphim. I was poking around on dictionary.com and found the following entry on the word's origins all the way at the bottom of the entry...

 

 

seraph

 

1667, first used by Milton (probably on analogy of cherub/cherubim), singular back-formation from O.E. seraphim (pl.), from L.L. seraphim, from Gk. seraphim, from Heb. seraphim (only in Isa. vi), pl. of *saraph (which does not occur in the Bible), probably lit. "the burning one," from saraph "it burned."

 

Seraphs were traditionally regarded as burning or flaming angels, though the word seems to have some etymological sense of "flying," perhaps from confusion with the root of Ar. sharafa "be lofty." Some scholars identify it with a word found in other passages interpreted as "fiery flying serpent."

 

Note the final line in the text - "fiery flying serpent"...

 

There was another entry from the Bible Dictionary:

 

 

Seraphim definition

mentioned in Isa. 6:2, 3, 6, 7. This word means fiery ones, in allusion, as is supposed, to their burning love. They are represented as "standing" above the King as he sat upon his throne, ready at once to minister unto him. Their form appears to have been human, with the addition of wings. (See ANGELS.) This word, in the original, is used elsewhere only of the "fiery serpents" (Num. 21:6, 8; Deut. 8:15; comp. Isa. 14:29; 30:6) sent by God as his instruments to inflict on the people the righteous penalty of sin.

 

This also mentions Seraphim being "fiery serpents" and mentions they were went to kick arse on bad people.

-Cool info.

 

Also, the last chapter in your story was quite intriguing.

[Etherian 76]

A 20% population reduction would be severe. Add this time around, the outcome would be much worse is catastrophic. To think the Seraphim cannot procreate!

 

Another *two thumbs up*.

 

I remain,

[wolfie2kX 528]

A 20% population reduction would be severe. Add this time around, the outcome would be much worse is catastrophic. To think the Seraphim cannot procreate!

 

Another *two thumbs up*.

 

I remain,

 

Just to be clear - It wasn't the Seraphim who lost 20%... It was everyone ELSE's populations - the Dwarves, the Humans, the Elves, the Orcs, the Lizardmen, and even the Kobolds that were affected.

[Etherian 76]

 

A 20% population reduction would be severe. Add this time around, the outcome would be much worse is catastrophic. To think the Seraphim cannot procreate!

 

Another *two thumbs up*.

 

I remain,

 

Just to be clear - It wasn't the Seraphim who lost 20%... It was everyone ELSE's populations - the Dwarves, the Humans, the Elves, the Orcs, the Lizardmen, and even the Kobolds that were affected.

 

Thanks wolfie. I obviously missunderstood. Could have swore it pertained to the Seraphim getting wiped out after their last bout with Millenium Weed.

 

Ah well...live & learn.

 

I remain,

Edited February 22, 2013 by Etherian

[wolfie2kX 528]

It's not so much a bout with Millennium Weed.. It's more like the Seraphim used it on everyone else to make them forget their little secret. They get their mind's wiped, the only way for the masses to survive is to have someone come by and teach them how to do the basics of life - eat, sleep, wipe the backsides, grow food, etc...

[wolfie2kX 528]

This installment brings our heroes a step closer to destiny and has a nasty surprise for one...

This installment of our tale brings our heroes one step closer to finding out the truth about themselves - and has a nasty surprise for someone.This installment of our tale brings our heroes one step closer to finding out the truth about themselves - and has a nasty surprise for someone.

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False Hope

The librarian excused herself and went to her office. Manda excused herself citing a need to get back to her patients. Loromir and Orphas amused themselves by thumbing through various books lying around TARA’s lair. Sophia, meanwhile found a place to sit and had a look at the papers TARA made for her.

The first one appeared to be the untitled memorandum penned by Urisa’N TachYon. It read,

 

 

“Memorandum from Urisa'N TachYon regarding the use of cloned warriors: The first test run in the defense matrix GT-AS 565 went entirely satisfactory. The DNA morphing of Dragon Battle Lizards with female Elifa slaves produced effective fighting amazons in a very short time. These warriors can be used in combat against the three-dimensional giant Worgarians as a replenishable battlefield resource.

Fiber-reinforced bone constructions and organic reflex amplifiers permit efficient close combat techniques to be employed. Fitted with transmitters to send enquiries from geostationary transfer satellites, these warriors prove to be very efficient terminators, since they are able to call energy bundles from orbit by vocal command or energized protective shields.

The plans exist to carry out training routines to turn these clone fighters into efficient pilots for our space attack forces. The spacecraft of the Paladin Class seem to me to be a suitable basis for this.”

 

The document didn’t make sense to Sophia. She had no idea what “cloned” meant, nor what half of the memo had to say, except there were a few words that jumped off the page at her: dragon and Elifa. The description otherwise somewhat described Seraphim.

Sophia got up and ran for the exit. Maybe she could catch Manda before she left.

“Wait here!” Sophia said to Loromir and Orphas as she passed by them.

She ran as fast as she could. She made it to the exit and to the portal without seeing Manda.

She went back inside and made her way back to TARA’s lair.

“Is everything all right?” Orphas asked.

“Yes. This document has some words in it I don’t understand, but they kind of sound medical in nature so I thought I’d try and see if I could catch Manda before she left.” Sophia replied. “But I think I just missed her. Anything from TARA?”

“No, the room has been as it was when you left.” Loromir replied. “I must say, this technology seems quite advanced.”

“It comes from the era of the Creator.” Sophia replied.

“The Creator?” Orphas asked. “I’ve heard the term many times previously, but thought it was superstition. This would suggest he was real.”

“No, the Creator is no superstition. He is real. We Seraphim are his creations, living breathing proof of his existence.”

“So then you’ve met him?” Orphas asked.

“No... No Seraphim alive today has ever met the Creator.” Sophia replied.

“That’s odd, don’t you think?” Loromir said.

“Not really. The Book of the Creator says that the Creator was at war with the forces of ultimate evil and as such created the Seraphim to fight this evil. The Creator came to make Ancaria as the ultimate weapon against this evil. He forged the weapon and used it to ultimately vanquish this evil. The weapon in question was then lost somehow. The book doesn’t say exactly what happened to it. Anyhow, for some reason or other, the Creator had to leave Ancaria, but before he did, he left the Seraphim here to keep the peace between the other races...”

“The whole world of Ancaria is a weapon? That seems to be a stretch. Does the book mention why the Creator had to leave?

“So the writings say, though I don’t know how that could be either. And no, just that he would someday return.” Sophia answered. “We’ve been waiting a very long time. And before you ask, I have no idea how long. I’m the wrong one to ask, I’ve been dosed by Millennium Weed.”

