It was a small village. She was saved, at last! Sennymay ran to the gates. The guards crossed their spears in front of her.
"Please let me in!" she cried. "I haven't eaten in three days!"
One guard looked her over. Sennymay did a double take. It was that red-haired guard from the fortressed town! Now she knew she had no way to get in…
"No Rogues allowed," he told her in a deep, emotionless voice. He followed the other guard into the town and closed the gate behind him. Sennymay was left outside, alone.
Senny dropped to her knees. All hope was lost. She started banging on the door, but no one heard her. It was useless. If K'krath didn't find and kill her, then she would die of starvation or some other terrible fate would be bestowed upon her. She almost cried - a thing she had not done in years and was not going to now. How could they be so unkind? So what if she was a rogue?! After all, she was half-human, too! She deserved at least a chance to live!
Senny heard a screech and turned her head in the direction of that sound. One of the bushes next to her lifted outward and fell sideways. A trap door appeared under it. A little girl stuck her head out through the opening.
"Come with me," she said, her voice soft and happy. Senny followed the girl into the tunnel. She seemed to be a crossbreed between an Elf and a Dwarf, with hair golden as fields of poppy flowers and eyes as blue as the oceans. The girl took a torch off one of the walls and headed deeper into the tunnel, Sennymay following her.
They soon came to a small room. "My name is Klil," the girl told Senny.
"I'm Sennymay," the rogue told her, not wishing to reveal her last name.
"Stay here. I will bring you clothes, medicine, and some supplies," Klil said.
Senny's jaw dropped. Again tears burned her eyes, but she held them back. "Do you mean to say that you are not a least bit afraid of me?"
"I can peek into the future. Someone with your potential is a powerful and kind person, contrary to popular beliefs. I can not tell you more." She walked out of the room. The girl was soon walking back in with bandages, some potions, clothes, armor, weapons, and a map in her hands. A pot of green goo wiggled out of her hands, but she skillfully ducked after it and caught it with her free fingers.
"Here are some tips for you," Klil told Senny. The girl pulled off Senny's tunic and removed the blood-soaked impromptu bandages from Senny's back and abdomen. "I saw a light when I first looked at you," she continued, "a light that I never saw before. Bright and warm." She rubbed an orange potion on the elf's wound, sending Senny screaming in agony. She placed a leaf on the wound, then placed on some stick-on bandages. "The scar will stay, there is nothing I can do about it." Senny finally figured it out. Klil was an empath whose senses had been heightened so much, she could see the future. "But I guarantee you that the pain will go away."
Now she handed Sennymay some new clothes in place of the old blood-streaked ones. These new ones were dark and sinister. Next Klil handed her an aventail and a helmet. Some double leather followed. A pair of leather pants was next… there was something in the pants somewhere in vicinity of Senny's unmentionable part that felt a little weird. Now she handed her a mirror. Sennymay looked in. She was dressed like a man!
"Urgh!" Senny exclaimed with disgust and kicked the mirror away. No wonder there was a lump in those pants. They were guy pants!
"Mistress Sennymay, if you wish to survive, do what I say!" Klil yelled. "The red-haired guard will not recognize you in the disguise of a man! That's the only way to town."
Senny understood now, but there was no way she was going to keep this on when she was through with the danger! These pants felt somewhat uncomfortable.
"Now for a weapon," Klil rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I have your falchion that was stolen from you by the Fortressed Town villagers." She handed her the falchion. Senny embraced it, smiling wildly. Now the girl handed Senny a medicine pack containing various herbs and potions. "The last thing I can give you now is a map and a backpack to carry all this in." Klil foraged around in the drawer of her desk and pulled out a tattered map. She handed this to Senny, who in turn examined it.
"What's this crystal for?" the rogue asked, pointing at a picture of a white crystal orb marked on the map. It was located about three days worth of traveling from here.
"This is where the White Crystal of Light is hidden," Klil said with excitement. "They say it holds the power of Light!" Klil thought how she could enhance her healing ability and heal any injury with that Light. Then she gave a sigh of disappointment. "Besides the fact that the shrine is guarded by a hideous golem, no one can touch the crystal for it burns the hands of unworthy. It burned my hands as well. You have to be the most powerful Light Wielder to hold it…" she drifted off, staring at Sennymay. The light she saw again now couldn't possibly be the light of the Wielder, could it?
"A golem, you say?" Senny mumbled under her breath. That thing shouldn't be much of a problem. She certainly would not fight it, but steal that what's it called crystal and then sell it for a hefty price! Already the elf was working out a plan on how she could swipe the crystal.
"It's time for you to go," Klil said and directed Senny towards the door with a soft smile. "I am sorry, but I have no food to offer you."
"Before I go," Senny started, "could you tell me one thing? Could you tell me if a traveling companion of mine is safe?"
"Artemisiana is alright," Klil reassured her.
Senny now stood outside, with her "manly" clothes on. She decided to get some food. Surely the town had a great choice of fine snacks. Senny walked to the gate with as manly a stride as she could muster. The guards were back at their posts, the red-haired eyeing her suspiciously. They stepped aside to let her through. Senny took a step towards the gate. Suddenly, the familiar guard yanked off her helmet. Her hair dropped down to her shoulders.