“Of course, maybe we can ask Lurinda when she recovers.”

“IF she recovers...” Sophia corrected. “TARA has been gone for a long time.”

As if on cue, the light column formed and the image of the Seraphim returned.

“TARA is online...”

“Is Physician Manda available?” TARA asked.

“She went back to Seraphim Island take care of her patients.” Sophia said. “Could you give us the information so we could take it to her?

“I am unable to comply. I require her presence to release the information.” TARA replied.

“I’ll go get her,” Orphas said. “I’ll be back in a bit.” And with that he ran off down the long hallway.

“TARA, in the mean time, I have a few questions regarding some words in one of the documents.”

‘Do you want to clear the current results?” TARA asked?

“NO!” came a voice from behind them – the librarian – startling Sophia and Loromir.

“You’ll have to wait to ask those questions after Manda gets her results. TARA unfortunately has a one track mind. If you ask her now, she will lose her place and will have to redo the search she just did,” she said.

“Oh... That wouldn’t be a good thing.” Sophia replied.

“Step over here, what did you need help with?” the librarian asked.

“There are a lot of words in this first document I don’t understand – things like ‘cloned’, ‘DNA’, ‘morphing’, ‘geostationary’, and ‘transmitters’...”

“Don’t feel bad. I don’t know the meaning of those words either. I suspect no one living today on Ancaria today knows what they mean. This is the language of the Creator. It is a mystery to us all.”

“It’s just there were a couple of words that jumped off of the page at me – Dragon and Elifa and it struck me as being an interesting coincidence, if nothing else.”

“Yes, well, that’s likely all it is – a coincidence,” the librarian said.

Orphas arrived just then with Manda huffing and puffing in tow. “We’re back, what did we miss?”

“Not much, just a debate on the semantics of ancient text.” Sophia replied. “Go ahead, Manda, TARA will only talk to you.”

“I’m not sure I want to know. But I know Lurinda is important to us all.”

Manda stepped up to the hologram and said, “I am Manda and I am here.”

“TARA recognizes Physician Manda of the Seraphim. Parameters match. Voice analysis is a match. Retrieving log entry from 4 Kuthar, 2494 First Elven Empire. Switching to display mode.”

The image of the Seraphim vanished replaced by a flat plane. Inside the pane, a face appeared – the face of Manda, herself. She began to speak.

“We’ve found a cure for Millennium Weed Toxicity! I should probably be ecstatic, but this substance can be quite dangerous and its use is not recommended unless it’s of vital importance. As you know, in the recent implementation of Millennium Weed, there were several people who somehow managed to get a much higher dose than they should have and wound up comatose.

“The active substance in Millennium Weed that causes amnesia bonds with certain centers of the brain of the target – specifically those centers that have to do with memory. It also affects the centers of the brain that govern the need for sleep. It causes the body to secrete hormones that cause sleep. These are normally necessary to protect an individual from working themselves to death. They work until they run low on energy; they must then eat and sleep to recover.

“The solution to the problem of toxic levels of this substance is dangerous and must not fall into the hands of anyone except myself or my successor should something unforeseen befall me. The reasons are, of course, two fold. Should anyone currently living consume any of the substance who was previously dosed with Millennium Weed will regain most, if not all of their memories. That brings us back to square one, meaning they will need a second, smaller dose of Millennium Weed to make them forget everything, again.

“Should anyone not previously dosed with Millennium Weed get ahold of this substance, they may wind up dead as the substance has some unpleasant side effects – hallucinations and potential death. Some people might find the hallucinations enjoyable and opt for additional doses – which will result in death. The ingredients of this are toxic on their own.

“The primary ingredient of this remedy is shadow weed. The key to making this remedy is following the instructions explicitly!” Manda’s face was replaced by an image of a plant.

“Take one hundred grams of dried shadow weed. Place it in a pot with one liter of water and simmer gently in a non-reactive pot until the volume of the tea becomes three quarters of a liter. When it’s ready, it will have the odor of a field of common grass that has just been freshly cut. Strain the leaves out of the tea.

“Cool the tea to room temperature. For non-comatose patients, serve them one drop of this tea in a glass of wine. The vintage of the wine isn’t important as is the alcohol content. The wine must be at least ten proof. The alcohol mixed with the shadow herb combines into another substance that breaks down the active ingredient of Millennium Weed that’s bonded to the memory centers of the subject.”

The Seraphim image returned and said, “This concludes the current archived record. Do you wish to view it again?”

“Yes!” the librarian interjected before anyone else could say differently.

“Record saved.” TARA said.

“My apologies for butting in, but I know TARA – that prompt would have erased that record forever.

“Good thinking,” Sophia said. “So Manda, do we have what we need?”

Manda’s face was ashen. “No. No, we don’t.”

“What do you mean?” Sophia asked.

“First of all, that herb that TARA displayed was not shadow weed. Secondly, shadow weed, in any amount, cooked or otherwise is guaranteed to be fatal. Third, shadow weed, when cooked for as long as the instructions say, becomes tasteless and odorless – it doesn’t smell like fresh cut grass, ever.”

“Then why would you leave yourself a message otherwise?” Sophia asked.

“I can’t believe that was me talking either. It makes no sense.” Manda agreed.

“It’s obvious. You left yourself a puzzle on purpose. The message was obviously meant to throw anyone else off of the track. Anyone who would try such a thing would certainly off themselves and that would be the end of the problem. A trained herbalist on the other hand would likely know the effect of shadow weed, wouldn’t dream of trying it and would likely think you were pulling their leg. Right?” the librarian said.

“I suppose that makes sense,” Manda agreed, “So what IS the formula.”

“Do you mind if we try something?” the Librarian asked.

“Go right ahead, we’ve got nothing to lose.”

“Very well, in that case, everyone else – please leave. You, too, Sophia. Everyone except for Manda. At least two rooms distance, if you please. Now then Manda, when we’ve gone, ask TARA to repeat that last entry again,” the librarian said as she shooed everyone else out the door.

A few moments after everyone left, Manda asked TARA to replay the message. This time, it was quite different.

Edited February 22, 2013 by wolfie2kX

[Ysne58 236]

Fascinating.

[Etherian 76]

Deeper & Deeper so goes each installment.

 

Rabbit hole? What rabbit hole? Reader! You have fallen into 'the' rabbit hole!

I remain,

[wolfie2kX 528]

Er.. I wouldn't quite go to the Matrix.. Not really a rabbit hole.. Just some security.

 

The current installment is a two-fer - mainly because the first part is really, really short. Pivotal, but short. The 2nd part though is all meaty meat...

 

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
The Cure

“Manda, I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that I’m viewing this some time in the future because I’ve been dosed by Millennium Weed sometime in your past and you now need a cure for its effects. I’m sure you’re feeling a lot of self doubt about things – Millennium Weed, The Great Reset (what we’re calling the operation to save ourselves and Ancaria by using Millennium Weed on the population) and the resulting chaos. But do not feel bad about it. It was a sad, unfortunate necessity. There are things you will not understand – so I’ll do my best to explain them.

You may be familiar with a Seraphim named Sophia. Suffice it to say, she, at one point, was our best friend. We had a bond of friendship and trust that most people on Ancaria never have.

“Just over a year ago by my count, Sophia went out on a patrol in the Elven region known as Tyr Lysia, near a town called Clearview. A particularly nasty Elven baron by the name of Hagaul decided he wanted a Seraphim in his cellar so he could mete out justice. He had some bounty hunters catch Sophia. The things that pitiful excuse for a bag of bones did to Sophia were inexcusable. He used a sharp-whip on her back on a daily basis for six months. He wanted to break her spirit, to make her his willing, personal slave. Sophia resisted the best she could.

Just when all hope was about to be lost, we caught wind of where he was keeping her. Maria herself led a team of Seraphim and rescued what was left of her. In the past six months, I’ve managed to repair the physical damage, but the damage to her soul was far, far too great.

That great sense of unease you’re now probably feeling has to do with the guilt over what I had to do today. I had to effectively kill my best friend. Not physically, mind you. Sophia still lives, but the personality I knew and cared for is gone. That bond we shared was wiped out in one fell swoop by a mere sip of the Millennium Weed brew. Actually, that’s not entirely true. It ended the moment she was captured. Don’t feel bad. She chose to drink it herself. She couldn’t bear to keep going. She begged me for the potion.

“By now, I’m guessing you’re either on the verge of tears or are already crying, not because you actually remember, but because you know it’s the truth. I just have one more thing to add to this – under NO circumstances should you ever give Sophia any of the formula I am about to give you. The shock of those memories that were repressed by the Millennium Weed would likely cause her to go insane and we really don’t want that.

“Take two hundred milligrams of dried thread rush in one liter of water and simmer in a non-metallic bowl until the concoction is reduced by fifty percent. Give the patient one drop per day, orally until their memory is fully restored. If the patient is unconscious, you will want to give it to them the same way – however, you will need to make sure they swallow the drops. In the case of a severe Millennium Weed overdose – repeat several times per day.

“In a situation where the Millennium Weed toxin was injected somehow under the skin, you will need to also drain the site of injection using mechanical suction. Under NO circumstances should you come into direct contact with the toxic substance. It can leech into your system through your skin and cause further problems. And if Ancaria’s brightest doctor forgets how to do things, we’re all lost.”

TARA’s image returned as the playback ended. “Do you wish to view this record again?”

“Yes! Save this record for future viewing,” Manda replied.

“Record saved...” TARA replied. “Will there be anything else?”

“I’m not sure if Sophia has anything else to ask.”

“Waiting...”

Manda stepped out of the room and joined the others.

“Well? Do we have a cure?” Sophia asked.

“Yes, we do!” Manda said. “TARA is asking if you’ve got anything else for her to do. And by the by, I told TARA to save the record for future viewing.”

“Good,” the librarian said.

“So anyhow, now that I know what to do, I’m off to Seraphim Island to get brewing!” Manda said as she turned to sprint off down the long hallway toward the exit.

Sophia, meanwhile, took her cue went into TARA’s lair.

 

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Family Reunion

“TARA, it’s Sophia again.”

“Sophia, Queen of the Seraphim is recognized.”

“I tried to read the first document you made for me, but there are a number of words I don’t quite understand.”

“Definitions for most words are available...” TARA replied.

“The first word I had a problem with is ‘cloned’.” Sophia asked.

“Cloned: past tense of the verb ‘to clone’. Cloning is an intricate medical process used to take cellular material from one living being in order to make a duplicate living being. Does this satisfy your inquiry?”

“I’m not sure. Let’s continue. The second word I am not familiar with is ‘DNA’.”

“DNA: Short for Deoxyribonucleic Acid. DNA is the blueprint of all life forms. Do you wish to see an example of DNA?”

“Yes, please!” Sophia replied and the image of the Seraphim vanished only to be replaced by a spiral helix.

“I see. What does ‘morphing’ mean in this context?” Sophia asked.

“DNA morphing is a process of taking DNA from unrelated species and combining them to create a brand new life form.”

“Sort of like taking a horse and mating it with a donkey to create a mule?” Sophia asked.

“Negative, though your analogy is on the correct track. DNA morphing in the context of the untitled document by Urisa’N TachYon is much more complicated. It requires the removal of cells from the Dragon Battle Lizards and more cells from the Elifa slaves, then using genetic engineering technology to create an entirely different life form.”

“This is way over my head. Can you show me what the resulting life form was?”

The image of the spiral double helix vanished and TARA resumed display of her user friendly image of the Seraphim.

“End result now being displayed,” TARA said.

The librarian’s jaw dropped. Sophia took the news in stride. “Can you display an image of the Dragon Battle lizards mentioned in the document?”

“Affirmative.” TARA said as the image of the Seraphim vanished and a familiar image of a dragon replaced it – although this one was much redder than Loromir or Orphas.

“Loromir! Orphas! Get in here! You’ve GOT to see this!” Sophia yelled.

“Coming!” the pair said in near unison.

“That looks like a fire Dragon.” Loromir said.

“A fire Dragon?” Sophia asked.

“There are four kinds of dragons. There are fire, magic, frost and poison Dragons... Loromir and I are of the Magic clan.” Orphas explained. “It has to do with our magical orientation. Fire clan members are able to do fire magic while frost clan members are able to wield ice attacks. Poison dragons release a toxic miasma while we magic Dragons do more intellectual feats of magic.”

“Come to think of it, that looks a bit like Mer-Kil.” Loromir added.

“Mer-Kil?” Sophia asked.

Yes. Mer-Kil is the eldest Dragon. We are mere youngsters compared to him.” Loromir said.

“Youngsters? You said you were 50,000 years old!” Sophia said.

“Indeed. Mer-Kil is likely to be well over one hundred thousand of your years old.” Loromir added.