"The rouge!" the second guard screamed, amazed. Senny exchanged a quick look with the red-haired one before she took off into the town as the guard tried to grab her arm. The elf ran into the market place, occasionally bumping into people. One jump and she was atop a roof, tossing her helmet and aventail at the guard. She ran, then jumped off the other side of the building, swiping a roasted chicken from a handsome Bard. Sennymay ran to the gate, dodging the second guard and was off to the forest. The last thing she heard was the second guard's words to the red-haired one: "Let her go, Drekore."
Senny raced through the forest towards the crystal on her map, still eating the stolen chicken. She stopped, took out a handkerchief, wrapped the leftover chicken in it, and shoved it into her new backpack.
There seemed to be a shorter way to get to the crystal. It was a place called the "Serpent Road". Senny was going to take it. She soon found the gate and jumped onto the moving ride. It was one of those enchanted tunnels that made traveling faster. You were still traveling the same time, only it seemed like half of it.
The night went by fast. She snoozed on her backpack, not bothered by the greenish glow of the walls surrounding her. She awoke at the end of the ride. The elf got out of the tunnel and found herself in front of a white temple. She walked forward, stepping over the first trap. Being a rogue sometimes paid off. You were so tuned in to your surroundings, your could tell an invisible trap. Getting your hand chopped off five times helped, Senny thought. She wondered if there would be a trap somewhere in the temple with a huge ball of stone rolling after you. The halfling thought that there must be one, since a dungeon wouldn't be a dungeon without it. She walked into the temple, avoiding yet another clever trap (this one had a depression in the floor that if stepped on, would send two sharp pendulums swinging from the ceiling). She looked around and found out that there was a dungeon and the crystal was in the middle of it. A map on the wall told her so. She tore it off and headed inside the dark crevice in the wall.
Sennymay soon found herself wondering through dark tunnels and occasionally running into dried up skeletons and sticky spider webs. She was not going to turn back. She was one determined rogue and she was going to get that crystal!
The next junction of the dungeon was very disorienting. There the walls were perfectly smooth and featureless. The tunnel sloped down, getting even darker. She finally came across the hole that supposedly led to the Crystal Room. Senny crawled in and moved through the narrow tunnel. She then saw light in front of her. The halfling scampered forward and fell out onto a mirrored floor.
There he was. The golem was a hideous creature with small black eyes and orange flaky skin. It didn't seem to notice Sennymay. The creature was looking at the main entrance, obviously waiting for a warrior to walk in and challenge it to a fight. All the better. Senny did not want to fight that thing. It was three times bigger and no doubt two times stronger than she was.
The rogue crept across the glass floor to the giant stand with a white orb on it. She glanced at the golem who still didn't give any signs of life, or whatever power that drove it. Senny put her arms around the stand and struggled to find foot and hand holds. She clumsily climbed up the stand and stood in front of the crystal.
It was magnificent! Fluorescent lights danced on its surface and waves and power surges filled the inside of this awesome orb. She reached for it and picked it up. Suddenly the room was filled with Holy Light. The rays bounced off the mirrored walls and floors and sailed through the ceiling and out to the sky.
The man in the red robe lifted his head as a sudden flash from the White Temple of Light caught his attention. He smirked as a small power spark flashed brightly in his dark eyes.
A power surge rushed through Sennymay. Her body was locked in place without movement for three whole seconds. She momentarily thought of what Klil had told her. No one can touch the crystal…Only the Wielder of Light…Her body jerked, but she held on to the orb. Light passed through her body, burning pieces of her clothes. It seemed to be scanning her. She held on to the orb still, a determined look on her face. The light seeped into her and was gone.
Her body was forced to function again as she saw the massive golem rush towards her. She almost fell off the stand as the feelings returned to her arms and legs. Sennymay gave a quick gasp and jumped off the stage, falling on her hands and knees for she underestimated the heights. She got up and ran out the main entrance, the golem following her with his massive weight sending tremors through the dungeon. She placed the orb inside the bodice of her new double leather, then quickly glanced at her map. There was a turn coming up that would lead her to the gate and, in turn, out into the grasslands. She would there lose the golem.
She slid across the floor into the next tunnel and then resumed her running, skid marks left on the floor behind her. She could not remember the last time she ran so fast. Her heart was in her throat, pounding with quick jerks. Her eyes expanded to the size of small saucers. The golem was still following her, not too far behind.
There it was! The gate! Senny ran into it and was hurled back by the impact. The gate was… locked! How could that be? This old gate was the one she had come through before! She swallowed as she heard the golem near. Her eyes widened even more. She clutched her right hand into a fist. It trembled with the power she put in, little droplets of blood rolling down her wrist from the strain. She brought her fist forward into the door with the speed of an arrow. The doors, upon impact, shot outward in a fountain of splinters. The hinges quietly swung back and forth, dislocated from their original place. Sennymay dashed through the gate and out into the open, leaving the flaky golem behind.