Orphas, meanwhile walked around the Dragon image being displayed. “No. This isn’t Mer-Kil. Look here, Loromir, Mer-Kil’s wings are much more intact. These wings have far more battle scars on them.”

“I see what you mean. I believe you’re right, far older. Maybe Mer-Kil’s father?” Loromir mused.

The librarian finally found her voice, “You mean to tell me you two look like this?”

“Not exactly, we’re more bluish green in color, but the shape is generally right.” Loromir said with a somewhat smug amount of satisfaction.

“Sophia, do you realize you’ve solved one of the greatest mysteries of the Seraphim on this day?” the librarian said.

“Two thirds of it, actually,” Sophia corrected. “Now for the trifecta! TARA, please display what an Elifa slave looks like.”

The image of the dragon vanished, only to be replaced by an ordinary female Elf. Her image differed from any other Elf found on Ancaria today only in so far as the Elves today appear to be better fed. Modern Elves also had a look about them – an aire of superiority to other races that the image lacked. The Elf in the image looked as though she had been beaten multiple times to within an inch of her life. Her spirit was clearly broken.

“That’s an...” the librarian said.

“Elf!” Sophia finished for her.

“I suppose that explains quite a lot,” Sophia said. “The Seraphim have almost always supported the Elves, given them knowledge, and defended them against aggression – right or wrong – even when they were the aggressors.”

“Too true,” the librarian said in awe.

“Why does TARA have an image of one of our ancestors?” Orphas asked.

“Orphas, Loromir, it would seem we are related.” Sophia said.

“How so?” Loromir asked.

“I’m not sure – yet. But it seems your race has come into contact with our Creator somewhere in the past. According to this document, it says and I quote, ‘The DNA morphing of Dragon Battle Lizards with female Elifa slaves produced effective fighting amazons in a very short time.’ If I understand correctly, this means that our Creator took some of your DNA information and some DNA information from the Elves and mixed them together to create – us!”

“Analysis correct,” Tara interrupted.

“I merely asked TARA to show us what a Dragon Battle Lizard and an Elifa slave were.” Sophia said.

“Sorcery!” Orphas exclaimed.

“More like technology,” TARA corrected. “Superior technology can appear to be magic or sorcery when presented to those with inferior technology. Consider beings who have only managed to create stone knives. Along comes a more advanced race who has mastered steel knives. They would be acknowledged as having superior technology. But if that same stone knife wielding race were to be confronted with beings carrying lightsabers? Logic would dictate the stone wielding race would think the lightsabers were magical – even though they are a complex piece of technology.”

“What is a lightsaber?” Loromir asked.

“Do you wish to clear the current search to begin another one?” TARA asked.

“No, TARA, I’ve got this one,” the librarian replied as she walked to a shelf along the north wall.

“Acknowledged.” TARA said.

She moved a book and pulled out what was essentially a pair of handles. She handed one to Sophia.

“Are you familiar with these, sister?” the librarian asked.

“Not really, they do seem somewhat familiar though,” Sophia replied.

“Press the stud on the handle once to turn it on,” she said as she pressed the stud on her lightsaber and a bright green blade erupted from the emitter on the top of the weapon.

Sophia did likewise and a bright purple beam erupted from hers. “How pretty!” she said.

“Yes, very pretty and very dangerous. Press the stud on yours once again to shut it off.”

Sophia did and the purple blade vanished.

“Now hold up that stack of paper that TARA made for you between both hands. Hold on tight.”

Sophia complied as the librarian swung her green blade and it sliced neatly through the thin stack.

“You know, I wasn’t quite finished with that.” Sophia said, mildly annoyed.

“No matter, TARA, repeat the last print job.”

“Last print job unavailable. All resources were purged to search for Millennium Weed antidote.”

“Blast. What was it you had TARA search for?”

“All documents written by Urisa’N TachYon. There were three of them and I only read the first one.”

“Since the current search is related I can expand to include the other two documents. Three documents found: ‘The Heart of Ancaria – A Metaphysical Treatise’, ‘Eliminating the Worgarian Threat – A Plan of Action’ and one untitled memorandum. Shall I print them?”

“Yes, TARA, please do that,” she said to TARA, and continued to Sophia, “Sorry, but it was the only thing in the room I knew was replaceable.”

“Print job complete,” TARA responded.

“It’s ok, the demonstration was impressive.” Sophia forgave.

“Indeed. This Creator of yours must have been quite impressive when it came to this... technology.” Loromir said.

“Yes, he is,” the librarian said. “He is still out there somewhere, after all.”

“Are there any further words you need clarified, Sophia?”

“Um... Yes. What is ‘geostationary’?

“Geostationary – refers to an orbital period equal to the rotation of the planet in question.” TARA explained.

“Can you clarify that further?” Sophia asked.

The image of the Seraphim disappeared, replaced by a sphere. A number of specks appeared surrounding the sphere. The sphere and the specks began to rotate, the specks keeping up with the spin of the sphere. “This sphere represents the planet known as Ancaria. The dots surrounding Ancaria are in geostationary orbit. They remain over a given location on the planet at all times.”

“So, there’s one of those dots directly overhead at all times?” Sophia asked.

“Correct. These satellites are responsible for sending BeeEffGee weapons and similar weapons to Seraphim units and retrieving them as needed.”

“The last paragraph – what does it mean?” Sophia asked.

“Unknown. There is much that can be assumed, however, given the text. The word ‘pilot’ refers to a person who is in charge of guiding a vessel. The word “spacecraft” would be a combination of the word space with craft – and space in this context would refer to the heavens above – where the geostationary satellites exist. So a spacecraft would be a vessel that navigates outer space.”

“So then we were to be trained as pilots for these spacecraft but for some reason the Creator’s plans changed and we never got that training.” Sophia boiled it all down.

“That would be an accurate assumption.” TARA replied. “Will there be any further inquiries regarding this document?”

“None at the moment, I may have further questions later once I’ve delved into the other two. Thank you, TARA for the education.”

“You are most welcome, Sophia, Queen of the Seraphim. Please come back any time.”

The column of light faded.

“Well then, brothers, shall we go back to the Island and see how Lurinda and that guard are doing?”

“Indeed, provided we can make a side trip a bit further south for some lunch.” Loromir said with a hopeful smile.

“Sure. I know a few spots that might be good for that kind of thing,” Sophia said.

The group made their way to the front of the building.

[Aegis 256]

Just so you should know, seeing this almost makes me want to write something of my own. This take on Ancarian history and 'magic' is well thought out. Love to see what else you come up with.

[Ysne58 236]

I can't wait for the next installment.

[Etherian 76]

Seraphim. A hybrid being half dragon, half elf.