Underbrush and stunted oaks twisted together in a death grip as the ground lowered to slope downward. Some of the nearby briars had stems so thick that, if not for their hateful thorns, Senny could almost mistake them for saplings. The oaks, in turn, were bent double by masses of clinging vines. The whole effect was of a nasty little grassland. The halfling headed south towards what was supposed to be a house of an old sorcerer. She was planning on selling her Crystal of Light to the man. No doubt a sorcerer would pay a hefty sum for such a powerful object! She thought of making an honest living after she sold the crystal, but that thought quickly appeared ridiculous to her.
She traveled down through the bushes. The sorcerer lived relatively close. She would not accept an offer below 3,000 silver coins. Senny was ready to cash in.
She was close. She got out of the grasslands a long time ago and was now walking along a smooth trail, undoubtedly leading to the sorcerer's house. She was right. In front of her stood a white house with a wide roof and windows of all shapes, sizes, and colours. A little stained glass door at the side of the building seemed to be the only entrance. She walked to it and knocked.
A man in a blue cloak opened the door. His hood was pulled over his eyes. He let her in without saying a word. An old man in a golden robe approached Senny as she looked around. He bowed. Senny bowed back.
"I am Pherandil the Sorcerer. What can I do for you this fine day?" he asked. Somehow Senny did not expect such a warm welcome. Suddenly she felt someone watching her. She turned around and saw a man in a red robe in the far side of the room. His hood covered his face, all men here seemed to have their faces covered in this fashion. He turned his head and pretended he wasn't looking at her, his eyes shining with an eerie red glare every time he turned around again. Sennymay did not like being watched.
"I have this for you," she said and reached into the orb's hiding place, bringing it out into the open. Pherandil stepped back.
"Keeper, come here and take this," the sorcerer ordered someone. The man in the red robe came forth. He reached for the orb, but Senny moved it away.
"I will take no less than 3,000 silver coins for it," she said.
"Very well," Pherandil answered. "Keeper, give her the reward." The man pulled out a chest and gave it to Sennymay. She offered him the orb.
The keeper reached for it. As his hands touched it, the orb turned black. Gasps from the other acolytes broke the silence. Senny knocked away his hand. The orb flared up as the keeper's hand left it. Light flashed and for a moment Sennymay looked up at the man. Dark brown hair showed, then his eyes, then… That face! The keeper dropped his chest.
"You!" she screamed and swung at the keeper with her left hand. He dodged and backed away. The sorcerer and the acolytes stared.
"What are you doing?" Pherandil yelled. "If you want to fight, take it out of my home!" He pointed toward the door.
Senny picked up the chest and walked out, the orb still in her hands. The keeper followed her, a grin on his now-unveiled face.
They were now in the courtyard. Senny placed the orb and the chest down. She reached for her sheath and drew her falchion. The keeper didn't bother to take out any weapons. The rogue recognized him now. He was the man who gave Artemis her lighting power. He was the same man who stalked her through the forest - the corner of his robe was torn, that piece in her pocket. Senny assumed her fighting positing.
"Lets get acquainted first, shall we?" the man said. "I am Kifka and you are…?"
"Sennymay," she said hastily. "Now why did you follow me?"
Kifka frowned. He had his reasons.
"Make your move!" she yelled to him. Kifka smirked and raised his hand. Senny recognized that guesture and had just enough time to duck as a fireball flew by her.
"I don't want to fight you," Kifka said. Senny swung at him, but Kifka dodged again. "Will you listen to me!" he yelled at her. "I have to tell you something."
Senny stopped and looked at Kifka.
Pherandil was watching the fight out of one of his many windows. The acolytes gathered around him. They saw Senny lunging to attack Kifka, delivering blows that often made him stagger. But Kifka was a good fighter, counter attacking Senny and blocking most of her attacks. The Green acolyte noticed that Kifka was trying desperately to explain something to Sennymay while he attacked and blocked. She didn't seem to care bout what he was yelling. That was until he said a word that left her dumbfounded. Kifka blasted her with a water spell and screamed something else, which made Senny's eyes grow even wider. In those eyes sparkled what seemed to be tears. She scrambled to her feet, grabbed her chest and orb, and then stopped. She looked at Kifka, said something and then took off with tears in her eyes.
The acolytes accompanied Pherandil outside and ran to Kifka.
"Keeper!" the sorcerer yelled. "Keeper, what was this all about? You either explain or you will no longer be part of my society! There is no fighting here!"
"I have no need for your society!" Kifka exclaimed angrily. He tore off his robe and threw it at the sorcerer.
"You will come back!" Pherandil yelled. "You'll need the most powerful spell, for your lust for power is not yet satisfied!"
"I am afraid you're wrong, old man," Kifka answered. "As from one week ago, I have been carrying the blueprints of the most powerful Fire spell in my mind." He grinned at the sorcerer. "Do you know the Burning Cosmos?"
Pherandil backed away, for not even he ever had the capacity to store that spell; casting it was out of the question. Kifka turned and walked into the forest. Now he was dressed as a warrior and was looking for Sennymay for his own reasons.
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Etrion, "Four Gems," and its characters are Copyright © Sennymayy 1997 - 1999.