 

Never would I have guessed such a result of genetic modification.

 

I remain,

[wolfie2kX 528]

Just so you should know, seeing this almost makes me want to write something of my own. This take on Ancarian history and 'magic' is well thought out. Love to see what else you come up with.

 

It's not so much a take on 'magic'... There IS magic and what appears to be magic. Everything you've read thus far comes directly from the game - The memo quoted comes from Sacred 1. It's a book you can only get if you're playing the Seraphim and happen to be on one particular quest. You wind up going to a burned out building and wind up having to kill off some creatures. They have another Seraphim captured - one you ran into previously and rescued from the Sakkara cult. She dies and drops the book and a lightsaber. As she's dying, she says something to the effect of "They lied to us..." It can be assumed that the Seraphim in question visted TARA and got some unsettling answers as well - as she had the same tome Sophia had.

 

Also, look at the 3 aspects of the Seraphim in Sacred 2. You've got Exalted Warrior, Celestial Magic and Revered Technology...

 

I can't wait for the next installment.

 

It's coming soon. I'm working on it...

 

Seraphim. A hybrid being half dragon, half elf.

 

Never would I have guessed such a result of genetic modification.

 

I remain,

 

It kinda fits tho... If you look at the dragons in the game - 2 arms, 2 legs and 2 wings. Then look at the Seraphim - also 2 arms, 2 legs, and 2 'wings'...

 

But it's a bit more than just a hybrid of Dragon and Elf.. There's also that paragraph about fiber reinforced bones, organic reflex amplifiers and transmitters. Seraphim are augmented as well. Guessing the Creator didn't want them to be too squishy.

Edited February 23, 2013 by wolfie2kX

[Etherian 76]

But it's a bit more than just a hybrid of Dragon and Elf.. There's also that paragraph about fiber reinforced bones, organic reflex amplifiers and transmitters. Seraphim are augmented as well. Guessing the Creator didn't want them to be too squishy.

 

Hence their ability ingame to achieve demi-god status. 100% damage mitigation. They are afterall, the most overpowered character in Sacred 2.

 

With all the background information. Their roll in Sacred is starting to become crystal clear. Angels trapped on Ancaria. To protect & serve. Maintain the balance at all costs.

 

Next installment?

 

I remain,

 

 

[Aegis 256]

 

Just so you should know, seeing this almost makes me want to write something of my own. This take on Ancarian history and 'magic' is well thought out. Love to see what else you come up with.

It's not so much a take on 'magic'... There IS magic and what appears to be magic. Everything you've read thus far comes directly from the game - The memo quoted comes from Sacred 1. It's a book you can only get if you're playing the Seraphim and happen to be on one particular quest. You wind up going to a burned out building and wind up having to kill off some creatures. They have another Seraphim captured - one you ran into previously and rescued from the Sakkara cult. She dies and drops the book and a lightsaber. As she's dying, she says something to the effect of "They lied to us..." It can be assumed that the Seraphim in question visted TARA and got some unsettling answers as well - as she had the same tome Sophia had.

 

Also, look at the 3 aspects of the Seraphim in Sacred 2. You've got Exalted Warrior, Celestial Magic and Revered Technology...

Never played the first game, so now I know where this background came from. Otherwise, got the gist of it from that explanation, hence magic in quotes. Either way, I like this, along with the little science behind the creation of the seraphim.

[wolfie2kX 528]

 

But it's a bit more than just a hybrid of Dragon and Elf.. There's also that paragraph about fiber reinforced bones, organic reflex amplifiers and transmitters. Seraphim are augmented as well. Guessing the Creator didn't want them to be too squishy.

 

Hence their ability ingame to achieve demi-god status. 100% damage mitigation. They are afterall, the most overpowered character in Sacred 2.

 

With all the background information. Their roll in Sacred is starting to become crystal clear. Angels trapped on Ancaria. To protect & serve. Maintain the balance at all costs.

 

Next installment?

 

I remain,

 

It's gonna be kinda sorta something like that... But I don't think it'll be quite as pretty as you put it. The next installment is coming soon. Working on it now. Trying to sort out a new character...

 

 

 

Just so you should know, seeing this almost makes me want to write something of my own. This take on Ancarian history and 'magic' is well thought out. Love to see what else you come up with.

It's not so much a take on 'magic'... There IS magic and what appears to be magic. Everything you've read thus far comes directly from the game - The memo quoted comes from Sacred 1. It's a book you can only get if you're playing the Seraphim and happen to be on one particular quest. You wind up going to a burned out building and wind up having to kill off some creatures. They have another Seraphim captured - one you ran into previously and rescued from the Sakkara cult. She dies and drops the book and a lightsaber. As she's dying, she says something to the effect of "They lied to us..." It can be assumed that the Seraphim in question visted TARA and got some unsettling answers as well - as she had the same tome Sophia had.

 

Also, look at the 3 aspects of the Seraphim in Sacred 2. You've got Exalted Warrior, Celestial Magic and Revered Technology...

Never played the first game, so now I know where this background came from. Otherwise, got the gist of it from that explanation, hence magic in quotes. Either way, I like this, along with the little science behind the creation of the seraphim.

 

<WHEW> I'm breathing a bit easier already. As I said previously, there were some who took offense to some of the ideas presented in the last few installments...

 

As far as NOT playing the first game - it's never too late.. The game is still available for download online. Amazon and some outfit called Gog.com have it for $9.99 USD. It's like a 1.7 GB download.

[Ysne58 236]

It's also on Steam for $9.99.

[Omnicide 26]

 

But it's a bit more than just a hybrid of Dragon and Elf.. There's also that paragraph about fiber reinforced bones, organic reflex amplifiers and transmitters. Seraphim are augmented as well. Guessing the Creator didn't want them to be too squishy.

 

Hence their ability ingame to achieve demi-god status. 100% damage mitigation. They are afterall, the most overpowered character in Sacred 2.

 

With all the background information. Their roll in Sacred is starting to become crystal clear. Angels trapped on Ancaria. To protect & serve. Maintain the balance at all costs.

 

Next installment?

 

I remain,

So just out of curiosity, how did the Seraphim gain the ability of immortality? I realize from reading your story, wolfie, that dragons live for a very long time, sometimes up to 100,000 years, so I'm assuming that's where they got their immortality DNA from. It also explains why they can't reproduce, because they are unique to all other creatures on Ancaria. They are manufactured hybrids, so to speak.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

As always, keep up the good work.

[Etherian 76]

 

 

But it's a bit more than just a hybrid of Dragon and Elf.. There's also that paragraph about fiber reinforced bones, organic reflex amplifiers and transmitters. Seraphim are augmented as well. Guessing the Creator didn't want them to be too squishy.

 

Hence their ability ingame to achieve demi-god status. 100% damage mitigation. They are afterall, the most overpowered character in Sacred 2.

 

With all the background information. Their roll in Sacred is starting to become crystal clear. Angels trapped on Ancaria. To protect & serve. Maintain the balance at all costs.

 

Next installment?

 

I remain,

So just out of curiosity, how did the Seraphim gain the ability of immortality? I realize from reading your story, wolfie, that dragons live for a very long time, sometimes up to 100,000 years, so I'm assuming that's where they got their immortality DNA from. It also explains why they can't reproduce, because they are unique to all other creatures on Ancaria. They are manufactured hybrids, so to speak.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

As always, keep up the good work.

Elves, under normal conditions have immortality, by default. However, Elves can be slain, or die of weariness & grief.

 

The mighty Dragons, despite all their power, are still mortal. With the exception of those who extend their existence via The Dark Arts. A living Dragon who pursues Black Magic becomes a Dracolich, after death. Regardless however, death eventually comes to them all.

 

Along this line of thinking. *Elvish Lore from Tolkien* *Dragon Lore from D&D* One could undertake the agreement the Dragon DNA is actually a negative. So far as immortality is concerned.

 

Hope this clears up some confusion.

 

I remain,

[wolfie2kX 528]

Except the Ancarian Elves are not immortal. There's a quest that illustrates this on Seraphim Island called "Navigation Crystals" In that quest, a Seraphim asks the player to go to the Celestial Dome observatory to deliver some navigation crystals. The only problem is - the Seraphim took forever and three more years to create them - and the Elf who ordered them died and you wind up delivering them to his granddaughter! She makes a comment on your return to the effect of Elven longevity isn't quite what it used to be. They certainly live a long life, but immortal, like our technobabes? Nah...

 

As for the Dragons longevity, we don't quite know how long they can live for. Mer-Kil is the oldest of the old. And in the last installment, we find out that Mer-Kil is already 100,000 years old. I'll be delving a bit more into Dragon biology in the next installment.

 

As far as the Seraphim's immortality goes... Don't know at this point and it's not exactly central to the story. But it likely has something to do with the Creator's tinkering. You gotta expect him/her/it to have some semblance of wicked chops when it comes to DNA splicing and manipulation.

[wolfie2kX 528]

And speaking of the next installment... We meet Bethusela. the queen biatch of she-dragons. She's quite the handful as our intrepid heroes find out.

 

Fortunately, Sophia has dealt with this sort of thing in the past...

 

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Bethusela

On the long trek to the front of the library, Sophia mulled over the information she got from TARA. Dragon plus Elf plus Creator technology equals Seraphim. All the more reason to save the Dragon race from this Carnach. Logic would dictate that even if it took a few centuries or millennia, there was a chance the Seraphim could relearn the techniques of this DNA morphing and create more Seraphim.

“Sophia,” the librarian interrupted her train of thought, “Do you have any idea how many centuries I’ve pored over that document trying to make sense of it?”

“I haven’t a clue, but I would venture it’s been more than a few.” Sophia replied.

“Indeed. How did you manage to crack it in less than a day?”

“I suppose it was just dumb luck. The answers were there all along. I think it was just a matter of not assuming the meaning of the words were lost to time. At any rate, I will be back later after I’ve had a chance to read the other two documents.”

“Very well. I’ll likely still be here,” the library said.

With that said, Sophia, Loromir and Orphas stepped outside into the cold. The sun was fading in the west. There was a large shadow on the ground a short distance from the bridge. A cold gust of wind was coming from the far side of the bridge.

“I’ve got a very bad feeling about this,” Sophia said quietly so only her companions could hear.

“As do I,” Loromir agreed.

“Same here,” Orphas said. “I think it’s one of our relatives.”

“It would seem we’re pinned down here. If we cross the bridge, we’re likely to be hit before we could transform into our normal selves. If we stay here, we will likely freeze – even if we go back inside.”

“Let’s go upstairs to the lookout tower.” Sophia said and went up the narrow staircase to the top level of the structure. When she got to the top of the stairs, she moved cautiously and carefully to the shuttered window overlooking the bridge and the space beyond it. She cautiously opened them up as quietly as possible a tiny bit so she could get a look outside.

There just beyond the bridge, hovering just above the tree tops was a huge white Dragon.

“Is it anyone we know?” whispered Loromir

“Hmph, I don’t think so,” answered Orphas, in a quiet voice. “I never made it a habit to hang out with the Frost clan.

“Nor did I,” Loromir whispered back.

“So does anyone have any bright ideas?” Orphas asked.

“I don’t know if I’d call it bright, but I do have an idea.” Sophia said. “I will distract our friend over there. You two will get ready to transform and cross the bridge. Loromir, you break left when you get to the end, Orphas, you break right. When you get clear, transform and we’ll do what we can to pin the Dragon down. I’ll come in and drip some blood in his or is it her mouth and we’ll have one more to our ranks.”

“Seems risky, but I don’t think we’ve got any other options.” Loromir said.

“Agreed. How are you going to distract the Dragon?” Orphas asked.

“I will summon a Radiant Pillar. It has a hypnotic effect that draws enemies in. That will keep our friend occupied, hopefully long enough for you to do your thing.” Sophia replied.

“I like our chances better all ready. Let’s do it.” Orphas said.

The trio quietly snuck down the steps to the bridge entrance. Orphas and Loromir began to remove their clothing. When they were finally naked, Sophia stuck out her left hand; palm up and suddenly a beam of bright light erupted from the ground beneath the shadow.

“GO!” Sophia commanded as Loromir and Orphas ran across the bridge. Loromir broke left while Orphas broke right at the end of the bridge. A scream of pain could be heard from above.

Sophia held the spell for as long as she could. Then, suddenly a pair of shadows swooped in, just as the pillar of light vanished. Suddenly, a huge thud could be heard, just on the far side of the bridge. Sophia ran across the bridge, her knife in hand, she saw Loromir and Orphas, in all of their Dragonly splendor wrestling with the third white dragon. Orphas was on top of the white dragon, holding him (or was it her) down at the head while Loromir was perched on the white beast’s rear, doing his best to manage the Dragon’s tail.

“Sophia, Let’s get moving! We can’t hold her all day!” Orphas exclaimed as he struggled with the head.

Sophia ran up to the struggling trio, coming from the left side of the white Dragon’s head. She put the knife to her finger and ran across it. White blood began oozing from the cut.

“Orphas! Open her jaw slightly so I can get it in!” Sophia yelled.

The big white Dragon’s maw opened slightly and Sophia shook her cut finger directly at the gap. A few drops of blood flew inside.

“Shut her mouth!” Sophia ordered. Orphas complied.

The big beast struggled for a moment, and then stopped.

“OK guys, give her a bit of room.” Loromir and Orphas eased their hold on their big relation.

The big white Dragon shook herself.

“Greetings sister!” Loromir opened.

“Greetings – but I am NOT your sister!” the big white Dragon said. “And don’t you two Magic Clan runts ever forget it!”

“By all means, we apologize for being so... forward, cousin. We only seek to release you from the Carnach’s grip.” Orphas said.

“In that case, your attack is forgiven. Now GET OFF MY BACK!”

“Yes, of course.” Orphas said as he and Loromir complied.

Just then, the librarian emerged from her lair, running across the bridge. “Sophia! You forgot... something.” She said as her jaw dropped at the sight of three dragons.

Sophia went to join the librarian. “It’s quite all right! The two blue-green ones are Loromir and Orphas. The big white Dragon... Excuse me. Where are my manners? We haven’t been properly introduced. I am Sophia, Queen of the Seraphim. And you are..?”

The big white dragon shook her head slightly. “I am Bethusela of the Frost Clan.”

“Nice to meet you Bethusela. How are you feeling?” Sophia asked.

“Not bad given I’ve just had a few tons of nerd on my back. My head is feeling a lot lighter as well. Can you tell me what is going on here? Where am I?” Bethusela asked.

“Good to hear you’re feeling better. As to what’s going on, I think Loromir and Orphas are better suited to explain and you’re in the courtyard of the Seraphim Library. We were doing some research on some topics of interest to me.”

“Really? Those two explain something to me? Their explanations are beneath me.”

“Sophia, if I may explain,” Loromir said, “Dragon clans... Let’s just say we do not get along very well.”

“BAH! Quit coating it! We do not get along at all! Imbecile!” Bethusela interrupted.

“Indeed. There has been a cold war (pardon the pun, Bethusela) among the various tribes for millennia.” Orphas agreed.

“I’m not familiar with the term ‘cold war’, Orphas.” Sophia asked for clarification.

“It is where various tribes live in peace with an ever present threat of war hanging over them. All sides arm themselves in preparation for war, even though if they did, the likelihood of annihilation is great.”

“So, what your saying is you live in peace, but should you go to war, everyone of your kind would be killed.?” Sophia said.

“Yes. That is exactly what the nerd was saying.” Bethusela said,

“It is called Mutually Assured Destruction.” Loromir chipped in.

“That’s MAD,” Sophia said.

“Yes, it’s insane.” Bethusela agreed.

“No, Mutually Assured Destruction – MAD.” Sophia explained.

“HA! She’s a smart one!” Loromir said.

“What was the cause of this state of cold war?” Sophia asked.

“No one knows. It’s been so long that everyone’s forgotten why the conflict started.” Orphas said.

“And in all this time, has no one tried to resolve the differences between the clans?” Sophia asked.

“Why bother?” Bethusela said, “Fire Clan Dragons are the strongest and feel that they should be in control because they think might makes right. Poison Clan Dragons are full of guile. They would just as soon stab you in the back with a poisoned claw if it would get them what they wanted. And these two specimens of Magic Clan Dragons are a prime example of smart arse gone awry. They’re smart - too smart for their own good. They are also a cowardly lot.”

“And what of the Frost Clan?” Sophia asked.

“They have the reputation of being cold hearted pains in the hide.” Loromir jumped in before Bethusela could respond.”

“Yes,” Bethusela sighed, “We do have a reputation of being a bit bitchy.”

“I see... And you say this cold war has been going on for millennia?” Sophia asked.

“I don’t know. It started many years before I hatched.”

“So I take it this all came to an end about the time the Carnach came to your plane of existence?”

“Yes!” the trio of Dragons agreed in unison.

“Then would it not be better, perhaps, to start from scratch instead of picking up where things were left at the time of the Carnach’s arrival?” Sophia asked Bethusela.

“It would be very difficult to overlook centuries of...” Bethusela started.

“Propaganda?” Sophia finished. “On Ancaria, there are six principle races – Seraphim, Elves, Humans, Orcs, Lizardmen and last, but not least, the Dwarves. I am aware of the kinds of things each race will say about others. The Elves are quite full of themselves – much like your Fire Clan. While not the strongest, they believe their superior to everyone else because they have superior technology . Then there’s the Humans, they’re not much different. They’re more self reliant. The Orcs are likewise filled with the ‘our race is better than your race’ nonsense. The Dwarves, for the most part, seem to be consumed by greed and would take advantage of another race if they can get away with it. The Lizardmen are about the only race on Ancaria that doesn’t seem to be afflicted. They’re consumed by family and get along with each other rather well.”

“Hmmm. Perhaps we are not so different.” Bethusela mused.

“Probably not nearly as much as you see at first glance. We Seraphim have played the thankless task of refereeing things between the various races of Ancaria since this world was settled.”

“So what about your race? What do others say about you?” Bethusela asked.

“The honest ones recognize us for what we are, peacekeepers. Those who are less honest, view us less favorably.”

“There’s something, Lady Bethusela, which you should know about these Seraphim.” Loromir interrupted.

“And what would that be, smart arse?” Bethusela said, annoyed.

“These Seraphim are our distant relatives.” Orphas said.

“What do you mean ‘relatives’?” Bethusela said impatiently.

“Many, many years ago, our Creator apparently came into contact with your world. He combined your biology with that of the Elves to create the Seraphim. We just uncovered this information in the library.” Sophia replied, “If you’d like we could show you, but you’d have to transform to a smaller size – somewhat like my own.”

“Yes, I’d like to see this information for myself. Give me a moment.”

“Loromir, you and Orphas do the same and get dressed. We’re going back inside!”

If Sophia thought watching one dragon transform was spectacular, watching three of them transform in near perfect unison was utterly amazing. The three Dragons transformed themselves into two male figures and a female. Though there was a distinct difference. Bethusela’s skin was much paler and bluer than those of the males. She also sported long flowing white hair that reached her backside and could be conveniently used to strategically cover her feminine assets. It was likely for the best as they didn’t have any clothing that would fit her.

Sophia turned to the librarian and said, “It’s best not to close your mouth. The Dragons might find it offensive if you stare at them.”

“Wha? Yes, of course!” she replied. “Though it’s hard not to do it.”

“Yes, sister, it certainly is difficult to avoid watching their transformations.”

Loromir and Orphas tracked down their discarded clothing and put it on. They returned a few moments later, shivering.

“Are you two boys cold?” Bethusela asked. “This isn’t all that bad.”

“Let’s go inside then.” Sophia said. It’s not much warmer, but it is better than out here.”

“Yes, let’s.” Bethusela said.

The party went back down the steps into the library. They went down the hallway and wound up in TARA’s domain.

“TARA, we’re back!” Sophia said.

“TARA is online.” TARA said as the column of light appeared and morphed into the image of a Seraphim.

“Please read the first paragraph of the untitled memorandum by Urisa’N TachYon.”

“'Memorandum from Urisa'N TachYon regarding the use of cloned warriors: The first test run in the defense matrix GT-AS 565 went entirely satisfactory. The DNA morphing of Dragon Battle Lizards with female Elifa slaves produced effective fighting amazons in a very short time. These warriors can be used in combat against the three-dimensional giant Worgarians as a replenishable battlefield resource.'”

“TARA, now please show us the image of the Dragon Battle Lizard you showed us earlier, please.”

“Searching archive. Image found. Now displaying the image.” The image of the Seraphim then morphed into the image of the large red Dragon.

“We first thought the image was that of Mer-Kil, but we realized it could not have been him, the scars on his back and wings were far worse...”

“Did you two nerds completely FAIL in learning about your own biology? Didn’t they teach you anything?” Bethusela asked – annoyed.

“Um.. Of course they taught us about biology.” Orphas replied.

“Then how do you explain not being able to tell the difference between a male and a female Dragon? Clearly this image is of a FEMALE Fire Clan Dragon, not a male! Nerds!” Bethusela said with much exasperation

Loromir and Orphas both bent down to inspect the underside of the holographic image.

“You’re right! How did you know?”

“I take it neither of you two nerds ever mated with a female...” Bethusela said.

“Um... Well...” Loromir started.

“I didn’t think so!” Bethusela cut him off. “If you had, you’d recognize those scars on her back and wings as those you males inflict on a female when you’re mounting her. Clearly, this female Fire Clan member has mated several times and has dropped several clutches.”

“And since she’s Fire Clan, I assume you have no clue as to who she is.” Sophia said.

“Not the vaguest idea.” Bethusela replied. “So what about this other life form that we were mated to?”

“TARA, please display the image of the Elifa slave.”

The image shimmered once again, morphing into that of the Elf slave.

“You mean to tell me that this Creator of yours merged OUR biology with THAT pathetic specimen?” Bethusela said with a measure of outrage.

“I can’t say with certainty that it was the Elf in the picture the Creator used, it could have been one of many others.” Sophia replied.

“Have you considered that your creator may not have ASKED for consent from the Dragon or Dragons he used in his experiments? I seriously doubt he asked those Elifa or Elf slaves for permission to do this!” Bethusela said with much anger.

Sophia was struck speechless for a moment. It was an issue that never crossed her mind.

“One does NOT ask their slaves for permission! One orders their slaves to do your bidding!” Bethusela continued, on a roll.

“TARA, do you have information on how the Creator may have gotten the DNA samples needed to create the Seraphim?”

“I have no direct information; however numerous techniques can be used to gather the required material. Do you wish me to list them?”

“Yes, please.” Sophia continued.

“The first option: The Creator could have used left over skin cells. In the case of Dragons, a single flaked off scale could have been used.”

“Second option: The Creator could have obtained a saliva sample.

“Third option: The Creator could have obtained tissue samples from any number of other sources – blood samples, or other bodily fluids, for instance.”

“Fourth option: The Creator could have used an unfertilized egg from the female specimen. However, this technique is highly unlikely as unfertilized eggs only contain one half of the necessary DNA matrix. Male sperm would be required to complete the matrix.”

“Explain the last part, please, TARA,” Sophia asked.

“When two beings come together in coitus, the male deposits his semen inside the female. The sperm then travels deeper into the female’s body until it encounters an unfertilized egg. The sperm then attempts to break through the egg’s defenses until one sperm cell makes it through. The sperm cell then releases the male donor’s DNA into the egg’s nucleus and the process of bonding the male DNA with the female DNA begins. In the case of reptilian beings such as Dragons, a hard shell forms around the now fertilized egg and it is eventually released into the Dragon’s nest where the egg will eventually, barring unforeseen issues such as predation, hatch into a baby dragon.”

“I’m sorry I asked.” Sophia mumbled to herself. “Thank you TARA, For what it’s worth, Lady Bethusela, there are plenty of means the Creator could have used – none of which would have been invasive. And at the moment, it doesn’t exactly change the situation.”

“And just what situation is more important than being violated this way?”

“The situation we’re facing is that the Carnach has most of your fellow Dragons in his thrall and is using them to attack this world. And if we don’t do something about it, we will all be his slaves. Actually, I stand corrected. The Seraphim will wind up dead as we can not be coerced to the side of evil. And now that you three have been cleansed of this evil, you will also wind up dead.”

“When you put it that way, I see your point.” Bethusela conceded for the moment, “But this isn’t over! When the Carnach is gone and dealt with, we WILL revisit this issue again!”

“I’m fine with that.” Sophia agreed.

“So what IS the plan?” Bethusela asked, her irritation obvious.

“We’re still working on that. We know how to free your people. We have a substance that removes the evil from those affected, we just need the means to deliver it, preferably without being roasted alive, frozen, poisoned or otherwise harmed in the process.” Sophia replied.

“Is that all?” Bethusela asked,

“Well, yes, given I’ve only been on the job for less than a week. At the moment, we’ve gotten further in the last few days than we’ve had in the past decade.” Sophia replied, allowing a slight bit of irritation to creep into her voice. “So yes, that is all we have so far.”

“Um... I see...” Bethusela replied taken slightly aback by the ferocity of Sophia’s response.

“Try me again next week,” Sophia continued, with a much more pleasant tone.

“In the meantime, can we get something to eat?” Loromir asked, trying to break the tension.

“Geeze. Why is it that all you nerds ever think about is that gullet of yours?” Bethusela asked.

“Maybe because we haven’t really eaten much in the past few days?” Orphas replied.

“Yes, well, in that case, let’s get a move on.” Sophia replied. “TARA, we’re done here for the moment, save all of the documents and images.”

“Good night!” TARA replied as the images faded from the floor.

[Ysne58 236]

Nice new twist. I think I like the newest character.